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Our society is in the midst of an unprecedented explosion in all forms of technology and
information. This rapid growth in new technologies or improvements to existing
technology are in turn fostering changes in education, the workforce, job skill demand,
global competition, and life-long learning. We are in a knowledge-driven economy that
demands highly effective workers in workplaces in which working and learning are the
same activity. This opportunity encourages us to rethink much of what we do in schools,
how we learn, and how we prepare students for a world which is difficult for us to
envision.
Good teaching has always helped to develop life skills such as adaptability, self-
direction, people skills and accountability. Teaching in the 21st Century will require even
more deliberate and intentional instruction in these areas as teachers strive to offer
meaningful and relevant educational experiences for all students.
Envision high school classrooms where subjects come alive as students take on the
roles of historians, scientists, mathematicians, and authors to investigate critical
questions, weigh different points of view in light of discoveries, form positions, and
present and defend their work while collaborating with peers. Technology is integrated
seamlessly in the learning process for research, connecting with experts in the field,
career exploration, collaborating with others, and publishing completed works. The
teacher acts as a facilitator of learning leading students to higher levels of thinking and
creativity while releasing more responsibility to students by using appropriate protocols
for classroom management. Instruction is differentiated to meet the individual needs of
each student in the class.
Introduction - Page 1
In order for teachers to accomplish the transformation from instruction primarily
delivered through lecture and textbook to using multiple modalities in more authentic
and dynamic learning environments, they will need a purposefully designed program of
study with the necessary implementation support system and accountability for change.
The 21st Century Teaching & Learning Series takes teachers through the pedagogical
transformation process in a program of study that builds the instructional foundation for
real change in classroom practice and ensures the change is being implemented
through action research and classroom observations. The series begins with the first
course that builds a compelling case for change with the learners completing a thorough
needs analysis and action plan for accomplishing the change in conjunction with their
principal, department, and study group colleagues. The second through fifth courses are
subject specific (i.e. there are versions for mathematics, science, social studies, and
language arts) and purposefully build the pedagogical skills necessary for
accomplishing lasting instructional change. They will lead to the creation of dynamic,
authentic classroom environments where students take on the roles of scientists,
historians, mathematicians, and writers. Teachers seamlessly incorporate inquiry,
projects, technology, and dynamic and flexible groupings into authentic teaching and
learning.
Goal: To build the capacity of Pennsylvania's high school teachers to better meet the
needs of today's students.
Series Tools
Program of Study
The 21st Century Teaching & Learning Series takes teachers through a pedagogical
transformation process in a program of study that builds the instructional foundation for
Introduction - Page 2
real change in classroom practice and ensures the change is being implemented
through action research and classroom observations.
This series is designed to be meaningful to both novice and experienced teachers and
is comprised of five courses. The courses will be available in a variety of versions
including self-study and facilitated study groups; however, only the facilitated study
group versions of the courses will be acceptable in order to fulfill the Classrooms for the
Future requirement.
The series begins with the first course that builds a compelling case for change with the learners
completing a thorough needs analysis and action plan for accomplishing the change in
conjunction with their principal, department, and study group colleagues. The second course
introduces skills for creating dynamic, authentic classroom environments where students take on
the roles of scientists, historians, mathematicians, and writers. The third through fifth courses
purposefully builds the pedagogical skills necessary for accomplishing lasting instructional
change including inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, and differentiated instruction
with a special emphasis on continuing the dynamic and authentic classroom environment from
course two.
The goal of the series is to transform high school instruction from the 20th Century to 21st
Century teaching and learning.
Introduction - Page 3
From
Memorizing Teachers spend most time Using Teachers have students use
information involved in direct information information to develop authentic
instruction, with projects where mastery of
assessment occurring as a information is demonstrated in the
test at the end where recall way information is used in the
of information is tested. project.
Lecturer Teachers spend most of Facilitator The teacher provides projects that
their time involved in involve students doing research
stand and deliver. and assimilating the knowledge
Knowledge comes from themselves. Teachers act as
the teacher. coaches and provide support as
need by students. They take on the
role of project manager.
Introduction - Page 4
Whole Group All students Flexible Grouping Teachers group students based on
Configuration receive the same Configuration needs. Instruction seldom is to the
instruction. One Based on Individual whole group. Rather, instruction
size fits all. Student Needs occurs with individuals, pairs, or
small groups as needed.
Single Multiple
Instructional Instructional and
and Learning Learning
Modality Modalities to
Include All
Students
Memorization Tests are the Higher Order Teachers assign projects to the
and Recall primary means Thinking Skills class that requires higher order
of assessment thinking (synthesis, analysis,
and focus on application, and evaluation).
recall and lower
level thinking.
Introduction - Page 5
Quiz and Test Students are assessed Performance- Teachers utilize projects as well as
Assessments through tests only. Based other products and performances
Assessments as assessments to determine
student achievement and needs.
Assessments are tailored to the
talents/needs of the students.
Textbook The teacher may Multiple Teachers use the textbook as just
Dependent follow the textbook Sources of another resource, which is used in
chapter by chapter, Information conjunction with the internet,
page by page. The text Including journals, interviews of experts,
book is the major Technology etc.
source of information.
Technology as The teacher is the main Technology Teachers have students regularly
a luxury user of technology, fully integrated use technology to find
primarily as a means of into the information,
presenting information. classroom network/communicate with each
other and experts, and to produce
and present their projects,
assignments, and performances.
Introduction - Page 6
Learning Facts and skills are Using a variety Teachers devise projects that help
isolated skills learned out of context of types of students learn information and
and factoids and for their own information to skills through using them in
sakes. complete situations similar to the way they
authentic would in real life.
projects
Acting purely Students are involved Students acting Teachers set up student
as a student in strictly academic as a worker in assignments, projects, and
endeavors (e.g., note the discipline performances to allow students to
taking, listening to operate the way a person would
lectures). working in the field in the real
world (as a scientist, writer,
mathematician, etc).
Teaching in Closing the door and Teaching in Teachers take part in co- and team
isolation working alone with no collaboration teaching, as well as working
contact or help from collaboratively with department
outside the classroom members to improve learning for
students
Teaching in Students become bored Engaging the Teachers consider utilize the
such a way as because school is not 21st Century unique characteristics of the 21st
to disengage engaging and they feel student Century brain and the habits of the
students. they have to power 21st Century digital native to
down. provide engaging and effective
instruction.
Introduction - Page 7
Sit and get Teachers take part and 21st Century Teachers take an active part in
professional accept passive and professional planning and participating in
development ineffective development and professional development that
professional learning regularly utilize learning
development communities communities to improve
student learning and
achievement.
Teacher looks Teachers pose low- Teacher looks for Teachers pose questions that
for one answer level questions that multiple answers require high level thinking
for students require recall from students. with multiple solutions.
answers. Emphasis Emphasis placed on the types
placed on correct of questions.
answer.
Teachers reflect Teachers analyze Students reflect on Teachers with students analyze
on student assessment scores for student results assessment scores for the
results. the sake of progress with teachers. purpose of identifying
reporting progress. strengthens and weakness to
prescribe instruction and
academic supports.
Introduction - Page 8
Learning Guide - Blended Study Group Version
Use this guide as you progress through the course to organize your thoughts and to
help you plan ways to apply the content you have learned in your building/district. At
times, you may be prompted to refer to the learning guide for specific directions or
activities. This course is structured using units, sections, and topics. For further
explanation, please refer back to the online orientation.
Throughout this course you will demonstrate an understanding of the course content
and practice the skills discussed. There will be activities requiring planning, applying,
reflecting metacognition, and sharing.
Note that some activities will require that you submit responses electronically. All work
can be created in a word processing program and then be copied and pasted into the
collection fields on screen.
This course is divided into five units. The first unit is an introduction to the objectives
and materials of the course. The second unit will provide the rationale for 21st Century
change by examining students and workplace. The third unit will examine the roles and
responsibilities required of teachers to prepare students for the 21st Century workplace.
The following is an estimate of the time it will take to complete each unit.
At the beginning of each unit you will have the opportunity to print an activity time
breakdown document that explains how much time each individual unit activity requires.
In this activity you will participate in a discussion with the other members of your study
group regarding the key concepts considered in this unit.
1. Print the rubric your facilitator will use to provide feedback for your participation in
sync point discussion activities. Save this rubric for reference for these activities
throughout the course.
2. Close the "print" window.
3. You will be notified when your facilitator has posted a topic for this discussion.
You cannot complete this activity until he/she has done so. Be sure to check your
"Inbox."
4. Open the discussion group by clicking on "Course Resources" menu on the top
left of the screen and select "Discussion."
5. On the discussion page, select the "Sync Point" discussion group and look for
your facilitator's posting for Unit 1.
6. You must post a response to your facilitator's topic and either reply to the
postings of others, or ask them questions. If you choose, you may start a new,
Performance Levels
Unit Overview:
This unit will present compelling arguments for the need for change in our educational
practices in order to improve student achievement. 21st Century skills are needed by all
students, regardless of race, geographic locale, or socioeconomic level.
The learner will explore the characteristics of 21st Century students and the skills
needed for their successful transition into the 21st Century workplace. Also, the learner
will assess his/her own instructional practices to gauge the level at which they are
preparing students for the 21st Century workplace.
In this activity you will reflect on the rationale for 21st Century change.
1. Print and read the "Planning Guide: An Explanation of the K-L-D Chart."
2. Print the "Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D Chart."
3. Close the "print" windows.
4. Complete the "K" column of the chart, recording what you already know about
the topic.
5. Save the chart for later use. You will be directed when to fill in the "L" and "D"
columns. This information will be used to complete the culminating activity.
6. Return to the course to continue.
1. Complete the following quiz that will help you identify yourself as a digital
immigrant or a digital native.
a. Place an X in the appropriate box.
b. Add the number of Xs in the "yes" column and record the total in the "total" row.
Question Yes No
Do you sometimes feel that you speak a different language than your students when
it comes to technology?
Have you ever made a "Did you get my email" follow up phone call or walk over to
ask the person?
Do you ever seek student assistance when using technology in the classroom?
Do you feel like you are always playing catch up to learn about new technologies?
Do you prefer to have your email printed for you to read?
Do you prefer to edit hard copies of your documents rather than the electronic
version?
When you find an interesting website to share do you invite people to come view it
at your computer (as opposed to sending them a URL)?
TOTAL
2. Using your total number of "yes" responses, determine where you fall on the digital
immigrant/digital native continuum provided.
In this activity you will choose a cross section of students for your student focus group.
NoteFor learners taking this course during the summer, please identify six students in
your community to serve as your student focus group. Your best results will be realized
if you are able to identify 2 for each of the following categories.
c. What did you find most interesting about how your students are using the
technology?
d. Does your current classroom use of technology align with how your
students use technology?
e. How can you modify your instruction so that students can practice 21st
Century skills through technology?
5. Summarize your responses in the space provided. You will enter your summary
in the Learning Log. (Additions will be made to the Learning Log throughout the
6. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Student Use of Technology.")
7. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
In this activity you will reflect on you and your students' use of technology.
1. Using the Venn Diagram, identify similarities and differences between your use
and your students' use of technology.
b. How are you and your students using technology in similar ways? In what
ways does your use differ?
d. What opportunities exist for you to use technology in order to better meet
student needs?
3. For the purpose of the online discussion, summarize your responses in the space
provided.
4. Fill in the "L" and "D" columns of your "Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D
Chart."
5. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
1. Using the questions provided, reflect on your knowledge about students thinking
patterns.
a. What did you learn about "neuroplasticity" from reading the article? How
does this term apply to education in the context of this course?
d. Why do many children have short attention spans for school but not for
computer games? Describe the disconnect.
2. For the purpose of the online discussion, summarize your responses in the space
provided.
3. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
This activity will require you to reflect on student engagement in your classroom.
Energized by Learning
Strategic
Collaborative
Classroom Instruction is
Challenging
Authentic
Integrative/interdisciplinary
Classroom Assessments are
Performance-Based
Generative
Interactive
Generative
Learning Context contains
Collaboration
Empathy
Heterogeneous Groups
Flexible Groups
Equitable Groups
I am a
Facilitator
Guide
Explorer
Cognitive Apprentice
7. For the purpose of the online discussion, summarize your responses in the space
provided.
8. Fill in the "L" and "D" column of your "Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D
Chart."
9. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
Topic 2.2.1: How Is the 21st Century Workplace Different Than the 20th Century
Workplace?
In this activity you will reflect on the organization of your classroom and draw
conclusions about student preparedness for the 21st workplace.
3. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Classroom Organization.")
4. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
In this activity you will analyze your infusion of technology when teaching 21st Century
skills. Then, you will survey your student focus group about their career choices and
investigate the skills needed for success.
1. Use the following chart to analyze your infusion of technology when teaching
21st Century skills. Place an "X" in the column that best represents your infusion
of technology when teaching a specific 21st Century skill.
*Chart Adapted with Permission from NCREL-EnGauge 21st Century Skills Report
b. What types of programs does my school offer that will encourage the
development of skills and characteristics conducive to success in the 21st
Century workplace?
5. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "21st Century Skills.")
6. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
Now that you have reached the end of this unit, you will take part in a sync point
discussion with other members of your study group. There are two different ways this
can occur:
1. Option 1 (preferred): Your study group will be asked to meet for a 1 hour face-
to-face meeting with your facilitator, or
2. Option 2: Your study group will have an online sync point discussion.
Your facilitator will contact you to let you know which option you are using for the end of
this unit. Once you are notified, please follow the corresponding instructions below:
This option will have you meet with your study group members and your facilitator for a
1 hour face-to-face meeting. For this meeting, be prepared to discuss the following with
the group
a. The disconnect between what effective instruction looked like in the 20th Century
and what effective instruction should look like in the 21st Century was not
established overnight. From the information presented in this unit and from your
personal experience, what do you identify as the most critical reason that many
schools are "stuck" in the 20th Century modality? Why do you feel that the world
changed but not our schools? What is your rationale for identifying this reason as
the most critical?
b. What have you learned and what insights gained from this unit?
c. What unanswered questions have been raised in your mind?
Your facilitator will let you know where and when this meeting will be. Follow his/her
instructions. Be sure to participate conscientiously, as part of your course grade will be
based on your contribution to this discussion.
This option will have you discuss topics from this unit with others in your study group
online.
1. You will be notified when your facilitator has posted a topic for this discussion.
You can not complete this activity until he/she has done so. Be sure to check
your "Inbox."
2. Open the discussion group by clicking on "Course Resources" menu on the top
left of the screen and selecting "Discussion."
3. In the discussion page, select the "Sync Point" discussion group and look for
your facilitator's posting for Unit 2.
Performance Levels
Unit Overview:
This unit will explain that building the skills of students to critically think and collaborate
with others will prepare students for the 21st Century workplace.
In this unit the learner will explore the new role of the 21st Century classroom teacher
and the pedagogical skills needed to carry out the new responsibilities. Finally, the
learner will be exposed to the perceived challenges to 21st Century teaching.
Topic 3.1.1: What Is the Role of the Teacher in a 21st Century Classroom?
In this activity you will reflect on the characteristics of the 21st Century teacher.
6. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Instructional Practice Analysis")
7. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
8. Return to the course.
In this activity you will analyze the results of the Instructional Practice Analysis activity
and determine what personal changes you need to make in order to make the 21st
Century transformation.
1. For each item in the following chart place an "X" in the appropriate column that
represents your reaction to each statement.
To a
Some Very Not at
Statement Great
what Little All
Extent
I prepare a classroom environment that promotes the skills students
will need to be successful in the 21st Century workplace.
I make use of local and community resources in planning lessons.
I effectively plan my instruction to meet the needs of all learners
through readiness, interest, and learning profile.
I am comfortable allowing my students to take a greater role in
prescribing their learning.
I effectively develop challenging situations where students take the
role of explorer, scientist, engineer etc; using inquiry to guide their
learning.
I effectively design and deliver authentic and engaging project-
based activities in my classroom.
I currently teach skills and use activities that engage students.
My instruction could be considered facilitation of learning.
I prepare authentic experiences for my students.
My instruction engages students of diverse backgrounds.
I adapt my lessons based on student feedback.
I maintain accurate records in order to provide immediate feedback
on student progress.
I have identified the deficiencies that exist between my current
practices and the best practices of a 21st Century classroom.
I feel that there are changes that could be made in my classroom that
could promote a 21st Century shift.
4. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Personal Change.")
5. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
In this activity you will analyze your current use of differentiated instruction, inquiry-
based learning, and project-based learning.
4. Fill in the "L" and "D" column of your "The 21st Century Teacher K-L-D Chart."
5. Return to the course to continue.
In this activity you will reflect on your prior successes and challenges in utilizing the 21st
Century instructional techniques.
4. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
Topic 3.1.3: What Are the Perceived Obstacles to 21st Century Teaching?
In this activity you will reflect on whether you are ready to initiate the necessary
changes and identify the challenges that must be overcome during your 21st Century
shift.
5. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
Now that you have reached the end of this unit, you will take part in a sync point
discussion with other members of your study group. There are two different ways this
can occur:
1. Option 1 (preferred): Your study group will be asked to meet for a 1 hour face-
to-face meeting with your facilitator, or
2. Option 2: Your study group will have an online sync point discussion.
Your facilitator will contact you to let you know which option you are using for the end of
this unit. Once you are notified, please follow the corresponding instructions below:
This option will have you meet with your study group members and your facilitator for a
1 hour face-to-face meeting. For this meeting, be prepared to discuss the following with
the group
a. Knowing what you have learned about 21st Century instruction, how would you
assist a brand new teacher coming into your school make the 21st Century
transformation? What would you teach him/her first? How would you teach them
this? What would you teach them last? Would your assistance change if it was a
veteran teacher coming into your school? What would be the difference?
b. What have you learned and what insights gained from this unit?
Your facilitator will let you know where and when this meeting will be. Follow his/her
instructions. Be sure to participate conscientiously, as part of your course grade will be
based on your contribution to this discussion.
This option will have you discuss topics from this unit with others in your study group
online.
1. You will be notified when your facilitator has posted a topic for this discussion.
You can not complete this activity until he/she has done so. Be sure to check
your "Inbox."
2. Open the discussion group by clicking on "Course Resources" menu on the top
left of the screen and selecting "Discussion."
3. In the discussion page, select the "Sync Point" discussion group and look for
your facilitator's posting for Unit 3.
4. You must post a response to your facilitator's topic and also either reply to the
postings of others, or ask them questions. If you choose, you may start a new,
related topic to discuss a specific concept in more detail. A study group
discussion is a key element of the course and much can be learned from
participating.
5. Return to this discussion frequently to monitor the discussion and add your
inputs. Bear in mind that the quiz at the end of the unit will in part be based on
this discussion.
6. Close the browser window to return to the course.
Performance Levels
Unit Overview:
In this unit, learners will understand how the supporting systems must align in order to
accomplish the 21st Century transformation in the classroom. The supporting systems
include teachers, departments, and stakeholders.
In this activity you will reflect on your school's current status in terms of developing a
shared vision.
1. Answer the following question. Using your response of yes or no, identify the
appropriate column and complete the items in that column of the chart.
a. Do you feel that your school has a shared vision?
Yes No
Describe what is preventing your school from
Describe your school's shared vision:
establishing a shared vision.
Describe the process used to establish the shared Describe the process that your school could use
vision: to develop a shared vision.
Describe the roles that the following individuals Describe the roles that the following individuals
played in developing the shared vision: should play in developing a shared vision.
Principal: Principal:
Faculty: Faculty:
How is the shared vision reinforced on a regular How could the shared vision be maintained over
basis? time?
2. For the purpose of the online discussion, summarize your responses from the
chart in the space provided.
3. Return to the course and advance to the next screen in order to receive further
instructions to share your summary online.
In this activity you will analyze the types of interaction currently occurring in your school.
1. For each item in the following chart place an "X" in the appropriate column.
Strongly Strongly
Statement Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
I seek out mentors and/or coaches frequently.
I consider myself a leader in my school.
Collaborative activities occur at a high frequency
in my school.
My classroom is open to coaches, mentors, or
other colleagues.
My school is accepting of new staff members by
providing resources needed for success.
My school has a process for working through
disagreements among colleagues.
My school interacts and really feels like a team.
My colleagues and I frequently share information
that will benefit instruction and student needs.
I collaborate with my colleagues to create lessons
and we review the results.
In this activity you will identify specific actions that will enable you to better serve as a
change agent in your school.
Specific Actions
Contribution to Change
in My Classroom
Specific Actions
Contribution to Change
in My School
3. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Specific Actions.")
4. Close the Learning Log window to return to the course.
In this activity you will analyze your department actions to identify areas of success and
opportunities for growth.
1. For each item in the following chart place an "X" in the appropriate column.
4. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Department Analysis.")
5. Close the Learning Log window.
6. Fill in the "L" and "D" column of your "Accomplishing the Transformation K-L-D
Chart."
7. Return to the course.
1. For each item in the following chart place an "X" in the appropriate column.
Strongly Strongly
Statement Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
I can clearly identify all of the internal
stakeholders critical to student achievement
improvement.
I can clearly identify all of the external
stakeholders critical to student achievement
improvement.
There is a common language shared among all
stakeholders.
I have success engaging stakeholders in multiple
ways.
I am able to locate a common ground when
communicating with various stakeholders.
I have sufficient tools for communicating with
community members.
3. Enter your summary in your Learning Log by clicking on "Resources" and then
"Learning Log." (Label your entry "Stakeholder Communication Analysis.")
4. Close the Learning Log window.
5. Fill in the "L" and "D" column of your "Accomplishing the Transformation K-L-D
Chart."
6. Return to the course.
Now that you have reached the end of the final content unit, you will take part in a
discussion meeting with other members of your study group. This will be a 3-hour
session that will enable you and your fellow study group members to debrief on the
experiences in the course in order to improve instruction and student achievement.
As the meeting date approaches, you should think about the following questions:
1. Throughout the course you have completed numerous self assessment tools.
What are your growth areas and what specifically can you do to improve your
transformation? What can you do to improve teacher interaction? What can you
Your facilitator will let you know where and when this meeting will be. Be sure to
participate conscientiously, as part of your course grade will be based on your
contribution to this discussion.
Performance Levels
Unit Overview:
In this unit, you will tie together all aspects of the course. You will synthesize the
information learned in the course and will consider how to use this information and data
to improve your teaching skills.
It is time to synthesize the information you have learned and the data you have
analyzed. How will you use this information and data to improve student learning and
achievement?
1. Select one or two of the critical actions from the DO section of the K-L-D charts
that you want to accomplish.
2. Write an action plan to implement or enhance 21st Century teaching in your
classroom. Use the suggested changes you circled in the "D" column of your K-
L-D charts as the basic framework for your action plan. Use the following
resources when developing your plan:
Your current school district curriculum
What is already in place? Where are the gaps?
Information from your principal, colleagues, and stakeholders
4. What are the steps you will follow for your action plan? Be sure to include student
experiences and activities as part of your plan. (please number your steps)
5. For each step in your plan, what resources will you need?
6. For each step in your plan, how will you know it worked?
Course Objectives
*For each activity/experience the relevant objectives are identified in the third column of
the chart.
Unit 2 - Page 66
View Multimedia Segment 5 minutes 1,2
Read article titled Do They Really Think Differently? 15 minutes 1,2
Complete Prediscussion ActivityStudent Thinking Patterns 10 minutes 2,3
Participate in Discussion ActivityStudent Thinking Patterns 20 minutes 2,3
Topic 2.1.3: Why Are 21st Century Students Disengaged?
View Multimedia Segment 5 minutes 1,2
Read article titled Engage Me or Enrage Me 15 minutes 1,2
Read article titled Engaged Students, Engaged Adults 15 minutes 1,2
Complete Prediscussion ActivityStudent Engagement 15 minutes 1,2,3,4
Participate in Discussion ActivityStudent Engagement 20 minutes 1,2,3,4
Section 2.2: The 21st Century Workplace
Topic 2.2.1: How Is the 21st Century Workplace Different Than the 20th Century Workplace?
View Multimedia Segment 5 minutes 2
Read article titled Technology, Workplace, and Education:
15 minutes 2
What is the Link?
Complete Course ActivityClassroom Organization 20 minutes 1,2
Topic 2.2.2: What Are the 21st Century Skills Needed by Students?
View Multimedia Segment 5 minutes 1,2
Read article titled 21st Century Workplace: Skills for Success 15 minutes 1,2
Complete Job-embedded Activity21st Century Skills 90 minutes 1,2,3,4
Participate in Sync Point Discussion (excluding Self-study
75 minutes 1,2,3,4
Version)
Unit 2 Multiple Choice Questions (excluding Self-study
20 minutes 1,2,3,4
Version)
Unit 2 Essay Question (excluding Self-study Version) 60 minutes 1,2,3,4
Unit 2 Time Totals
Blended Study Group Version 9 hours & 50 minutes
Blended Graduate Version 9 hours & 50 minutes
Unit 2 - Page 67
Planning Guide: An Explanation of the K-L-D Chart
K-L-D is a graphic organizer that will help personalize your learning, as well as facilitate
taking notes, expanding teacher leadership skills, and organizing data for your
culminating project.
K-L-D is an adaptation of the K-W-L graphic organizer (What I KNOW, What I WANT to
know, What I LEARNED), commonly used to help students organize their learning.
The first section of the K-L-D is KNOW "What do I currently know prior to the start of
each unit or course about this topic?" Activating prior knowledge provides a context for
further learning. This prior knowledge may come from college courses, professional
reading, professional development sessions, or classroom experience.
The center section of the K-L-D is LEARN "What have I learned from the online
sessions, from reading the text pieces, and from completing the other course activities?"
This section may be completed while reading the text sections or after completing them.
The third section of the K-L-D is DO "What will I do (differently, better, more
systematically) in my classroom, now that I have experienced this learning?" Think
about your instructional practices and reflect on how they may be changed or revised
based on data collection and interpretation, course content knowledge, and research-
based practices that were present in this course.
Keep the K-L-Ds near your computer as you work. Save and organize them for
reference during your culminating project.
Unit 2 - Page 68
Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D Chart
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
Unit 2 - Page 69
Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D Chart
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
Unit 2 - Page 70
Rationale for 21st Century Change K-L-D Chart
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
Unit 2 - Page 71
Digital natives, digital immigrants
My son, Noah, is what some would call a "digital native," one who has never known a
world without instant communication. While the 20-year-old university student may
appear to inhabit a bedroom in my house, he actually spends much of his time in
another galaxy out there, in the digital universe of gaming sites, web-conferencing,
text messages, BitTorrent, and social networking sites like Facebook.
His father, Travis, on the other hand, is a "digital immigrant," one who is still coming to
terms with how to check his cell phone's voice mail and view a digital video on YouTube.
This generational divide has been evident for a while, but only now are we beginning to
realize that today's technology is changing the way people absorb information and the
way our students think and learn. Some researchers believe that this constant
interaction with digital media is causing today's students to begin to think and process
information in ways very different from the pre-Internet generation. Current research
proposes that, "Different kinds of experiences lead to different brain structures"
(Prensky, 2001). Students who have immersed themselves in using digital tools such as
video games, e-mail, instant message, and television have physically different brains as
a result of the digital stimulation. Social science suggests that the environment and
culture in which people are raised influences the way they catalog and process
information. This can be clearly seen when examining thinking skills enhanced by
repeated exposure to computer games and other virtual media, as thought patterns are
less linear and more divergent in style (Prensky, 2001). Today's student also is better at
multitasking and responds faster to expected and unexpected stimuli.
Marc Prensky (2001a) first coined the term digital native to refer to today's students.
"They are native speakers of technology," Prensky says, "fluent in the digital language
of computers, video games, and the Internet. I refer to those of us who were not born
into the digital world as digital immigrants. We have adopted many aspects of the
technology, but like those who learn another language later in life, we retain an accent'
because we still have one foot in the past." For example, digital immigrants will often
choose to read a manual rather than learn from the experience of working with the
software program. "Our accent from the predigital world often makes it difficult for us to
effectively communicate with our students," Prensky says.
Referring to younger people as "the digital natives" for whom technology use comes
more naturally and to older people as the "the immigrants" who comprise most of the
adult population and teaching cadre in our schools and universities can be helpful in
understanding the obstacles that surface when teaching this generation of learners.
Unit 2 - Page 72
Wes Fyrer (2006), an educational consultant, feels that, rather than individuals falling
into one camp or the other, there exists a continuum in which people can find their
place:
The Natives: Students who have grown up in or are growing up in the digital age, who
assimilate digital tools and methods for communication as easily as they breathe.
The Immigrants: Older adults in society and in our schools who did not grow up with
digital technology tools, but who are working to "learn the language" and to
communicate effectively with the natives around them. Some of the immigrants are
open and accepting of "native ways," but many are resistant to change.
The Refugees: Older adults in society who have chosen to flee from rather than
integrate into the native culture. They may actively work against the goals and interests
of both the digital natives and the digital immigrants. The refugees are primarily
motivated by fear and a staunch desire not only to resist change but to actively oppose
it, to deny the existence of a changed environment, and/or to ignore it.
The Bridges: The digital bridges are neither truly natives nor fully digital immigrants.
Like millenials, who have one foot in each century, the bridges have both native and
immigrant traits. As a result, digital bridges are able to communicate relatively effectively
with both groups.
The Undecided: These people have not made up their mind about which group they fit
into, or which group they want to fit into. They are likely immigrants or refugees, but may
not have taken sufficient action to reveal their identities and/or preferences for group
identity.
But does this oversimplification give teachers an excuse to not master these pervasive
tools as a means for engaging the students they teach? David Warlick blogs about
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants and warns educators to not let our immigrant
condition limit us as we move forward in learning how to speak in a digital tongue our
students will understand.
"But I believe that it is time that we stop hiding behind our immigrant status and start
acting like natives. We need to stop making excuses and start leading. We are teachers,
after all. It's our job to lead, not follow. Sure, we'll never be able to keep up with our kids
in lots of ways. They have the luxury of time and their brain cells are fresher. But it is our
job to look into the future and then to plan and lead the way for our children" (Warlick,
2006).
Unit 2 - Page 73
Dede suggests that age may not be the determining factor of how seamlessly we use
the tools of the 21st Century. For example, those who have a media-based learning
style synthesize and process experiences rather than information regardless of their
age. They learn best when taught actively, through collaborations both online and in the
real world.
Last generation
The rapid changes taking place in this digital world are just beginning. And one of the
clear indicators of natives and immigrants will not be simply a question of age, but
rather of the instinctive acceptance of rapid technological change. We may very well be
the last generation of educators who has the prerogative of deciding whether or not to
develop a digital literacy. Many of us have chosen not to acquire proficient technology
skills yet we have still experienced success in our professions. However, the children
we teach today do not have that choice. Students must acquire a high degree of digital
literacy to be truly marketable in the 21st Century. As educators, we do our students a
great service if we allow them to seamlessly garner these skills within the safety nets of
our classrooms. This means educators will need to immerse themselves in the digital
landscape to be able to design learning activities that will be meaningful and authentic
to this generation of learners (Nussbaum-Beach, 2003).
According to Diana and James Oblinger (2005), today's students learn differently than
previous generations and as a result they feel disconnected from schools that were
designed for another time. Most of today's students have grown up in an environment
where they control the flow of information they receive and the graphic format in which
they receive it. Think about it. Almost everywhere they go this media-rich generation
finds a constant stream of multimedia competing for their attention. They take the world
in via cell phones, handheld gaming devices, portable digital assistants (PDAs), and
laptops that they take everywhere. They are truly mobile. And at home they mainline
electronic media in the form of computers, TV, and collaborative video games they play
with users they have never met who live around the world. Everywhere they go in
society technology beckons. The future is rushing at them full speed --until they enter
our classrooms and time seems to stand still. Children today spend much of their day
learning in the same way their grandparents did and as a result, school seems rigid,
uninteresting, and unyielding to many students (Nussbaum-Beach, 2003).
Digital disconnect
Today's multitasking students are better equipped for change than many of their
teachers. In fact researchers Ian Jukes and Anita Dosaj refer to this disconnect as the
Unit 2 - Page 74
result of poor communication between "digital natives," today's students and "digital
immigrants," many adults. These parents and educators, the digital immigrants, speak
DSL, digital as a second language (Jukes and Dosaj, 2003). Look at the differences
between how digital students learn and how analog teachers teach.
The differences between digital native learners and digital immigrant teachers.
*Ian Jukes and Anita Dosaj, The InfoSavvy Group, February 2003
Students are coming into our classrooms ready to learn in digital ways that are familiar
to them and instead they are just sitting there with pencil and paper in hand not
engaged and not learning. The disconnect between how students learn and how
teachers teach is easy to understand when one considers that the current school
system was designed for preparing students for working in factories and agriculture.
However, the world has changed and continues to change at an ever-increasing rate.
While schools have done a masterful job of preparing students for an industrial age, we
are moving at warp speed into a whole new era! Some believe the future of our
educational system will hinge on our ability to lead and adapt, as we prepare our
students for the future. We are the first generation of teachers who are preparing
students for jobs that haven't even been invented yet. This means educators will need
to rethink not only what to teach, but what it means to teach and learn in the 21st
Unit 2 - Page 75
Century. Schools must be willing to redesign themselves or render themselves
irrelevant in preparing students for success in the 21st Century.
Being literate in the future will certainly involve the ability to read, write, and do basic
math. However, the concept of literacy in the 21st Century will be far richer and more
comprehensive than the education you and I received growing up (Warlick, 2003). The
very nature of information is changing: how we organized, where we find it, what we use
to view it, what we do with it, and how we communicate it. Will Richardson (2006) in his
book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, talks
about the transformational nature of these pervasive technology tools, especially in
terms of their ability to nurture connections and collaborations: "Whether it's blogs or
wikis or RSS, all roads now point to a Web where little is done in isolation and all things
are collaborative and social in nature." The most prevalent change in how we use the
Internet in the 21st Century is not as much in the ability to publish information as it is the
ability to share and connect with others from around the globe.
Today's read/write web technologies have the power to create informal peer-to-peer
social connections and to open new avenues for learning environments that go beyond
those that are linear, teacher-centered and lecture-based to ones that are divergent,
dynamic, student-centered, constructive, and communication-rich.
A passionate student is a learning student. As the people of the world are becoming
increasingly connected, the nature, use, ownership, and purpose of knowledge are
changing in profound ways. Our goal as educators is to leverage these connections and
changes as a powerful means to improve teaching and learning in our schools. We
have a changing demographic in our classrooms and by networking together with
individuals from around the world we are building capacity in our students and ourselves
to understand multiple viewpoints and perspectives. And by using digital media and
web-based tools, students can build their own learning experiences, construct meaning,
and collaborate in teams to solve authentic content-based problems. Many teachers
who use these empowering technologies are now discovering we can have rigor without
sacrificing excitement. The secret: Focus on student passion and interest, not machines
and software. Today's digital natives are passionate about team-based learning
approaches because of their vast digital gaming experiences. It feels natural for them to
learn by collaborating online with others they have never met.
Unit 2 - Page 76
building a rich environment for inquiry involves an understanding of literacy, of problem-
and project-based learning, of critical and creative thinking skills, of problem solving
techniques and constructivist learning theory. Allowing students to work in teams both in
the classroom and with others around the world ensures that students are engaged in
activities that help them actively pose questions, investigate and solve problems, and
draw conclusions about the world around them. Author and researcher Daniel Goleman
(1996) suggests that working in teams enables students to practice needed life skills,
"Requiring students to learn socially actually forces students to draw on their emotional
intelligence. This is a set of skills that includes how one handles emotions, deals with
frustration, or resolves conflict." Through our creative use of the vast array of web-
based social networking tools our students become researchers, writers, videographers,
and activists rather than passive receivers of a textbook's content. They still learn
content but through an authentic means that will prepare them for the world of work of
tomorrow, rather than the world of work of today or yesterday. Collaboration is the focus
of that learning.
Sources
Fryer, W. (Friday, October 20, 2006). Digital refugees and bridges. Retrieved December 31, 2006 from
http://www.infinitethinking.org/2006/10/digital-refugees-and-bridges.html
Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. London: Bloomsbury
Publishing.
Jukes, I., Dosaj, A., & Macdonald, B. (2001), NetSavvy: Building Information literacy in the classroom.
California: Corwin.
Jukes, I & Dosaj, A. (February, 2003). The InfoSavvy Group. Excerpts from Apple's Digital tools for digital
students website: apple.com/education/digital.
Oblinger, D. and Oblinger,J. (2005). Educating the net gen. Retrieved January 5, 2007 from
http://www.educause.edu/books/educatingthenetgen/5989.
Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved January 5, 2007 from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp
Pruitt, C. (May 5, 2005). The next decade of educational media. An interview with Christopher Dede.
Retrieved January 5, 2007 from http://www.digitaldivide.net/articles/view.php?ArticleID=372
Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2003). The last generation. A Tapestry of Knowledge, Volume III. Virginia: Letton
Gooch, 2003.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. California:
Corwin.
Warlick , D. (2004). Redefining literacy for the 21st century. Ohio: Linworth Publishing Inc.
Unit 2 - Page 77
Warlick, D. (February 15, 2006). Act like a native. Retrieved December 31, 2006 from
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2006/02/15/act-like-a-native/
Unit 2 - Page 78
Rubric for Learning Log Entries
Scoring Levels
Scoring Criteria
Advanced Proficient Emerging Novice
Unit 2 - Page 79
Do They Really Think Differently?
By Marc Prensky
From On the Horizon (NCB University Press, Vo 6, December 2001) l. 9 No.
2001 Marc Prensky
Our children today are being socialized in a way that is vastly different from their
parents. The numbers are overwhelming: over 10,000 hours playing videogames, over
200,000 emails and instant messages sent and received; over 10,000 hours talking on
digital cell phones; over 20,000 hours watching TV (a high percentage fast speed MTV),
over 500,000 commercials seenall before the kids leave college. And, maybe, at the
very most, 5,000 hours of book reading. These are today's "Digital Native" students. 1
In Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Part I, I discussed how the differences between
our Digital Native students and their Digital Immigrant teachers lie at the root of a great
many of today's educational problems. I suggested that Digital Natives' brains are likely
physically different as a result of the digital input they received growing up. And I
submitted that learning via digital games is one good way to reach Digital Natives in
their "native language."
Here I present evidence for why I think this is so. It comes from neurobiology, social
psychology, and from studies done on children using games for learning.
Neuroplasticity
Although the vast majority of today's educators and teachers grew up with the
understanding that the human brain doesn't physically change based on stimulation it
receives from the outsideespecially after the age of 3 it turns out that that view is, in
fact, incorrect.
Based on the latest research in neurobiology, there is no longer any question that
stimulation of various kinds actually changes brain structures and affects the way
people think, and that these transformations go on throughout life. The brain is, to an
extent not at all understood or believed to be when Baby Boomers were growing up,
massively plastic. It can be, and is, constantly reorganized. (Although the popular term
rewired is somewhat misleading, the overall idea is rightthe brain changes and
organizes itself differently based on the inputs it receives.) The old idea that we have a
fixed number of brain cells that die off one by one has been replaced by research
Unit 2 - Page 80
showing that our supply of brain cells is replenished constantly. 2 The brain constantly
reorganizes itself all our child and adult lives, a phenomenon technically known as
neuroplasticity.
One of the earliest pioneers in this field of neurological research found that rats in
"enriched" environments showed brain changes compared with those in "impoverished"
environments after as little as two weeks. Sensory areas of their brains were thicker,
other layers heavier. Changes showed consistent overall growth, leading to the
conclusion that the brain maintains its plasticity for life.3
Ferrets' brains were physically rewired, with inputs from the eyes switched to
where the hearing nerves went and vice versa. Their brains changed to
accommodate the new inputs.4
Imaging experiments have shown that when blind people learn Braille, "visual"
areas of their brains lit up. Similarly, deaf people use their auditory cortex to read
signs.5
Scans of brains of people who tapped their fingers in a complicated sequence
that they had practiced for weeks showed a larger area of motor cortex becoming
activated then when they performed sequences they hadn't practiced. 6
Japanese subjects were able to learn to "reprogram" their circuitry for
distinguishing "ra" from "la," a skill they "forget" soon after birth because their
language doesn't require it.7
Researchers found that an additional language learned later in life goes into a
different place in the brain than the language or languages learned as children. 8
Intensive reading instruction experiments with students aged 10 and up
appeared to create lasting chemical changes in key areas of the subjects'
brains.9
A comparison of musicians versus nonplayers brains via magnetic resonance
imaging showed a 5 percent greater volume in the musicians' cerebellums,
ascribed to adaptations in the brain's structure resulting from intensive musical
training and practice.10
We are only at the very beginning of understanding and applying brain plasticity
research. The goal of many who aresuch as the company Scientific Learningis
"neuroscience-based education."11
Malleability
Social psychology also provides strong evidence that one's thinking patterns change
depending on one's experiences. Until very recently Western philosophers and
psychologists took it for granted that the same basic processes underlie all human
thought. While cultural differences might dictate what people think about, the strategies
Unit 2 - Page 81
and processes of thought, which include logical reasoning and a desire to understand
situations and events in linear terms of cause and effect, were assumed to be the same
for everyone. However this, too, appears to be wrong.
Research by social psychologists12 shows that people who grow up in different cultures
do not just think about different things, they actually think differently. The environment
and culture in which people are raised affects and even determines many of their
thought processes.
"We used to think that everybody uses categories in the same way, that logic plays the
same kind of role for everyone in the understanding of everyday life, that memory,
perception, rule application and so on are the same," says one. "But we're now arguing
that cognitive processes themselves are just far more malleable than mainstream
psychology assumed."13
We now know that brains that undergo different developmental experiences develop
differently, and that people who undergo different inputs from the culture that surrounds
them think differently. And while we haven't yet directly observed Digital Natives' brains
to see whether they are physically different (such as musicians' appear to be) the
indirect evidence for this is extremely strong.
However, brains and thinking patterns do not just change overnight. A key finding of
brain plasticity research is that brains do not reorganize casually, easily, or arbitrarily.
"Brain reorganization takes place only when the animal pays attention to the sensory
input and to the task."14 "It requires very hard work." 15 Biofeedback requires upwards of
50 sessions to produce results.16 Scientific Learning's Fast ForWard program requires
students to spend 100 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 5 to 10 weeks to create
desired changes, because "it takes sharply focused attention to rewire a brain." 17
Several hours a day, five days a week, sharply focused attentiondoes that remind you
of anything? Oh, yesvideo games! That is exactly what kids have been doing ever
since Pong arrived in 1974. They have been adjusting or programming their brains to
the speed, interactivity, and other factors in the games, much as boomers' brains were
programmed to accommodate television, and literate man's brains were reprogrammed
to deal with the invention of written language and reading (where the brain had to be
retrained to deal with things in a highly linear way.) 18 "Reading does not just happen, it is
a terrible struggle."19 "Reading [has] a different neurology to it than the things that are
built into our brain, like spoken language." 20 One of the main focuses of schools for the
hundreds of years since reading became a mass phenomenon has been retraining our
speech-oriented brains to be able to read. Again, the training involves several hours a
day, five days a week, and sharply focused attention.
Of course just when we'd figured out (more or less) how to retrain brains for reading,
they were retrained again by television. And now things have changed yet again, and
our children are furiously retraining their brains in even newer ways, many of which are
antithetical to our older ways of thinking.
Unit 2 - Page 82
Children raised with the computer "think differently from the rest of us. They develop
hypertext minds. They leap around. It's as though their cognitive structures were
parallel, not sequential."21 "Linear thought processes that dominate educational systems
now can actually retard learning for brains developed through game and Web-surfing
processes on the computer."22
Some have surmised that teenagers use different parts of their brain and think in
different ways than adults when at the computer. 23 We now know that it goes even
furthertheir brains are almost certainly physiologically different. But these differences,
most observers agree, are less a matter of kind than a difference of degree. For
example as a result of repeated experiences, particular brain areas are larger and more
highly developed, and others are less so.
For example, thinking skills enhanced by repeated exposure to computer games and
other digital media include reading visual images as representations of three-
dimensional space (representational competence), multidimensional visual-spatial skills,
mental maps, "mental paper folding" (i.e. picturing the results of various origami-like
folds in your mind without actually doing them), "inductive discovery" (i.e. making
observations, formulating hypotheses and figuring out the rules governing the behavior
of a dynamic representation), "attentional deployment" (such as monitoring multiple
locations simultaneously), and responding faster to expected and unexpected stimuli. 24
While these individual cognitive skills may not be new, the particular combination and
intensity is. We now have a new generation with a very different blend of cognitive skills
than its predecessorsthe Digital Natives.
We hear teachers complain so often about the Digital Natives' attention spans that the
phrase "the attention span of a gnat" has become a clich. But is it really true?
"Sure they have short attention spansfor the old ways of learning," says a professor. 25
Their attention spans are not short for games, for example, or for anything else that
actually interests them. As a result of their experiences Digital Natives crave interactivity
an immediate response to their each and every action. Traditional schooling provides
very little of this compared to the rest of their world (one study showed that students in
class get to ask a question every 10 hours)26 So it generally isn't that Digital Natives
can't pay attention, it's that they choose not to.
Research done for Sesame Street reveals that children do not actually watch television
continuously, but "in bursts." They tune in just enough to get the gist and be sure it
makes sense. In one key experiment, half the children were shown the program in a
room filled with toys. As expected, the group with toys was distracted and watched the
show only about 47 percent of the time as opposed to 87 percent in the group without
Unit 2 - Page 83
toys. But when the children were tested for how much of the show they remembered
and understood, the scores were exactly the same. "We were led to the conclusion that
the 5-year-olds in the toys group were attending quite strategically, distributing their
attention between toy play and viewing so that they looked at what was for them the
most informative part of the program. The strategy was so effective that the children
could gain no more from increased attention." 27
Still, we often hear from teachers about increasing problems their students have with
reading and thinking. What about this? Has anything been lost in the Digital Natives'
"reprogramming" process?
One key area that appears to have been affected is reflection. Reflection is what
enables us, according to many theorists, to generalize, as we create "mental models"
from our experience. It is, in many ways, the process of "learning from experience." In
our twitch-speed world, there is less and less time and opportunity for reflection, and
this development concerns many people. One of the most interesting challenges and
opportunities in teaching Digital Natives is to figure out and invent ways to include
reflection and critical thinking in the learning (either built into the instruction or through a
process of instructor-led debriefing) but still do it in the Digital Native language. We can
and must do more in this area.
The cognitive differences of the Digital Natives cry out for new approaches to education
with a better "fit." And, interestingly enough, it turns out that one of the few structures
capable of meeting the Digital Natives' changing learning needs and requirements is the
very video and computer games they so enjoy. This is why "Digital Game-Based
Learning" is beginning to emerge and thrive.
Of course many criticize today's learning games, and there is much to criticize. But if
some of these games don't produce learning it is not because they are games, or
because the concept of "game-based learning" is faulty. It's because those particular
games are badly designed. There is a great deal of evidence that children's learning
Unit 2 - Page 84
games that are well designed do produce learning, and lots of it by and while
engaging kids.
While some educators refer to games as "sugar coating," giving that a strongly negative
connotationand often a sneerit is a big help to the Digital Natives. After all, this is a
medium they are very familiar with and really enjoy.
Elementary school, when you strip out the recesses and the lunch and the in-between
times, actually consists of about three hours of instruction time in a typical 9 to 3 day. 28
So assuming, for example, that learning games were only 50% educational, if you could
get kids to play them for six hours over a weekend, you'd effectively add a day a week
to their schooling! Six hours is far less than a Digital Native would typically spend over a
weekend watching TV and playing videogames. The trick, though, is to make the
learning games compelling enough to actually be used in their place. They must be real
games, not just drill with eye-candy, combined creatively with real content.
The numbers back this up. The Lightspan Partnership, which created PlayStation
games for curricular reinforcement, conducted studies in over 400 individual school
districts and a "meta-analysis" as well. Their findings were increases in vocabulary and
language arts of 24 and 25 percent respectively over the control groups, while the math
problem solving and math procedures and algorithms scores were 51 and 30 percent
higher.29
Click Health, which makes games to help kids self-manage their health issues, did
clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health. They found, in the case of
diabetes, that kids playing their games (as compared to a control group playing a pinball
game) showed measurable gains in self-efficacy, communication with parents and
diabetes self-care. And more importantly, urgent doctor visits for diabetes-related
problems declined 77 percent in the treatment group. 30
Scientific Learning's Fast ForWard game-based program for retraining kids with reading
problems conducted National Field Trials using 60 independent professionals at 35 sites
across the US and Canada. Using standardized tests, each of the 35 sites reported
conclusive validation of the program's effectiveness, with 90 percent of the children
achieving significant gains in one or more tested areas. 31
Again and again it's the same simple story. Practicetime spent on learningworks.
Kid's don't like to practice. Games capture their attention and make it happen. And of
course they must be practicing the right things, so design is important.
The US military, which has a quarter of a million 18-year-olds to educate every year, is a
big believer in learning games as a way to reach their Digital Natives. They know their
volunteers expect this: "If we don't do things that way, they're not going to want to be in
our environment."32
Unit 2 - Page 85
What's more, they've observed it working operationally in the field. "We've seen it time
and time again in flying airplanes, in our mission simulators." Practical-minded
Department of Defense trainers are perplexed by educators who say "We don't know
that educational technology workswe need to do some more studies." "We KNOW the
technology works," they retort. We just want to get on with using it." 33
So, today's neurobiologists and social psychologists agree that brains can and do
change with new input. And today's educators with the most crucial learning missions
teaching the handicapped and the militaryare already using custom designed
computer and video games as an effective way of reaching Digital Natives. But the bulk
of today's tradition-bound educational establishment seem in no hurry to follow their
lead.
Yet these educators know something is wrong, because they are not reaching their
Digital Native students as well as they reached students in the past. So they face an
important choice.
On the one hand, they can choose to ignore their eyes, ears and intuition, pretend the
Digital Native/Digital Immigrant issue does not exist, and continue to use their suddenly-
much-less-effective traditional methods until they retire and the Digital Natives take
over.
Or they can chose instead to accept the fact that they have become Immigrants into a
new Digital world, and to look to their own creativity, their Digital Native students, their
sympathetic administrators and other sources to help them communicate their still-
valuable knowledge and wisdom in that world's new language.
The route they ultimately chooseand the education of their Digital Native students
depends very much on us.
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and game
designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning
(McGraw-Hill, 2001), founder and CEO of Games2train, a game-based learning company, and founder of
The Digital Multiplier, an organization dedicated to eliminating the digital divide in learning worldwide. He
is also the creator of the sites (www.SocialImpactGames.com), (www.DoDGameCommunity.com) and
(www.GamesParentsTeachers.com). Marc holds an MBA from Harvard and a Masters in Teaching from
Yale. More of his writings can be found at (www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp). Contact Marc at
marc@games2train.com.
Notes
1. These numbers are intended purely as "order of magnitude" approximations; they obviously vary
widely for individuals. They were arrived at in the following ways ( Note: I am very interested in
any additional data anyone has on this):
Unit 2 - Page 86
Videogames: Average play time: 1.5 hours/day (Source: "Interactive Videogames, Mediascope,
June 1966.) It is likely to be higher five years later, so 1.8 x 365 x 15 years = 9,855 hours.
E-mails and Instant Messages: Average 40 per day x 365 x 15 years = 219, 000. This is not
unrealistic even for pre-teens in just one instant messaging connection there may be over 100
exchanges per day and most people do multiple connections.
TV: "Television in the Home, 1998: Third Annual Survey of Parent and Children, Annenburg Policy
Center, June 22, 1998, gives the number of TV hours watched per day as 2.55. M. Chen, in the
Smart Parents Guide to Kid's TV, (1994) gives the number as 4 hours/day. Taking the average,
3.3 hrs/day x 365 days x 18 years = 21,681.
Reading: Eric Leuliette, a voracious (and meticulous) reader who has listed online every book he
has ever read (www.csr.utexas.edu/personal/leuliette/fw_table_home.html), read about 1300
books through college. If we take 1300 books x 200 pages per book x 400 words per page, we
get 10,400,000,000 words. Read at 400 words/that gives 260,000 minutes, or 4,333 hours. This
represents a little over 3 hours/book. Although others may read more slowly, most have read far
fewer books than Leuliette.
10. Dr. Mark Jude Tramo of Harvard. Reported in USA Today December 10, 1998.
12. They include Alexandr Romanovich Luria (1902-1977), Soviet pioneer in neuropsychology, author
of The Human Brain and Psychological Processes (1963), and, more recently, Dr. Richard Nisbett
of the University of Michigan.
13. Quoted in Erica Goode, "How Culture Molds Habits of Thought," New York Times, August 8,
2000.
14. John T. Bruer, The Myth of the First Three Years, The Free Press, 1999, p. 155.
Unit 2 - Page 87
15. G. Ried Lyon, a neuropsychologist who directs reading research funded by the National Institutes
of Health, quoted in Frank D. Roylance "Intensive Teaching Changes Brain," SunSpot, Maryland's
Online Community, May 27, 2000.
16. Alan T. Pope, research psychologist, Human Engineering Methods, NASA. Private
communication.
19. Kathleen Baynes, neurology researcher, University of California Davis, quoted in Robert Lee
Hotz "In Art of Language, the Brain Matters " Los Angeles Times, October 18, 1998.
20. Dr. Michael S. Gazzaniga, neuroscientist at Dartmouth College quoted in Robert Lee Hotz "In Art
of Language, the Brain Matters " Los Angeles Times, October 18, 1998.
21. William D. Winn, Director of the Learning Center, Human Interface Technology Laboratory,
University of Washington, quoted in Moore, Inferential Focus Briefing (see 22).
23. Ibid.
24. Patricia Marks Greenfield, Mind and Media, The Effects of Television, Video Games and
Computers, Harvard University Press, 1984.
26. Graesser, A.C., & Person, N.K. (1994) "Question asking during tutoring,". American Educational
Research Journal, 31, 104-107.
27. Elizabeth Lorch, psychologist, Amherst College, quoted in Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point:
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Little Brown & Company, 2000, p. 101.
29. "Evaluation of Lightspan. Research Results from 403 schools and over 14,580 students,"
February 2000, CD ROM.
30. Debra A. Lieberman, "Health Education Video Games for Children and Adolescents: Theory,
Design and Research Findings," paper presented at the annual meeting of the International
Communications Association, Jerusalem, 1998.
31. Scientific Learning Corporation, National Field Trial Results (pamphlet.) See also Merzenich et
al., "Temporal Processing Deficits of language-Learning Impaired Children Ameliorated by
Training" and Tallal, et al., "Language Comprehension in Language Learning Impaired Children
Improved with Acoustically Modified Speech," in Science, Vol. 271, January 5, 1996, pp 27-28 &
77-84.
32. Michael Parmentier, Director, Office of Readiness and Training, Department of Defense, The
Pentagon. Private briefing.
Unit 2 - Page 88
33. Don Johnson, Office of Readiness and Training, Department of Defense, The Pentagon. Private
briefing.
Unit 2 - Page 89
"Engage Me or Enrage Me"
By Marc Prensky
Anyone who has taught recently will recognize these three kinds of students:
1. The students who are truly self-motivated. These are the ones all teachers dream
about having (and the ones we know how to teach best). They do all the work we
assign to them, and more. Their motto is: "I can't wait to get to class."
Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of these.
2. The students who go through the motions. These are the ones who, although in
their hearts they feel that what is being taught has little or no relevance to their
lives, are farsighted enough to realize that their future may depend on the grades
and credentials they get. So they study the right facts the night before the test to
achieve a passing grade and become at least somewhat successful students.
Their motto: "We have learned to play school.' "
3. The students who "tune us out." These students are convinced that school is
totally devoid of interest and totally irrelevant to their life. In fact, they find school
much less interesting than the myriad devices they carry in their pockets and
backpacks. These kids are used to having anyone who asks for their attention
their musicians, their movie makers, their TV stars, their game designerswork
really hard to earn it. When what is being offered isn't engaging, these students
truly resent their time being wasted. In more and more of our schools, this group
is quickly becoming the majority. The motto of this group? "Engage me or enrage
me."
While our schools and education system today deal with the first two groups reasonably
well, the third group is a real challenge. In fact, for educators today, it is the challenge.
"Engage me or enrage me," these students demand. And believe me, they're enraged.
When I was a novice teacher in the late 1960s in New York City's East Harlem, things
were different. Yes, we had our college-bound students, our "doing timers," and our
dropouts. In fact, far too many dropouts. Certainly a lot of kids then were not engaged.
Many of them were on drugs. Some were engaged in trying to affect societyit was a
time of great turmoil and changebut many weren't.
Unit 2 - Page 90
The big difference from today is this: the kids back then didn't expect to be engaged by
everything they did. There were no video games, no CDs, no MP3snone of today's
special effects. Those kids' lives were a lot less richand not just in money: less rich in
media, less rich in communication, much less rich in creative opportunities for students
outside of school. Many if not most of them never even knew what real engagement
feels like.
But today, all kids do. All the students we teach have something in their lives that's really
engagingsomething that they do and that they are good at, something that has an
engaging, creative component to it. Some may download songs; some may rap, lipsync,
or sing karaoke; some may play video games; some may mix songs; some may make
movies; and some may do the extreme sports that are possible with twenty-first-century
equipment and materials. But they all do something engaging.
A kid interviewed for Yahoo's 2003 "Born to Be Wired" conference said: "I could have
nothing to do, and I'll find something on the Internet." Another commented: "Every day
after school, I go home and download musicit's all I do." Yet another added: "On the
Internet, you can play games, you can check your mail, you can talk to your friends, you
can buy things, and you can look up things you really like." Many of today's third-
graders have multiple e-mail addresses. Today's kids with computers in their homes sit
there with scores of windows open, IMing all their friends. Today's kids without
computers typically have a video game console or a GameBoy. Life for today's kids may
be a lot of thingsincluding stressful but it's certainly not unengaging.
Except in school.
And there it is so boring that the kids, used to this other life, just can't stand it.
"But school can be engaging," many educators will retort. "I don't see what is so much
more engaging about this other life, other than the pretty graphics." To answer this, I
recently looked at the three most popular (i.e., best-selling) computer and video games
in the marketplace. They were, as of June 2004: City of Heroes, a massively multiplayer
online roleplaying game; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, an action game for
the PlayStation 2; and Rise of Nations, a real-time strategy game for the PC. On their
boxes and Web sites, these games promise the kids who buy and play them some very
interesting experiences: "There's a place we can all be heroes." "The Dementors are
coming, and this time Harry needs his friends." "The entire span of human history is in
your hands."
And the descriptions of the games? "Create your own heroes." "Thrilling battles!"
"Encounter" "Engage" "Fly" "Explore" "Take on your friends." "Exciting!"
"Challenging!" "Master" "Amass" "Build" "Perform" "Research" "Lead"
"Don't work alone."
Unit 2 - Page 91
Not exactly descriptions of today's classrooms and courses!
What's more, the games deliver on these promises. If they didn't, not only wouldn't they
be best-sellersthey wouldn't get bought at all.
In school, though, kids don't have the "don't buy" option. Rather than being empowered
to choose what they want ("Two hundred channels! Products made just for you!") and to
see what interests them ("Log on! The entire world is at your fingertips!") and to create
their own personalized identity ("Download your own ring tone! Fill your iPod with
precisely the music you want!")as they are in the rest of their livesin school, they
must eat what they are served.
And what they are being served is, for the most part, stale, bland, and almost entirely
stuff from the past. Yesterday's education for tomorrow's kids. Where is the
programming, the genomics, the bioethics, the nanotechthe stuff of their time? It's not
there. Not even once a week on Fridays.
That's one more reason the kids are so enragedthey know their stuff is missing!
But maybe, just maybe, through their rage, the kids are sending us another message as
welland, in so doing, offering us the hope of connecting with them.
Maybeand I think that this is the casetoday's kids are challenging us, their
educators, to engage them at their level, even with the old stuff, the stuff we all claim is
so important, that is, the "curriculum."
Maybe if, when learning the "old" stuff, our students could be continuously challenged at
the edge of their capabilities, and could make important decisions every half-second,
and could have multiple streams of data coming in, and could be given goals that they
want to reach but wonder if they actually can, and could beat a really tough game and
pass the coursemaybe then they wouldn't have to, as one kid puts it, "power down"
every time they go to class.
In my view, it's not "relevance" that's lacking for this generation, it's engagement. What's
the relevance of Pokmon, or Yu-Gi-Oh!, or American Idol? The kids will master
systems ten times more complex than algebra, understand systems ten times more
complex than the simple economics we require of them, and read far above their grade
levelwhen the goals are worth it to them. On a recent BBC show Child of Our Time, a
four-year old who was a master of the complex video game Halo 2 was being offered
so-called "learning games" that were light-years below his level, to his total frustration
and rage.
The fact is that even if you are the most engaging old-style teacher in the world, you are
not going to capture most of our students' attention the old way. "Their short attention
spans," as one professor put it, "are [only] for the old ways of learning." They certainly
don't have short attention spans for their games, movies, music, or Internet surfing.
Unit 2 - Page 92
More and more, they just don't tolerate the old waysand they are enraged we are not
doing better by them.
So we have to find how to present our curricula in ways that engage our students not
just to create new "lesson plans," not even just to put the curriculum online. The BBC,
for example, has been given 350 million by the British government to create a "digital
curriculum." They have concluded that almost all of it should be game-based, because if
it doesn't engage the students, that will be 350 million down the tube, and they may not
get a second chance. But they are struggling in this unfamiliar world.
So how can and should theyand we do this? As with games, we need to fund,
experiment, and iterate. Can we afford it? Yes, because ironically, creating engagement
is not about those fancy, expensive graphics but rather about ideas. Sure, today's video
games have the best graphics ever, but kids' long-term engagement in a game depends
much less on what they see than on what they do and learn. In gamer terms,
"gameplay" trumps "eyecandy" any day of the week.
And if we educators don't start coming up with some damned good curricular gameplay
for our studentsand soon they'll all come to school wearing (at least virtually in their
minds) the T-shirt I recently saw a kid wearing in New York City: "It's Not ADDI'm Just
Not Listening!"
So hi there, I'm the tuned-out kid in the back row with the headphones. Are you going to
engage me today or enrage me? The choice is yours.
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, speaker, writer, consultant, and game
designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning
(McGraw-Hill, 2001), founder and CEO of Games2train, a game-based learning company, and founder of
The Digital Multiplier, an organization dedicated to eliminating the digital divide in learning worldwide. He
is also the creator of the sites (www.SocialImpactGames.com), (www.DoDGameCommunity.com) and
(www.GamesParentsTeachers.com). Marc holds an MBA from Harvard and a Masters in Teaching from
Yale. More of his writings can be found at (www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp). Contact Marc at
marc@games2train.com.
Unit 2 - Page 93
Engaged Students, Engaged Adults
Teachers enter the profession for a variety of reasons: a passion for children, the love
of content, to right a wrong, the security and predictability of a schedule. Regardless of
their motivation to enter the profession, many teachers are not staying. Statistics tell us
that "annually, approximately 100,000 teachers graduate from our nation's colleges of
education. Of that number less than 60 percent will ever enter the classroom after
graduating. Of those that do, nearly 50 percent will leave teaching within the first five
years" (Hull, 2004). These are staggering statistics! Many researchers have postulated
on the reasons for the very high attrition rate of teachers.
One of the primary reasons I have observed for teacher's job dissatisfaction is the
inability to establish a relationship with their students and their discouragement with
their students' motivation. If a teacher feels he cannot relate to his students or that he
cannot connect them to his content, regardless of his efforts, he is likely to get
discouraged and flee the profession. The more isolated a teacher's work is the more
quickly a teacher becomes dissatisfied and discouraged. This text will explore why
teachers are leaving the profession and how we can change the culture to help them
find more success with their students and more community within their schools.
Buckley, Schneider, and Shang, in a study funded in part by the Ford Foundation and
the 21st Century School Fund, suggest that the factors influencing a teacher's decisions
to leave the profession are divided into teacher factors, school factors, and community
factors. Teacher factors include the relatively low salary ranges, the degree of idealism
teachers bring to their job, and the effectiveness of their teacher preparation program.
These researchers found that the higher the teachers' idealism, the greater the risk of
losing them to attrition. This indicates that high expectations are easily dashed by the
demands of the job.
School factors affect the commitment of new and veteran teachers differently.
Rosenholtz and Simpson (1990) show evidence that student behavior management and
non-teaching responsibilities affect new teachers' decisions to stay in the profession,
while experienced teachers are more concerned about the freedom to make and act on
their decisions regarding instruction and curriculum. "Other important predictors of
teachers' commitment include performance efficacy and psychic rewards" (Buckley,
Schneider, Shang 2006). The way a teacher views his or her performance may affect
his or her decision to stay in the classroom. If a teacher is feeling overwhelmed and
disconnected from her students and colleagues, her psyche may be affected negatively,
causing her to consider leaving the profession. If a teacher consistently gets negative
feedback from supervisors or clients, he may consider changing his situation. Negative
feedback can come from supervisors who, for example, only use summative
assessments instead of ongoing feedback and support. It can come from students who
are disengaged with the content or activity that the teacher has presented or prepared.
Unit 2 - Page 94
Other school factors articulated by teachers who have left the field include scarcity of
resources, high stakes accountability, and prescribed curricula (Darling-Hammond and
Sykes, 2003). These factors may not be easily remediated, but working in a collegial,
supportive environment can soften the blow of these external factors. Shortages and
mandates can be overcome when a faculty works together toward a common goal.
"Another important factor in the retention decision may be the social status of teachers
in the broader community" (Tye and O'Brien, 2002). Teachers may feel that the public
has misguided and contradictory perceptions of their jobs. The public has high
expectations for teachers, yet shows little respect for teachers as professionals. Finally,
budget cuts affect a teacher's commitment to stay the course. Budget cuts can
determine a teacher's physical plant, supply source, and class size. The uncertainty
created by this type of environment can influence a teacher's decision to stay in
teaching.
Marc Prensky in his article, Engage me, or enrage me: What today's learners demand,
contends that teachers need to reach three types of students in meaningful ways each
day. These types are those that do school well and enjoy it, those that can manage the
system successfully but without enthusiasm, and those who refuse to participate
because they see no relevancy to their lives in school or school-related activities.
Prensky applauds the critical need to engage all students in their academic learning; I
extol the need to engage all teachers in their professional learning and development.
We are faced with students with different levels of engagement and ability every day, so
are we faced with teachers with different levels of commitment to teaching and
professional know-how. The National Education Association (NEA) suggests in its
Recruitment and retention guidebook that to keep teachers and to foster their
development as professional educators, the following retention strategies must be
carefully attended to:
Attending to these retention strategies will engage new and veteran teachers in the
business of school and student achievement.
Unit 2 - Page 95
Teacher preparation programs
Modern learning technologies are those instructional strategies that encourage teachers
to use, for example, a variety of groupings, multiple assessments, student choice,
discovery activities, intentional questioning techniques, and increased wait time when
planning their lessons. Teacher preparation programs must ensure that students not
only learn about these processes, but that students have time to practice and become
proficient at implementing them successfully with children in the classroom. The
problem lies in the differences between programs and the skill sets of the candidates
who graduate from these programs. Teacher preparation programs require different field
experiences and internships for their students. Some depend on the state licensure
requirements and some depend on the value placed on these practice based
experiences within the college or university itself.
One of these standards suggests the need for cultural education and the articulation of
the challenges characteristic of many rural and urban districts in our country. Classroom
demographics are ever changing, and teacher preparation programs that stress the
need to understand and practice in diverse cultures may reduce the risk of teacher
attrition in the future by preparing teachers to find success in many different school
environments.
All teachers need room to learn and grow in their work environment. Many schools and
districts have programs in place to support new teachers. These include induction
programs, mentoring, and new teacher orientation.
Induction programs are designed to have new teachers spend their first year of service
orienting themselves to their new environment. Participants in these programs may be
new to the profession or to the district. The content of the induction program ranges
from administrative tasks to professional learning opportunities. Several professional
organizations suggest criteria for effective induction programs. The Southeast Center for
Teacher Quality (SCTQ) sets the following criteria for successful induction programs:
Unit 2 - Page 96
Provide new teachers with specific expectations
Familiarize new teachers with organizational rituals
Help new teachers to apply knowledge, skill beliefs, and attitudes necessary to
be successful in their jobs
Provide new teachers with ongoing guidance and assessment by a trained
mentor
Assist new teachers in meeting licensure standards
This particular set of criteria exemplifies an exerted effort to connect the new teacher to
his or her work context and professional colleagues, thereby engaging participants
meaningfully in their own and their students' achievement and success.
Mentoring is another effective strategy for increasing teacher retention rates when it is
implemented well. Mentors must be carefully selected and well trained (NEA, 2003).
The mentoring process must be valued by the school community and monitored for
results. Mentoring relationships need time and attention to be successful.
Ingersoll and Kralik state that, "while the impact of induction and mentoring differed
significantly among the 10 studies reviewed, collectively the studies do provide support
for the claim that assistance for new teachers and, in particular, mentoring programs
have a positive impact on teachers and their retention."
Unit 2 - Page 97
Improve the working environment
The teacher supports and outreach happen outside of the daily work of teaching. To
improve the working environment for teachers, schools must move from cultures of
isolation to cultures of collegiality and collaboration. An effective mentoring program can
begin this process, but we need to do more to engage teachers in their own learning
and growth as professional educators. We need to foster an environment that
celebrates success, encourages new strategy use, uses formative assessments, and
allows time for collegial collaboration and sharing. In other words we need to create a
"culture of excellence" (Ferriter and Norton, 2004).
We need to create communities of learners who share a common vision for the success
of all students. Just as students must feel connected to their learning and school
culture, so must teachers. Providing opportunities for colleagues to learn, share, create,
and problem solve together helps create the kind of environment that will connect
teachers with their school community and with their students' learning.
When teachers experience success through student achievement, they are likely to
continue to pursue that success. For example, if a teacher reconfigures her classroom
to allow for partner sharing, is clear with the students about the procedures involved in
this strategy, and is successful in giving more students a chance to share, she is more
likely to include that strategy in a future lesson. The school environment has to feel safe
for her to try such new student engagement strategies. In a learning environment that is
safe for all learners, administrators recognize this strategy as a way to include more
student voices in a classroom and encourage its use. Unfortunately, what we often see
currently is an administrator questioning the additional movement and noise in this type
of classroom.
When students feel heard and supported in their learning, they will be more attentive
and more successful with academic content. Success breeds success. Teachers need
to be supported in recognizing how their lesson planning affects the engagement and
success of students. The "enraged" students in Prensky's article need choice and voice.
They need the opportunity to choose their research topic, not whether to do a research
project, for example. They need a balance of opportunities to partner and learn in small
groups and opportunities for individual reflection and learning. Finally, they need
alternate and formative assessments for learning in addition to summative assessments
of learning (Reeves, 2004). Students need some choice in culminating unit projects.
They also need some opportunity to be creative and to use multiple intelligences, to see
the results of their labors, and to be able to edit and improve on their efforts with the
guidance of the teacher. These collaborative learning behaviors help engage students
and teachers to achieve their goals.
Students come to the classroom with a variety of skills and experiences, and we must
work together to create and implement instructional strategies that will reach all of them.
To do this we need to examine our practice collaboratively and to share plans,
Unit 2 - Page 98
processes and results with one another. We are asking teachers to develop new habits
of mind and practice. We are asking that they engage all students. We are suggesting
strategies that may mean they have a little less control in a less orderly space with, for
example, different desk configurations supporting various small groups and independent
activities--some teacher directed, some student directed. This scenario is alien to many
new teachers who come to the classroom with a lifetime experience of traditional
learning environments designed to serve the few, who might move on to higher
education.
We must challenge our new teachers to hang in there long enough to develop their craft
so that they can learn to engage all students so they meet their students' needs now
and into the future. This will require flexibility and willingness to take risks. The only way
to work in the new learning environment we hope to create is to forge relationships
between teachers and colleagues, between teachers and students, between teachers
and administrators, and between teachers and community. These relationships will
engage and connect teachers and students to continuous learning and success.
Professional learning opportunities in this new learning community must model the
kinds of engaging learning we are expecting teachers to facilitate with their students.
Those charged with designing and implementing these opportunities must be skilled at
designing sessions that provide teachers with relevant content and strategies and skills
they can immediately transfer into classroom practice.
Those "enraged students," Prensky describes are not unlike new teachers who want to
experience growth, success, and relevance in their learning processes. This
professional learning needs to be ongoing, site based, and collaborative. It should
mirror the kinds of engaging instruction we are expecting from all teachers of 21st
Century learners. Experience is the key to transferring theory and strategy to classroom
practice. In designing professional learning opportunities, staff developers,
administrators, coaches, and consultants must meet the needs of the teachers they are
serving. For example, it is no longer adequate to present a strategy for teachers to
implement. The facilitator of today's professional learning must have participants
experience the strategy, question the strategy, and have time to consider the strategy in
context. After the initial learning opportunity, the facilitator must provide time for
reflection, sharing, and modifying to engage teachers in their professional growth. This
learning cycle will help teachers make the connection between professional learning
and classroom practice; it also reinforces the need for teachers, and students, to be
accountable for their learning and successes.
The days of once and done, disconnected professional development opportunities are
over. Daily professional learning and engagement need to become the norm if we
expect teachers to be engaged and to engage all students.
Unit 2 - Page 99
Provide financial incentives
Ferriter and Norton interviewed teachers from the Teacher Leaders Network (TLN)
about the motivators that keep them coming back to the classroom year after year. One
of the teachers articulated her top three motivators to excel:
These motivators serve as connectors to the work and to the school community, making
teachers feel trusted, valued, relevant, and supported. When teachers and students find
themselves in this kind of work environment, they will be ready to stay the course and
begin a cycle of teachers working to guide and support one another.
While financial incentives are important to some teachers, in my review of the research
it is not one of the major motivators for remaining in the profession. More important, in
my estimation, are the ability to grow as a professional facilitator of learning; the feeling
of efficacy that develops over time in an environment of mutual learning and respect;
and the support of colleagues, administration, and community who are working together
to achieve a mutual goal. The goal of serving all students well: those naturally inclined
to success in school, those adept at negotiating the system, and those resistant to
complying and performing under traditional circumstances.
To achieve this goal, we need to "restructure the profession. Such an approach will
entail sharing power, providing better training, giving up some traditional assumptions
and values, and expressing enormous trust" (Heller, 2004).
Darling-Hammond sees the challenge as follows: "The problem does not lie in the
numbers of teachers available; we produce many more qualified teachers than we hire.
The hard part is keeping the teachers we prepare" (2003, p.7). The time has come to
spend time thinking about engaging teachers to engage their students by offering them
the opportunity to learn alongside their students, to be facilitators of learning rather than
imparters of knowledge. We need to reach those teachers and those students who are
"not quite burned out, but crispy on the edges" (Draper, 2001).
Allen, M. (2003). Eight questions on teacher preparation: What does the research say? Denver, CO:
Education Commission of the States. Retrieved December 30, 2006, from http://www.ecs.org/treport
Buckley, Jack; Scneider, Mark and Shang, Yi. (2004). Teacher Retention Research Report. Retrieved
January 2, 2007 from www.edfacilities.org
Clement, Mary. (2001) Finding and keeping high quality teachers. Alexandria, VA: Educational Research
Service.
Darling-Hammond, L. & Sykes, Gary. (2003). Wanted: A national manpower policy for education. Denver,
CO: Education Commission of the States.
Draper, Sharon M. (2001). Not quite burned out but crispy around the edges. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Ferriter, William & Norton, John. (2004). "Creating a culture of excellence: Listening to the experts:
experienced teachers describe the working conditions that most affect their decisions to stay or leave."
Threshold Magazine: Cable in the Classroom and NEA. Retrieved December 27, 2006 from
www.ciconline.org
Heller, Daniel A. (2004). Teachers wanted: Attracting and retaining good teachers. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hull, Jonathan W. (2004). Filling in the gaps: Understanding the root causes of the "teacher shortage" can
lead to a solution that works. Southern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments,
reprinted in Threshold, Spring 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2007 from www.ciconline.org
Ingersoll, Richard& Kralik, Jeffrey. (2004). The impact of mentoring on teacher retention: What research
says. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved January 2, 2007 from
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/50/36/5036.htm
Landgraf, Kurt. Solving the teacher shortage: A matter of professional standards. Received January 2,
2007 from www.nea.org
National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. (2003). No dream denied: A pledge to America's
children. Washington, D.C.: NCATE. Received December 27, 2006 from www.ncate.org
National Education Association (2003). Recruitment and retention guidebook. Received January 1, 2007
from www.nea.org
Reeves, Douglas B. (2004). Accountability for learning: How teachers and school leaders can take
charge. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Sparks, Dennis. (2002). High performing cultures increase teacher retention. National Staff Development
Council: Results.
Southeast Center for Teaching Quality. (2001). Recruiting teachers for hard to staff schools: Solutions for
North Carolina and the nation. Teaching Quality in the Southeast Policy Brief: North Carolina.
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spaces for fostering adult learning through practitioner-based collaborative action inquiry. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press: TC Record. Received December 23, 2006 from http://tcrecord.org
The following text can be use as a reference when completing the Engaging Instruction
Checklist located in the Learning Guide.
Adapted from Indicator: Range of Use by Learning Point Associates, available online at
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/efp/range/efpranin.htm.
Copyright 2007 by Learning Point Associates. Adapted with permission of the publisher.
The economy of the United States has undergone major changes from the 20th to the
21st century. These changes have impacted every aspect of our society and our
relationships with others, including our educational systems. Technological advances,
globalization, and an overall shift in the workforce have made it imperative for our
schools to re-examine how they are preparing the youngest members of the population
for the world that lies ahead of them. Thomas Friedman, author of "The World is Flat"
(2005), and other proponents of forward and creative thinking offer some crucial insights
into what our world has become and where we are going. While jobs are being
outsourced to other countries daily, we should take note and begin to make changes, or
we may fall even further behind.
Looking back on the 20th century, a number of job sectors drove the economy.
Manufacturing of a wide range of products and services was in high demand. Technical
advances, better machinery, and strong fertilizers helped increase the productivity of
crop development. Farming provided enough agricultural products, through livestock,
grains, and other major staples of the human diet, to feed the nation. And the mining of
coal, iron, and steel helped sustain the economy by providing resources that could be
used to create goods for use both inside and outside the United States (U.S.
Department of State, 2007).
The 1900s were witness to many economical changes. During the 1950s, people began
buying goods that were not available during World War II. This created corporate
expansion and more jobs, as the demand for products increased. The 1970s saw a
surplus in agricultural products. This brought more money to farmers, but also
demanded more government assistance to determine ways to distribute the surplus
(U.S. Department of State, 2007).
As the century advanced into the 1980s and 1990s, technology exploded. It moved from
base-level computing systems to highly advanced cell phones, hand-held computers,
and satellite technology. This new technology runs internet communication, databases,
and other information-sharing tools, all allowing communication to take place with
people a world away, at the touch of a button. With this technology came even more job
opportunities for everyone from established employees with varied levels of work
experience to college graduates, well-schooled in the use of this technology. The rise in
technology allowed people from all over the world the opportunity to compete for higher-
level and high-paying jobs (Friedman, 2005).
The changing workforce had dramatic effects on American society and schools. Once
the 1980s and 1990s brought more technological advances, the competition for jobs
began to take a turn. Skills taught in the schools during the 1950s were no match for the
new schools and society of the 1990s. A change needed to be made to get students
ready for what they would encounter (Wells & Steptoe, 2006).
Education has always played a major role in how the economy is shaped. There are
staggering statistics that demonstrate this point. In 1900, less than 14 percent of all
Americans graduated from high school. By 1999, that figure had increased to 83
percent. In 1910, less than 3 percent of the population had graduated from a school of
higher learning. By 1999, the figure was 25 percent. Furthermore, increased education
resulted in substantial monetary payoff for the individual worker. Men with college
degrees earned 62 percent more and women 65 percent more in hourly compensation
than did those with a high school degree at the end of the century (1997). A substantial
part of the growth of the economy is attributable to increased education (Fisk, 2001).
Educational institutions in the 20th century provided opportunities for students to gain
skills for what could be considered blue-collar (manual labor) or white-collar
(professional, administrative, or managerial) jobs. It could be seen in schools around the
United States. School curriculums allowed for more trade-oriented or basic courses for
one group; basic math, science, English, and history courses allowed them to easily
transition into jobs once they graduated high school. The students who desired to
continue their educational studies beyond high school could take more rigorous
courses: higher level math and science, foreign languages, advanced placement
history. The tracks were different, but educational opportunities were available for each
group to succeed. There were even business-related courses (typing, computers,
accounting) if a student wished to train for a job in this field.
At times, historical events had a major effect on education. The 1950s and 1960s
brought an increased demand for space exploration, to compete with other countries,
thereby pushing more students to increase their studies of mathematics, science, and
engineering courses. As the drive to compete with other nations in space travel
exploration began to diminish in the 1980s and 1990s, the number of students enrolled
in higher level mathematics and science courses followed suit. Other countries
continued to advance in these areas, giving them the upper hand in developing
technology and their overall business structure. This, in turn, provided even more job
opportunities for these countries. Looking ahead, we can see that if our country does
not continue programs that foster a variety of important and life-changing skills, we
stand to fall behind (Friedman, 2005).
The 21st century has come about on the tails of globalization. Companies rely on
technology that provides immediate results to carry out their day-to-day business
transactions, from their office to anywhere in the world, with an internet connection.
Products and services are readily transported and traded with overseas partners set on
achieving a world-wide goal of sustaining or developing a strong economy. There is a
growing interdependence on world markets, but there remains the issue of
overproduction and surplus while employment in areas such as farming is on the
decreasing (U.S. Department of State, 2007).
From the 20th century to today, very little has changed from the manner in which
schooling is carried out. There are still teachers who lecture and provide few
opportunities for students to truly use what they are learning in creative or useful ways,
beyond the classroom. The world has changed and the classroom needs to change with
it (Wells & Steptoe, 2006).
What do today's schools need? Teaching needs to be brought into the 21st century. Our
students need to be ready to join in with the global economy and work in jobs that will
help advance our society. To compete, there are a number of important skills that should
be honed before they leave the comfort of their high school walls (Wells & Steptoe,
2006).
Being knowledgeable about what goes on in the world is a major step toward becoming
a more global citizen. To compete with other countries, students need to be literate in
global trade and fluent in a foreign language. They also need to be aware of and
sensitive to foreign cultures (Wells & Steptoe, 2006). Foreign language skills are
disastrously lacking in our American youth. Many schools still require only 2 years of
foreign language study, many times being offered at the middle or high school level,
How else must our students change in order to make it in this more global economy? In
an age where some schools are still selective about course offerings for different types
of students, it is only possible to change our schools if we re-examine what we are
doing, what we have done, and where we want to go and align it with what is going on
in the world around us. Standardized tests have become the answer to determining the
health of our schools. But what can the students do with basic facts and information if
they have not been pushed to put it to use in simulations of real-life situations? Complex
thinking and problem solving skills allow students to think outside the box and really
see what they can do (Wells & Steptoe, 2006). These skills, teamed with technology-
savvy thinking, will greatly increase a student's ability to adapt to the global economy.
Our society has become increasingly more team-oriented when it comes to getting jobs
accomplished. It is imperative that our students be educated in manners of developing
good people skills. They will be required to work with groups of people from varied
educational and cultural backgrounds. In order to effectively accomplish what
companies require, they will need to be a team player. This ties in with thinking globally
and truly learning about and understanding other cultures, personalities, and learning
styles (Wells & Steptoe, 2006).
The bottom line: Our schools must become global to compete with the real world.
Thomas Friedman (2005) explains that there needs to be an adapting of business
processes, study habits, and innovative ideas to go along with the flattening of the
world, where everything is becoming more interconnected and collaborative. We need
to think about what will make these students stand out from the rest. Teachers must
allow for creativity to take place in their classrooms. Hands-on projects, real-life
simulations, rigorous language programs, strong academic courses, and tasks that
require problem-solving and creative thinking are ways to help keep our students
involved and in fierce competition with other students and people from around the world.
Only then will our students be better prepared for what awaits them in the real world
(Friedman, 2005).
Shirley Ann Jackson, president of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, offers deeper insights into
what she has seen happening with our global world. The sky is not falling, nothing
horrible is going to happen today. The U.S. is still the leading engine for innovation in
the world. It has the best graduate programs, the best scientific infrastructure, and the
capital markets to exploit it. But there is a quiet crisisthat we have to wake up to. The
U.S. today is in a truly global environment, and those competitor countries are not only
wide awake, they are running a marathon while we are running sprints. If left
unchecked, this could challenge our preeminence and capacity to innovate (Friedman,
2005, p.253).
World globalization has created newer and greater job opportunities. Having
imagination, strong academic skills, and the adaptability to work with a wide background
of people, technology and ideas is necessary for people to excel in this ever-advancing
global economy. Our schools have a responsibility to prepare students for what
opportunities await them. (Friedman, 2005). After all, Friedman (2005) states, we have
within our society all the ingredients for American individuals to thrive in this world, but if
we squander those ingredients, we will stagnate (p.306). We cannot afford to let this
happen, after everything we have accomplished. Our children will be the next
individuals to take our society and continue to make it great, if they have the tools to
accomplish that.
References
Fisk, Donald M. (Fall 2001). American Labor in the 20th Century. Compensation and Working
Conditions. Retrieved January 13, 2007, from http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20030124ar02pl.htm
Friedman, Thomas L. (2005). The World is Flat. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
U.S. Department of State. Farming Post World-War II. Retrieved January 12, 2007, from
http://economics.about.com/od/americanagriculture/a/farming.htm
Wallis, C., & Steptoe, S. (2006). How to Bring Schools Out of the 20th Century. Retrieved January 10,
2007, from www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html
Most Americans agree that the workplace is changing and that the skills necessary for
success in the 21st century workplace are different from those needed in the 20th
century. In his book A Whole New Mind, author Daniel H. Pink writes that we are
"moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age" [Pink, 2005, p. 33]. He argues
that the workplace is changing as a result of three factors--Asia, abundance,
automation-and that to remain competitive workers will need new skills [Pink, 2005, p.
46]. According to Pink "in the Conceptual Age, what we need . . . is a whole new mind"--
one that incorporates both right brain and left brain directed aptitudes (Pink, 2005, p.
51). Where the left brain is "sequential, logical, and analytical," the right brain is
"nonlinear, intuitive, and holistic." He notes that while the "defining skills of the previous
era are necessary," they are "no longer sufficient." Instead he argues, the "right brain
qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness, and meaning increasingly will determine
who flourishes and who flounders" (Pink, 2005, p. 3).
Pink's findings concur with those of other experts and researchers who have studied the
changing workplace and the skills that will be needed for continued work success. The
enGauge 21st Century Skills notes in its report on Literacy in the Digital Age that
"experts at the U.S. Department of Labor... assert, The influence of technology will go
beyond new equipment and faster communication, as work and skills will be redefined
and reorganized' " (enGauge, 2003, p. 8). The enGauge report asserts that "rapid
change and increased competition require that workers use their soft skills' to adapt
quickly to changing technologies and organizational structures" (enGauge, 2003, p. 8).
According to this study "As society changes, the skills needed to negotiate the
complexities of life also change. In the early 1900s, a person who had acquired simple
reading, writing, and calculating skills was considered literate. Only in recent years has
the public education system expected all students to build on those basics, developing a
broad range of literacies. To achieve success in the 21st century, students also need to
attain proficiency in science, technology, and culture, as well as gain a thorough
understanding of information in all its forms" (enGauge, 2003, p.15).
The workplace and employer expectations have changed over time. "For businesses,
it's no longer enough to create a product that's reasonably priced and adequately
functional. It must also be beautiful, unique, and meaningful...," writes Pink [Pink, p. 35].
In addition many jobs are being outsourced. "White collar work of all sorts is migrating to
other parts of the world," Pink notes [p. 38]. "The main reason is money." Workers in
other parts of the world can do what American workers can do--only for less money.
"The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different type of mind,"
warns Pink [p.1]. Workers will need to build on the skills of the 20th Century by
mastering a new and different set of skills in the 21st Century. "We must perform work
that overseas knowledge-workers can't do cheaper, that computers can't do faster, and
that satisfies the aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual demands of a prosperous time,"
writes Pink [p. 61]. For example, "engineers and programmers will have to master
different aptitudes, relying more on creativity than competence, more on tacit knowledge
than technical manuals, and more on fashioning the big picture than sweating out the
details," Pink writes. [p. 44-45].
In their book The new division of labor: How computers are creating the next job market,
Frank Levy and Richard Murnane argue that two categories of skills will be more
valued: "expert thinking--solving new problems for which there are no routine answers"
and "complex communication--persuading, explaining, and in other ways conveying a
particular interpretation of information" [Pink, 333].
Schools must prepare students for a different workplace--one that values innovation,
imagination, creativity, communication, and emotional intelligence [Pink, 233].
The enGauge report identified four skill clusters as essential to success in the 21st
Century workplace. These skills "were developed through a process that included
literature reviews, research on emerging characteristics of the Net Generation, a review
of current reports on workforce trends from business and industry, analysis of nationally
recognized skill sets, input from educators, data from educator surveys, and reactions
from constituent groups. In addition, data was gathered from educators at state-level
conference sessions in 10 states, surveys, and focus groups Chicago and Washington,
D.C." (enGauge, 2003, p. 13).
Within these skill clusters are a subset of skills and competencies that workers will be
expected to have mastered. EnGauge further defines the subset of skills for each skill
as follows:
Basic literacy: This is defined as the ability to read, write, listen and speak as
well as to compute numbers and solve problems.
Scientific literacy: This is defined as a general knowledge and understanding of
scientific concepts and processes.
Economic literacy: This includes an understanding of basic economic concepts,
personal finance, the roles of small and large businesses, and how economic
issues affect them as consumers and citizens.
Technological literacy: This includes an understanding about technology and
how it can be used to achieve a specific purpose or goal.
Visual literacy: This includes good visualization skills and the ability to
understand, use, and create images and video using both conventional and new
media.
Information literacy: This includes the ability to find, access, and use
information as well as the ability to evaluate the credibility of the information.
Cultural literacy: This includes the ability to value diversity, to exhibit sensitivity
to cultural issues, and to interact and communicate with diverse cultural groups.
Global awareness: This is an understanding of how nations, individuals, groups,
and economies are interconnected and how they relate to each other.
Inventive thinking will be prized in the 21st Century and a successful individual needs
to develop and cultivate these essential life skills: (enGauge, 2003, p. 35)
Our changing workplace requires that all 21st Century workers master the skills
required in a knowledge-society as well as the new skills necessary to move beyond the
Information Age into the Conceptual Age. The enGauge report identifies "three
significant things that need to occur if students are to thrive in today's knowledge-based,
global society. These are: (enGauge, 2003, p. 2)
The public must acknowledge 21st century skills as essential to the education of
today's learner.
Schools must embrace new designs for learning based on emerging research
about how people learn, effective uses of technology, and 21st century skills in
the context of rigorous academic content.
Policymakers must base school accountability on assessments that measure
both academic achievement and 21st century skills.
As the workplace changes and evolves, so must its workers if they are to be successful.
References
NCREL and Metiri Group. (2003). "enGauge 21st century skills: Literacy in the digital age." Napierville, IL
and Los Angeles, CA: NCREL and Metiri.
Pink, Daniel H. (2005). A whole new mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. New
York: Penguin Group.
21st Century
Examples of Application in Social Studies
Workplace Skill
Digital-age Literacy
Basic, scientific, economic, Use understanding of statistical techniques, sampling bias, and population parameters in simulated settings to
and technological literacies study the effects on outcomes. Analyze these factors in published scientific or economic reports, and use
knowledge of statistical techniques to evaluate the validity of the reports' findings.
Visual and informational Create an age-appropriate electronic portfolio of maps and other geographic projects, and write a reflective essay
literacy explaining how selected portfolio pieces reflect what they have learned about specific topics
Cultural literacy and global Conduct analysis using demographic data in a geographic information system to analyze voting patterns and
awareness determine redistricting guidelines
Inventive Thinking
Adaptability/ability to manage Create a high-quality digital map product, including data that has been gathered in the local area, to submit to an
complexity agency outside the classroom (e.g., national contest, local newspaper, community member)
Self-direction Create a culminating project that demonstrates content knowledge and conceptual understanding in at least three
distinct content areas; project should demonstrate problem-solving ability and ability to draw connections between
social studies content and real world settings.
Curiosity, creativity, and risk Use a geographic information system to analyze information on soil, hydrology, and other factors in order to
taking choose the best site for a sanitary landfill in an urban region, and prepare an informational video to present
findings
Higher-order thinking and Using the Internet and digital libraries, identify and compare alternative, sustainable economic activities in regions
sound reasoning of significant resource depletion
Effective Communication
Teaming, collaboration, and Create a public awareness campaign to encourage product recycling in order to reduce the amount of refuge that
interpersonal skills is deposited in the local landfill each week.
Personal, social and civic Collect, analyze, and comply data that reflects current political candidates position on pending legislation and
responsibility future agenda as a public service tool.
Interactive communication Prepare an informative oral presentation that evaluates alternative land use proposals using various presentation
tools (e.g., multimedia slide show) and incorporating spatial data and maps.
High Productivity
Ability to prioritize, plan and Employ more complex problem-solving methods to develop a deeper understanding of the planning and
manage for results management of a construction project (within certain material & budget constraints).
Effective use of real-world Formulate, approach, and solve problems beyond those studied using a variety of problem-solving tools such as
tools graphing calculators, probes, GPS, and geometry tool software.
Ability to produce relevant, Use data and maps prepared in a geographic information system to compare and analyze alternative land use
high quality products proposals and communicate conclusions using such tools as html, advanced multimedia applications, and video
technologies
Course Objectives
*For each activity/experience the relevant objectives are identified in the third column of
the chart.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
20th Century teaching strategies are no longer effective. Teachers must embrace new
teaching strategies that are radically different from those employed in the 20th Century
classroom. The curriculum must become more relevant to what students will experience
in the 21st Century workplace.
The 21st Century classroom is student centered, not teacher centered. Teachers no
longer function as lecturers but as facilitators of learning. The students are learning by
doing, and the teacher acts as a coach, helping students as they work on projects.
Students learn to use the inquiry method, and to collaborate with others--a microcosm
of the real world they will experience once they leave the classroom.
Textbooks are no longer the major source of information. Students use multiple sources,
including technology, to find and gather the information they need. They might keep
journals, interview experts, explore the Internet, or use computer software programs to
apply what they have learned or to find information. Instead of being reserved only for
special projects, technology is seamlessly integrated into daily instruction.
In this new classroom, flexible student groupings, based on individual needs, are the
norm. The teacher still uses whole group instruction, but it is no longer the primary
instructional method used. Teachers assess student instructional needs and learning
styles and then draw on a variety of instructional and learning methods to meet the
needs of all the students in the classroom.
Just as student learning has changed so has assessment of that learning. Teachers use
a variety of performance-based assessments to evaluate student learning. Tests that
measure a students ability to memorize and to recall facts are no longer the sole means
of assessing student learning. Instead, teachers use student projects, presentations,
and other performance-based assessments to determine students achievement and
their individual needs.
The goal of the 21st Century classroom is to prepare students to become productive
members of the workplace.
Just as the classroom is changing, so must the teacher adapt their roles and
responsibilities. Teachers are no longer teaching in isolation. They now co-teach, team
teach, and collaborate with other department members. Teachers are not the only ones
responsible for student learning. Other stakeholders including administrators, board
members, parents, and students all share responsibility with the teacher for educating
the student.
Teachers know that they must engage their students in learning and provide effective
instruction using a variety of instructional methods as well as technology. To do this,
teachers keep abreast of what is happening in the field. As lifelong learners, they are
active participants in their own learning. They seek out professional development that
helps them to improve both student learning and their own performance.
The new role of the teacher in the 21st Century classroom requires changes in teachers
knowledge and classroom behaviors. The teacher must know how to:
If students are to be productive members of the 21st Century workplace, they must
move beyond the skills of the 20th Century and master those of the 21st Century.
Teachers are entrusted with mastering these skills as well and with modeling these skills
in the classroom. The characteristics of the 21st Century classroom will be very different
from those of in the classrooms of the past because the focus is on producing students
who are highly productive, effective communicators, inventive thinkers, and masters of
technology.
References
Commitment to the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning. (2007). Retrieved January 30, 2007 from
http://www.onu.edu/a+s/cte/knowledge/facilitator.shtml
Content Coverage Teachers cover content through Learning and Doing Teachers design projects to
direct instruction and move at a address essential academic
pace to ensure that all material is standards. Student performance on
presented, whether it is learned or projects demonstrates proficiency
not. or deficiency with respect to
standards. Intervention is done for
students not meeting standards.
Memorizing information Teachers spend most time involved Using information Teachers have students use
in direct instruction, with information to develop authentic
assessment occurring as a test at projects where mastery of
the end where recall of information information is demonstrated in the
is tested. way information is used in the
project.
Lecturer Teachers spend most of their time Facilitator The teacher provides projects that
involved in stand and deliver. involve students doing research
Knowledge comes from the and assimilating the knowledge
teacher. themselves. Teachers act as
coaches and provide support as
needed by students. They take on
the role of project manager.
Whole Group Configuration All students receive the same Flexible Grouping Configuration Teachers group students based on
instruction. One size fits all. Based on Individual Student Needs needs. Instruction seldom is to the
whole group. Rather, instruction
occurs with individuals, pairs, or
small groups as needed.
Memorization and Recall Tests are the primary means of Higher Order Thinking Skills Teachers assign projects to the
assessment and focus on recall class that requires higher order
and lower level thinking. thinking (synthesis, analysis,
application, and evaluation).
Isolated Students are encouraged to work Collaborative Teachers allow students to work
individually collaboratively on projects and
network with others in the class, as
well as experts outside of school.
Quiz and Test Assessments Students are assessed through Performance-based Assessments Teachers utilize projects as well as
tests only. other products and performances
as assessments to determine
student achievement and needs.
Assessments are tailored to the
talents/needs of the students.
Textbook Dependent The teacher may follow the Multiple Sources of Information Teachers use the textbook as just
textbook chapter by chapter, page Including Technology another resource, which is used in
by page. The text book is the major conjunction with the internet,
source of information. journals, interviews of experts, etc.
Technology as a luxury The teacher is the main user of Technology fully integrated into the Teachers have students regularly
technology, primarily as a means classroom use technology to find information,
of presenting information. network/communicate with each
other and experts, and to produce
and present their projects,
assignments, and performances.
Teachers teaching to the one Teachers teach to one learning Teachers addressing the learning Teachers use different means of
learning style style (nearly) all the time (e.g., styles of all learners presenting information. Methods
always talking only, or always are based on the preferences of
giving notes on the board only). individual students or groups.
Teachers also expect student Students are able to convey
submissions to always be the information to the teacher via their
same most or all of the time (e.g., projects/ performances/
all work is submitted in written assignments in a variety of
form). modalities, based on their
preferences (written, spoken,
music, acted out, etc.).
Learning content The focus is on covering content Learner-directed Learning Through projects, teachers have
students learn how to ask the right
questions, do an appropriate
investigation, get answers, and use
the information so they can
continue to learn all their lives.
Learning isolated skills and Facts and skills are learned out of Using a variety of types of Teachers devise projects that help
factoids context and for their own sakes. information to complete authentic students learn information and
projects skills through using them in
situations similar to the way they
would in real life.
Acting purely as a student Students are involved in strictly Students acting as a worker in the Teachers set up student
academic endeavors (e.g., note discipline assignments, projects, and
taking, listening to lectures). performances to allow students to
operate the way a person would
working in the field in the real world
(as a scientist, writer,
Teaching in such a Students become bored because Engaging the 21st Teachers consider how to utilize the unique characteristics of
way as to disengage school is not engaging and they feel Century student the 21st century brain and the habits of the 21st century digital
students they have to power down. native to provide engaging and effective instruction.
Teaching content Teachers focus on subject matter Teaching to prepare students for Teachers incorporate elements of
alone. the 21st Century workplace. the 21st Century workplace into the
classroom to prepare the student
with 21st century workplace
experiences and skills.
Teachers alone educate the Teachers have the primary Shared responsibility for educating Teachers communicate with all
student responsibility for educating the the student stakeholders (administrators,
student and focus most if not all of school board members, parents,
the load. students) and enlist the help and
inputs of all to effectively educate
students.
Sit and get professional Teachers take part and accept 21st Century professional Teachers take an active part in
development passive and ineffective development and learning planning and participating in
professional development communities professional development that
regularly utilize learning
communities to improve student
learning and achievement.
Teacher looks for one answer for Teachers pose low-level questions Teacher looks for multiple answers Teachers pose questions that
students that require recall answers. from students. require high level thinking with
Emphasis placed on correct multiple solutions. Emphasis
answer. placed on the types of questions.
Teachers reflect on student results Teachers analyze assessment Students reflect on student results Teachers with students analyze
scores for the sake of progress with teachers. assessment scores for the purpose
reporting progress. of identifying strengthens and
weakness to prescribe instruction
and academic supports.
Adapted from Indicator: Range of Use by Learning Point Associates, available online at
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/framewk/efp/range/efpranin.htm.
Copyright 2007 by Learning Point Associates. Adapted with permission of the publisher.
Glossary
Artificial Context: Level of authenticity where students are exposed to instruction that
contains drill and practice and results are self-contained within the classroom
Real World Context: Level of authenticity where students use processes of inquiry to
solve real problems and create knowledge that is valued by persons or communities
outside the school environment
Basic Skills: Lower complexity of learning that includes the use of knowledge and
comprehension thinking skills
Didactic: Instruction involving lecture and the textbook rather than demonstration and
laboratory study
Constructivist: Individuals are active agents, they engage in their own knowledge
construction by integrating new information into their schema, and by associating and
representing it into a meaningful way
Drill and Practice: Instruction designed to build a students fluency with a specific skill
Productivity Tools: Student use of software for processing, storing, analyzing, and/or
communicating data
Expression and Visualization Tools: Student use of software such as graphics, charting,
or video editing packages that enables the use to express ideas primarily using images
Online Research: Student use of search engines, browsers, and intelligent strategies to
find information purposefully
Problem Solving with Real Data Sets: Students using technology to access, process,
analyze, and communicate solutions to problems using relevant, real-world
situations/data
1. Identify the amount of time you spend using each of the following instructional
strategies.
For #2 through #4 think of a specific lesson or unit that you and your students
experienced a high degree of success.
*For more information about the revised taxonomy please visit one of the
following websites:
a. http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/bloom.htm
b. http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi216/learning/bloom.htm
c. http://www.odu.edu/educ/llschult/blooms_taxonomy.htm
Didactic Constructivist
4. Analyze the authenticity of your instruction. Does your instruction have a real-world
context or is it characterized as artificial and exercise based, such as worksheets or essays
that summarize content for teacher use only? Place an X on the continuum to represent
your style.
In order to build on your previous success, how will you improve this specific lesson
or unit to make the learning more authentic for students?
Basic literacy
Scientific literacy
Economic literacy
Technological literacy
Visual literacy
Information literacy
Global awareness
Inventive thinking
Self-direction
Curiosity
Creativity
Risk taking
Interpersonal skills
Personal responsibility
Interactive communication
High productivity
Most effective teachers modify some of their instruction for students some of the time.
Many of those teachers also believe they differentiate instruction, and, to some degree,
they do. It is not this book's goal, however, to recount the sorts of modifications sensitive
teachers make from time to time, such as offering a student extra help during lunch or
asking an especially able learner a challenging question during a review session. This
book offers guidance for educators who want to develop and facilitate consistent, robust
plans in anticipation of and in response to students' learning differences.
No one can learn everything in every textbook, let alone in a single subject. The brain is
structured so that even the most able of us will forget more than we remember about
most topics. It is crucial, then, for teachers to articulate what's essential for learners to
recall, understand, and be able to do in a given domain.
From a very young age, children understand that some of us are good with kicking a
ball, some with telling funny stories, some with manipulating numbers, and some with
In differentiated classrooms, the teacher is well aware that human beings share the
same basic needs for nourishment, shelter, safety, belonging, achievement,
contribution, and fulfillment. She also knows that human beings find those things in
different fields of endeavor, according to different timetables, and through different
paths. She understands that by attending to human differences she can best help
individuals address their common needs. Our experiences, culture, gender, genetic
codes, and neurological wiring all affect how and what we learn. In a differentiated
classroom, the teacher unconditionally accepts students as they are, and she expects
them to become all they can be.
Such formative assessment may come from small-group discussion with the teacher
and a few students, whole-class discussion, journal entries, portfolio entries, exit cards,
skill inventories, pre-tests, homework assignments, student opinion, or interest surveys.
At this stage, assessment yields an emerging picture of who understands key ideas and
who can perform targeted skills, at what levels of proficiency, and with what degree of
interest. The teacher then shapes tomorrow's lessonand even today'swith the goal
of helping individual students move ahead from their current position of competency.
Students vary in readiness, interest, and learning profile. Readiness is a student's entry
point relative to a particular understanding or skill. Students with less-developed
readiness may need
someone to help them identify and make up gaps in their learning so they can
move ahead;
more opportunities for direct instruction or practice;
activities or products that are more structured or more concrete, with fewer steps,
closer to their own experiences, and calling on simpler reading skills, or
a more deliberate pace of learning.
Interest refers to a child's affinity, curiosity, or passion for a particular topic or skill. One
student may be eager to learn about fractions because she is very interested in music,
and her math teacher shows her how fractions relate to music. Another child may find a
study of the American Revolution fascinating because he is particularly interested in
medicine and has been given the option of creating a final product on medicine during
that period.
Teachers may adapt one or more of the curricular elements (content, process, products)
based on one or more of the student characteristics (readiness, interest, learning
profile) at any point in a lesson or unit. However, you need not differentiate all elements
in all possible ways. Effective differentiated classrooms include many times in which
whole-class, nondifferentiated fare is the order of the day. Modify a curricular element
In differentiated classrooms, certain essential understandings and skills are goals for all
learners. However, some students need repeated experiences to master them, and
other students master them swiftly. The teacher in a differentiated classroom
understands that she does not show respect for students by ignoring their learning
differences. She continually tries to understand what individual students need to learn
most effectively, and she attempts to provide learning options that are a good fit for each
learner whenever she can. She shows respect for learners by honoring both their
commonalities and differences, not by treating them alike.
For example, some students grasp an idea best when they see it directly tethered to
their own lives and experiences. Others can think about the idea more conceptually.
Some students strive for accuracy and eschew the uncertainty of creativity. Others thirst
for the adventure of divergence and deplore the tedium of drill. Some students want to
sing their understanding of a story, some want to dance the story's theme, some want to
draw it, and some want to write to the author or a character.
In the end, it is not standardization that makes a classroom work. It is a deep respect for
the identity of the individual. A teacher in a differentiated classroom embraces at least
the following four beliefs.
Teachers are the chief architects of learning, but students should assist with the design
and building. It is the teacher's job to know what constitutes essential learning, to
diagnose, to prescribe, to vary the instructional approach based on a variety of
purposes, to ensure smooth functioning of the classroom, and to see that time is used
wisely. Nonetheless, students have much to contribute about their understanding.
In a differentiated classroom, the teacher is the leader, but like all effective leaders, she
attends closely to her followers and involves them thoroughly in the journey. Together,
teacher and students plan, set goals, monitor progress, analyze success and failures,
and seek to multiply the success and learn from failures. Some decisions apply to the
class as a whole. Others are specific to an individual.
A great coach never achieves greatness for himself or his team by working to make all
his players alike. To be great, and to make all his players great, he must make each
player the best that he or she possibly can be. No weakness in understanding or skill is
overlooked. Every player plays from his or her competencies, not from a sense of
deficiency. There is no such thing as "good enough" for any team member. In an
effectively differentiated classroom, assessment, instruction, feedback, and grading take
into account both group and individual goals and norms.
To address the various learning needs that make up the whole, teachers and students
work together in a variety of ways. They use materials flexibly and employ flexible
pacing. Sometimes the entire class works together, but sometimes small groups are
more effective. Sometimes everyone uses the same materials, but it is often effective to
have many materials available. Sometimes everyone finishes a task at 12:15, but often
some students finish a task while others need additional time for completion.
Sometimes the teacher says who will work together. Sometimes students make the
choice. When the teacher decides, she may do so based on similar readiness, interest,
or learning profile needs. Sometimes assignment to tasks is random. Sometimes the
teacher is the primary helper of students. Sometimes students are one another's best
source of help.
Figure 2.1 presents an organizer for thinking about differentiation, and it is a way of
thinking about this book as well. In a differentiated classroom, a teacher makes
consistent efforts to respond to students' learning needs. She is guided by general
principles of facilitating a classroom in which attention to individuals is effective. Then
she systematically modifies content, process, or product based on students' readiness
for the particular topic, materials, or skills; personal interests; and learning profiles. To
do so, she calls upon a range of instructional and management strategies.
The teacher does not try to differentiate everything for everyone every day. That's
impossible, and it would destroy a sense of wholeness in the class. Instead, the teacher
selects moments in the instructional sequence to differentiate based on formal or
informal assessment. She also selects a time in her teaching plans to differentiate by
interest so that students can link what is being studied to something that is important to
them. She often provides options that make it natural for some students to work alone
and others together, for some to have a more hands-on approach to making sense of
ideas and for others to arrive at learning in a visual way. Differentiation is an organized
All classrooms are multifaceted. A differentiated classroom, however, differs in key ways
when compared with traditional classrooms. Figure 2.2 (p. 16) suggests some ways in
which the two approaches to teaching may vary. Feel free to add your own comparisons
to the chart as you think about your own classroom and as you read through the rest of
the book. Remember that there is much middle ground between an absolutely
traditional classroom and an absolutely differentiated one (assuming either extreme
could ever exist). For an interesting self-assessment, think of the two columns in the
chart as continuums. Place an X on each continuum where you believe your teaching is
now, and place an X on where you'd like it to be.
To learn more about the concept of differentiating instruction through readiness, interest,
and learning profile, see the Appendix and the following sources:
Kiernan, L. (producer) (1997). Differentiating instruction: A video staff development set. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
Tomlinson, C. (1995). How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tomlinson, C. (1996). Good teaching for one and all: Does gifted education have an instruction identity?
Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 20, 155-174.
Tomlinson, C. (1996). Differentiating instruction for mixed-ability classrooms. [An ASCD professional
inquiry kit]. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Constructivism. The major claim of this theme is that learning is an active process,
described as forming new mental models rather than as assimilating information.
Students continually create their own mental models as they encounter new material. It
is questionable if "passive learning" could even exist. Integral to the concept of
constructivism is the notion that much of learning comes from grappling with complex
problems, for which there may be multiple approaches. The interaction a learner has
with others engaged in the task adds to the learning potential; language is the most
important carrier of these inquiry-supporting interactions. Out of such experiences,
learners build their own knowledge.
Connections to the world outside of schools. Research is beginning to show that one
problem with school learning is that students often fail to connect it to what they have
learned outside school. Students often bring knowledge to class that is directly relevant
to what they are learning, but fail to see the connection. In response to this issue, some
of the new curriculum efforts are focusing on the creation of authentic tasks which meet
needs and goals that students either have already or might have in the future.
Furthermore, students often fail to see how the work they do in school is related to their
lives at home. Parents can do much to support home-school connections, but research
has documented most parents' lack of connection with their children's schools. Chris
Dede (O'Neil, 1995) claims that "We know that the biggest single impact that we could
Metacognition. Students need to know how to take responsibility for managing and
monitoring their own thinking and learning activities. These kinds of skills (e.g., knowing
when you have learned something or planning to use your most effective learning
strategies to master some content) are sometimes called "metacognitive skills" because
they require the students to examine their own learning practices. In an inquiry-based
perspective, students need to reflect on the steps they take to generate questions about
a new topic, how they collect information to help focus on a smaller set of questions,
how they evaluate the relevance of the information, how they decide to what steps to
take next, and how they communicate their conclusions. Unfortunately, most curricula
do not explicitly call for a focus on metacognitive learning.
Lifelong learning. The students of today will need to learn throughout their lives. In the
past, technology and jobs changed relatively slowly, but today's world can change
practically overnight. Many of today's jobs require facility with technologies that didn't
exist 20 years ago, and reeducation is the only way some people can continue to work
at skilled jobs. Students need to prepare in school to continue to learn for the rest of
their lives; in terms of inquiry, this means cultivating curiosity, knowing where learning
resources might be, having experience with tacking complex problems, and knowing
how to work with others in crafting approaches to difficult situations.
What does a classroom in which inquiry is taking place look like? Commonly, some or
all of the following characteristics are present:
Ask Seymour Papert, renowned expert on children and computing, why students are
turned off by school, and he quickly offers an example:
"We teach numbers, then algebra, then calculus, then physics. Wrong!" exclaims the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology mathematician and pioneer in Artificial
Intelligence. "Start with engineering, and from that abstract out physics, and from that
abstract out ideas of calculus, and eventually separate off pure mathematics. So much
better to have the first-grade kid or kindergarten kid doing engineering and leave it to
the older ones to do pure mathematics than to do it the other way around."
In a growing number of schools, educators are echoing Papert's assertion that engaging
students by starting with the concrete and solving hands-on, real-world problems is a
great motivator. Ultimately, they say, such project-based learning that freely crosses
disciplines provides an education superior to the traditional "algebra at 9, Civil War at
10, Great Expectations at 11" structure.
Advocates also say that the availability of technology that can call up the knowledge of
the world's best thinkers with the click of a mouse, that can graph in two seconds what
once took hours, and that can put scientific instrumentation in a pocket-sized computer
further argues for moving away from century-old models of instruction.
"Everybody is motivated by challenge and solving problems, and we don't make use of
that in schools enough," says Bruce Alberts, distinguished cell biologist and president of
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). "Project-based learning gives everybody a
chance to sort of mimic what scientists do, and that's exciting. And it's fun if it's done
well."
At The Mott Hall School in New York's Harlem, a fifth-grade project on kites involves
using creative writing skills in poems and stories with kite themes. While designing their
own kites on the computer and then making them by hand, students learn about
electromagnetism and the principles of ratios and proportions. A casual remark by one
student leads to an in-depth study of the role of kites in various cultural celebrations.
In project-based learning, students try to answer a question one that has relevance
for them that is greater than the immediate task at hand. In its book Connecting the
Bits, the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education gives the example of
students at a Kentucky elementary school conducting surveys, doing research, building
models, and taking field trips with the goal of determining the best kind of new bridge to
build over the Ohio River.
Students conduct research using a variety of sources, from the Internet to interviews
with experts. They work on the project over an extended period of time six weeks or
more because of the in-depth nature of the investigation. Like adults trying to solve a
problem, they don't restrict themselves to one discipline but delve into math, literature,
history, science whatever is appropriate to the study.
"One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life,"
says Sylvia Chard, professor of elementary education at the University of Alberta and
co-author of Engaging Children's Minds: The Project Approach, a popular guide for
teachers and others on project learning.
"In real life, we don't spend several hours at a time listening to authorities who know
more than we do and who tell us exactly what to do and how to do it," she says. "We
need to be able to ask questions of a person we're learning from. We need to be able to
link what the person is telling us with what we already know. And we need to be able to
bring what we already know and experiences we've had that are relevant to the topic to
the front of our minds and say something about them."
Chard doesn't like the term project-based because she says it implies a focus on
projects to the exclusion of other legitimate learning methods. "Younger children will
play and explore as well as engage in projects," says the The Project Approach Web
site. "Older children's project work will complement the systematic instruction in the
program."
In-Depth Investigation
The NAS' Alberts says one reason he believes project-based learning hasn't caught on
more is that parents weren't taught that way. But many parents who witness the
transformation of their children become ardent converts. "There's a visible hunger to
learn," says Ingo Schiller, parent of two children at Newsome Park Elementary in
Virginia. "When we sit down to dinner, the kids talk nonstop for 20 minutes, telling us
what they did and what they saw. This is literally every day!"
And conversations with teachers who use project-based learning in a meaningful way
tend to use the same words: "excitement," "engagement," "enthusiasm."
A Host of Benefits
Kids who are excited about what they learn tend to dig more deeply and to expand their
interest in learning to a wide array of subjects. They retain what they learn rather than
forget it as soon as they disgorge it for a test. They make connections and apply their
learning to other problems. They learn how to collaborate, and their social skills
improve. They are more confident talking to groups of people, including adults. And, as
a number of research reports suggest, project-based learning correlates positively with
improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary problems.
"I've seen test scores of students rise because of the engagement in project-based
learning," says Gwendolyn Faulkner, former technology coordinator at Harriet Tubman
Elementary School in Washington, D.C. "I saw my students mainstream out of ESL
(English as a Second Language) into the mainstream classroom. I saw my mainstream
students scoring three and four grades above their grade level on standardized tests. ...
I'm a convert."
Eeva Reeder, the math teacher who led the project on designing a school for the year
2050, said she started project-based learning for three reasons: First, her students were
not learning concepts deeply enough to apply or even remember them for a long period.
Second, a growing body of research upheld the view that concepts are best understood
using concrete examples constructed by the students themselves. Third, while taking a
break from teaching to finish a master's thesis, Reeder took a job at a bridge design
"And that, fundamentally, was the final piece that shifted my thinking to the point where I
realized I can't go back to the classroom and do things the same way I always have."
If schoolchildren are given the gift of exploration, society will be the beneficiary, both in
practical and in theoretical ways, scholars say. "This is the way that mathematics
started," notes Papert. "It started not as this beautiful, pure product of the abstract mind.
It started as a way of ... controlling the water of the Nile, building the pyramids, sailing a
ship. ... And gradually it got richer and richer."
Copyright 2005 The George Lucas Educational Foundation | All Rights Reserved
Course Objectives
*For each activity/experience the relevant objectives are identified in the third column of
the chart.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
What I Already Know (K) What I Learned (L) What I Will Do (D)
What is your current What new or extended How will what you learned impact
knowledge (K) of this topic? learning (L) have you gained what you do (D) in your classroom?
Consider: from this module?
Think about your instructional
college courses What knowledge, strategies, practices and reflect on how they may
professional reading and/or practices have you be changed or revised based on data
peer conversations experienced or extended collection and interpretation, course
with this content? content knowledge, and research-based
practices that were present in this
course.
List key words or phrases List key points and phrases below.
List key points or phrases below.
below.
Effective Teamwork
The following is a chapter excerpt from Michael Schmoker's book, Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement, Second Edition. For
more information, feel free to contact Mike Schmoker at schmoker@futureone.com.
In Chapters 1-3, I examine the key components that favor results and improvement:
teamwork, goals, and the selective and judicious use of data. Individually, they have
limited impact; combined, they constitute a powerful force for improvementwithout
necessarily consuming large amounts of time or money (though, if properly spent, more
of each is always desired). Together, these elements cannot help but promote better
results in any context, as the many school examples in these pages will affirm.
Teacher Isolation
When Thomas Edison was asked why he was so prolific an inventor, he replied that it
was a result of what he called the "multiplier effect." He placed his team of inventors
near each other to encourage them to consult with one another so that each member of
the team benefited from the collective intelligence of the group. His teams not only
worked better but faster (Smith 1985).
We must acknowledge that schools would perform better if teachers worked in focused,
supportive teams:
This passage is worth rereading. The first point it makes is that teachers, the front line in
the battle for school improvement, are working in isolated environments that cut the
lifeline of useful information. Such isolations thwarts them in developing common
solutions through dialogue. Isolation tacitly assumes that practitioners have nothing to
learn from each other. When I look back on when I taught English, nothing is more
apparent to me than the fact that isolated experience, by itself, was not the best teacher.
And I had virtually no opportunity to learn from my colleagues. We did come together for
periodic department meetings, but that type of gathering is not what is meant here by
collaboration or teamwork.
The crush of what Lortie calls "presentism" of myriad daily events and dutieskept us
from reflecting collaboratively on such obvious and challenging concerns as how to
teach composition more effectively, how to conduct discussions about literature more
effectively, and how to make literature exciting. We did not know if or how anyone was
teaching compositionor even what that meant. So we worked, consciously or
unconsciously, toward our own goals, within the limitations of what each of us knew and
did not know. Day-to-day concerns kept us from reflecting on what our most important
goals should be.
Benefits
Evidence for the benefits of collaboration, rightly conducted, are overwhelming. The
nature of the complex work of teaching "cannot be accomplished by even the most
knowledgeable individuals working alone" (Little 1990, p. 520). In the typical school,
however, teacher practice is "limited to the boundaries of their own experience," without
any outside scrutiny or objective analysis. Such boundaries introduce a "conservative
bias," which is the enemy of risk and innovation and a recipe for perpetuating the status
quo at a time when change is manifestly necessary (Little 1990, pp. 526-527). Little
found a strong relationship between the right kind of collegiality and improvements for
both teachers and students:
Business literature from theorists such as such as Tom Peters and W. Edwards Deming
is equally as emphatic about how teamwork benefits intellectual and professional
capital. For Deming, "there is no substitute for teamwork"; without it, "dissipation of
knowledge and effort, results far from optimum," exists (1986, p. 19).
An excellent resource for this topic is The Wisdom of Teams (1993) by Jon Katzenbach
and Douglas Smith. Their study of teams in 47 organizations corroborates educational
studies by educators like Judith Little and Michael Hubermann. "It is obvious that teams
outperform individuals," that "learning not only occurs in teams but endures"
(Katzenbach and Smith 1993, p. 5). Teams "bring together complementary skills and
experiences that, by definition, exceed those of any individual on the team...bringing
multiple capabilities to bear on difficult issues" (Katzenbach and Smith 1993, pp. 18-19).
Both author Michael Fullan (private communication 1998) and Dennis Sparks, Executive
Director of the National Staff Development Council, have recently remarked that
effective collaboration is perhaps the most effective form of staff development. For
Sparks,
The image of the future would be a group of teachers sitting around a table talking
about their student's work, learning and asking, "What do we need to do differently to
get the work we would like from the kids?" (1998b, p. 19)
We must not undervalue research or the best kind of staff training (the subject of
Chapter 5). Nonetheless, as Fullan and Hargreaves (1996) point out, we often
underestimate teacher expertisewhich emerges in the right kind of focused, targeted
teamwork. They exhort us to "avoid creating a culture of dependency among teachers
by overrating the expertise of published research and underrating the practical
knowledge of teachers" (p. 24). We need morelots moreof both research and
optimistic, instructionally-focused collaboration. Teachersthis may surprise uslearn
best from each other (Rosenholtz 1991). The best research on teaching is grossly
underused. But it is often the logistical and practical knowledge of teachers that makes
or breaks the successful implementation of a research-based strategy or program. And
we have all seen improvements occur without the help of published research.
Two 1st grade teachers at Prince Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona, have been
getting exceptional results for years with students from one of its least advantaged
areas, many of whom arrive with very limited skills. What they have learned from each
other has enabled them to ensure that an exceptional percentage of their students
leaves 1st grade able to read and write on grade level.
At Wilkerson Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama, teacher teamwork was the key to
immediate, dramatic improvements in every category and at every grade level. Their
home-grown strategies and programs led to a 26-percent increase in reading;
schoolwide math gains included a 46-percent improvement in the 6th grade (Cox 1994).
As Judith Little discovered, the right kind of teamwork leads to a more effective
examination and implementation of best practice. Research, by itself, has had less
impact than we would like. Let's face it: The solutions to many local, personal, and
logistical problems simply aren't spelled out in the research. In Lake Havasu City, teams
focused on improved reading performance. This led to a districtwide examination of best
practices and programs. This study required us to review our own resources, to
collaborate yet further to allocate those resources, and to invent and then adjust
structures and new procedures. This combination of best practice and ongoing
collaboration led to better results at several schoolsmost of them coming in the first
year. A school with the district's highest poverty rate72 percentmade particularly
dramatic gains at the end of the 1998 school year.
I was struck by this same spirit in dozens of workers from the Toyota plant in Kentucky.
When I visited them, miles away from their employment, an ex-jockey told me that on
Sunday evenings, he "couldn't wait to get with his team to hit the ground running on
Monday mornings." Meaningful, purposeful collaboration addresses the social and
emotional demands of teaching (Little 1990). And we should not underestimate the
In the face of all this evidence, why do we persist in denying these benefits to the
profession? The explanation can be found in our failure to be results oriented. Industry
is littered with stories about "quality circles" that came and went. Why? Few realized
any palpable results, and so they were regarded as a waste of timethe kiss of death
for any innovation. Similarly, many teachers find their first attempts at collaboration
clumsy and unrewarding. Subsequently, the time they spend in meetings appears to
take away from lesson planning and instruction. Predictably, "unproductive" meetings
are abandoned (Little 1987, p. 493).
Unproductive, unrewarding meetingswe have all been to them. And because of these
experiences, many people simply do not believe that teams perform better than
individuals. Katzenbach and Smith (1993) saw how "members waste time in
unproductive discussions, which cause more trouble than they are worth...and actually
generate more complaints than constructive results" (p. 20). They regard this problem
as a lack of discipline and disciplined action, which embodies the essential conditions
that favor productive collaboration.
The "bright side" (if you will) is found less frequently. It is rooted in a concern with
results, with what Little calls "joint work" that affects gains and classroom performance
and involves monitoring student progress and the "thoughtful, explicit examination of
practices of their consequences" (Little 1990, p. 519). Huberman writes that collegiality
"is not a fully legitimate end in itself, unless it can be shown to affect...the nature or
degree of pupil development" (Huberman, in Fullan 1991, p. 136).
To be more effective, teams must resist the impulse to leap prematurely to solutions and
actions. Before selecting and elaborating on a potential solution, we should carefully
consider (1) its consistency with what we know from pertinent research and (2) our
sense of its probable or potential impact on student learning. To take full advantage of
the collective expertise of the team, we can listen carefullyand nonjudgmentallyto
each other's best ideas (brainstorming is a fast, efficient way to do this both well and
Provide Follow-Up
Another problem is lack of follow-up, the failure to begin each meeting with a concise
discussion of what workedand didn't. Too many meetings begin with no reference to
commitments made at the last meeting. A teacher at an elementary school recently
informed me that he and his colleagues were "burned out" on brainstorming (a method
we were using to generate and select effective reading improvement strategies). His
frustration was justifiable. He was tired, he said, of filling chart paper with ideas and that
is the end of itno follow-up on if or how well the ideas had even been implemented or
if they had in fact helped students learn.
Careful, methodical follow-up, essential as we know it to be, has not been education's
strong suit. But if we want results, a scientific, systematic examination of effort and
effects is essentialand one of the most satisfying professional experiences we can
have. For all the relentless search for better methods and structures puts the odds of
improvement heavily in our favor.
Collaborative teams must carefully design the format for their work (see the Appendix
for a suggested format for an effective 30-minute meeting). Participants should arrive
knowing that the meeting will open with questions like the following:
Were you able to successfully implement the strategy we decided to try at the
last meeting? (e.g., provide more time for sustained silent reading).
What was the impact of the strategy on learning and achievement? What
evidence or results can you report? (e.g., students read more fluently or
performed better on comprehension tests when we provided more silent reading
time; student work revealed growth in an identified area of difficulty or
weakness).
What difficulties did you encounter? (e.g., students are selecting books that are
too easy or too difficult for sustained reading time).
How can we overcome these difficulties? (e.g., by developing a system with the
librarian that ensures that students select books at appropriate level).
When the group is ready, it can move on to the next most urgent learning problem
relative to the measurable goal (e.g., many students are still having difficulty
comprehending main ideas from their reading).
Successful teams need to have such focused interaction on a fairly regular basis
probably once a month for each student learning goal that we set. Experience has
taught us that any less than six strategically scheduled opportunities per year can kill
momentum and severely jeopardize the chances of improvement.
Provide students with good examples and models of what the writing should look
like.
Ask students to write each step as they complete it, rather than write the entire
problem after they have completed the problem.
Share the writing rubric more explicitly with the students; give them copies.
Ask students to start their explanation for each step with the phrase, "I did this
because."
Require that students self-assess their work against a specific rubric before they
hand in their work.
These ideas were among others that the team generated during only seven minutes of
brainstorming (the entire meeting took only about 30 minutes). Implementing these
ideas brought the team closer to its improvement goal by the next month. Such activity
generates "intellectual capital," and by not tapping into it, we deny teachers and
students a precious and essential resource in helping greater numbers of students
receive a higher-quality education.
A good example attesting to the power of teamwork, clear goals, and data analysis is
Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Teachers work in department
teams that conduct ongoing analyses of performance data. Superintendent Richard
DuFour said that each team meets once a month to collaborate. They analyze results at
At Stevenson High School, what happened when time was provided for results-oriented
teamwork? In 1985, before the process was introduced, the school did not rank in the
top 50 schools in the 13-state Midwest region. In 1992, when goals were established
and collaborative time was instituted:
The school ranked first in the region, and by 1994, it was among the top 20 schools in
the world....Last year, the school established new records in every traditional indicator of
student achievement, including grade distributions, failure rates, average ACT scores,
average SAT scores, percentage of honor grades on Advanced Placement
examinations, and average scores in each of the five areas of the state achievement
test (DuFour 1995, p. 35).
Administrative Collaboration
Just imagine the benefits if administrators began to do their own action research on
effective ways to promote a culture of effective collaboration and data-driven
improvement? Have administrators nothing to learn from each other? Can we afford to
assume that they will learn all they need about improvement on their own? If we can't
engage in such action research at the district level, how can we expect teachers to
engage in it at the grade and site level?
In many school districts, such discussion is long overdue. Administrators and schools
and students have everything to learn and much to gain from doing so.
For starters, learning always requires a measure of humility. Fullan and Hargreaves
(1996) found that improved schools are marked by a profound if seemingly obvious
featurethe belief that they will never stop learning. As we have seen, there is a strong
strain of independence in the teaching profession. It is not always easy to admit that
there may be a better way to teach something than the way we have always done it.
Unless...
To help us maintain this hope, we must celebrate and elevate success. We should
regularly read and learn about schools that have overcome great odds. Staff
development in practices that have manifestly had an effect on learning must be a
regular feature of our school life. This should not be left to chance. One of the primary
roles of the staff development or district office staff should be the collection,
dissemination, analysis, and discussion of success stories from within and outside the
district. Through such positive and proactive means, we can fill the air with hope and
optimism about the results that are, in fact, within our reach.
Good teamwork among grade-level, department, school, and administrative teams will
give us results we once only dreamed of. Chapter 2 defines the most salient feature of
good teamwork, or the "serious collaboration," which Little found to be so rare (1987, p.
513). We have already touched on it: the importance of clear, specific performance
goals.
Excerpted with permission from Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement, Second Edition by Mike Schmoker
(schmoker@futureone.com)
The world in the 21st century is a very different place than just a hundred years ago and
that cannot be more evident than in our schools. Our school systems are in transition,
struggling to meet the changing needs of society while balancing the needs of the
students. The departmental meeting must evolve into more than an avenue for
bureaucratic deadlines. It must be a starting point for change by offering purposeful
conversation among an interdisciplinary team about what works and what does not work
for students that will ultimately lead to establishing a supportive, empowered, learning
team. While the departmental meeting must look and function differently, it must remain
true to the strong moral conviction that reflects back to the question, "What is best for
the student?" The ultimate goal must first and foremost center upon improving student
achievement.
The first step to reaching the goal of improved student achievement in the departmental
meeting is to create a democratic process of education that corresponds with joint
responsibility by identifying collective student needs. Why is Johnny failing? Schools do
not improve without educators asking hard, concrete questions. Identifying a trend is not
a method used to place blame, but is simply a means to reflect upon what is and what
could be. In order to identify a starting point, review as a group various sources and
forms of student data, such as state-based performance assessments, school-wide
assessments, content specific, and/or school performance statisticsto name a fewin
order to focus on a student need.
The second step is to recognize and embrace the philosophy that learning is cumulative
and teaching is a lifelong pursuit. Teachers will need to embrace learning in order to
change and improve student outcome. The departmental meeting is an arena to explore
and change the elements of the learning environment as it reflects upon the identified
area of student need. As a result, the second step must reveal what the teacher will
study to become knowledgeable and skillful in order to meet those needs of the
students.
Finally, the third step is to develop a collaborative group that functions as a research
team in order to identify the strategies the group will use to master the new knowledge
and skills learned. The team will research, plan, create, test, and assess the change
process based upon student need. The following specific strategies that will enable the
departmental meeting to evolve into an interdependent learning community will be
explained here (Murphy & Lick, 2005).
Examining student work is a basic element of collaboration and the acceptance of joint
responsibility for student learning. It is the logical starting point to understanding student
need. It is the student work that will support and generate the action plan for change.
Researcher Megan Tschannen-Moran found that if collaboration is an "important
mechanism" for finding solutions to problems, trust will be necessary for schools "to
reap the benefits of greater collaboration" (Tschannen-Moran 2001, p.327). The use of
protocols will help build trust, frame the discussion, and secure a safe avenue for
growth with colleagues. Framing precise dialog with group-established protocols will
take the focus and pressure off the teacher while offering supportive alternatives.
A member of the group will provide student work, teacher-made tests, rubrics, or
anything that requires discussion or raises a question that reflects back to the area of
student need identified earlier by the group. A facilitator will be designated to manage
both the time and the focus of the group.
1
More information at www.lasw.org/protocols.html or http://scs.aed.org/rsw
1. Preparing or Focusing
a. A question, problem, or task is posed by the teacher/presenter and
generated from the student-need topic
2. Presenting
a. Presenter explains the purpose of the material
b. Removes student names focus must remain on what can be learned
from the work
3. Analyzing and Responding
a. Group examine the material
b. Ask clarifying questions
c. Suggest what can be identified or learned from the examination
concerning the students' performance
d. Respond directly to the question, problem, or task posed
e. Focus on positive comments that reflect the students' understanding
f. Presenter becomes an active listener
g. Group offer specific solutions or suggestions
4. Reacting or Providing feedback
a. Presenter again moderates
b. Group listens
c. Presenting teacher offers feedback concerning the group responses (This
is not a time to be defensive or feel a need to explain. It should be a time
to think aloud about the original concern of the material and the process
that was shared by the group.)
5. Reflecting or Conversing
a. Group open dialog among all members
b. Brainstorm solutions
6. Debriefing
a. Formulate action plan what will be done differently?
The group should keep the focus of the work on student achievement as well as teacher
growth and support by identifying issues they see in the student work and by working
together as a group to address the issue.
The departmental group meetings will be by the very nature of design, a research team.
The ultimate goal of the meetings is to improve student achievement, and that requires
research. The first step of action research requires the use of data for decision-making
instruction, which for many is not a familiar or routine practice. It's impossible to plan
ahead if you don't know where you are beginning. Using data is the logical first step but
until lately, very limited in its use, especially by the classroom teacher who is dealing
with time restraints and/or lack of experience in data analysis. In certain incidences,
data has also received a bad reputation because of its purpose of placing blame in the
past.
Data should be used to recognize a need and then used to establish an instructional
plan for meeting that need. It is the catalyst that forces reflection, growth, and change.
Often the data reveals information that was simply not available or not accurate until
made visual.
Action research should look like a continuous cycle of the following steps (Murphy &
Lick, 2005):
Studying Lessons
The difference between lesson planning and lesson study is that lesson study is a
collaborative effort and focuses on what the group want the student to do (Richardson
2004). Richardson stated that in a lesson study the group develops the lesson. While
one member teaches the lesson, the others observe the students responding.
Reflection and revision are part of the debriefing that follows.
Use the following steps to conduct a lesson study in the departmental meeting (Murphy
& Lick, 2005):
Co-mentoring
The simple fact is that all people regardless of their age or experience have something
to offer if we only stop and listen. The other simple fact is that for many, asking for or
accepting feedback or help is viewed as a weakness, a negative image that creates
tension, anxiety, and resistance. Still another consideration that could explain the
resistant factor to mentoring is the belief that what an observer sees or hears in your
classroom could be turned against you in the form of administrative spying. To reiterate
the purpose of the group, improving student achievement can only be accomplished
when we focus on what can be changed for improvement instead of placing blame. Co-
mentors among the department group decide when and how to offer assistance whether
it is to plan together, teach lessons, demonstrate effective practices or serve as
coaches. Regardless of the involvement level, the atmosphere must be one of trust and
support for the good of the student.
Students themselves are probably the most under-utilized resource for school
improvement. Students are stakeholders and when asked, can provide valuable
information about school climate, instruction, and classroom structure, which can help
shape and identify student needs. When students are provided a voice and realize that
that voice is heard, it empowers them to take ownership in the school improvement
plan. Various methods exist for activating student voices whether it is a select group of
students or the whole school being interviewed or surveyed. Involving students also
forces the group into more of an action mode. The departmental group should decide
exactly what they want to learn from an interview or survey as it reflects the student
needs that have been identified.
As the expression, "walk a day in my shoes," implies there is no quicker way to learn
what is working and what is not in the real world than actually walking the walk, in this
situation, shadowing the student.
Whatever method is used, the most valuable component of the shadowing procedure is
compiling and analyzing the information in order to get a clear view of the whole system
by viewing individual parts. An issue may arise when students, teachers, or both are
reluctant to permit the observing process due to the fact that a taboo is, once again,
being broken. In order to ensure cooperation, concern will need to be expressed that
this step in the process is not a fault-finding mission but one in which potential growth
and school improvement is the goal.
Videotaping
As the group develops and implements intervention methods for meeting the student
needs, videotaping a lesson may add new insight into the process. As has been the
case, the focus is on student response during the lesson. The teacher videotapes the
student learning, evaluates the effectiveness of the lesson based upon the student
response and uses it as a tool for improving instruction. The procedure is as follows
(Murphy & Lick, 2005):
Teacher from the group videotapes a lesson that addresses the focal point
The actual videotaping should be recording student responses
Reviews the lesson in private
o Makes notes of positive elements
o Lists areas for change
Erases the tape
Discusses the information with the group
Process repeated by other members of group
May share and critique tape (if comfortable) with group
Developing Curriculum
While the department meetings will not be responsible for writing the curriculum, it can
be a systematic component of the curriculum-writing process. Because the
departmental meeting focus is consistently on student need, when the curriculum is to
be revised, the departmental groups should be involved. They would be the best vehicle
Teachers need to be experts in their fields in order to stimulate and expand student
knowledge. As a result, teachers need to immerse themselves in their academic content
area and best-practice strategies. Teachers, during the meetings, can expand and
enrich their expertise by talking with each other to gain understanding, and searching
for new ways to apply knowledge or enable more effective teaching. Experience is the
best teacher, and case studies illustrate elements of the school improvement process
that worked and those that did not. Research and review case studies that support,
encourage, and offer suggestions for the continuing development of the learning
community.
Portfolios are an excellent tool for reflecting upon the process, the struggles, and the
successes of the departmental meetings, especially since change (student
achievement) is the cornerstone of the meetings. The group and/or individuals may
Departments Collaborating
Each interdisciplinary departmental group is unique and holds great potential but only if
acted upon in the classroom and if the knowledge learned is shared within the
organization specifically among the departments. The vital link to moving from a
collaborating department team to a learning organization is effective communication.
Good communication not only shares information but encourages trust among the
organization because all stakeholders know what is happening in the departmental
meetings. No hidden secretive agenda exists; everything from the department meeting
is open for public examination and use.
Suggestions for effective communication among departments include (Murphy & Lick
2005):
On a rotating basis, one member of the departmental group shares the group
process and progress with other departmental groups, usually every 4-6 weeks.
Highlights of departmental meetings will be added to the agenda for grade-level,
team, and/or whole faculty meetings.
Institute whole-faculty sharing, usually twice a year to celebrate the work.
Share with board members, district leaders, parents, students, and the general
public. Sharing with students, parents, and community members models the life-
long learning process in action.
Post in a public place an electronically written documentation of the meeting
process, action, and progress.
Share new resources, instructional techniques or post questions at a faculty
website.
Showcase what works invite observations
Provide for newsletters for faculty, home, and community.
Create brochures to illustrate helpful findings.
Present exhibits and seminars of departmental meeting results during open
house, PTA meetings, or parent/ teacher conferences.
Create bulletin boards to share successes or tips.
Any type of change is often viewed with skepticism because the immediate question is
always, "How will this affect me?" Skepticism is relative to the opening question of,
"What is best for the students?" Viewed by an educator, the two questions are
Time during the workday must be found and allocated for department meetings and
must be a top priority supported from all levels of administration and the community. The
idea of time for professional development and collaboration is usually rare, but it is a
vital component for success. Teachers need time to talk about their work with other
teachers. This is a non-negotiable component. It is that important that days and weeks
should be restructured to accommodate the needs of the student. This first step begins
with providing teachers time for collaboration.
Finally, everyone on the professional staff has to be involved and focused on school
improvement and student achievement; there is no room for exceptions. Many teachers
may not value collaboration with colleagues for a number of reasons suggested earlier
in this article, but the quick and constant message from the administration must be that
this how business is done in the school, and all teachers are expected to participate if
employed there. Change is difficult but the goal of building a team of learners that will
transform the school into a community of learners is noble.
References
Bambino, D. (2002 Spring) Protocols in practice. [Electronic version] Connections: a journal of the
national school reform faculty, 14-15. Retrieved December 19, 2006 from
http://www.harmonyschool.org/www/pdf/connections/connections1.2.p15.pdf
Bambino, D. (n.d) Student as learner, teacher as coach: putting collaboration to work at s. a. douglas high
school. [Electronic version] Retrieved December 19, 2006 from
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/centers_pa.html
Barnes, F. (2004 April). Making school improvement part of daily practice. Retrieved December 19, 2006
from http://www.annenberginstitute.org/tools/guide/SIGuide_intro.pdf
Brewster, C & Railsback, J (2003 September) Building trusting relationships for school improvement:
implications for principals and teachers. [Electronic version] Retrieved December 19, 2006, from
www.nwrel.org/request/2003sept/trust.pdf
Davidson, J. (2005). Talks with Warren Simmons: "smart districts". Horace, 21(3).
Lick, D.W. & Murphy, C.U (2007). The whole -faculty study groups fieldbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Murphy, C.U. & Lick, D.W. (2005). Whole-faculty study groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Richardson, J. (2004). Lesson study. Tools for schools. NSDC. February/March 2004.
Sample protocol to guide a structured conversation (n.d) Retrieved December 19, 2006, from
http://www.annenberginstitute.org/tools/guide/SIGuide_intro.pdf
Tschannen-Moran, M. (2001). Collaboration and the need for Trust. Journal of educational administration,
39(4), 308-33
Location
Contact
Setting: Suburban
Size: 1,950 students
Student mix: 7 percent enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch program, 4.6
percent receiving English as a Second Language services, and 11 percent receiving
Special Education services.
Introduction
Southridge High School is profiled on NWREL's Web site as part of NWREL's Schools
Making Progress Series. The series highlights the U.S. Department of Education's
Smaller Learning Communities grantees that are making considerable progress toward
attaining the benefits of smaller learning communities. Schools receive technical
assistance from regional centers coordinated nationally by NWREL.
We chose to highlight Southridge for this By Request because of the school faculty's
emphasis on creating professional learning communities using Critical Friends Groups,
a program developed by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. CFGs provide staff
a safe, structured setting of mutual support and honest feedback from trusted peers to
work on student learning strategies. In 2002 Southridge was recognized as an
Exemplary Smaller Learning Communities Project site by the U.S. Department of
Education.
By Request authors thank Sarah Boly for her insights, and Bruce Miller for graciously
allowing us to adapt parts of his Schools Making Progress profile. To read the entire
profile, visit the Schools Making Progress Series site at
www.nwrel.org/scpd/sslc/descriptions/index.asp
Southridge High School is the newest of five high schools in Beaverton, the third largest
school district in Oregon. From its architecture to its modes of communication, the
school is designed to promote learning, a sense of community, and shared decision
making. This emphasis on relationships among school staff members, students,
parents, and community memberswas central to the design and planning of the new
high school, a project led by Principal Sarah Boly.
In 1997, Boly formed a planning team of 18 teachers and counselors from across the
district who spent a year researching design concepts that explored aspects of school
culture, organization, and curriculum and instruction. The school sought prospective
employees who shared this commitment and were willing to tolerate ambiguity as
practices were developed and implemented in the school's first years of operation. All
employees were hired through a review and screening process involving students,
parents, and community members.
The planning committee worked closely with the community in the planning process.
Through surveys, phone interviews, focus groups, and numerous forums with students,
families, and members of the business community and community groups, the following
priorities were identified and underlie the core values of the school:
Personalized learning
Real-world application of knowledge through contextual learning
Professional learning communities to promote shared decision making and
continuous learning
Democratic decision making
Community engagement
After reviewing research findings, attending conferences, visiting schools, and reflecting
on how to incorporate the community's goals in a school design, the planning team
developed a framework of shared leadership that included strategies, ideas, and
programs. Southridge opened in 1999 with shared decision making and mentoring
relationships as essential features of life. This is evident in nearly every aspect of its
structure and practices, as described below.
Advisory program. Teacher advisory programs are at the heart of smaller learning
communities. One teacher is assigned to advise 2025 students during the course of
their high school careers, ensuring personalized attention to students' needs. Advisory
periods are scheduled each month to deliver a wide range of academic advisement
functions such as assisting students to manage their academic plan and profile (MAPP),
plan a course of study, assist with career academy contracts, and assist with the
management of state testing completion and work sample collection. The advisory
periods also help solve school culture issues through the student/ staff action
democratic process, and serve as a vehicle for accomplishing student-developed
diversity awareness and appreciation agendas.
Skytime. During a 45-minute period twice a week, students can choose to meet with
teachers or counselors, complete laboratory activities, or work on projects. The Skytime
teacher is also the student's adviser and the student will stay in that mentoring
relationship for as long as the student remains at Southridge. This helps ensure that
every student is known well by a caring adult in the school.
Link Crew. A transition program for ninth-graders in which 12th-grade students serve as
mentors.
Depth of learning. All students are required to take advanced study in a career
academy (focus area) or be an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate to
graduate. During their junior or senior year, students will take up to 15 additional
courses (some at Portland Community College), and complete career-related learning
experiences, 60 hours of service learning, and a senior exhibit, all of which must be tied
to their focus area in order to earn an endorsement (Certificate of Advanced Mastery). A
commitment to interdisciplinary team teaching, contextual learning, and personalized
support for all students supports this priority.
Demonstrated student learning through exhibition. Students show what they know
and can do through such things as senior projects and portfolios.
Unlike established schools, no one in this group had worked together before, and
therefore trust was not necessarily "a given." Regardless of age or experience, most of
the teachers were new to team teaching and collaborative decision making processes.
Boly frankly admits that even with one year of planning, it was a "chaotic" opening year
and she could see that something needed to be done to enable staff members to rise
above destructive communication patterns that came from a sense of helplessness and
fear. "We had all of these wonderful smaller learning communities in place, but we didn't
have staff-to-staff relationships built upon trust. We had a very strong staff who didn't
know each other. It was pretty clear that we needed more opportunities for staff to get to
know each other and to engage in effective communication around effective teaching
practices." Research has shown that students' emotional safety is critical for them to
learn. Boly emphasizes that attention to the development of positive staff and student
relationships is crucial to creating a culture of mutual trust and respect because "we
can't create safe classrooms unless there is trust at every level."
Boly wanted the Southridge whole-school decision making model to be influenced and
supported through the protocols being used by the Critical Friends Group Model. She
believed that providing the staff with the opportunity to engage in Critical Friends
Groups on a regular basis would provide teachers with the emotional safety necessary
to holding honest discussions about student work and personal teaching practices. Boly
believes that this would in turn, influence the quality of whole-school decision making. In
2001 Southridge applied for and received a U.S. Department of Education Smaller
Learning Community Center grant that enabled the school to use the Critical Friends
Group model.
The Critical Friends Groups have enabled a shared decision making process to develop
more effectively. Following the lead of planning team members, the entire school staff
adopted a shared decision making process that included five action steps:
In all group meetings, staff members use a consensus strategy called the "five-finger
vote" and protocols associated with the CFG model for structuring discussions. In a
fivefinger vote, individuals show the degree of their approval with a show of fingers
five being the highest level of approval and one being the lowest. A closed fist indicates
unwillingness to accept the proposal as written and a desire to present a new
alternative. At the time a proposal is submitted, staff members and students can ask
clarifying and probing questions, and offer warm (positive) and cool (negative)
feedback, in that order.
To support shared decision making and ensure that neighborhoods are integrated into
the larger context of the whole school, staff members unanimously approved a
governance model that includes many committees representing all school community
members, including a site council consisting of parents, school staff members, and
community members. It serves as school-community liaison on matters of school
reform, improvement, and fiscal management of grants.
The dropout rate for the 20012002 school year was 3.2 percent, one of the lowest in
the state; for the 20022003 year, the rate dropped to 1.3 percent from an anticipated 5.
8 percent. State assessment results have shown gains in all areas (e.g., in 2003, 77
percent of students met or exceeded standards, up from 45 percent the previous year).
Southridge has met Adequate Yearly Progress standards in 60 areas, including
Hispanic, African American, IEP, and ELL students. Southridge was named an
Exemplary Smaller Learning Communities site by the U.S. Department of Education
and has been recognized throughout Oregon for its accomplishments in developing
smaller learning communities.
Conclusion
Boly has noticed quite a change from the first year with the Critical Friends Groups
having been implemented for three years. One is that staff members feel comfortable
laying their issues on the table where they can be discussed. "They can say openly, I
feel disrespected," says Boly. "This is how trust is built."
Critical Friends has empowered teachers to make decisions on their own. Vice Principal
Amy Gordon reflects, "Empowering people fosters a sense of ownership. Sometimes I
hear something I don't want to hear, but the process keeps everyone honest there is a
lot of communication, which is the key."
Epstein and Salinas offer some compelling reasons to create inclusive learning
communities in our schools. They suggest six types of involvement schools can
embrace as part of their school-improvement planning process to enhance student
achievement: parenting, communicating, learning at home, decision making and
collaboration. (Epstein and Salinas, 2004) Their examples illustrate the power of
partnerships in supporting and improving student achievement.
This text will examine the need to expand on these ideas by asking educators to
embrace systems thinking and to reevaluate who we engage in conversations about
teaching and learning. It will invite readers to think within and beyond the school gates
to define the school system and its stakeholders. Readers will consider different ways to
engage stakeholders and to communicate results. The sense of urgency for most
schools is real; we need to advance student achievement in unprecedented ways, in a
short time frame, and we need to garner all the support available to us to achieve this
goal. We must invite stakeholders to assess the current reality and to create a collective
vision of what they want our schools to be. However, vision is not enough; we must
collaborate to translate that vision into commitment and action. (Dufour, 2004)
If we are to move beyond structural change toward cultural change and sustainability
we need to communicate with our partners in new ways. This will mean rethinking with
whom we meet, how those meetings are conducted, and how we share information
across the current boundaries of our system of schooling. The first step is to identify
logical stakeholders in the business of schooling. Some obvious groups that can be
readily identified are: "educators, students, parents and community partners." (Epstein
and Salinas, 2004)
Some overlooked groups within our schools also can provide us with insight and
wisdom about ways we can create a learning environment that allows for the success of
all students. These groups are found in our own buildings, but are seldom engaged in
conversations about teaching and learning. These groups may include: students,
assistant principals, related arts teachers, career and technical teachers, instructional
and special education aides, outdoor play supervisors, school security officers, bus
drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodial staff. These people care about, interact with,
and reach students every day. They may have insights that can help us round out our
knowledge of the students in our classrooms. Their perspectives could help teachers
better serve all students, yet many of these school community members are not part of
school improvement or strategic planning initiatives in our schools.
How often have you seen a group representing some, or all, of these stakeholders
assembled to talk about and plan for successful schools? Our task of achieving
proficiency for all students is venerable. How will we tackle this task and who will be
involved?
We currently tend to stay in the perceived safety of our traditional same-role silos and
try to manage the load alone. The load is growing bigger than any one group can bear.
Reaching across boundaries seems a logical way to proceed in order to create the kind
of learning environment in which all our students can and will succeed.
Once we identify our partners, we need to find meaningful ways to engage them in a
collaborative process. Group members will participate to the degree they feel included,
according to their perceived sphere of influence in the group, and the value they attach
to their ability to contribute to the group. Our challenge is to make sure all group
members feel equally invited to be instrumental members. (Weisbord, 2004)
The first step in creating a well-functioning learning group is to ensure that the
participants have a common language and shared concern about the mission, vision
and tasks of the group. Within our profession we often have a common language, and
we assume shared concern about a particular strategy or practice that isn't there. Few
of us take the time to check on understanding and rely on vocabulary as our sole means
of comprehension. Neglecting to create shared concerns can result in conflicting
messages sent to stakeholders about a particular initiative or innovation.
Checking for understanding on an ongoing basis is critical for the success of any new
initiative or innovation in a school. Stakeholders engaged in an innovation cycle must
understand change as a process, not an event.
The implementation phase of an initiative is the time to "just do it." During this phase
teachers must be encouraged to try the new strategy or use the new materials multiple
times. Encouraging reflection and correction during this phase is critical. Implementers
need to feel safe while developing capacity. This is the time to celebrate progress and
distance traveled. Highlight successes at every meeting and in home and school
publications during this phase of an initiative's development. (Collins, 2001)
The final phase of the initiative comes with institutionalization of the innovation. At this
phase all members of the school community recognize the initiative or practice as part
of the culture of the school. Attention is paid to recruiting new members who are familiar
with the strategy or process or are willing to learn. Reflection is an integral part of this
phase too. Regular evaluation of school culture will confirm that the adopted process or
strategy is still serving the needs of the learning community.
Hord and Hall's Concerns Based Adoption Model (C-BAM) is a tool that is useful to
gauge whether an initiative is needed or taking hold in a learning community. The model
measures the levels of concern about an innovation as well as the levels of use by
employing innovation configuration maps (IC's). IC's are a rubric-like tool to help a
learning community reflect at each stage of an implementation process. IC's can be
developed for each stakeholder group depending on their involvement in the initiative.
More detailed information about innovation configuration maps and the C-BAM model
can be found at SEDL's website www.sedl.org.
Many initiatives enjoy initial enthusiasm and success among implementers, only to
experience an implementation dip as time moves forward. (Fullan, 2001) An
For example, a local high school is implementing SSR (sustained silent reading) for the
first time. The first half of the school year is spent providing professional learning
opportunities for the teachers, assembling students, and conducting informational
sessions for parents and community members. Also included are school board
resolutions, assessment for student reading levels, surveys of students, parents and
teachers about literary interests, materials acquisitions for the classrooms and libraries,
and schedule adjustment to allow for 20 additional minutes to be added to periods five
and six every other day. The stage is set for SSR to begin after winter break. It is
launched with great success and students are regularly reading books of high interest at
their independent reading levels. This energy lasts through the end of the school year
with students reading an impressive number of books by the end of the year. Teachers
report success stories based on data from formative and summative assessments.
Everyone is happy as they leave for summer vacation.
Over the summer, several teachers retire or leave the district. September comes, and
the administration expects SSR to take off at the level it ended in June. They check this
matter off their to-do list. As they tour the building in September and October, they are
disappointed to see fewer classes engaged in SSR and wonder what happened.
Implementation dips often occur with change in leadership or a shift in staff. Without
constant monitoring and attending to the details of an initiative the training and
support needed for new staff, support and supplies needed for successful
implementation, its place on staff and student agendas, and celebrations of successes
initiatives may never get out of the dip to become institutionalized best practices.
Experiencing too many initiatives stuck in the dip may cause learning community
members to be cynical about progressive thinking.
Most stakeholders come to the table with a lifetime of experience in the "teacher tell-
and-student-listen" model of instruction (Dufour, 2004 p.178). In order to compel them to
accept and adopt 21st century instructional practices, they need to have positive
experiences in using them with students and as students. Inclusive stakeholder
Aronson and Stiles have distilled the "Big 8 principles" and the "8 also big principles" of
successful large group meetings from The Handbook of Large Group Methods by
Bunker and Alban. These principles are:
Clarity of purpose
Active engagement, around real work and real decisions
System complete within the room
Development of a shared understanding of context
Self-management of working groups
Discovery of common ground
Focus on the future
Equal standing of participants
And
Open (visible) data and data bases
Experience of the equal humanness of all participants
Transparent decision making
Full attendance (Each time a group changes participants, it is a new group.)
Development of group perspectives from individual data
Knowledge within the people
Conflict rationalization
Length of meeting is proportional to the breadth and complexity of purpose and
the degree of system fragmentation (Aronson and Steil, 2006)
Designers of any large group meeting of school stakeholders should hold these
principles constant in order to create successful meeting designs that result in
concerted action, that create coherencethe extent to which the school's programs for
students and stakeholders are coordinated, focused on learning goals, and sustained
over a period of time. (Fullan, 2001) Principals, teacher leaders and professional
learning coordinators will find these principles useful as they begin to create inclusive
learning communities.
What does professional learning need to be in our schools to achieve our goals?
Both students and teachers need time to share their learning with one another. They
need the opportunity to share and grow with colleagues if they are expected to develop
new habits of practice in today's classrooms. The National School Reform Faculty
(NSRF) endorses a structure called Critical Friends Groups or CFG's as a way to gather
Many professional learning designs achieve the ideal professional practice in schools,
which can be described as getting teachers together to talk about teaching and learning
in a regular and meaningful way, which leads to action that will positively affect student
achievement. The challenge is to sustain the enthusiasm and commitment of time
required for these ongoing reflective sessions. Other responsibilities can begin to erode
the time set aside for this professional learning unless it is firmly established and valued
by the learning community. In other words, professional learning and collaboration are
part of the culture in schools where this work is sustained.
The most prevalent collection of stories from the field that illustrate sustained
improvement comes from the literature about professional learning communities. This
literature endorses many of the practices suggested here, but the focus in PLC's is on
specific stakeholder groups within the school. A culture that supports learning for all;
collegial and collaborative practices; transparency of data; and action orientation are all
concepts shared in the PLC stories and the scenarios below. The difference is that the
compiled common dilemmas that follow include examples of how multiple stakeholder
groups could collaborate to create viable solutions.
Stakes are high for today's schools. Achievement is measured by a single snapshot of a
moment in time, which is the state standardized test. This fact should be compelling
educators to partner with any and all stakeholders to create the kind of rigorous
educational experiences our students need to succeed on this and other measures of
achievement throughout their school careers. Instead, we tend to try to solve the
problem alone and often create a learning environment where students practice using a
facsimile of a testing instrument, not learning to problem-solve by using variety of
assessment tools and strategies. Opportunities to work with other students, to solve
problems, and create original works are sacrificed in order to prepare for the "TEST".
Teachers must be afforded the opportunity to discover how rigorous learning activities
and thoughtful questioning throughout the year will support students' achievement on
state tests and connect students to their learning. When students are connected to their
learning and expectations are made transparent, they will understand the import of the
state assessment and work hard to perform their best.
Transitions
For example, in a district that serves three levels of schooling, structures need to be in
place for K-12 curricular conversations; study groups to study data and share with study
groups at other levels; and teams that support the details of the transition at each level.
All of these collaborations need to be ongoing for transition to become less of a
potential hazard and more of a natural condition. Too often these details are not
attended to. One level doesn't know the expectation from the next level or how to
prepare their students adequately for success. Those that suffer most are the students.
Many argue that students still need to learn basic skills in order to succeed with higher
order learning. Fundamentals are indeed necessary at every level for students to
succeed. Basic skills practice, direct teacher delivery systems and memorization
activities are still viable strategies in some circumstances. However, they cannot define
a teacher's practice or a student's experience if we want to engage all students to
achieve at high levels. Teachers and students must see learning as a process that has
Opportunities to write several times a day will help students improve their written
communication skills. Frequent opportunities to read texts of high interest at an
independent reading level will help students improve reading stamina. Reteaching
material to a classmate or retelling a story will help a student refine his or her
comprehension skills. Asking students to stop and jot or think, pair, and share will help
students take time needed to clarify their own thinking before sharing with the group.
Think alouds will make the teacher's thinking visible to students and offer them expert
strategies to try in their own learning. These opportunities to write, read, talk and think
help students develop habits of mind that will increase their engagement in learning and
improve their achievement in school and on standardized tests. All of these strategies
provide rigor and differentiation while giving students time to practice basic skills.
Stakeholders should be aware of the rationale for using a variety of instructional
strategies and the effect that using these strategies will have on student achievement.
Opening the school on a regular basis so community members, parents, administrators
and others can observe rigorous learning in action is another way to communicate
instructional priorities to all stakeholders.
Now what?
Including multiple stakeholders in school governance and planning processes can offer
a school community perspectives that might never have been accessed in previous
planning, but that provide insights, which could positively impact student learning and
achievement. Inclusivity and transparency are new concepts in most schools and school
systems. Becoming proficient at designing meetings and structures that support
inclusive practices and openly share and consider data will take time, study and
practice. Shifting educational cultures to embrace these strategies in the classroom, in
the faculty room, and in the Board room will mirror the learning cycle we ask our
students and teachers to espouse and endorse every day. We need to create the space
for our learning communities to learn, try, reflect, make course corrections, try, and
reflect again. Creating this safe and rigorous learning community is what we need to do
so that all our students are successful in 21st century classrooms, and so that all
stakeholders develop shared meaning and understanding of the expectations for
performance and achievement in these classrooms.
Aronson, N. and Steil, G. (2006) Large group meeting design and facilitation. Participant Binder. Bryn
Mawr, Pa.
Bunker, B.B., and Alban, B. T. (2006) The handbook of large group methods: creating systemic change in
organizations and communities. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
DuFour, R, DuFour, R, Eaker, R and Karhanek, G. (2004) Whatever it takes: how professional learning
communities respond when kids don't learn. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational Service.
Epstein, J. and Salinas, K.C. (May, 2004) Partnering with families and communities. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD. Educational Leadership: Volume 61, Number 8. 12-18.
Epstein, J.L. et al. (2002) School, family and community partnerships: your handbook for action (2nd
edition). Thousand Oaks: CA: Corwin Press.
Collins, J. (2001) Good to great: why some companies take the leap and others don't! New York: Harper
Business.
Henderson, A.T. and Mapp, K.L. (2002) A new wave of evidence: the impact of school, family, and
community connections on student achievement. Austin, Texas: Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory.
Hord, S.M., Rutherford, W.L., Huling-Austin and Hall, G. (1987) Taking charge of change. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
NSDC and SEDL. (2003) Moving NSDC's staff development standards into practice: innovation
configurations. Oxford, OH: NSDC.
Shockley, B., Michalove, B., and Allen, J. (1995) Engaging families: connecting home and school literacy
communities. Portsmouth: NH: Heinemann.
Stiggins, R. (June, 2002) Assessment crisis: the absence of assessment for learning. Phi Delta Kappa
International. Retrieved January 2, 2007 from http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0206sti.htm
Weisbord, M. (2004) Productive workplaces revisited: dignity, meaning, and community in the 21st
century. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.
Course Objectives
*For each activity/experience the relevant objectives are identified in the third column of
the chart.
Clearly states the Clearly states the The priority is stated The priority is
Identify an priority chosen and priority and gives and provides limited stated but does
area of gives in-depth some reasons for the reasons for the not provide
priority reasons for the selection. selection. reason(s) for the
selection. selection.
The steps are very The steps are clear The steps are vague The steps are
clear and logical. and logical. There is and contain only unclear and/or
There is strong ample evidence that those things that illogic.
evidence that the the plan includes should already be in Evidence
Steps to
plan includes all components of 21st place in the suggests that the
solution of
components of 21st century teaching and classroom/ building/ teacher does not
the
century teaching and introduces district. There is really understand
analyzed
introduces new/improved nothing the components
root cause
new/improved aspects of producing new/improved for and no change
problem
aspects of producing stronger results for stronger results for was indicated for
stronger results for students to the students to the stronger results
students to the building/district. building/district. for students.
building/district