tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4451823362925376632024-03-15T21:09:28.513-04:00Teaching UndergroundThoughts on Education from two guys teaching in the basementSteven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-86368908251208039112017-12-07T21:40:00.000-05:002018-02-03T18:52:34.407-05:00Climate Change: Fact or Fiction?<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"<span style="color: #222222; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">a state of dynamic equilibrium within a community of organisms in which genetic, species and ecosystem diversity remain relatively stable, subject to gradual changes through natural succession"</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">That is the definition of "<i>ecological balance</i>". Words like <i>stability, gradual change</i> and <i>natural</i> seem to carry the most weight in that sentence for me. Metaphorically maybe that is what I loved about teaching when I first started. Survival, just like in the nature, was no easy task. But if nothing else my environment was stable and predictable(<i>Though I must admit that the opposite was sometimes true of my students</i>). I gr<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">adually got better based on what worked and what didn<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">'t. </span></span>So in reflecting on th<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">e</span> past few years, my toughest years teaching, something seems different. There was no radical shift or change. But what I am now acutely aware of is the change in culture and climate in schools. To me, climate change is very real. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">I am of course talking about the climate of reform in our schools. The <a href="http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/" target="_blank">National School Climate Center </a>explains the following:</span></span></div>
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<b>A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and learning necessary for a productive, contributing and satisfying life in a democratic society. This climate includes:</b></span><br />
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<li style="background-image: url("../_images/bullets/round.gif"); background-position: 0% 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 15px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Norms, values and expectations that support people feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe.</b></span></li>
<li style="background-image: url("../_images/bullets/round.gif"); background-position: 0% 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 15px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>People are engaged and respected.</b></span></li>
<li style="background-image: url("../_images/bullets/round.gif"); background-position: 0% 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 15px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Students, families and educators work together to develop, live and contribute to a shared school vision.</b></span></li>
<li style="background-image: url("../_images/bullets/round.gif"); background-position: 0% 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 15px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning.</b></span></li>
<li style="background-image: url("../_images/bullets/round.gif"); background-position: 0% 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px 15px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.</b></span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Go back and read those again. Now a third time. It seems balanced to me. Change is a natural part of any environment. But as </span>an inhabitant of a school, it seems evident to me that some efforts to improve schools for those who learn in them might be coming at the expense of those who work in them and thus to the school itself. I would assert that any change in order to succeed, must be mutually beneficial. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In our case as teachers, there must be buy-in and the belief that this can and will work. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> As an experienced teacher the "</span><i style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">what's best for students</i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">" is a truism that ignores the interplay between the two primary inhabitants of schools, students and teachers. When I am in a meeting and I hear that phrase to justify a change, I roll my eyes and sometimes it even makes my skin crawl and implies somehow that beneficial actions for students and teachers are mutually exclusive. It seems to discount the views and insights of all the trained, </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">highly experienced, caring professionals who work directly with students. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">I try my best to do every single day what is best for students. To imply that my actions are otherwise, perhaps motivated by self interest or apathy, is a slap in the face. Am I perfect ? No. But I teach because I am a teacher, not because I need a job.(let that sink in) Unlike the natural world where everything exists in concert, schools exist for the sole purpose of benefiting students. But the metaphor is one which I hope remains a powerful one. You can't have an action that be</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">nefits one group without affecting the other. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IAiViXnZOtA/WirOl3YnzaI/AAAAAAAAKtE/5sJQB7hN40YiJybuTOeb1jb4lgEsk--KgCLcBGAs/s1600/cell%2Bphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="325" height="132" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IAiViXnZOtA/WirOl3YnzaI/AAAAAAAAKtE/5sJQB7hN40YiJybuTOeb1jb4lgEsk--KgCLcBGAs/s200/cell%2Bphone.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Whether it is a conversation about technology, homework load, teacher professional development, multi-age learning spaces, grades, standardized testing or any of the thousands of things we consider as teachers, the quality educators I work with try to do what is best for the student. Sure there are some that don't live up to that standard. This would be true of any workplace. But increasingly there seems to be a movement of a s<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">m</span>all group of <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">professionals <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">directing th<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ings that </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>seem to be disregard<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ing the evidence and not paying much attention to the less overt impacts of change. The system seems set up to exclude the gro<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">und level experts in the field who see every day what is actually going on. While that could describe the current state of affairs regarding the EPA or our federal approach to climate change, it is a referen<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ce</span> to decision makers who <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">don'</span></span></span>t work directly with students. The results in both scenarios could <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">negatively</span> affect everyone for a very long time to come. Climates across the globe vary dramatically and the same is true of the climates within schools across our nation. Some are farther ahead in the change and others remain unaffected and look much as they did 20 years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/School-Climate-Change.aspx" target="_blank">Peter DeWitt and Sean Slade</a> suggest leaders reflect on the following when trying to affect positive change in a school climate.</span></span></div>
<ul class="listminorbullets" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6px; list-style: none; margin: 3px 0px 6px 6px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background: url("about:blank") 7px 10px no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.25em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-<b>How to engage students and school stakeholders.</b></span></li>
<li style="background: url("about:blank") 7px 10px no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.25em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>-How to empower staff and students and foster autonomy so people take ownership of their ideas and the learning process.</b></span></li>
<li style="background: url("about:blank") 7px 10px no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.25em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>-How to promote inclusivity and equity throughout the school.</b></span></li>
<li style="background: url("about:blank") 7px 10px no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.25em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>-How to create a welcoming, cooperative, and safe school environment that nurtures students’ social-emotional needs.</b></span></li>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><b><u>CHANGE</u></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Change is <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">necessary</span> and inevitable. Any teacher that doesn't change should retire. But the fact is that it is impossible to be a teacher and not change. Some change is be expected but ill<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">-</span>informed abrupt and harmful shifts in the way we go about things can be disruptive just as they would be in the natural world. They throw a delicate system out of balance. Some suggest that such disruption is a good thing, needed to bring about meaningful improvement and fix a broken system. Perhaps this is the case in some places and aggressive action is needed. But be wary of those that ignore the very nature of a school and are instead simply applying catchy idioms to fit their well meaning ideas. I've heard it said that change is a process and not an event. Those affecting change would be wise to remember that mantra since even things they see as small shifts could have enormous and unforeseen consequences. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;">Any school that doesn't change will become obsolete.</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 21px;"> But those schools that focus on positive change and not sustainability might achieve neither. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Certain species are often bellwethers of the health of an ecosystem. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVeJEYM_bug/WiqvoeKjDOI/AAAAAAAAKso/Q7hyRzBfRqsFuHbrrr-K_RDFUNHwOx0EACLcBGAs/s1600/Pika.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVeJEYM_bug/WiqvoeKjDOI/AAAAAAAAKso/Q7hyRzBfRqsFuHbrrr-K_RDFUNHwOx0EACLcBGAs/s320/Pika.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USGS- the actual "experts" say the Pika is disappearing</td></tr>
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Birds and <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">amphibians <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">reveal the danger in an environment f<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">irst. </span></span></span>In schools I believe that has always been the experienced teacher. In the turbulent era of change today it would seem to me that signs and feedback from those individuals is not only too often being ignored but seems unwelcome. Instead of valuing those insights as an asset and working together, their understanding is seen as an obstacle for change. Changes that are increasingly driven by factors and elements outside of schools or by what seems fashionable or innovative...not necessarily effective, threaten the very existence of the effective school. Teachers know this to be true. Some might say that is not a big deal<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">. They are wrong.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Experienced teachers </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">are one thing but expert teachers are another. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They are what <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I </span>would liken to keystone species</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. They are best represented by the stone at the top of </span>an arch that sup<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">p</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">orts the othe</span>r stones and kee<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ps the whole arch fr<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">om fa<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">lling, a species(expert teachers) on which the presence of a large num<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">be<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">r </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">of other species(schools and students) in an ecosystem depend. If they are removed then those dependent on it will disappear(bye bye good school).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While it demands a whole series of posts to <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">itself</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, </span>the rapid shifts in technology is I think doing real damage to our students. No, strike that, doing damage to our society.To be in any way complicit in this is painful. But before you dismiss my or any other teache<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">r's </span>concerns ask yourself this: "</span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why is everyone bemoaning the damaging aspects of technology addiction and yet not changing their own behavi</span>ors?</i>" About the only place </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">where we can control this, is in the schools and doing wha</span>t is best for students, if you ask a teacher, wou<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ld often involve less technology, not more. <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many other shifts I've witnessed I think are actually di</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sruptive and harmful to students. Real long term damage is done to them and the school where they learn. </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;">Potentially permanent damage. As an example I think o</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;">ne thing young p<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">eople have lost is the ability to sit <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">quietly. </span></span></span> I asked my students in class the other day, "<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">W</span>here would you go if you wanted somewhere qui</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i>et where you could focus</i>?" </span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;">They sat...no one answered. T<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">hat should be ala<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">rming. </span></span> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;">In an effort to make things more "engaging" or <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">accommodate</span> those who really do have trouble being still and quiet and need different supports have we neglected things that are need<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ed by all, like quiet<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">?</span> </span>Things pushed to favor one particular group will result in an unhealthy balance. </span>So these shifts are often driven by groups, individuals or philosophies to help students might actually hurt them. Developed too far from the actual places being affected to see the gradual effect, <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">not <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">unlike decisions in </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Washington</span> that affect our nation's e<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">nvironmental</span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">future, these climate changes should give us pause as we wonder what their long term impact will be.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It_djkVSfy0/Wiqy9TB3OjI/AAAAAAAAKs0/Tc-DcqcBqngEOXkut3fratChzAvRqlXswCLcBGAs/s1600/kudzu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-It_djkVSfy0/Wiqy9TB3OjI/AAAAAAAAKs0/Tc-DcqcBqngEOXkut3fratChzAvRqlXswCLcBGAs/s1600/kudzu.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Teachers, just like wild species, must adapt <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">to</span> survive. <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">B</span>ut they also are asked to m</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px;">itigate the changes when things aren<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">'</span>t thought out very well or don<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">'</span>t go exactly as planned. Just think of the impact of many invasive plant and animal species that were introduced with good intent. <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">That is di<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ifficult</span> to undo. </span></span>Teachers can only <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">help so much on ground level<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> and instead we h</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">ave to address the source<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span>before <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">these things are</span> in the environment</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eyCPMzJfxH8/V1cX8eGOyUI/AAAAAAAAKWk/r58iJ-Os5I0dxwJTWtX4uQmKTdvLVYvrgCLcB/s1600/factorysmoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eyCPMzJfxH8/V1cX8eGOyUI/AAAAAAAAKWk/r58iJ-Os5I0dxwJTWtX4uQmKTdvLVYvrgCLcB/s200/factorysmoke.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><u><b>The greenhouse gases of education. </b> </u></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Nature, like a school, if left alone ha<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">s </span>a unique ability to self regulate. Change is a constant and a norm. The problem is that most schools are seeing a gradual but undeniable loss of control. Whether that is something as simple as what furniture will be purchased, how much work will be assigned or what classes will and will not be taught. Loss of autonomy is a bad thing and a sign of a climate out of balance. For certain students today enter our climate affected by factors and forces that neither we nor they fully control. <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">We can try to help with this, but that help has limits and we must confront that sad reality. We should focus on what we can in fact control<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">The conditions that favor one species<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> and may</span> be harmful for another are </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">inextricably linked</span></span>. Students, teachers, administrators, parents, even politicians and the public inhabit schools in one form or another. They all play a role and have an impact on the school climate. In our efforts to help and sustain one group we must avoid tipping the balance in favor of any of them. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px;">Schools, like climate change can indeed be understood by scientific processes<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> using</span> data, surveys and other methods. But if that information is ignored it does no good. In both education and our environment, we should trust more in the observations of those "in the field". <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">H</span>aving an honest conversation with someone who has lived on a piece of land their entire lives might reveal more about what is happening in nature than a mountain of research. A<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">n hon<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">est two-way conversation with a </span></span>teach<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">er might indeed be more valuable than all the hand picked research in the world. </span> Great teaching is an art and great schools are a rarity. And I feel these are more and more threatened both by unwise action and inaction, <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">with each passing day. </span> </span></span></div>
Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-74242184918251350992017-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:002017-02-27T08:33:55.386-05:00If You Can Google it, Why Teach it?Have you heard that one yet? Maybe it sounds like a great mantra for 21st century learning. It certainly goes a long way toward making the majority of members in the teaching profession seem like dinosaurs. Sometimes, I think that's the point.<br />
<br />
Why don't we give the question a little more honest consideration though? I've given it a try in a few disciplines and here's what I came up with.<br />
<br />
<i>"If you can google it, why teach it?"- World Language</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>This will save tons of money and relieve students of the burden of useless vocab and grammar lessons. All you need is an internet connection and you can translate anything. Just google translate and you can convert text and/or speech from one language to another. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can just aim your camera at text or capture audio from the internal mic and get an instant translation. So why do we still spend so much time on languages?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"If you can google it, why teach it?"- The Arts</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I posted some time ago about a student who developed quite a talent for making balloon animals. When I asked where he learned how to do it, he said ""youtube". So, just look it up- "how do I make ceramics", "how do you play a trumpet", "whats the best paint to use for a realistic painting", etc. I bet they don't teach anything in the arts wing that a student couldn't find for themselves.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"If you can google it, why teach it?"- Geography</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Reading maps? 20th century. Learning about place is just not necessary. GPS tracks us sometimes even if we don't want it to. Turn on location services and open google maps and you can find anything in the world.</i><br />
<br />
I could imagine a common response to these points would be "we're not saying these subjects aren't important, but students need to go beyond memorizing and practicing rote and irrelevant material toward applying and integrating these disciplines into their work.<br />
<br />
I agree, but the "why teach it" mentality is flawed and slightly dangerous. It isn't much different than saying "why learn it."<br />
<br />
The language (vocabulary) and fundamental skills and knowledge of a discipline shape the way we understand the discipline and how it fits into our world. Maybe to play on an old metaphor, there's no such thing as a forest without trees; and usually lots of them.<br />
<br />
Studies of the Himba tribe in Africa demonstrate that their <a href="http://research.gold.ac.uk/5673/1/PSY_davidoff-robertson-color-categories_2005.pdf">ability to distinguish various shades of blue and green differ from Western Cultures</a> largely because of the language they use for color words. Cultures that differ in their use of s<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html">elf-referencing directional words versus cardinal directional words </a>show different abilities at movement and navigation. The nuances of verb tenses in languages shape the worldview of entire groups of people. These factors influence how people think.<br />
<br />
Likewise, the basic information of a discipline, like latitude and longitude for example in geography , shapes the way we think about place, location, here and there. The vocabulary and basic skills lay a cognitive framework for building new knowledge and applying it to other contexts.<br />
<br />
<i>"If you can google it, why teach it?" </i>assumes that knowledge out of context, quick and accessible is just as useful for the human mind as knowledge grounded in understanding and internalized through mental effort.<br />
<br />
In the end, I think that those who are fond of this phrase would argue that they're just tired of the traditional "drill and kill" rote memorization and practice that supposedly characterizes modern education, but I think they're mistaken to assume that there is not a time or a place beneficial for students to just know something.<br />
<br />
It's also just a provocative phrase. And I'm tired of shallow provocations. I think there are much better ways for educators to move forward together.Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-88940274655977430642017-02-20T08:00:00.000-05:002017-02-20T08:00:07.145-05:00Is Credibility Going Extinct?<div class="MsoNormal">
I teach a research methods class and lately we’ve been struggling with finding
and identifying quality sources. Last week I asked the class “how do You
evaluate the credibility of an online source, what is the first thing you look for?” I wasn't trying to get the "right" answer, I wanted to know what they really think about. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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The response, “<b>if it seems to make sense and sound right</b>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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That answer is so true and so wrong. I posed this question in class after finding that a student had inadvertently used web advertisement as a source for a paper we are working on. I'm not poking fun, or trying to make the student sound stupid-- judge for yourself, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/northwesternmutual/2014/12/29/older-and-wiser-how-an-aging-population-may-impact-the-economy/#4585726f4649">here is the link</a>, it probably doesn't contain any misleading or wrong information. It totally makes sense and sounds right. But the content is generated by marketers, and that matters. The quality of information matters. Otherwise, we wouldn't be talking about...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>...Fake News?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s hard to tell what's genuine anymore, but even more frustrating to know
that so many of my friends and fellow Americans are consuming a steady diet of
junk information without the ability to know that it’s killing us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The standard for credibility has become simple—<b>If I agree
with it and it fits my world view it is credible</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t believe me? Try this. Imagine you'd opened this post to read the following headline and story:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>EXERCISE HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON LEARNING<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://neurobollocks.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/bd36lfscuaawg3h-large.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://neurobollocks.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/bd36lfscuaawg3h-large.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>High tech brain scans (see figure 1) clearly show the effect of exercise on the
brain. The brain on the right, pre-exercise, is efficiently processing
information and expending much less energy than the brain on the right. This
brain is prepped for learning and ready to engage. If you see the brain on the
right, energy is already being depleted in most regions leaving little room for
additional cognitive activity. The increase in activity is consistent with a
brain that is using excessive amounts of energy to process the most basic
cognitive tasks. Whenever we get children up and actively moving about, we overtax their brains (especially note the energy used in the left hemisphere language processing centers), and expecting them to engage with their reading lesson becomes instead an exercise of inefficiency.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>What’s the takeaway from this? GET THOSE KIDS IN THEIR
SEAT—recess is killing them.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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Do you believe this? Why not? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Probably because you didn’t agree
with the premise and wrote it off from the start.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Did it concern you that the
source of this information is just some high school Psychology teacher who
writes stuff? </li>
<li>Was it questionable that I didn’t provide any references to
actual research that suggests these conclusions? (<i>on that note, does the fact that I just used the term suggest instead of prove mean anything?</i>) </li>
<li>Is there any good reason to
take at face value the words that you read on a blog? </li>
<li>Is it possible that I’m
just using an image to create an illusion of credibility?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of those answers should be yes, but if I wrote a post
about how exercise increases synaptic potential in the learning pathways of the
brain and activates the reward centers of the limbic system making students
more eager and capable of learning, you just might have thought I was smarter
than I really am. You might even believe that all of those claims are right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(By the way, the fine folks at <a href="https://neurobollocks.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/the-power-of-a-well-chosen-image-eeg-measures-of-brain-activity-and-exercise/">Neurobollocks have done afine job debunking</a> this image and I partially stole the idea for the paragraph
above from them)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Why is this a Big Deal?</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It doesn’t matter that much if exercise helps kids learn or not. It’s
just good for them and no one has to be sold on the negative aspects of sitting
still for a prolonged period of time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why use a brain scan that you don’t understand? You didn’t
learn anything from it, it is just being used as a blunt tool to make a point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People interested in wielding power, boosting their public
persona, or sometimes just bullying people who don’t agree with them peddle in
passing along graphs, data, and charts they don’t understand the meaning
behind. They tweet pithy quotes that offer no substantial advances in dialogue
and understanding. On the contrary, they shut down reasonable conversations and
create dichotomous situations that pit one side against the other and serve as
fodder for demeaning those who don’t agree. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It doesn’t surprise me that politics and government are
beginning to function this way. We’ve been doing it in education since we
discovered blogging and social media. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a new era and parsing the distinctions between fact and fiction are more important than ever. In this new world, "opinions and attitudes" seek information and research to build credibility and authority. "Facts and curiosity" seek information and research to build knowledge and advance our understanding. As educators, we should be taking the lead on this one.</div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-44488974484458842017-02-13T09:38:00.001-05:002017-02-13T09:38:15.170-05:00So We Find Ourselves Here<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was just a child when Reagan took shots at the Federal
Department of Education, and suggested that it should be abolished. In the
years since I’ve seen many conservative politicians chastised for suggesting
the same. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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To be honest, I usually agreed with them. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Education is the responsibility
of the states. Federalism and divided power makes our nation strong and
provides a context for change without sacrificing stability. Even as a teacher,
when I saw budget pie charts with such a tiny slice of revenue for our district
coming from the federal government I would wonder why we even accept their
money in exchange for spending even more of ours to meet federal mandates and
requirements. Especially after No Child Left Behind became the law of the land.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But now that I’m older, even with a Trump administration at
the helm, I’m not so sure that I was right. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We have a history in the United States. Some people don’t
believe education is a right. Some people don’t understand that giving everyone
an equal chance isn’t an equal chance when the starting line is so much further
ahead for some than it is for others. And when resources get low, it’s
easiest to shortchange the neediest among us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve heard people, related to me by blood, still alive
today, express the belief that integrating schools is at the root of our
countries' trouble today. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s not the law of the land, but the birth certificate of
our nation proclaims that all men were created equal, and endowed with the
natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Education may
not be a right of birth, but it is one of the few routes at our disposal to
live up to the promise of our Declaration.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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That could be reason enough to value the Federal Department
of Education. It can provide the oversight to make sure that our varied systems
of education in the United States are living up to the promise to give a fair
shot at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all of the children that
come through our doors. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I am right, and that is the most valuable reason for its
existence, then I am concerned that with Betsy Devos at the head its only value
may be lost. But I am hopeful. In her first speech as secretary, she promised
to listen. She promised to serve every child. She even made a joke about bears. The news over the weekend about the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act website doesn't bode well, but for now, we'll do what we do and what we've done. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Face every child that comes before us today, and give them the best that we have.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-80452137370184536242016-09-09T16:21:00.000-04:002016-09-09T16:21:55.941-04:00Has Innovation Jumped the Shark?<div class="MsoNormal">
That cultural reference shouldn’t need to be explained, but
just in case: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsEcykg2wH8/V9FlDpIZ00I/AAAAAAAACGM/sL7F7i3NgKMGGpMobF_J1QmwDHZG8ksLwCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-09-08%2Bat%2B9.17.27%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsEcykg2wH8/V9FlDpIZ00I/AAAAAAAACGM/sL7F7i3NgKMGGpMobF_J1QmwDHZG8ksLwCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-09-08%2Bat%2B9.17.27%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RZckr_PcI74/V9FkMbybayI/AAAAAAAACGI/ZW09C9Ol09knQeqcq5C9DqL-cv9rOA_oQCLcB/s1600/jump-the-shark.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RZckr_PcI74/V9FkMbybayI/AAAAAAAACGI/ZW09C9Ol09knQeqcq5C9DqL-cv9rOA_oQCLcB/s1600/jump-the-shark.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moment many would argue that <br />
"Happy Days" became irrelevant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve written about jumping the shark at the Underground
before, and some would even say that we ourselves jumped that proverbial shark
long ago. So in a sense, perhaps we’ve outlived our relevance. But you know
what hasn’t?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 3.5mm jack. This item has been around since before
Fonzie literally jumped the shark, taking the obnoxious noise of the “on the
shoulder boombox” out of the neighborhood and putting the music in our ears
through the Walkman and countless knock offs that would follow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The jack never changed, but we began to use it in different
ways. Unlike coaxial cables, various other a/v cordage, that simple single plug
jack accommodated headphones and computer speakers, it connected personal
devices to larger systems for audio, and it even became a source for
individuals and small businesses to collect credit card payments without the
expensive equipment. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now Apple wants to crush it. And they’ll do it because
they’ve found the language to convince us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Using language such as “courage” and “ancient” we’re once
again being divided into the two camps of innovators and luddites. Did courage
drive this decision, or was it just good business sense? If it makes more money
for us, do it. And just because a technology has served us since the 1960’s, do
we write it off as obsolete as a result?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even on the Today show, hosts weighed in on their opinions
with Matt Lauer in the middle emphasizing the dichotomy between the
“progressive” and “traditionalist” sitting on either side of him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend and colleague recently shared an article on Twitter
and asked for thoughts. “<a href="http://time.com/4474496/screens-schools-hoax/">Screens in Schools are a Billion Dollar Hoax.</a>” And, just like discussion over the 3.5mm jack, we’re no longer talking about
reality, we’re framing the reality to suit our ideals. So what are we dealing
with in education? Is it an ancient system that we need to have the courage to
destroy, or are the innovators just hoodwinking all of us to advance their
agenda?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me be so <b>bold</b> as to tell the truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Children need to sit and listen. They need to follow
directions. They need structure and order. They need to learn how to do hard
things and realize that life is not always fun. They need to learn the
consequences of their actions. They need to know that some things are off
limits. They need to put away their phones and screens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Children need to move and create. They need to figure out
things on their own. They need freedom and room for spontaneity. They need to
have fun and relax. They need a break. The need to have dreams and support in
pursuing them. They need to use technology to enhance what they’re doing and
even do things that aren’t possible without it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Don’t try to sell me any philosophy that doesn’t address
both of these. They don’t contradict. It’s what good teachers do, and it is
what students appreciate. If not now, later.<o:p></o:p></div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-27199686423069955692016-08-17T12:02:00.003-04:002016-08-17T14:19:05.761-04:00The Olympics, The Donald, and Non-Complementary Behavior: Three thoughts to start your year.Some of you are back, others will be soon. Here at the Underground, school starts next Tuesday so once again <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2014/08/its-go-time.html">It's Go Time!</a> I've had a little time to think over the summer, and here's what's buzzing around my brain as this year begins.<br />
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<u>The Olympics</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
While watching this year, my oldest son asked, "Do you think we'll ever stop breaking world records?" In sports that require equipment (golf, tennis, etc.) there's no question that improvements in equipment enhance the performance of the game. But why do we run faster today? Look at his image from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/15/sports/olympics/usain-bolt-and-120-years-of-sprinting-history.html?_r=0">New York Times</a>:<br />
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It compares Usain Bolt to the fastest men in the world since 1896. I don't think it's just the shoes. I told my son that when I was a child, the things athletes are doing in the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior">American Ninja Warrior</a> competitions were unimaginable, like superheroes. It's not just physical, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect">Flynn Effect </a>is the well documented increase of I.Q. over the last century. </div>
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For us, that means that we can't dismiss the human potential that we're entrusted with every day. We spend so much time in awe of the progression of technology that it is easy to forget that it is the human that drives progress in our world, and this is the most important element of our classroom. So this year, I won't stress so much about how to be innovative and novel as much as trying to answer the question: "How do I help students that are smarter, faster, and stronger continue the road to human improvement independently and collectively?"</div>
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<u>The Donald</u></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-7p31gk2-8/V7SJWqU89YI/AAAAAAAACFQ/1VtN3d8jOrMVByDRUd1uzJ3Xbio_59E_gCEw/s1600/102910904-Untitled-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-7p31gk2-8/V7SJWqU89YI/AAAAAAAACFQ/1VtN3d8jOrMVByDRUd1uzJ3Xbio_59E_gCEw/s200/102910904-Untitled-1.jpeg" width="200" /></a>I'm so glad that I don't have to teach US Government this year. How did we get here? Most of America will make a decision this year by voting for the person they dislike the least. -- if this election isn't an argument for greater support for Social Studies education in the United States I'm not sure what is. For some voters, he is a middle finger to the establishment. He has a base of support that will not waver even if he were to,<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/23/politics/donald-trump-shoot-somebody-support/"><span style="color: #6a6a6a;"><b>"</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">shoot</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;"> somebody"</span> </a>. Certainly it doesn't apply to all voters, but it does apply to all of those who believe that they've been left behind, who believe there is no longer a place for them at the table. This leads me even more so this year to ask myself: "How do I make sure that my students know they have a place at the table in my classroom?"</div>
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<u>Non-Complementary Behavior</u></div>
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Thanks to a recent <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/15/485843453/it-was-a-mellow-summer-dinner-party-then-the-gunman-appeared">episode of Invisibilia</a>, this term is making the internet rounds. I won't rehash the concept, but basically, it's human nature to react to one another in reciprocal ways. Repay kindness with kindness, spite with spite. Another element is dominance and submission-- we tend to react to dominance with submission and vice-versa. The podcast describes several tense situations that were de-escalated through the use of "non-complementary behavior." For example, a victim offering an armed robber the invitation to sit and join him for a glass of wine. </div>
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That's my final thought as this year begins. "When does the situation call for me to pause before reacting in the normal way, and consider the impact of a non-complementary response?"</div>
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Have a great school year.</div>
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Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-25646957433114619742016-05-31T15:32:00.003-04:002016-05-31T15:32:51.586-04:00To The Class of 2016To paraphrase Groucho Marx, if a school actually invited me to give a graduation speech I wouldn't want to be associated with that type of school. But the <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/search/label/graduation">annual graduation address</a> has a long history at the Teaching Underground, and I would hate to see the tradition die. So...<br />
<br />
To the Class of 2016,<br />
<br />
Congratulations, your mortar boards are straight, you make the gown look good, and in short time you'll have an official piece of paper in your hand. But you're smart enough to know that these things aren't the things that you've worked for. These things are the things that mark an achievement.<br />
<br />
Some people scoff at the symbol and the ceremony. Some people scoff at the system and it's goals. Grades, deadlines, bells, rules... But we know better. We've worked hard together. And behind all of the veneer-- under the cap and gown, behind that official piece of paper-- that's where we find all of the effort that you put in and all of the shortcuts that you've taken. The relationships that helped you grow, and the pain caused by others. The way you changed your thinking about some things, and dug in your heels to resist certain others.<br />
<br />
The classes you enjoyed, the classes you endured, and the classes that you skipped.<br />
<br />
Outside looking in, it's easy to just see the cap and the gown and the paper. But you know what's underneath.<br />
<br />
As you go out into the world remember that. Remember that humanity and its experience has depth. Both virtuous and flawed. You haven't participated in a perfect system for the last thirteen years, but you have been a part of a system that has strived to support you into becoming the best person that you can be.<br />
<br />
We've had successes. We've had failure. Yes, there has been the good, the bad, and the ugly.<br />
<br />
Now you embarq on a new stage of your life. Hopefully you'll learn that schools are not broken, government is not broken, religion isn't broken, the world isn't broken-- they're just made up of people, like you, like me, a complex mix of virtue and flaw. This means that we work on the flaws, and strive for virtue, learning as we go.<br />
<br />
Just like what you find underneath that cap and gown is a complex mix of virtuous and flawed humanity, the systems that we create are the same. That means that we work on the flaws, and strive for virtue, and continue learning all the way.<br />
<br />
I wish you the best on your way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-35854600137536908852015-08-24T17:45:00.001-04:002015-08-24T17:45:15.699-04:00Let the kids Sleep!To start off the school year in AP Psychology, I share with students four lessons from Psychology that can make them a better student. Number one, we talk about metacognition. Two, deep vs. shallow processing. Three, spaced/distributed vs. massed practice. And, point number four is simple: Get enough sleep! Students laugh at this point as if it is too simple to be of value and also because for many of them the idea of sleeping for eight hours or more is just a joke.<br />
<br />
If you were hungry, it would be inhuman to keep you from food. If you're thirsty, your body is telling you it's time for water. When you need to go to the bathroom, well, you get where I'm going. These are all physical needs that must be met, and we've recognized for a long time that in school, you better make sure these needs are attended to if there is any hope of getting to the job of educating.<br />
<br />
Last night, a fellow high school Psych teacher tweeted out a link to a CDC study headlined "<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0806-school-sleep.html?s_cid=fb_stlt694">Most US Middle and High Schools Start the Day Too Early.</a>" Occasionally, I'll have a student suggest that since teenagers tend to sleep later, they should go to school later, but in my district, they're in for a shock when they learn that we've known that for a while and adjusted the schedule accordingly.<br />
<br />
When I went to high school, our day started at 8:20am. Not too bad, but still ten minutes earlier than the time recommended by the CDC. For as long as I can remember teaching in Albemarle County, Virginia, we've started school no earlier than 8:50am. Another Psych teacher twitter friend thought I was joking and shared that his school day begins at 7:15 in the morning.<br />
<br />
Adequate sleep is not an option. Sleep deprivation has negative short and long term effects. I don't think that I've been capable of going to bed earlier than 10pm since I was about fourteen years old. If that is a reasonable bed time, then a teen would need to sleep until at least 6:30am to get eight and a half hours of sleep, and 7:30am to get nine and a half. I can't imagine the average teenager able to go to sleep before then even with close parental supervision. If it takes an hour to get showered, dressed, eat a quick breakfast, and travel to school, that gets us to the recommended time from the CDC.<br />
<br />
I asked in our twitter exchange what could possibly be the rationale for such early start times for high school students. The only real argument seems to be participation in sports and other extra-curriculars. If that's it, then why can't middle schools get it right on start times? But, these obstacles clearly aren't impossible to overcome. From time to time, early dismissals for athletes competing away can be a problem, but an average of once a week in season doesn't compare to the cumulative effect of sleep loss over an entire year.<br />
<br />
This is still assuming that most teenagers are going to bed before 11pm.<br />
<br />
So why do so many districts insist on such early start times for middle and high school? The phrase "what's best for the kids" seems to only apply when it's directed to a classroom policy of a teacher. For all of the district administrators and decision-makers having kids start class before 8:00 in the morning, is that really what's best for the kids?Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-15648868024789190672015-08-18T22:04:00.000-04:002015-08-18T22:04:22.315-04:00What? Me Worry.Yes.<br />
<br />
Why do we worry?<br />
<br />
Because we care.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/MAD-Magazine-Alfred-Quote-9-2-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/MAD-Magazine-Alfred-Quote-9-2-2013.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a>I remember after the birth of my first child. I felt guilty at the amount of anxiety and fear I felt rush over me the day he was born. A close friend put it in perspective by saying "what should really upset you would've been not feeling worried and afraid." What he meant was that those feelings showed that I understood it was a big deal and I knew that life was about to change.<br />
<br />
I'm still worried and anxious about tomorrow, even though I've done this more times than I care to mention. It's the first day of school, and it's a big deal for my students, for my parents, and because of that...<br />
<br />
...it's a big deal for me.<br />
<br />
I'm sure it's going to go well. But I'm still worried. And I wouldn't want to be any other way right now.<br />
<br />Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-38264446523781391842015-08-16T17:17:00.000-04:002015-08-16T17:17:54.504-04:00What I Learned From Julian Bond<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t begin to communicate the level of ignorance in my
life when I entered college out of small town southern Virginia in 1990. I was
shocked to learn that support for presidents Reagan and Bush was anything less
than 100% and struggled to come to grips with the reality that professional
wrestling might not actually be a legitimate sport. It didn’t take long on a
college campus for me to learn that I wasn’t even smart enough to know the
things that I didn’t know.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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I took
Julian Bond’s “History of the Civil Rights Movement” out of genuine interest in
learning about those things that I didn’t know. I had no idea who Julian Bond
was. He told a joke on the first day of class about walking with Dr. Martin
Luther King along the D.C. mall. Dr. King shared a dream from the night before
during which he said “I had a nightmare,” to which Julian Bond replied “No, Dr.
King, You have a dream.” He then went on to take credit for the title of MLK’s
famous speech.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I laughed
along with everyone else, assuming the entire scenario was just a fiction to
break the ice in class. Only several weeks later did I notice in our assigned
readings, the name of my teacher kept coming up—Then I realized, it was this
man who played such an instrumental role in the journey towards civil rights in
America that I have been given the privilege to learn from.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned
first in that class, that I had grown up largely unaware of the privilege my
race had afforded me. Walking into the room, the make up of the class was still
majority white, but much less than any other classroom I’d entered. It made me
uncomfortable, even more, the fact that I was uncomfortable without any good
reason made me more uncomfortable and brought some of my hidden biases to the
surface where they had to be dealt with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned
that the best way to approach new people is with humility and not arrogance. I
entered the classroom expecting a “teacher” who would tell me about “history.”
What I got was a “history maker” telling and showing me how he “shaped
history.” I still regret that it took me a few weeks to realize that fact. I’m
thankful that he was the regular instructor of the class for the entire
semester. We often miss great opportunities to learn because we don’t take
other people seriously enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I learned
that I had to own my history and live my present. As a white male, I don’t need
to defend my history, deny my privilege, or bristle when racism is named.
Julian Bond recreated “sit-in” training sessions similar to sessions run by the
Student Non-violence Coordinating Committee in the sixties. These
simulations were difficult and hard to handle, but in light of the fact that
they were just that—simulations of training—made the brutal reality of events
that actually happened impossible to deny. The past shouldn’t make me feel
guilty, but it should definitely inform how I move into the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most
importantly, I continued to learn long after leaving Julian Bond’s classroom.
From the perspective gained from him I found a new lens with which to view the
world. A lens that recognizes the varied experiences of the people in our world
and a mind that values the way these varied experiences have weaved the
tapestry of humanity that we are a part of today. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t
even know how many years he taught this class at the University of Virginia,
but I know that several thousand students at least had the opportunity to learn
from him. This is just one small way out of many that Julian Bond has shaped
the world in which we live.<o:p></o:p></div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-32421360351540764382015-08-10T11:09:00.001-04:002015-08-10T11:09:18.532-04:00Balancing the Teacher's ParadoxAs this school year starts for most people around the U.S., I thought this might be a helpful idea to keep in mind. I've said it before, but I think it is the key to being an effective educator.<br />
<br />
"Education is the most important and the least important thing in a child's life."<br />
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I know, it doesn't make sense, but I couldn't do the job I do without understanding it. It started for me eleven years ago. I stood out in the hallway with a senior. He needed my class to graduate in just a few months and he couldn't have cared less. I actually gave him the "what do you want to do with your life?" speech.<br />
<br />
He made it, barely.<br />
<br />
Fast forward six months. That child died as a result of a car accident. Six months earlier I had actually said "what do you want to do with your life" to this child, and now there is no life to do with.<br />
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I could share several other stories like this, but in the grand scheme of LIFE, what did my 90 minutes every other day for nine months mean to that child.<br />
<br />
A few years later, in a group discussion about budget and salaries, an administrator remarked that our work was just as important as the work that goes on down the road at the University of Virginia hospital. Most of the time when I visit that place, I look at it in awe as I recognize how many lives hang in the balance in those walls, how many families have had lives changed, for better or for worse, in an instant. I'm not sure that my job deals in life or death that closely.<br />
<br />
But, I've seen the difference that my job makes. I know there are students on career paths that have been influenced by me. I know that my institution has enabled success for numerous students that perhaps they could not have found elsewhere. I even inspired a tattoo this year (that's a post for another day). I know how important education is, perhaps maybe even a matter of life or death for a few in the long run.<br />
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That's the balance that drives my work. When I prepare and engage with students, I do it because it is the most important thing in the world. I give it my all. I hold them to a high standard. I expect hard work and effort from them. I'm driven to learn and to constantly refresh what I do to meet the changing needs in a changing world. I'm driven by this because it is the most important work in the world.<br />
<br />
But, when I see that a student is struggling. When I'm unable to finish a task because I my family is a priority in my life. When the fire drill or countless unexpected interruptions foul my plan. When I try something different and fail. When I get frustrated by mandates, or initiatives that I don't like. When a child falls short of expectations and we have to try again. I am not beat down because this is the least important work in the world.<br />
<br />
As our school years begin. I hope that you are able to see the life of a child and develop the desire to change it for the better. I also hope that you have the wisdom to know that often, the most important thing in the life of a child will happen outside of your four walls of influence, and that's o.k.<br />
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Good luck with teaching this year, the hardest and the easiest job you could ever have.Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-85782211224114506402015-07-19T15:06:00.003-04:002015-07-19T15:06:45.265-04:00Underground Under Construction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<br />Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-87406952397765443952015-07-05T09:38:00.000-04:002015-07-05T10:23:12.508-04:00Student Feedback on 1 to 1My previous post touched on some of my thoughts on going 1 to 1. But far more useful is how my students felt about it. I included the following question on my end of the year survey:<br />
<br />
<b><i>
How has having a computer available to you changed things in and outside of school?</i></b><br />
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The full responses were pretty telling but here's a snapshot of what they said.<br />
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Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-15775437308413838302015-07-01T16:02:00.001-04:002015-07-02T11:32:19.655-04:00My Adventure in 1 to 1- lessons and obervations<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4B5_O62emuc/VZRCpsrLGkI/AAAAAAAAKPw/Ko6Yhh452QU/s1600/technology.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4B5_O62emuc/VZRCpsrLGkI/AAAAAAAAKPw/Ko6Yhh452QU/s320/technology.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random picture of technology...nice huh?</td></tr>
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<br />
Technology is certainly a force for change. If you found your way to this post then you are also aware of the fact that technology has been much debated within education. There's plenty of voices in support of the continued rapid infusion of technology into learning. It is game changer. Students in my class are now accessing, cooperating and producing in ways I didn't anticipate 5 years ago. After my classroom went 1 to 1 this past year I thought I'd share my ground level perspective on how such an approach changes things. I'll start by sharing some articles we E-mailed back and forth at school awhile back that take the approach that technology is not all good. As usual these folks say things much better than I ever could. <br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/06/04/technology-wont-fix-americas-neediest-schools-it-makes-bad-education-worse/" target="_blank">Technology Won't Fix Americas Neediest Schools</a></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/does-technology-in-the-classroom-ever-get-in-the-way-of-student-learning/" target="_blank"><b>Does Technology in the Classroom ever get in the way of student learning...(duh)</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/18/technology/smartphones-schools-ban/index.html" target="_blank"> Smartphone School Ban</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://m.chronicle.com/article/Why-Technology-Will-Never-Fix/230185/)" target="_blank"><b>Why Technology Will Never Fix</b></a></span></span></div>
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While it may appear otherwise, this is not an anti-ed tech post. Quite the contrary...it is a response and expression of some of the things occurring in my classroom over the past few years and in particular this year as we went 1 to 1. I've got no real agenda with technology except use it to help me do a better job. Well, maybe I would add I want to ask that movers and shakers give a little more thought to some of what they say...or post about technology. Instead maybe ask questions and post some nice things about teachers now and then...just for balance.. </div>
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I've turned my attention elsewhere over the past year and have spent far less time blogging. That doesn't mean I had less to say. I was just busy and had to prioritize. I still do. As a result, a draft of this post was sitting, unfinished, for just about the whole school year in part because trying to keep up/get ahead in my now 1 to 1 classroom was a constant challenge. Even posted it feels poorly organized and random. Something I strive to avoid in my classroom. But I apologize if it falls short. Honestly that was something I had to endure more than a few times this year in my use of technology. Falling short. I found<i> c</i>utting students loose and giving them more freedom has had some tremendous positives. I'm now able to do a great deal more with my students. No more hauling a bulky cart filled with laptops to my room. Now each student has <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IXgfYBGMFlw/VZRC6y6wfXI/AAAAAAAAKP4/GEYuFXaQ0PA/s1600/laptops2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IXgfYBGMFlw/VZRC6y6wfXI/AAAAAAAAKP4/GEYuFXaQ0PA/s320/laptops2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This screen is huge...wait...these are MACs not Lenovos? </td></tr>
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their own Lenovo and comes ready to access a wealth of resources and collaborate in new ways(assuming it is charged). But has also led me to rethink the way I do some things. In some ways I found technology has not fulfilled my expectations. Sometimes I had failed. Other times it was student use has fallen short. In both instances it was a chance to do better.<br />
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<div>
I could not teach without technology and as that shifts more to having my students direct and control the use themselves I am still adjusting. I have considered my classroom somewhat "<i>blended</i>" for years but have now ventured neck deep into the pool of integration. I realize I cannot swim in the world of the modern classroom pool unless I let go of the wall. In doing so I got in over my head a couple of times. As I take stock of how 1 to 1 has impacted my classroom and my approach to teaching, I see some successes and also my failures. Sure, I still have a flip phone(a conscious choice mind you), a 1994 pickup and admit I can be a bit wary spending on the latest technology when what I use works just fine. But what I am really wary of is how things I am now doing this year have changed the dynamic of my classroom and what it might mean for my students. Much of that has been positive but I've also observed some things that are worrisome. <br />
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<div>
<b><u>A little background</u></b></div>
"<i>OK...close your computers</i>" ... I wait patiently another 30 seconds for those words to sink in and then repeat it with far less patience as evidenced by my tone. Finally there is some <i>compliance</i>...a word I hate to use but that applies fully here. An observer might fault the obvious flaws in my expectations but before you malign my antiquated and inflexible teaching methods, I'd point out I'm just trying to redirect my student since it is time to move on. I'm intending to benefit everyone and force the dynamic of the class back to a place where it is functional again. Where their thoughts are with each other in the here and now and the content collectively. Where they benefit from each others diverse range of insights. Not isolated in the far reaches of all the 0s and 1s that control their minds as they stare at the screens. I tried to make use of the computers often, maybe more than I should have.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KacR8WvurI/VZRDQyRyvhI/AAAAAAAAKQA/nJD4DgRAruU/s1600/laptops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KacR8WvurI/VZRDQyRyvhI/AAAAAAAAKQA/nJD4DgRAruU/s320/laptops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I did comment before I started playing this game"</td></tr>
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I did plenty of backchannel discussions and found them useful in many ways. But I also found it changed the way many students engaged and left the depth of the dialogue shallower than I was used to. It made me realize many of the meaningful here and now moments are organic and almost impossible to plan. They are special. But only about half of the kids are "with me" when their devices are open. No matter how well virtual discussions went and how good the contributions, they lacked in many ways. Likely due to the reality that computers are powerful devices...and teenagers, like adults, find that power very distracting. What's more is student feedback I collected at the end of the year reflected this. They themselves commented in many cases that what we call "roundtable" discussions were something they wanted to see more of instead of spending time on the computer.<br />
<br />
Back to my classroom...The room had been mostly quiet before as they read and pecked at heir own pace but now fills with talking as we negotiate this transition and they begin to close their screens. That is exactly what I am about to offer them, a chance to talk, and my excitement over the upcoming discussion activity we were about to do slowly begins to fade. The timeliness of this teachable moment is disrupted and their interest begins to fade as several students just can't bring themselves to shut the screen. The feeling no one is listening to me grows. This lesson usually goes well and students like it. My enthusiasm for the small group work and the insightful responses this has brought out in past years is warranted. I know this is a cool activity. Experience tells me so. I split them into small groups and prompt them with a series of open ended questions. But the class goes quiet, unwilling to buy in, it feels forced. Instead of engaging each member of the group, the conversations are dominated by the usual vocal suspects. I didn't expect this. The small groups discussing the prompts seem merely an obstacle to getting back to looking at their computers. It makes me want to sit down and leave the class alone. I push through. It wasn't always this way and while I feel there is always some disparity between what I plan and what actually happens in class, it seems that in going 1 to 1 I had achieved a tolerable level of failure that I could live with and build on for next year. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTMGLmMG-fo/VZRFqtdzrCI/AAAAAAAAKQM/1Fc5hTjmh24/s1600/laptop3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTMGLmMG-fo/VZRFqtdzrCI/AAAAAAAAKQM/1Fc5hTjmh24/s320/laptop3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey this is cool.</td></tr>
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That snapshot isn't just a sign that using technology and having free and open access on hand at all times has created some challenges and problems for me, but also a sign it is changing my students. They seem unable to engage as well with each other, face to face in the here and now. One of the first signs I noticed was they don't talk when they come in the room early anymore...they open their computer."<br />
"Are we using the computers today? instead of "good morning."<br />
<br />
Each day as a few students share the room as an early morning workspace
they now sit silently and tap away at the keys. Rarely do they initiate
conversation. They're the same type of kids as in previous years for the most part but something
is a bit different. It is subtle and there is no data to show but I've been teaching high school age
kids long enough to pick up on it. This technology certainly
provides for a different experience. More chances and opportunities to
potentially collaborate are great but as good as it sounds we can't just arrive
at school and collaborate all day. They still need to do their own work and turn work in by deadlines. Two things that plagued me this year. <br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?share=1cd6b3e65b#t-282678" target="_blank">As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other?</a></u></b><br />
<b>Sherry Turkle </b> seems to express some of those same concerns here. Worth watching for sure.<b><br /></b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="580"></iframe>
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<b><u>Flash Forward-December: A snapshot in time</u></b><br />
Here I am. Past the half way point in my first year in the 1 to 1 education world. I always counted myself among those out front when it came to using tech in working with my students. I prided myself in the fact that the technology I was using passed muster with the 3 questions(see below) I ask as I take stock on what to do and and plan out what I am doing. I consider if I can do it better and exactly how to make that happen. I am spending more and more time on this nagging question: "<i>How can I make better use of student laptops(and other technology)</i>?" <br />
<br />
I know I like having students that have access and can use computers but I am left feeling I had bought into the notion that things will automatically be better with computers around all the time. But student motivation is pretty much the same. One thing I noticed is the excitement for their use has diminished greatly. Last year, when we got the chance to use laptops, it was a novelty(which should never substitute for substance) and generated some degree of enthusiasm in the classroom. That is long gone. I have come to appreciate the little things I had always done that required them to get up and move. As a result I am emphasizing this more to avoid the static nature of computer based work. I even appreciate paper more. While we are using it much less, at his point in the year many students have asked f they can have paper copies of materials we use in class or at home. <br />
<br />
<u><b>My 3 Questions</b></u><br />
<b>How does this help me do my job? </b><br />
<b>Does this save me time?</b><br />
<b>How does this help my students learn?</b><br />
I think I have arrived at some conclusions. <br />
<br />
<b><u>The Obvious Lessons</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Only do one thing at a time-</b> asynchronous learning opens many doors but laying out too many steps will ensure you will lose some kids. </li>
<li><b>Routine is your friend. </b>Where to turn in, how and in what format work needs to be clear...overly so. </li>
<li><b>Time with the tools-</b> there's no way to get that except using it in class. Which is unsettling cause it doesn't always work. I hate wasting time but it is OK to experiment</li>
<li><b>Identifying how kids prefer to access your information- </b>seek their feedback and provide options<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Seek student input-</b>technology allows them to have input in a easy and meaningful manner<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Novelty of technology wears off-</b>that means it can bore them<b> </b>just like everything else<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>It isn't about the device or time on it, its about the class-</b>any teacher worth their salt already knows this<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Know your outcomes- </b>why are you using it</li>
<li><b>Sometime we get so busy using technology, we do not have time to think. </b></li>
<li><b>Have a plan. </b> Carefully consider how you will organize and share things digitally Then be prepared to throw that plan away and start again. </li>
<li><b>Technology make some things easier but other as can also make other important things harder. </b></li>
<li><b> It is a literal truth to the fact that students are dumber when staring at a screen. </b>The comments "My computer's almost dead, what should I do?" and "My computer froze, what should I do?" reflect that. </li>
<li><b>Anyone who doesn't spend a few hours in a room with students each day cannot comprehend how little students understand about what is OK to do on a computer! </b>More on this later.<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Technology won't change the fact we are humans. </b>We still learn best from working with and interacting with other people. This can be done virtually, but why not use real people...?</li>
<li><b>Digital Resources are the entry point. Integration requires time, thought and reflection on how best practices look.</b></li>
<li><b>There is a painfully irony in seeing students disconnected while online </b></li>
<li><b>Screen Time.</b> If students are looking at 8 inch screens in every class quite a bit then staring a 3 inch ones as they walk the halls...that adds up. </li>
<li><b>The simplicity of good learning never really changes. </b></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<u><b>The Less Obvious</b></u><br />
<br /></div>
<b>Blended Learning</b><br />
My learning was blended before. Blended is defined as- <i>mix (a substance) with another substance so that they combine together as a mass</i>. One mistake I made was to use devices and technology because it was there and available without really thinking enough about the substance. Realizing now I feel compelled to use more and more technology but I try to ask is the use making things better? Often yes, sometimes no. Variety helps. Combine the use and other things into a mass. <br />
<br />
The reality of computer use means students stray farther from desired outcomes. But we can never escape the reality that we live in a world with certain desired outcomes for public education. For those that would respond "who are you to direct what students learn." My response..."I'm a teacher."<br />
<br />
<b>Powerful World of Distractions- a few other points</b><br />
Kids are not simply younger versions of adults. Trust is one thing, cutting them loose without supervision another. There is this thing called the frontal lobe and unless you are around kids...a lot...you tend to forget how theirs doesn't seem to do much yet. Giving kids unlimited freedom is not only foolish, its just idiotic. Especially if you concentrate two thousand of them or so together in one place. Preparing for the lowest common behavioral denominator is a good thing.The fact I am no longer shocked by what kids do with computers and phones..is frankly, shocking. <br />
<br />
If you make a living talking about how technology should be used in schools but don't teach. Teachers shouldn't trust or listen to you. <br />
<br />
Paperless is stupid. Paperlight is a buzzword. I have found it hard to substitute the tactile and easily adapted technology of paper. My kids have expressed as much. But the ease of access to documents and information is one of the best and most powerful things about technology. We are saving literally tons of paper. But as what cost? Electricity doesn't get piled up at the end of a day of school but no many people consider how many devices are now plugged in while at school. There is an impact when you are talking about investment consumption oriented nature of technology. I can keep a reading for years. How long can we expect a return on investment when it comes to the use of a device?<br />
<br />
We need to prepare our kids for a digital world but this must be tempered with an awareness that technology, like all things, can have negative aspects associated with it. As schools we are placed on the front lines of this integration. That is a scary place to be at times. <br />
<br />
I just like things that work. My division has done a great job with this and I know I am lucky.<br />
<br />
We live in a Tinder world. How can we embrace technological innovation without giving some thought to the consequences? <br />
<br />
Distance learning, Whether or not that is a great thing in the lives of all students is subjective. Cheaper doesn't mean the quality is better and to do so means things will get worse in many ways.As states race to offer virtual courses, consider who might be driving that rain. If a student benefits from being able to take a course they might not have otherwise, that's a good thing. Humans have interacted with machines for a long time. In ways like healthcare, technology, Telemedicine and new tools are making things better. <a href="http://www.gerijoy.com/" target="_blank">Here's a great example.</a> It captivated my children for about an hour one day. Such uses in medicine meets a need that exists. That's good. I just worry that in education we are often creating he need for more technology. That's not as good. <br />
<br />
There is no perfect practice. <br />
I have less time, more students and try desperately to grasp the best ways to teach and have my kids learn. Proper integration takes time. Things like freedom and individual choice are great. But in life before you chase your dreams you often have some responsibilities to fulfill. Students need to learn that they can't always choose what they want in the real world. They have to do some things they might no choose first. That lesson is an important one.<br />
<br />
Tec-Tac Disjoint<br />
At various points in the history of warfare, leaders and armies were not
prepared for new technology and struggled to shift away from past strategies
when faced with new military technology. An example being the outdated Napoleonic maneuvers employed against the
far more accurate rifled barrel just as they did against the smooth
bore. Perhaps today it is a tac-tech disjoint in education where reformers have been
too quick to suggest and steer towards new approaches without fully
acknowledging how the human mind really hasn't changed. We need to adapt and change but I tire of being told how things are now different. Students are still students and they still need to learn. 1 to 1 or 1 to 1000. <br />
<br />
Maybe this clip sums up where I am at at the conclusion of my adventure with 1 to1. But I like adventures. And I like the challenge of being a guide on those adventures. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GEmuEWjHr5c" width="560"></iframe> <br />
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<br />Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-2893721677449821812015-06-15T12:06:00.002-04:002015-06-17T16:43:02.890-04:00The End of the End of School<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School's Out! Wait... it's still May?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nope. That's not a typo. Instead its a reference to the slow and chronic undoing of the meaningful and culminating end of the school. Students in our building and I suspect in many places elsewhere around the nation finish school for the year at different times. This begins about the 5th of May, the beginning of AP tests and continues for about another month in a window of time I recently described in an E-mail to parents not as an end, but instead as "<i><b>the great fizzle</b></i>." As soon as they finish their tests kids mentally check out. Gone is the concept of the last day of class and with it much of the opportunity to offer a finite conclusion to a course, I am unapologetic in my assertion that this is a step backwards. Once testing season begins schools become dysfunctional. The end of school, a time of many of us remember fondly, appears at least for now, to be at and end. <br />
<br />
Its not true everywhere. No doubt many places still blend the euphoric arrival of summer and the sadness of the end of the year very well. I was speaking with some Underground colleagues this morning and one said "what we need is to either change our expectations about the end of school, or, accept the change in culture and mindset about what the end of school has become". That might indeed be a fact but I will admit that his statement drew an immediate rebuke from me. My response mainly caused by the belief that this shift is a direct byproduct of the test driven culture to which we all belong. Like most byproducts, it is an unwanted one. Students still must attend for 180 days. So why not try and use the tail end of the days for something meaningful?<br />
<br />
The current trend is to develop a variety of culminating assessments in lieu of exams. Going that route after AP and SOL exams is swimming against the current when it comes to student engagement. While I neither want nor think it is a great idea to have a whole bunch more testing in the form of a final exam, I also do not warm to the alternative of no final. Should I just abandon the model of the past? Hard to say. But I did like my final. Something I felt reflected what we did in the class more than a measure coming from the state or national level. I always thought my end of the year testing is something entirely different from the aforementioned varieties. It doesn't really matter much now as the vast majority of students in our building wind up earning an exemption from final exams. The only ones left are those who for one reason or another aren't performing well. So instinct says we should "end" sooner, then bring the combined energies and focus of our entire staff on our students who aren't where they need to be. Now that doesn't take into account that it is REALLY hard to overcome the lack of student motivation once tests wrap up. (sigh)<br />
<br />
The progress through the school year isn't simply a product of seat time and advancement through a curriculum. The social, cognitive, developmental and other imperceptible changes that take place during that window of time are not insignificant. I know they'll forget more than half of the content I teach them, maybe even by the start of next school year. I'm OK with that. But they won't as soon forget the people and things that happened. Those bonds and deeper lessons tend to stick far better than facts. I guess what I really miss about the way the school year used to end is that it was a meaningful part of of my teaching and their learning. It was a chance to acknowledge their growth and tie everything together. The last few days marked a transition. It was a cultural event signaling the last time these people will ever be together as a group. That is a significant event and should be recognized in some manner. You'd recount some of what took place, exchange some meaningful words and gestures and send them on their way. <br />
<br />
It is not that hard to find isolated examples of classrooms that manage to find something beneficial but those are likely exception. On the whole, that is not what is taking place. We are just marking time. It seemed a bigger deal to me than my colleague but that is likely the result of him teaching primarily 12th graders and me teaching mostly 9th graders. His students were actually "done" where mine won;t be for three more years.<br />
<br />
Few would argue that the school year does not have a definitive beginning and it is an important time. Most know the familiar grind that constitutes the middle of the year when a lot of the real work happens. So we should all be able say it has a definite and meaningful end as well. Just a thought. <br />
<br />
Looking for a fitting way to end this post. I stumbled upon this classic Alice Cooper video. Just when you thought things couldn't get better...(with the end of the school year I mean)...you find the perfect blend of good music and the Muppetts. The internet is a good thing. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4pTagTRsRU?list=RD-4pTagTRsRU" width="560"></iframe>
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<br />
As if that wasn't good enough you could always turn to the Holderness Family.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0WF-3QC1Uo" width="560"></iframe>
The cartoon below captures the evolution of student attitudes over the past week perfectly. <br />
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Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-75084338914923493112015-05-27T16:00:00.001-04:002015-05-27T16:00:28.947-04:00To The Class of 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
For the last five years, I've written a "<a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/search/label/graduation">graduation speech that wasn't"</a> on the blog. We don't even really have a speech at our high school's graduation anymore, but if I had a chance, here's what I'd say to the class of 2015:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m struggling to keep up with you. This is the first year I’ve
noticed. Once during my first year of teaching, one student asked a classmate
listening to a “walkman”—“What are you listening to?” The student replied, “nothing anybody in here
would recognize except Mr. Turner.” Not any more. I still think of Pearl Jam as
new music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve finally reached the age of jumping the chasm across the
generation gap, and when I look back to the other side it often leaves me
confused. Here’s what I see that is different—not worse, just different.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You expect things to start faster. I used to wait for my
favorite show every week, sit through a 1-3 minute elaborate theme song,
tolerate a short commercial break, and then enjoy the slow build up to the main
plot of the show. Today we binge watch shows online, that mostly start with a
cold open, right in the middle of the action.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You don’t have to plan ahead.. When I was a teenager, if you
showed up late, or even worse, if someone else was on the phone, our plan for
the weekend could end before it even started. Today, we just send a text when
we’re ready to meet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can legitimately outsource some responsibility. As a
teenager and young adult, I had to keep up with class handouts, and later on,
my bills. Today, we don’t need to remember as much because it is accessible on
demand. I’ll admit, I even get a weekly text reminder from my google calendar
to take out the trash.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Notice I didn’t make a stark contrast with me and you. I
binge watch, text when I’m ready, and remember only what I deem necessary. We
live in the same world, but the world that made me is different than the world
that has made you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What can we learn from this different world?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Early in your life, you experienced September 11, Hurricane’s Katrina and <st1:city w:st="on">Sandy</st1:city>,
numerous shootings and civil unrest, even an earthquake in <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Virginia</st1:place>. We learned that safety, security, and stability shouldn’t
be taken for granted. Policies and plans are necessary, but human wisdom,
flexibility, and cooperation get us through the chaos.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout your life, access to nearly everything has
expanded. You can find out the GDP of New Zealand, learn about the origins of
Punk Rock, or watch a monkey drink it’s own urine, with a click of your mouse. You
learn from an early age that some things seen can’t be unseen. As you grow
older, you will learn that just because something is available doesn’t mean it’s
ok to consume.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, you live in a world with unprecedented recording. Whether
in written word, images, or moving pictures, much of our life is documented. You’ve
grown up learning how to manage a profile. But integrity is still vital for
your mental health. It’s hard to manage our image, so the quicker you learn to
be who you are, the better off you will be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My hope for you as my future is this: May you enter a new
world of technology and innovation with a strong sense of yourself, your world,
and your part in it. May you continue to recognize the importance of civic
responsibility and your greater connection to humanity. May you continue to
seek out wisdom, and struggle to find a strong moral code. This will prepare
you to wield the power that our world is about to place in your hands.</div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-75769064260808355492015-05-01T10:24:00.000-04:002015-05-01T10:24:01.893-04:00Time and PriorityWe've been apologizing a lot lately about the absence of activity on the Underground. I was a little surprised to notice today that we haven't added a post since December. Over Five months ago! Where has the time gone? The easy answer would be we just don't have enough time to devote to the blog anymore. That easy answer is actually a lie. Not having enough time is a mind set that limits our perception of control over our life and ultimately adds to the stress and pressure of life. We could have written more in the last five months, but the truth is we've chosen to do other things with our time.<br />
<br />
This week, our school planned a few activities to help students "destress" since our testing season opens next week. In the midst of passing out candy and watching students blow bubbles and make chalk art on our breezeway an administrator jokingly made this comment: "If these teachers would just stop stressing these kids out with so much work and pressuring them about these AP and SOL tests we wouldn't need to do this."<br />
<br />
His comment really hit a nerve. I was probably a little rude in my response, but I pointed out that many of these kids were returning from an 18-hour road trip, missing two days of school and returning home at 1am on Sunday morning. (band trip). Many of these same students will joined a number of other students who were at school from 4pm to nearly midnight every day this week preparing for our Spring Musical. Multiple sports had competitions this week and in addition to daily practice from about 4-6:30 students were out until as late as 11:00 some nights. Yet the burden of student stress rests on what I'm doing in my class?<br />
<br />
"I just didn't have time to do it?" I often hear from students. And, this is what I tell them.<br />
<br />
There's no such thing as not having enough time. We prioritize and choose what we do. If sleep is more important that our work we make a rational choice to sleep and take the consequences of not doing our work If connecting with friends and family is a more valuable use of my time than studying for a test, we make a rational choice to spend time with people close to us and take what we get on the test. If you really think the paper is more important that afternoon practice, you make a rational choice to miss the practice and accept the fact that you may have to sit the bench for a period or two as a result.<br />
<br />
There is no such thing as having enough time to do everything and to do it well. This attitude allows you to take control of your time instead of letting your time control you. I encourage my students to remove the phrase "I didn't have time" from their vocabulary. It lets you move beyond making excuses and toward finding solutions.<br />
<br />
It doesn't just apply to students. If I don't eat lunch with my colleagues it's not because I don't have time, it is because grading assignments is more important to me than conversation. If I don't grade an assignment within a given time frame it's not because I didn't have time to do it, it is because I chose other activities instead. It means that we will choose to do some things well, some things good enough, and other things not at all.<br />
<br />
I was a little snarky with the administrator, but I'm glad those kids got to take such a great trip. I appreciate the excellence that our school achieves in the arts and athletics. But I'd like for everyone to stop pretending that getting stressed is not the normal response to an attitude that we can do everything we want to do and we can do it well.Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-26194164452309622302014-12-18T15:50:00.000-05:002014-12-18T15:50:09.900-05:00A Few Thoughts<br />
1.<b><u>Do-Overs</u></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_JXxVjIsC4/VJHsJP2Aj9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/rppKRyt8vSg/s1600/Screenshot%2B2014-12-17%2B15.43.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_JXxVjIsC4/VJHsJP2Aj9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/rppKRyt8vSg/s1600/Screenshot%2B2014-12-17%2B15.43.06.png" height="200" width="540" /></a></div>
source: <a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cs/documents/accs-feb14item10a8.pdf">http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cs/documents/accs-feb14item10a8.pdf </a><br />
<br />
I thought about this one today as I wrote college recommendation letters for students. I guess I'm not a part of the real world, since whether I complete and submit the letter for my students by the deadline actually does matter. Sometimes in life, a single mistake actually has life altering consequences not only for ourselves, but others.<br />
<br />
I think it's pretty "pompous" to act like this issue is black and white and to paint teachers that require deadlines as uncaring or idiotically out of touch with reality. The fact is, we must balance accountability with understanding. How about giving us support in that instead of attacking from the outside.<br />
<br />
2. <b><u>Homework</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gMQVOLgsgk/VJLzj8wcadI/AAAAAAAAAcw/0S6PFEJNKXo/s1600/Screenshot%2B2014-12-18%2B10.31.01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gMQVOLgsgk/VJLzj8wcadI/AAAAAAAAAcw/0S6PFEJNKXo/s1600/Screenshot%2B2014-12-18%2B10.31.01.png" height="277" width="540" /></a></div>
source: <a href="http://mic.com/articles/106480/homework-sucks-and-we-have-the-research-to-prove-it">http://mic.com/articles/106480/homework-sucks-and-we-have-the-research-to-prove-it</a><br />
<br />
This one has popped up in my newsfeed on several platforms lately. In my Psychology class I teach students to recognize that usually the phrase "research shows" is a power statement that people use to bolster a weak argument or to hide a lack of substance. Too often, research is cherry-picked to support our preconceived beliefs rather than used effectively to shape our practices. The research on homework is inconclusive and it would be foolish to strongly argue either side without enough humility to acknowledge you may be wrong. In the absence of a unified set of data to inform universal attitudes toward homework administrators, teachers, students, and parents must work together to discover what is best in a particular context.<br />
<br />
3. <b><u>An attempt to induce a little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance">Cognitive Dissonance</a></u></b><br />
<br />
No picture for this one, but it strikes me that sometimes the same voices that unilaterally dismiss the value of homework and deadlines love the way technology allows us to "extend the learning" beyond the school day. When did we go from thinking that a teacher lecturing in the classroom was bad instruction to thinking that a teacher lecturing to a student at home via video was great? And if spending a few hours reading and responding is an unreasonable burden for some students at home, how is spending a few hours watching a video and responding somehow manageable? I don't have a major problem with this type of "flipping", but when the same people who've bemoaned the burden of homework on students suddenly love the idea of technology providing the chance to keep students learning 24/7, I think you can't have it both ways.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGQRMjtGZutzH8CInjR8PLu1ZU-ggRMmDS9163HrrP9nqBxUV1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGQRMjtGZutzH8CInjR8PLu1ZU-ggRMmDS9163HrrP9nqBxUV1" /></a>4. <b><u>Twitter and education.</u></b><br />
<br />
Twitter has helped me grow as an educator in the last two years more than any other professional development in my career. If you're not using it, I won't say you must, but you really should give it a try and not be dismissive.<br />
<br />
But I would like to let administrators know something. Sometimes your tweets sound dismissive and condescending toward teachers. They are hurtful and damage your credibility with people you work with. Most of them probably earn you credibility with your fellow admins and promote your attempt to build a larger platform. I suggest that first, you run your ideas by your staff and think them through in the depth and detail that our students deserve, and then, if your thought or idea is both valuable, practical, and novel tweet it out. It's easy to make people think you're a progressive educator 140 characters at a time, but make sure you're serving your primary audience- students, teachers, and parents in your own school- before you think you can make a difference in the world.<br />
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5. <b><u>Twenty-First Century education.</u></b><br />
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Just throwing it out there, but I don't see many classrooms anymore that look like they came out of the 1950's. But what hasn't changed since the 1950's? Organizational structures of education oriented in a vertical hierarchy. We know that integrating technology without addressing pedagogy doesn't change much. Can we apply 21st century learning in a classroom embedded in the leadership structure of the 20th century?<br />
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6. <b><u>Word/Phrase of the Year</u></b><br />
<br />
Here I'd like to offer my suggestion for the Phrase of 2014 that should be put to rest. Drumroll....<br />
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"What's best for the student"<br />
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It's not the idea I want to retire, but the wording or anything like it. This phrase shuts down any productive dialogue in education. Perhaps some devious types actually got into the business or stay in the business because they want to make a buck at the expense of the most vulnerable of our species, but if I think that is true of another person I can't respect anything they do or suggest. When someone thinks that about me, I am offended and realize that my ideas or suggestions are not respected (because they shouldn't be if it's true).<br />
<br />
Whether it's Arne Duncan or the teacher next door to me we must assume that our motivation is to do what is best and most appropriate children in our schools. Only from that posture will we stand on level ground able to learn from one another and through our conflict and compromise find the best path toward serving our children to the best of our ability.<br />
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7. <b><u>Final thoughts.</u></b><br />
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I feel like Ferris Bueller at the end of the movie. "Why are you still here? Go home." If you made it this far, thanks for reading. The Teaching Underground has been rather quiet for some time. Personally, I started to feel like we were saying the same thing over and over. Also, we took some of our own advice if you look at #4. The first priorities are the students in front of us every day, our own families at home, and the people we work with. It's gotten harder to attend to those priorities and consistently blog as we have in the past.<br />
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We're not dead, just a little quieter than before. But we do wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and thanks for taking the time to care enough to read what we write.<br />
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<br />Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-91867884680805712772014-10-28T16:49:00.003-04:002014-10-29T22:35:28.006-04:00No!...TIME. To the readers who once upon a time used to frequent this blog, we're sorry. We just don't have time right now. Our focus on family and work over the past few months has meant we have less time to dedicate to this endeavor. But don't fear...there are plenty of teachers out there providing a glimpse into their experiences which will suffice in our absence. Are they the TU? No. But might they have something to offer? Yes. Personally I feel our lack of activity is a direct byproduct of the reality that we rarely have time to eat lunch with each other or anyone else for that matter. What does that say?<br />
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I am sorry to disappoint those of you who happened upon this post thinking it mostly dealt with the recent TIME magazine cover. You could read <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-do-you-make-teacher-great.html" target="_blank">this past post</a> to kind of get an idea of where we're at on that one. In short...yes you could dump the "worst" teachers...but that doesn't fix the problem and why they exist there in the first place. Too bad no one in the article asked teachers for their thoughts. I thought <a href="http://lilysblackboard.org/2014/10/letter-editor-time-magazine-teacher-tenure/" target="_blank">this letter to the editor</a> and the comments did a fine job with what I don't have time to do. And don't for a second think there hasn't been plenty to write about. <br />
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We could have covered the ground level impact and perceptions of maker spaces, the <a href="http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Albemarle-High-School-On-Lock-Down-274318971.html" target="_blank">lockdown</a> of our school that came before we even had a lockdown drill, the debate about our <i>Where's Waldo</i> <a href="http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/Forms_Center/Departments/Human_Resources/Forms/Payscales/2014-2015_Teacher_Pay_Scale.pdf" target="_blank">"1%" raise</a>, the conviction of our state's former first family, the rise on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQPlREDW-Ro" target="_blank">ISIS</a>, the Ukraine crisis, the 4th year of the 8 period day or a thousand other things that sail through the collective minds in our workplace on any given day. Instead, we've just been trying to make sense of the world around us and teach our students down in our little basement. For me that always is a bit easier with a little inspiration. Needless to say for teachers, that inspiration seems harder and harder to come by. So take it wherever you find it. From your faith, your students, your curriculum or somewhere else. Don't let the bad news get you down. Try to not stop dreaming.<br />
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I'd have done better in Neil science class I think...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CbIZU8cQWXc" width="560"></iframe>
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Also it often helps to listen to some Movie Theme Music while you grade<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/l2Oym6LAlbY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Or if you prefer...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3QL2J_nxFP0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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No doubt at some point when we find the time and inspiration we will reappear with greater frequency. Or maybe we'll just starting eating lunch together with some regularity.Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-9088905759614841232014-09-25T13:28:00.003-04:002014-11-10T13:15:01.602-05:00Taking the Underground Out of the GroundJust because we teach in a basement doesn't mean that's where we always stay. (Just most of the time) Recently my co-author took his classroom out-of-doors for an authentic experience in learning how we learn about Prehistory. Here's the video from our local news:<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/a/k12albemarle.org/file/d/0B-6h_Umd3UwjRXZITFBqd1JsNVE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6bEt7FnmM7c/VGEAReqkvpI/AAAAAAAAKI8/OpQ6QaamHDc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-11-10%2Bat%2B1.12.38%2BPM.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Click image to play videoSteven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-23670279878291323722014-08-19T22:20:00.000-04:002014-08-19T22:20:20.127-04:00It's Go Time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1f_ye8vIaR0/U_PlbOdqNjI/AAAAAAAAJ6Y/poIzOZv8NxY/s1600/It's%2BGo%2BTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1f_ye8vIaR0/U_PlbOdqNjI/AAAAAAAAJ6Y/poIzOZv8NxY/s1600/It's%2BGo%2BTime.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Time Indeed</td></tr>
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So tomorrow marks the official end of summer for teachers in my division with the arrival of students back at school. The week long formal preparation has come to an end. Most teachers have been prepping on some level since school got out in June but day 1 sneaks up quickly and you must manage the butterflies and find ways to serve your future students. This year with 1 to 1 rolling out at our school there has been a bit more preparing than normal, but preparing is a rite of passage for teachers in August.<br />
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As I did prepare I was making a few copies in our new "Paper-Lite"(buzzword anyone?) technology blended workplace, I overheard a younger teacher ask a much more seasoned teacher if they were ready for school to start. The reply fit the moment.<br />
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"<i>You are never really ready...You just go</i>."<br />
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That statement epitomizes my feelings exactly. And tomorrow is go time. I could spend a whole month getting ready for the arrival of students and still find in many ways I still eel unprepared.Truth is I hate Pre-school week as I spend the majority of it in meetings or engaged in Organized Procrastination ( <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/08/10-ways-to-avoid-back-to-school-blues.html" target="_blank">We can all get a little blue</a> from the start of school). Yep...some might say I seem intent on rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic instead of getting down to preparing in ways that really matter. I focus a lot on my room. Learning spaces are important...and recent trends to continue to place focus on shiny new spaces. So I spent much of this week removing dated furniture, storing rarely used texts and finding a way to open things up a little by removing the clutter. Hopefully it will be an improvement. But we are still in a basement you know.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhCjKqv6qII/U_P9r-5CG-I/AAAAAAAAJ6o/hWx8J_TbE_g/s1600/backtoschool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhCjKqv6qII/U_P9r-5CG-I/AAAAAAAAJ6o/hWx8J_TbE_g/s1600/backtoschool.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a>Another reason I don't enjoy this week is that there are no students in the building. If the school building is the body, the staff is the skeleton that holds it together and the students are the blood in the veins. The place lacks life without them. Save the occasional visit from those getting a head start and mapping out their travel plan or those fixing scheduling issues its been just us teachers. As energetic as we've been we can't replicate the buzz created by the young folks when they fill the building. This year especially they will really FILL our building but until tomorrow it has just seems stale and empty. At least when they are there going crazy there's some energy in the place.<br />
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So no I am not complaining about being back at work, quite the contrary. My sister who teaches in Southwest VA has been back for 2 weeks already so I count my blessings for a little extra time with the family. Sure I'd need my head examined if I didn't secretly wish for a few more days(or weeks) of summer. But it is go time. Time to get back to the routines, the normalcy, the unpredictable chaos. Schools in our area will fill with the <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-do-you-hope-your-child-learns-in.html" target="_blank">young</a> and the not so young but the mission is the <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/08/dear-world-by-dan-valentine.html" target="_blank">same</a>. Help them grow, learn, think, engage, understand, cope, create, discover and do our best to educate them to the best of our ability. <br />
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Students, parents and teachers alike will lay our heads down tonight with a curious blend of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and even dread. In the months ahead we will will journey together with all of life's little adventures. It will take time to learn each others stories and there is so much to do but at 8:55 tomorrow <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/08/ohits-on.html" target="_blank">we get down to it</a>. Best of luck to all those who will greet the new and old faces and wishing everyone the best for a safe, successful and memorable school year!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="240" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fwcYbo7pjto" width="320"></iframe>Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-61696695209417028492014-08-06T08:42:00.003-04:002014-08-06T08:42:48.970-04:00How I Missed My Son's 8th Grade GraduationI'm pretty sure it was the largest class to ever graduate from Jack Jouett Middle School. Somewhere close to two-hundred and fifty eighth graders. So large, they moved the graduation down the road to Albemarle High School. It worked out well for me, that's where I teach. I wouldn't even have to take leave to slide down to the auditorium for a short middle school graduation.<br />
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My wife and I found good seats in the standing room only crowd. Like most graduations, we were there to watch our son walk across the stage, literally, from one stage of life to the next. But I missed it, and all I got instead was this lousy picture.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hUX9xEQU_NU/U-IidTKccII/AAAAAAAAAbk/DgYQPSdOI6c/s1600/8th+grade+grad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hUX9xEQU_NU/U-IidTKccII/AAAAAAAAAbk/DgYQPSdOI6c/s1600/8th+grade+grad.jpg" height="200" width="158" /></a>Bearing my name, I knew he'd be in the second half of the second half of the alphabet. I patiently waited for the "S's" to remove my phone from my pocket to ready the camera. I tried out the angles and settings as the first "T" was called and sat prepared to capture my son's milestone.<br />
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They called his name. As he walked up the steps I snapped a shot and inspected. "Too soon, that's no good, I've got time for another." So I tried again. "Too far away, I need more zoom." By now he's reaching for his certificate. "Last chance, better make it good." As I inspected the picture above, he started down the aisle, walking toward the back of the room and I realized, "I didn't even see him graduate."<br />
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I'd gotten so concerned about documenting and preserving the experience that in the end, I missed out and all I've got to show for it is a poor quality picture. That image would mean so much more if I'd paused to savor the moment, paid attention to what was happening, and allowed that memory to process for me to hold in my mind forever.<br />
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But I've learned a valuable lesson moving forward into this school year. The moment is so much more important than the documentation. We've become a culture that values the proof more than the experience. It's not enough to do. There has to be evidence that it's been done.<br />
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This is true of our vacations that we document on social media and it's true of our classrooms where the shiny project for display takes precedence over learning.<br />
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I'm not missing out this year, and I'm not going to let my students miss out. I'll still snap pictures when something cool is happening, I'll still have students produce projects to complement their learning. But I'm not going to waste so much time "trying to take the picture" that I miss out on the important things that are going on.<br />
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This happens in many ways in our classrooms:<br />
1) The grade becomes more important than the learning<br />
2) The project becomes a showpiece instead of a learning process<br />
3) The teacher evaluation becomes self-promotion instead of honest self-reflection<br />
4) The student work is displayed to demonstrate the creativity of the teacher instead of reinforcing the effort of the student.<br />
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I'm sure there's more. But I think all of it is solved by committing to be fully present to our students and their needs in every interaction we have with them.<br />
<br />Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-80006828886775710052014-06-10T15:04:00.003-04:002016-04-17T10:12:19.542-04:00Testing, the Blob, and the Great Escape<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-pAml-oZ2o/U5cSXmIfe7I/AAAAAAAAJ10/c7JOknz1ces/s1600/The+Blob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-pAml-oZ2o/U5cSXmIfe7I/AAAAAAAAJ10/c7JOknz1ces/s1600/The+Blob.jpg" width="208" /></a>It is a monster. I've seen it terrorize thousands of children. They can't run. They can't hide. It will catch them eventually. I've seen it kill kids...or at least kill their love of school and learning. Like the movie monster Frankenstein it is a freightening patchwork, but in this case not one of used body parts but of misdirected education policy of our own creation that sparks fear, misunderstanding and even panic among people. But Frankenstein wasn't bad...just a guy that got a little over nervous and freaked out. When I was little Frankenstein didn't scare me, what scared me was the blob. Testing is worse than the blob. But the description from the 1958 movie poster of "I<i>ndescribable! Indestructable! Nothing Can Stop It!</i>" sure does fit.<br />
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By now you certainly know that large scale testing has had a dramatic effect on American Education. It has literally change the way we learn and teach. Depending on who you believe, or trust, that is either a really good thing, or a really bad thing. The voice from educators who work directly with kids seems to express the consensus that it is not so good. Surprise surprise. <br />
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"<i>Testing Season</i>," as it is un-affectionately known, begins in May and basically normal school grind to an abrupt halt. It puts parts of the school and large portions of our student body on lockdown for weeks on end. Testing brings any real learning to a halt. We do testing in 3 or 4 main locations but during that span our gymnasiums(we have 2) are sealed up tight. Student routines and teacher days are changed to feed the monster. We all are forced to proctor. And forced to do worse. I am always thinking there is a certain indignity involved when you have to escort a student to the restroom for both us, and them. I won't even begin to enumerate the actual number of tests kids take in our state...but we're well into the thousands just at our school alone. It makes everyone grumpy. <br />
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Testing leads to a curious phenomenon...testing fatigue. It overcomes a usually vibrant and energetic group of people. It is a real monster. Upperclassmen "check out" both mentally and physically. The courses I teach with underclassmen become ineffective as on any given day half of the students or more may be missing. testing has forever altered the end of school. I stated before how unfortunate it is that the days of engaging and interesting activities
serving to tie everything together have been undermined by all the crap
we have railed against on this blog.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y94Ek3FE7gI/U5eS7lHIX4I/AAAAAAAAJ28/yF0mUEbk2gQ/s1600/godzilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y94Ek3FE7gI/U5eS7lHIX4I/AAAAAAAAJ28/yF0mUEbk2gQ/s1600/godzilla.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radiation ...reform...what's the diff?</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAP7R-5dT9s/U5eTQWKJuuI/AAAAAAAAJ3M/Q0MFV24eDUE/s1600/kong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAP7R-5dT9s/U5eTQWKJuuI/AAAAAAAAJ3M/Q0MFV24eDUE/s1600/kong.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lange's + Bridges' best work :) </td></tr>
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Testing arguably destroys schools and the people within them. It's the worst of all the most famous monsters. Like Godzilla it is a beast of our own creation. Like the blob it grows more powerful and entrenched the longer it is around. Like Dracula it sucks the life out of victims. It has the potential to yield great profit like King Kong and that is what causes the problems. Like Kong it is hard to control but unlike Kong it is unsympathetic. Like the Mummy it has the potential to be around for a very very long time. It has tentacles that reach out and cling to just about every aspect of education, like the Giant Squid from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It seems to function as an agent of some greater diabolical purpose like the creatures from Alien. Have I made my point about it being a monster? <br />
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Like I said it can be destructive. This is not an assemblage like that of Disney Pixar's Monster's University. Fortunately the standardized testing has not overtaken that fictional campus yet.. But in our <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JSx-y0DjNSM/U5eTz9tSicI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/TCxnuwc1mKg/s1600/monsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JSx-y0DjNSM/U5eTz9tSicI/AAAAAAAAJ3U/TCxnuwc1mKg/s1600/monsters.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put this image in for my kids</td></tr>
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public schools this destruction is incremental and hard to perceive. I have witnessed many times just as I did this year the reaction of students when they learn they didn't pass. They are certainly disappointed, even upset, but that deflation is quickly replaced with a callous <i>"I don't care.</i>" I think that on one hand they really shouldn't. The test does not define them. But I always want my students to care. So when they say that they don;t care sometimes it is true and often was long before any test. But when it is not, and students do care about results, it is sad to see their earnest efforts go unrewarded. I'd unnecessarily add here that there's more to learning that just being able to pass a test. It can't measure so many immeasurable things. But it does matter according to our state's policy. A whole lot. <br />
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For a teacher, the monster might mean that they literally no longer have a job or a school to work in. It is a very helpless feeling watching your students take a test. In my state, as I suspect in many others, there is no real way to improve the students efforts. The test results and accompanying feedback don't give much insight. Worse yet is once they have taken the test, there is no real way to target remediation so they could pass. I can't tell what they did well, I can't tell what they didn't. If it is merely supposed to be one of many tools used by teachers. We pay for this tool and I hope we kept the receipt. I would also offer we should stop buying things off late night infomercials. Tests, even standardized ones, have a place and a role. But I suspect this monstrous of using tests in ways they were never intended. <br />
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Proof it is a poor tool is evident in the <b>Student Performance By Question(SPBQ)</b> report. It is even more non-descript that the blob. It is arguably less useful. This despite the "<a href="http://www.vak12ed.edu/testing/scoring/resources/spring-2012_student_performance_by_question.mp4" target="_blank">helpful link</a>" on the VDOE website intended to make this report useful. I can find out the number of questions a student got correct or incorrect, but I cannot with certainty find what that specific content or concept that student did or did not know. So since they have to pass the test, I feel rather helpless and cannot outrun the monster. I am forced to stand by and watch it consume more victims. Allow me to share a few other gems from my efforts to make such a report useful:<br />
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<u><b>This one illustrates the non-specific language that all our testing efforts produce.</b></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExI-Ki6cMFo/U5dB3Sw3zHI/AAAAAAAAJ2E/R0flZEaaNu8/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ExI-Ki6cMFo/U5dB3Sw3zHI/AAAAAAAAJ2E/R0flZEaaNu8/s1600/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So a couple million $ buys you some "maybes"?</td></tr>
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<u><b>So once they take the take I should be wary of using it to figure out what they do and do not know.</b></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2SudyazrzI/U5dB8mql1-I/AAAAAAAAJ2M/3n3_rqqc6QA/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2SudyazrzI/U5dB8mql1-I/AAAAAAAAJ2M/3n3_rqqc6QA/s1600/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So its OK for everyone else to overstress SOL results, just not teachers.</td></tr>
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<u><b>Well, I might teach differently if I knew where to start.</b></u><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifG5GeGsiSo/U5dCA8SSrsI/AAAAAAAAJ2U/ztnro-lfudE/s1600/Slide3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifG5GeGsiSo/U5dCA8SSrsI/AAAAAAAAJ2U/ztnro-lfudE/s1600/Slide3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Fighting the Monster </b><br />
There are literally thousands of examples of teachers crying out against the testing machine. But it must be fed. Raw Scores, Scaled Scores, Failing Scores, Remediation, and Online Testing all took time to entrench themselves in our schools. But maybe there is light ahead and we are entering a new era of education where parents and students, <a href="http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/lawmakers-tell-albemarle-officials-that-sol-reform-likely-coming/article_66839dde-5c85-11e3-bcd5-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm" target="_blank">even districts like our own</a> join teachers in saying enough is enough. Is it likely that we can together defeat the monster? I don't know. There is a lot of money tied up in all of this.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kb9xjeLZixc/U5dWheLnTHI/AAAAAAAAJ2s/7ZO4N2hyIhs/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kb9xjeLZixc/U5dWheLnTHI/AAAAAAAAJ2s/7ZO4N2hyIhs/s1600/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a>The testing monster will be tough to rid ourselves of. It will take a collective effort and not be an easy task. Even still it is likely to be a worthy foe. Reliance on political leadership from statehouses and capital domes will likely mean we'll just confront sequels of the same terror, in scarier form. testing has its place. But massive, poorly done, standardized testing is nothing but a destructive and undesirable force that must be stopped. Maybe if we had a champion like Steve McQueen was in the 1963 film, he could lead us in <b>The Great Escape</b>. Lest we not forget in that one he didn't actually escape. Maybe one day we will. <br />
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<br />Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-68322012497086416342014-05-30T16:00:00.000-04:002014-05-30T16:00:02.066-04:00To the Class of 2014Each year we watch another class of students walk across the stage to graduate and every cohort differs from the year before. I've composed addresses to each of these classes based on their personalities and my experiences with them. (<a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2013/05/to-class-of-2013.html">2013 </a>, <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2012/05/to-class-of-2012.html">2012 </a>, <a href="http://teachingunderground.blogspot.com/2011/05/to-class-of-2011.html">2011 </a>) Below is this years edition of our "graduation speech that wouldn't be".<br />
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To the Class of 2014:</div>
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I am hopeful about your future. But I’m afraid that some of
the important lessons of life that you should have learned by now are going to
happen before you’re able to go boldly into that future. I’ve taught some of
the brightest and hardest working students of my career this year, but I’ve
also watched many students struggle to cope with the changing demands of our
current context.</div>
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This year I discovered that many of you have learned the
unhealthy coping mechanism of avoidance. While my normal absence rate was
around 6 or 7 percent, that number magically went up to over twenty percent on
every test day. Somewhere along the line you’ve learned “why do it today if I
can put it off until tomorrow.” And I’ve had to tolerate giving you the chance
to make it up on your own schedule and timeframe.</div>
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Educators point out it’s about the learning and find it
clever to point out SATs, MCATs, LSATs, etc., can be taken over and over until
you pass. But if you don’t perform next year to the standards of your school,
they won’t let you come back, at least for another year. Some decisions are
final and all decisions have consequences. So I hope that you take advantage of
second chances without assuming beforehand that you’ll always have them.</div>
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This year I discovered that many of you have adopted the
unhealthy attitude of American adults that glorifies “21<sup>st</sup> century”
excess. The excess of our century is busyness, activity, and work. You take
eight classes, participate in a sport, maintain a social life, and leave town
for a four day field trip with your band just a few weeks after Spring Break
and just a few weeks before AP and End of Year testing and wonder why you’re so
overburdened with work. </div>
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<br /></div>
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There’s nothing wrong with experiencing all that you can
while you’re young, but time is not limitless. We reach a point where
participation in something is going to affect our performance. An adult must
work a little harder to plan for and then work a little harder to catch up from
a weeks vacation from work. Along the way, you’ve learned that you should be
able to do it all—the coach should give you playing time, the teacher should
give you an A, you should have time to practice your part in the play, and your
social life shouldn’t suffer.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You have a hard time handling life when it doesn’t work out
this way. I’ve had to provide more weeks of material for your homebound
instruction this year than at any point in the past. And the reasons for
homebound instruction have not been physical recovery, they’ve all been psychological.
We’re quick to treat your mental health, but slow to question whether your
mental health is fine, perhaps the environment is toxic.</div>
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More likely than not, you’re going to be fine. Most of you
were accountable for yourselves even when you didn’t have to be. Some of you
will learn that after leaving this place, that only you are accountable for
yourself. No other institution is going to take the blame for your bad
behaviors, lack of preparation, or the fact that you just choose to not show
up. </div>
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Of course every person is different, but based on my time
with you collectively, if I had to offer one piece of advice to help you into
the future it would be this:</div>
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“Simplify. Life can only progress one moment at a time.
Learn what you can handle in those moments and make them count. There is only
so much in life that you can be responsible for, but taking on more than that
is no excuse for being irresponsible. Despite what you’ve heard, you can’t have
it all, but you can have enough.”</div>
Steven Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01877542687619173741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-445182336292537663.post-78636946883292264522014-05-09T07:26:00.000-04:002014-06-24T15:59:07.853-04:00Appreciation<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">
<div style="color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">
Well
Teacher Appreciation week came and went at my school...like elsewhere
around the nation and world. So with all the hubbub the real question
to address is do I feel appreciated. Yes and No.
<br />
<br />
I will start with the bad. There is plenty of that. In the recent past I
am coming off another demoralizing budget season. Sure money is tight,
it always is. But I have slowly come to grips with the fact I live in a
community and a state that could do a
better job supporting education, but chooses not to. That's putting it
gently. Some outwardly decry taxes are too high and blame wasteful
schools and dare I say...overpaid teachers. Maybe so. But more likely
the levels of bureaucratic decision makers all take and redirect their
share before it comes anywhere near me
or my classroom. I have what I need I suppose. I know I have it way
better than many around the nation. So I learn not to complain or open
my hand and whine too often. But over the last few years most of the
heavy lifting when it comes to balancing budgets, teaching more
classes and more kids falls on guess who? Mr. and Mrs. Appreciated.
But I don't like talking about money and few teachers start teaching in
order to get rich. If they did, they are dum(I like that one).<br />
<br />
So there is one strike against appreciation. But I get it elsewhere
too. Let's stick to the last week when a colleague who is a fellow
coach couldn't get a sub for when he left early with the team he
coached. Maybe some of that was on him
but this Spring has been crazy with cancellations so instead he had to
struggle to find a colleague who could give up their unencumbered
planning to cover his class. A day before another teacher who wasn't
feeling well heard the same thing. That doesn't make me feel
appreciated.
I was also informed of the Required Summer Professional Development
where I was given no real choice. Just choose among what and when I
want to take it. Next I dealt with the run up to next Fall when our
overcrowded school will get another 100 or so 9th graders. <br />
<br />
During all that I kept focused in the hectic weeks before you
guessed it, testing season. ARGH! Already stressed and overworked with
unrealistic and unsustainable expectations I had a young man in my class
illustrate a point for me. I exist in a landscape where a 14 yr
student chooses to put his head down, 3 minutes after I made a special
effort to reach him about doing his best and what he is capable in the
hopes I could get him through the 9th grade. I felt more powerless than
usual and that says something. <br />
<br />
I am in the not so sweet spot part of my career where I am devalued
since I am not "new" and choose not to leave the classroom as a senior
teacher in favor of some other role. Most efforts on a national level seem to depreciate teachers. From how they are evaluated to the ever tightening knot that limits how they practice their craft. I did get the normal mass mailing
letters of appreciation from the school board and division
superintendent which I thought was nice. But truth be told I am tired
of being "told" I am appreciated. But it wasn't all bad.<br />
<br />
So how do I feel appreciated you ask? There were some small gestures from students. The <span style="font-style: italic;">applegrams</span>,
brief notes from students, yep... I received a handful. I did get a small
gift of appreciation from a family with a nice note. I teach 135 kids
so the odds were in my favor. I did also get a few E-mail thanks which
were nice gestures as well. The most noticeable efforts were school
wide in the form of some well timed and very tasty meals, snacks and
treats from our parent teacher organization. A thousand thanks to
them! So I do I suppose feel more appreciated than last week. <br />
<br />
Still what I appreciate has nothing to do with what week it is or what
gets organized. It is the psychological pay from countless seemingly
meaningless interactions with the vibrant and infectious energy of youth.
It is seeing the world through their eyes and thinking of it as if they
were my own children. It is seeing the newness of learning brighten a
day and the occasional light bulb go off. Usually it goes off now on a
cell phone first... It is the unexpected thank you for something you
did to help a student out. It is the feeling of appreciation when
students look to you for help, guidance and support. The moments that
are ever so briefly and arre, but also but also profound that make me
feel appreciated as a teacher. Thanks. <br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Rich Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07558608666418883974noreply@blogger.com0