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."

New Class Model Experiment

About a month ago, I blogged about a New Class Model that involved direct instruction and student learning journals.  I decided to table it due to the lack creative projects in the model.  It was essentially lecture and writing--not the favorite activities of most adolescents and DEFINITELY not the type of intriguing progressive classroom I advocate for.  However, my interest in a new system for grading has brought this idea back to the front burner.  In addition, I watch a video by Alan November about technology integration and how most of us are getting it wrong, or at least using it as a substitution for traditional methods.  He really stressed meta-cognition and I think the learning journals area good way of encouraging students to think about their thinking and learning. 

I decided to try it on a small scale and with some modifications.  I selected 10 students from a wide range of ability and motivation.  We spent lunch together discussing the experiment and setting up a shared Journal in Google Docs.  They are going to make 3 journal entries each week--2 that reflect on the current week/day and 1 that reflects on the year/semester.  I told them if they completed this, they would get to choose their grade by the end of the year.  I gave them some "thinking questions" to help them think, but I also plan on inserting comments on what they write to give them feedback and help them develop their reflective skills.  Can't wait to see how this goes!

Learning Styles and Professional Development

I recently read that the concept of learning styles has been debunked.  Several studies were conducted and no evidence was found to support this long-held theory of learning.  A Science Daily article from 2009 claims that the studies that supported learning styles, in retrospect, usually failed to meet the criteria for a valid scientific study. Does this apply to Multiple Intelligences theory I wonder?

I guess the grain of salt is that, you can find a study to support or deny just about every theory, but one thing always rings true regardless of how your brain encodes.  Interest.  Be it general intrigue or practical self-interest, its got to be there to truly learn.  Repetition can work for short-term memorization, but interest seems to last. I have a renewed interest in this because this summer I have a few professional development workshops scheduled. 

The last thing I want is to turn people away from technology and 21st Century pedagogy, especially my colleagues.  So, I guess my question is: What is best way to deliver PD to adult teachers?  I have read about some hokey tips like bring chocolate, put something on paper and hand it out, play a team-building game, tell a joke, etc.  On the advice of my consigliere, Joey Till, I am going to run my workshops like I run my classroom.  I am going to show a short 5-10 minute presentation/video to gain their interest and then let them work; a few tasks to complete and something larger to work on in the background.  I will bounce around as needed and help people individually.  For the longer workshops, I plan on repeating this procedure a few times. 

I want to avoid typical PD seminars and workshops where someone stands and lectures for an hour about not standing and lecturing.  If the pedagogy they espouse is so useful, why not use it?  Hopefully my classroom model is a learning style that works on adults.  Thoughts?

Its Time to Start Rethinking... EVERYTHING

We all know education is changing.  We can see it.  From classroom pedagogy to national policy, education reform is in the air.  So why are we trying to hang on to the past at the same time?  How can we admit education needs to change and then expect to keep doing things the way we have in the past.   "We've always done this before," is not a good reason to continue doing something.

I think education is in a revolutionary time.  At no time since its inception has public education been in such a state of flux.  There are some positive changes taking place in the midst of the misguided "reforms" of late, but in order for positive changes to happen, we have to allow for some of our traditional components to die a natural death.  To make room for positive changes, I really think everything has to be on the table. Desks, passing period, schedules, textbooks, exams, tests, homework, grades, faculty meetings, etc.  They don't all have to go away, or even change, but they need to be on the table.  Its time to start rethinking... EVERYTHING

In 2007, a F5 tornado destroyed 95% of Greensburg Kansas.  Everything was on the table.  They decided to put the 'green' in Greensburg by powering the city with wind and redesigning every city building to meet platinum standards of LEED.  Greensburg will be the only city in our nation to meet those standards.  No one told them they had to do this, they didn't ask the state or federal government for permission.  We need to take the same mentality in our individual buildings.  Maybe we need a tornado to hit education?  Maybe it did and we didn't notice.

Wagging the Dog

Photo from: Eric Doherty

I recently had a conversation with my excellent student-teacher about last week's post advocating for an end to traditional grades.  She pointed out the implications of the large-scale practical application of grade-less education.  How would that affect admissions into higher-ed?  How would that effect financial aid and scholarships?  My collaborator Joey Till responded in a very matter-of-fact way, 'well, we have to change the system'.  

Obviously the system can change.  From NCLB to merit-pay and school choice--education policy will bend to the loudest voice.  Unfortunately, these changes have all been in the wrong direction.  These were top-down changes that have mainly come from outside sources who political motivations.  We need a positive change toward progressive pedagogy/assessment on a platform of technology with an evaluation system that doesn't involve a carrot or stick.  This needs to be bottom-up initiative that moves from the teachers to buildings to districts to the state level. 

I haven been a part of major change in my building (1:1 computing), which is now affecting change in my district (1:1 grades 4-12 next year).  Other schools have been visiting our school and changing their districts--hopefully this will lead to changes at the state level.  However, the fight to changed the evaluation system is a much harder fight.  I think its a fight worth fighting.  I think what we need is an organization of teachers who want change.  We need to create a grassroots organization of teachers who are interested in changing educational policy in the interest of learning.  Does one exist already?  Where do we start?

Grades

I have never liked the idea of grades.  The idea that a single letter can sum up the totality of 180 days of learning is absurd.  The difference between a C+ and a B- is a tenth or hundredth of a percent, yet it can make or break a scholarship, educational accolade, or a student's identity.  Does that dramatic effect fairly represent a dramatic difference in learning?  Of course not.  Joe Bower and Mark Barnes have become my assessment gurus, specifically the pertaining to the abolition of grades and implementation of narrative, formative feedback.  I can't say enough about their thoughtful blogs and courage to practice what they preach. 

My courage is building, and more importantly my frustration with grades is boiling over.  Right now, I grade everything in a one-on-one conversation with students where I offer formative feedback until the desired outcome is reached.  When the student is finished, they choose the grade they feel they earned.  If I agree, it goes in the gradebook. However, since students revise the activity until it is completed (all objectives met), we usually use things like timeliness, creativity, effort, etc. to determine the grade.  (most kids who do their work end up with A-, A, or A+)  Its all starting to seem pointless--I have so much more to say, than a letter grade.

I would rather have students keep a learning journal as a shared Google Doc where they reflect on the completed activity--what they learned, what they could have done better, effort, timeliness, etc.  I could comment and maintain a conversation about their learning and performance.  We could share this Doc with parents, so they could keep up with how their student is doing rather than looking at a single letter every 9 weeks. 

Assessing Assessment

Assessment is a vexing component of 21^st Century education.   I find it annoying because mainstream instruction has made leaps and bounds, while assessment has stagnated, or maybe flat-lined is a better term.  Constructivist activities, Project Based Learning, Flipped Class, etc. are innovative ways to change classroom instruction, yet students still take multiple choice test at the end of the year to assess their learning. 

Albeiro Rodas

I accept formative assessment.  We need to know what students do/do not understand, so we can address the gaps in understanding during the learning process.  However, summative assessment has less meaning to me, especially when it comes in the form of a traditional standardized test.  We waste 2 instructional weeks a year just on standardized testing.  How much time is wasted testing and reviewing for tests in most traditional classes?  What is gained? More importantly, what is lost?

There are definitely alternative assessments.  Performance-based assessments, presentations, and portfolios are a few examples.  However, their use is relatively rare compared to traditional testing, and when they are too heavily structured they become inauthentic--just ask anyone who has ever put together a collegiate portfolio.  If we switched to these types of assessments on a large scale… would it be worth it?

Why do we feel the need to test learning beyond the evaluation of regular learning activities?  What is this obsession with testing learning?  What are we trying to prove?  Some kids remember more things?  What we should be assessing is can you learn?  Can you teach yourself when you need to?  Its hard to measure these things when we tell them what to learn.  So, what should 21st Century assessment look like?