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annott

Implementation in a Secondary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by annott on 16 Apr 19 - No Cached
  • choice serves as a motivator
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      When I give some of my kids choices on what they want to do, they have a tendency to ask me for suggestions. I would think the students would need experience with choices to feel confident enough to go make their own.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 25 Apr 19
       
      I have found this as well, in language arts/my writing classes. Giving them an umbrella topic- How-To Essay, and the world at their finger tips, they'll try to take one of my simple examples (how to tie your shoes) instead of choosing their own. I wonder a good way to teach students how to make choices- seems like a valuable lesson!
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I've also witnessed this in many things.Most the time I try to put a similar assignment on paper as on chromebook and allow the students the choice on how they would even like to do the assignment for that day.
  • You have to have a principal who understands that when he walks into a room and it’s not silent, it’s okay.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      I have to get over this at times. We do a lot of collaborative work and if a visitor came into my room they would probably say it is noisier than most classrooms. Once they sit in there for awhile they see the students working together and learning from each other. It is a great thing to experience.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I had a principal that once told me he loved when he'd walk into a classroom where the noise was coming from the students working together. Learning can be noisy and people need to understand that, whether that is in a library or a classroom.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 25 Apr 19
       
      It kind of bothers me nowadays when I walk into a room where students aren't talking. It can be hard to get students to know the difference between just 'socializing' and working together, but I often see the most learning happening in my classroom when the students (rather than just me) are discussing.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I used to always get nervous when an administrator would come into my room, and it wasn't quiet. Now that I've been teaching for a couple of years I have figured out most learning seems to be occurring when students are talking.
  • One of the things I had to learn recently was to let go and allow the kids to experience the consequences of their choices. And maybe there’s a failure. Maybe a kid was trying to do a vodcast and he couldn’t get the video to work correctly on the computer. That’s a learning opportunity for that child. Because it was his choice, he’s going to try to figure out a way to make it work—sometimes with the help of a fellow student.”
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      Such a real life skill. Learning to fail and work through a situation is such great lesson to learn. As teachers it is difficult to watch a student struggle. Knowing that it is part of the process of becoming better at something gives us a little more patience.
    • tracyc4
      tracyc4 on 19 Apr 19
       
      This is a difficult thing to convince parents about in my school. They are looking for perfect scores and don't like it when we "let the kids fail". It will take time to make this shift in thought in our community. I agree that this is a very real life skill that is important for kids to learn how to work through.
  • ...28 more annotations...
  • Eighth grade math teacher Julie Ison describes a project her classes worked on that involved graphing. Working with Excel, the students went to a few websites (preselected by the teacher) and picked data about whatever they were interested in—flavors of ice cream, baseball statistics, basketball statistics, whatever they wanted. They sucked in all the information, put it in Excel, manipulated it, made graphs out of it, and figured out what graphs went with that data, what graphs didn’t go with that data
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      Neat idea. I have a unit on statistics and probability coming up. This is an activity that I might steal. Great way to incorporate personalized learning with graphing real life data.
  • We use Schoology as a learning management system, which many students access on their own phones if there aren’t enough devices to go around.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      I heard this is a great program. My school is looking to adopt this as our LMS.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I know often people think it's important for all teachers to use the same LMS is that true? Does it hurt students to have some teachers using one and some using another?
  • This flipped learning setup frees up my students to use classtime to practice their skills.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      One of my goals before the end of the school year is to do a flipped lesson. I'm excited to try it.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 19 Apr 19
       
      Given that we only see our students twice a week in PE, the use of blended learning is very beneficial to making the best use of face to face class time.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I think we need to do more flipping as it would also help parents, especially in math. Often times I hear parents say well I can't help them with their math, so this way they could see how the teacher was doing the problem and help their child easier.
  • fantasy football stats during class, their motivation began to soar.
    • mgast40diigo
      mgast40diigo on 16 Apr 19
       
      I've used the curriculum Fantasy Math and Sports by Dan Flockhart. The students who love sports love this program. It's great way to learn math and is aligned with the common core.
  • The more meaningful an activity is to the person engaging in it, the more likely he or she will be motivated to continue doing it.
    • cmanring
      cmanring on 17 Apr 19
       
      This is definitely the case in History/Social Studies. Some students will come in and out of interest based on the time period/unit/activity. Finding a way to keep interest would help.
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 18 Apr 19
       
      I was thinking the same exact thing about my Social Studies classes. Some time periods/events are more exciting then others but if you can relate it to current day things or to how it still impacts students today they seem more interested in the topic.
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      This is a very valid point. Technology does give way for more student engagement.
  • But when the teacher started to use the students’ questions rather than her own to frame discussions, motivation began to rise.
    • cmanring
      cmanring on 17 Apr 19
       
      I have found success and better serving students in the last few years by continually asking them what is and isn't working.
  • They became more motivated and less fidgety when the teacher allowed them to find a comfortable place to read.
    • cmanring
      cmanring on 17 Apr 19
       
      I have loosened up on this as well the last few years. I wouldn't want to read on the dusty floor but some really enjoy it.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      Our school is moving to more flexible seating in most classrooms. I think in some cases it works well, in others I think it can be an issue. I think it's important to at least allow students to stand up as opposed to staying seated as they literally sit all day.
  • Certainly, giving choice to students often means that teachers need to allow students to make their own decisions, and it can be difficult to give up this control.
    • cmanring
      cmanring on 17 Apr 19
       
      In the end just allowing students to have and make choices at the minimum gives them the sense that their opinion matters, counts, and they can make decisions.
  • While choice can be a powerful motivator, on some occasions it can also have an adverse effect
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 18 Apr 19
       
      I've given kids freedom to choose topics/ideas in my class and many times I have a handful of kids coming up and asking me what they should do, what would be a good one, what would be an easy one to do.
  • However, if tasks are perceived to be too difficult, motivation is likely to suffer.
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 18 Apr 19
       
      I feel like this is kind of a catch 22. If you make the project challenging for the students they are more likely to lose interest in doing it. So should we make easy projects to keep them motivated. I don't think thats the solution.
  • For example, when a teacher assigns a research project, some students will prefer to have a broad range of topics, others will prefer a small list of options, and yet others will prefer to be told what to do. Giving students a short list of topics with an option to create their own topic, with the teacher’s approval, often works well.
    • tommuller4
      tommuller4 on 18 Apr 19
       
      This just described just about every class I have ever taught. Some kids like endless options, some want a few, and some want to be told their only option.
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I agree Tom, but I think it's because they have lacked choice before they get to HS and then once they get to HS they worry about grades and want to know how to get an A.
  • Not every program lends itself to choice
    • tracyc4
      tracyc4 on 19 Apr 19
       
      This is something that is important to remember. It doesn't always have to be choice in the topic or the process of learning, it can be choice in the presentation.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      Right, I think that is sometimes easily forgotten. Just any choice along the way can be good.
  • So far the teachers have talked about choice in terms of curriculum, but choice can also, surprisingly, come into play in relation to discipline
    • tracyc4
      tracyc4 on 19 Apr 19
       
      This is so true! I have started using this in my classes, "these are your options....you choose" Many times I have used, "Would you like me to help with the situation or do you think you can settle it yourselves?" Sometimes they do actually want my help to settle a conflict and other times they are able to do it on their own. This of course is for small disagreements, not big blow outs. I think it is important though to give them the chance to sort things out on their own if they feel they can do so. Most of the time they can and it is a good skill to practice.
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      We have done a lot of PBIS training recently, and this is one of the big things they tell us.
  • They could be two ‘bad’ choices
    • tracyc4
      tracyc4 on 19 Apr 19
       
      There are consequences for actions and the teacher is still in charge of those consequences, even when students are getting choice in the disciplinary action.
  • Show us what you’ve learned,
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 19 Apr 19
       
      I think that choice in assessment is the harder one to implement. Choice in what you learn about seems more common place. (ie what dinosaur to study, which event to study, etc.)
  • differentiation of instruction, assessment and expression of learning as well as the collection of student data.
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 19 Apr 19
       
      I think that automating what you can in these categories makes teachers more effective.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 19 Apr 19
       
      This is key to the Physical Education world especially as they tend to have twice as many students than other teachers.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 25 Apr 19
       
      Pretty much anything that gives you more data is brilliant in my book- particularly if it's a technology that gives the student data that they can reflect on as well!
  • Now they have access to the full unit from the beginning
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 19 Apr 19
       
      Having a unit ready to go from day 1 of the unit is tough. When students see that though, I think they have confidence because that means the expectations are all set out at the beginning. They just have to navigate each expectation. It is the difference in running a race and knowing where the finish line is and running a race and not knowing where the finish line is.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 19 Apr 19
       
      I am thinking this is the way to go but I worry that if changes need to me made midstream how that will affect the students who may moved ahead.
  • Your class is easy. I don’t mean simple — I mean it is easy for me to learn because I can pick assignments that let me do my best work.
    • mistermohr
      mistermohr on 19 Apr 19
       
      I love this quote. Easy vs. simple.
  • It is the purposeful design of instruction to combine face-to-face teaching, technology-assisted instruction and collaboration to leverage each student’s learning style and interests for deeper learning.
    • rhoadsb_
      rhoadsb_ on 19 Apr 19
       
      There is so much to be learned about the design of instruction for all teachers as we move forward. All teachers need more PD on this to get us into the 21st Century of Learning and beyond. There are so many exciting things that can happen when this is done well for students. I really think that our students would be more motivated to come to school if we would move out of the industrial era!
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I totally agree. We need to change the way school is structured so we can motivate students.
  • require students to work in groups
    • kmolitor
      kmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I think we need to work on getting students to collaborate with different people but they tend to want to be with friend groups especially in MS. I like the idea of giving one "buddy" in their group.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 25 Apr 19
       
      My system of group selection works as follows- I draw names randomly, and students jump into groups as they are called. It very rarely happens that an entire group of friends gets together, as some other students will jump in. For this to work, though, there usually has to be a topic set up beforehand, so they know what they're getting into.
  • “One of you needs to move. You decide.”
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 25 Apr 19
       
      I'm surprised I haven't heard much/seen much on this fairly simple concept. Maybe it doesn't work as well as they mention here? I could forsee, if I have two students causing issues, and I ask one of them to decide who moves- they would just get in another fight and/or both refuse to move. Nice in principle though!
    • tmolitor
      tmolitor on 25 Apr 19
       
      I feel the same as you. It seems like when you give two or more students a choice they start arguing about it.
  • The journey from old school to new learning paradigm was bumpy at first.
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      I would agree, it has been bumpy, but it's definitely better!
  • And our classroom is often noisy and active as we play a round of Kahoot
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      Some of my students love to play it and others don't . But its great for a change of pace.
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      Learning doesn't have to be quiet.
  • This year I create experiences to expose my students to a range of real-world issues, review the fundamentals of research and help them discover authentic ways to research their issues using a wide variety of digital tools.
  • When it is time to take the standardized tests at the end of the year, your teachers use your project portfolio to help you identify the standards you have already met and rehearse the test with you but don’t otherwise find it necessary to do extensive test prep.
  • Here’s a list of choices. Choose one. As long as you follow the steps in my rubric, you’re fine.’”
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      I would agree that giving options is much better for student learning. When they are part of the planning and designing it natural makes it more engaging.
  • As a result, instead of lecturing to students and showing them a PowerPoint during classtime, I give them screencasts or videos to watch at home.
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      We have to let go of the idea that every student must watch every minute of our videos. Good point that they can fast forward, that does make it adaptive.
  • Just three short years ago, my AP students would each have produced their own 10-page research paper. This year, they will select social justice issues that they will research with a team. Each team will collaborate to create a presentation for the board of a philanthropic organization in competition for a hypothetical grant that will be awarded to the program or event most likely to deliver real change. I will bring in administrators and community members to serve as the “board” and choose a winner.  The students won’t get a real grant, but they will receive public recognition for the winning project.
    • annott
      annott on 30 Apr 19
       
      I love this idea, what a great way to get higher order thinking along with collaboration, and an authentic audience.
edgerlyj1

"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 1 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by edgerlyj1 on 11 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • but every mechanism we use to measure it is through control and compliance
    • edgerlyj1
      edgerlyj1 on 11 Feb 18
       
      This is such a true point. We emphasize wanting to produce independent critical thinkers, but most of our whole educational system is aimed at producing compliant students who have all mastered the same things.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      Do we have a need for students in society that haven't mastered the basics? I just feel we need both worlds. We need a traditional classroom with traditional standards and we need personal learning aspects to benefit the individual.
    • crystalseier
      crystalseier on 17 Feb 18
       
      As teachers, we think of adding choice or creativity is a simple way to differentiate and personalize learning for students. Yet, we are still in the mindset of assigning grades. How do you grade someone on creativity and innovation?
    • cgerbracht
      cgerbracht on 23 Feb 18
       
      I think it is difficult for teachers to offer a more personalized approach to learning when the state demands rigorous and frequent assessments on our students.
    • edgerlyj1
      edgerlyj1 on 03 Mar 18
       
      crystalseier: "Yet, we are still in the mindset of assigning grades." I agree 100%. The realm of personalized learning is hindered by the current reality that we have to grade students. I see progress in this area because some schools are going away from class rank and some are even getting rid of GPAs. I think standards-based grading is progress towards being able to have more flexibility in the classroom and not being restricted by grades, both as a teacher and also in the minds of students (and parents!)
  • Personalization is often used in the ed-tech community to describe a student moving through a prescribed set of activities at his own pace. The only choice a student gets is what box to check on the screen and how quickly to move through the exercises. For many educators that’s not the true meaning of “personalized learning.”
    • edgerlyj1
      edgerlyj1 on 11 Feb 18
       
      This may not be "personalized learning" based on the definition, but I feel this is a common stepping stone for most teachers to move in that direction. I feel it would be very hard to move from traditional teaching to completely PL based on how it is defined.
    • cgerbracht
      cgerbracht on 23 Feb 18
       
      I think there can be a place for these tools in a classroom. However, they are definitely not personalized. My first graders use a math program like this. It adjusts instruction based on students' answers. I use it as part of my math stations, but I do not see it as the entire instruction by any means. I also do not see it as personalized learning. Students do not get to choose interest areas. It does not even really allow for solving math problems in unconventional ways. However, I do find it to be a useful resource for a small part of the school day.
  • personalization only comes when students have authentic choice over how to tackle a problem. A personalized environment gives students the freedom to follow a meaningful line of inquiry, while building the skills to connect, synthesize and analyze information into original productions.
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 11 Feb 18
       
      This particular section revealed some real fears I thought I didn't have about relinquishing control.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      It seems like technology will be controlling the classroom instead of the teacher.
    • jessicamotto
      jessicamotto on 17 Feb 18
       
      When teaching very young students, how can the make an authentic choice to tackle a problem?
    • crystalseier
      crystalseier on 17 Feb 18
       
      Facilitating opportunities for 'authentic choice' for each student for every concept is an overwhelming thought. Students need to have the skill of being self-motivated.
    • mriniker
      mriniker on 19 Feb 18
       
      I love the idea of personal learning and kids would be more engaged in authentic work. But how do we give them the skills we are still required to teach while allowing this type of environment.
  • ...30 more annotations...
  • However, in order to navigate the system of accountability in the U.S. educational system, many school district leaders require public school educators to teach a specific curriculum that will be evaluated on standardized tests, while at the same time telling teachers to be innovative and creative within their classrooms.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      It seems that the older generation is more reluctant to change the way students learn. I feel that a large percentage of people that have been in education for quite awhile want standardized tests, data, etc. That is what they know. Changing to a personal way of learning is going to take many years for everyone to buy into that concept...in my opinion.
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      Agreed. I think even the new generation of teachers out there are behind the pace of what students need nowadays because the conventional ways of education have been so slow to change.
    • edgerlyj1
      edgerlyj1 on 03 Mar 18
       
      Yes, it's going to be slow change.... I think what complicates this is the rate at which technology changes things. We just can't keep up!
  • From what I’ve seen, flipping doesn’t do much for helping kids become better learners in the sense of being able to drive their own education.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      I had a friend that taught HS English/French for over 30 years. She retired last year because she said her school was using more and more technology. Her exact words were "I have no desire to learn all that new technology." My first thought was "that's too bad. Maybe she would have really enjoyed the new changes."
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      Her style of learning was having the students read the material at night and discuss the material during class.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Feb 18
       
      It really is a shame at what some of these teachers that are near retirement age are missing out on. I understand that change is not always fun at first. However, when we see the engagement and joy in the students' eyes with these new and exciting resources we have to offer them, that's when our jobs are most rewarding!
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      That can be true, but I know students who feel the opposite. In some foreign language classes, they are being inundated with technology (videos, interactive sites, music), but they hate the courses because they aren't learning anything! No grammar, no sentence structure, no parsing, just parroting sounds pretending technology is giving them an education. Sometimes too many resources can be detrimental.
  • Certain forms of technology can be used to support progressive education, but meaningful (and truly personal) learning never requires technology.
  • Therefore, if an idea like personalization is presented from the start as entailing software or a screen, we ought to be extremely skeptical about who really benefits.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      It seems we can't do anything without technology. Does anyone think technology has went too far? I struggle with that question.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Feb 18
       
      I also struggle with that question. Is technology great? Yes. Is technology changing the way we think and teach at times? Yes. Should technology always be the main focus of our teaching/learning. I don't necessarily think so. I feel students need foundation skills (reading from print books, basic mathematics understandings, etc.) before they have the potential to be distracted by technology. Can a child learn to read on an iPad-of course! Can a child learn their numbers on an iPad-of course! But there is something about a child holding a book in their hand and flipping the pages as they are learning to read. There is also something about a child using counters and manipulating them to help them get a better sense of numbers.
    • bennettfr
      bennettfr on 14 Feb 18
       
      I think we need to think in terms of what works best for the student. I have students that hate getting on computers to do their work and would prefer just to work out of a workbook or have a worksheet with manipulatives. Part of personal learning is letting the students choose how to do the work, at a minimum.
    • jessicamotto
      jessicamotto on 15 Feb 18
       
      I agree that we need to think about what works best for each student. Even in preschool we have technology requirements and I have students that could care less if they ever had tablet time. I feel bad trying to force technology on them when the information could be learned a different way.
    • cgerbracht
      cgerbracht on 23 Feb 18
       
      I agree with you mogrena. Looking at education through a developmental lens, I do not feel that allowing young children large amounts of technology use is appropriate. Young students need to manipulate objects. It can't be done exclusively with a software program.
  • I’m not sure we as a community are spending enough time digging to parse what those words really mean, especially in the context of what deep learning now requires in a connected world.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      Put 20 people into a room and you'll have 20 different answers for those words.
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      Agreed, "deep learning" can mean varying degrees of effort, time, and rigor depending on who is talking.
  • In a world where we can explore almost every interest or passion in depth on our own or with others, it’s crucially more important to have the dispositions and the skills to create our own educational opportunities, not be trained to wait for opportunities that someone else has selected for delivery.
    • agoeser
      agoeser on 12 Feb 18
       
      We talk about personal learning for our children. What about the learning for our educators? Should we incorporate this in the college setting?
  • pumps out cookie-cutter students with the same knowledge and skills.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Feb 18
       
      I found this analogy very intriguing and have never thought of education in this way. However, now that I read this, it totally makes sense to me.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      It's a good thing to keep in mind as teachers, definitely. I have a senior doing her senior thesis on the failings of the Industrialized Education System, and it's hard to argue against her.
  • It’s as if engaging them in learning without technology has become this impossible task.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Feb 18
       
      As educators and the rise of technology, I feel this is typically listed as one of the top 5 ways to engage students today. They are used to technology. However, it is our job to make the content engaging without ALWAYS having technology at our finger tips.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      We will never be able to keep up with the kids' access to latest technologies, so we just embarrass ourselves when we try to impress them with technology. We should focus on teaching them how to use it - kids don't know how to indent papers or format block quotations anymore!
  • If we can’t engage our kids in ideas and explorations that require no technology, then we have surely lost our way.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      That strikes me as a crucial point. Why are we embarrassed to say "take your library card to the library and personalize your learning in there for a few hours a day"? Is reading books old fashioned and not "real learning" anymore? Surely with all the brain research coming in about the deleterious effects of starting at screens all day, we can't continue to advocate technology as the only solution for "real" education.
  • Finally, it seems like everything is being “flipped” these days
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      Not every subject lends itself well to "flipping" - mathematics springs quickly to mind. Often when students are told to teach themselves the lesson at home without initial direct instruction and guided practice by the teacher, the result seems to be frustration and tears not learning and mastery.
  • f the point is to dump a load of facts into children, then it may be necessary to adjust the style and rate of dumping – and to help teachers become more efficient at it.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      But is this not, at least in part, what is actually meant by "education"? Are we saying a third grader does not need to learn multiplication skills or division skills if he'd prefer a personal learning path of video games and potato chips all day? I'm bemused by the embarrassment over the history of human learning as if someone it is wrong for us to pass it on to the next generation. (Would we allow our children to create their own personal eating plan simply because their hearts tell them to seek out ice cream and tootsie rolls instead of vegetables and fruit?) Someone help me understand this, please.
  • kids spend much of their time learning with and from one another.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      Some of the best "test answers" I've gotten over the years are from group tests, in which students are wresting collaborative ideas and interactions with the material out of each other in a much more engaged way than they would individually. And surely quality interaction with ideas is the goal? at least one of them?
    • bennettfr
      bennettfr on 14 Feb 18
       
      Some of my best days in my career have been days when my students are working with partners on a topic and I get to see them helping/teaching each other and fixing each others misconceptions!
  • The main objective is just to raise test scores
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      But when the Administration and the Board declare this is the only objective (to use the adjective) way we have to measure classroom "success" ... how do teachers counter that? Especially when SAT averages and college acceptance lists are the main selling points on the promotional material?
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      Agreed with the premise that there are some serious issues in what counts as "success" in our school systems. Risk taking is fine, encouraged even, as long as the research behind it says it will help scores go up.
    • mriniker
      mriniker on 19 Feb 18
       
      This is a sad truth in teaching today. As a reading interventionist Fast score have a large influence in what I am to be working towards and what is considered success. However, my success is when students are becoming better readers. Good readers is a much larger picture than how fast they read. Are they monitoring their reading, do they understand it? These are skills that matter greatly as well.
  • You want to really engage kids? Give them opportunities to learn personally, to create their own texts and courses of study, and to pursue that learning with others in and out of the classroom who share a passion.
    • bennettfr
      bennettfr on 14 Feb 18
       
      I truly do want to engage my students, but am fearful of giving up control and putting the responsibility in their hands. Especially with all the buzz about teacher accountability for student growth.
  • the best thing we can do for kids is empower them to make regular, important, thoughtful decisions about their own learning, what they learn and how they learn it
    • bennettfr
      bennettfr on 14 Feb 18
       
      I would agree that the best thing we can do for students is empower kids to realize that education isn't a spectator sport, they have to participate and take responsibility for their own learning, but so many kids have learned helplessness and are fearful of failure.
  • new dispositions to take advantage of it for learning.
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      How do we teach these new dispositions. Now that it's easy to find "facts" about stuff and just pull up a video of someone else explaining..how do we help students understand that learning encompasses more than just the ability to find out stuff?
  • The idea of personalized learning is seductive
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      #1 Are my classmates seeing this? #2 Given that it is Valentine's Day and I'm bust annotating, I'm going to press pretty hard against the idea that PL is seductive. Curiosity building, full of potential, even rabbit hole-like, but definitely not seductive.
  • Follow the money” is apt advice in many sectors of education
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      and to some degree, all sectors of education.
  • Personalized learning entails adjusting the difficulty level of prefabricated skills-based exercises based on students’ test scores.   It requires the purchase of software from one of those companies that can afford full-page ads in Education Week.
    • aaronpals
      aaronpals on 15 Feb 18
       
      But these tools the companies sell can be used as measuring stick to ensure some levels of competency are reached, right?
    • cgerbracht
      cgerbracht on 23 Feb 18
       
      That is a challenge of personalized learning. There needs to be some accountability that students are meeting standards.
  • “Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids; “personal” learning is something they do for themselves.
    • jessicamotto
      jessicamotto on 15 Feb 18
       
      As a former special education teacher, I am very familiar with personalized learning. I'm just beginning to learn how personal learning is different.
    • ashleyteunissen
      ashleyteunissen on 15 Feb 18
       
      I agree, I too have been a special education teacher and feel that all I have done is personalized learning, but am on board with you that I am just learning about personal learning, about how it really includes the student, where my IEP's, although tailored to the student, didn't involve the student in decisions.
    • mriniker
      mriniker on 19 Feb 18
       
      As a reading interventionist I feel we are always giving personalized goals for our students and working towards them. Personal learning sounds exciting but will take a great shift in mindset. How do we allow for personal learning while still meeting kids goals in areas they need support in?
  • Big questions, passion, personal interest are what should drive our use of technology, not the other way around.
    • jessicamotto
      jessicamotto on 15 Feb 18
       
      I think this is true- so many times it feels like we are using technology just to use technology. We should start with what we want to learn and then decide what technology will work best.
    • ashleyteunissen
      ashleyteunissen on 15 Feb 18
       
      I think teachers who aren't comfortable or well versed in all the latest technology feel incompetent, which is sad, because we can engage students without technology, but the current drive is to use technology all the time! If you're not using it, you're an old dog that can't learn new tricks.
  • Education is about the transmission of bits of information, not the construction of meaning.
    • jessicamotto
      jessicamotto on 15 Feb 18
       
      "Learning" through rote memory is not learning. Students must understand the principles behind what they are learning to actually learn.
    • ashleyteunissen
      ashleyteunissen on 15 Feb 18
       
      A professor of mine in college called this "binge and purge" teaching, where the students "binge" on the content the night before a test, then "purge" it back out for the test, and then it's gone, not thought of again! 
  • most of the content knowledge that, as we know from experience, never gets applied in real life.
    • ashleyteunissen
      ashleyteunissen on 15 Feb 18
       
      Yes!  I have thought so many times that all this content knowledge is just purged out for testing purposes, then forgotten!  I've never known a content area well enough to teach it without the aid of teacher's guides and other resources.  
  • that all children don’t learn the same way and personalization seems to honor those differences.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Feb 18
       
      The traditional education system is seen in a very negative light. While personalization helps build students interest in their learning and make their learning efficient, I would argue there is some value in learning to conform or be held to the same standards as peers. This is what they will face in the workplace and throughout life.
  • Instead, the common view of personalization focused on giving agency for learning to the student and valuing each individual in a classroom.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Feb 18
       
      I think it is great that teachers at this conference prioritized the value of students' understanding real purpose in their learning.
  • Our kids (and we ourselves) are suddenly walking around with access to the sum of human knowledge in our pockets and connections to literally millions of potential teachers.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Feb 18
       
      This is very true. Educators in today's world need to teach how to think and process information and skills to create and be critical thinkers instead of rote memorization. This is so much more complex for students and nearly impossible for teachers to teach in the traditional model. Personalization is needed for all students to be successful in the new world environment.
    • crystalseier
      crystalseier on 17 Feb 18
       
      I agree. We also need to teach students how to best make use of those little computers in their pockets. It's not realistic for them to tune out from their phones during learning. Students need the tools to use that technology to their advantage in order to be successful in the future.
    • cgerbracht
      cgerbracht on 23 Feb 18
       
      Digital literacy is a huge component missing from today's education. It is such a vital component to daily life, it needs to be addressed. The amount of time spent on rote memorization of facts that students will not necessarily need to have memorized, could be devoted to teaching evaluating internet resources.
  • [10] Personalization is an even more disturbing example of this phenomenon because the word has come to be equated with technology
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 16 Feb 18
       
      This is very interesting. I do think of personalized learning as requiring some form of technological component because of the world we live in. However, I didn't really realize that this assumption comes from a drive of these educational tech companies to make money.
  • When that happens, the structures around the classroom leave little room for the kind of authentic, whole-child personalization many teachers dream of offering.
    • crystalseier
      crystalseier on 17 Feb 18
       
      Certain elements of my school allow for such wishful thinking (shorter Flex classes that aren't necessarily tied to a standard) but it is difficult to think about designing a course based on standards/school expectations this way.
  • free up time for in-class problem-solving and discussion
    • mriniker
      mriniker on 19 Feb 18
       
      The idea of flipping can be a great concept, however, if you are truly giving the student the opportunities they need each student would be in different places in their learning. It seems to be impossible to teach all the different learning possibilities in a flipped classroom if you are going to allow students to learn at their pace or interest.
  • computerized, modular and often very standardized system of “personalization”
Wendy Arch

Personalizing flipped engagement | SmartBrief - 1 views

www.smartbrief.com/...rsonalizing-flipped-engagement

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shared by Wendy Arch on 20 Feb 20 - No Cached
  • "Personalized" learning is something that we do to kids; "personal" learning is something they do for themselves.
    • Wendy Arch
      Wendy Arch on 20 Feb 20
       
      This is a great way to look at/describe the differences to colleagues who haven't jumped on the blended/flipped/online learning journey. We hit this problem with Independent Reading. As English teachers, we view this time as "personalized" learning that prompts growth in reading as Kelly Gallagher describes in Readicide (https://www.stenhouse.com/content/readicide). We hope for personal learning, but the students frequently just see it as pointless down time since they would rather be on their phones.
  • If we can't engage our kids in ideas and explorations that require no technology, then we have surely lost our way.
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