WhatsApp

Two of my Edgewood co-hort colleagues, Alfredo and Allaweed, shared an app for easy communication with their home families in Mexico and Saudi Arabia called WhatsApp. 

I am excited to try this new app out to more easily communicate with my international friends. Check it out with me.

(I already use Facebook messenger and Text messaging also.  Google phone too - but I am also interested in seeking this out also.)

Tech Tools - reminding myself today

Today during my Law, Media and Marketing I am reminded of the great tool - Symbaloo.
If you haven't used Symbaloo EDU, you may want to review it!  It is a quick way for students to get to connect students with new websites, new content, etc.  I see teachers use this tool for differentiating and/or personalizing learning.  Check it out - SYMBALOOEDU.com

This really caught my attention and truly reframed my thinking

When you say "Genius Hour Isn't Enough", You Are Missing The Point...
Read the full article on Ajjuliani.com

It seems there has been a lively debate going on for the past few years about whether or not 20% time is “dead” at Google. Some in the education space have picked up on this and used this as fuel to talk about the relevancy of Genius Hour or 20% time in the classroom.

An article by Ewan McIntosh a few years ago stirred up the Genius Hour community, and I’m sure a recent article by Audrey Watters in Educating Modern Learners will do the same thing. There have also been conversations about this type of learning on social media where many teachers and educational leaders go back-and-forth on whether or not it is “enough” and why Genius Hour and 20% Time may not be worth it.

Let me say that both Ewan McIntosh and Audrey Watters are educators and writers who I insanely respect. Their work is phenomenal and I believe that we need leaders in the education community (like Audrey and Ewan) to talk about these things and go deeper into the conversation.

As I mentioned in my article, “The Research Behind 20% Time“, there is a lot of support for this type of inquiry-based learning in schools. However, I want to point out a few important pieces of information in this post on why many of the folks talking about the demise of Google’s 20% time and whether or not Genius Hour is enough…are simply missing the point.

1. Google’s 20% Time is Not Dead

On August 16, 2013 Quartz published a post on “The Death of Google’s 20% Time” that went viral. The comments on Hacker News turned into an awesome debate on whether or not this was true and what it meant for Google and other tech companies.

Then on August 20, 2013 Quartz published an official response from Google that “20% Time is Officially Alive and Well” taking back some of the earlier claims they had made.

Want to know what happened in the four days between the two posts? Almost every major publication ran with a story about the demise of 20% time. Finally, on August 21st WIRED’s Ryan Tate (who wrote the book on 20% time and has done more research than anyone else on this topic) put out an article that summed up the whole debate, “Google Couldn’t Kill 20% Time Even If It Wanted To“:

Google didn’t invent the idea of giving employees time to experiment with their own ideas, nor will it have the final word on how best to bestow such time. Plenty of other large tech companies have implemented their own takes on 20 percent time, including widely admired, innovative companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, and, reportedly, Apple.
The core idea behind 20 percent time — that knowledge workers are most valuable when granted protected space in which to tinker — is more alive in Silicon Valley today than it ever has been before.

So whether or not 20% time is being slowed down at Google is kind of a moot point. The company says it is still alive. We see projects like Google Now that have recently come out of 20% time. But, more importantly this idea has permeated start-up life and company culture around the world…and is not going anywhere.

2. Inquiry-Based Learning Has Been Successful for a Long Time

Genius Hour. 20% Time. These are nice names for inquiry-based learning opportunities. But that is all they are. I don’t care what you call it… It is always going to be based on inquiry.

The reasons I used “20% time” for my project, and others have used “Genius Hour” for their projects stem from where the idea originated to “market” this type of learning and project to our students, schools, and each other. It is easier to get administrative buy-in when you can say “this is what Google does” or “this is what Dan Pink was referring to”…and no there is not much of a difference between the two.

Beyond the “name” is a type of learning that has been going on for centuries: Inquiry-Based Learning. This can also be “Venn Diagrammed” with user-generated learning, passion-based learning, compassion-based learning, and many other educational terms that hit around the same point: Allowing students to learn skills through content they care about. As I mentioned before you can look at a round-up of some research I posted last year.

Again, you’ll sometimes see educators talking about John Hattie’s book, Visible Learning, in which he lists a rank order of those factors that have the greatest effect size in student achievement (based on analyzing a ton of research and studies that have been done over the years). Here is the “Top 20” list, asGrant Wiggins broke it down to take out a few factors that were not relevant to most teachers. I’ve bolded the items that take place during Genius Hour, 20% Time, and any inquiry-based project:

• Student self-assessment/self-grading
• Response to intervention
• Teacher credibility
• Providing formative assessments
• Classroom discussion
• Teacher clarity
• Feedback
• Reciprocal teaching
• Teacher-student relationships fostered
• Spaced vs. mass practice
• Meta-cognitive strategies taught and used
• Acceleration
• Classroom behavioral techniques
• Vocabulary programs
• Repeated reading programs
• Creativity programs
• Student prior achievement
• Self-questioning by students
• Study skills
• Problem-solving teaching

Not too bad, eh? We can’t account for teacher clarity and teacher credibility, but they could also be added to the list of “factors” that impact student achievement taking place during Genius Hour and 20% Time. I could go into more details and specifics of how each of these factors is incorporated into an inquiry-based learning experience…but I’ll save that for the bonus listed at the end of this post.

3. It’s About the Students and Their Learning Opportunities

Quite frankly the most frustrating piece of the argument that Genius Hour “isn’t enough” is that I don’t disagree with that statement. I’d love to see schools with a strong focus on inquiry and experiential learning across the board. When critics say that we need to change our entire outlook on how we assess and what types of activities we do with students…I also think this is relevant.

The issue is that we all have constraints. Are we supposed to as teachers and leaders NOT do Genius Hour or 20% Time because it is not enough…or can it be a start?

This isn’t a case of all or nothing.

It’s like saying that “Edcamp” is not enough and even though it is an awesome way to do professional development and professional learning….”let’s not do it unless we can do professional development like that every time.”

I think Joy Kirr put it perfectly in this comment:

I cannot redesign my entire school like I know you dream of. I am one teacher. I can, however, with the blessings of my administration, give 60 minutes of my week over to the students. It is TOO LITTLE time, I know. And I can’t make sure each project will change the world. But it is a start. And the lessons we all learn during this time seep into the other four hours I have with these students throughout the week, thank goodness. I don’t have numbers to show student progress. But I’m trying to create life-long learners. How do you measure that?

Genius Hour, 20% Time, and Inquiry-Based learning experiences give students opportunities that they would never have in school otherwise. To ME that is enough. It is enough to try this type of learning with your students. It is enough to take a risk and go beyond the curriculum.

I’d ask anyone who is criticizing Genius Hour or 20% Time in the classroom to talk to the teachers and students who have had this opportunity. I’d ask them to look at what students are creating, making, and building during this time. I’d ask them to talk to the parents about their students’ attitude towards learning.

I’ve heard from so many colleagues and teachers around the country (and world) who have said this time has changed their teaching and the way they view learning.

When you say Genius Hour “isn’t enough” you miss the point of inquiry-based learning experiences: They give students rich opportunities for learning…but also for creating something they are proud to share with the world.

And there is no substitute for that type of experience…even if we can only offer it some of the time.Thanks as always,

AJ

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This really caught my attention and thus my refraimed my thinking

When you say "Genius Hour Isn't Enough", You Are Missing The Point...
Read the full article on Ajjuliani.com

It seems there has been a lively debate going on for the past few years about whether or not 20% time is “dead” at Google. Some in the education space have picked up on this and used this as fuel to talk about the relevancy of Genius Hour or 20% time in the classroom.

An article by Ewan McIntosh a few years ago stirred up the Genius Hour community, and I’m sure a recent article by Audrey Watters in Educating Modern Learners will do the same thing. There have also been conversations about this type of learning on social media where many teachers and educational leaders go back-and-forth on whether or not it is “enough” and why Genius Hour and 20% Time may not be worth it.

Let me say that both Ewan McIntosh and Audrey Watters are educators and writers who I insanely respect. Their work is phenomenal and I believe that we need leaders in the education community (like Audrey and Ewan) to talk about these things and go deeper into the conversation.

As I mentioned in my article, “The Research Behind 20% Time“, there is a lot of support for this type of inquiry-based learning in schools. However, I want to point out a few important pieces of information in this post on why many of the folks talking about the demise of Google’s 20% time and whether or not Genius Hour is enough…are simply missing the point.

1. Google’s 20% Time is Not Dead

On August 16, 2013 Quartz published a post on “The Death of Google’s 20% Time” that went viral. The comments on Hacker News turned into an awesome debate on whether or not this was true and what it meant for Google and other tech companies.

Then on August 20, 2013 Quartz published an official response from Google that “20% Time is Officially Alive and Well” taking back some of the earlier claims they had made.

Want to know what happened in the four days between the two posts? Almost every major publication ran with a story about the demise of 20% time. Finally, on August 21st WIRED’s Ryan Tate (who wrote the book on 20% time and has done more research than anyone else on this topic) put out an article that summed up the whole debate, “Google Couldn’t Kill 20% Time Even If It Wanted To“:

Google didn’t invent the idea of giving employees time to experiment with their own ideas, nor will it have the final word on how best to bestow such time. Plenty of other large tech companies have implemented their own takes on 20 percent time, including widely admired, innovative companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, and, reportedly, Apple.
The core idea behind 20 percent time — that knowledge workers are most valuable when granted protected space in which to tinker — is more alive in Silicon Valley today than it ever has been before.

So whether or not 20% time is being slowed down at Google is kind of a moot point. The company says it is still alive. We see projects like Google Now that have recently come out of 20% time. But, more importantly this idea has permeated start-up life and company culture around the world…and is not going anywhere.

2. Inquiry-Based Learning Has Been Successful for a Long Time

Genius Hour. 20% Time. These are nice names for inquiry-based learning opportunities. But that is all they are. I don’t care what you call it… It is always going to be based on inquiry.

The reasons I used “20% time” for my project, and others have used “Genius Hour” for their projects stem from where the idea originated to “market” this type of learning and project to our students, schools, and each other. It is easier to get administrative buy-in when you can say “this is what Google does” or “this is what Dan Pink was referring to”…and no there is not much of a difference between the two.

Beyond the “name” is a type of learning that has been going on for centuries: Inquiry-Based Learning. This can also be “Venn Diagrammed” with user-generated learning, passion-based learning, compassion-based learning, and many other educational terms that hit around the same point: Allowing students to learn skills through content they care about. As I mentioned before you can look at a round-up of some research I posted last year.

Again, you’ll sometimes see educators talking about John Hattie’s book, Visible Learning, in which he lists a rank order of those factors that have the greatest effect size in student achievement (based on analyzing a ton of research and studies that have been done over the years). Here is the “Top 20” list, asGrant Wiggins broke it down to take out a few factors that were not relevant to most teachers. I’ve bolded the items that take place during Genius Hour, 20% Time, and any inquiry-based project:

• Student self-assessment/self-grading
• Response to intervention
• Teacher credibility
• Providing formative assessments
• Classroom discussion
• Teacher clarity
• Feedback
• Reciprocal teaching
• Teacher-student relationships fostered
• Spaced vs. mass practice
• Meta-cognitive strategies taught and used
• Acceleration
• Classroom behavioral techniques
• Vocabulary programs
• Repeated reading programs
• Creativity programs
• Student prior achievement
• Self-questioning by students
• Study skills
• Problem-solving teaching

Not too bad, eh? We can’t account for teacher clarity and teacher credibility, but they could also be added to the list of “factors” that impact student achievement taking place during Genius Hour and 20% Time. I could go into more details and specifics of how each of these factors is incorporated into an inquiry-based learning experience…but I’ll save that for the bonus listed at the end of this post.

3. It’s About the Students and Their Learning Opportunities

Quite frankly the most frustrating piece of the argument that Genius Hour “isn’t enough” is that I don’t disagree with that statement. I’d love to see schools with a strong focus on inquiry and experiential learning across the board. When critics say that we need to change our entire outlook on how we assess and what types of activities we do with students…I also think this is relevant.

The issue is that we all have constraints. Are we supposed to as teachers and leaders NOT do Genius Hour or 20% Time because it is not enough…or can it be a start?

This isn’t a case of all or nothing.

It’s like saying that “Edcamp” is not enough and even though it is an awesome way to do professional development and professional learning….”let’s not do it unless we can do professional development like that every time.”

I think Joy Kirr put it perfectly in this comment:

I cannot redesign my entire school like I know you dream of. I am one teacher. I can, however, with the blessings of my administration, give 60 minutes of my week over to the students. It is TOO LITTLE time, I know. And I can’t make sure each project will change the world. But it is a start. And the lessons we all learn during this time seep into the other four hours I have with these students throughout the week, thank goodness. I don’t have numbers to show student progress. But I’m trying to create life-long learners. How do you measure that?

Genius Hour, 20% Time, and Inquiry-Based learning experiences give students opportunities that they would never have in school otherwise. To ME that is enough. It is enough to try this type of learning with your students. It is enough to take a risk and go beyond the curriculum.

I’d ask anyone who is criticizing Genius Hour or 20% Time in the classroom to talk to the teachers and students who have had this opportunity. I’d ask them to look at what students are creating, making, and building during this time. I’d ask them to talk to the parents about their students’ attitude towards learning.

I’ve heard from so many colleagues and teachers around the country (and world) who have said this time has changed their teaching and the way they view learning.

When you say Genius Hour “isn’t enough” you miss the point of inquiry-based learning experiences: They give students rich opportunities for learning…but also for creating something they are proud to share with the world.

And there is no substitute for that type of experience…even if we can only offer it some of the time.Thanks as always,

AJ

Share/Discuss on Facebook

Unsubscribe | 1106 Blackhaw Ln, Ambler, PA 19002 

Click here to Reply or Forward

SMART Goals.....Made EZ

It is that time of the year again. Here is my "SMART Goals....Made EZ" - okay, well perhaps easier at least.    Your feedback would be grand.

Basic Pattern for SLO's and PPG's.

Student Learning Objective Template

I, _____________, will increase/improve student achievement in (1) _____ so that (2) _____ of my students will show gains by (3)_____ on (4) _______ by (5)_______ through (6) ______ (begin to identify your action plan overview.

1. improvement you will measure (reading, math, art vocabulary, skill, etc)

2.  who (all students some gains, an identified population more gains - tiered goals recommended by the state)

3. how much (based on your baseline data, what is the improvement you would like to see, realistic for the given time

4. what tool will you use to measure your progress (MAP, PALS, teacher-created)

5. by when will your measurement be met (end of May to finalize your goal for the year)

6. what is your major action that will increase this growth (specific strategy, emphasizing Accuracy and Fluency in every guided reading lesson for under grade level learners, focusing on two vocabulary terms using visual pictures for each music lesson, etc)

I, Kathy Hoppe, will increase my student achievement in reading so that 80% of my  students make their targeted growth and 80% of my below level students on make 1.5 x their targeted growth by the 1.5 on the MAP Spring to Spring data by focusing on CAFE with an emphasis on C and E for all students and typically A & E in addition for all below RIT students unless formative assessment alter my approach.

 

Professional Practices Goal Template

I, ______, will increase my knowledge and/or skill in the area of (1) _________ so that (2)___________________________ by/starting (3) ______________ by (4) _____________ through (6) _____________. 

I, Kathy Hoppe, will increase my knowledge and skill in the area of reading instructional practices so that I am able to skillfully set 4-6 week goals off of their running records formative data with all my guided reading group throughout the school year beginning in October and utilize the CAFE strategies to write actions for my individual guided groups successful for their achievement by re-reading CAFE, meeting with Diane, and creating a lesson plan format.

1. area of growth work (reading, math, adaptive technology, etc)

2. what will I be able to do

3. when will I start

4. a key action that you will see me doing to make it happen

5. some strategies (both collaborative and on my own) to increase my professional practice in this area

Get ideas coming to you

I love receiving SymbalooEDU's weekly lesson plan.  Many times I can pass them on to wonderful teachers I know.  Here is a good one for sure.  Digital Citizenship   Click here to subscribe.

Do you have lesson plans coming into your e-mail that you find are typically helpful to you or others you know?  Please let our learning community know as every educator I know needs to gain more time in their hectic lives.  Kathy

CATERING vs COOKING

So many educators say that students are so lazy these days.  They want to know what is in it for them. They don't want to work hard to learn.  Have we been a part of a society that has been catering too long?

Have be been delivering content as if the students cannot find the answers themselves?  Have we enjoyed being the bearers of the content?  Have we truly taught them that learning is seeking knowledge and then pondering what it means and how to use it?

Perhaps we should get them cooking, stewing, slow cooking, and only once in awhile microwaving their learning?  10 years from now, will they know more about life, learning and being a successful citizen if we require them to question, seek resources to answer questions (not just in the textbook) and then respond?  Perhaps less responding but more thought-provoking responses would be in order then.

Inquiry - getting kids to question, make a claim or statement and then gather evidence that clarifies or confirms whether they are accurate or not.  It is not if they are accurate that truly matters -- is it?  To me, it is whether they can determine if they are accurate.

With all the information coming at all of us, those who cannot ponder, wonder, and research are the ones who will be most left behind.  The ones who cannot tell what is accurate versus what is a scam or bogus.

I am definitely pondering this today.  Will you ponder with me?  Will you share a comment?

“Asking a question calls for more cognitive demand than answering one. “

P. David Pearson

If the teacher asks the questions, are they working harder than the students who are answering the questions?  Good reflection question.

Do good questions get as much praise as a right answer?  Should they?

"Giving it a try" decreases an adult learner's knowing-doing gap.

         Stepping in and trying things when you realize you don't know how to do it that well is exactly what those who consistently perform at high levels do.  It is what we want our student learners to do also.  Learning is about making attempts and learning from those attempts over time. Learning is about making mistakes. Move beyond being nervous - give those things you need to learn a try and you will be on your way.  Celebrate your attempts as you do with children when they try!   Click here for some further motivation.

Teaching "thinking routines" - now that makes sense.

This weekend at class, I heard about using thinking routines.  Click here for a video overview. The instructional procedure of teaching specific thinking routines just make sense.  Project Zero from Harvard School of Education has an awesome website.  Click here.

Resource Summary

• Connect Extend Challenge A routine for connecting new ideas to prior knowledge
• Explanation Game A routine for exploring causal understanding
• Headlines A routine for capturing essence 
• Question Starts A routine for creating thought-provoking questions 
• Think Pair Share A routine for active reasoning and explanation 
• Think Puzzle Explore A routine that sets the stage for deeper inquiry 
• What makes you say that? Interpretation with justification routine 
• 3-2-1 Bridge A routine for activating prior knowledge and making connections
• Colour, Symbol, Image A routine for distilling the essence of ideas non-verbally
• Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate A routine for organizing one's understanding of a topic through concept mapping
• Peel the Fruit A map for tracking and guiding understanding

- See more at: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/resources/thinking-routines-understanding-routines#sthash.Agl0hRJG.dpuf

Thinking about the questions teachers are asking about GRAMMAR -

Separating grammar from the writing process seems to be like separating the bread from peanut butter and jelly when making a sandwich.

Let's go to a wonderful set of articles from top ELA educators in the professional magazine for ELA teachers.  Click here to read so much information to help you formulate your instructional plans.

Only time for one quick article - in my opinion this is the one to read -A Path to Better Writing.

Chatting with Jane E Pollock this morning.........

It is always fun to strike up a chat with Jane E Pollock.  This morning Jane Aegerter and I had the opportunity to catch up with Jane E.  In addition, we had some time to talk thru some more thoughts on formative assessment. The key reminders from the discussion included:

• unit and term assessments that check students knowledge are summative
• most assessment can be formative
• not all assessments are formative
• assessment in which the feedback is timely to the students to change their instructional knowledge and skill is formative
• assessment in which the feedback is used to alter the teacher's instruction is formative
• setting the G's in GANAG to the standards - part or whole - allows you to assess the standard
• whether the assessment of the standard is formative depends on if it alters student learning and/or teacher instruction
• two types of formative instruction are possible: task and informal
• a formative assessment that is a task - students demonstrates learning and receives feedback as they task unfolds in one period or several class periods
• a formative assessment that is informal - students receive feedback as they are explaining or talking thru a task or as the teacher is observing their prototype, etc.

A few further thoughts that Jane and I discussed after the phone conference included:

• unless the student justifies the reasons for their own self-scoring score to a standard accuracy and reliability in self-scoring is typically of low value
• using rubrics or setting expectations for self-scoring versus general thumbs up/thumbs down provides the teacher with more detailed formative assessment data that can  be acted upon

The only way to know how powerful your formative assessment practices are is to see how impactful they are to your lesson planning, differentiation throughout learning and student achievement over the course of time.

It is a journey for all of us...................another opportunity to learn and grow together.  What questions are you pondering about formative assessment?  Please let us know as we are studying ways to assist in meeting your needs in this area.  Time is probably the biggest factor.

By the way, Jane E is updating her book, One Teacher at a Time and finishing up her using technology to impact instruction book.  I hope to have Jane E back at WGSD in the upcoming years.  She is always just a call, Skype or e-mail away from anyone of you.  She loves to hear from WGSD staff.  Kathy

                                                  

Spectacular Math Learning Website

Trick-or-Treat -  Math Homework for the Weekend - Spooktacular -click here for problems for all levels of math learners

October 26, 2015

Topics/Content Areas: 

Percents & Fractions, Plane Geometry, Probability, Counting & Combinatorics

Ariel, Ollie and Eden are going trick-or-treating for Halloween, but first their parents are taking them to a costume store to pick out costumes. The store has 9 different costume options available – witch, pirate, cat, superhero, princess, vampire, fire fighter, zombie, clown. In how many different ways can Ariel, Ollie and Eden each select one of these costumes, with no two of them wearing the same costume?

To carry their candy, Ariel, Ollie and Eden each have a bucket that looks like a pumpkin. It is completely spherical in shape with a straight slice across the top of the bucket that creates a circular opening for dropping in candy. If the radius of the bucket is 6 inches and the height, measured from the base of the bucket to the open top, is 9 inches, what is the area of the circular opening of the bucket, in square inches? Express your answer in terms of π.

Last year, after Ariel, Ollie and Eden went trick-or-treating, they combined all their candy together and sorted it. They found that 1/3 was chocolate candy, 1/4 was hard candy, 1/5 was candy corn and the rest were fruit chews. If they had a 180 pieces of candy total, how many pieces were fruit chews?

Finding time is very hard for all organizations

Click here to read more.

High Yield Strategy

What FEEDBACK is and isn't

The research is clear: good feedback is essential to learning at high levels. Alas, too few people understand what feedback is and isn’t.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a true/false quiz: which of the following 4 statements is feedback?

• “Nice job on the project, Sheshona!”
• “Next time, Sam, you’ll want to make your thesis clearer to the reader”
• “The lesson would be more effective, Shana, if your visuals were more polished and supportive of the teaching.”
• “You taught about ants, Stefan? I LOVE ants!”

This was a bit of a trick question. None of these statements is feedback. The first and fourth merely express a personal liking for something, separate from a performance goal. They are not feedback since there is no descriptive information about the performance nor is the implied goal of pleasing the person the right goal.

The middle two are not feedback; they are advice (which is different). Yet, I am sure that many readers likely thought at least one of those two statements was true.

CONTINUE READING BY clicking here.

Learner Agency: The Missing Link

By The Institute for Personalized Learning / September 14, 2015

A collaborative blog series by the Institute for Personalized Learning and Personalize Learning LLC

Defining Learner Agency Learner agency often gets missed in conversations on transforming the educational system. We have a sense of ‘agency’ when we feel in control of things that happen around us; when we feel that we can influence events. This is an important sense for learners to develop. Learners must understand:

• when they need new learning and how to learn what they need
• when they need to unlearn what will no longer serve them
• when they need to relearn what they need to be successful

They must develop the capacity to engage strategically in their learning without waiting to be directed. They must take ownership of and responsibility for their learning. And, they must possess the skills to learn independently, without heavy dependence on external structures and direction.

Why Learner Agency is Needed There is a significant and growing demand for learners to be able to do more than receive instruction, follow a learning path designed by educators and complete problems and assignments presented to them by an adult. Learners need to develop the capacity to shape and manage their learning without over-reliance on the direction and control of others. Too often adults treat children as though they are incapable of making decisions or holding valid opinions. As children advance through the system, they develop a form of “learned helplessness” that keeps them from advocating for themselves. The process for learning and the role learners play must be different than most adults experienced.

Harvard professor Roland Barth has observed that in the 1950’s when young people left high school they typically knew about 75% of what they would need to know to be successful in life. Today, he predicts that young people know about 2% of what they will need to know. (Barth, R.S. (1997, March 5). The leader as learner. Education Week, 16(23). 56.) This shift is not because young people are learning less than previous generations. In fact, there is good evidence that they know much more. The force behind this change is the rapid and ever-increasing pace of change, the complexity of the world in which we live and the unpredictability of what people will need to know in the coming decades – the future for which we are preparing today’s learners.

Implications of Greater Learner Agency The current educational system was designed for teachers to control and manage the learning. This continues today because teachers are the ones held accountable and responsible for the learning instead of the learners. As educators, we must nurture, coach and build in learners more capacity to initiate, manage, and maintain their own learning. Learning will be a constant and high-priority activity throughout their lives and they will need the skills and tools to manage this process.

Adults need to shift their thinking — away from youth as student to youth as learner and partner and resource for their own learning and others. We must make the crucial shift from preparing proficient students to developing skilled learners. The result will be learners who are capable of playing an active role in personalizing their learning and building their capacity to be successful productive citizens regardless of what their futures hold.

In a series of upcoming blogs we will examine a number of key shifts and strategies necessary to transform the educational experiences we have presented to learners in the past and align the focus, strategies and approaches we employ to build the capacity of learners to be continuous, life-long, successful leaders of their learning. We will present shifts and strategies on:

• understanding the connection between good strategy, effort and use of resources to develop learner efficacy
• helping learners understand how they learn best and how they can support their learning
• the role and importance of learner voice and choice
• building learner ownership of their learning

See this blog post on the CESA1 Institute page at: https://cesa1transformation.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/learner-agency-the-missing-link/ ;

What is Relevancy? Helping students find relevance

1. Relevance is the concept of one topic being connected to another topic in a way that makes it useful to consider the first topic when considering the second. 

Psychology Teacher Network | September 2013

Helping students find relevance

Teaching the relevance of course content can help students develop into engaged, motivated and self-regulated learners.

By Robin Roberson

As instructors, we’ve all heard these commonly asked questions, “Yeah, but what am I gonna use this for?” or “What’s this have to do with me?” These are questions often asked by students who must take a class but initially do not find the content worthy of their time or effort. When they ask a question like this, they are not necessarily looking to be disruptive; often they are looking for relevance.

From my educational experiences — 23 years as a student, 10 years as a public school teacher, and currently as a university teaching assistant — I am convinced that relevance is one of the most important aspects of teaching and learning. I know that as a student, the content I found most relevant was the easiest to learn, so as a teacher, I believe it is my job to help students see the relevance in content they may not find inherently interesting. I know that if I do this, my students will engage in class and be motivated to work outside of class.

Relevance is a difficult concept to pin down. It is mentioned in the education literature, but usually as an aside and seldom with an explanation as to its nature or structure. In an informal survey of the six educational psychology books in my personal library (i.e., I checked their extensive subject indices), only one mentioned relevance but did not define it (Ormrod, 2006). Based on my experiences, I define relevance as the perception that something is interesting and worth knowing. When a teacher provides relevance for a student, the teacher helps the student perceive these two things. This aligns relatively well with the theory of relevance found in the related area of cognitive science. Wilson and Sperber (2004) put forth this theory in the mid-80s which posits: “…utterances raise expectations of relevance not because speakers are expected to obey a Co-operative Principle and maxims or some other specifically communicative convention, but because the search for relevance is a basic feature of human cognition, which communicators may exploit.” While this may sound somewhat Machiavellian, all it means is that when a speaker (teacher) provides relevance for a listener (student), the speaker conveys his or her intentions to the listener (teaching/learning) by tapping into the listener’s cognitive need to make sense of the world. Relevance is important to teaching and learning because it is directly related to student engagement and motivation (Frymier & Schulman, 1995; Martin & Dowson, 2009).

Returning to my definition, relevance is the perception that something is interesting and worth knowing, notice that it has two parts (1) interest and (2) worth knowing. Many attempt to add relevance to otherwise uninteresting content by focusing efforts on creating interest. They do this by adding in anything that draws attention, like flashy digital presentations, humor or games. These may attract the attention of students, but, if the content that follows is not substantive or well explained so that students find it engaging and worth knowing, then their attention will likely wane. The students will remember the flashiness, humor or who won/lost the game, but they will not remember the content. In a teaching/learning setting, relevance should draw and hold students’ attention. No matter how disinteresting content may seem, once students have determined that the content is worth knowing, then it will hold their attention and engage them. I am not saying that flashy presentations, humor and games are useless in a lesson; I am saying that if those are used, they need to lead to learning about content that is relevant.

Two basic ways to provide relevance for students: utility value and relatedness

Utility value

Utility value answers the question “Yeah, but what am I gonna use this for?” Utility value is purely academic and emphasizes the importance that content has for the students’ future goals — both short-term and long-term goals (Ormrod, 2006). For example, physics tends to be less than fascinating to your average student, but for a student who wants to be an engineer, physics is interesting and can also hold great utility value. Utility value provides relevance first by piquing students’ interest — telling them the content is important to their future goals; it then continues by showing or explaining how the content fits into their plans for the future. This helps students realize the content is not just interesting but also worth knowing.

Relatedness

Relatedness on the other hand, answers the question “What’s this have to do with me?” Relatedness is an inherent need students have to feel close to the significant people in their lives, including teachers (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Relatedness is seen by many as having nonacademic and academic sides. The nonacademic side of relatedness emphasizes the relationship the instructor has with students. Integral to this side of relatedness is the understanding that students need to feel close to their teachers and are more likely to listen to, learn from and perhaps identify with the ones they like (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Students come to value what a likeable instructor says, seeing it as something worth learning because the instructor sees it as something worth knowing. This is why genuine enthusiasm expressed during instruction is important; it shows students how important the content is to the instructor. Helping support this relationship is the academic side of relatedness that emphasizes helping students see how current learning relates to their own knowledge and experience and their future learning. Through the years I have learned that students recognize how much effort it can take to provide relevance, and they see the effort expended on them as care. Students often respond to this perceived care by caring about the teacher and what he or she teaches. Relatedness provides relevance to students first via the developing relationship between teacher and student — this piques students’ interest in what the teacher has to say. Relevance then helps students see that the content is worth knowing by showing how it fits into their current and future frame of reference.

As instructors, one of the most important things we do is provide relevance for students. It gives them a context within which they can develop into engaged, motivated and self-regulated learners. Relatedness is important to students of all ages, while utility value tends to gain importance as students become older and choose classes that will help them choose or achieve their career goals. Relevance is exceptionally important to students who are required to take classes they did not choose, such as general education courses. Relevance can help students realize how useful all knowledge can be. Fulfilling students’ need for relatedness, showing them how seemingly unrelated content fits together and then into their own scheme of things, and giving students real reasons why today’s content will be useful to them later on are all good ways to provide relevance for students. You can help them discover that what you teach is actually interesting and worth knowing.

Activities to help students find relevance

In this article I listed two ways instructors can provide relevance for students: relatedness and utility value. In class, relatedness is the primary method I use to provide relevance for my students; interestingly enough though, by using relatedness, I am also able to provide utility value for many of them. I hope you find these activities helpful in your quest to provide relevance.

Relatedness activity: Class introductions

It sounds silly, but taking time out on the first day of class to learn a little bit about your students and let them learn a bit about you can make a big difference. Knowing why they took your class; what they do in their spare time; and what their goals, aspirations and dreams are can provide insight into how to relate class information to them (e.g., interest or utility value) for the rest of the course. On the flip side, telling them similar things about yourself lets students know you are human and approachable — the first step to achieving relatedness.

Relatedness activity: Student input

Whether during discussion or in written form, having students relate their own perceptions and experiences to the current topic is a great way to provide relevance. In my classes, as in many of yours, students are supposed to read before coming to class. To enforce this, I have my students write a one- to two-page reflective essay on their reading that is due before class. What I ask them to do, which may be different, is reflect on a personal or vicarious experience and explain how the experience relates to the reading. By providing relevance in this way, it helps students to process information on a deeper level. Student reflections can also provide fodder for class discussion, so I make sure to read the reflections before class. Discussing with students how their experiences relate to the topic allows you to clarify their understanding or correct their misunderstanding. It also can stimulate related comments and responses from other students. I do caution that you check with students before using their reflections in an open forum and that you not allow individual students to monopolize the discussion time