The Wisdom of Tom Hanks

This past Wednesday morning I awoke earlier than usual due to a restless night of what we call in my family “musical beds”--the “music” provided by the periodic shuffling of feet across hardwood floors. It was 4 am, and I was defeated.  So I resigned myself to a pot of coffee and some valuable peaceful reading time.  After a quick email and Facebook check, I visited The New York Times where an op-ed piece by Tom Hanks immediately caught my eye. In it, he praises his own community college experience because it offered him an affordable (free) and authentic post-secondary education option. As I read it, I felt  that the sleepless night had been redeemed: it was an article I could use in my classroom, and as an added bonus I happened to be right in the middle of the Career and College Planning Project with my English 12 class.

Hanks’ article provides a practical perspective on this valuable alternative.  His reminiscing immediately reminded me of Ms. Yeager’s memorable wake-up call to all of us at our most recent faculty meeting: it doesn’t have to be a choice between 4-year college or work after high-school. There are many different paths, and community college is one that is always there and can lead to countless other avenues whether students decide to pursue an associate’s degree and enter the workforce, take classes here and there as they work or raise a family, or use it--as Hanks originally intended--as a stepping stone to a bachelor’s degree.

The article also details the realities that Hanks shares with many of our high-school students:  low college aptitude test scores and limited financial resources.  A self-proclaimed “underachieving student,” community college gave him a little extra time to find his niche, and once he found it,  the rest (including Bosom Buddies) is history.  His is a remarkable story and while all students can’t expect to achieve Oscar-winning status, they can expect to improve their chances of success in their chosen field if they face the realities of their situation and make reasonable decisions based on those realities.  If it passes legislation, the two free years of community college will be a welcome relief for students like more than half of those in my English 12 class who don’t yet know what they’re going to do.   It could buoy them through until they discover where their true “aptitude” lies.

In English 12, we began this term and the Career and College Planning Project with a prompt to respond to this (admittedly overused) Albert Einstein quotation: “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I elaborate on this quotation by explaining how it pertains to me:  I struggled in math.  I wasn’t the most motivated high school student, but I did well enough excepting math and math-related subjects.  I entered Auburn University expecting to pursue a career in nursing because as a child I was inspired by Clara Barton books.  In my initial career planning, I managed to overlook my squeamishness at the sight of blood and chemistry books while I entertained lofty thoughts that I could overcome both.  My grades were mediocre my first year of college, but I eventually changed my major and my grades improved accordingly. And here I am:  a former nursing student who wound up teaching English and German because she loves literature and language, not nursing.  

After listening to my anecdote, students jot down their own insights into the Einstein quotation, and we talk about aptitude in relation to interests instead of in relation to standardized tests. The following day this activity leads into the personal narrative.  This is the first writing assessment for the course: it’s a diagnostic essay, really, and it has the added benefit of informing me not only about their writing but also about their lives. As prewriting, they respond to several questions about experiences that have affected them in some profound way. They are then required to focus on one or two of the experiences that proved most pivotal for them.  We list examples and discuss how those events and their reactions to them can show (not tell) the reader about their values. Students then draft their essays. During revision, some tweak it further to meet college entrance essay requirements if that is the route they choose to pursue.

Hanks’ essay provides two things for me as a I teach the College and Career Planning Project: first, it is an excellent example of a personal narrative, and second, it is a planning tool for students considering (or re-considering) their post-secondary plans.  I came upon the op-ed piece after students had already written and revised their narratives. In spite of this, we will read it this week before students begin presenting their project presentations.  Because Hanks specifically mentions public speaking in his essay, it will provide some insight into how and why such presentations are relevant. We will also use it to evaluate how the prospect of two years of free community college could affect their current plans and budgets.  Students will read the article, highlight anecdotes that stand out, and respond to related questions in small groups before convening for whole class discussion.

While Hanks’ essay happened to appear at an opportune time for my English 12 class, it is equally useful in other subjects.  It’s highly appropriate for journalism, debate, and government classes, for instance. The “comments” section of the article provides a wealth of opposing viewpoints on the benefits and drawbacks of government subsidies in higher education.  These comments can be limited to “Reader’s Picks” or “NYT Picks” in order to eliminate potentially irrelevant remarks, or students can view all comments and decide for themselves which are productive or counterproductive.  The possibilities are endless.

Here’s the Op-Ed piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/opinion/tom-hanks-on-his-two-years-at-chabot-college.html?_r=0

Susie Weigel

The Death of the Traditional Test?

As we approach finals, we all begin asking ourselves what do we still need to cover, what can we get in before the end, and what will be on our "final/midterm." We have heard a lot about formative assessment over the years as it is one of the most popular education fads currently (and very effective), but we often don't pause to think about our own philosophy behind summative assessment. And, yet, the traditional summative assessment, often known as a test, is under threat from more new trends such as performance assessment, project-based learning, and the maker movement. With this in mind, I wonder if the traditional test can survive much longer in our education world, which is beginning to transform to meet the needs of 21st century life.

Teaching AP courses, I am always torn over giving tests that reflect the format students will see in May, yet I also note the stress students experience with such. I hear the complaints of students who claim they studied so much for a test of mine  but didn't do well in addition to myself sitting in awe of students who claim they winged one of my tests but did amazing overall. Is there something wrong with giving an assessment that the results of such can be determined by things like the quality of day a student may be having or a student's ability to "test well?" We all have students like this which forces us to consider to what extent do we know with any degree of confidence what our students know/can do as a result of traditional tests. Many of us have bemoaned the dreadful graduation exam when it was given in the past, yet we must ask ourselves how much do our own tests differ from that medieval practice of forcing students to play Jeopardy under supervised silence sitting in straight rows with a strictly enforced policy of no cellphones. For the most part, I cannot recall anything in my grown-up life thus far that is similar in style. I am sure many of us would say our tests are much different than the grad exam, therefore: what qualities do we add to the concept of the traditional test that enhances it beyond the old grad exam model? Part of me thinks testing is a waste of time from activities that can demonstrate more of both what students know and what they can do with what they know. Yet, another part of me wonders if the traditional test can be constructed in such a manner to assess higher-order thinking, promote learning as it the test is taken, and be engaging. With these thoughts and questions in mind, we must ask:

1) Is the traditional test irrelevant and, therefore, should be killed off in the 21st century?

2) If yes, what should take its place? And, how is this an improvement over traditional tests?

3) If no, how can we design traditional tests more relevant in a 21st century world?

 

---Dr. Blake Busbin

Who Keeps the Knowledge?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up4hFj-jcTY

I really love TED Talks. This one addresses the massive shift in education that has taken place in the last decade due to the ease with which we access the Internet. The way society, and as a consequence education, has changed cannot be overstated. When I was a high school student I did not have a cell phone. Notice I did not say smart phone – I did not have a cell phone. I received my first one when I went to college. It was for emergencies and only had 100 minutes on it. I distinctly remember when people started texting, and I told a friend that texting wouldn’t last because it was just easier to call. I stand corrected. Social media didn’t exist, or at least I didn’t know about it, until after I had already graduated from college.

Now the amount of information available at our fingertips is astronomical. I can learn to rewire my house, study the history of China, and practice square dancing with the click of a few buttons. Education has changed. We are no longer the keepers of the knowledge, but are rather facilitators of experiences with knowledge. We are no longer the main source of information, but rather are instructors of students as they process and analyze information. In some ways it undermines the respect that students once had for educators because teachers and schools are not the only name in the learning game anymore.

I admit that I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around these digital natives, who despite only being one generation removed, are incredibly different from me. It is easy for me to focus on the negative aspects of this cultural shift – the exploitative nature of social media, the massive amounts of misinformation, the inflammatory programming of modern television. It is frustrating, and frankly it is often just plain offensive. I realize that I have to retrain my thinking, and accept that the way I love to learn may not be the way these kids love to learn. As a student, I was mesmerized by a knowledgeable teacher, and I fit in well with the public school system that rewards the strong reader and the thinker who processes in outline format.  It is no wonder that our students have short attention spans when they spend their days Snap Chatting, Vining, Tweeting, and texting – their communication has been limited to 140 characters and a 20 second time limit! It is no wonder that our students struggle with traditional notes when they are used to getting information on websites packed with images and links.

We have to change and it isn’t going to be comfortable. We did not learn like these kids learn, and we did not have the ability to undermine the knowledge of the teacher right at our fingertips all day, every day. The reason they crave authentic experiences with knowledge is that they are constantly bombarded with information that is mostly fluff. They are the most marketed to generation in history, and the media messages they receive are immense. These messages have little value and do not allow our kids to feel like they are creative participants in the world around them. They are begging us to let them DO something with all of this information they are being given. It is my hope that AHS will become the trailblazer in this area. What would happen if our students took real responsibility for their learning and for this school? What would happen if the burden was truly on them to build something?

The 2x10 Strategy

We have all known teachers who are “student whisperers.” They walk down the hall and students voluntarily say hello to them. The kid who drives everyone nuts, including other students, acts like a mini-Einstein in the student whisperer’s classroom. You even overhear students of their own volition saying how great the teacher is.  At the lunch table, when every single teacher is venting their frustration about a student’s behavior, the whisperer balks and is genuinely shocked that Larry Looney Tune has done something wrong. The influence of the student whisperer is not to be denied.

The interesting thing about these teachers is that, in my experience, there is nothing complicated about what they are doing. Usually these are the teachers that know the kids, and have taken time to build a relationship with them. The link below is to a blog about the 2x10 Strategy (thank you Beth Antoine for finding and sharing this gem!). Basically, you choose one of your most difficult students and spend 2 minutes a day for 10 days just talking to him/her. The key is that you are not teaching or instructing during that time – you are simply having a 2 minute conversation. I like this because it creates a structure for something that feels a little unstructured. For some teachers, unstructured time with students is super fun and a welcome change from the routine of the day. However, others feel nervous or uncomfortable with this aspect of teaching.

The student whisperers are already using the 2x10 Strategy and then some. They do it naturally. Great teaching requires relationship building. Now it certainly necessitates more than that. The absolute best teachers I have ever known are student whisperers AND experts in the pedagogical aspect of their craft. Still, relationships are the foundation and everything else should come after.

I encourage everyone to try the 2x10 Strategy in the coming weeks. Choose just one student and see what happens. I am going to try it myself by choosing a few repeat “guests” and making sure to get 2 minutes a day with them either in the hall, the cafeteria, or my office.

Please share your thoughts on this topic, and definitely share the results of utilizing the strategy in your room.

http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/2014/10/the-2x10-strategy-a-miraculous-solution-for-behavior-issues.html

What Science Knows

Below, I have linked a Ted Talk along with its transcript. It is 18 minutes and 36 seconds in length, and I promise it is worth the time. Dan Pink, the author of Drive, discusses the science behind motivation, and more specifically the crucial differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

While he connects his talk specifically to the business world, the applications to the school environment are clear. As we look towards the future of Auburn High School, and as we consider how best to motivate our students who are truly disengaged, I think it is important that we consider what scientists have discovered. As Pink explains in his speech:

Now I want to tell you about an experiment using the candle problem, done by a scientist named Sam Glucksberg, who is now at Princeton University in the U.S. This shows the power of incentives. Here's what he did. He gathered his participants. And he said, “I'm going to time you. How quickly you can solve this problem” To one group he said, “I'm going to time you to establish norms, averages for how long it typically takes someone to solve this sort of problem.”

To the second group he offered rewards. He said, “If you're in the top 25 percent of the fastest times, you get five dollars. If you're the fastest of everyone we're testing here today, you get 20 dollars."

Now this is several years ago. Adjusted for inflation, it's a decent sum of money for a few minutes of work. It's a nice motivator.

The simplest and quickest way to try and solve the dilemma of engagement is by rewarding compliance and punishing noncompliance. Easily done – too bad science has shown time and again that this stifles creativity and only works when applied to repetitive tasks. It is much more complicated and time intensive to try and create a solution that gets to the heart of intrinsic motivation, but according to “what science knows,” it is the only way to truly get results.

I would love to hear some thoughts on this, some ideas, some questions, and some frustrations.

Link to the Ted Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation/transcript?language=en

So What Is Student Engagement Anyway?

Student engagement. Honestly I feel like I have heard those words so many times that I have a serious urge to launch a projectile at the next person who utters them. “What are you doing to engage your students,” has become more accusation than discussion starter, and frankly, the phrase is so overused that I think many people don’t even really know what it means anymore. Over time student engagement has evolved to mean something closer to, “How are you entertaining your students?” And we all know we enter dangerous waters when our goal as educator’s shifts from learning centered lessons to activity based lessons.

So I propose that before we determine how we are engaging our students, we actually redefine student engagement, and what exactly it means for our classrooms. The basic definition of engage includes “to attract and hold by influence and power” and “to hold the attention of and induce to participate.”

 

To engage students goes much deeper than to merely entertain them. Sure, if you are a naturally compelling individual, you might more easily grab students’ attention, but that doesn’t mean you can get them to participate. Engagement requires real action on the part of the student. It means that their mind is scrutinizing and analyzing, and not just processing. Various educators and researchers have puzzled over the magical formula that will fully classify how and why some students engage so easily and some do not.

 

Joke + Candy + Occasional Threat = Engagement?

 

Heidi Olinger believes that student engagement is intricately linked to the things students hold most dear. She says, “I have learned this: discovering and appealing to what students value has the power of a ‘return on investment’ of their eagerly engaging in and owning their learning. And that is the pedagogical gold ring.” It is an investment because there are as many values as there are students, and not all children are amenable to coughing up this very personal information. Lori Desautels refers to these efforts of creating connections as ensuring that the students are “feeling felt” and enter into a sense of belonging. But, we seem to be moving towards classroom culture here… back to engagement!

 

Richard Strong, Harvey F. Silver and Amy Robinson assert that student engagement is a convergence of four goals: success, curiosity, originality, and relationships. I find this to be an intriguing argument mainly because it allows me to quantify something that seems a little too theoretical at times. Could it be as simple as igniting and giving voice to these four goals?

The danger with characterizing what engagement looks like is that it assumes we know it when we see it. I would like to think that I am fully aware of the engagement level in a classroom, but in truth, there are those kids that are so compliant that they are masquerading as engaged learners. These completer-kids (who do exactly what they are told, when they are told, how they are told) are often the ones that we reach the least because they don’t cause a stink. So how do we separate legitimate, earnest, and classroom altering engagement from a bunch of well programmed robots?

 

And this brings us back to the original problem of accurately defining the dratted – but incredibly vital – phrase to begin with. So I pose the question to you: what is student engagement?

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/appeal-to-what-students-value-heidi-olinger

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-key-of-connection-lori-desautels

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept95/vol53/num01/Strengthening-Student-Engagement@-What-Do-Students-Want.aspx