We are all unique and different. No one person is exactly the same. This is common sense and scientific wisdom, yet if so, why are we shoved into categories, demographics, and treated like one approach works for everyone, and perhaps more disturbing is the notion that there is "one right approach". I suppose that is why I am attracted to Wicked Problem theory. In education there are ongoing debates about how students learn, best practice, and the value of technology. As you can imagine, there is no one answer, and no one definition of the problem. This morning I came across two very distinct approaches in education, one terrified me and the other inspired me.
On the cover page of the NY Times was an article about CourseSmart, textbook software that allows instructors to track if their students are reading the textbook.
My mouth hung open as I read the article. It felt like spying and beyond the boundaries of an instructor's responsibility or right. It runs contrary to my belief that ultimately the student should be driven by a love of learning, curiosity, and relevance to their world. Believe me, I know what I am up against pedagogically, and I am not wearing rose colored glasses. However, I have seen the light go on time and time again when students move from performance to learning, and it is nothing short of magnificent. As I said in in a recent blog post, you all inspire me with your courage and willingness to make a leap of faith. I have listened to countless stories of good intentions gone bad over the years. I watched student after student loose their passion and love of learning after spending days on end memorizing and regurgitating. It is soul robbing and deadening.
This digital textbook approach where instructors have the skinny on what their students are reading and when and how much takes things to a new level. Proponents of CourseSmart see the value of being a "Big Bother" and instructors monitoring textbook reading. As Tracy Hurley, Dean of the Business School said, “It’s Big Brother, sort of, but with a good intent.” Is that so? Let's be clear, acording to the NY Times article, "CourseSmart is owned by Pearson, McGraw-Hill and other major publishers,
which see an opportunity to cement their dominance in digital textbooks
by offering administrators and faculty a constant stream of data about
how students are doing. More than 3.5 million students and educators use CourseSmart textbooks
and are already generating reams of data about Chapter 3. Among the
colleges experimenting this semester are Clemson, Central Carolina
Technical College and Stony Brook University, as well as Texas
A&M-San Antonio, a new offshoot". That is a lot of data folks, and the possibilities of it going South, or just not working, or students finding ways to outsmart the system are already being discussed (read the article and find out, then the comments posted). Either way, there is profit involved for the dominant textbook companies and more and more marketing underway to convince us this is the "new" Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread". Money will be made. Tons of studies will be conducted using large data sets. Time will pass and the verdict will still be out. Meanwhile those of us in classroom (student and teacher) will be hard at work to learn, grow, and develop according to who we are, where we come from, and a set of characteristics and learning style that is unique to just us.
On a more inspirational note, John Bielenberg posted this video on his Facebook page.
This, folks, is teaching. Engaging students, invoking humor, learning by doing, authentically caring about each and every student, mentoring and the sharing of ourselves. As one student wrote in the comments, "He taught me Physics in 1994 at Trinity High School and was exactly the same back then. He was the BEST teacher I ever had!" I am sure we can all think back to that special teacher, mentor or person who made the difference in our lives and learning. I had a 7th grade English teacher who read Jane Eyre aloud to us. I can close my eyes and hear the click-click-click of his heels as he paced around the room with book in hand. He wore a tweed or hounds tooth sports jacket every day. I recall how during class a student came in to deliver a message and some of my classmates snickered and made fun of her, causing some, not all of the class to laugh. He admonished the students who both made the remarks and joined in the fun. I will never forget his refusal to allow cruelty, and how he infected me with a love of literature and learning. I cannot remember his name but I will never forget him. Jeffery Wright is one such amazing and unforgettable teacher. No amount of surveillance will accomplish what he has managed as an educator and overall wonderful human being.
I am looking forward to your project presentations and how they speak to your unique learning process, passions, and growth. Have fun, be creative, and be sure to try something new!
