Open Ears–Close Mouth

How exactly am I supposed to teach a child who texts, tweets, IMs, FBs, plays RPGs and MMORGs while listening to Green Day or 50Cent? Teaching already requires the patience of Job; so adding to that challenge students whose ability to concentrate is hampered by all the distractions at their fingertips, can prematurely age even the greenest teacher. These “students need to be stimulated in ways they were never stimulated before” (Dretzin, 2010). So as a teacher, what am I to do? How do I approach this challenge in a way that sustains student engagement and enhances student achievement? Todd Oppenheimer calls this “instant gratification education” (Dretzin, 2010). My biggest fear is that I could not bridge the gap between the level at which I am teaching, and the level at which I need to be, to become an effective teacher of these 21^stCentury students. The surest way to a solution, of course, is to engage in some form of professional development through which I can acquire the skills and knowledge I needed; but how? “What distinguishes successful people from others is what they do with their fear” says Carly Fiorina (2007). Taking a risk is essential to success and taking that risk requires trying something new (Fiorina, 2007).

            As such, the Dobbs 21^st Century Learning Fellowship was a natural choice and perfect fit for my goals. At least that is what I thought at the time, because what I believed about 21^st Century Skills was that they all involved achieving some kind of proficiency in the use of technology. But I was wrong. 21^st Century Skills encompass much more than technology, and for a long while, I had no clue about what exactly I was supposed to be doing or where I was supposed to be going. Luckily for me, I chose the right book to read during the winter break: The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need–and What We Can Do about It, by Tony Wagner (2008).

For the first time after a lot of reading about what 21st Century Skills are, I got a clearer picture of what we as educators and instructional leaders must accomplish. Wagner’s extensive research and revealing interviews with corporate America identify what he has coined the “Seven Survival Skills” that students need to compete for jobs on a global scale and become active informed citizens in a democracy (p 10): 1) critical thinking and problem solving; “kids need to be problem solvers” (Dretzin, 2010); 2) collaboration across networks and leading by influence; 3) agility and adaptability; 4) initiative and entrepreneurialism; 5) effective oral and written communication; 6) accessing and analyzing information; and 7) curiosity and imagination (p 67); the world is going to require students to do stuff, to build stuff, not memorize as we used to do (Dretzin, 2010). Not only does Wagner clearly define what industry’s expectations are with regard to each skill, but he also exposes the contrast between what employers are seeking and what is actually being taught in the classroom. Wagner’s “learning walks” (p 47-63) in some of America’s best schools with willing instructional leaders revealed how disturbingly deficient our instruction is with regard to what students actually need to be successful after high school.

Far from disparaging teachers in this book, Wagner acknowledges the many facets of education reform that inhibit significant progress: from teachers embarking upon a new and likely transient reform effort (p xi) to industry’s insistence on accountability (p xiii) and the evident flaws in the No Child Left Behind legislation (p 90), notably with regard to standardized testing. Rotherham and Willingham (2009) best highlight the quintessential quandary standardized testing poses to educators in this climate of accountability: “Skills and knowledge are not separate, but intertwined.” We are called to teach skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, information literacy and global awareness (Rotherham and Willingham, 2009) yet, standardized tests measure knowledge and require memorization of facts. So how exactly do we mesh the two to engender a well-rounded 21^st century student? “Without content knowledge [students] cannot use thinking skills properly and effectively” because “to think critically, [they] need the knowledge that is central to the [applicable] domain” say Rotherham and Willingham (2009). Therefore, the challenge for educators is balancing the teaching of 21^st century skills with the pressures of ensuring that students acquire the knowledge on which they will be assessed on state exams, a feat that Wagner (2008) calls rare: fewer than one in twenty teachers use academic content as a means of teaching students how to communicate, reason and solve problems (p 65). The many converging causes and effects of and remedies to our students’ educational deficiencies lead to conundrums, confusion and a complete lack of clarity as to what educators must accomplish; and so, I for one, was grateful to have a clear explanation from Wagner (2008) as to what skills students needed to develop and practice for success.

Once I had a clearer picture of what I needed to accomplish in terms of grooming 21^stCentury students, I was able to focus in on some specific objectives that I wanted to meet during my tenure in the Dobbs 21^st Century Learning Fellowship:

1) Move from teacher to facilitator in the classroom;

2) Move from defining everything students must do to allowing student-driven

     learning and creative license;

3) Move from isolated to collaborative teaching practices;

4) Develop proficiency in all available technology tools;

5) Develop my own creativity skills; and

6) Collaborate with and engage my students with online communities.

The first of my two goals went hand-in-hand, as enabling student-driven learning required that I become a facilitator rather than a teacher. I truly wanted to change my habit of strictly defining what students had to accomplish in class. I would give specific assignments with strict guidelines on how to meet the objectives. Many times, the students became frustrated because of the limits, and so did I when they did not meet my expectations. So I worked harder on becoming a facilitator and my students rewarded me with outstanding performances.

The first present that I got from my students involved their Black History project. We were reading Things Fall Apart and Cry, The Beloved Country. I asked them to create a Black History Project incorporating themes from the novels and somehow, relating those themes to their Black History. I had no rubric, I had no rules. I gave no direction. I gave one or two hints but nothing that would tell them how to create their projects. I even let them pick their partners. I simply told them what I wanted. To top it off, I made them work under pressure: I told them the project was due the following class period. Despite the many protests about the time limit and the lack of “guidance,” I refused to relent, and ultimately, the students lived up to my expectations. They came to the next class with completed projects that included slide shows, videos, movies, PowerPoints, collages and posters, all of which accomplished what I asked them to do, and sometimes even in ways I could not fathom. One of the best projects focused on the theme of “journey” and included a PowerPoint on the protagonist’s journey and a video collage of African Americans’ journey from Africa to today—totally awesome! There was evidence of critical thinking, collaboration, research, adaptability, initiative, imagination and effective oral communication. I could not ask for more. At the end of class, when I asked students what they liked about the assignment, the overwhelming response was that they enjoyed having to figure it out themselves.

The next time they surprised me was with their peer review of research papers during their writers’ workshop. The process went well and the students had wonderful conversations about how they could revise and improve their papers. Though one or two still wanted me to read their first drafts, most were grateful for their peers’ feedback and enjoyed getting other students’ perspective on their work. At the end of the workshops, I asked students for a list of items that they needed specific help with, that they wanted me to review the following class period. Specifically, in-text citations, transitions, attention grabbers, redundancy, relevance and flow were significant challenges for the students. So the following class period, the content of the lesson I designed was student-driven and student-centered. I provided each student with a list of transitions for incorporating quotations and paraphrases, and excerpts from an article. Together, we proceeded to write the first few paragraphs of a research paper. As we worked through their list of concerns, the students expressed relief that their needs were met and that they were now able to proceed to the second draft.

Without realizing it, I had accomplished my goal and moved from teacher to facilitator, but it took another set of eyes to show me. For several weeks during the semester, I hosted an international exchange teacher from Cambodia through the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program via Georgia State University. We had a chance to discuss his observations and whether or not he had met the goals he established for his learning experience: he was very excited to see how teachers and students engage in an American classroom and the level of academic work the students do. To my surprise, the teacher said that I am a facilitator in my classroom; that my students engage in self-directed learning; that I ask questions that get students to think critically and more deeply about the material they are learning; and that they willingly participate in all classroom activities without much direction from me. I was flabbergasted!

I was so excited about my progress that I wanted to share what I was doing with the rest of my colleagues, which was my third goal. I worked diligently to put together a professional learning community or PLC (Professional, 1997) in my school through which I could share what I was doing in the Dobbs 21^st Century Learning Fellowship. I started with my common-planning team-members. I shared the new collaborative technology tools we discovered and even attempted to plan lessons together using Vyew.com, one of the more exciting ones. But the exigencies of our daily tasks and the demands of our high school transformation got in the way of successfully completing our plan to co-teach a lesson. So I went one step further. I asked for and was granted permission to make a presentation to the faculty and staff about 21^st Century Skills in the classroom. I discussed Wagner’s (2008) 21^stCentury Survival Skills and shared my own success stories with students. At the end of the presentation, I asked for volunteers to join me in creating a PLC for the purpose of implementing the skills into our classroom practice. I had a meager response, and those who volunteered were never quite able to connect with me to form the PLC. I am not sure why this effort did not work, but I suspect that an overabundance of reform measures at our school overwhelmed these teachers: “there was simply too much going on” (Brooks etal, 2008). However, I do intend to regroup, refocus and redouble my efforts in achieving this goal but I must find “supportive, non-intrusive [ways to] support this process … [so] that teachers see [that our efforts can lead] to improvement in student achievement as well as in their instructional practices (Darby, 2006).  

            While I have had significant success this year in the Dobbs 21^stCentury Learning Fellowship, I have not met all of the goals that I fixed at the outset, notably developing proficiency in all available technology, and developing my creativity. First, I think the goal I set with regard to technology was simply unrealistic: there was no way I could possibly become proficient in all available technology. However, I did make significant progress in learning and utilizing some of the technological tools I gathered in the Dobbs 21^st Century Learning Fellowship. I even coached colleagues on how to use sites like Typewith.me to collaborate on revising and editing the Design Implementation Guides for our new small learning communities. I also introduced my brother, who is working on his MBA at George Washington University, to Vyew so he could collaborate with his classmates on projects. So even though I did not achieve the proficiency I had hoped for, I did become somewhat of an expert in the few tools that I learned. But while I know that creativity is an area in which I need to develop some expertise, it was the goal which I was least able to fit into my practice this year. I hope that I can find some way to work on this essential ability in the near future.

            Finally, I believe that I have helped my students gain essential collaborative working skills with assignments in and out of the classroom. The students attested to the significant progress they made in working with others, especially those with whom they do not regularly come into contact; much of their success in collaboration was evident in the outstanding work they produced.

While I still have work to do in getting my students to connect with online communities to collaborate on broader assignments, I did manage to encourage their use of online collaborative tools to complete their work. Students utilized my Teacherweb site and the resources therein; they engaged in discussion using Facebook, Skype, and other tools. In addition, during our recent trip to Greece, I required the students on the trip to compose an online tour diarythrough which they were to share their daily experiences. All in all, I believe that my students and I had a very successful year that was certainly enhanced by the skills and knowledge I acquired during my tenure with the Dobbs 21^st Century Learning Fellowship: I “reconstructed [my] self-understandings through opportunities to improve teaching practices and reinforce [my] professional [identity] (Darby, 2006).

                                                           References:

Brooks, Jeffrey S., Roxanne M. Hughes and Melanie C. Brooks. (2008). “Fear and Trembling in an American High School: Educational Reform and Teacher Alienation.” Educational Policy. 22:45

Darby, Alexa. (2006). Teachers’ Emotions in the Reconstruction of Professional Self-Understanding. Elon University.

Dretzin, R. (2010). Digital Nation. Frontline. PBS.

Fiorina, Carly. (2007) The Dynamics of Change and Fear. Stanford University. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3IbKbDhfKw. Sep 22, 2009

Graham, P. & Ferriter, B. (Summer 2008). One Step at a Time. JSD. Vol. 29. No 3. National Staff Development Council. 

Professional Learning Communities: What Are They And Why Are They Important? (1997). Issues…about Change. Vol. 6. No 1. SEDL. http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html. Nov 22, 2009.

 Rotterham, A. & Willingham, D. (September 2009). 21^st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead. Educational Leadership. Vol. 67. No 1. 16-21.

 The Global Achievement Gap – Tony’s new book is now available in bookstores and online! (2010). School Change Consulting. http://www.schoolchange.org/news/the_global_achievement_gap__tonys_latest_book_is_now_for_sale_in_bookstores_and_online!.html. Dec 26, 2009.

Wagner, Tony. (2008). The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—and What We Can Do About It. New York: Basic Books.

Hello all. Terribly sorry for the delay in posting, but as you know, I went on a fantastic educational tour to Greece with a group of 9 students. We had a fantastic time: Greece is beautiful; the landscape is breath-taking. This trip was an eye opening experience for my students: they had to adapt to a new environment, new food, new people and their idiosyncrasies, and they learned to truly appreciate what they have at home.

The first day in Athens was fantastic; we visited the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, the Greek and Roman Agoras and many more landmarks. The kids were exhausted by midday as most of the activity was a walking tour of Athens. Because of the walking, the jet lag and adapting to a new environment, I experienced a lot of whining and complaining from the students that first day.  After a few days however, they recovered and did what they do best: exhibit resiliency in the face of change and challenge. The next day, we traveled by coach to Delphi–the most fascinating part of the trip. The town is built into the mountainside and the view from atop the crest is breath-taking. In Delphi, we encountered the friendliest and most accommodating Greeks. We also visited the Temple of Apollo and the Athenian Treasury. Also, the Temple of Apollo in Delphi is where the Oracle from the Athenians saught advice resided. The stories from the tour guide about all of these ancient traditions and beliefs were absolutely fascinating. After Delphi, we traveled to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olypmics. We had a chance to see the temple where once stood one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the colossal statue of Zeus. We also saw at Olympia, the Temple of Hera, in front of which the Greeks still light the Olympic Torch that travels around the world every four years. I hate to cheat you but we learned so much, it would take entirely too much time to discuss everything. After Olympia, we traveled to Tolo from where we visited Hydra and Spetses–breath-taking islands off the coast of Greece. In Hydra, we had our best epicurean experience. From Tolo, we traveled to Mycenae where we visted the palace and tomb of Agamemnon, then on to Epidaurus where we visited the Hellenic Theatre known world-wide for its amazing acoustics. One of our students thrilled the audience thrilled the audience with an aria, for which she received a standing ovation! We later traveled back to Athens where we went to see the Temple of Poseidon overlooking the Aegean Sea. For each site we visited, our tour guides had such amazing stories and explanations that we felt as if we were reliving the experiences of these ancient civilizations. What an experience! I have to say that the kids soaked up every living moment of this trip!

On our way back to Atlanta, we had a five hour layover in London so we took a short tour of the city; the students were thrilled. Of course, we almost missed our flight back, but British Airways was fantastic and held our flight for us; they couldn’t possibly leave 13 passengers stranded right?

The funniest part of the trip was when we landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: our students started to sing every patriotic song they new–God Bless America, The National Anthem etc. They were so glad to be home that they started to list the first things they would do: soaking in the tub, using the cellphone, getting free internet, ordering wings and burgers etc… They were just too funny, but I got the sense that they now truly appreciated what they have at home and that they gained a new perspective on life. I simply could not ask for more.

Finally, the coolest thing I saw on the trip was a statue made of green glass slides depicting a marathon man: 

The coolest thing I heard on the trip: “I can’t believe how much fun we had and nobody was smoking pot!”

Please be sure to visit our Interdisciplinary Tour Diary and read the students’ entries.

For several weeks now, I have been hosting an international exchange teacher from Cambodia through the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program via Georgia State University. This week, we had a chance to discuss his observations and whether or not he had met the goals he established for learning experience. The teacher ultimately wants take back teaching strategies he learns here to implement in schools in Cambodia. He was very excited to see how teachers and students engage in an American classroom and the level of academic work the students do. Luckily for all of us, he began his observations when we started our unit on Ancient China and Japan, and so he was able to contribute significant cultural history and stories to our discussion about this unit. Both I and the students were excited about this infusion of new information as well as the first hand knowledge of Ancient China that the teacher was able to provide. The experience was deeply enriching for all of us. During our discussion, we shared what we learned from each other during our experience together. To my surprise, the teacher said that I am a FACILITATOR in my classroom; that my students engage in self-directed learning; that I ask questions that get students to think critically and more deeply about the material they are learning; and that they willingly participate in all classroom activities without much direction from me. I was flabbergasted! Apparently, I met one of the goals I set for myself as part of the Dobbs Fellowship and I didn’t even know it! I am still concerned about getting my PLC together; most people have so much going on. One of my colleagues would like to help but she won’t be available until after March 31. By then, I will be tied up with graduation activities. So what I will do is use my international exchange teacher and his observations as a part of my research and discussion. What do you think? Please let me know. Thanks.

I am deeply disappointed. Since our last meeting, I have been trying to put together a team of colleagues at work to help me with m culminating artifact. I got half hearted replies and a few inquiries–all of which was a grand total of four (4). I thought I could depend on my interdisciplinary team–but one member categorically refused to be videotaped, and another, though willing, is strapped with so many other responsibilities that it is virtually impossible to get together. I emailed all of my contacts to attempt to schedule a meeting today, as Mondays tend to be our less demanding after-school days: I got no replies. So at this point should I keep trying or should I come up with something else? With all of the millions of other things I have to do, I really don’t want to waste time on something that won’t bear fruit? Does anyone have suggestions?

Colleagues, please accept my sincerest apologies for this late post but things at work have been truly demanding of my time. But as I do have a commitment to our process, I am herein posting my thoughts on my Culminating Artifact. After a discussion with one of our facilitators, I have decided that I will create a Wiki page on which I will document my action research and upload artifacts such as videos, conference discussions, presentations and such. I have gained the assistance of 4 colleagues at work who will collaborate with me on implementing 21st Century Skills in the classroom. As a group, we are willing to assess and reflect on our performances in an effort to improve. So far, we have one class video taped and we will work on getting the others done over the next few weeks. I will keep you posted as I go.