Homework - What's the Alternative?

In the past few days, and indeed over the 16 years I've been teaching, there has always been the debate over homework - Do we give homework?  Should we be giving it?  The research says it doesn't work.  The research says it DOES work.  How much is age-appropriate for the different levels.  Parents want it so we give it.  Parents hate the amount - it's too much, too little, and on it goes.  It really is hair-tearing-out stuff!!

I think we're going about it the wrong way.

We want our students to become confident, connected learners who question, debate and create their own knowledge with our support.  I'm not convinced that homework in its current form achieves this.
An example.  Spelling lists.  The students learn their words - they may even put them into sentences.  We test them, they do well on the test.  Try testing the same words a few weeks later, (I've done this to prove in my own mind the  value - or otherwise - of this method of 'learning' words).  What happens?  Their stellar results often slip to well below par, unless we've combined that learning of spelling words with learning and knowing the spelling strategies or using the words many times in daily writing.  If we're just giving lists to rote learn then most of our students will 'remember' the lists but they won't learn them or transfer that knowledge into their long-term memory.

I've asked students about homework many times over the years and have consistently received the same answers - It's boring.  We do it because we have to.  I already know this....  It's too hard, it's too easy - often from the same student in the same week!!!  I don't need to go on because you've heard them all too.  The idea behind homework is that it is designed to reinforce the learning in the classroom but does it really do this?  Unless it's tailored to individual learning needs and is personalized to those needs, then I'm not so sure.

So what's the alternative then?

Preparation for Learning - or, as my class shortened it to - Prep for Learning.

I wanted to find a way that engaged the students more fully in what we were learning in class.
We use our blogs for many different learning tasks so I wanted to harness the enthusiasm the students had for blogging in some way.  We've used our class blog and our Literature Circles blog as the basis to make a change and it's been one that has stimulated class discussions and changed our attitudes to learning towards developing an eLEarning philosophy - that our learning happens anytime, anywhere and in so many different ways.  Not just in school but anytime - this was the key part and also included the parents in their learning in a much deeper and more meaningful way.

• The main philosophy around Prep for Learning is to have the students thinking about the learning they are part of all the time.
• Questions are posted on the blog prior to new learning to get the students to begin thinking about the learning that is coming up.  This can be in any learning area.  For example questions can be posted prior to an inquiry to get the students to Tune In to new learning / ideas. (Check out Kath Murdoch's website - one of my favorite Inquiry gurus!)  In maths, it could be a new Geometry topic coming up and you want to know what they already know and understand.  (The Prep for Learning can be a great formative assessment tool too!)
• Students jump on and add their current thinking in preparation for discussions in class.  This means that they are coming prepared to think, debate and join in the discussions.
• Sometimes students will go a step further and take ownership of the learning by posting further questions for others to think about before they come to class to discuss them.
• The purpose is also to engage thinking in the learning areas.

Students still read every night - often joining in the discussions on the Literature Circles blog, and they still have their maths Basic Facts but the main 'homework' is now all around engaging in their learning by participating in thinking about and discussing that learning.  The isolation of filling in one sheet for the whole class for homework has gone.

Another bonus - you are building very strong home and school links by parents and caregivers being able to see what their children are learning - and they are also encouraged to join in and add their thinking too, as are our global collaborators.  This gives the learning a whole new and very powerful bonus - local and global collaboration that really does impact teaching and learning in a concrete and very relevant way.

Yet another bonus - most parents have commented on their child's renewed enthusiasm for school and learning and best of all - they don't have to fight to get 'homework' completed!!  Has to be a good thing!!

Students who don't have computer access at home don't miss out either as they get class time and have requested computer time before and after school, and at break times, to be able to join in the online discussions.

Our students are 21st Century learners.  We need to adapt to their way of thinking as consumers and creators of knowledge - not vessels into which knowledge is poured and then 'spat out' again without any meaning having been made of it.

What's at the Heart of Your Teaching and Learning?

I've started to blog about the ILoveTeaching Conference held last week but, over the past three days, have also attended the RSCON3 - The Reform Symposium online conference.  This conference has involved over 75 presentations and 12 keynotes covering a diverse range of areas but they've all had one thing in common - teaching and learning with passion in the 21st Century.

There's been a bit of a theme happening here then over the last few weeks.  Interestingly, the theme of many of my readings for my Masters has also been around this!  Passion in teaching and learning has always been key for me since I began studying to become a teacher 15 years ago.  It just seems to make sense.  Commonsense.  If the teachers don't have the passion for what they do then how can they expect the students to show any enthusiasm?  

I've been reflecting on this an enormous amount, particularly over the past three days.  A presentation by @ShellTerrell (Shelly Terrell): The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators: How Will You Be Inspired - has really hit a nerve - in a very good way.  Shelly is a passionate educator with so much enthusiasm for what she does that it can't fail to rub off on you - or affirm your beliefs.  Shelly's bio on the Reform Symposium site sums up what she has achieved so far a great deal better than I could.  I recommend that you check it out, follow her on Twitter and also read her blog.  Be inspired. I certainly was and will participate in the 30 Day Challenge.

When I took a break from teaching at the end of the first term, I knew that I wanted to study and gain my Masters, knew what it was going to be in and what my focus would be, but I wasn't 100% sure about where I wanted it to head from there.  Was it research?  Was it educating other teachers?  Was it going back into the classroom?  I think it's all of these but I really want to find a way to help teachers connect to and with their students, learn together and be passionate about what they do on a daily basis.  

One of the Keynotes this afternoon carried on this theme and stated out loud what is often in our heads - "If you're not having fun you shouldn't be there... because you are dealing with their future."  This is in relation to being a teacher and it is so true. The presentation was by the Couros brothers: @courosa, (Dr Alec Couros), and @gcouros, (George Couros).  These inspirational teachers have clear messages that were also in line with the ILoveTeachingConference: We need to change what we do, not do more of the same, just with different tools.  We risk taking the passion away from our learners, and from ourselves if we do this.

Links to George Couros can be found here:  http://georgecouros.ca/blog/

Links to Dr Alec Couros can be found here:  http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/

Both are recommended reading.

There were so many other inspirational speakers: Kelly Tenkely, Lisa Nielsen, John Davitt, Chuck Sandy, Dr Pam Burnard, Edna Sackson, Josh Stumpenhorst, Kathleen Morris, Brad Patterson, Tom Whitby, to name a very few at this stage.  I will reflect on their ideas over the next few days.  In the meantime, I'm off to catch the next great sessions.  The conference finishes at 9.00am tomorrow morning with a Keynote from Steve Wheeler - also known as @timbuckteeth on Twitter.  If you're not reading and reflecting on his blog, then you probably should be if you're a teacher and learner who is passionate about his / her work.

All of the sessions have been recorded and I'll post links as soon as they're available.

In the meantime:  Keep fighting to retain creativity and passion in teaching and learning so that we have engaged, motivated and passionate learners.  We're all teachers and we're all learners.  (A motto from my last group of fantastic learners!)

Trust is the key to developing passionate, creative, engaged and motivated learners... and teachers!  Passion and creativity are non-negotiables in teaching and learning.

Lightning Bugs

This is one of the best quotes I've read in ages!

"PLNs are like lightning bugs..." for the rest of the quote and the website of an amazing person, follow the link below...

http://www.minddump.org/plns-are-like-jars-of-lightning-bugs

http://web.me.com/khoneycuttessdack/kevinhoneycutt.org/Tradigital_Learning/Entries/2011/3/26_Why_build_a_PLN.html

Preparing for the 21st Century Ten Years On

Reflections on a reading from Education Today - author tbc

Pondering on what I do each day in the classroom. Am I teaching the children how to think or am I teaching them what to think. I would really like to be certain that it is the former rather than the latter.

We have talked about this a lot in class - and over the years. It's always something that has interested me. I don't want the students I teach to look to me for the answers, I may not have them. I don't want them to take what I say as gospel, it may not be so. I don't want them to give up on a task or do it a certain way just because they think it is the way I want it done, my thoughts, like theirs may and should change.

I loved the following quote as it really rang true with my beliefs about teaching and learning:

"While it is true '21st century skills' do have to do with adapting to new technologies effectively it has much, much more to do with being able to think deeply about topics, solving complex problems, and being capable of synthesising information to form new solutions. If kids go through school unable to practise these skills, then everything else has been for naught." (p 24)

Being a 21st century learner is not just about the ICTs - they are just tools. If our students and we as teachers, haven't got the skills of the Key Competencies to back up the use of the tools, then we lose the potential, relevance and meaning of what being a true 21st century learner is and can be.

As teachers and learners, we "...cannot abandon our efforts to give our students what they will need to help them be successful in learning and life, (no matter what our frustrations may be)." (p 25)

Are Schools Becoming Irrelevant to Today's Society?

Reflections on an article by Dr Scott McLeod in Education Today

"Students needs to be entering the workforce empowered to use effective thinking, be problem solvers, work collaboratively, creatively, and be able to be analytical and adaptable." (p 9)

Are we delivering 'something else' to meet the needs of the 21st century learner or are we just delivering 'more of the same' with fancy gadgets attached. I'm playing devil's advocate here, but how different really is the Activboard from the Blackboard? (That should liven up the discussion).

To truly transform what we do, we need to be innovative, creative and critical thinkers. We need to help our students develop the skills they need in a rapidly changing environment. Scott McLeod discusses the rapid changes that are happening at an astonishing rate in every occupation; "... every single one is being or has been transformed by the information revolution we are now living in." (p8)

So what are we doing on a day to day basis that will help our students survive and thrive in the future? How do we educate for jobs that don't yet exist? How do we incorporate eLearning and mLearning into our education system so that we can guarantee that what we do each day matches up and relates to the experiences our students have outside of school. Is the gap become too wide or are we the change-makers who are closing it?

What are we doing now to guide our students in the development of critical, creative, collaborative learning that is relevant, and links to the world outside our classroom? These are also the questions and concerns of Sir Ken Robinson. (Check out his latest presentation on this blog).

How do we take the school communities along with us on this journey? Is it through the children leading the 'teaching'? What about workshops being run by the students? Can we begin to educate through the blogs if the meaning and learning is clear on them?

The digital world is now the real world, "Our kids can do amazing things if we turn them loose with appropriate tools, guidance and resources." (p 9).

My belief is that it is through these tools that our students can become critically creative and innovative problem-solvers who can make their own 'dents' in the world.

Sir Ken Robinson: Out of Our Minds - Learning to be Creative

Another of Sir Ken's inspiring talks. Talking about where we are headed in education and that we need to keep in mind the most important factors in education - the relationship between the teacher and the learner and that, sometimes, the two are interchangeable - sometimes the roles change.

He shares his concerns about where our education system is headed. We need to keep in mind the diversity of people and fight for this in education. It's not about the narrow 'subjects'.

Purposes of education, (3)

- Personal - connect people with their own possibility. Personalised Education.

- Cultural - need an education process that helps us understand our own and others' cultures.

- Economic

From Learning Without Frontiers.

Our Students Need to Be Solutionaries

Zoe Weil has to be one of the most inspiring educationalists I've come across. She challenges us to teach our children to become solutionaries - not to accept what is fed to them but to be critical, creative, 'big picture', global thinkers.

Would love some discussion on this. What can we do to make this happen in our teaching and learning. Are we helping our students to become solutionaries or are we just expecting 'more of the same'?