5 Tips for Flipping Your PBL Classroom I am of course a huge project-based learning (PBL) nerd and advocate. I am also an advocate for the flipped classroom, yet at the same time I also have my concerns about flipping a classroom. This model still hinges upon great teachers, and engaging curriculum and instruction. So why not combine PBL and the flipped classroom? It can be an excellent match when you consider some of the following tips. Even Salman Khan believes that the flipped classroom can create the space for PBL. 1. The key piece here is short. 2. I love it when students assign their own homework. 3. Flipping isn't just videos, because -- let's be honest -- videos can get boring after a while. 4. If you are concerned with students taking an excessive amount of time in actually constructing the PBL product, give a technology choice or choices as an element of the final product. 5. Not all of our students have access the technology. PBL and the flipped classroom model can play well together.
School Improvement – The Dave Brailsford Model Today there is a great article on the BBC website about the inexorable progress of the Sky cycling team under the expert stewardship of Dave Brailsford – see here. The ‘aggregation of marginal gains approach‘ is now well known and can be easily summarised as identifying those small performance factors that, when aggregated together, can have a significant cumulative impact. This can apply to teachers tweaking their pedagogy to transform their practice; students breaking down their tasks to focus on the constituent parts to improve; or school leaders aligning their school priorities. The article takes the process a step forward by focusing on the key developments for moving from good to outstanding as a team. The first quote from the article that immediately stood out was the following: “You’ll get more from a £900,000 rider with a coach than you would from a £1m rider without one.” This seamlessly applies to a school context. Hone in on the important data: You get what you pay for:
High Tech High projects and books Project Based Learning at HTH High Tech High: buy the book These projects are examples of the work that is done at all of the High Tech High Schools. It is our record of what we have done and how to get there. Teachers can utilize this to show off what they have done with their students, and get ideas from others teachers. Contrary to what you may have heard on Oprah, not only do High Tech High students read books, but they actually produce books too. Humans have always had an innate desire to explore past the boundaries of Earth to the Moon and beyond. This senior math project was the third and final project for the "Computational Thinking" class. During this 2 week intersession course, students learned about the physics of surfboard design, and created handplanes in the woodshop, which we then used for bodysurfing. Second graders took on the role of scientists to investigate the role of bees in our ecosystem, and the various ways bees are being threatened. A community is a system.
Glossary of Hattie's influences on student achievement This Glossary explains influences related to student achievement published in John Hattie’s Visible Learning for teachers (Hattie 2012; 251ff). You can find an older list of influences related to student achievement in Hattie (2009) Visible Learning. 1. Student Self-Reported Grades Self reported grades comes out at the top of all influences. Example for Self-reported grades: Before an exam, ask your class to write down what mark the student expects to achieve. Hattie cites five meta-studies: Mabe/West (1982): Validity of self-evaluation of ability (Abstract)Fachikov/Boud (1989): Student Self-Assessment in Higher Education (Abstract)Ross (1998): Self-assessment in second language testing (Abstract)Falchikov/Goldfinch (2000): Student Peer Assessment in Higher Education (Abstract)Kuncel/Crede/Thomas (2005); The Validity of Self-Reported Grade Point Averages, Class Ranks, and Test Scores (Abstract) 2. The Piagetian stages include: 3. 4. 5. Hattie cites two meta-studies: 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
How to move your lessons from good to outstanding | Teacher Network | Guardian Professional Where would I be without Twitter? I have decided to elaborate on this AfL strategy, following this tweet from my @TeacherToolkit account on #ukedchat 3.11.11. My tweet said "#ukedchat Missed out tonight, look forward to reading ideas. My favourite T&L strategy at the moment is "Pose, Pause...Pounce, Bounce" #AfL". Firstly, this concept is not mine. So it is at this point, where I will be honourable and credit a colleague who I think has a money-spinning idea here. The fabulous Mrs Pam Fearnley delivered the session. What is it? It is a simple, yet sophisticated, AfL (Assessment for Learning) questioning technique to help teachers move from good-to-outstanding. Why is it useful? For many reasons. The strategy encouraged teachers to take risks and tease out the "learning" in class. How does it work? I have listed the four-part approach below with additional information that I hope explains the method. • Give the context of your approach to the class. This is the hard part. Explore! 1. 2. 3.
UnBoxed: online issue 3, spring 2009 Brandon Davidson, Biology, High Tech High Media Arts Randy Scherer, Humanities, High Tech High Media Arts download pdf (1.7mb) Is it safe to go in the water? This question began an exploration of San Diego’s beaches and bays, and of the biological, ecological, political and cultural factors that affect the overall health of local coastal ecosystems. In biology, students analyzed indicator bacteria levels at six popular coastal locations, as well as the health and diversity of microscopic life in local plankton populations. In humanities, students generated original research questions and pursued these as journalists. Teacher Reflection The critical factor was that we started with questions that truly made all of us curious. —Randy Scherer Student Reflection My video explained the dangers of surfing in polluted water. —Stephanie Luna, 11th grade
Jessica Hammer | changing the rules of the game Hywel Roberts Create Learn Inspire | A journey through curriculum liberation, Mantle of the Expert, pupil voice, great questioning, contextual learning, engagement, independence and other adventures in learning. How to Avoid the Free Rider Problem in Teams There’s always a team member that doesn’t pull their weight. In economics this is called a free rider problem—people who benefit from resources they don’t pay for. Wharton professor and author of Originals Adam Grant (building on an old meta analysis by Karau and Williams) identified a series of factors that encourage people to contribute their fair share. Make the task more meaningful. People often slack off when they don’t feel that the task matters. When thinking about building a team, the HR Council says it’s important to think about the team needs (building and maintaining of the team), the task needs (getting the project done), and individual needs. Free Riders at Schools The free rider problem at school starts early—as soon as teachers assign group projects. When there is evidence of a free rider, it’s important to diagnose the problem. Buck Institute suggests, “When creating project teams, four is often the best number. To help students work well in teams, Buck suggests teachers:
The dumbest generation? No, Twitter is making kids smarter Part of an occasional series about the way digital culture affects the way we think, learn and live. Sara: Haha there was a weird comercial for computers that had flying sumo wrestlers John: Hahaha saweeeeet I’m still tryin to picture how that works Sarah: Haha yeah so am I this opening ceremony is so weird John: It must be Sarah K: Now there’s little kids doing karate This is a typical teenage text exchange captured by an academic. Add five hours or so a day spent online, where the most common activity is yet more typing away on social networks. This outpouring often produces an anguished outcry, particularly in September as kids head back to school and screen time starts competing with homework: Technology, pundits warn, is zombifying our young and wrecking their ability to communicate clearly. But is this actually “the dumbest generation”? In fact, there’s powerful evidence that digital tools are helping young people write and think far better than in the past. Literate? It hadn’t.
Making Feedback Count: “Close the Gap” Recently I have been looking again at the issue of marking. It is a hugely important source of feedback provided that we keep the volume of marking in proportion to the level of impact it can have in improving learning outcomes. I’ve discussed this in a much-read earlier post: Marking in Perspective: Selective, Formative, Effective, Reflective. At a whole school level at KEGS and in my own department, a key objective for the year is to devise approaches to marking that deliver maximum impact for all to see – that ‘progress over time’ issue. Marking time again. To help with our search I was fortunate to be able to arrange a visit to the wonderful Saffron Walden County High School, a thriving, dynamic school in NW Essex that recently received an astonishing OfSTED report: Outstanding in every detail. The cycle of learning and feedback – with a gap! The twilight CPD session revealed that this initiative was still being developed. Closing the gap in Art as a project progresses Like this:
The Harkness® Method | Welcome to the Noble Academy The Harkness® Method promotes student-directed, discussion-based learning. Students own the process and the responsibility of understanding. The Method originated at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1932 when philanthropist Edward Harkness challenged the Exeter faculty to create an innovative way of teaching. How Harkness Works Typically, 15 students sit around an oval “Harkness” Table, and the teacher guides and promotes discussion. Harkness Effects The Method fosters learning through discussion and discovery, the development of a student's individual voice and academic confidence. Why Finland's Unorthodox Education System Is The Best In The World - The Coming Depression Finnish children don’t start school until they are 7. Elinag / Shutterstock.com (Source: NYtimes) They rarely take exams or do homework until they are well into their teens. The children are not measured at all for the first six years of their education. There is only one mandatory standardized test in Finland, taken when children are 16. All children, clever or not, are taught in the same classrooms. Finland spends around 30 percent less per student than the United States. 30 percent of children receive extra help during their first nine years of school. 66 percent of students go to college. The difference between weakest and strongest students is the smallest in the World. Science classes are capped at 16 students so that they may perform practical experiments in every class. 93 percent of Finns graduate from high school. 43 percent of Finnish high-school students go to vocational schools. (Source: TNR) Finland has the same amount of teachers as New York City, but far fewer students.