The Power of PD

As some know, our school won $20,000 from Best Buy this year for new technology.  With the money, we purchased 15 Macbooks and 5 video cameras, along with the various accessories.

The primary users, thus far, have been myself and a colleague who helped create the videos.  This wasn't by design - we advertised that the equipment was available for everyone to use, and we'd be happy to provide some help.  No one had taken us up on the offer...

Yesterday, however, we finally got some PD time with an external presenter.  The content wasn't hard - indeed, as my colleagues sat down with the Macbooks, they were easily following along or moving ahead of the presenter.  Nothing incredibly complex was presented, but an amazing thing happened - teachers who had before shied away from using the laptops were getting very excited to try things in their classrooms.

It was interesting to see because more and more I'm discovering that it's not a lack of ability to use technology that is causing some teachers to avoid it, it is a lack of time to explore it.  Our very valuable 30 minute preps a day tend to be taken up with mundane things like marking and photocopying, and while I believe all teachers should spend some time on PD, it's not always the case.  Therefore, providing two hours of dedicated time was fantastic for my colleagues as they had the excuse to explore a technology they haven't had the chance to yet.

I encourage all "teach leaders" in schools to set aside some time for teachers to explore the technology - time they wouldn't have usually gotten, so time they wont feel like they should be using to mark or photocopy - you'd be amazed at what could happen!

In Defense of a Middle Ground

I've been spending more time on Twitter, and a bit more time reading blogs lately.  I've noticed something about everyone crying out for change - it appears that in their minds that it's all or nothing.  There is no partial solution - either completely remove (or implement) something, or bust.

Some of what I've seen lately...

Homework is evil!

Tests destroy learning!
Competition is bad!

It all has to be relevant!

The internet should be unfiltered completely!

Math has to be real!

The thing is?  I agree with all of that - but all to varying degrees.

Why can't people (and I'm guilty of this as well, although trying to change) accept a middle ground.  Are there really that many issues in education that have total rights or total wrongs?  I can't name too many, and certainly, in my opinion, none of the ones I've listed above are black and white.

Where do I stand?

I think some homework is important.  It allows teachers to provide some practice for students that they didn't have time for in class, and it provides students with an opportunity to learn a valuable skill of completing work for a deadline.  Not 50 questions, not 2 hours, but a few questions to reinforce a lesson.

I think tests are necessary, as I said in a previous post, to prepare students for the next stage of their education.  I also think that it allows for some learning to be displayed in an efficient manner.  I don't use them often, and I don't place a huge weight on them, but I certainly don't think they should be removed completely.

Competition is bad?  Really?  Competition where someone feels bad, I suppose.  Competition that's unfair, yes.  Competition with kids who can't understand winning and losing - sure.  Competition to teach a concept with a bit of fun?  Not a chance.  My kids LOVE playing math Tic-Tac-Toe, and I've used a dozen other "competition" games before as well.  What game do students play on the playground?  Competition tag games, football or basketball, etc.  Winners and losers aren't bad, it's how we react to them.

As I spoke about previously, relevance is important, but not always vital.  Learning for the sake of learning is valuable, and learning to learn is important.

I'm a huge fan of unblocking most websites, even some of the questionable ones, because students have to know what to do when they encounter something inappropriate.  Sometimes, however, age plays a factor - we rate movies not necessarily because we don't think children should understand the topics being covered, but because we believe them not to be ready to deal with it yet.  Therefore, most of the internet should be unblocked most of the time...but there are cases when some filtering is necessary.

As a math teacher, I get the question all the time about "What's the point".  Usually I have an answer, because most of our math really does have a point.  Sometimes, it's simply for the love of learning, or for the act of solving a challenging problem.  Sometimes, math doesn't have to be completely relevant.

I would simply ask everyone screaming for education reform to think about perhaps considering the other side of the coin...consider that perhaps there is a middle ground.

It's rare that there are decisions that have absolute rights and absolute wrongs, there are too many factors and too many situations that we have to consider when we scream for change.

Social Networking in 10 minutes or less

So one of the many complaints from colleagues that they "just don't have time" to use Twitter/Blogs/other PD opportunities is they just can't find the time.

And who can blame them?  It all looks like WAY too much reading, if you're not used to the idea.  Twitter has gotten a bad wrap - "It's about people posting what they ate for breakfast" is the most common comment I get.  I also get "I don't care what Beieber thinks" is a close second.  Showing teachers without a good explanation, however, also harms them - they see my stream updating every second with something new to read, or look at, or respond to, and get seriously overwhelmed.

I explain to them that I get my PD in 10 minutes with a morning coffee.  They act surprised - "10 minutes to read all that?".  Nope.  Only what I feel like.

It's so important to remember that good resources keep popping up in multiple places, and if you miss something, it's probably going to come back.  It's also important to note that if you HADN'T looked, you wouldn't get ANYTHING, so getting one thing is better than the alternative :)

I explain to them that my morning works something like this - I open up my blogs, and skim through the various education/math/science titles - call it 15 posts.  I'll probably read one, and save one for a prep or the next morning (remember, 10 minutes or less!).

I'll pop open twitter and read the last 5-6 tweets in case someone has an interesting discussion happening right now, and then scroll looking for links.  I might click on 3.

They start to see what I'm talking about - I get one or two things a day, which adds up to a LOT in a week and even more in a month :)  The rest?  It will either resurface, or I'm not any worse off than not looking.

I'll be making a post about why I think we need to require more continuous PD, but I've converted a couple of people to spend 10 minutes learning something new.

Using Video to Engage

After our school won the Best Buy Best In Class award we made sure to purchase some basic video cameras with our money, in addition to 15 Macbooks.  We chose a basic Kodak flip type camera, and I'm really impressed with both the quality (1080p) and the ease of use (any of our students can figure them out instantly).

This has caused me to start using video creation as a major assessment during each of my math units.  Students are asked to create a teaching video which must include both definitions learned in the unit, a real world example, and a good use of manipulatives.  I'm pretty impressed with the level of engagement that I'm seeing from my kids!

The more "mathematically inclined" students are happily making two or three problems and going off to create their own manipulatives to use in the video.

The students who are less capable in math are still able to create a good video with the basics of what I've asked for.

Each unit tends to involve at least one video, sometimes more if there are lots of unique concepts.

Everyone is really happy with their results.  Because of a CRAZY amount of FOIP paperwork required by my school division, I can't show you the videos...but I can at least share a bit about the process.

-I tend to assign one or two topics that mesh (we're doing single and two step equations right now)

-I use groups of 2-4, depending on the kids who are forming the group.  Less and you don't have a camera operator, more and you have too many people and not enough tasks.  4 is actually a rarity - that's usually too much.

-Tripods are nice - we have two, and they're always in use.

-I broke down how I teach some basic lessons.  The students noted that various stages that I went through when I talked about a topic (introduction, a real world problem, some key terms and ideas, an activity, practice, etc).  This was really helpful for when they started to make their videos, as I quickly discovered.  Before we did the "lets see how we teach a lesson" lesson, the most common question was "Where do I start?" or, for some "Can I have a camera to record 'stuff'" :)

-I always make sure to be very specific with my kids - mine need it, yours will perhaps need less.  Things like how many shots they need to take (minimum 3 for me), which definitions to include, who has to be in the video, etc.  I find it really helps with focusing either the less mathematically or multimedially (new word I just made) inclined.

-Students don't have to do a formal storyboard for my videos, but they do have to have the basics done.  Usually that requires them to actually have the manipulatives they want to use out, have the worked problem they're going to show us, and be able to not only define the words, but also have some sort of visual representation of what they mean (this is a video, after all...).

-Locations can be difficult - I've taken over the paper and photocopy room, quiet hallways, gym storage rooms, etc :)  Make sure if you have lots of groups that you have somewhere to put them for filming.

-We use iMovie and Garage Band to create everything, and it generally only takes about 2 classes after geting their footage together to make it into a decent finished product.

Overall, I'm really happy with what they've made, and they're able to show me some good understanding through both the process (I'm marking anecdotally) and the final product.

Education Reform - Can It Harm Students?

Teachers like to try and change the system.  We all have great ideas about what is wrong with education, and some people actually try and implement these ideas in their classrooms.  Most of the time, I think it's a great idea to try and do something new - teach differently, use different tech, try and explain something in a better or different light.

But, through conversation, I'm wondering if we're doing some of the "reform" wrong.

I've always had issues with teachers who are going to "change the whole system, one classroom at a time." Let's use tests as an example, but know that it's only an example.  Some teachers have suggested that all tests are evil, they should never be used because they don't teach anything and they're poor assessment tools.  I tend to agree with them - probably not in such strong language, but I rarely use tests to assess major concepts and I don't think that they really show learning.

But, and it's a big but, students have come back and thanked me for giving them tests - and showing them how to study for them.  The reason for this is because other teachers don't agree that tests are bad - they happily give a unit test at the end of every unit, and then a final exam, and that's 80% of your mark.

So my question is - if we think that tests are bad, and we stop using them as assessment tools, what happens when students get to teachers who use them?  Haven't we done a complete diservice to the students sitting right in front of us by NOT preparing them for what they may face?

It was suggested that the teacher giving the tests could teach them how to study - yes, and well they should, but it's not a one off thing.  It's not a simple lesson on studying - it's a habit, and a skill, to be able to study and prepare for a test.  And, I know far too many teachers who simply expect students to know how to write a test and have little sympathy for those who don't.  Incorrect attitude?  Of course it is!  But, don't we owe it to our kids to prepare them to deal with something that while unfair is still possibly going to happen?

I've used tests, but lots of other ed reform movements can cause the same problems - anything that a single teacher, or group of teachers decide needs to be done away with or changed that students MAY need seems to me to be something that we CAN'T get rid of.

The question then becomes - where does the change get made?  For certain it needs to start at the very least at a principal level - if a whole SCHOOL does away with tests, at least I know I wont be sending my students off next year to a teacher who is going to use them.  They still have to face them in the next school, or University/College, but perhaps they're going to be better prepared.  Or the school could really focus the last year on writing them.

Better still is a system - the minister of education in Ontario decided that there would be no more late penalties on assignments - no more "10% off per day".  It's a fantastic pedagogical idea - we shouldn't be marking students on when they hand something in, we should be marking them on what they know.  Teachers all over the province freaked out - "How can we get students to hand things in on time, this will destroy my classroom, etc etc etc".  It didn't, and the policy is humming along quite nicely.  The reason that it didn't hurt anyone is because EVERYONE had to do it.

So...education reform - I'm all for it, but it needs to be sensible, and it needs to start at a place where we don't penalize kids next year.

Knowledge worth knowing

I suppose my first "real" post shouldn't be so controversial, but I figure that things that aren't worth debating aren't terribly interesting in the first place.

It seems that everywhere I look there is this idea that we need to decide "what's worth teaching".  Many other bloggers have written articles about changing the way we teach to allow students to enjoy what they see, or only do things that they like, or teach like your class is an elective.  Twitter is alive with people commenting that education needs to allow more freedom, more choice and more "exciting" and "interesting" learning.  I recently had a conversation with a teacher that suggested that all mathematical theory should be immediately relevant to students.  There have been arguments that various authors are not "in touch" with students, and why should we bother reading them.  Entire sections of science have been deemed "irrelevant to middle school students" during conversations.

I disagree.  Not with many of the ideas, but with the idea that it has to be this way all the time.

The phrase "knowledge is power" wasn't created by accident.  Knowing things makes us better able to interact with each other, better able to understand our world and, I believe, better people.  Being able to use things I've learned in school has been nice for me.  I can have a conversation, knowledgeably, about most topics.  I learned how to think, and to learn, even when it wasn't fun.  I learned that sometimes, what I'm being told wont be useful for a few years, but man am I thankful when I get to where I needed it.

Content in school doesn't have to be relevant all the time because sometimes it builds upon itself.  Sometimes what you're learning in Grade 6 is later used in a real application in Grade 9.  Content also doesn't have to be immediately relevant because we can't know where our students are going to end up.  We don't know if the Grade 9 student is going to go into mathematics, or English, or art, or any of the hundreds of other professions, and I bet they don't either!  Therefore, learning how to calculate the value of x in a quadratic equation or learning how to write a five paragraph essay is important regardless of how little you actually use the skills.

It doesn't always have to be fun.  Sometimes, in school, as well as in life, we have to do things that aren't fun but it's still the best way to learn.  Some concepts just require notes, or a teacher talking.  Some assessments are best completed with a pen and paper test.  School should be entertaining, most of the time. I would say that 90% of my classes are "fun" or at least engaging to students and beyond the traditional talk->memorize->test formula.  That other 10%?  That's the stuff that can't be taught effectively or efficiently through the use of "fun" activities.

Furthermore, there's a skill (and it is a skill that is important) learned to be able to take something "not fun", complete it acceptably without complaining and do a good job at it.  We all have to do it, in every job.

It's not all about student choice.  Perhaps other educators have these amazing super motivated students, but I haven't seen an entire class of them yet.  Sure, some kids I can say "What do you want to learn today in Science" and they'll actually come up with reasonable topics, and good project ideas.  But another entire group of them will simply, and consistently, say "nothing...can we go outside and play?" or "Nothing, I don't care about science".

I expect some will say that therefore they shouldn't be learning about things they don't care about...but really?  That's your argument?  Where do we draw the line - how old does a kid need to be to "choose" what they want to learn?  It's a real question - we, as a society have decided that expect for English and Math, students get choice when they hit Grade 11.  Where should it be, if not there?

I'm not against most of what others have said.  I believe that school should,  most of the time, encourage thinking, be "fun", allow student choice as much as possible, and generally move in the direction that many want to take it.  I  just don't think it should be all the time, in every circumstance.

What's in a name?

We like to name things.  We give each other names, we give objects names, we give ideas names, and then we use those names to share understanding with each other.  If I say "Rabbit" you know what type of animal I'm thinking about.

I've been thinking about names a lot lately - I recently attended a conference where I become convinced that I needed an education blog.  I have one that I'm (admittedly) not very good at keeping up with, but I wanted one to share my education related thoughts, and things I find, with others.

So, the name of my new blog...is three words?  I tried to chose the words that I felt most applied to how I teach and live my professional life.

Learn - I'm always learning.  Every morning I happily take a cup of coffee and read my blogroll, or Twitter, or both.  I learn from my students, and happily let them know it.

Teach - My profession, and why I love going to work in the morning.  I enjoy "turning on the light bulb" of learners of any age, and try to share my knowledge and skills.  I also want this blog to be where I can have others teach either through sharing ideas they have, or applying what I've learned from others to a new idea.

Lead - Leadership in education can come from everywhere and anyone.  Leadership happens in my classroom when I provide my students the opportunity to lead each other and myself.  I try and take leadership roles with others to share what I have learned, thus starting at the beginning of the cycle again of learning, teaching, and creating leaders.

So, on to new adventures in education, and sharing my (many) thoughts with the world.