Post Covid Education

If we don't use the interruption to education to make drastic changes after this pandemic, if we are just waiting for this to end so things can go back to normal, then we have missed a great opportunity. 

Everything about life has changed, the way we think and act, what we wear, how we interact, learn and entertain ourselves. Kids are learning from home, teachers are making videos of lessons, and teaching to kids who are at home by changing their content and pedagogy. 

Things that used to be sacrosanct had to be cut, to rely on just the truly vital. This gives the freedom going forward to do something more. If people are able to make these drastic changes to what and how they teach, they can do anything. 

Ideas to consider:
Truly give teachers a break by taking something off their plates
show they are valued by relinquishing the reins on the time they are required to be in school and what they can do when they are there

Allow students to show learning of targeted material in any way that works for them.
Raise expectations by taking advantage of the "freedom" students have had, and have gotten used to 

Assume the best and give students more freedom and flexibility to learn how they want and show learning in a way that makes the most sense for them. 

Allow students to take advantage of the success skills the World Economic Forum declared in 2018 were going to be the most important for the 21st Century. Again, that brings me back to the fact that parents still have to be sold on this idea. They know what made them successful and they want the same for their kids.

Teachers should be able to do real enrichment with students who want to learn more in their subject area. Not that it would be something they would look at as "extra" but in a way that both they and the students look forward to it. If there are people who don't want to do the extra teaching, they can hold off and supervise or work with kids who need extra time to catch up on the regular work.

In fact, there should be no retests like have been previously done. The retest should be some sort of hands on alternative that may be created or invented by the student themself, or taken from a list that the teacher has created. I wonder if the norm would eventually become that kids won't want to are the test, but to do something that they feel would be more valuable.

After a conversation where an administrator said, "teachers have gone through a lot this year We can't ask them to do more next year." I think it would not be asking them to do more if they had something taken off their plate and they were trusted to do something incredible with their coursework.

I realize that most courses have reconfigured their content for target based learning, which is great since the teachers know what the students have to learn. Now it is up to the students to take the "OAR" and truly paddle themselves into life. You can't talk about doing that and then keep their hands strapped down to their sides and tell them it is good for them and not let them truly and fully take ownership.

School districts have already laid the ground work by incorporating the forward thinking terminology, but is is hollow right now. It can be given more life by truly capitalizing on this unfortunate series of events to make drastic changes right now. It would be a great time to start. With the new high school coming, new areas to use the expressions that are being used of having public areas for students to work seem to be organized around the idea of them taking personal responsibility and that they will have work that they actually want to do and won't be screwing around while they are in those public spaces.

Declaration of Educational Independence

After completing a unit where students decided when they had reached a satisfactory proficiency in selected targets, it is time to raise the bar. While exploring changes in education that should be made following the unfortunate "time out" that has occurred in school for the last nine months, early childhood teacher Erika Christakis, in her article "School Wasn't So Great Before Covid Either," in the December 2020 edition of The Atlantic, discusses the gains in learning that have been made by students who were able to work more independently, while having more time outdoors. That those are important factors for elementary students also portends their effectiveness for older students as well. My thinking is to finally create a more personalized way of conducting class. After years of talking then forgetting about doing it, I am going to undertake a transformation of Arete English 10, which includes literature, composition and speech. I will require a project, paper and/or presentation at regular intervals with all targets open for each task. Students can look at which targets they need to shore up and attempt them in a format of their choosing on future concepts. There will continue to be lessons for specific targets, but students won't have to attend them unless they haven't yet shown proficiency. 

The projects will be constructed by students who will examine the targets, the concept and the formats available to them to create a rationale for the project  in which they lay out all aspects of the project, including schedule, targets, and product, for approval by the teacher(s), parents and hopefully a non teacher/family member who is there to ask questions, check on the student and hopefully, create a solid relationship with another adult. 

I can start with English, and hopefully, social studies can work in easily as well. The eventual goal would be to include math and science into the project too, but that will remain to be seen. The class structure would give students as much structure as they need. Obviously, there will be students who can work at a high level of independence, but there are those who need encouragement and to be led one small step at a time. We will have to set up short, regular meetings with all students to answer questions and encourage progress. 

Purpose is most important

 

Possibly, concentrating on the purpose we do something rather than just a number, is one way that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the Patriots have been so successful (Clear 202). Belichick has sold the idea that it is about the purpose (to win games) and that is the metric that drives all other decisions. Should they run the ball 30 times or throw it 50 against a certain team? Should they blitz against this team? If the idea is effectively sold to the others on the team, then they would be willing to miss out on individual statistics that others use to rate themselves, so the team can reach their ultimate goal which is for the good of the team.

How can this be imparted to students in class? The focus on the learning (winning) rather than the grade (personal statistics) is essential for our program. More exactly, the grade should be an indication of the learning, and not separate from it, let alone be the sole focus. Again, like Belicek selling the win over the personal statistics, the challenge is in looking for how to sell learning as the goal. Each week, there is a way for teams to check whether they have accomplished their purpose. Are tests or projects that win? It seems so.

In football each year, the ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. Is the Super Bowl of learning, college? a dream job? happiness? financial success? How can we create a shorter term ultimate prize rather than one that is years in the future? Is it

Each year there is a Super Bowl and hence a Super Bowl winner. After the season, the team and the players can evaluate themselves to reflect on what they did to lead to the championship (or for all but one team, not the championship). In learning, the goal is for everyone to win the championship and everyone can win the "championship." How does someone decide if they won the "championship" or if they even played in the game?