Authentic Learning in the Digital Age

Book Review: Authentic Learning in the Digital Age

by Larissa Pahomov

In Authentic Learning in the Digital Age, Larissa Pahomov draws upon her experiences with an innovative school in Philadelphia called the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) to illustrate and explain a framework for “… implementing a personalized, inquiry-based education in a typical secondary school.” (2)  She also provides strategies for the effective integration of technology.

Each chapter of the book explores one of the 5 core values of this framework.  There is a question and answer section, called Roadblocks and Work-arounds, near the end of each chapter with advice on how to overcome challenges associated with implementing the core value.

She begins by hi-lighting some positive features of technology:

• a tonic for the “monotony of memorization”; (5)
• provides authentic learning and engagement in and beyond the classroom;
• democratizes learning by allowing personalization and providing communication among  all   students; “Suddenly the teacher is just another commenter on the [online] discussion         thread.” (7);
• allows students to both bring in and reach out to the world; and,
• eases teacher workload by providing timesavers such as online calendars and means such as Google docs for providing feedback.

Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia

The focus of Chapter 2 is the first core value – authentic inquiry-based instruction, which is characterized by choice, personalization, and relevance.  The author cautions that choice shouldn’t mean that every student has his/her own adventure; instead, it means that the learning opportunities should honour student preferences as much as possible.  As well, she qualifies relevance as follows: “Relevant does not have to mean ‘cutting edge’ or even ‘contemporary’ … [just] relevant to [students] personally.” (23)

The components of authentic classroom inquiry include:

• Identify open-ended higher level questions that don’t have specific factual answers;
• Identify learning goals;
• Build a flexible assessment framework, including both formative strategies, such as checklists and check-ins and rubrics for summative evaluation; and,
• Model inquiry every day.

In the Roadblocks and Work-arounds section of Chapter 2, the author cautions that inquiry isn’t authentic if the inquiry is some version of “guess what’s in the teacher’s brain”. (34)  To avoid this scenario, students should construct their own questions, and the teacher should be comfortable with a certain level of unpredictability in the process.

The second core value is student research that allows for autonomy, activity, and metacognition.  Student research is active when students go beyond Google to look for uncollected content – that is, material, like primary sources, that has not been indexed. (44)  It is also an active process when students conduct their own surveys, interviews, or labs.  According to Pahomov, “A good line of inquiry is un-Googleable.” (49)

Notre Dame High Schools (Ottawa Catholic SB) conducted their own surveys
for this inquiry

Teachers should permit students to choose their own research material; however, teachers should anticipate some of the resources the students will require and provide them with sources of knowledge (ie. periodicals and online research data bases). Teachers should also provide exemplars of good research projects.  Most important of all, they should assist students in learning how to assess the credibility of information – especially information found on internet sources such as Wikipedia.  The author writes: “Students need a crash course in how Internet search engines work.  Algorithms, predictive search fields, and user histories all need to be exposed and explored.” (58)

Chapter 4 explores collaboration – the 3^rd core value in the framework.  To be successful, student collaboration should be documented (assessed), asynchronous, and classroom-based.  With respect to the second characteristic, Pahomov states, “Good collaboration involves work done separately as well as together.” (66)  The key to asynchronous collaboration is an anchor document, “which outlines the requirements for the project as well as the expectations and roles of each of the group members.” (67)

Effective collaboration can be achieved by the teacher modeling it every day.  Daily collaborative strategies include turn and talk and peer editing.  Teachers need to teach collaboration skills by describing the specific roles students will assume in the process and by providing them with success criteria for and exemplars of working together.  As well, “a level of scaffolding commensurate with the students’ own comfort level with group work” (73) is key.  As much as possible, students should work through group dynamics problems and disputes on their own, but the teacher should provide guidance when required.

Presentations, the 4^th core value, should be flexible, shareable, and interactive.  Students will gain greater confidence if they can choose the presentation medium.  Their presentations should be shared beyond the classroom, since a larger audience will motivate them to produce quality products.  “By setting up a common landing page for finished work, students can ‘tour’ projects online.” (87)  Peer assessment adds a greater degree of interactivity.

St Joseph H S (OCSB) student's creative presentation

 - a board game on the themes in Of Mice and Men 

Clear success criteria need to be established for an exemplary product.  Encouraging students to enter their presentations in contests or competitions is a great way to add authenticity to the learning process.  They will receive useful feedback.  For students reticent to share with large audiences, teachers can begin with strategies such as Think, Pair, Share, which require sharing with very small groups. 

Two work-arounds are suggested to prevent students from spending too much time on the format of the presentation to the detriment of its content:

• Front-load the technical skills;
• Have students draft, edit, and revise their content before transferring the work to its final medium. (103)

The final value is reflection, which should be metacognitive, applicable, and shared to be meaningful.  The author notes that “by sharing their reflections on their academic work, students can both advise and seek help from their peers.” (113)

Reflection should occur throughout the learning process, not just at the end of a unit or after a test.  Students will engage in more authentic reflection on their work and better see the value in reflection if teachers provide them with qualitative feedback before grading their work.  Peer reflection should be integrated with teacher reflection on a student’s work.   The author recommends gallery walks as an effective peer-reflection activity.  Her final suggestion on reflection is that teachers should use “a consistent set of questions or prompts for students’ reflections [on their work], asking them to respond to the rubric criteria.” (121)

St Francis Xavier H S student researchers' reflections

on their collaborative inquiry 

In the final chapter, the author identifies 5 practices and policies that are part of the school culture at SLA that support its successful inquiry-based model of learning:

• A common language, focused on the five core values, for all learning opportunities, assessment rubrics, and school rules;
• An open door climate, which is reflected by teachers posting units online and a welcoming approach to classroom visitors;
• Outside partnerships for all students, including internships with institutions which provide personalized experiential learning; 
• A lengthy student advisory period twice a week that builds strong teacher-student and student-to-student relationships over the course of the 4-year program; and,
• A first days approach that features a 2-week Summer Institute program for new students.

Authentic Learning in the Digital Age is marred by a few usage errors such as truer (109) and the awkward off of. (85 & 137)  There is also an editing error on page 85 – the word took is used instead of look. 

Despite the small blemishes, the book presents an excellent framework for learning in the digital age.

School Culture

Book Review: School Culture Rewired

by Steve Gruenert & Todd Whitaker

As the title indicates, the purpose of Steve Gruenert & Todd Whitaker’s School Culture Rewired is to assist school leaders in understanding the concept of school culture and learn strategies for influencing it in positive ways.

The authors provide a number of definitions for culture, with two of the better ones being:

·           Deeply embedded beliefs and assumptions

·         “The way we do things around here.”  - Deal & Kennedy (6)

In Chapter 2, important distinctions are made between culture and climate: “If culture is a school’s personality, climate is its attitude.” (11)  Climate refers to what you do in a school as opposed to culture, which describes why you do it. (16)  School climate is “how most of us feel most of the time.” (18)  While the climate of a school may change quickly, changing a culture is a slower and more difficult process.  That said, dealing with “behavioural or attitudinal issues … addressing the climate” of a school is an effective way of initiating cultural change. (28-29)

In Chapter 3, the building blocks of school culture are listed.  They include:

• Mission and vision - Culture is the unwritten mission statement;
• Language – Jargon and popular phrases reflect the culture;
• Routines, Rituals, & Ceremonies;
• Norms – The unwritten rules that govern behavior
• Roles – ie. the staff comedian or critic;
• Symbols;
• Stories;
• Heroes; and,
• Values & Beliefs.

Leaders can have a significant impact on culture depending upon how they address these building blocks.   For instance, they reinforce those norms and values and beliefs that they model, tolerate, and/or reward.

Symbols such as this school logo, designed by a grade 9 

student, are a building block of school culture

Subcultures may exist in a school based on factors such as teacher age, grade level taught, and department.  The leader’s task is to “identify the subculture that seems to wield the most power.” (45)  If the principal is mindful of this subculture and gets its members on board, then positive change may occur; however, if this group is ignored or threatened, it can “go rogue” and undermine the change process.

Six types of school culture are described in Chapter 4.

·         Collaborative – the “theoretical nirvana” (50) of culture, whereby teachers share the values of excellence, commitment, and collaboration;

·         Comfortable-Collaborative – In this culture, it’s more important for teachers to get along than to be effective; thus, authentic inquiry about improving teacher instruction and student achievement is avoided;

·         Contrived-Collegial – The principal controls the school improvement process, and teacher autonomy is diminished;

·         Balkanized – Subcultures predominate and collaboration only takes place in cliques;

·         Fragmented – Every teacher has his/her own adventure; and,

·         Toxic – The focus is on the negative; change is resisted as teachers “prioritize survival over improvement”. (61)

Chapter 5 introduces the Cultural Typology Activity – a rubric which allows principals to determine their school’s current cultural type.  The rubric measures the degree to which each of the following 12 aspects of school culture exists:

•    Focus on student achievement
•    Collegial awareness of effectiveness
•    Shared values
•    Teacher participation in decision making
•    Risk taking
•    Trust
•    Openness
•    Strong parent relations 
•    Strong leadership 
•    Effective communication 
•    Socialization (Mentoring & Coaching of new teachers) 
•    Organization history of school improvement

In an effective school culture, “teachers feel free to critique one another” and “confident that they can share their professional struggles”. (72)

The School Culture Survey discussed in Chapter 6 can be used by teachers to determine how collaborative the school culture is.   It measures 6 indicators:

• Collaborative leadership
• Teacher collaboration
• Professional development
• Unity of purpose
• Collegial support
• Learning partnership (among all stakeholders – teachers, parents, students)

More surveys of staff are outlined in Chapter 7.  One is the Who Owns What? survey.  It assesses the degree to which teachers believe they and other stakeholders are responsible for certain behaviours in the school, such as student learning, student absenteeism and tardiness, student misbehavior, and teacher morale. The authors emphasize that “The most useful aspect of [a survey] is the discussion after it’s been completed.” (103)  They also caution that “Exposing the beliefs of an organization’s members can be a sensitive proposition.” (105)  

Chapter 8 offers strategies for “jump-starting” the cultural rewiring process:

• Stop making excuses for dysfunction; instead, learn from those in the school who have overcome the obstacles;
• Stop generalizing ie. all students or parents are resistant; and,
• Let the effective teachers in on the changes you are catalyzing.

Some key “leveraging points” for cultural change are discussed in Chapter 11.  The strongest point is the start of the school year, when the possibilities seem endless: “At the beginning of the year, the culture of each classroom is like a ball of clay waiting to be formed.” (135)  Natural shifts in the school year and holidays are other key times. Moments of celebration (ie. staff wedding, awards) and mourning (funerals) are also leverage points.  Outside directives and standardize test scores can be spurs to intentionally change culture.   For example, low reading scores can be presented by the principal as both a challenge to current practices and an opportunity for new initiatives.  Lastly, first-time or one-time events, such as a crisis, can trigger change.

Banner by student Katie Heffernan at Mother Teresa HS 

reflecting,at the start of the school year, 

a restorative culture at the school.

The banner was placed in the school atrium

Chapter 12 provides advice on how the school-year cycle can support cultural change.  Physical changes, to spruce up the school and better facilitate collaboration, can be completed over the summer.  During the first week of the year, the principal should open up preliminary dialogues about school culture with teachers perceived to be open to change.  Towards the end of the first month, the principal should have all teachers complete the School Culture Survey.  The School Culture Typology Activity can then be completed sometime during the first half of the year.  

   

Suggestions on creating a school culture rewiring team is the topic of Chapter 13.  The process should begin with a rating of each teacher in terms of both effectiveness and ability to influence other teachers.  Once the teachers who have the broadest impact on other teachers are identified, the next step is for the principal to share with these teachers, through stories, the vision of a renewed school culture.  Then the principal should send them out to tell these stories to other teachers. “Don’t think of the school improvement  team as a group of people who meet once a month to look at data; rather, think of them as people who interact with all teachers every day.” (160)

Along with the great advice on how school leaders can rewire culture comes an important caution from the authors: “Rewiring a culture is like turning around an ocean liner – it takes a long time.” (141)