Tag Archives: lecture

Flip Convention on Its Head

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Transforming Education Through Flipped Classrooms

-Tradition
What we view as the standard, traditional, lecture based classroom was actually conceived in Prussia- imported to the United States in the early 1800’s by Horace Mann.  As Julianna noted in an earlier blog post, the development of this format came about mirroring developments brought about during the industrial revolution; educating the national workforce much akin to factories manufacturing commodities.  Horace Mann, Secretary of Education at the time, took lease of the Prussian model, importing the template for use in Massachusetts in 1852.

Horace Mann's School for the Deaf

Mann sought to provide the coming generation of American children a common experience, one that would help bridge the sectarian divide between Catholic and Protestant communities in Massachusetts, a conflict he believed was perpetuated by parochial schools.  By providing a free education to all citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he was able to consolidate a common sense of identity between the two communities, and in this sense, it more than fulfilled its purpose.

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How To – Create an Active Learning Environment

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In getting to the brass tacks of any educational system, one of the most fundamental is also one of the most overlooked.  As teaching has developed over the years, the lecture method has been incorporated into instruction so completely that, today, it feels as though it were more like a fact of education rather than a choice that educators are making.  However, lecture methodology is merely one small part of instructional tools that are available to educators and, studies show, one of the least effective in promoting student motivation, comprehension, and retention.

Photo from Michael McCurry.

The effects of the lecture methodology.

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Teachers vs Reformers?

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Education reformers on the move.

When it comes to our education system, the concept of reform figures prominently into any current dialogue on the subject.  The prevailing sense among those discussing education is that  that the modern system is in serious need of an overhaul.  However, some of the most marked resistance to recent policy reform has sprung from a somewhat surprising source – teachers themselves.  While the resistance coming from teachers seems surprising at first, given that they stand to benefit from an education system that is overall improved, it makes sense as you begin to look at the ways in which reform is being implemented.  The overall course of modern policy reform identifies teacher inefficacy as a major contributing factor to the diminished quality of education.  “Revamping the makeup of the teaching profession through tweaks such as altering tenure and teacher evaluations has become a policy debate-du-jour, one that has riled many a state house in recent years.” Continue reading →

Testing with Tech

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When looking toward the future of education and technology, one of the largest emergent topics for discussion is the integration of technology into the student assessment process. The method by which student knowledge and progress should be assessed is one of the most contentious among educators.  What role should assessment play in the educational process? Which method of assessment gives the clearest picture of how well students have comprehended material?  How should the assessment process be coordinated to give a clear picture of student understanding while at the same time maintaining a grading process that is logistically feasible?  Evaluation of students typically occurs on two levels; the first is the day-to-day evaluation of student comprehension, while the other is the actual examination process.  Education technology (edtech) is able to assist educators on both of these distinct levels.

The face of traditional testing.

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Motivate, Educate

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Before the advent of the public education system, student motivation was not a big concern for educators.  In order to learn, students actually had to seek out their education in the form of tutoring or apprenticeship.  Logically, any student who would take the time and effort to do so already had a great deal of motivation to learn their chosen subject.  As modern policy makers introduced compulsory education as well as a predetermined mandatory curriculum, student’s motivation became one of the most critical issues facing modern educators.  Whereas before, students chose when and what they learned, the modern education system forces kids to learn about subjects toward which they may have no natural inclination. Continue reading →

An Alternative Perspective on Teachers and Technology

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There is a growing trend of fear and anxiety among educators, regarding the role educational technology will play in the future of their profession.  This stems from the perception that technology is being sought out and used to replace teachers altogether, enabling school systems to function entirely without them.  In a recent post by popular education blogger Tim Walker, he articulates this view, expressing the fear that the “‘miracle of technology’ [will be used] to cut teachers’ jobs, salaries, and increase class size.”  Believing that technology, at its core, is unable to adapt to the individual learning styles of students, underpins his argument that the “benefits new technology may bring would then be overshadowed by the damage done to student learning.”  The concern that he, teachers, and the unions that represent them share is the fear that technology will be employed by lawmakers as a cheap way to bring relief to budgetary bottom lines, supplanting human teachers altogether – a real fear for many teachers around the world.  This must be addressed by those in the education technology field before it solidifies as the prevailing opinion among teachers about edtech.

A view of the future classroom from a teacher's perspective.

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The State of Education

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Photo by ABC News.

"Challenges remain. And we know how to solve them."

Last Tuesday on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama delivered the penultimate State of the Union of his first term.  In previous editions of this historic annual speech, education has been somewhat overshadowed by other domestic issues such as the ailing economy and the fate of the middle class.  However, scholastic issues figured largely into Tuesday’s speech, as a range of shortcomings in education were connected with the untapped potential of the American workforce – the products of a flawed education system.  Sara Ferguson, a teacher from Pennslyvania who was invited to attend the speech, was pleased to see that Obama made the connection between education and the United States’ economic issues. “We need more politicians to realize that quality public education is the way to economic recovery.”  Continue reading →

Eyes On : Roger Schank

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In the mid 1980s, the course of longtime educator Roger Schank’s career changed forever.  A professor of computer science and Artificial Intelligence (AI), he radically shifted focus when his own children began their careers as students.  His professional work up to that point had been devoted to developing a successful system by which computers could be programed to learn.  When his children entered the education system he noticed that, while he was trying to teach computers how to learn, the schools were merely teaching his children how to pass.  Schank became increasingly horrified with how little learning actually occurred in these supposedly “educational” environments and devoted the rest of his life to correcting this fundamental problem.  The solution, he believes, is learning with computers.

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Technology: The Answer to Student Centered Learning

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“Disrupting Class” by Clayton Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Chester E. Finn Jr. is another compelling book that has been responsible for steering forward the conversation on education, painting a vivid picture for its readers of his vision for “the classroom of the future”.  An excerpt from their book, is an entry on Edutopia titled “Disrupting Class: Student Centric Education is the Future”, which provides an appropriate backdrop for our next discussion, which is education, technology and the future of the classroom.

In my last post, I introduced Howard Gardner’s perspectives on student learning, through his theory on multiple intelligences, its rightful place in the classroom and how teachers can integrate his advances into their classrooms.  Nearly thirty years later, advances have been made in the way we approach and view education, sparking a critical debate that is responsible for slowly moving classrooms away from a one-size fits all approach to teaching. 

Simple as it sounds, the key is to individualize learning individually.  This is the core message of “Disrupting Class”.  In fact during a presentation the authors gave at the American Enterprise Institute on Oct. 27th 2008, co-author Michael Horn noted that it was Garner’s theory of multiple intelligences that served as the primary reason as to why students struggled to learn in a standardized setting only “learn(ing) better in a customized setting where they can learn at their own pace and through methods that work for each individual”[1] was a more holistic and successful approach to education achieved.

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Keeping Students Engaged: Multiple Intelligence & Student Centered Learning

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In 1983 Howard Gardner published his first book on a subject that would revolutionize the way we understand human beings to understand, process and learn new information.   “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences”, published by Basic Books, details seven identifiable forms of multiple intelligence (MI), revealing the various ways human beings think, learn and understand the world around them.  With the help of LDPride.net, I’ve included a brief break down of the seven types of MI, which inform us of the different ways we understand students to learn:

1.   Visual/Spatial Intelligence

The ability to visualize using spatial or visual elements.  These learners tend to think using pictures, graphs, videos and movies, retaining information most efficiently when vivid mental images are integrated as part of the educational experience.

2.     Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

The ability to use words and language using highly developed auditory skills.  These learners tend to think in words as opposed to pictures.  These students are keen listeners, strong readers, writers and storytellers.  They are particularly adept at remembering information, conveying knowledge and convincing others of their point of view.  They learn best by taking notes, listening to lectures and discussing what they have learned.

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