BFTP: The quiet disruption

We hear a lot about "disruptive technologies" in education. Yet judging by apperances, most classes looked pretty much like they did 100 years ago - students in desks, facing the front, teacher in charge, standard curriculum, uniform assessments. (At least, pre-pandemic.)

Yes, some teachers used small work groups now and then. Funny looking chairs, collaboration spaces, and multiple TV monitors instead of a projectors could be found here and there. Textbooks were going digital. Worksheets distributed and collected via GoogleDocs. A few assessments done online.

But what had changed fundamentally? Look carefully, true disruption is tough to see.

This is because it was not the adults who were driving the truly disruptive use of technology in the classroom. It was the students themselves. Quietly. Individually. Non-confrontationally.

How?

Given an Internet connected device, whether personal or school-provided, students can self-individualize their learning during class. If a teacher has not made a persuasive case for the importance of knowing subject-verb agreement, double-digit multiplication, or the historical importance of the Crimean War, students have an alternative to glassy-eyed submissiveness or defiant rebellion. They can learn about things of interest and acquire skills of they see of value.

I suspect many teachers will not object to this - at least initially. Quiet learning, regardless of topic, is preferable to classroom disorder. But here are some questions I would be asking as technology disrupts the education process - quietly:

• How do I increase the relevance of what I am teaching to gain/regain student interest?
• How can we help students realize that some knowledge and skills may not have immediate application to their lives, but may be foundational to other learning?
• Should I acknowledge those who have tuned-out of my syllabus and try to directed their learning to related areas?
• Will my students' mandated assessments and other test scores tank? If so, are there ways to demonstrate my students are still learning as a result of attending my class?

I don't know if we can accommodate self-individualized learning in our traditional school systems. Are we just trying to compete with digital photography by offering a better grade of film photography?

 And where was self-personalized learning when I was in school?

Original post 8/9/16

The cabin conundrum

It's a bit of a paradox. While many Minnesotans complain about "cabin fever" (even before the pandemic), many of us yearn for an actual cabin to call our own. Just a small rustic place on a clear quiet lake with loons. A short dock and little boat. A small swimming beach. A fireplace. A refuge for weekends or weeks. The gatherings at which might become a cherished family tradition.

And all within easy driving distance of Minneapolis/St. Paul. (Good luck with that one!)

With planned trips out of state (and out of the country) postponed do to travel restrictions and common health sense, I have been doing quite a bit of in-state travel this summer. A hiking trip to the North Shore with a stay at an AirBnB in Grand Marais, a lovely week with my daughter's family in a small resort near Walker, and biking/hiking trip to the Iron Range have all aggravated my itch for a cabin "up north." I gaze longingly as I pass the realtor signs in driveways, pick up brochures at real estate offices, and scan the want ads in the paper in each area. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune each Sunday runs a loving tribute to an individual cabin in the region. 

As a Minnesota transplant, there is no family cabin to use or inherit, so any cabin purchase would need to come out of retirement savings. And there lies the dilemma. The expense of a cabin - purchase, upkeep, taxes, insurance, etc. would come from funds I now use for other types of recreation - international hiking/biking trips, Road Scholar tours, snow bird months spent in a warm climate, theater tickets, etc. All activities I would miss very much should I not be able to afford them.

Would buying a cabin basically be a commitment to a stay there being the only form of recreation one might have? Would it get boring? (I don't fish or hunt.) How much different is sitting my own backyard now, overlooking a small pond and reading a book, from sitting on the porch of a cabin, looking out over a lake and reading a book?

My buddy and I have this conversation on nearly every one of our weekly hikes, and seem to get no closer to seriously searching for our respective cabins. Perhaps at a time when age denies me the ability to hike and bike and travel to exotic locales it may make more sense to buy a permanent vacation.

In the meantime, I will just dream on...

Cabin owners? Your thoughts would be appreciated!

BFTP: Tough love and logical consequences

This once came across my Facebook feed and I shared it on Twitter. On first blush, I was wholly sympathetic to this school's policy that stressed personal responsibility, logical consequences, and real-world problem-solving.

Then I read this interesting response to the sign:

Hmmmmm. So on whom is tough love, tough? Ian seems to think that it's as tough on the teachers as it is on the kids.

Is there any way to make a school culture work for both the students and the teaching staff when it comes to personal responsibility? How rigid should such a policy actually be? Is the school being cruel to be kind - or just being cruel?

Theoretically at least, asking students to be responsible for their lunches, books, homework, etc. is in their best interest. To avoid the logical consequence of hunger when forgetting one's lunch may cause the child to be less forgetful the next day. This assumes that the adolescent brain is capable of making the connection between yesterday's hunger and today's lunch bag - which is a big assumption.

Yet, if we follow the logic of the Mr. Hecht in his Tweet, the boy's teachers will also suffer from a hungry kid in class.  According to the American Diabetes Association, the symptoms of hypoglycemia include:

• Shakiness
• Nervousness or anxiety
• Sweating, chills and clamminess
• Irritability or impatience
• Confusion, including delirium
• Rapid/fast heartbeat
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Hunger and nausea
• Sleepiness
• Blurred/impaired vision
• Tingling or numbness in the lips or tongue
• Headaches
• Weakness or fatigue
• Anger, stubbornness, or sadness
• Lack of coordination
• Nightmares or crying out during sleep
• Seizures
• Unconsciousness

And their onset is rapid. Not exactly the reactions of a child ready to learn. Of course, skipping lunch will not result in hypoglycemia for all students, but there will be negative effects from any student who has not eaten lunch.

And quite honestly, I, as an adult, have on occasion have had to ask someone to help me when I have been forgetful. The real world has kindness in it as well.

Interested in reader reactions.

Original post 8/31/16