The Educational Triage Podcast

Standardized Testing

Of course, I was wrong that 25% of the students had a 4.0.  It is greater than ⅛th.  If we looked at that same population (high school) we had 736/1810 students with a 3.5+.   Amazing. 
 
So, we can talk grade inflation - or can we, unless we really understand what’s going on with Standardized Testing?  Are the students simply not very good at testing? Or are we talking about students whose families demand higher grades - and those squeaky wheels get the premium oil they believe they are entitled to have? 
 
This is truly a catch-22.  
 
I remember when we began all this testing and this was the pitfall educators warned everyone would happen.  
 
So what are the solutions? Do we take it away from testing the core and siloed courses? Do we begin testing on Personal Finance? On Problem Solving? On actual skills that would behoove every student to be knowledgable in?  
 
The book Tony refers to in the episode is: 
 
Unraveling the Assessment Industrial Complex by Michelle Tenam-Zemach (Author), Daniel R. Conn (Author), Paul T. Parkison (Author)
At the same time, here are some questions that we should be asking, discussing, and demanding answers from the powers that be! 
 What are we actually measuring?
What are some causes for testing scores to be going downward?
Why do we need 112 standardized tests for pre-k - 12th grade students?
Are these all equitable?
Are we dealing with the perpetuation of hierarchies?
Is this all a corporate complex - a multi-billion dollar Assessment Industrial Complex that feeds into the corporate mantra of post-secondary education (the university system)?
Are schools now expected to teach to the test, rather than actually teach valid content? 
Are schools being complacent and following along? For what reason? 
Is this a case of the tail wagging the dog?
What if teachers simply taught their material rather than worry about the test scores?
  Are the continually lower testing scores truly indicative of grade inflation? 
What are some solutions we can come up with to solve all this testing madness?
What if we measured - - - -?
I'm sure this will be a debate into the next century, but it goes to the fundamentals of education and its purpose.  If we can answer that then we should be able to confront Standardized Testing head on. 

UDL - Trying to Create a Lesson

Let’s begin at the beginning with Universal Design for Learning - and then leap forward to the end and shimmy ourselves backward. Why?  You’ll see.  That’s how we should begin at the beginning/end.  
First, we need to figure out what the class is, and what the goal of the unit/lesson is going to be.  So, let’s create the outer edges of the section - that’s where we come in.  
 
Let’s take the Civil War.  That’s a Large Topic, eh?!    
Let’s begin with our goal for this section of the larger unit - 
But, better yet, let’s create the anticipatory set - 
(we can figure this one out)
 
Goal:  The Student Will be Able to Demonstrate an Understanding of the Causes of the Civil War. 
 
Now, Let’s formulate a Rubric that will give the student an idea of what they need to accomplish to achieve this goal successfully.  For help with Rubrics, try Introduction to Rubrics: An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback, and Promote Student Learning 2nd Edition - Dannelle  D. Stevens
Give the students some time to figure out what they would need to do in order to find out what the causes of the Civil War were - perhaps in pairs or groups - they can brainstorm ideas of where they might find the information and how to best obtain it for themselves.  Then, make a list on the board, overhead, flip board, padlet, whatever method you and the students might engage in  - try a variety of them. 
 
Next, ask the students to choose their method of presenting their research and work.  It could be:
 an essay
a PowerPoint 
a graphic novel 
an ABC book
 a video; a blog (perhaps one that reflects feelings of someone viewing the events as they unfold objectively)
 something with music
Something with art
a game with a game board - rules, pieces, and components that teach about the Civil War
Consider more possibilities - and allow the students to come up with their own
 
Once they have chosen, take note of what materials you may need to bring in for them.  Ask the students what supports they need from you to help them be successful - negotiate.  
 
Look a the final goals?  How much time do we need to achieve this?  What should each student be accountable for each day?  How do we stay on track?   What do we need in order to remain on track?  How do we break up our time?   The goal is for everyone to find success. 

UDL - What It Is and Is It Good For Alt Ed?

Universal Design for Learning - What Is It? 
 
Universal Design for Learning came from the idea of addressing the disabilities of schools rather than those of the students.This was a new approach which they called Universal Design for Learning  (UDL).  “UDL drew upon neuroscience and education research and leveraged the flexibility of digital technology to design learning environments that from the outset offered options for diverse learner needs.This also allowed for more responsiveness to learner needs.  (Meyer, Rose & Gordon.  2014).  
 
So UDL is a framework organized around three principles based on the learning sciences.  These principles guide the design and development of curriculum that is effective and inclusive for all learners (Rose & Gravel, 2010 cited in Hall, Meyer and Rose, 2012).
 
So, UDL is a culmination of research into what makes up learning differences and the design of supportive learning environment - the principles are mapped into three groups of brain networks - recognition, strategic, and affective networks that play a primary role in learning (Hall, Meyer & Rose, 2012).  
 To support recognition learning, provide multiple means of representation =- that is, offer flexible ways to present what we teach and learn.
To support strategic learning, provide multiple means of action and expression =- that is, flexible options of how we learn and express what we know. 
To support affective learning, provide multiple means of engagement - it is flexible options for generating and sustaining motivation, the why of learning. 
 
There are also 3 groups of brain networks:
Recognition networks are specialized to sense and assign meaning to patterns we see; they enable us to identify and understand information, ideas and concepts.  This is the what of learning.
Strategic networks relate primarily to hte executive functions and are specialized to generate and oversee mental and motor patterns.  They enable us to plan, execute, and monitor actions and skills.  This is the how of learning. 
Affective networks are specialized to evaluate patterns and assign them emotional significance; they enable su to engage with tasks and learning and with the world around us.  This is the why of learning.  
 
The authors put this into perspective - take a gift you are going to wrap for a friend.  Recognition networks enable you to identify the present, the wrap and the concept of the gift.  Strategic networks help you set your goal of wrapping the present and making and making a strategy for accomplishing this; they guide you through the folding and taping, allow you to monitor your progress, and permit you to make small adjustments (such as refolding a corner) until the task is complete.  Affective networks motivate you to take on this task as you think about your friend, and they help you persist through the various steps, keeping you on task; wrapping may be hard for you, but you sense how happy it will make your friend and yourself, so you persist.  (Hall, Meyer & Rose, 2012). 
 
3 Guidelines of UDL….https://udlguidelines.cast.org/
 
 Provide multiple means of representation
Provide multiple means of action and expression
Provide multiple means of engagement.  
Todd Rose - The Myth of Average

Using Alternative Education for Discipline?!

When someone says, “I teach at an alternative school/program,” the listener may react with thoughts of safety concerns, knives, guns, criminal behavior, and pretty much the idea that this person teaches in a neo-prison environment.    Why is this?  Surely, when you walk into many of the schools and programs that exist in the country, you will enter an environment that is safe, respectful, caring, vibrant, and rife with positive activity; for the most part. Of course, there are those that need some help, but overall this is true. 
 
The perceptions of Alternative Education have, nevertheless, been one of “less than” and “stranger than” regular education.  Perhaps it’s because we don’t consider our normalization of learning to be that of the middle-class child, well-dressed, clean, well-fed, happy, and compliant.  Is that what makes a good student?  To listen to lectures, to be on a calendar, to be a number, to be compliant, and disregard the issues faced outside of the school - if not within its boundaries - that may make learning difficult, irrelevant to immediate survival, and therefore not engaging.  This is even truer when the student is not finding themselves understanding and left behind in many classes - but forced to remain in a class where they may be speaking some alien dialect that, for them is just gibberish.  
 
Alternative Education works to reduce those feelings of inadequacy and guides students at their own rate of learning to engage and find what it is they were missing.   So where is the public disconnect? 
 
IF we were to peruse the definitions of Alternative Education across the states we would be able to find some rationale for this disconnect.  For out of 50 states, there are many who define alternative education as placements for those students expelled or suspended or removed for behavioral infractions; nothing to do with actual education but with behavior - which also seems to mean that those students who are not understanding and are potentially at-risk of dropping out or spending even more years of futility trying to succeed in a system that doesn’t really care have no options.    12 states make it clear that the purpose of these programs/schools is to work with, primarily, behavioral issues and are not necessarily open to other students who might benefit from a different structure and form of education.  
 
But if over one-fifth of the states have this as their primary definition, most other states do include such clauses but also allow for the inclusion of academic, and other reasons for students to profit, educationally, from such environments - thereby mixing the two defined populations and forcing many to clutch their pearls without any knowledge about what is going on within.  
 
More Reading:
Alternative Discipline Can Benefit Learning
 
50 State Comparison for Alternative Education Programs
How students get banished to alternative schools
 
Lessons from Transfer Schools

Why Do They Assume Alt Ed Kids Are Criminals?

Those Kids - You Mean Our Kids!
Who are the students we teach?  Who are these bodies who cross the threshold into our learning environment each day?  Many seem to be rather obstreperous, some belligerent, others quiet and timid.  But they all have more than one thing in common and the biggest commonality is - They’re Children. 
 
Why are they labeled? Does this debase them? Does this allow the rest of the community to keep them at arm's length? 
 
What elements do we need to work on in order to help these students to engage and come in? 
 
This is the first of many discussions on this topic. 

Why Are Reading Scores on the Decline?

Some Thoughts on “Why Are Reading Scores Declining?” for your investigations.  
A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study showed that kids who spend more than two hours a day on screen time activities scored lower on language and thinking tests (kids who spent more than seven hours a day on screens showed a thinning of the brain’s cortex, which manages critical thinking and reasoning).
 
Scientists are still struggling to understand why humans are able to read and write, despite the fact that we have only been doing it for the last five millennia—far too brief a period for any major evolutionary developments to occur. It is now widely believed that our ability to read and understand written symbols is an accidental offshoot of traits that evolved for different reasons, such as the ability to speak.
 
In other words, our brains do not have to work hard to obtain the information, so we don’t retain it as well either. For example, when you read a book, you generate the images described in the book with your mind.
“That involves making connections between different parts of your brain,” Dr. Kaufer said. But “when you look at a picture that is already there, it’s much more passive. You’re not working [as many] parts of your brain.”
IN this study,  it was found that children who spent a large amount of talking on the phone had lower reading proficiency overall.  Those that texted for the majority of their communications had better decoding and proficiency skills due to their use of the language, including “textese”.  There was no difference between genders or race.
 Reading on mobile devices is therefore often associated with an ‘online reading’ strategy in which the reader does not aim to comprehend the complete text but to achieve a particular goal by locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information (Leu et al., 2011). This requires problem-solving strategies other than comprehension to search for information and evaluate its relevance to the current goal (Coiro & Dobler, 2007; Henry, 2006). These strategies are often associated with ‘browsing patterns’ that are very different to the sequential scanning that characterizes reading of print (see, e.g., Rayner, 2009) and guided by salient hyperlinks (Fitzsimmons, Weal, & Drieghe, 2013).
 
UNESCO’s study of mobile reading was conducted in seven developing countries, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and Zimbabwe.  Drawing on the analysis of over 4,000 surveys and corresponding qualitative interviews, the study found that: 
large numbers of people (one third of study participants) read stories to children from mobile phones; 
females read far more on mobile devices than males (almost six times as much according to the study); 
both men and women read more cumulatively when they start reading on a mobile device; 
many neo- and semi-literate people use their mobile phones to search for text that is appropriate to their reading ability.
The reason for the pandemic’s toll on reading achievement is obvious: It’s hard to learn when schools are closed. But the reason that reading scores fell before the pandemic is less straightforward. Educators and researchers are weighing three theories on what is responsible for the decline: money, instruction or reading itself.
After the 2008 recession, schools across the country cut spending by $600 per student, on average, and laid off thousands of teachers. It took state and local governments seven years to restore their tax bases, muster the political will to approve spending increases and send the money to schools.
https://hechingerreport.org/americas-reading-problem-scores-were-dropping-even-before-the-pandemic/
Researchers are also zeroing in on changes in home reading habits. In student surveys that accompanied the NAEP reading assessments, the percentage of eighth graders who said they read 30 minutes or more a day, excluding homework, declined by 4 percentage points from 2017 to 2019. They were less likely to say they talked about books, went to the library or considered reading one of their favorite activities.
 
1 "Brain Power: How Screen Time Impacts Kids' Brains - Meet Circle." 13 Apr. 2021, https://meetcircle.com/blogs/stories/brain-power-how-screen-time-impacts-kids-brains. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
2  "Brain Power: How Screen Time Impacts Kids' Brains - Meet Circle." 13 Apr. 2021,
https://meetcircle.com/blogs/stories/brain-power-how-screen-time-impacts-kids-brains. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
3  "The Effects of Smartphone Usage on the Brain | UNC Health Talk." 16 Sep. 2020, https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/the-effects-of-smartphone-usage-on-the-brain/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
4  "Cell Phone Use and Child and Adolescent Reading Proficiency - PMC." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5036529/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
5  "Is it smart to read on your phone? The impact of reading format and ...." 19 May. 2020, https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13421-020-01046-0. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
6"UNESCO study shows effectiveness of mobile phones in promoting ...." https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-study-shows-effectiveness-mobile-phones-promoting-reading-and-literacy-developing-0. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.
 

Why Are Math Scores Declining and What Can We Do About It?

Why are math scores Declining - Questions for Research
 
 Since the 1950’s how have maths scores done - what is the change?
 
What is the cause for scores to have begun decreasing in the past decade? 
 
What does this denote?
 
How does this demonstrate impact on those with lower SES v higher?
 
How does this impact the achievement gap?
 
What are some of the obstacles that are blamed for this happening?
 
What are some of the solutions? 
 
Success is never final and Failure never fatal. It's courage that counts. —George F. Tilton. In 1961
 
Some Reading:
 
https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-education-official-sounds-alarm-bell-about-high-school-classes/?utm_source=The+Hechinger+Report&utm_campaign=bce396b71a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_03_31_03_58&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d3ee4c3e04-bce396b71a-322843605
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/10/14/nations-report-card-scores-falling/
 
https://marketscale.com/industries/education-technology/as-math-proficiency-scores-decline-nationwide-how-should-curriculum-shift/ (also watch the video)
 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/02/28/math-scores-high-school-lessons-freakonomics-pisa-algebra-geometry/4835742002/
 
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w25648/w25648.pdf
 
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-10-30/across-the-board-scores-drop-in-math-and-reading-for-us-students
 

What Is Equity And How Do We Teach It?

What is Equity and How do we teach it? 
 
Definition:  Equity means offering individualized support, to students, that addresses possible barriers, like poverty or limited transportation, other cultural precepts that might affect the learning outcomes, etc. 
 
How do we prepare for and teach equity?  
 
Teachers understand the concept of Equity, but they aren’t really sure how to begin.  Many are mired in the concept that Equity has to do with feelings, others believe it has to do with race, some with poverty, and others with other possible barriers.  Which is it? Perhaps they are correct - but then again they’re wrong. 
 
Any student with any barrier that causes any struggle to learn is the target of any teaching by equity.  
 
Huh? 
 
Let’s haul our minds back a couple of decades to Gardiner’s Multiple Intelligences.  In his work, Gardner displayed information in helping meet the needs for 8 different intelligence types.  We would later understand there were far more types of intelligences!  Spencer Kagan help workshops, had books, activities, on meeting the needs for many of these students, which paved the way for us to adapt, adopt, and continuing working to help students access the materials and understand the concepts we taught - in their time and in their manner.  
 
Today we have UDL, or Universal Design for Learning.  Taking much from Gardner, this, too, begins to weave a tapestry of rich understanding through the complex needs of today’s students.   There are many books, videos, and other media that help teachers understand.  
 
But - with the current rash of demands on teachers, this can not only be overwhelming, but anxiety provoking in just thought.   Let’s break things down into a simple, yet doable methodology:
 
 Look at the lesson/Unit/Concept – What and How does the student need to demonstrate in order to achieve the best outcome? 
What are some methods the student can use in order to display/demonstrate this outcome? Can you find more? (don’t think inside the box - ask students, teachers, parents, everyone!!!! for ideas!!!!
 
How many examples (and be clear about which types) must a student complete in order to demonstrate mastery and earn a top, middle, or low mark? 
 
Use your state standards to settle on the Mid-mark - meaning if they meet the standard, then they can receive the equivalent of a ‘C’ grade.  Can they work on improving their score? 
 
Be sure there are clear expectations and you have a rubric  - perhaps even have the students work with you to create the rubric while using the state standards - using teachable moments to improve learning? 
 
Be sure to cull from UDL and Gardner in order to continuously create and add to your ideas on lessons.  Not all students will grab hold of everything you put out there.
 
If students are still reluctant, what needs should have to be met for them to begin feeling motivated enough to do the work? 
 
How are you scaffolding your work?  
 
How do you review and encourage review of old skills to keep them fresh?  
 
How do you encourage diversity of thought and engage everyone to participate while respecting all? 
Books on Multiple Intelligences, Cooperative Learning, and Universal Design for Learning:
 
Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practise   Gardner
 
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom.  4th Ed.   Armstrong
 
Multiple Intelligences: the Complete MI Book     Kagan
Equity by Design: Delivering on the Power and Promise of UDL  Chardin Novak.
 
What Really Works? With Universal Design for Learning  Murawski & Scott
 
Universal Design for Learning: theory and practice    Meyer, Rose, Gordon.
 
Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom: practical applications.  Hall, Meyer, Rose. 
 
Universal Design in Action: 100 ways to teach all learners  Rapp

Rural Alternative Education on the Reservation with Courtney Leer

 
Rural Alternative Education on the Reservation with Courtney Leer
 
In this episode, we have the honor to spend some time with Courtney Leer, a teacher on the Yakama Reservation in Central Washington state.  
 
I was fortunate enough to meet her and attend her conference sessions on Neurology in the Classroom and Culturally Responsive Classroom Management.  She was incredible!  So, I asked if she would be willing to join me on the podcast.  She agreed!  
 
In this episode, we have a frank discussion about equity, relationships,  classroom management, teaching Alternative Education, cell phone use, and more.  
 
So much to learn from her.  Below I’ve put in links to some of the references made during the chat:
 
 Ruby Payne - Emotional Poverty
ACEs - Adverse Childhood Experiences
Dunning Krueger Effect
Brain Plasticity
Huberman Lab Podcast
WALA - Washington Assn for Learning Alternatives
Paper Tigers - Documentary on Alternative Education in Walla Walla Washington 
Contract Courtney at:  courtneyl@wapatoschools.org

How Do We Teach Purpose?

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. —E.E. Cummings
 
The first task is to mine your life story for common threads and major themes. The point is to identify your core, lifelong strengths, values, and passions—those pursuits that energize you and bring you joy. We use a variety of prompts but have found three to be most effective:
 What did you especially love doing when you were a child before the world told you what you should or shouldn’t like or do?
 Describe a moment and how it made you feel. 
Tell us about two of your most challenging life experiences. How have they shaped you? 
What do you enjoy doing in your life now that helps you sing your song? 
Purpose - What fulfills us and transcends our own self-interest and to be oriented toward others.  Also utilizes an intrinsic curiosity about the field.  
For example, teaching can be fulfilling as we strive to work with all types of students, always working hard to ensure they all can comprehend and succeed.  We also work hard to keep up with the literature, but we continue to explore new avenues and methods in classes, books, and other forms to satisfy that need to know. - Duckworth
 
According to Bloom - Purpose is developed through three stages - The Playing Stage - where things are tried out, practiced, dabbled in. 
The second is where passion is discovered. Learning to develop and learn every single bit about it. 
The third is where there is mastery - the skill becomes uniquely theirs through technique and expression, and they are able to express themselves thusly through it. 
 
How does this apply to Bloom’s Taxonomy? 
 
Questions:  
 Define Purpose
3 Stages - Interest
Practise
Purpose
How to incorporate Gardner/UDL into determining Interest (Play, discovery, investigating, etc)
How to put into practice - what elements of school might the student use for those interests?  How do they interplay? 
How does the purpose fulfill a need, help others?
How/Where does Passion fit in? 
What about those who lose their passion early?
 
What’s the purpose of education in the 21st century?
 
link
 
By Valerie Strauss
February 12, 2015
Should young people become educated to get prepared to enter the workforce, or should the purpose of education be focused more on social, academic, cultural and intellectual development so that students can grow up to be engaged citizens?
 
Education should prepare young people for life, work and citizenship.
Knowledge of the natural and engineered environments and how people live in the world is critical to all three purposes of education. Critical thinking, creativity, interpersonal skills and a sense of social responsibility all influence success in life, work and citizenship.
 
 
CRITICAL THINKING
The Importance of Purpose in Education
Students can discover a sense of purpose in their learning through questions that lead them to think about their interests.
By Matthew Howell
March 29, 2018
Certainly we have to fulfill mandates and meet educational standards, but so often our students leave our schools uncertain about who they are in the world and without a fully formed sense of purpose. Academics without purpose can be an exercise void of substance.
 
Learners who are authentically true to themselves will explore with abandon. The insights gained from reflective questions can be used by students and teachers to develop links between various subjects and spark interests in multiple curricular areas.
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/importance-purpose-education