The End of Homework

I emancipated my students from the shackles of homework nearly two years ago. I began to realize that the burden of homework fell heavy on students and teachers. I had been reading and listening to abolitionists such as Alfie Kohn, Joe Bower, and Mark Barnes for a few years. I began to realize that students had lives outside of school, they learned outside of school, and homework was alienating them from an education they already saw as obsolete and meaningless.  

Homework is not worth it.  Its not worth enforcement measures, disciplining noncompliance, increasing hatred of "learning" and school, or the TIME.   Students come to school for 8 hours.  How can we realistically expect them to do 2-3 hours of homework after 8 hours of school work.  Sports?  Job?  What about family time or hobbies?  In our culture?  Sure, we can fight it, but where does it get us?  On the other side of the coin, how many students succeed BECAUSE of homework?  How many would not learn without homework?  It can be argued that repetition assists memorization.  While that is sometimes true, I have very little interest in memorization.  Besides, this type of learning is temporary.


I haven't regretted my decision for one second. Students do my work in class. If they waste their class time, they may have to make it up at home. My students are learning at least as much, probably more, as they ever have. I don't believe that assigning students additional work away from the person that can facilitate the learning behind that work is a good way to increase learning. Thanks to Joe Bower, I have a great new saying, "homework should be inspired, not assigned". Many of my students now voluntarily work on their project at home. Others look up related information and we discuss it in class.

1 to 1 Experiment: Year Two

On August 14, we began the second year of our 1 to 1 initiative at Wabash Middle School.  This year we expanded from grades 6-8 to grades 4-12!  Our K-3 rooms are nearly 1 to 1 with iPads.  As you may recall, I'm not one to rely on quantifiable data, however it's the most reliable evidence to some people, so let me throw some hard data at you.  Our enrollment is up over 2% for the 2nd straight year--in a town with a declining population.  Our middle school had the highest standardized test scores we've had in our history.  Our math scores alone went up over 3%.  Our middle school enrollment increased over 10%, and not from students moving in from far away areas.  Most of our new students came from neighboring districts--districts that are ALSO 1 to 1.  There is much more, but we know real learning can't be quantified.  However, these numbers have created quite a buzz in our community.

We held an open house for students and parents the night before school started.  We distributed computers, setup computers, signed papers, gave basic instructions, and communicated classroom information.  Over 90% of our parents and students came (for the second year in a row)--in a district with historically low turnout for open house and parent/teacher conferences. 

We are a fully integrated Google Apps for Education school now, so every student has a secure CIPA friendly email address and access to Google's amazing apps.  My 7th grade team began a digital portfolio this year we are calling a Museum of Learning.  I would like to see our museum extended in both directions, and eventually be K-12.  This type of authentic assessment could actually be useful to students in future endeavors, be it college or career.

We have discussed including students in our technology team.  What a great opportunity for a students to leave high school with 4-7 years of experience in Apple repair, support, and troubleshooting.  Our teachers are assembling authentic content and initiating exciting creative projects.  Of course, this is not true of every teacher or every building.  Each building is at their own phase of implementing a 21st Century class.  Hopefully, time and professional development will help foster a break from traditional education--creation rather than consumption, publishing rather than "turning in", presenting rather that submitting, conversation rather than quizzing, authentic rather than canned, and inspiration rather than obligation.  So, here's to a poverty stricken small midwestern town of 11,000+ breaking a 100 year old mold of public education with our feet dangling off the cutting edge of education and technology!

The Future of Test Obsession

When I first read this story, I was sure it was a hoax.  I search the Internet and all I have found so far are legit news reports, even statements issued from the Xiaogan City High School in China.  There have been reports circulating through China recently, but in the past week the pictures below have gone viral.  Chinese students are studying for college entrance exams.  Normal.  Only these kids are using an IV drip of amino acids to "enhance their physical fitness and replenish their energy," according to one school official.  Teachers are even assisting them.

From: Worldcrunch

I had to research the effects of amino acid injection on humans and I found they can cause organ failure, fever, chills, blood abnormalities, depression, and heart palpitations.  

Is this the future for the test-obsessed American education system?  Some may read this and think... 'no way, we would never go that far'.  Think of our athletes, then rethink.  Think of the over-prescribed ADHD medicines, then rethink. Besides, this didn't happen overnight.  This was probably a slow progression.

This is wrong.  So wrong. The is definitely not learning.  This is akin to the industrialized food system that pumps growth hormones and antibiotics into animals to produce faster food ignoring the lives of the animal and health of the consumer.  Is this how we want to treat our children?  Industrial objects at the junction of education and economics?  Sad.  These are kids.    Cows don't even deserve this.  Nothing can possible justify this practice, which is the direct product of high-stakes testing.

Trends in Educational Technology

Recently a college professor published the infographic below about how his fellow teachers use their LMS (learning management system)--Blackboard in this case.  I think this infographic exposes a few worrisome trends in educational technology.

1.  An apparent majority of teachers are using educational technology simply to digitize their old pedagogy.  In this case, the main uses of Blackboard is passing out assignments, making announcements, and entering grades. The infographic may be misleading in this case, but the trend is clear that many teachers are simply turning paper assignments into PDF files and giving multiple choice quizzes online.  This is old wine in new bottles.  What is the point of using technology?  Saving paper?

2. Universities and secondary schools seem to favor a one-size-fits-all LMS.  I can understand a common grade-entry software, but this standardization of learning platforms seems to go against the spirit of innovation and creativity that educational technology has to offer.  Standardization in general is a 20th Century trend.  Standardized tests, national content standards, standardized textbooks, uniforms, standard calendars... it all needs to go.  Students aren't standardized objects.  Why do we try to put them in a standard educational box?  Educational technology should do the complete opposite.  Would we standardize art?

3. Schools continue to pay big money for LMS software, when the services they actually use within the LMS are free on hundreds of other sites?  As the graph shows, the main use of Blackboard was simply posting assignments.  Any free website can do that (Google Sites, Weebly, etc.).  The second use is for announcements.  Again, this could easily be delivered free in dozens of ways for free.  I would venture to guess cheaper "grade" software exists too.

I hope this is simply the early transitional stage of technology integration.  Certainly this infographic isn't the best we can do for kids.  I read an article recently in Forbes Magazine that stated,

"Today knowledge is free. It’s like air, it’s like water. It’s become a commodity… There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know".    

 How long will it be until our education system responds?

Standardized Tests and Resisting Temptation

Well its ISTEP week (again).  Indiana's standardized test.  Yes, that magical time of the year when students and teachers can unite under a common banner of disdain.  Its also the week that many educators use to justify their traditional "force it down their throat" methods of skill and drill.  I'm not criticizing, I did it for years.  This is a high stakes test--not for the kids, but for the schools and the teachers.  This will determine how we are "graded" and also whether I get a raise next year.  The kids still move on to the next grade.  Its kinda like paying the players of a professional sports team regardless of their performance, but only paying the coaches if the team wins... I could rage against this machine for days, but I digress. 

We start testing on Tuesday, and I was REALLY tempted to use Monday for a blitzkrieg review session.  A futile attempt to cram 54 content standards into a 47 minute class period.  As usual, we didn't cover all of my content this year.  I favor depth over breadth, so kids are unprepared for some of the content questions they will see.  SO, I usually do a last minute refresher the day before.  However, I just started a great project (PBL format) where the students have to devise a historically accurate plan to stop the Mongols. 

We had a great Need to Know discussion last week and students are diving into the research.  I have momentum, the kids are excited.  I know if I put the project on pause to review for a standardized test, it will take some wind out of the kids sails. I am going to be true to my beliefs and let the cards fall where they may.  Its tough, I have had the highest scores in the county for a few year running.  

This week on my class agenda I said: "...students will take the ISTEP test for 7th grade.  This test will only measure how much they have memorized and a few mapping skills.  The ISTEP test will not measure creativity, collaborative skills, technology literacy, ability to research, deep historical knowledge, current events, global awareness, social concern, curiosity, or the ability to learn."