TEDxSummit Talk: The low-tech version

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate to be part of a really dynamic opening night line-up at the TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar.  I was asked to speak about the reaction to my initial talk in 2010 and how my life has been impacted by the reaction.  It was filmed, but I am not sure that it will post online due to the odd nature of the talk... it was a talk about a talk (very meta).  The trip allowed me to interact with a range of really wonderfully interesting people.  I met Hans Rosling, a man I have thanked many times inside my classroom for Gapminder.  Special thanks to Nate Mook, Bruno Guissani, Jaime Siordia and Andrada Romagno for all their help in the endeavor.  It was an event that I was grateful to be included.So, I am posting my slides and text of the talk.  I didn't deliver it word for word and was actually pretty frustrated that I missed an important line at the end... but here is what I crafted and (almost) delivered to the audience in the Katara Amphitheater on April 16th, 2012.  So here it is...Nearly 2 years ago I was on a river trip with 10 kids from Philadelphia.  For 4 days we were completely unplugged.  On our way back to Philadelphia, we heard of the Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  My students were oblivious to the history of such events, man-made disasters.  That conversation sparked an idea that I should do a series of environmental history lessons upon return.  Those lessons were shared with teachers on the internet, one of whom invited me to his online show to talk more about it, that show was attended by a writer for the NYTimes who then asked me to write about, which was then read by an individual who shared it with the organizers of TEDxMidAtlantic.  And on a sunny Friday afternoon, I received an email inviting me to join their event.  I enthusiastically accepted.I thought hard about what my big idea was and I ended up where I often end up, that we underestimate the potential of our young people.  So few people share positive stories of children and schools, in the US.  I wanted to use that time and space to share ideas about what can happen when you look to a more modern and connected version of learning.  Let the kids voices tell their own stories, crafting their learning through real experiences and learning how to fail productively along the way.  It was well received.  Immediately after the talk I was approached by many of the attendees wanting to share their own stories of school and learning.  This was a special event, carefully designed to allow for connection, bouncing ideas and thoughtfulness.   It was positively delightful to be able to share that space with a diverse crowd from all walks of life and watch the ideas percolate, connect and grow.Then I went back to my high school classroom, where 128 students were ready to dig back into the learning.  Life went on.  However, one month later, after a morning of teaching, I went to check in online.  I had a ton of new twitter followers and hits on my blog.  I thought, oh no… spammers.  It took a minute for the realization of what had occurred to sink in…  my talk was the TEDtalk of the day.  To say things have not been the same since would be a bit of an understatement.As a history teacher, you do a job that is intensely meaningful, are blessed to be welcomed into the lives of young people looking to maximize their potential but the occupation is not one where you see a ton of attention.  And all of the sudden, I was receiving email from people around the world…  parents with questions about how to find these types of learning spaces for their own children, teachers looking to reinvigorate their classrooms and schools, relatives checking in, journalists requesting time, a particularly amusing moment where someone I met in Ecuador 4 years ago randomly saw the video and reached out to say hi…. Former students have had professors show it and were able to say… hey, that’s my teacher.  I’ve been interviewed on TV, filmed in my classroom, presented all over the US, and flown to Australia (twice).  Opportunity, serendipity and chance have all combined to put me on a very interesting path.  It has been an amazing and humbling experience.But here is the truth of it all… its not about me.I am the product of a network of people sharing, growing and learning, that started on a farm decades ago and continues on in my school and in online networked spaces, today.  Its about being part of a community where ideas can be shared, built upon and grow.  Its about the real spaces where we gather, like TEDx, to start this sharing and the digital spaces where the ideas take root, to grow into completely new versions of themselves.  The message of an individual has never had such an opportunity to amplify as it does in our socially networked world, where the voice of an ordinary person can find agency and audience.Everything can be different if we have the will to connect and build a version of the world that reflects the full measure of our potential.  These events, like the classroom, are chock full of possibility.  There is potential to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, ponder complexity, sit in awe of simplicity, celebrate joy, applaud both success and failure, and then go out and do something with that conversation that started on that one day…. because to only share ideas, but never act would be the greatest oversight with these experiences like TED and the classroom.  The talking and sharing is only the beginning.What I have come to believe about the success of my talk is that it is but a reflection of a world that wants to honor children with an education that is worthy of their potential.  Being asked to speak widely about the thing I am most passionate about has been a gift.  Much like my voice was amplified through TED,  I challenge all of you to find those teacher and student voices from your community schools in need of audience and agency, amplify them.  Honor them with your time and attention.  And although I formerly spoke of embracing failure, these past 18 months have reminded me that when you experience success, you must never forget to graciously thank those that contributed and supported you along the way.  Because my life and this whole experience is evidence that success is very much a collaborative effort.

On to New Adventures

When I joined the staff of SLA, 4 years ago, I made a bargain with myself... I would  live in Philadelphia because I wanted so badly to teach in a place that was getting it right, work with people who were pulling in the same direction and where I was amongst teachers teaching like I teach.  The reality is that I never saw myself living on the East Coast, so I assured Chris that I would make it at least 2 years, but 4 years was the expiration date.  This June will mark 4 years and last week I processed the paperwork to resign my job.Leaving SLA is sad. This is a job I love.  I work with the most talented, committed group of students, staff and parents. Working with them has allowed me to become a better teacher.  It has been a gift.  Meenoo will be taking over Debate.  Caitlin Thompson and Matt Kay will keep the GCY river trip going.  I will still be helping with EduCon. And they are currently interviewing for a new person to add to the history department.  To be clear... I am not burned out.  I do not want to stop teaching forever.  I am fully committed to the mission of SLA and its future progress.  But, for me personally, leaving is the right move for right now.And so... you ask... what will I do?  I joke with our seniors that I started SLA with them, and I will graduate with them... and then I'm taking a gap year.  ;-)  Maybe the better term is self-funded sabbatical.  I need to figure out a place to live, this nomadic thing is awesome and exhausting.  I hope over the next year that I figure out a home base that I can be in for awhile (my page in my mom's address book has worn through with erasing) Since college its been 4 years, 1 year, 3 years, 8 years, 4 years... in new places.  It is a ton of fun but am feeling like I might like to plant myself (and from there still adventure and travel like mad) in a place that is more 'me'.During the next year I have a few goals.  First on the list is to spend time with the people (outside of SLA) that are closest to me... I've felt myself struggling to find the time to spend with my family and AZ friends.  Coincidentally, they also run programs that I would like to be helpful with along the way... my brother-in-law is the Principal of my home elementary school and my best friend runs an experiential education magnet program in Flagstaff. There is also work that I want to do with the SLA community: publishing units/curriculum, building/improving SLATE, and drafting a list of school creation/reform conversation protocols. And then... its wide open.I am excited to see what rolls out next.  I am working with a few schools this summer on PBL/1:1/Inquiry Driven workshops and am very much looking forward to that work.  Basically, I would like to continue to use my energy to help schools, teachers and students realize their full potential.   It is a broad statement, but really is what I've been doing for the past 15 years, next year will just look a little different. (I joke that the mid-westerner may kick in mid-summer and I will find myself 'needing' to find a job, because it isn't very midwestern to take a year away from full-time work)So.  There it is.  As of June 19th, I will be without 'a job' for the first time since I was hired at Subway to be a sandwich artist in 1990.  On to new adventures.

Building Strong Relationships: Byrne Creek Secondary School

This afternoon I had the distinct pleasure to sit down with a really dynamic staff from the Byrne Creek Secondary School from Burnaby, British Columbia.  Taking part in the conversation was:

• David Rawnsley - Principal
• Lynn Archer - Director of Instruction
• Lorraine Hodgson - Counsellor
• Iha Farquhar - Community School Coordinator
• Mirella Gargiulo - ELL Coordinator and Teacher

Byrne Creek was awarded the Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award - in the press release it states:

The overall success at Byrne Creek is the result of passionate staff, thoughtful planning, and integrated programming coming together in a vibrant and diverse community. The staff members at the school are dedicated educators who genuinely care for their students and approach each new challenge with an open mind.

In conversation with the staff I learned some wonderful information about their model, but one of the most interesting parts of the conversation (for me) was hearing about how they came up with the model and implemented that model in their community.  Many people believe SLA should be scaled or replicated, which is a complicated conversation.  A conversation I love to have, but the end run for me is that schools need to be responsive to the communities they serve.  In chatting with this delightful group, it became more clear to me how important this really is in the visioning and building of a new or transforming school.  

Lynn Archer, Director of Instruction, who was part of the 4 year process of visioning the school, spoke at length about the protocols they utilized.  To start they polled the community, analyzed demographics, and formed a parent advisory council prior to the opening of the school.  After doing all of this work, she acknowledged that the school could have gone off in a number of different directions.  It was the work of the administrative team to synthesize all of the community generated information to then build systems and structures that "focused on learning within the framework of the whole child so that they become contributing citizens.  Once the school was open one of the most critical pieces to put in place was establishing a positive school culture and Ms. Archer identified the fine arts as exceptionally key in the process.

Learning about the Community School Coordinator position, which was added this past year, was encouraging.  Iha Farquhar, who serves in that role, was incredibly energetic and interested in the conditions for building strong partnerships with families and breaking down the barriers for parents and community members to be more active in the school environment.  

When I asked about what has worked well from the beginning, Counsellor Lorraine Hodgson, commented on their Code of Conduct which utilizes an acronym - HEART – Honesty, Empathy, Achievement, Respect, Teamwork.  She noted that the visual was especially helpful because of their substantial ELL population - 

The area has a high population of immigrant families, many of whom are refugees from war-torn countries. More than 60 percent of the students come from families where English is not the primary language spoken at home.

In addition, they implemented teacher collaboration time each week to embed professional development and learning.  The final point was that the administrators truly embraced the idea of fostering reflective practitioners

Mirella Gargiulo - ELL Coordinator and Teacher - spoke masterfully about the adjustments they made throughout the years with the intense experience of educating a large portion of students that not only were learning the English language, but learning a written language for the first time.  As a teacher who worked with a sizable ELL population in Arizona, I know what a challenge it can be to get it right.  The steps they are taking to evaluate and re-evaluate the successes and adjust for new realities is impressive.  

Throughout the whole conversation, they emphasized the importance of relationships as the foundational element that allows them to pursue lofty academic goals for all students.  They spoke of individualizing the definition of success due to the variety of circumstances that the students bring to the school community.  This school gets it.  It was a pleasure and joy to have the time to share and chat about what makes them so successful.  I hope to be able to visit them in the near future and see the space and environment with my own eyes. 

World of 100

At the beginning of each course, I try to bring some perspective to the students through a variety of methods.  For instance, in US History, they take the citizenship test and come to terms with how little they have retained about basic American civics and history.  It creates need, awareness of what is not in their wheelhouse of knowledge.  When I started teaching Globalization, I decided to employ an activity that I used in middle school geography class, The World of 100.This activity asks students to imagine the world is 100 people and then guess what portions would fit into different demographic categories - gender, age, literacy, etc.  Here are the steps in the activity as I most recently used it:

• Hand out the World of 100 Worksheet
• Students do their best to accurately fill in the demographic information
• After they have their answers, students then report their answers into a google form
• While the google form is getting populated with data, students begin graphing 4-5 of their demographic categories.  I used googledocs for this part and it is really quite straightforward to make graphs and charts.
• After students graphed their individual data, they then pulled (from the mass data spreadsheet for all students) the averages of the same demographic categories that they originally graphed.  The goal was to then graph this set of data as well.  It is important to realize that these graphs will need to be bar charts as opposed to pie charts due to the fact that the class data is averaged.
• The final step is to then pull the correct data and mesh that next to the individual and class data.
• Once all the graphs have been created the students go through an analysis of the information.  Which categories were you most accurate? inaccurate? Explain why you think that was the case.  Which of the real/correct answers shocked you the most? Explain.  If you were way off course in your predictions, explain why it is that you feel that happened. If you were spot on, explain why you think that happened.

****** Use data to support your answers when appropriate*****The end products find students looking at their vision of the world, next to reality.  They start to grapple with why their world view is so skewed.  It grounds them in a place of understanding about what they don't know in the most organic of ways.  Here are some of their reflections:

Matt Reflects:  I over estimated the percentage of people that actually speak English. I figured that Spanish would be second most because of Mexico and South America and Spain, but I forgot how much China's population made up the world. The only reason why I thought that English was most spoken is because of where I live and what I am used to. America is one of the most inviting countries and so I figured that at least 30% of the world would speak English, but really only 5% speak English. America doesn't seem like 5% of the world along with some of Europe.

Emma writes: I understood that a lot of the world is impoverished, but didn't realize until the answers came back what it means to be privileged in certain countries versus others. Given these views, I was really surprised at how far away I was from guessing the poverty in the world.  When tallying the amount of people per category, I realized that I just don't know much about the living environments, income, death rates, form of government, etc of those in the surrounding countries.

Natalie offers: My prediction on the distribution of people in the continents of the world was also inaccurate. My predictions were pretty similar to what my classmates thought in most cases for this category. In reality, there are a lot more people in Asia than there are in all of the other continents.

Donna writes: I think that I was way off on all of them because honestly, I didn't know. I wasn't sure about certain things like, if everyone was going be living in one country, if we were all spread out around the world, how much different would the world be from it is now, etc. It was kind of confusing. I wasn't spot on for any of them. It was kind of disappointing, but it was fun to learn some new and interesting facts from this assignment.

This activity allows the course to start with more questions than answers and a connection to their own sense of the world, that may or may not be grounded in reality.  This is a wonderful place to jump off from into learning.

Textbooks.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhpmEZWuRQ&w=420&h=315]

When I first started teaching the textbook was the most efficient and cost-effective way for students to gain access to information.  But I never fell in love with it.  I knew it always lacked what I was really craving in a classroom experience. The information landscape has changed dramatically since I first walked into that classroom in Wellsville, KS 15 years ago.  I made due, finding a way to make the learning authentic even back in the good old early days of the internet.Now, though I have been fortunate enough to live in a time that delivered the type of student access to information that I craved.  And then fortunate enough to be in a school that is getting it right with regard to information access.  And finally fortunate enough to work for a principal that encourages creativity and innovation in the workplace.  In this space I am able to challenge students to not just consume information but judge it, look for bias, sort the pile of results from google, be discerning... know how to detect crap, and then create.The video above is my student and the textbook that I now have in my classroom.  Its a class set by Eric Foner and it is lovely.  We use it from time to time and it is a valuable piece of context for learning.  Each student also has a copy of A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.  Even though we are 1:1, I do not *just* use what we can access on the computers, nor do we have the computers open all the time.  The time in class is spent exploring information, to become historical thinkers and then use that knowledge to go out and practice... practice being movie makers, infographic creators, historians, performers, poets, lyricists, web designers, etc.  Not only do I not employ a textbook as the primary learning tool, but I also teach thematically.  I heavily buy into the idea that using a variety of resources, borrowing from current events when it makes connection, and exploring themes rather than just a timeline, allows for a student to interact with the information in a more organic, realistic manner; much the way they will need to interact for the rest of their days outside the classroom.Today I will travel to Silver Springs, MD and the Discovery Channel headquarters to participate in a robust conversation about where we are headed #beyondthetextbook.  Please use the hashtag to participate in the conversation as it happens over the next 36 hours or so, and as it lives on in those online spaces.  As I head into the event, these are the questions I have about the #beyondthetextbook conversation:

• How do we afford a robust and well supported 1:1 program to allow for life #beyondthetextbook?
• I have taught all grades 7-12, but have very little hands on experience with pk-6. How does the version of information access in the classroom (that I have experienced) translate in the younger grades?
• How do we develop systems and structures that support learning/teaching in this world of information surplus?
• How do we stay agile enough to continue innovating and improving information access/consumption as the technology changes?
• What is next?

Do you have answers?  suggestions?  comments?  more questions? Please chime in with your ideas!

Real Life: Partnerships and Learning

The ability to bring "real people" into the classroom is a gift.  This year SLA has been given just that gift in the form of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.  A conversation that started almost a year ago ... on my cell phone ... in an airport has yielded a beautiful opportunity that puts journalists directly in contact with students.  The conversations will direct the themes of our study this semester in Globalization and I could not be more excited about the prospects.  This week we welcomed in Steve Sapienza to talk about his work which largely focused on Peruvian Gold Mining. We will use his work to kick off the first unit of study on Global Goods, Local Costs.  The goal is for the students to eventually tell their own under-reported stories from their own communities and publish at the end of the semester.Between this partnership and the International Election project, I am hopeful that the blended learning model will be successful.   Thank you to everyone at the Pulitzer Center who make this possible for my students.  I am forever grateful.

Adventures in Blended Learning

I dislike whining.  It frustrates me.  I have found myself whining about the same problem for the past two years and I decided over the summer to do something about it.  So here is the attempt to address an issue I have been managing for the past two years: Apathy with 2nd semester seniors.The Issue: Effectively engaging 2nd Semester seniors in their required courses for graduation. Specifically:

• Attendance has been a problem.
• Much of class time becomes work time because ‘home work’ time is soaked up by Math, College and Capstone
• They seem to have lost the desire to engage in their learning in their required courses.

Potential Solution: Blended Classroom (as applied to Globalization)

• Students attend in person 2-65 min. classes/week (the other bands will be chosen to limit the 'down time' in building... choosing bands at the beginning and ends of the day)
• Students digitally participate in an online environment for the some of the other learning 'requirements'
• Students work with an outside partnership -
  • Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and local stories to meet the remainder of the learning requirements for the course.
  • Elections Project:  Students will attempt to make inroads with teens in a country where an election is occurring to tell election stories from around the world.
• Group work will have online and in person requirements
• In class time will be used predominantly for activities and discussion.
• If a student falls below a C average, they will be required to attend class all 4 days to address the failure to meet expectations.
• Time that is not in scheduled classes (the other 2-65 min. blocks) will be available for teacher to work one on one with students or in more focused groups that are working on independent projects.
• Time that is not in scheduled classes (the other 2-65 min. blocks) will be available for the teacher to intervene with Capstone projects that are not progressing.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Increased responsibility for the student to manage their own learning
• Develop a community based project that is collaborative with other classmates and community members
• Better attendance on the days when class is in session
• More effective use and participation in class discussion and activities
• Dedicated time to work with the students who are struggling to graduate
• Less senior apathy. I recognize that there will always be some, of course.

The plan is to meet full time the first two weeks and then drop down to two in class meetings a week (starting Feb. 21).  If students are not passing with a C or above they are required to come to all four classes for help in meeting class expectations.  B and D bands will not be in class on Wed/Fri if they are meeting expectations.We started this today and one student commented that it was genius.  I'm not sure about that, I would just like to feel it is effective.This is a pilot of an idea that, I feel, has real potential for the upper grades at SLA. Thoughts?  What do you see as possible (unintended) consequences for this approach?

Creating the Classrooms we Need

In about 2 hours I am going to talk about creating the classrooms we need. Over the course of an hour, I offer a few qualities of said spaces and provide examples from my classroom.  The list that I focus on shifts and changes depending on what I want to share that day... the list includes - Collaboration, Inquiry-Driven, Dynamic, Flexible, Resilient, Authentic, Relevant, Creative, Student-Centered, Less Helpful, Fosters Joy, Reflective.... this is by no means an exhaustive list.  What are examples of what this looks like in practice?  What are the other qualities that we need to be establishing as a part of the classroom environment?  What can we do to inspire more spaces like this to develop?

T. Rowe Price's "The Catalyst"

Today I was invited to participate in an event sponsored by T. Rowe Price for their employees to start thinking differently about the manner in which they do their work.  I am one of the 5 speakers and am impressed with the structure of the day.  (Although I wish there were more and longer breaks) It should be a lovely day of thinking, learning and pushing of ideas.  I am speaking on Embracing Failure in a updated and revised form.  For resources related to the talk, please visit the Embracing Failure page.  Specifically, the research from Amy Edmondson is a delightful explanation of the failure conundrum.  As with all things that are uncomfortable, the failure conversation needs some time to age and percolate a bit.  I hope you take the time to read a little and ask questions along the way.

Architecture of Participation

I read this.  Which led me to this. That then caused me to google "Architecture of Participation" to find Tim O'Reilly's post titled as such.  Which then caused me to think about schools, classrooms, learning... the things I always get caught up with in my brain.  I take off on this concept in a way I'm quite sure was not intended by the initial user, but here goes.So.  Architecture of Participation.  When I aim to describe my teaching style and classroom space, I use some squishy language that never seems to properly communicate what is going on.  I think that creating a space where participation is paramount is a critical piece of the puzzle that I am trying to put together.  An example of this is how I approached The State of the Union this year.  The goal of having a conversation during the State of the Union was specifically related to participation.  However, I don't mandate use of one version of participation over another... students could choose to participate in a 'walled garden' with Moodle, or wide open with the #sotu #sla conversation on twitter or not at all (digitally).  All students were sent home with a SOTU Bingo Card of their own making and the goal of taking some notes.  There were multiple levels of participation.  Students could jump into the conversation in a variety of ways.  Some chose not to do anything digitally but rather join the conversation during class the next day with their notes.  There were varied and multiple entry points to participate.As another example of this architecture of participation I offer Citizenship Homework.  Each quarter students are tasked with some goal to complete out in the community.  Quarter One is to go to the polls on Election Day and interview a voter.  Quarter Two is to attend a public meeting.  Quarter Three is community service.  Quarter Four is their choice of any of the previous three options.  The practice is to participate in their community as a citizen.  I feel strongly that people are more likely to understand their community if they participate in it and think that the Citizenship Homework moves in that direction.[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/31837346 w=580&h=326]Untitled from Stephen Holts on Vimeo.On a broader scale, I am hoping that this networked and participatory learning carries on well past the classroom and embeds itself as a part of the student as citizen.  Modeling a variety of entry points to take part in the conversation, participate in the community and build networks of understanding are goals I have for my classroom environment.  The tools that serve this are as old as a meeting notice and as new as twitter.  Blending the old with the new to serve an evolving role of participatory citizenry... that is part of my classroom's 'Architecture of Participation'.What ways does your learning environment invite participation?  What are the varied means for participating?  How do you make welcome the introvert in this participation (that one's for you Tony)?  What do the lessons/activities look like?

Business Unit and Essential Questions

We have been studying the intersection of Business and American History. In studying that we did a number of activities that looked at the New Deal policies of FDR, how the business plans of the GOP candidates compared to the presidents of 1900-1932, how the monopoly and trust-busting of Teddy Roosevelt impacted the economy, and more... We located primary sources, observed the State of the Union, visited the campaign websites for the GOP candidates and more. With these artifacts of learning, I then posed to the students that they needed to demonstrate their learning by answering one of the Grade 11 Essential Questions:

• What causes systemic and individual change?
• What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change?
• What is the relationship between the self and a changing world?

Then they use the learning artifacts from the unit to explore an answer.  They can choose to work independently or with a partner and are given two-65 min. class periods to work.  At the end there should be a 'deliverable' that demonstrates their understanding.While not a typical incarnation of inquiry, in that I waited until the end of the unit to introduce the big question, the goal is to apply their learning and create from that information.  Students are questioning the sources they located in pursuit of demonstrating understanding of the link between content and the essential questions.  There are no right answers, only the answers they co-create with their partners and demonstrate through a self-determined presentation format.  Often the evidence of learning is a test in history class, but at the end of this unit students are specifically asked to make meaning of their learning artifacts by applying it to a grade-wide essential question.  At the end of the week, I was able to see how they understood the information as it relates to systemic and individual change.  The skills this approach reinforces - critical thinking, collaboration, presentation, design, inquiry and reflection - are what I consider a large part of what makes a student viable in an ever changing learning landscape.  Most importantly, this was a part of the conversation in a year long investigation of history, rather than a stopping point in the learning.

What If? History

• What if Ben Franklin died in his electricity experiment?
• What if Albert Einstein died before the Theory of Relativity was released?
• What if Alice Paul and Lucy Burns were assassinated?
• What if the Selective Service Act from WW1 was not ratified?
• What if Prohibition was not repealed?
• What if Joseph Kennedy Jr. lived?
• What if JFK did not come to a diplomatic resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis?
• What if Reagan did not survive his assassination attempt?
• What if Britain and US did not have the Revolutionary War?
• What if Nat Turner did not get caught?
• What if Puerto Rico was not a US territory?
• What if Amelia Earhart returned?
• What if segregation in schools was still in effect?
• What if Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, never ‘caught on’ and DDT was never banned?
• What if Osama bin Laden dies in 1980?
• What if Bill Gates’ middle school never bought the computer from a garage sale?
• What if al Qaeda was successful in the car bombing of the towers in 1993?

This is a sampling of questions asked by my juniors in their final project for American History.  Choice of question was completely left up to the students.  Counterfactual or alternate history is a fringe topic amongst academic historians.  However, as a class activity it opens up the world of history for inquiry, investigation and creativity.  The What If? project focuses on the specific engagement of the individual student with a deep investigation of the historical record.  The steps that take the student through the exercise are challenging, couched in research and steeped in creativity.Steps for Executing the What If? Unit

1. Brainstorming for Ideas – Ask students to think back to the most interesting units of study from the past year as a place to start, inquire as to what they are most curious about in American history.  The goal is to establish the Point of Divergence (POD)
2. Spend a day investigating 2-3 PODs for the project
3. Choose one POD and complete the contract for completing the project.
4. Distribute the graphic organizer that serves as a one-stop shop for the pieces of the project to be written down.
5. Students identify at least three primary source documents that PRECEDE the POD to establish understanding of the historical record leading up to the POD.
6. Students use the National Archives Primary Source Document Analysis Worksheets to analyze at least three different primary sources related to their chosen POD.
7. After students are relatively comfortable with the existing history, they then brainstorm three NEW events to add to the altered timeline that results after the POD.
8. Each new event requires students to create two primary source documents to establish the event as ‘real’.
9. Finally, students use all the pieces amassed on their graphic organizer to pull together a multi-media project that utilizes each piece of the evidence real and created in order to represent 2011 as it exists after the POD.
10. Students post their work on their blog and write a lengthy reflection - What did you like about this project? What was most challenging? Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated. How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?  How do systemic changes impact the historical record?  How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape? How could this project be improved? If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?

Many times over I hear the students say things like… you have no IDEA how much I know about this topic.  They push back when I try to poke holes in their logic with events from the historical record, cite primary sources when I need more proof.  The reflections often are most telling for the learning that occurs during this process, they write:“The thing that I found most fun about this project, was coincidentally the same thing I thought was the most difficult, and that was the fact that there were so many different possibilities. It was very fun to see how different events related to one another, and how changing one could set off this long domino effect about all of history.”  --Dennis“My favorite part of the actual creating of the project was definitely fabricating primary source documents. I felt so cool, like some kind of all-powerful, primary-source-creating being.” – Luna“I liked that I had free control to change something in history. It gave me the opportunity to choose something I was passionate about and change it to my liking. On the flip side, it was hard to pick something to change that would give me the outcome I wanted.” – Ayanna“I really liked the hypothetical part of this benchmark, it left a lot of room for creativity. I enjoyed making my primary source documents and making up a different future for our country. However, Topic choice was definitely the most difficult thing for me.” -  Emma“What I like about the project was that it made me do a lot of thinking and I learned a lot of history by going out on my own and researching the information that I needed.” -- SamThis unit causes my brain to hurt.  This project causes my students’ brains to hurt.  It puzzles, stumps and perplexes us.  Students choose topics poorly but do not realize it until well into the project. I approve a topic that is ‘too big’ and we are challenged to find a way out as the project comes to a close. There are contracts, organizers, analysis, predictions and sweat involved in this project. In the end, each student learns.  Learns content in an intense and curious manner.  Learns skills with an urgency of ‘I need to know this right now’.  Learns their limitations and challenges in the most constructive of ways. This unit pushes me in all these ways and more. It pushes me as a teacher and as a constant student of history to be the type of resource they need throughout this project. This is learning in its most messy and beautiful form.

For Each to Excel

A few months ago I was asked to write for a publication with this question in mind - High standards—personalization. Are these two education trends really in opposition?  After truly procrastinating and torturing myself over the writing I finished it, turned it in, but didn't make selection for publication.  So I have this piece of writing that needs a place to live... its long.  I'm not going to apologize about that, but just be aware.For Each to ExcelHigh standards and personalization are not in opposition.  Standardization and personalization are in opposition.  Holding students to a high standard while also personalizing the educational experience are not only, not in opposition, but really are the nexus where motivation meets productivity.  For the past 15 years I have taught in a rural school in northern Wisconsin, a small town bedroom community outside Kansas City, a school in northern Arizona that was home to many recent immigrant children as well as those coming from the Navajo reservation and an urban school in Center City Philadelphia.With this survey of America and her schools in mind, I am certain what we need at this exciting moment in American education is more personalization, more high standards and little to no standardization.  Why in the era when we are equipped with the technology to truly invigorate teaching and learning with individualized opportunities are we, as a nation, fixated on an assessment regime that squelches innovation, individuality and creativity?  Students and teachers are ready to move to the place where school is more than a holding pen, more than a place to ‘do your time’ but one where true transformation can occur on an individual level for all members of the school community.Inquiry-DrivenThe tools of modern learning allow for students to access and interact with content in ways that were not available to the classrooms of the past.  From manipulating interactive simulations to searching the National Archives, students have more complex ways of processing and analyzing their world.  One way to take advantage of this massive world of information is to move the learning from a place of one-size fits all, to a place of inquiry for each student.  The potential for learning increases when the students are allowed to ask questions within their learning and then given space to investigate, be curious and dig.In the classroom, this inquiry-driven approach takes form in a multitude of diverse projects.  In one 11th grade English class, students were asked to investigate a community need, locate grants that could be used to support that need and then apply for the grant.  In 10th grade science, students were asked to complete a project at the end of the year that dug deeper into a concept from the year-long course about which they remained curious and driven to further understanding.  In 11th grade physics, the students were asked to observe what happened on the city buses everyday, record their observations, and then work to develop new public service announcements about the laws of physics that impact their ride.  The goal was to increase safety for the passengers.Putting interesting concepts in front of the students, challenging them to ask questions, and then giving them space to inquire further is one of the most effective means of facilitating learning.  These are all examples of allowing students to design the end products while holding them to high standards of learning without standardizing the outcome.CreativeStandardization kills creativity.  In an era of constant talk about the need for innovation in all areas of life and the economy, creativity is one of the main qualities that fuels innovation.  We all need to be working to foster a citizenry that can inquire, search out information to build learning and then create original works from that inquiry driven learning.  The days of learning ‘the one right way’ to complete a task and then repeat that task over and over -- is over.Teachers and students are inundated with choice, options, and issues that demand critical but also creative thinkers.  Working with students to develop the skills for this world rather than focusing on access to static content is key.  Responding to dynamic situations that require a student to adjust, reconfigure and rethink while progressing forward fosters a learning environment that invigorates.  One way that this happens at the classroom level is quite simple yet difficult at the same time.  Teachers must stop directing all aspects of the final outcomes of student work.  Typically, students mimic rather than create original work.  Our new learning landscape allows for the teacher to step aside and let students create.  This is simple, yet to give up this level of control requires a shift in the teacher’s classroom role.  Additionally, the teacher must recognize that in letting the students create and inquire, the end product may fall short of what was anticipated.  This is ok.  Allowing the students the latitude to fail should certainly be factored into potential outcomes in this type of learning environment.Creativity involves risk and trying something new.  School is the perfect place to work through that process with the students to reflect on what went well, what did not and how to make changes for future ventures.  I watched a bright and tenacious 11th grader go after a story for one of our history projects.  She called and reached out in every way possible.  She researched and dug and in the end came up short.  When she came to me feeling frustrated and somewhat defeated, we decided to change her project from being about this topic, to being about her process and the difficulties she encountered along the way.  She learned.  It was personalized, and she was held to high standards.  However, it did not look like any other student’s learning.  The educational system needs to start getting comfortable with this variation in learning. To do otherwise sanitizes the educational experience into being predictable, mimicked and flat.Student-CenteredPersonalization allows for ownership of learning and investment from the students.  From a school-wide standpoint there are a number of opportunities to endeavor for high standards as well as personalize the educational experience.  At the Science Leadership Academy (SLA), we employ a 3-year-long program that challenges students to pursue their own interests.  Starting in their sophomore year and continuing through their junior year, students are given Wednesday afternoons to intern, learn, volunteer, and do – we call it the Individualized Education Program (ILP).  Some students enroll in college classes to pursue a subject not offered at school, others are in law offices, businesses, university labs, non-profits.   The sky is the limit.  The school offers a set of options but the student can also propose an alternative and seek out their own tailor-made internship.  These experiences have led students to further investigate a particular career path and for others they realize that they would rather pursue a different path.  College scholarships, admissions, job offers, awards are all potential outcomes for students doing what they are already interested in, but with the time allocated within the normal school day for them to pursue.  This is a key component, making school about life and not just encouraging them to engage in these types of learning experiences ‘outside’ the school day.For the final year of this arc, students are let loose to create a Capstone project of their design.  There is guidance, mentors, check ins and other scaffolded experiences that assist students through a year long project, but the choices of what to create and how to create it are left to the student.  They design, plan, schedule and execute the final project.  This process is meant to synthesize the learning experiences that we build toward as a school.  Our five core values – Inquiry, Collaboration, Research, Reflection, and Presentation – are on embedded as seniors carry out the project.  It is not rare for students to stumble or struggle.  Once again, this is ok.The three-year program asks students to identify their own interests, pursue them,  and create from those interests.  It is a throughline embedded in their learning that values them individually while holding them to a high standard of achievement.  The measurement of this achievement is the work of their own hands, rather than that of a scan sheet.  Talk to any student about their learning at the end of this experience and they will be able to process and reflect at a level that make most employers salivate.  They not only know what gets in the way of their productivity, but how to mitigate for those obstacles and ways to improve the next time they tackle a big project again.  This is learning for the modern age.AssessmentSo now for the inevitable question of assessment.  This type of conversation about teaching and learning always boils down to assessment.  Currently our educational system employs one of the cheapest forms of assessing student work, multiple choice questions.  This standardized assessment, while not horrible, is just irrelevant.  It measures the wrong thing.  Our assessments need to be as dynamic as the learning and relevant to the complex nature of the work.  At SLA, we employ a three-part system of assessment that endeavors to provide a variety of feedback to the students regarding their academic progress.During all four quarters we submit traditional grades just like all the other schools in the School District of Philadelphia.  This continuation of traditional grades allows for our students to pursue placement in top colleges, compete for scholarships and the like.  We do not leave it just at traditional grades, though.  Accompanying the traditional report card for the 1st and 3rd quarters is a narrative report from each teacher.  This two to three paragraph narrative explains the student’s progress, comments on strengths and weaknesses, and suggests goals for the upcoming quarters.  During the 2nd and 4th quarters, a standards-based report card is included with the traditional report card.  The standards based report card comments on specific skill development for each of the subject areas.All of this robust information is collected and shared in a student-run conference with the academic advisor and the parents.  Goals are then discussed and set for the upcoming quarters.  All of this information is logged in our Learning Management System - SLATE - so all teachers, administrators, and counselors can access the data at anytime throughout the student’s four years with SLA.  This system attends to a traditional model while also recognizing that a letter is not the whole story.  The incorporation of these three measurement techniques provide the learner, parents, advisors and teachers with a full circle feedback loop on the individual progress from a holistic, narrative and standards-based perspective.  This is a vigorous model of assessment.  Nothing about this is standardized.  This is personalized and sets a high standard for achievement.ConclusionThe tools, systems and networks available for learning are as unending as are the possibilities for demonstration of that learning.  Holding this process back with a stilted and stifling standardized assessment regime is outdated.  Learning has never been so ready to wrap its arms around differentiation, personalization and high standards.  Standardization gets in the way.Teaching and learning are standing on the edge of unlimited opportunities for robust investigation that invites student interest and passion.  By engaging students in inquiry-driven education, projects to let their creativity shine and space for them to pursue their interests, we can all move forward into modern learning that no longer asks for replication and memorization as demonstrations of learning. Instead, we can move into learning that is dynamic, challenging and interesting.  Sadly, this is not embraced in the broader educational establishment.It takes action to shift learning into this realm.  The status quo is not welcome here.  It is sometimes uncomfortable and messy.  We owe it to our community to work with the students in our charge to not only inform, but value their role, voice and passion within the learning environment.  Start talking, reaching out, developing networks with the stakeholders motivated to re-evaluate the learning environment.  This is literally as simple and complex as being willing to learn in front of our students as we create the classrooms and schools they need.

Visualizing Data Process

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/29922019 w=400&h=255]The video above is a screenshot of the process I went through when endeavoring to visualize voter turnout rates from state to state.  There is more data to visualize and compare.  I am not sure I will use these exact maps, but it is the work process that allowed me to move from wanting data, finding it, making is usable and then visualizing.  Many Eyes is a really lovely, free tool that makes my job and learning easier.  Win.

Thoughts on #nytedtech

Last week I was invited to attend the New York Times Schools for Tomorrow Conference.  One of the reasons I was determined to attend was to interject a teacher voice into a largely teacher-less day of a traditional sit and get event.  The representation of large pieces of the educational puzzle were left off the stage last Thursday.  This concerned me greatly.Here was my response to what could be improved -

The thing I wish more than anything is that this would be more teacher friendly.  This could easily be scheduled during the summer months when teachers have off from school.  In addition, more conversation based sessions would be lovely.  Sit and get for that long was a bit much.  Although I did feel like there was a good amount of time for questions in most sessions, it was largely a traditional model of being talked at.  The issues that are facing the future of education won't be solved by students of teachers or admin or business or journalists... as separate entities, but bringing together significant cohorts of each and free up actual time for hearty conversations could be a nice start.  Sitting the teachers up front was meant to be a sign of importance and I understand that... but then having so few of them actually speaking seemed a bit much.  It was as if we were there to be told that which we already know... because we are in it.  And along those same lines, more students, more students, more students.  I offered to arrange for students from my school to attend but was politely told no.   This could be a truly transformative experience, but fell short in my opinion because of the over representation of corporate voices over those of the actual teachers and students already working in and shaping schools for tomorrow.

And for suggestions for panels or topics next year I responded -

A panel of teachers and principals from schools that are already pushing the envelope would be a strong start.  I would argue that although KIPP is pushing a somewhat successful model, there is little innovative or future thinking about their approach.  There are TONS of schools that are... contact ISTE for suggestions or Edutopia.  We need to talk about the actual day to day that needs re-envisioning... classroom level conversations.  If we are going to communicate with the leaders of government and business, the powerful intersection is when we all talk about possibilities together.  Not just 'at or 'to'.  We can fix this, but it will take a concerted effort to respect all the players.  This year's line-up certainly privileged one side of this over the other and many educators felt the slight.

The NYTimes has a wonderful resource with The Learning Network and I'm not sure I heard them mentioned once.  They have real relationships with teachers and classrooms that could benefit the overall impact of the conference.

Contact the classroom teachers that are innovating at the classroom level.  Contact the leaders of edtech thought.  Please use your position of influence to bridge the spaces between all the stakeholders rather than widen the gap.

I asked a question in each of the sessions.  And in each of the sessions, at least once... someone commented, well that would be a good question for a teacher in the classroom.  *sigh*  We're here.  Highly qualified, dedicated, innovating, National Board Certified... recognized in the education community as leaders in the development of Schools for Tomorrow... and yet, not on the stage.  There were 55 panelists - 2 were in practice teachers.  We can do better. 

They're Gr-r-reat

Maybe it's because I spent three years under the Imagine 2014 plan where 'Great Staff' was one of the strategic goals.  Or possibly because I keep reading about 'great teachers' from the Gates Foundation.  But, boy am I tired of of my chosen profession being described with one of the least meaningful words the english language has to offer. Perhaps I should forward them a thesaurus.I attended the New York Times Schools for Tomorrow conference last week and I also heard references that were equally as pablum-esque to describe the job.  If you want to describe the type of teachers we need the list should be long, complex and involved.  We can do better, much better at finding the appropriate words to describe the job that so many are hoping will 'save' the US economy.  Let's have a real conversation about effective teaching.  Let's describe the people that work with America's youth day in and day out as dedicated, clever, creative.  Perhaps the words tenacious, persistent, dogged, relevant. Anything but the 'meh' word that most notably describes sugary cereal.

The 2011/12 School Year

 This is the fourth year in a row that  I am teaching American History at  the Science Leadership Academy.  When I was hired in May of 2008, I  made a conscious decision to shift  my teaching of history to a fully  thematic approach. In my previous  years of teaching history I would  try to blend the chronological with  the thematic in some hybridized  version of instruction. Switching to  a fully thematic approach was the  right move as I reflect upon the  development of the curriculum.One goal I have always tried to accomplish is to push out as much of my classroom as possible into the web so as to share, refine and grow. This year my goal is to account for each day of the year for both of my classes, which I have tried before and fallen short. With the start of a new year comes the motivation to try again.  Plan to see unit by unit blogging as the year progresses with a daily breakout of activities, journals and links.  I am hopeful that this is the year.  

9/11 Memories

Ten years ago today I awoke in Arizona to the news that the towers had been hit.  I stayed in my house watching TV, a mere 6 blocks from school, until the last possible minute.  When I arrived at school the bus drivers were desperate to know any information I had as they had been collecting students all morning and didn’t have any news.  I shared what I knew.  It wasn’t much.When I came in the door we were asked not to talk to the kids about it.  I paid as much attention to that directive as I did most directives.  Walking to my room I was trying to figure out how to rig up an antenna on my school TV that had no cable access.  Another teacher loaned me a wire hanger.  With a shut door and fuzzy reception, my new class of 7^th graders and I tried to piece together what was happening.  The internet had information, but it was 2001, not exactly the type of access we have today.  After 5 classes of 7^th grade geography, I went home.  I called my family while glued to the TV for the rest of the evening.That was the last day that I watched any footage of the towers falling.  I listened to the radio from there on.  To this day I do not ever need to see the footage of the towers falling.  The image is forever saved in my memory, seeing it again and again is not going to do any good.  I share that with my students when they ask why we don’t watch footage on the anniversary.  There are few things I can’t rally for in the classroom, put on repeat and watch over and over with each subsequent class.  The 9/11 footage is in that unique category.  I just can’t do it.My life has changed dramatically since 9/11/01 – I moved from rural Arizona to Center City, Philadelphia – I was a 7^th grade teacher and now am teaching 11^th/12^th grade – the man I was living with at the time moved on as did I – my siblings went from having 1 child to 7 – my parents went from working to retirement.  I still have the same car, 2 days old on 9/11.  It might be the only outwardly similar piece of my life then to my life now.My day was not that interesting.  But like so many days, I shared it learning with the students in my charge.  The lesson on 9/11/01 was a tough one.  They were simultaneously curious and scared and so was I.  I worried about them as they walked out the door at 2:20pm, many of them to empty houses to watch the footage on repeat.  By themselves.  We processed much of the information over the next few days.  I shifted our focus on Africa to hone in on the history of Afghanistan, trying to build background.  When their parents sat in their seats two nights later for Open House, there wasn’t one question about the syllabus.  They wanted a lesson.  On Afghanistan.  On the news.  On the world.  It was the most unique open house night of my career, when being a parent at open house meant getting informed about the content and not just about the late work policy.I wonder what should be a ‘good’ lesson on 9/11 for classes.  Telling the stories, seeing the pictures, hearing the reports – is this it?  Do we just teach it like anything else?  It feels so much more personal, relevant, big.  I’m not sure what is the right answer, but tomorrow I will once again ask students what they remember of the day, what they think about the nation today and where we will head in the future.We will speak of courage and loss and grief, but also of hope and resiliency and tenacity.  We will remember.

Day One: Melbourne

Day one found me traipsing all over Melbourne CBD (Central Business District).  Here is a walking tour complete with pics from the day!

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...and I'm back from the river, again.

Once again I've taken a group of kids on a river adventure. There are times when I have to pinch myself that I get to do this awesome thing over and over and over again. In April of 2002, Josh Armstrong - colleague from my teaching years in AZ - walked into my classroom and asked if I wanted to chaperone a river trip. Before he could tell me the dates, I said yes. I love water... paddling in it, floating along... I led canoe trips in WI at a summer camp for two years - it was delightful. I was excited to get back to the water.Every spring since and the summers of 2007 and 2008... I was fortunate enough to participate in a series of trips with Grand Canyon Youth. One year I was on three trips. (Big Smile) The things that occur during these short snippets of life, unplugged, floating, exploring are those of lifetime memories. For many of the students, this is a one shot deal. For me... it hits the repeat button every year and I cannot explain the level of happiness it brings me.These last three trips with the Philly kids have been hard though. Its not the travel or the arrangements or the money... its that I spend time in Northern Arizona, falling in love with it all over again. It takes a group of the Philly kids about 30 minutes to ask some version of this question, "Ms. Laufenberg, why did you ever leave this place?" and I usually give them some sort of flip answer because its difficult to remember the reasons... as I drive into the San Francisco Peaks, along Rte. 66 and then through Monument Valley on the way to the river. I left Flagstaff for SLA. Specifically. It was and continues to be the right choice, but every year when I leave Flagstaff with the peaks in the rearview, I make sure my sunglasses are on as I choke back the tears. It always feels wrong to be leaving it.The friends I left behind here are the dearest people to me outside my family. This place will always be home to me.Already looking forward to April 2012. When we do it all over again.