What are we doing?

This is not a rhetorical question. What are we doing in schools today? The world has changed and the requirements of the society our students are entering is no longer best served by the teaching and assessment methods we are still clinging to. We need to change how things are being done in school. Teachers need to change their perspective of their profession. We are not teachers, we are designers of learning environments. We are not the givers of knowledge, we are the facilitators of learning. Content should no longer be king. Traditional approaches where students listen, take notes, memorize and regurgitate on a test are no longer a viable means of preparation for our ever-changing world. We need to keep the learning experiences contextually relevant to the needs of the society our students will enter once they are finished with their formal educational experiences.

How many schools still use tests as their major form of assessment? I am certain that the majority of schools, at least in the U.S. rely heavily on this outdated method of assessment. A form of assessment that measures only one thing, how well a student can take that test on that particular day. Tests do not measure long-term learning, only what a student remembers that particular day. We need a better way to assess real learning. These methods being still clung to by schools at all levels, will not help to prepare our students for a society full of unknowns. The jobs our students will get, do not exist today. The problems they will be asked to solve, are not problems today. How could these methods of “educating” our children effectively prepare them for this world? It can’t!

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I am not the only one who wants something different for his child. According to the Gallup report Creativity in Learning, based on a survey conducted in 2019 as a “nationally representative study” of teachers, students, and parents of students; parents want a better learning environment as well.

More than half of the parents who took the survey ranked working on a project that has real-world applications as very important. More than half also ranked coming up with their own ideas about how to solve a problem as very important.

https://www.gallup.com/education/267449/creativity-learning-transformative-technology-gallup-report-2019.aspx

On the flip side, only 18% of parents ranked memorizing facts and definitions as very important. Only 13% thought that learning how to perform well on standardized tests was very important. 30% of the parents who completed the survey felt that being able to practice what is learned using exercises and repetition is important.

As you can see, parents know that these types of “learning” activities don’t support the skills needed in our current society. How can it when knowledge changes at such a rapid pace?

What needs to change?

There are so many ideas being thrown around today that are supposed to be ways in which we can solve our educational dilemma. Many say we need to have technologically rich learning environments. I agree to a certain point that technology is a part of the solution, but it is not a silver bullet or a magical pill that will cure schools of this “traditional approach” disease. Sometimes educational technology can be a Wolf in Sheeps Clothing. Especially if it is only used to technify out of date pedagogical practices. For example, taking the lecture and putting it on Nearpod, having students use Quizlet as their flashcards to study, or Kahoot to review content before a quiz or test. Technology being used in this way is not changing the learning environment except to give it an appearance of modernity and innovation. These practices do nothing for giving students a chance to work on a project that has real-world applications or give them a chance to come up with their own ways to solve problems. These methods do, however, support practice through exercises and repetition, memorization of facts and definitions, and good performance on tests. If technology is used in this way, nothing has changed and we are not preparing our students for the world they will enter.

The Gallup Report also had findings that are in line with what I am saying.

In order for technology to make a difference, we need to change how we are using it. We need to change what we are doing. We need to change the pedagogical approaches we use in school. We need to design learning environments that enable our students to use technology to support creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. We need to use more Project-Based Assessments. We need to create learning environments built on inquiry and problem-solving. Using technology to support outdated approaches to learning will not effectively prepare our students for the society they will become active participants in.

I have recently come across a fantastic book that will help schools make use of the technology they have invested in. It will assist schools in enabling technology to make a difference for the students they have been charged with preparing for adult life. This book presents a framework for innovation in educational institutions. It is titled “Disruptive Classroom Technologies: A Framework for Innovation in Education” by Dr. Sonny Magana.

According to Dr. Magana, his book will enable teachers and administrators to find:

• Examples of technology use at the translational, transformational, and transcendent levels
• Activities, guides, and prompts for deeper learning that move technology use to higher levels of the T3 Framework
• Evaluative rubrics to self-assess current technology use, establish meaningful goals, and track progress towards those goals

I highly recommend “Disruptive Classroom Technologies: A Framework for Innovation in Education” for any teacher that truly cares about their students. I also ask that when you are thinking about what you are doing in your own classroom that you consider this question: How is what I am doing in my classroom for my students serving the educational and emotional needs of my students in our current societal context?

Thank you for reading

Dr. Shannon H. Doak