Oppose PA House Bill 855

Franklin Roosevelt said, "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." This captures so much of what we hope to do as teachers and yet simultaneously absolved us of venturing into matters beyond the classroom. The great lesson of history is that groups endure the most severe injustices when good people fail to rise up or speak out.

PA House Bill 855 is not directly about reducing deficit/debt. This is about power. About taking power from workers, from the people, and placing it even more staunchly in the hands of politicians and corporations. This is not an assault on teacher unions - this is an assault on labor, on the workers who built this country, on the middle-class. It is part of a larger effort to reduce the expectations all Americans have for pensions, health care, and security.

Without seniority, a school that is trying to resolve financial issues could furlough one experienced teacher for every two novice teachers and save nearly equally in financial terms. In turn, schools are able to preserve moderate class sizes and programs which reduces resistance from parents. Governors and lawmakers argue that schools need to be able to adopt business-like policies to be more fiscally responsible. If we believe that assertion, then furloughing experienced teachers - regardless of their effectiveness, is the most cost effective solution with minimal impact on other metrics like class size and program availability. Furloughing any teacher is devastating, but without the security of seniority, experienced teachers will be the first to go and with them goes wisdom, influence, and stability.

We cannot guarantee what the future is like for our youth - but if we don't take action, if we don't cry out in protest, we bear the responsibility for the loss of the future that generations before us have fought so hard to build. This is not just about the loss of your job. This is about the extraction of power from the hands of the people and the coalescing of power in the hands of a few.

We can no longer resign ourselves to only preparing our youth for the future; we must also insure that the future is not stolen from our youth.

Please take action against House Bill #855.

Google Voice: A New Approach to the Suggestion Box

Many student councils utilize suggestion boxes to collect feedback and ideas from the student body. The effectiveness of physical suggestion boxes, often located in libraries or other common areas, can vary greatly. One way to potentially increase the amount and timeliness of feedback collected by a “suggestion box” is to replace the physical box with Google Voice.

Google Voice is a powerful tool that blends phone and texting capabilities with voice transcription and message archiving.  Your student council could set up a Google Account and then set up Google Voice that will give your council its own telephone number. You have a lot of choice with this number so that you could potentially create a number that spells out some word or phrase that is easy to market and remember. Once the student body has the number, they can leave suggestions by calling or texting the number. Google Voice will transcribe the phone calls so that you can scan them quickly and keep a text archive along with text messages. You can collect student’s cell phone numbers via Google Voice and even attempt to provide direct responses to their suggestions while maintaining a level of anonymity.

You will want to check with your school’s administration to make sure they are agreeable with the idea of using Google Voice. Also, you will want to make sure that the Google Account that you use to set up Google Voice is a common account for student council rather than someone’s personal Google account.  For more information on Google Voice check out www.google.com/voice. 

Google Apps & Online Voting

Use Google Apps for Education to conduct online voting for school groups and events.

Our school has Google Apps for Education. With that, each student has an email account that they can use along with Google Docs, Calendar, and Sites. Most of this works the same as a regular private Google Account - except for something I came across today.

We want to run elections "online" for Student Council & Class Officer, Homecoming Queen & Prom Court, etc. Google Forms has the potential to make this happen for free, especially the Google Forms within Google Apps for Education.

When you create a form in Google Docs using your Google Apps account, there is an options to require respondents to sign in with their personalize Google Apps account login:


By having each student log in, you can be sure that only HS students are completing the form and that each student only votes one time. And as with regular Google Forms, you can turn forms on and off at specific times, require specific questions to be completed, and view all of the results in a nice spreadsheet.

I haven't used this approach with Google Apps yet (I did with my personal Google Account). Once I get it up and running, I'll share more insight.

baiting the hook

From Dan Meyer's TEDxNY talk:

Indicators that you're teaching problem solving wrong:
1. Lack of initiative
2. Lack of perseverance
3. Lack of retention
4. Aversion to word problems
5. Eagerness for formula

TED talk: http://youtu.be/BlvKWEvKSi8



http://blog.mrmeyer.com/

Learning Something New

I have an independent study student this semester who is researching the relationship between physics, math, and music. He has been uncovering some interesting patterns as well as some intriguing historical perspectives. For a summary of that research, check out his blog.

One of the things that is enjoyable about this process is how much I've been learning about music, which is a huge deficit for me in terms of understanding. I have a general appreciation for music but really no intuition or talent for the production of music. My student has been patiently trying to catch me up on the foundations of music theory.

Most recently he showed me a video which demonstrates the use of a series of cords in 36 contemporary songs. I've included the video in this post.

This type of collaboration in our learning is very productive. We plan to showcase his research to our gifted teacher as well as some other key players to expose the potential for a shift in instructional methods.

4Chords... 36 Songs [WARNING: Contains Explicit Lyrics/Language]

Watch more BREAK.COM videos on AOL Video

Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students With 21st Century Skills : January 2009 : THE Journal

Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students With 21st Century Skills : January 2009 : THE Journal

Referring to a survey of 50 corporations, organizations, and small businesses, "the top three things employers are looking for in new recruits are:

Creative problem solving;
Critical and analytical thinking skills; and
Information gathering and evaluation."

After reading those top three things... seems like corporations, organizations and businesses want everyone to be physicists. =)

Toxic Grading Practices

Students Benefit From Depth, Rather Than Breadth, In High School Science Courses

Students Benefit From Depth, Rather Than Breadth, In High School Science Courses

For years I wondered about my approach to Physics... only getting through mechanics during our block-schedule semester. But this helps support my approach, as does recent feedback from some former students. My only hope would be that more students took a second year of Physics :)

Reporting success?

I heard the PA Secretary of Ed speak on Tuesday and he promoted the effectiveness of academic standards. He had heard Daniel Pink speak earlier in the day and was commenting on how someone like Daniel Pink gets paid to cause commotion (because Daniel Pink advocates for many changes that run contrary to the standards movement).

We seek "best practices" or research-based methods of instruction that increase achievement of the expectations set by standards document. But what if what we are aiming for, is wrong? Then many of the methods have the potential to be ineffective. Again, what does success look like for students competing in today's global arena? How do we communicate success?

From the same paper mentioned in my previous post...

Improving assessment and grading practices can have positive effects throughout the school as well as for individual students. For example, assuming a reduction in failures from improved assessment and grading, Reeves (2008) states, “student behavior improves, faculty morale is better, resources allocated to remedial courses and course repetitions are reduced, and resources invested in electives and advanced courses increase” (p. 87). Assessments, when properly designed, will improve instruction by providing appropriate feedback to both the student and the teacher and will also allow for a greater range of students to be successful (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006; O’Connor, 2002). Educators often complain about initiative overload and indeed several members of this cohort mentioned that concern throughout online discussions. The movement towards the 21st century classroom already creates stress for those making the transition and so it is useful to note the work of Fisher and Frey (2007) in framing formative assessment as a support for other education initiatives, rather than an additional initiative.

The 21st century skills that were analyzed as part of this course involve either higher level thinking skills or difficult to measure “soft” skills associated with interactions. These skills do not fit well with traditional classroom assessment systems nor do they often get measured on the standardized tests used to comply with No Child Left Behind. This should not imply that these skills cannot be assessed to both improve learning and measure the new vision of success. DiMartino and Castaneda (2007) assert that authentic assessments are essential to assessing applied skills and that a shift away from the Carnegie unit method of measuring seat-time is needed to achieve the vision of a 21st century classroom. The form that assessment takes is also brought into question by a number of researchers including Marzano (2000), McTighe and O’Connor (2005), and Sternberg (2008). The drive towards standardized, multiple-choice style assessments under NCLB can be interpreted to inhibit efforts to move towards a 21st century model of teaching.

Measuring success?

This was my intro paragraph for a paper I wrote last year... recent events have me thinking about this topic again. What does success look like for today's students? How do we measure this success?

"Teaching and learning for the 21st century represents a significant shift in the paradigms associated with what constitutes success in the educational system. Often, it is those individuals who were successful within the system that go on to work and lead within the system. This creates a massive inertial presence that maintains status quo, even amidst powerful forces driving for change. Any visionary who strives to move the mountains of accumulated organizational press will need to fundamentally alter the tools used in measuring success in our school systems. Changes to curriculum or instruction to prepare students for 21st century success will fail to sustain themselves if measured by the assessment tools of a previous century that valued information above wisdom. Further more, there are unique challenges to the assessment of 21st century skills (DiMartino & Castaneda, 2007; Sternberg, 2008). It is then paramount to any other initiative that teachers, administrators, and the community expose the limitations of the current assessment system, build capacity to begin improvement, use evidence as a foundation for all assessment decisions, and continually support quality assessment through professional development and policy."

Gender Bias Found In Student Ratings Of High School Science Teachers

http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/3OjNNPQzeoA/090202174953.htm

Perhaps science has an image problem. I know the opposite bias has been investigates for years... That science teachers treat male students differently. But this is the first time I've seen research on this aspect.

But then, all physics teachers are a little odd to begin with :)

Sent from my iPhone

Assessment to a Seven Year Old: Cole Camplese: Learning and Innovation

Assessment to a Seven Year Old... Cole Camplese: Learning and Innovation

Most students and my peers know that I have a passion for assessment. I'm constantly questioning the traditions that seem to hamper effective assessment and, in turn, limit learning. We all know the dangers of assumption - but so much of assessment practice in education is conceived based on assumption rather than research.

Cole Camplese from Penn State University recently posted to his blog a brief write up about assessment - but the main point is to listen to his daughter, in 1st grade, discuss the assessment and grading practices she's come to "learn" under. Take a moment to listen to the podcast.

Book Review - 'Darwin’s Sacred Cause' and 'Angels and Ages' - Review - NYTimes.com

Book Review - 'Darwin’s Sacred Cause' and 'Angels and Ages' - Review - NYTimes.com

Although science does not teach values, those who value science can influence the world for the better.

Is Michelle Rhee the new face of education reform? | csmonitor.com

Is Michelle Rhee the new face of education reform? | csmonitor.com

Posted using ShareThis

There are two competing ways of looking at education that need to be reconciled. On one side you have the NCLB/PLC/LFS push for data, measurement, and accountability. On the other side there is Whole Child/Progressive/21stCentury demand for rethinking what really matters in education. Bottom line, we need to better define what success looks like in this massive educational endeavor that supports not only the individual but also democracy.

The key is to utilize teachers as professionals, to treat teachers as professionals, and to inspire great students to become teachers.

Equity & Change

America has long promised equal opportunity. Our public schools were to be the portal to a productive and secure future for each American and for America. Unfortunately, since their inception, our public schools have been handicapped by the same social inequities that infiltrated the businesses, homes, and hearts of the communities they serviced. As bungled as it seems, No Child Left Behind attempts to rectify this inequity by demanding that all schools provide all students with a solid foundation in reading and math. Unfortunately, success in a “flat world” requires so much more than being competent and consequently more and more children are being left behind – without even knowing it.

The gross inequities in our public school system as well as the growing concern over our global competitiveness have initiated a call for change. Educational technology may be the catalyst that makes such change possible. When intelligent, reflective, and determined teachers utilize educational technology to transform learning into a highly critical and productive experience for students, we begin to deliver on the promise of equal opportunity for security and success. Technology allows for efficient and productive means of networking, communication, analysis, creativity, and achievement of most competencies. The teacher still remains the most important variable to student learning and when technology is used to enhance a teacher’s understanding of content and pedagogy, we are able to efficiently improve the quality of education.

According to an online report published by Time Magazine, students need to think globally and in innovative ways to remain competitive both as individuals and as a nation. They also need to learn to process information in new ways while developing proper deportment and interpersonal assets. Appropriate and innovative use of educational technology has the potential to achieve those goals by reaching digital natives through instructional methods that appeal to their rewired brain structure. Teachers and everyone else involved in education must reevaluate what our vision of a successful student looks like in a world where information is ubiquitous and genuine thought is a commodity. We must promise to improve education for all students and we must deliver.

Blogs in Education

There is a tremendous amount of information contained within the blogs that span the Internet... information that is timely and relevant, not dependent upon a publisher or other establishment to determine when the information will be shared with others. Therein lies the power of blogging in education, to free the collective voice of a generation of students frustrated with "writing for the teacher". Writing for the world, is writing for oneself - similar to the powerful voice the type-set press gave to revolutionaries of the past.

Technology Vision

I have spent considerable time and effort lately, researching the concept of one-to-one computing and learning in schools. I talk with anyone who will listen and share about my concerns - and about my excitement. My concern is that the implementation of such a massive shift in instructional methods requires more focus and finesse than we will afford it. We seem increasingly divided between all of the expectations and obligations placed on a high school today, and one-to-one computing seems to be coming along at the wrong time. My vision for technology integration (adaption) is that we finally realize how little we expect of our students, how inflexible we have become, and how limiting so many of our reform efforts truly are.

Technology, adapted well, has the potential to raise our expectation of all students while allowing for even more success than under lower expectations. Our students are able to maneuver their way through high school avoiding classes that require thinking, problem solving, and reflective thought. Students have become outstanding information regurgitators, but that is rarely a desirable quality any longer. We need to grow outstanding communicators, thinkers, problem solvers and one-to-one computing has been shown to do just that (if adapted well). There needs to be less restriction on communication, more time to think creatively and critically, and students need to have opportunities to solve real problems. This leads to a vision of flexibility.

PA significantly changed graduation guidelines when it developed and adopted the Academic Standards. There are guidelines for days and hours, physical education and health class, and an expectation that whatever else occurs in the schools, students are demonstrating proficiencyon the Standards. Unfortunately, most schools never embraced this change and graduations requirements are almost entirely unchanged. It seems that to be successful, one-to-one needs to truly mean that; every student needs a machine that is theirs. March Prensky points out a similar notion that students need to embrace the one-to-one by personalizing the experience. We currently block email from all students, all social networking sites, and even block regular Google searches in the name of security. The concept of personalization of technology is a HUGE paradigm shift for high schools, especially those in charge of technology at the district level. This often leads to reform that promotes conformity.

Math is a perfect example of reform efforts that seek to control exactly what and when a student is exposed to information. Even at the high school level, technology in math departments is about control and management, not exploration and discovery. I would hope for technology adaption to occur that motivates students to solve real problems using skills developed "along the way". We then have the issue of assessment - which causes me to shudder when I think about integrating one-to-one computing. Even reform efforts related to assessment (ie common assessment and PLC) when implemented are more about control (of students and teachers) than of improving learning. One-to-one learning requires radically new ideas about the form of assessment, and clearly students will need to shake free of the limitations of previous reform attempts.

My vision for technology integration is simple: to always view instruction through my student's eyes. My students want to be challenged, they want to be creative, and they need to not be held down by policy and organizational structures of the status quo.

Les Miserables, part deux

One of my favorite stories is that of Valjean, Javert, and the Bishop Myriel from Les Miserables. When I describe it to my students, I like to simply say that it is a story about the interpretation of "doing the right thing". (of course, the musical Wicked is also a great backdrop for the same theme).

• The Bishop is "good" because he is forgiving, generous, accepting - almost too much so.
• Javert is "good" because he enforces society's rules; innocent or guilty with no in-between.
• Valjean is "good" because he responds to the needs of others, often casting aside the laws or norms of society.

Most of us accept that we cannot be good like the Bishop. We'd like to believe that we're more like Valjean - a champion for those who cannot rise up themselves. But honestly, we mostly behave as Javert... conforming and judging, trusting in the government structures and other protectors of status quo.

After watching Spike Lee's docu-drama on HBO, WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS, I'm again reminded of this pattern of docile obedience supplanting irritating activism. Years from now, history will be taught in classrooms that revises the devastation of Katrina, not as a natural disaster, but as a failure of government to serve its people. But, the history lesson will not stop there, instead it will continue on to point out how the rest of us stood by and watched it happen - satisfied that enough had changed, when in fact, nothing really has. Where is the outrage, the irritating activism that pushes us forward?

In Pennsylvania the lawmakers gave themselves a raise. The result was a tremendous burst of irritating activism that drove the electorate to vote for change. Most analysts will say that the results of the election following these events, were shaped by this force of change - out with the old, in with the new... and by the way, we're watching you!

AND YET, it seems as if two years after Katrina, little has changed for the better - especially at the federal level.


Javert, upon realizing that all of his years of judging and conforming had left him on the wrong side of being right, takes his life, having "fallen from grace". Let us work now to see the wisdom and power of irritating activism - before its too late.

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/whentheleveesbroke/
http://www.teachingthelevees.org/