Beyond Memorization: Give 21st Century Students Time to Understand

We can all agree that it is important for students to graduate from high school. However, what happens when “graduating” from high school does not necessarily represent an understanding of the basic skills needed in college and the workplace? According to the Sun-Sentinel, more than half of the students entering public colleges and universities in Florida need remedial classes in math, reading, and writing prior to starting their college classes. The problem is NOT the amount of money we are putting into our public schools; rather, the structure and curriculum of public education needs reform. Memorizing information for the FCAT or College Placement Test is not going to equip students with the skills needed for the 21^st century.

Students need to learn to analyze, understand, and explain rather than memorize, recite, and regurgitate facts and information. A student cannot be expected to master division if he or she does not know what dividing numbers truly means. Subjects—particularly reading and math—need to be taught on a student’s individual timeframe. Learning should be measured against each student’s past markers of progress. We must enable students to learn at varying rates so they come to understand and analyze information in a way that is useful and accessible both to them personally and for the 21^st century.

We must change our expectations about time and make conceptual understanding (not wrote repetition) our first priority.

For more information, please see "College Students Lack Math, Writing Skills: 55% Are Taking Remedial Classes After Entering Schools in Florida" by Scott Travis. Sun-Sentinel, March 1^st, 2010.

iSchools: Positive Changes in NYC

Certain instructional methods which I have mentioned in many of my previous blog postings, have recently been the subject of some positive publicity in the June issue of eSchool News. A new model being used in select NYC schools, called iSchools, seeks to integrate ‘innovative technology with project-based curriculum’ and early results indicate highly successful outcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize virtual resources on the internet to complete research projects and in doing so take pride in their work and ownership of final results. In this model, each student has his/her own laptop and access to a variety of online resources, which can be monitored by teachers and parents using a learning management system. These are all steps toward creating an environment in which time can be varied to accommodate the learner. As the student becomes more inclined to utilize technology and group-based project research, the skills gained will better prepare the student to enter post-secondary education and the 21st Century workforce.

eSchool News June

'Disrupting Class' - Highly Recommend!

Just finished reading 'Disrupting Class', by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Horn and Curtis W. Johnson, published by McGraw-Hill. I highly recommend this excellent book to administrators, teachers, politicians and others. The authors explain why major changes are required in public education if we are to educate every child of every parent to finish high school with the knowledge and skills needed either to go into the world of work or continue their education in the 21st century. This book appreciates the uniqueness of each student (referencing the Multiple Intelligences theory introduced by Dr. Howard Gardner) and recognises that we need to adapt instructional methods to match the learning styles of each student. Its 'disruptive innovation theory' explains why it is so difficult to move public education from its current focus on the 'class' to a new and needed focus on the 'student'. The authors' concept of a future classroom is one that incorporates technology and software to provide alternative methods and options for students to achieve the required objectives. They also encourage an environment in which students work together on projects and share and conceptualise learnings rather than memorise bits of information. Whilst this book recognises the need for flexibility within the organisation and structure of the learning environment to accomodate individual variations, it does not spell out sufficiently the need to vary time because students learn at different rates. I would not want to conclude without mentioning that the book is extremely well written and contains extensive research.

Time for 'Change' in K-12 Education

This is an opportune time for President-Elect Obama. His commitment to 'Change' must be applied in K-12 education.

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our high school students to the dropout pool. No longer can we tolerate the outdated agrarian industrial model. No longer can we tinker around the edges substituting book A for book B or modifying a time dimension within a few courses. No longer can we afford to leave the structure and organization of K-12 education the same.

This is the moment - this is the time for real change in the public schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the tools and the necessary technology to create a positive learning environment for the 21st century. We can focus on the student as the class and offer individualized instruction based on students' different learning styles. We can vary time so that those who need more time to master a concept have the opportunity to do so. The concept advocated in this blog (initial and subsequent posts) should be implemented now while the momentum for educational change is with us. The organization and structure of our current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all learners.

The need is obvious. The opportunity is here. The lives of young men and women, and the future of the United States of America, rest in our hands.

US Presidential Candidates - Impact on Education

We are approaching a very exciting time in American history and education. We are in the process of electing a new President, and the two candidates' views differ significantly in relation to how we should move forward in education.

Presidential candidate John McCain is prepared to perpetuate the existing school structure but proposes an assessment be done as to what is working in regard to President Bush's No Child Left Behind. He proposes to fund what has worked and to eliminate funding on what has not worked. He also believes that teachers should be rewarded for student performance. I intepret this to mean that he would retain the current structure of pay-for-time-served together with a merit system. Due to shrinking operating budgets and teacher shortages, he recognises that we may need to use technology to supplement the educator's daily lessons.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is much more open to the utilization of technology. He believes that computers can help students to develop skills for problem solving, and that the Internet can be used to connect and enable students across the globe to communicate, thus helping them to better understand foreign cultures. He believes that we should be promoting more technology-based education, but that this has to be done through grassroots efforts.

Unfortunately, neither presidential hopeful is speaking about changing the structure of education to accommodate the diversity of learners, e.g., students who arrive in public schools with learning deficiencies which are related to economic conditions, students who require shorter or lengthier periods of time to master concepts and meet standards, etc. At this time, approximately 30% of 9th graders in the United States are not graduating from high school. The White House can encourage this much needed educational change, including the use of technology to connect our homes and our schools, and as a learning, research and communication tool. Using technology and a new vision for education, our next President has the opportunity to make a real difference.

Teacher Training Vital to Hybrid Education

I just read a terrific article on how hybrid education engages students and promotes learning autonomy, and why teacher training is critical to this methodology that combines classroom and online learning. I strongly recommend reading T.H.E. Journal May 2007 - Hybrid Learning: Challenges for Teachers by Ruth Reynard. In this article, Ms. Reynard describes how "[h]ybrid [course delivery] is presenting teachers with an opportunity to increase student participation and maximize the learning potential of each student" and explains why "teachers need the professional development support in redesigning instruction and modifying their teaching methods accordingly."

Engaging Students is Critical in the Age of Creativity

I recently read an article in T.H.E. Journal (March 2007) entitled Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark? by Dave Nagel. The nationwide survey polled approximately 270,000 students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging from technology, math, and science instruction to communications, collaboration, and self expression". The findings were very interesting.

The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.

We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country to creatively address problems and challenges -- some that may have happened before and others undoubtedly that will be unprecedented. We have gone through many ages as a nation and world: agricultural, industrial, technological, information, and now we must enter the age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination, innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning, problem solving, and critical thinking. Listening, memorizing and regurgitating learned information is no longer sufficient. We need to do more in our schools through personalised education. And, in fact, it is time even for us to consider how to integrate the home environment into the fabric of the learning process.

T.H.E. Journal - Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark?

Longer Day is a Bandaid; Not a Solution

An article in the New York Times on Monday, March 26, 2007, refers to longer school days being used to solve our failing schools. This is a bandaid approach. While this additional time appears to be used in part to offer students individualised attention and opportunity for learning material, the majority of the day continues in the same class-oriented manner. The 'student might be the class' during the extra period, but not during the majority of the school day. We must vary time as part of learning to accommodate all students and we must change the structure and organisation of the classroom -- not just for an extra hour but for the entire school day.

NY Times - Failing Schools See a Solution In Longer Day