Frank Smith is absolutely correct when he asserts that students always learn from their teachers. In fact, he contends that, “Something is being learned, whether we want it or not, all the time”(5). I’ve never thought about learning in such absolute terms before. However, I agree with Smith in that my students learn from me and I learned (and am still learning) from my teachers and professors. The key here is not the certainty that learning is taking place. The key is the type of learning that is taking place. For example, I might think I am teaching my students to write a narrative essay when, in fact, maybe I am really teaching them not to use contractions in their writing. The strange part is that I consider narrative writing a vital skill and grammar a somewhat trivial skill; however, narrative writing may not be what students are actually learning in my class. Therefore, it is essential for me to make sure that what students are “learning” in my classroom is as close to my intentions and learning objectives as possible. The question is: How do I make sure that is happening?
I think it is interesting that Smith labels “A Tale of Two Visions” as Classic and Official (5). It seems to me that most schools still operate under the Official system. In fact, even the name sounds rigid and inflexible. Smith contends that the official system is “preeminent, coercive, manipulative, discriminatory-and wrong”(4). (Tell us how you really feel Mr. Smith!) Among some of its other evils, Smith argues that the official view convinces teachers, parents and students that the most important part of education is grades(4). In beginning the ASTL program last year and throughout the first three courses, I made a huge effort to try and get away from my over-reliance on the importance of grades. I also tried to take this philosophy into my classroom. To me, making grades the epitome of importance in schools is one of the worst parts of the official theory because it actually takes student learning completely out of the equation.
Smith embraces the classic view of learning and I completely agree. The classic view is not bound by grades, tests, memorization, and punishment. It is focused on learning for learning’s sake. It is focused on excitement, reflection, and self-awareness. When I think about this type of learning, of course I think about Socrates.
TED Talk on a classic approach to learning and The Flipped Classroom:
I want my students to learn classically, but I understand it is difficult to break out of an Official system and philosophy of learning and education. Smith contends that, “Desired learning, and the overcoming or avoidance of detrimental learning, may sometimes demand special conditions and exceptional patience and talent”(5). So, yes, it is difficult to break out of the official theory mold, but it is something I am committed to doing in my classroom.
Melissa, I remember you saying that students (and parents) are more concerned about 'grades' and trying to get away form the "official" approach. It might be more challenging to for high school students to not think about grades because they know it goes on their transcript and in order to get into college they need good grades. That's what we tell students. I am still trying to figure out how middle schoolers could be motivated by the work they do, and as a result not think about grades, but what they really learned. Sometimes I think its challenging to measure what students learned in a particular unit/lesson without them so concentrated on the official grade after the unit. There needs to be a shift in thinking-- in order for the classic approach to happen. Again, it looks great on paper, but to actually embrace it, might take a while for the school culture to catch on and change.
ReplyDeleteGreat points you bring up here, Melissa. I really like that you point out that what you intend on having your students learn in any given lesson isn't necessarily the only learning that will take place right then! One of the conversations that I often have with my principal (former high school English teacher) is of his grading method - he essentially had a continuous Writers' Workshop in his classroom. Any written pieces that the students worked on didn't receive a grade until they were worthy of an "A" - until then, all that would be discussed would be strengths and possible room for improvements in the writing. I am curious as to how an approach like this would work in a middle school classroom, but am nervous because of all of the requirements that we have to fulfill. Wonder what your thoughts are on a classroom set up in this way?
ReplyDeleteMelissa, there is also a strong emphasis on grades at the school I work at. There is honor role and high honors. Students and parents have already been asking me about my grading policy and it's only the second day of school! Being a math teacher for the last few years it has been hard for me to move away from numbers, but this past year I have been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I now have ideas and examples on how to move away from the strong emphasis on grades in math class. But the pull from parents and the administration is always there, and it is the balance that I think we have to work on now. We know what is best for our students, we are the ones in the classroom with them day in and day out, now we just have to work on explaining it to those who are not in with us.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI like that you looked closely at Smith's choice of words, I also found the connotation of some of his word choices very intriguing. My favorite was "archetypal" which feels like out of date and no longer applicable - a tidy way to think about our system of education. I like that your link takes us to a Ted Talk which opens with a Bill Simmons reference, I use http://grantland.com/ all the time in class, there is some strong writing there, and students can usually find something which connects to them, another great site that is relatively new is The Players Tribune.
As Smith points out, many times the problem with curriculum, is that it is "an ineffective program of study, enforced by distant authorities" which is why we have to have so many examples of formal student work, versus an example that delves deeper and shows breadth of understanding.