The Tempered Radical

Want to Buy My Book(s)?

Having been approached by several different publishers interested in seeing my name on a title in their collection, I've spent the better part of the past few years toying around with the idea of writing a book about teaching and learning. 

The whole process has been a bit intimidating, actually.  A book just seems so much more overwhelming than a blog---or the columns that I write for NSDC and Ed Leadership.  Worse yet, I couldn't figure out how to justify setting paid part time work aside to draft an entire manuscript. 

Well---thanks to Solution Tree and Parry Graham, my persistent co-author----I'm about to see a bunch of my ideas in print! 

Solution Tree started the whole process by hiring me to write two chapters on assessment for their newest Associate Anthologies, titled The Teacher as Assessment Leader and The Principal as Assessment Leader.  By offering to pay for my chapters----something that few publishers do for anthology contributors---Solution Tree gave me the breathing room necessary to write for a living. 

And I'm excited about the chapters I've written! 

Assessment's Either/Or Conundrum. . .

I'm enjoying the give and take of the conversation that has developed in the comment section of my recent blog post on the Danish system of assessing students because it is forcing me to think!  As always, diversity of opinion provides the kind of external challenge necessary for new learning. 

While listening, I've noticed two distinct viewpoints developing.  The first argues that an overemphasis on standardized testing as a form of assessment leaves parents and teachers with a superficial understanding of what it is that a student knows and can do. 

As Simon argues:

The point of education has to be to teach kids to do something that they couldn't do before. That's what learning is. Frankly, it's uninteresting how well a bunch of 14 year-olds can cough up the periodic table or list off the members of the Triple Entente in 1914. That kind of information is easily available when you need it and listing it is proof of memorization, not learning.

What is interesting is what you can do with such information. Analysis, critical thinking, using technical terminology - these are skills, and skills that are very hard to measure in a multiple-choice quiz. They are also fairly easy to judge in a conversation. If it is unclear whether the pupil is parroting or not, just ask another question.

Assessing Learning the Danish Way. . .

As most Radical readers know, I’ve spent the past eight days touring Denmark as a part of a program run by the Center for International Understanding—one of North Carolina’s most important professional development organizations for teachers. 

While I completely enjoyed the opportunities that I had to learn more about the European Union and Denmark’s social welfare system—topics that are a part of the curriculum that I teach—my favorite experience of the entire week was observing two different students go through the only official examination that generations of Danish children have ever taken, which comes at the end of 10th grade. 

  by  ccarlstead 

Kind of geeky, huh?  I mean who spends the better part of 8 days in a 1,000-year old land full of history, cultural geography and really good beer observing tenth grade final exams?!

Watch My Danish Adventures. . .

So I'm heading to Denmark tomorrow, serving as the Educational Facilitator on a professional development trip for the Center for International Understanding.  I'll be helping a group of 20 North Carolina teachers to think about how they can connect their experiences abroad to their classroom instruction.

A side benefit for me is that I teach sixth grade social studies, and Europe is a major part of our curriculum.  Specifically, we look carefully at the European Union, studying the differences between social welfare nations like Denmark and free-market nations like the United States. 

While I'm in Denmark, I'll be recording a bunch of instructional videos for my students to watch.  I figured that would be a great way for me to keep in touch with them while away----the sub is going to love having a new video to share with the kids every day----and a great way for me to build an archive of teaching videos to draw from in the future. 

If you're interested in seeing what I'm up to, check this post regularly.  IF I've set things up right, the media player below will update itself each time that I post a new video----and if I haven't set it up right, you can always go directly to my channel on Blip TV. 

(Note that the only videos on my Blip TV channel right now are a few clips that some of my old students shot for a recent project.  The Danish Adventures will start to appear once I get there!)

The Problem with Scripted Curricula. . .

I had the chance to spend about an hour today talking about education with a parent who is also a business woman.  It was one of the better conversations that I've had in the past few months.  She started by mentioning how "over the top" our state's end of grade testing program is:  

"This kind of testing doesn't tell me anything about the students that you'll turn out and that I'll want to hire someday.  The kinds of skills that it takes to answer a multiple choice question aren't the kinds of skills that I need students to have in the workplace."  

She went on to describe what she'd like to see students doing in my room:

"You're a science teacher.  Why can't you pair with the math teacher to study buoyancy.  The students could build boats in your classroom made of different materials, experimenting with density and floatation.  They could study friction and resistance.  And in math, they can study surface area when making sails. 

You have a pond outside.  You could set up races on the pond and hand out awards for the students who can figure out the best ways to get their boats from one side of the pond to the other.  Learning between your classrooms should be completely joined.  Imagine how excited the kids would get!"

As our conversation went on, I mentioned how the kinds of learning experiences that she was so passionate about were becoming less and less common in many classrooms simply because teachers are bound by pacing guides that don't leave a ton of room for experimentation.  Literally, instruction in most subjects is spelled out day-by-day in some of the thickest three-ring binders you've ever seen.  

"I know how many days I'm supposed to spend on light, sound, heat, the solar system, the rock cycle, and the carbon cycle," I explained, "and if I get behind because of an activity that takes too long, I feel incredible pressure, knowing that the only thing I'm going to be held accountable for is performance on the standardized tests."

She was pretty shocked by the idea that there was no room for exploration in the school day---and she picked up on something that few parents ever notice:  

"That amount of structure has to take the joy out of teaching, doesn't it?  So why are these kinds of rigid pacing guides even used?"

Good question, huh?  And one that I've figured the answer out to:  Rigid scripting of the work of classroom teachers is designed to raise the quality of instruction in classes with underqualified teachers---and I'm ashamed to admit it, but scripted curricula often produce "measurable results."  

That shouldn't be too hard to believe, though.  After all, with scripted curricula, teachers who knew little about their content areas are given lessons that cover the kind of critical content that they regularly avoided in the past, teachers who spent months on their favorite subjects are forced to touch on objectives that they may never have taught, and teachers who have little time to plan no longer have any excuses because every lesson---down to the words that teachers should say---is assembled ahead of time by instructional experts working beyond the classroom. 

In districts that embrace scripted programs, every teacher in every classroom has at least an AVERAGE lesson that they can deliver-----and that means that every child in every school is getting some kind of "education."  The greatest impact of these attempts to control the work of teachers are seen in our poorest schools---where undercertified or inexperienced teachers are common and where scripted curricula have resulted in HIGHER test scores than ever before.  

Of course, the hidden damage is that scripting curricula DOES take the joy out of teaching for our most accomplished teachers----and those teachers flee classrooms, looking for positions where they will be given the professional flexibility to explore their field and leaving their schools struggling to find competent replacements.  

After listening to me describe the impact that scripting has on schools, my parent said something brilliant:  

"That's crazy.  Schools are letting an HR problem----attracting enough accomplished teachers that you can trust to do the job well without a script----create a curriculum and instruction problem.  Address the HR problem instead."

She's right, isn't she. Now, what do we do about it?  

Can teachers take the lead, working to make the impact of scripted curricula transparent to parents and policymakers?  Is this an issue that parents have to champion, standing up for the kinds of instructional experiences that they want their children to have? Are we all waiting for a legislator willing to put his neck on the line and advocate for new salary structures that reward the best and brightest who choose to teach?

I get all worked up because everyone----including parents and business leaders----seems to realize that what we're doing isn't enough and yet nothing ever seems to change!  I want to take action, but I don't know what that action should be.  

Can anyone help?

The REAL Transparency of Teachers TV. . .

An email landed in my inbox this week from a woman named Christianne Birtwistle who is working for Teachers TV, which has to produce the most interesting "makeover show" on "television" today.  Titled From Good to Outstanding, this show spotlights teachers working to improve their instruction with the help and guidance from around the digital world. 

Each webisode begins with a teacher being observed teaching a lesson by an expert "inspector," who rates the overall quality of the teacher's planning and presentation. 

Next, the teacher spends two to three weeks meeting with experts and (here's the interesting part) interacting with helpful viewers offering feedback and ideas in electronic discussion forums in an attempt to improve the original lesson. 

Finally, the teacher returns to the classroom to deliver another lesson in front of the inspector, who decides whether the instructional practices and presentation have moved from good to outstanding. 

The Teachers TV website organizes episodes and conversations about instruction by grade level and content area---making it possible for visitors to explore lessons directly connected to their curriculum.  It has also organized collections of lessons titled "learning journeys" that visitors can work through to systematically study common professional questions. 

Teachers TV's From Good to Outstanding----which has a new collection of webisodes beginning on June 9th spotlighting the work of a secondary science teacher and an early years teacher---has a ton of potential in my book. 

Not only does the program make the elements of effective instruction transparent to the broader world, it provides an inside look into the kinds of work that reflective teachers do on a regular basis---a part of our profession often hidden to outsiders.

TWIT: They Write. . .Once in A While!

It's been another difficult week for me.  Too many conflicts and not enough comfort---and that's on me.  I'm a fighter by trade, and am one of those people who never seems completely relaxed unless he's in the middle of a good argument. 

It's exhausting, though.  I gotta give it a rest.  I'm a walking, breathing example of teacher burnout in action. 

That's why this note---which I found in my mailbox on Friday---is making my "eyes wet" right now:

Dear Mr. Ferriter,

You don't know how difficult writing this letter is. 

It means admitting that my middle school career is finally drawing to a close.  Three fleeting years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I'm so thankful that you've been a part of them.  The year that I spent in your class was one of the most exciting of my life.  For the first time, I enjoyed coming to school each day and reveled in the fun of it all.

You taught me to look at the world in a new perspective.  I learned about all of the things that technology can produce.  I mean, who could forget all of that awesome blogging?  But most of all, you are an all around awesome guy.  You are funny, smart, witty, and can make light of almost any situation.  Thank you so much.

Very truly yours,
Kyle

I hate using phrases like "these kinds of words are a teacher's greatest reward" because too many people use that as an excuse to pay teachers nothing for the work that they do, but I will definitely say that these kinds of words mean the world to me.

For whatever reason, teaching is often a thankless grind.  It's hard, hard work in a profession that is constantly under attack.  We're battered by criticism---and unrealistic expectations---from every corner. 

So when a kid takes the time to say thank you, the world stops for a bit and I remember what it is that I've been fighting for.  Touches the ol' heart, that's for sure. 

This is why I teach.