"You can't do that if you're standing all Alone" (Lee Ving)

Problem-solving, collaboration and creativity are ubiquitous in 21st century educational lingo. These skills have by no means become important only now; they have been essential ever since the time of hunters and gatherers. Unfortunately, we educators don't always do a great job in championing such qualities. 

This year, I attended a workshop let by my colleague and buddy Corey Topf. In his presentation, Corey was explaining how, very often in the IB Diploma, teachers focus on grades at the expense of process. This approach inevitably stifles creativity. The teachers attending seemed to nod in agreement. Midway into his workshop, Corey separated us in groups of four and asked us to prepare a 3 minute video explaining how the IB fosters creativity and what can be done to implement more creative tasks in the programme. 

The purpose of this 45 minute exercise was to model authentic assessments and have teachers creating engaging videos using the 3 skills. It was at this point that the atmosphere in the room took a shocking downturn. While some teachers seemed pumped about the activity, others were visibly perplexed. The same participants who only a few minutes before seemed radiant, all of a sudden started to emanate a somber vibe. And I was left in a quandary; had I missed anything?

It did turn out that some teachers did not feel comfortable appearing on camera while they "criticized" the IB Diploma. Fair enough. However, that did not seem to be the full story.  As my group was working on the video, one of the members said that she did not feel comfortable doing this activity because she thought "that we were only going to have a discussion" implying that she did not expect to have to do any work. This comment was an eye-opener: this teacher was seriously expecting to merely attend a workshop and not be required to produce any product. Unfortunately she was not the only one who had deserted the workshop. One could easily sense a certain uneasiness of some teachers to create videos.

Apart, from highlighting the low expectations some have of professional development, this example sadly emphasizes the discomfort some teachers have (I also find myself guilty of this at times) collaborating with peers especially when the task includes a certain amount of unfamiliarity. Indeed, the task had some important challenges such as having to work collaboratively with strangers under a time constraint and talking in front of a video camera. Many were not experts at this, but isn't that the point? Would these same teachers accept such kind of working ethic from their students?

I believe that we teachers are way too self-conscious about making mistakes. We can get so scared of failing that we shut down and resist learning new things just because the fear freezes us. As a result we just close the doors and do our thing hoping for the best.

Yesterday, I watched an inspiring documentary called Sound City. I always wondered what made rock music seem so hip. Yes, the leather pants, the long hair and the electric guitars certainly help create an appeal, but there's more behind the myth. As I watched this documentary, I couldn't help but be in awe at how organic songwriting is . Creating music usually happens collaboratively and it's intensely genuine. There's the notion of a group of individuals coming together to create something from scratch.  

The Sound Board From Sound City

Sound City, used to be a hip recording studio that has witnessed the creation of some stellar albums such as Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Nevermind by Nirvana, just to mention a couple.  In the last part of this documentary some of the biggest names in music come together to record Real to Reel using the legendary console from the recording studio that had been used to create many masterpieces in the past. And this is when the documentary hit a chord. These musicians were deeply immersed creating works of art collaboratively. Their eyes were lit up as they took pride in doing something that they believe in, that they are passionate about.  (On a side note, it is interesting how when creating works of art musicians are not separated according to the different instruments or disciplines. They come together to create one unique sound. People are not wondering if it is possible to blend the sound of a cello with that of an electric guitar, they just make it happen. This is yet another important argument for transdisciplinarity in education) 

I wonder what would happen if you threw a bunch of passionate educators (ad not) to "jam" together strumming learning experiences. There is something that is so rock n'roll about curriculum design. Like artists, we are required to create something from scratch. Designing learning experiences, as Corey calls it,  should be a matter of deepest pride for us teachers because it transforms the students' educational journey. We spend way too much time worrying about classroom management, lesson delivery, and student motivation. Those aspects would all fall into place with a kick ass learning experience. (In my first years of teaching I wasted my days focusing on obedience because I failed to see the big picture). 

Time is indeed a factor and we often find ourselves running running short of it. But sometimes we use this as an excuse and we settle for less. We should not limit ourselves to create cover versions and delve more into "jamming". 

At one point as Dave and Paul jammed together,  there was an intense flow of energy. They were totally absorbed doing what they loved most and knew very well that they were up to something. No matter how hard I try, my writing cannot do any justice to the solemnity of this scene. As they discovered sounds and melodies, it was clear that there was a feel, which as Lars Ulrich from Metallica defines is "a chemistry, something that happens between people. And in this exact moment of chemistry Dave Grohl turns towards takes a sigh and asks "why can it always be this easy?" to which Paul Mc Cartney promptly replies "It is." Priceless!

Finally, this quote by Mick Fleetwood epitomizes the notion behind collaboration:

"I think the downside, these days, is thinking that "I can do this all on my own." Yes you can do this on your own, but you will be a much happier human being to do it with other human beings, and I can guarantee you that."

Clueless

Last week, one of the stories that hit the social media was the iPad debacle encountered in California. The iPads that had been handed out to students had to be recalled because they had managed to hack their devices to play games and access social networking sites. This has led many to question the effectiveness of this programme.  People, however, seem to be questioning more the hasty distribution of these iPads rather than the imposed  restrictions. I believe the latter is the one that ought to be questioned.

Imposing filters on gadgets that had been distributed to meet the needs of 21st century education is indeed counterintuitive. I do agree that students struggle to find a balance healthy balance between leisure and duty, but the imposition of filters will only send mixed messages to students. On one hand students are being given a majestic tool that could be used for different purposes yet they are not being allowed to use it in a "real world" context.  In the real world people iPads are multipurpose; they are used to access Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and games sites. Students have to be trained to be disciplined and responsible for their learning while taking advantage of such tools. Filtering websites does not address this issue at all, if anything it continues to alienate kids from education.  This is yet another example of how the people who should be driving education are usually the ones who are the most oblivious to it.

Implementation of technology in education is a must; however, this has to come with a vision.  Last year, during the national elections in my beloved Malta, the two competing political parties pledged that they'd give out iPads to primary school students if elected. Indeed, the implementation of technology that transforms learning should be celebrated irrespective of the political motive behind it. Nevertheless, if Maltese students end up doing repetitive Math problems and answering comprehension questions on online textbooks, then all that investment would have been one pathetic blunder.

Many people who are in education unwittingly mistake the use of innovative technology in the classroom as THE innovation in education. Little do they understand that technology without a sound pedagogy is a car without a driver. If we truly believe that the use of technology alone will solve all the issues in education then we are setting our children up for failure.  As a result, when big undertakings fall flat due to their shortsightedness, they fuel the noxious skepticism of those who are  still stuck in the 20th century and refute a much needed change in education.

In his SAMR model, Dr. Puentedura makes a clear distinction of the different purposes of technology in education, the most effective one being for the redefinition of learning. iPads can be used for students to contact experts using Skype and Twitter, they can upload videos using Youtube, and create websites and blogs. These tools would indeed transform and contextualize learning making it applicable to the real world.  Ironically, these same tools are deemed as a hindrance and are being filtered from children.  

It's NOT just a matter of Semantics

In the last years, my school has worked hard to embody the principles of the IB Middle Years Programme not only on paper, but in spirit too.   So far we have done a good job at implementing objectives, embracing a concept-based approach to teaching and planning units using the backward design. This is definitely a great start. However, the one area, which we still seem to stumble upon is the MYP's holy grail,  interdisciplinary learning. No matter how hard we work to solidify our single disciplines, we are still lacking interdisciplinary links.  It could be argued that for these to take place one needs time. Plenty of it. However, I believe that there's more to it. 

As I searched for more information about this topic on the IB's Online Curriculum Centre, I ran into an interesting article called “Curriculum integration in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme: Literature review.” One of this document's main goals is to define the terms that are used interchangeably, incorrectly. While the terms multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary might sound similar, they are actually different. This metaphor epitomizes the distinct features of these terms:

“To explain the differences and relationship between the terms and their application to teaching and learning, Choi and Pak (2006) stated that “multidisciplinarity is like a salad bowl, interdisciplinarity is like a melting pot, and transdisciplinarity is like a cake, in which the ingredients are no longer distinguishable, and the final product is of a different kind from the initial ingredients”” (3)

Transdisciplinary learning is indeed a very interesting integration model since it is hinting at the breaking down of disciplinary barriers for a more organic approach to teaching centered around the concepts and the real world concepts. This is also the curriculum integration model, which is currently being used at the Roosevelt Innovation Academy. The IA was established as to offer students an alternative to IB Diploma  (Check this link for more information). 

In this post, however, I will be looking closely at the charactertistics of interdisciplinary learning and   discuss the misconceptions and constraints that hinder its implementation.

First and foremost one needs to clearly understand what isn't interdisciplinary. Currently, in the lower grades where MYP is being taught,  we have managed to make connections that are mostly multidisciplinary. “Multidisciplinarity is unique from the other two terms because it draws on comprehension and information from many disciplines, yet it stays within its discipline’s boundaries” (3)

There are indeed conceptual links happening across subjects and this once again speaks volumes of the strides made in the implementation of the MYP. For instance students, in Humanities, study infectious diseases. Indeed they learn terms and concepts that are of a scientific nature. As they tackle this unit, students are able to make some connections between disciplines; however, it would be erroneous to coin this as interdisciplinary because these connections are not deep enough. 

The document, MYP: From Principles to Practice states that: 

 "...students demonstrate interdisciplinary understanding of a particular topic when they can bring together concepts, methods, or forms of communication from two or more disciplines or established areas of expertise to explain a phenomenon, solve a problem, create a product, or raise a new question in ways that would have been unlikely through single disciplinary means"  (67).

This quote tells us a lot about the textured nature of interdisciplinary learning. Its implementation has to be well thought-out; the deep connections between the disciplines involved play a central role in interdisciplinary planning. Hence, it is clear that final product relies on the interdependence on the different disciplines combined.    

The years in this profession have truly shaped my approach on learning. Kids respond best to real world problems. If they know that their work has purpose they will be much more likely to want to tackle it in a proactive and engaged manner. However, the more I try to create units that are project-based and address a real audience, the more I'm faced with the limitations of single disciplines because as one tries to address a real world problem he/she must inevitably tackle it from different disciplinary angles. For instance, the Humanities department is looking into creating a hands-on unit were students explore the different causes of water scarcity in Lima and create a solutiona that can range from the evaluation of privatization of water to the construction of a model water filter. For this real world problems to be addressed and tackled, we must bring in Science and Design Technology, but we are faced with constraints. 

If there is one thing that I learned during my masters course is this: When reflecting upon the learning that is happening your classroom you always must factor two systems: The classroom system and the overall school system. I believe that the latter is currently impeding true interdisciplinary learning. 

The MYP has the right framework for interdisciplinary learning, but we are not capitalizing from this programme as we should because of the logistical constraints that we set. There are way too many teachers teaching in a grade level and this alone discourages interdisciplinary planning.  Moreover, the schedule is way too rigid to make any meaningful adjustments to facilitate its implementation.  I believe that we have to rethink the the schedule's role and reshape it to better meet the needs of 21st century learning. Must we continue to categorize students according to age and separate them in different disciplines?   

As much as I applaud the MYP for its forward thinking, we must continue to innovate education. Currently, my students are way too overwhelmed with too many assessments all happening simultaneously. By revamping the schedule to facilitate interdisciplinary learning, we would be hitting two birds with one stone.  Students would be able to address a problem using the different disciplines as toolkits AND would also have more time to delve into their assessments. We would be giving up the quantity, but we would be certainly gaining in quality. 

www.tedwardwines.com 

On Saturday, I attended a wine and cheese tasting session at a wine exposition organized by a local supermarket chain. Having been rightfully called a wine philistine in the past, I knew that this session would be beneficial yet I didn't expect it to be so inspiring. I've always abhorred dessert wines. The smell of sweet wine alone makes me cringe.  As I sniffed the Alcyone from Uruguay my reaction was no different. However, when we dipped the dried apricot into the honey, tasted it and then took a sip of the wine, something marvelous happened. Corey Topf described it best: "Each individual flavour made all of them come to life."  

It is clear that when one combines the right ingredients the result will be extraordinary.  

Works Cited 

Daley, Kimberley, Dr. Curriculum integration in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme: Literature review. Cardiff: International Baccalaureate Organization, 2012. Online Curriculum Centre. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. <http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/general/g_0_iboxx_amo_1209_1b_e.pdf>.

MYP: From principles into practice. Cardiff, Wales: International Baccalaureate Organization, 2008. Digital file.

   

When best practice simply isn't good enough

These last months have been eye-opener for me. I have become more cognizant about my role as an educator and the massive responsibility that this entails.  There is one quote by Eric Hoffer that has resonated in my head:

"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists."

This quote has forced me to question my own practice. I have always strived to use best practice in my instruction. It is not the first time, for instance, that I've redesigned a lesson to cater for different learning styles or created a learning activity to reinforce a skill. After all, isn't that what conscientious teachers do? They try to go that extra mile. They try to use all the tools in their toolbox to make learning better. Yet, I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that this is not enough.

Educational visionaries such Tony Wagner and Will Richardson convey a clear message: education should not be reformed, it must be redefined.  If we truly want to make a difference in our profession, we should not limit ourselves to best practice because it simply can't be the best because of the paradigm it finds itself confined in; best practice, in this case, would be transforming our pedagogy.

I am totally for articulating skills horizontally and vertically or differentiating instruction to facilitate student learning. These are all good steps one can take to reach out to students. But let us make no mistake here. These alone might be enough to prepare students for university but do not suffice in the long term. If we truly want our kids to tackle the unfamiliar world, we, must start to follow suit; we must leave our comfort zones and start questioning more. After all, Eric Hoffer's quote speaks directly to us, the educators: we have been equipped to teach in an educational system that should no longer exist because for learning to be meaningful, is has to reflect our ever-changing world. In other words education can't be the stagnant system we've made it be. It must continue to evolve.

This is what makes the whole concept of learning fascinating: there are no clear and linear answers. Like our students, we educators, must be able adapt to our new environments and work collaboratively to obtain creative and effective solutions.   It all boils down to trial and error. Instead of suppressing uncertainty we need to start embracing it.

Keeping it Real

Adolescents  often struggle to wrap their head around the complexity of current events. I, for one, can clearly recall my teenage years as I watched the Balkan War on TV, trying to connect the various dots. Even though, I felt drawn to this conflict, I still lacked the right tools to understand this tragedy. My head was riddled with too many questions, such as who the key players were, the motives of this conflict and the different parties involved. This was way too overwhelming for me to learn on my own. After all, the divide between what I was "learning" at school and what was unfolding beyond those confining walls was abysmal. 

One of the main reasons I am a big proponent for the exploration of current events in Humanities is that it provides adolescents with the right tools to analyze and interpret issues that otherwise would be too daunting for them to tackle on their own. Students have an inclination to be captivated by what is happening around them because of its relevance.

The Grade 9 students are currently learning about the patterns of a revolution as an overarching concept. For their final project they will be creating a crash course, discussing the stages and the impact of a revolution of their choosing. These can include but are not limited to political revolutions. Students can also explore cultural, scientific and technological revolutions. 

This unit kicks off with a case study about the Egyptian Revolution. I've chosen to delve into this topic instead of the more traditional revolutions because this revolution matters more to them. Students are being exposed to this unrest via the news and other social media. This revolution is unfolding right now as I am writing this post. They are able to understand the current unrest in Egypt and appreciate a vital stage: the consolidation of the idea that drives a revolution, a determining factor for its success. 

In one of my previous posts, I argued that Humanities should not be centered around history. Nevertheless, history is a great tool when used purposefully. For instance, one can opt to delve into the repercussions of the Six Day War, the assassination of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarrak's rise to power. All of these can shed more light on the motives behind the Egyptian regime's draconian methods and the current unrest involving the Muslim Brotherhood. 

Students brainstorming the stages of the Egyptian Revolution

Last week, I was able to gauge the level of interest shown by the students as they explored this topic. I know that they are now hooked by this unit and will be more likely to create a meaningful final project. Teenagers have the propensity to be passionate about global issues; however, they need to be exposed to it from a young age. The exploration of global issues is a perfect avenue for our students to become future citizens of the world: compassionate, conscientious, and cognizant of the environment in which they live.  

What’s wrong with this Picture?

Last week, a colleague and I were having a random chat about student use of technology and I brought up how more and more students, nowadays, are choosing to use mobile devices to take a picture of their assigned homework instead of opting for more conventional methods. When I hinted that I encourage this, my colleague gave me a puzzled look and exclaimed assertively that she forbids it in class and expects all students to write it down on their homework planner. When I asked her for a justification, she simply noted that it wasn’t right implying that students should not be taking “short cuts.” This is only one of the many examples that show us how sometimes we educators struggle to grasp the true meaning of discipline.

Many often confuse discipline with obedience. Even though these two might sound similar, they are distinct from one another. The word obedience focuses mainly on one’s compliance to a form authority. On the other hand, discipline does not limit itself to mere compliance; it goes way beyond. The Montessori school of thought regards discipline as being an intrinsic trait that leads to personal growth. The disciplined student is the one who seeks self-improvement and strives for excellence.

My colleague was clearly trying to enforce her authority expecting that her students obey her rules. But she was not enforcing discipline. If anything she was hindering it. In fact, the student who is choosing to take a picture of her assigned homework is doing so because she wants to complete it. She is only choosing an efficient way to reach that goal. The idea of impeding this is simply counter-intuitive. 

In the last century, the role of education was to prepare young people to work in factories. They were being equipped for a world where they would be required take orders and conform. But those practices that focused more on teacher control are nowadays pointless. One certainly needs to follow rules today; however, the current socio economic milieu requires that students be independent and creative problem-solvers. As a result, we educators, need to be more aware of the true purpose of discipline, which should not deter learning but ignite learning instead.

The Money Jar

Last week, while I was in Berlin, my friend suggested I try this new and hip wine bar. He strongly recommended this place because it indeed challenges the conventional practices of the dining industry.

Image from http://robs-blog.com/2012/07/10/weinerei-forum

Weinerei Forum is self-service. Once you pay the initial 2 Euro entrance fee you can help yourself to a variety of red and white wine.  Also, in the adjoining room there is a spread of homemade food. So far it sounds like a normal wine bar; however, the fascinating aspect about this particular one is that there are no cashiers. And there are no cash registers or bills. At this wine bar, the client is simply entrusted to keep a tally of the amount of wine glasses consumed by referring to a list on the wall with the recommended prices. But it is the client who ultimately decides upon a fair price and leaves the money in a glass bowl. The people working at the counter seem more occupied with refilling wine bottles and taking the 2 Euro entrance fee than monitoring clients. Clients leave the amount of money that they deem appropriate in a glass jar on the main counter. As I sat outside sipping my Norton wine, I noticed that the place was filling up rather quickly and the people who left before me all left the money in the glass jar.  Clients could easily have walked out of the place undisturbed yet they chose not to.

The famous money jar. 

This is indeed an unorthodox approach in the dining industry. But, the owner of this wine bar knows too well that he is competing with a myriad of other wine bars and restaurants in the area, so he has found an innovative way to stand out from the rest.

One must point out that Germany is renowned for its diligence and reliability so this model is more likely to find its niche in this kind of environment. However, having said that, I believe that this idea would be successful elsewhere.  By empowering the client, this new concept redefines the relationship between the client and the owner, which is now based on mutual trust.  Like in every other system there will be people who will take advantage of this newfound autonomy. However, I believe that the majority will take ownership of their new role and make the right call.

Even though this example does not link directly to education, it is inspiring, nevertheless. In a time where many are calling for educational reform, this is a relevant example of how one can bring innovation by looking for creative outcomes. As I sat outside enjoying the German summer breeze, I couldn’t help but think of how better our educational systems could be if we gave more ownership to our students. I believe that like these clients, they would rise to the occasion.

In the meantime, this is the address of the bar should you ever be in Berlin and decide that you want to check it out:

Weinerei Forum

Veteranenstraße 14 10119 Berlin, Germany