Education Innovation

Plagiarism and Pirates

In a previous post I asked if Plagiarism Is A Good Thing?

What about piracy?  That is the question Matt Mason explore in his book The Pirates Dilema: How Youth Culture Reinvented Capitalism.

He shares some very interesting thoughts in this video about why pirates are a good thing. Remember, our students are the future pirates.

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Killing In The Name of Education: An Analysis Of Creativity- Part 1

I found this video to be very insightful and interesting. It blends several popular videos on the issue into a comprehensive exploration of creativity in education.

Three Signs of a Miserable Job: Final Thoughts

The Three Sings of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni

  Part 5

Principals, Directors, Managers, and Superintendents… want to set your school apart? Answer the three questions.

Anonymity: “Do I really know my people?”

Irrelevance: “Do they know who their work impacts and how?”

Immeasurement: “Do they know how to assess their own progress or success?”

If you don’t have any answers for the “big three” questions, then you need to immediately set about creating systems, policies, habits, actions, etc. that can directly address them.

Why you ask? “Employees who find fulfillment in their jobs are going to work with more enthusiasm, passion, and attention to quality than their counterparts who do not, mostly because they develop a sense of ownership and pride in what they are doing.”

The benefit is, “…managers who work to reduce the three signs in their organizations discover an unexpected side effect. Employees themselves begin to take a greater interest in their colleagues, help them find meaning and relevance in their work, and find better ways to gauge their own success, and they do all of this without specific direction from their bosses. In essence, they take some responsibility for keeping the three signs of a miserable job at bay. Ironically, this gives them yet a greater sense of meaning while creating a sustainable cultural advantage that competitors will envy but find difficult to duplicate.”

When teachers feel empowered and engaged, then change initiatives and improvement plans will succeed. A principal or district administrator should wish for just sort of an environment at his or her school. Not that schools should be in competition with each other, but others will notice the change that is taking place at your school when Anonymity, Irrelevance, and Immeasurement are overcome. What educational leader wouldn't want that? What teacher or support staff member wouldn't want to work at that school? 

Three Signs of a Miserable Job: Part 1

The Three Sings of a Miserable Job

In his latest management fable, author Patrick Lencioni describes the three signs of a miserable job.

The bad news…education has all three.

The good news…educators and educational leaders have it within themselves to address all three.

The three signs of a miserable job are…

1. Anonymity
“All human beings need to be understood and appreciated for their unique qualities by someone in a position of authority.”   
In other words, we need to be recognized a special individual by our principals, or managers. 

2. Irrelevance
“Everyone needs to know that their job matters, to someone. Anyone. Without seeing the a connection between the work and the satisfaction of another person or group of people, an employee simply will not find lasting fulfillment.” 
Ok, I know what your thinking, what could be more relevant than shaping the young minds of America’s future? Now ask yourself, do you really feel relevant? Maybe, but maybe not.

3. Immeasurement
“Employees need to be able to gauge their progress and level of contribution for themselves. They cannot be fulfilled in their work if their success depends on the opinions or whims of another person.”
I hear you screaming about constant assessments, benchmarks, and high stakes tests. But those are measuring our students. What do you measure yourself by everyday?

I will explore each of these in depth and their connection to education in the coming days.

Theory of Mind-- Brain Rules Part 4

More from Brain Rules by John Medina…Chapter 3 Wiring

When we last left off, John was just about to share some ideas about what we can do about the Brain Rule theory that all brains are different and learn different.

One idea John mentions is smaller class size.

“All things being equal, it has been known for many years that smaller, more intimate schools create better learning environments than megaplex houses of learning. The Brain Rule may help explain why smaller is better.”

This is an interesting assertion. On the face it seems to match well with the Brain Rule theory, but most research has shown that class size is not an indicator of better learning. Having worked with grants that directly relate to class size reduction, I have not found one study that directly relates class size with better learning.

John may not be saying test scores go up when class size goes down. He explains that…

“Given that every brain is wired differently, being able to read a student’s mind is a powerful tool in the hands of a teacher.”

And we have now arrived at the second theory described in this chapter, The Theory of Mind.

The Theory of Mind has two important parts that apply directly to teachers.

First, “It is defined as the ability to understand the interior motivations of someone else…”

Second, “…and the ability to construct predictable ‘theory of how their mind works’ based on that knowledge.”

John explains the importance of these two parts to teachers.

“This give teachers critical access to their students’ interior educational life. It may include knowledge of when students are confused and when they are fully engaged. It also gives sensitive teachers valuable feedback about whether their teaching is being transformed into learning.” 

So this would explain his preference for small class sizes. Obviously this can be accomplished much easier in a smaller class. In other words a small class size makes it easier to tell if your teaching is working.

“Students comprehend complex knowledge at different times and at different depths. Because a teacher can keep track of only so many minds, there must be limit on the number of students in a class—the smaller, the better.”

And the crowd goes wild. Who doesn’t like that?

In other words teachers are mind managers. They manage several minds at time and quite obviously can better manage fewer minds at one time than the many.

Here is another very interesting idea that results from this theory.

“This suggests that an advanced skill set in Theory of Mind predicts a good teacher. If so, existing Theory of Mind tests could be used like Myers-Briggs personality tests to reveal good teachers from bad, or to help people considering careers as teachers.”

“I have come to believe that people with advanced Theory of Mind skills possess the single most important ingredient for becoming effective communicators of information.”

A test to see if you will be a good teacher would certainly cause some debate.

Another suggestion, aside from smaller class size is the use of customized instruction. The more individualized the instruction, the better the learning. Technology is a key component here.

So, John suggests that future research be conducted between brain and education scientist in three areas.

1.    Evaluate teachers and teachers-to-be for advanced Theory of Mind skills.
2.    Develop adaptive software for a variety of subjects and grade levels.
3.    Test both ideas in various combinations.

Catalytic Questions:

How could Theory of Mind testing be added to the current teacher selection process?

In what ways might we create smaller class sizes?

How would the role of the teacher change if he or she viewed him/herself as a manager of minds?

What would the role of mind manager look like in a classroom, as opposed to the standard view of a teacher’s role?

Suggested Reading:
Brain Rules Part 1

Brain Rules Part 2

Brain Rules Part 3

Brain Rule blog

Beth's Blog

Blue Skunk Blog

Billions of Inetelligences? --Brain Rules Chapter 3

More from Brain Rules by John Medina…Chapter 3 Wiring

Two theories from this chapter caught my attention. The first is called Brain Rule

The Brain Rule states, “Learning results in physical changes in the brain, and these changes are unique to each individual. Not even identical twins having identical experiences posses brains that wire themselves exactly the same way. And you can trace the whole thing to experience.”

Basically we have what I call Big Brain and Little Brain. The big brain is to use John’s analogy, sort of like our interstate highway system, freeways, and state highways.

“These big trunks are the same from one person to the next, functioning in yours about the same way they function in mine.”

The Little Brain is, to use another of John’s analogies, sort of like our residential streets, one-lane roads, and dirt roads. This is where Big Brain and Little Brain diverge. Little Brain is very individualistic.

“Every brain has a lot of these smaller paths, and in no two people are they identical. The individuality is seen at the level of the very small, but because we have so much of it, the very small amounts to a big deal.”

So already I am thinking about what this means for our students. But it gets more interesting.

“It is one thing to demonstrate that every brain is wired differently from every other brain. It is another to say that this affects intelligences.”

Okay, so we know Howard Gardner’s theory on multiple intelligences. Gardner believes that there are at least 7 categories of intelligence: intrapersonal, interpersonal, musical/rhythmic, bodily/kinesthetic, verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, and spatial. If you are good at one there is no way to tell if you will be good or bad at any of the others. So this is the view of the theorist.

The neurosurgeon has a theory too. Instead of 7 intelligences, the neurosurgeon believes in there may be billions. In other words, one intelligence for each person on the planet.

Several intelligences vs. Billions?  How does that impact education? Your lesson plans have to account for not just 7 intelligences or learning styles, but one for each of your students.

“…because on two brains are wired identically. Not in terms of structure. Not in terms of function. For example, from nouns to verbs to aspects of grammar, we each store language in different areas, recruiting different regions for different components. Bilingual people don’t even store their Spanish and their English in the similar places.”

Okay, so my brain is crunching the implications of this for education, and then comes this kicker.

“Not only are people’s brains individually wired, but those neurological differences can, at least in the case of language, predict performance.”

Let that sink in for a minute. Performance in language is already determined by the individual student’s brain?

Then John asks…

“Given these data, does it make any sense to have school systems that expect every brain to learn like every other?”

“The data offer powerful implications for how we should teach kids…”

1)    The current system if founded on a series of expectations that certain learning goals should be achieved by a certain age. Yet there is no reason to suspect that the brain pays attention to those expectations. Students of the same age show a great deal of intellectual variability.

2)    These differences can profoundly influence classroom performance. This has been tested. For example, about 10 percent of students do not have brains sufficiently wired to read at the age at which we expect them to read. Lockstep models based simply on age are guaranteed to create counterproductive mismatch to brain biology.

So, lots of problems, but does he offer any solutions. Actually he does. I will share John Medina’s ideas in my next post. (Or you can go out and get the book)

Also I will discuss the second theory John writes about in Chapter 3, the Theory of Mind.

Catalytic Questions:
What are the implications for education in moving from the Howard Gardner multiple intelligences theory to John Medina’s billions of individual intelligences?

What shape might this take in a classroom?

How would instructional materials need to change to meet the needs of each individual?

How could technology by used as tool to or lever to bring the instruction each individual needs?

If individuality of our brain requires individuality of instruction, how does this explain the results researched based strategies, Marzano’s strategies, thinking maps, etc.?

Suggested Reading:

Intelligences, Intelligences, and More Intelligences

Teachers, Your Personal Brand Management Is On The Line

After following the conversation over at The Thinking Stick and 2¢ Worth, it got me to thinking. The Internet and new information technologies have radically changed the ways and the speed with which information, data, perceptions, and opinions about you, your school, or your district can be spread. Today, you have a personal brand.

Today, parents and students share their thoughts about teachers mostly through word of mouth. But that is changing. Technology is changing it. The reputation of teachers, the perceptions or opinions of teachers, are becoming public shared via Web 2.0 technologies. Nowadays, there is no limit to how many people (students, parents, community members, and other teachers) can communicate via the Internet.

I imagine a conversation between a parent and principal in the near future might look like this…

Parent: “I would like my student in _________ class.”

Principal: “All of the teachers at _________ are excellent, why this teacher?”

Parent: “I looked at the teachers website and saw examples of past assignments and projects. I looked at the teacher’s latest test scores via the state department of education data/information website and like what I saw. I checked the district website and found the latest professional development the teacher just participated is suited for my students needs. I ran the teacher’s name through Google and Wikipedia and didn’t find anything that troubled me.

“Further, I checked the teacher’s Facebook site and ran their name through RateMyTeacher.com and was impressed with their reviews. I listened to several of the Podcasts created in the their class and viewed some of the digital projects created by students in their class. I appreciate their style and the type of learning going on. Finally, I asked for opinions about the teacher on a few community blogs and was impressed with some of the feedback I received. So based on this teacher’s public profile, I would like my student in their class.”

Principal: “Umm, wow! Can you go over that with me one more time?”

The availability of information and the increasing use of multiple communication technologies is going to create a day when and teacher is a “brand.”  The way the teacher teachers, the techniques used in the classroom, the types of assignments given, the use or non-use of technology, student test scores, professional development received, degrees or certificates earned, and opinions and perceptions from others posted to the Internet will create a profile of a teacher. That profile of the teacher is, for all intents and purposes, that teacher’s brand.

Teachers will have to manage their brand just as any other company would want to manage their personal brand. Their methods, their style, personality, strategies, use of technology, test scores, etc. will combine to make your personal brand. And believe me, your personal brand is going to be discussed, shared, and examined via the Internet. RateMyTeacher is just the beginning.

Digitization is going to allow student work and assignments to be put on the Internet, creating a digital portfolio or footprint that will follow you. It is not a stretch to imagine, that as state, county, or district data/information management will allow the public to see your students test scores, professional development hours, credentials and certificates, etc. all of which will allow the public to see more of your personal brand. Transparency is here!

Maybe you should get a new head shot. You want to look your best! Sanders Says, "If not, how can you build a personal brand? Your picture is more memorable than your bio. Maybe that’s what people mean when they say that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Catalytic Questions:

What do you think your personal brand is?

How will educators manage their personal brands?

How might we encourage schools and educators to begin thinking about managing their brands?

Will books and courses on marketing and brand management become essential tools and knowledge for educators?

What other types of data or information will be part of an educator’s personal brand?

 Ideas:
Jeff Utecht offers some advice:

1. High Schools especially should start by creating a group on Facebook that they can control the content      on. Then invite their students to join.

2. Search Often: Schools should run searches on all major search engines to know what people will find       when they are looking for your school.
   Using RSS feeds from sites such as Wikipedia allows a school to track changes on their school’s page.
   Know your audience: Signing up for a simple tracking program like Google Analytics and install it on        the school’s home page.
   Understand Students: Understand students today. Be connected to them, listen to them, where are they    at online? What are they talking about? Where should the school be?
    
Suggested Reading:

Jeff Utecht

David Warlick

Tim Sanders

The Four Forces of Change: Accountability and Transparency

Increasing Transparency and Accountability is the third of the 4 forces impacting on us as described by Peter Sheahan in his book Flip.

“The digital communications revolution has put global information in the hands of literally billions of individuals, who then can share that information with one another at will.”

Imagine that. Your school’s or district’s test scores can be looked up and examined by people living anywhere in the world the have access to an internet connection. From the parents on your P.T.A, to the teachers across town, to the principals across the country, to professors in the farthest reaches of the globe. You, my friend, are transparent.

The California Department of Education has a site called DataQuest. This site allows anyone with web access to look up and examine school performance data, test scores, student demographic data, school staffing information, student misconduct and intervention data, etc. This is the very definition of transparency. And parents are using this data to make informed decisions about which schools they want their students to attend and even making home buying decisions based on that data. Yep, it’s not just parents who are digging into your school’s information; realtors are using that information to market homes. Who else will soon find a use for your school’s data? It’s out there, transparent for everyone to see.

Educators across the country are acutely aware of the forces of Accountability.

Top Down Accountability: Legislation such as NCLB is making schools more accountable for their results. The federal Department of Education, state departments of education, county offices of education, and districts provide top down accountability. For good or bad, accountability is a factor that impacts education everyday.

Lateral Accountability: Principals, unfortunately, often compete for students by offering programs that will attract students and comparing one school to another. Public schools and private schools have lateral accountability dynamic. Competition is a natural result of all the transparency layered into a space where there are limited resources.

Bottom-up-accountability: Being transparent to the public, the community can make choices about which schools they want to send their students to. If they don’t feel you are meeting their needs, there is a school that will. Parents and teachers are able to spread opinions and views of your school or district via the digital world. Your school or district is apt to be branded good or bad by the views and opinions of the grassroots in your community.

Accountability is here to stay. There is a reason test scores are printed in newspapers and put on the Internet. While it can be difficult, the world we operate in demands accountability and transparency.

Education vs. Your Brain: Whose Side Are You On?

“Though we have been stuffing them into classroom and cubicles for decades, our brains actually were built to survive in jungles and grasslands. We have not outgrown this.”

So says molecular biologist Dr. John Medina in his new book Brain Rules.

After reviewing conducting his own research and studying many others’ research he has some interesting thoughts.

“What do these studies show, viewed as a whole? Most this: If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom. If you wanted to create a business environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you would probably design something like a cubicle. And if you wanted to change things, you might have to tear down both and start over.”

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!

Big Word Project: The Intersection of Education and the New Approach to Meaning

These words are mine. I bought them. Let me explain. I came across the Big Word Project from one of my favorite blogs Ugly Doggy. It is an interesting idea dreamt up by two creative thinkers in Northern Ireland. Their idea was to let people redefine a word by linking it to a particular website.

I chose Intersection and approach because for me they represent the philosophy of this blog. It is an intersection of many ideas and education. It is also about having a different approach to what we do in education. (Innovation and Education were already taken!) Ugly Doggy conducted an interview with the creators.

Here is one of the interview questions and answers...

Are the words pre-approved (you have a list and what is not there can't be used) and therefore finite? Or ANYTHING that is in a dictionary can go there?
- Lee: Not at all, anything that's a real word can be used. We're using the Oxford English Dictionary as reference. We have about 180,000 words on the site but we're missing loads so feel free to suggest more. We're not including places or names (unless the name is in the dictionary).

This got me thinking about its relation to education. If a word can take on multiple meanings and even take on locations on the world wide web, then what else could a word be connected with? A word could be connected with a picture, a sound, a smell, a country, a person, a movie, a song, a poem. If you think about it, this has some pretty powerful implications for education. We are moving from a "there is one right definition of a word" to a "a word can mean multiple things and those things will be specific to each individual." Word and meaning will take on many more meanings and concepts, and those can be individualized from a country, a culture, a group, or an individual.

One right answer for the question "What does approach mean?" or "What does Intersection mean?" is evaporating into links and tags meaning, unique to every person. This is getting very interesting.