School Improvement, Is Teacher Cognition A Speed Bump Or A Roadblock?

There is little doubt that technology and the Internet are dramatically changing life in our homes and workplaces. But what about our schools? There seems to be plenty of evidence suggesting that the factory model typifying the 20th century classroom is alive and well in our 21st century schools. Why are schools not keeping pace with the technology changes impacting other facets of our lives?

Are teachers impeding real and dramatic change in schools?

Are teachers, by virtue of having successfully played the game of education, perpetuating practices that are obsolete in a socially networked world? A few weeks ago, Tom Whitby called this phenomenon "time-capsule teaching". Jesse Martin, and others, have referenced "teacher cognition" as a reason for change resistance. Most teachers from my generation have navigated and thrived in the factory classroom model. There is little interest in changing what doesn't feel broken. If it worked for us, should it not work for all students regardless of setting?

I have opened several recent conference presentations crowing about my nearly fifty years experience in a school setting as student and teacher. A lifetime of moderate success in a school setting must translate to some form of professional influence and effectiveness, shouldn't it? True, after many years, I have an intuitive feeling of how an effective classroom operates. I recognize when "flow" is occurring, and how to frequently, and informally assess student learning.

Our intuition and experience may becoming more hindrance than asset. The sage on the stage directing rows of compliant students is an ideal from an age long past. This revelation is not to cast blame. Rather, it's acknowledging the difficulty in reversing years, and in most cases, decades of school experience.

My wife Natalie, an outstanding 2nd grade teacher with more than 20 years experience, frequently uses materials, strategies, and plans that she grew up with. We discuss the need to shake things up to make the learning more relevant and authentic for her students. These conversations have raised awareness for both of us. She is bringing more innovation, authenticity, and wider perspective to her classroom, while I am becoming more aware of the barriers that keep teachers from taking more risk in their practice. Among these are one-size fits all standards, arbitrary professional evaluation, and lack of parent understanding or support.

Without interest, incentive, and support, it there any wonder why schools are not keeping pace with the dramatic change impacting our daily lives? Some successful teachers are enjoying change by adopting a learner-first mentality. They are connecting with other educators to immerse themselves in relevant, authentic, self-determined learning. The conversations and experiences that grow from these connections are helping teachers re-frame their thinking about the school's role in education and learning. Not an easy task, these educators are changing their mindset and their teacher cognition.

Is socially networked learning the key to creating timely, meaningful change in our schools?

What Teachers Can Learn From Effective Coaches

In my educational world teaching and coaching involve the same processes. The people that impacted my own learning most significantly were coaches. Could it be that great coaches were ahead of their time with respects to instructional best practices? Let's take a look at ten coaching practices that thankfully have found their way into the classroom. http://www.coachwooden.com/files/PyramidThinkingSuccess.jpg Standards-based Grading - coaches aren't concerned with arbitrary measures of success such as letter grades. Great coaches identify a requisite set of skills that are necessary for advancement and success. Promotion and achievement are based upon clearly identified levels of skill mastery. Authentic assessment - coaches are looking for their athletes to demonstrate their skill mastery under game-like situations. The best coaches incorporate game simulations and competitive, game-like drills into their practices. Winning coaches will use the contests as assess

Board Games in the School Library: 3 Reasons Why It's a Winning Play

"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl

Self-Directed vs. Self-Determined Learning; What's the Difference?

"We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves." - Stephen Downes In this age of abundance of information, shifting classroom pedagogy isn't nearly enough to make learning in school more relevant and authentic for the learner. Self-directed learning ( andragogy ), and self-determined learning ( heutagogy ) are the ideals necessary in making students " future ready " to live and learn in a web-connected world. While original research applied these concepts to mature learners, it has become apparent that even young children have an abundant capacity for recognizing and directing their learning. Anyone who has observed toddlers learning how to walk and talk understand the motivation and skill development that quickly develops during these processes. Considered by some to be on a learning continuum, self-directed learning, and self-determined

Unknown said…

I am very impressed by your ability to reflect and see what appears to be something missing within your own teaching practice. I am somewhat worried, however, about the way in which we dismiss "experience" and start to see it as a liability.

It seems as though we are fetishizing "the new" and innovative, even when we know (from research and personal experience) that the most effective teaching comes from experienced teachers.

Now, I am not calling for a return to a traditional approach to teaching. Rather, I want to stop looking at our classrooms and veteran teachers as the barrier to change. So many are, like yourself, looking to improve each and every year. So many see that more traditional methods are not producing the same results as they once did.

I see an "us vs. them" being created when we vilify experience and talk about an entire generation of teachers who are unwilling (or unable) to change. I don't think this gets us any closer to supporting all kids.

Forgive me if I have misunderstood your point, however. Again, thank you for your reflection and your honesty.

P.S. This comment is a part of the #C4C15 project. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/C4C15

February 11, 2015 at 5:40 AM

Robert T. Schuetz said…

Hello Ben,
Always good chatting with you. I apologize if the tone of this post comes across as divisive - not my intent. I am merely acknowledging that as we work towards change and improvement in schools - we need to recognize the forces and characteristics that make change challenging, particularly for those of us with long histories in education.
My analogy; If I grew up playing European Football (soccer) and then spent years coaching soccer - I should have a pretty good handle on the nuances of that game. But now the game has changed to American Football. There may be some skills that transfer, but there is a strong likelihood that I will need to re-educate myself in order to be successful at the new game.
I think the concept of classroom, and the role of schools in education is under pressure to change with the connected times. I hope that we won't have our minds closed to change just because of a "this is the way it's always been done" mentality. Success can sometimes be misleading. Thanks again for reading and commenting. Your perspective is appreciated. Bob

February 11, 2015 at 8:58 AM

Nocking the Arrow

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