Speechless

A couple of things have left me shaking my head, so shocked and disappointed that I have been speechless.

The most shocking for me was a conversation between two colleagues. It was about learning spaces and pedagogy aimed at engaging and providing 21st Century Learners with the best educational outcomes possible. Sounds like a good conversation to be heard between two colleagues in the first couple of weeks of the 2009 teaching year, doesn't it? I love that I'm working in an environment where these conversations do take place and wish that more would happen.

It's always a jolt back to reality when you hear a fellow teacher say something like:

There's no way that their (student) brains have changed so much compared to when I was at school that they learn differently...

Turns out, not all teachers get that the students and the world have changed a great deal. Sadly, that means they don't get that a shift needs to happen in our schools. And that means that every 30 students sitting in their rooms are being having the same old thing regurgitated to them that their parents heard when they were at school - is it any wonder they switch off?

As it was the day after I heard this particular comment my PLN sent something incredibly relevant over Twitter (my apologies I can't recall exactly who sent it through - if you know send me a message and I'll correct the post):

Google is Changing Your Brain

An interesting article which talks about the way neurons are making more connections than before because, according to Carl Zimmer, "our brains are seeking to extend themselves". Now, the article does not take a stance as to whether this is a positive change in our brain or not, offering two arguments and the pros and cons of both view points. The point is though - that our brains are undergoing changes - they are NOT the same as they once were.

And even if there wasn't evidence that our increasingly technological world is affecting us, the fact remains that the skills and process of our world have changed almost beyond recognition from twenty years ago. If the student's brains haven't changed their world has and that means their values, attitudes and beliefs have. As Michael McQueen discusses so well in his book, "The 'New' Rules of Engagement".

If teachers don't accept these things our students are in real trouble in my opinion. So long as this belief continues to find root in our education system we're always going to get comments like this:

"We're taking our class back to the dark ages."

Now, that's progressive thinking for you.

Image: 'Progress', KevinDooley @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/

Reflecting

So, I'm sitting at Melbourne airport, having experienced a "blonde" moment after getting through security check...I picked up my laptop but left my bag...the security gaurd laughed at me when I had to slink back to get it. But right now I feel like I'm a little entitled to feel overwhelmed and brain fried. The last two days has challenged my thinking and given me far more questions than answers.

A couple of things that jump to mind right now:

- There is a need to move away from the known and traditional. We're working in a world that is NOTHING like anything anyone has imagined before, but we're still doing what's always been done. Even those schools who stand up and say they're doing things differently, I'm not convinced they really are. I'd love for someone to show me I'm wrong on that one.

- Education is at a very important cross roads and what we decide to do will resonate (as opposed to dictate) for a long time to come. We need to make sure we get it "right".

- Leaders need to consider and define what it's going to take to redefine pedagogy and what exactly we want our teachers to "look" like. On top of that how do we deal with the soon to hit "exodus" of baby boomers? How can we make teaching an appealing and sustaining profession? How do we move away from the top down leadership model we've been using for so long?

Angela Maiers speaks about the need to consider these things more extensively in her blog, "Teachers That are Difference Makers."

- Teachers need to understand the generation they're working with. Gen Y students are not Baby Boomers in waiting as Michael McQueen points out, we've never really dealt with anything like them - how will we cope with that?

- How will we support those teachers who are getting it right? Is it just about the flash and show and the pat on the back of public recognition or is it more than that? What does it need to be?

- How will 1-to-1 change the face of education? How can we avoid the "ugly" as described by Bruce Dixon from the Anytime Anywhere Learning Federation - I've seen it in action, we're not getting this right in any way right now...how can I change the way I work in this environment to model better practice??

Formal V Informal

And the reflection on the previous and current cyberdrama projects continues...This project was a massive unertaking, trying to link three different schools through one online space in order to share the creation and presentation of drama work is just...HUGE...and not just for the opportunities it offers our students, but also the experiences the teachers involved got.

At the moment we're in the final reflection stages and the discussion has turned somewhat to "what did the students learn..." and the idea of what formal and informal learning took place. Here's an extract of my thinking on the formal and informal learning experiences my students got out of this project:

I'd agree that during this experience a lot of my students didn't engage in the formal learning attached to it - and I think this was a big weakness in our planning and implementation. The students felt it was pointless and disconnected from their "formal" learning, which is why we get the comment, "Was there even a point to the unit?", "The unit seemed to go nowhere..." and others expressing their confusion and lack of understanding about what the unit was supposed to be about. It's an interesting feature of Gen Y students - they actually do want to engage, but they struggle to unless the experience offers them something in return for their effort.

When we put students in any classroom where the formal learning isn't offering them something they see as valuable it's a given they will test the boundaries and exercise their own power against the "authority". That's one of the biggest struggles facing teachers currently - making sure the content and teaching methods we're using with our students is seen as valuable and therefore is engaging. This is a topic I do a lot of reading, thinking and reflecting about as a teacher looking at what changes we need to see in our classrooms in order to provide a 21st century education.

I think one of the biggest challenges for teachers looking to integrate online spaces into any classroom is utilising these spaces to allow formal learning experiences to be valued by students, and to be honest I don't think we managed to achieve this balance in the Shapeshifter unit. It's been eye opening for me to watch our new cyberdrama project take shape and really take on a life of it's own. Where students produced very little digital content throughout the Shapeshifter unit, they're now producing so much I can't keep up!

Even my more "disengaged" learners are talking drama lingo now - tension, contrast, role, relationships...these are words cropping up in planning and conversations about the unit. Something about my approach to this aspect of our cyberdrama study has flicked a switch between the formal and informal learning going on in our Drama class. I see cyberdrama and the use of online spaces in Drama as a potentially very powerful tool in engaging 21st century learners in formal and informal learning experiences equally - if we get it right. If we get it wrong it can go horribly, horribly wrong.

These thoughts tie closely with a discussion I had with hubby last night after my coffee date. One of the other Smarties works in a primary school where students use their teacher's first name. My first reaction to that was, "...odd...". When I first mentioned it to hubby his knee jerk reaction was, "Yuck! That's wrong. I'd hate it." Then I got to thinking about it.. why do we react that way? How does insisting on using our surnames and titles help the teaching process?

Michael McQueen in his book, "The 'New' Rules of Engagement" talks about Gen Y emphasis on relationships and their approach to the concept of 'respect'. Unlike generations before them Gen Y places certain conditions on giving respect, the concept of respecting someone simply because they're older isn't a concept they accept. McQueen explains that Gen Y will give respect under two conditions - reciprocity and relationship,

"If they see you as a real person and feel a sense of rapport and connection with you...you will find their respect is much easier to earn." (p. 68)

So, maybe this school is onto something...I wonder what affect on the building of a learning community it would have. I'd love to try it, does anyone have any thoughts or experiences to share?

What happens when X, Y, and Z collide?

...The impact of generational change was significantly greater in the 20th century than in any previous era...With the increased pace of technological and social change, the gap between generations has never been greater. (p. 13)

McQueen, M (2008), "The 'New' Rules of Engagement: A Guide to Understanding and Connecting with Generation Y, 2nd ed., Nextgen Impact, Sydney

As teachers we're all guilty of gritting our teeth and thinking something along these lines:

Teenagers today are lazy/ignorant/self-centred/selfish/close-minded/rude

I know I certainly struggle to think kindly of my students when it feels like I'm getting nowhere, and I know I'm not alone - Kimberly James made a blog entry over on Classroom2.0 today titled, "These 'Kids' Today", in which she expressed her frustration at the members of GenY she finds herself dealing with. I sympathise with her, really I do.

It's hard sometimes to be forgiving and understanding of the students we're working with everyday - after all there's not many professions where you can be sworn at or have something thrown at you and not be able to react without the threat of further reprimand.

Lately I've noticed a clash of cultures in society - it's a clash between the established "norms" and the emerging culture. It's evident in the profusion of "fleshies", piercings, tattoos, hair dye, heavy make-up and the establishment's reaction to these things ("I don't understand.", "It's gross.", "It's dumb.", "It's inappropriate..."). This is a clash that won't go away, we can't just ignore it and hope that somehow, magically both sides will wake up and everything will be sorted. It's going to take some mutual respect and understanding to prevent this clash from causing a major rift in our society. It's going to take hard work...and research...

Michael McQueen's book, "The 'New' Rules of Engagement", is supposed to make us think about our assumptions of Generation Y. It's intent is to make us reconsider our own generational attitudes in order to give insight into the values, attitudes and beliefs of the student cohort populating our schools.

The first part of the book looks at the different 20th century generations (Builders, Boomers, Xers, Ys and Zs) and examines the influences and characteristics of each. Hubby and I laughed out loud when we read through the chapter devoted to Generation X, it was so "us". And as we read through the chapters dedicated to Y (our students) and Z (our nephews) we experienced multiple "light bulb" moments - McQueen was describing our classrooms, our loved ones, and ourselves.

"Rules" then goes on to examine the generational rift which exists between Builders, Boomers, Xers and GenY - that group so many of us have labelled so harshly and often dismissed. The final section of the books outlines some suggestions for ways to engage and connect with members of GenY.

This book should be a must read for all teachers who want to understand the students in their classrooms and look for the ways our pedagogy needs to change. As McQueen states:

Contrary to popular opinion Generation Y are not simply Baby Boomers waiting to
grow up (p. 58)

Even without needing to consider ways for education to make effective use of technology in our classrooms, if we don't understand that we're not going to provide this generation with the education they need or deserve. And that's not going to be good for anyone involved.