1.- 10 MACRO STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE DEEPER LEARNING
By Tom Vander Ark
Author Bernie
Trilling asked, “What would it take for more students to benefit
from deeper learning?” Trilling was referring to education that pushes beyond
the basics, is engaging and challenging, and prepares young people for college
and careers.
The Hewlett Foundation says
deeper learning prepares students to:
·
Master core academic content
·
Think critically and solve complex problems
·
Work collaboratively
·
Communicate effectively
·
Learn how to learn (e.g., self-directed learning).
That means that students will be researching, writing,
problem solving and presenting. That means teachers will be thinking more about
work product more than test scores. These practices are common in some
classrooms and some schools, but Trilling’s question is what combination of
advocacy, organizing, capacity building, and investment will result in deeper
learning broadly, especially for low income students.
There are 10 strategies that offer state, district,
network, and philanthropic leaders some leverage in their efforts to encourage
more deeper learning:
1. Writing the Core. Common Core State Standards are a
big step forward toward deeper learning particularly the emphasis on text
complexity and using evidence in writing. As UVA’s Daniel Willingham says, “Explicit
teaching of writing makes kids better writers” and I think we’ll see more
explicit instruction and more writing with Common Core State Standards.
2. Do science. Beyond
the Common Core, states should set graduation requirements that reflect college
and career ready standards, including four years of science/engineering. Rather
than a multiple choice test in science, I’d love to see states require every
secondary student to participate in a science fair every year or two. New tools
are making it easier to build standards-based projects that incorporate
researching, problem solving, writing, and presenting.
3. Good tests. Some
advocates want to “get rid of standardized testing.” I don’t know how things
get better for low income kids without measurement. The good news is that the
tests that the state consortia–PARCC and SBAC–are building will be a big
advance. Helping them launch the best tests possible in 2014-15 and then
innovate up from there is a series of high leverage opportunities that will
influence classroom assessment for a decade. That’s why Hewlett is funding the
Automated Student Assessment Prize (ASAP, see the exciting story of the
college kid from Ecuador that won Phase 2).
4. Coherent state
policy. State policy
can promote deeper learning. Digital Learning Now (DLN)
includes a 10-point plan to expand quality options for all students. In
particular, DLN recommends policies that promote competency-based learning
where students progress as they show what they know. DLN also recommends
funding that is weighted, portable, and performance-based–and that means more
quality options for low-income students. Maybe a bonus, badging or leaderboard
strategy for schools would help promote deeper learning.
5. Intellectual
mission. Good schools
sustain a common focus around an intellectual mission. That means a few clear
academic priorities including productive habits of mind.
Sustaining a common focus is aided by perpetual, not
political governance; options, not boundaries; small, not big schools. That’s
why a high percentage of schools that promote deeper learning are part of
charter management networks. States should do all they can to authorize and
support deeper learning networks.
6. Extended reach. Opportunity Culture identifies
10 ways to extend the reach of great teachers. New adaptive technology can
extend the reach of all teachers by targeting learning levels and building
basic skills–that prepares students to engage in higher order learning
experiences and gives teachers time to focus on deeper learning.
Comprehensive learner profiles (see the white paper we
released last week) will help teachers (and other providers) to personalize
learning. Profiles will power a rich dashboard of progress indicators not just
basic skills.
7. Deep not shallow
blends. With the shift
to digital learning, it’s clear that some blended learning models promote thin
learning–basic facts checked by multiple choice tests–and some promote deeper
learning by encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning,
to make work and community connections, to produce quality work product, and to
demonstrate their learning to a broader community.
Supporting new blended school models that combine
personalized learning and project-based
learning (PBL) is a
great way to promote deeper learning. Many of the applicants to Next Gen Learning
Challenges are deeper learning models. Some school networks
from the alternative tradition get the authentic; student centered side of the
equation but could use help getting more systematic about math.
Accelerated progress for over-aged, under-credited kids
is great but schools really need to avoid brain-dead credit recovery. The more
risk factors a young person brings to school, the more we should engage,
connect, and support.
8. Deeper learning
platforms. The most
scalable way to promote deeper learning may be to support the development of
next gen platforms that make it much easier to develop customized skill
building playlists and standards-based projects. I’ve described 10 elements of the
learning platform ecosystems that will make it easier for
teachers to target and extend learning. New Tech’s Echo, a PBL LMS, is heading in the
right direction. With the soon-to-be-released Buck Institute PBL app, social
learning platform Edmodo will be even better at
supporting deeper learning. The appendix of the white paper we just
released has full of promising platforms.
By leveraging open resources, it will soon be possible
to deliver deeper learning experiences and supports for what we used to pay for
old-fashioned textbooks, test, and professional development (PD).
9. Leadership
development. Personalized
learning is not just for students; new tools enable a new approach to leadership
development. Hybrid courses like Udemy, individual learning plans
like Bloomboard, and a
professional learning network on Edmodo would be a good start. It
would be easy to customize track for advocacy leaders, school leaders, and
system heads.
Add knowledge maps (based on job requirements),
show-what-you-know opportunities, and an achievement recognition system (e.g.
badges) and you’ll have a certificate program better and cheaper than any
current master’s program.
10. Convening. It is also
getting easier to stay connected online. Last week I participated in an online
Cisco convening of about 20 districts. It was by far the best video
conferencing experience I’ve had.
It’s good to get together once in a while; there’s just
a lot more serendipity that way. I found Hewlett’s Deeper Learning
convening last week to be thought provoking.
Related to the last two items or perhaps #11, a deeper
learning hymnal (or playbook if you prefer) covering school design, data
dashboards, state and district policy, and talent development strategies would
help.
Victory
Deeper learning isn’t a separate agenda from Common
Core implementation or the shift to digital learning; it’s the outcome of these
things done well. We won’t be able to declare victory for deeper learning five
years from now; there will be no grand slam in the 9th. While the
scoreboard is hard to invent, it’s easy to spot when you visit a school. You
can usually sense in the first minute if a place is about curiosity or
compulsory activity, real challenges or contrivances. As data collection
becomes easier, we’ll be able to build deeper learning dashboards that give
some indication of the quality of the experiences that most American students
engage in.
New standards, new tools and new school models make it
easier to engage all students engage in deeper learning–and it’s never been more
important.
This article first
appeared on gettingsmart.com