Jian Interviews Ken Robinson

Don't be fooled by the Album Art.

This post is really an overview of Jian Ghomeshi's 17 minute interview with Ken Robinson on CBC Radio - Q today. More about the album art later.

The interview was to be about the arts and music in particular but as Ken Robinson's intellect eventually reveals, the interview was about a lot more.

Jian begins the interview with the question, "Why is creativity so important to you?" Ken Robinson begins his response by saying that "most people just bump along not knowing what they are good at."

He talks about imagination being the underpinning of intelligence and creativity and the most powerful capacity that we have. He goes on to give a definition of creativity: "Creativity is about having original ideas that have value."

Ken Robinson thinks that policy makers have become obsessed with standardized testing. He says that testing has a place and does not want to get rid of tests like this. He makes the example of a cholesterol test. He wants to know the value. Then he goes on to talk about specific examples. "Education is a personal business." He talks about Canada's 30% drop out rate.

"Education has to be personalized. You have to engage how people think and how they learn."

He says that students need to be engaged and that is the skill of great teachers. "The culture of standardized testing is depriving teachers of the essential freedom they need to do their job properly."

Jian then moves on to talk about music and a study at Harvard in 2000. Ken Robinson makes the point of having arts for the arts sake - - in their own right. In Canada, the arts are falling more and more down the hierarchy and he feels this is a shame. He talks about diversity being important and not conformity, the way schools are being forced to promote.

The last 4 minutes are devoted to talking about Ken's book but the most important points have already been made in the interview. The fact that the arts in schools need to be revived.

Oh, and the album art. Most people may not know that Jian Ghomeshi was a member of a "social consciousness" Toronto '90s band called Moxy Fruvous. Great sound and terrific message. Just like Ken Robinson.

Bloom's Other Taxonomy - Character Education

While preparing for a number of upcoming digital storytelling sessions in our school district I stumbled upon Jason Ohler's take on Benjamin Bloom's other taxonomy.

Most educators are familiar with the traditional Bloom's Taxonomy, but what I didn't know, or had forgotten from my EDUC 101 days is that Mr. Bloom developed a taxonomy for the affective domain as well.

Let me explain.

Our school district has a "Growing with Character" system goal so when I happened upon Bloom's Taxonomy of Affective "Transformation" it caught my eye.

It goes like this:

Level 5: Internalizing Values

Character acts on value systems as an individual, rather than in response to group expectations; uses teamwork effectively, values others for their intrinsic merit rather than external qualities.

Level 4: Organization

Character prioritizes values, resolves conflicts, develops personalized value system; balances freedom and responsibility and accepts standards of moral behavior.

Level 3: Valuing

Character demonstrates belief in a value system that manifests itself in solving problems for others and in valuing cultural and individual differences.

Level 2: Responding to Phenomena

Character participates in solutions, works with a team, helps others.

Level 1: Receiving Phenomena

Character listens to others respectfully.

Source: Bloom, Krathwohl, & Masia, 1964.
Reproduced on page 111 of Jason Ohler's book.

I think Mr. Bloom's affective taxonomy can be of use to students and educators in our schools. I can begin by aspiring to level 5 myself. I'll be re-reading this taxonomy in days to come. I could use a plan like this.

Challenge Based Learning

Challenged Based Learning

The New Media Consortium has recently published a report on "Challenge Based Learning". The video above, created by the talented Alas Media folks, steps you through the process of C.B.L. It reminds me of Jeff Wilhelm's inquiry model as it uses terms like "Big Ideas" and "Critical/Essential Questions."

The difference, at least from my way of looking at it, is that technology is integrated throughout the process from the social networking idea to accessing the technology 24/7.

I'd like to learn more about how their C.B.L. methods teach the process of transforming traditional curriculum into an inquiry based one. Jeff Wilhelm does a fine job of explaining the process of transformation beginning on page 43 of his book "Engaging Readers and Writers With Inquiry."

You can learn more about Apple's involvement in Challenge Based Learning here. Or for a more in-depth discussion from the pilot project writers and participants you can listen to Katie and Michelle's Always On Podcast - Episode 4.

Video Conferencing - With Jeff Brown

I am sitting in a session with Jeff Brown, Video Conferencing guru from our contiguous school district - Kawartha Pine Ridge School District.

He's speaking my language. Already references to Dan Pink, ACOT2, Wordle, VC sessions with Africa and Quebec, Alan November, The World is Flat, blogs and wikis and lots of Web 2.0 stuff.

Right now he is talking about the weekly VC sessions he holds in his district with a group of hearing impaired students. Doesn't get better than that.

We're navigating to the C.I.L.C.org. The centre for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. Jeff is talking about the social-emotional connection with these projects. He is currently talking about a VC session his students from Apsley, Ontario had with a classroom in Japan. At CILC there is a collaboration centre where you can register to work on a VC project with anyone in the world.

I'm looking forward to starting the ball rolling with VC in our district in an academic setting. For now, we've only been using our 9 VC set-ups for admin. purposes. Please comment if you have some experiences with academic video conferencing. Looking forward to learning more!

Public Service Announcement - Deconstruction

Source: Youthforhumanrights.org

As part of our junior division non-fiction public service announcement writing task, I've created frameworks to assist in deconstructing this 50 second ad.

1. Characteristics of an Effective Public Service Announcement. Source: Teaching Matters
2. Deconstruction Framework 1 - Component Parts - .doc file
3. Deconstruction Framework 2 - Content - .doc file
4. P.S.A. Script - The Right to Education - .pdf file
5. Storyboard Deconstruction - .pdf file
6. Storyboard Deconstruction - .comicdoc file

By making deconstruction of an existing high quality PSA like the one above part of the writing process, students will gain a better understanding of the steps which are necessary in crafting a public service announcement. This will allow students to better understand the complexities of telling a compelling story in a very short amount of time.

T.L.C.P. - Junior Division

We're here at V.P. Carswell P.S. today with a learning pathway team of Junior Division teachers.

Pathway - Non-Fiction Media Integrated Writing

Questions to consider:

What assessment and instructional practices will we continue to use?
What assessment and instructional practices will we change?
How will you know that what you are doing is working for our students?

1. Moderated marking of baseline samples brought along by teachers.
2. Use of 6 + 1 Traits Writing Rubric for Grades 3 to 6.
3. Using Moderated Marking Notes framework.

The Task

The sample diagnostic writing task is as follows: "Write a story about how your group created and presented a television commercial". This writing task is from the grade 6, Spring 2007 E.Q.A.O. test samples. The teachers are discussing the fact that this is a difficult task. The task asks to write a story, not write a script for the commercial.

As this is a very difficult writing task for most, [we've only had 1 or 2 level 3s so far out of 7 samaples] a suggestion was made to have a look at the ministry sample anchor texts, or exemplars for this writing task. We decided to look at these samples after our moderated marking session.

Data Wall Recording

Each school is now recording on a large data wall chart which is hanging on the front board. There is a method for recording:

X = actual score
P = predicted score
A = actual 2nd sample score

Class Data Wall/Performance Technique - Fluidity

Class data wall. Class performance wall. Number your students, go through the same process for your class. Student self assessment. Performance wall. Students self assess own work. Arrows are next steps for students to move from level to level. Students are motivated by the data wall [Photos to follow]

School on the Move - SIP

SOM = School on the Move
SIP = School Improvement Plan

Yesterday I participated in my first "Teaching Learning Critical Pathway" with a group of 16 teachers from 4 elementary schools. Several things struck me during the day that I'd like to share with you.

School on the Move

A School on the Move is a designation given by the Ministry of Education. It is recognition for a number of teaching learning indicators, one of which is improvement on EQAO scores for 3 consecutive years. Our session was conducted at V.P. Carswell Public School in Trenton, Ontario - a School on the Move.

Moderated Marking

After very brief introductions around the table these amazing teachers, literacy partners, consultants and principals started a moderated marking session on diagnostic samples they had brought along which continued for 90 minutes without interruption. Amazing. Each teacher had 3 student samples of work and the group used media rubrics to level the writing. The discussion was engaging as the group talked about the student samples, what made them great, and improvements that could be made.

Planning Together

The group planned a non-fiction media writing pathway that is based on persuasive writing and will allow the students in grades 1, 2 and 3 to learn about how posters, [we decided on an Earth Care theme] influence us when we look at them [all media are constructs]. The 3 week plan culminates with an assessment. The students will create their own persuasive poster.

Next Steps

The group will now implement the learning pathway in their own schools for the next 3 weeks and then we'll meet again in 4 weeks to de-brief. At that session the teachers will bring along samples and we'll have another moderated marking session.

All in all an amazing day of learning!