Minecraft: Personalized Learning

In reflecting on what examples/explanations we have of personalized learning, I thought of how engaged/obsessed my boys were with the game Minecraft.  I have seen them play but what I found particularly interesting was the premise of the game on this review website:


Minecraft's premise is incredibly simple. Dropped into a hostile world of blocky graphics, you use the tools at your disposal to create. Every surface and object in the world can be manipulated, harvested and combined in countless ways to create building materials, tools, mechanisms, and gadgets. You can join with other players or reign alone in your pixellated kingdom. 


The reviewer continues with a quote from the creator of Minecraft - Markus "Notch" Persson (same website):


"If something ever doesn't feel fun, I'll remove it. I believe that I can combine enough fun, accessibility and building blocks for this game to be a huge melting pot of emergent gameplay."  

I couldn't help but see how compelling an example this was of personalized learning.  I also wondered if the current educational environment resembles "a hostile world of blocky graphics"!  I am not an advocate of video games but I know there are things we can learn from their success, particularly for our boys, who have been falling behind for years.  The first thing that struck me was that, as in most video games, "YOU" are the driver/creator/leader/main character.  In other words the perspective that counts is the one seen through the eyes of the player/learner.


This reminds me of a recent report I just read by Kathleen McClaskey (@khmmc) and Barbara Bray (@bbray) that outlines the differences between personalized, differentiated and individualized learning.   Here again, they explained that in personalized learning, the emphasis is on the input from the learner whereas in the other two paradigms, the emphasis is on what the teacher does.  Here is the chart:

The second concept of Minecraft that stood out for me was the myriad of tools a player/learner could access and manipulate in order to create and make sense of their world.  I have previously blogged about the importance of a personal toolkit for the teachers and the students.  How diverse is the toolkit we provide our students and teachers?  Are they adaptable? The good news here is the exponential growth of TechEd tools that we an access for free.


Finally, to "create" is a fundamental element in both Minecraft and Education.  I just finished attending the ArtStarts showcase in Vancouver and was reminded once again of the congruous relationship between the arts and personalized learning.  Whether you reference Gardners' multiple intellegences or Rosenstock's work around project-based learning, the arts are the ultimate vehicle to student engagement and success.


Education is not meant to be entertainment but there's no reason why it can't be fun!


Have a great week,
Stephen

Scaling Personalized Learning: Share your metaphor

What metaphor would you use to describe personalized learning?


I was reminded of the power of metaphors this past weekend at the #BCSSA12 conference in Vancouver on Innovation and Personalized Learning. Charles Leadbeater drew on the metaphors of wine labels and football (soccer) - themes which are part of our universal psyche. As we visualized the differences between the didactic nature of the French wine-labeling system vs the "barbaric" accessible nature of the Australian wine-labeling system, we reflected on what this meant in the current educational context. The insular jargon-filled world that is BC Education is surely more accurately represented by French wine labels - understood by the few and inaccessible to the many.

We also reflected on the concept of"total football", first introduced by the Dutchman Johan Cruyff, which transformed the game in the 70's. The concept was that a player would train to be skilled in any position and the roles were therefore fluid. In education, this would entail a roving leadership model that allowed for students, teachers, administrators and the community to weave in an out of roles in the learning process.


As we continue the conversation on how to "scale" personalized learning in BC - that is make it the rule rather than the exception - we need to be able to use a common language and vision for what it could look like. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, the Universal Design for Learning framework enables a teacher to plan for personalized learning but what is the story or image that we can use to dialogue with colleagues?

Universal Design for Learning

One image that comes to mind for me is a painting palette. Consider the 2 images below. One contains your primary colors while the other reflects all the shades that can be created from those colors. There are certain "primary" elements that make up the educational experience of a student - core courses, field trips, school activities, etc. - but what combination and quantity of these elements reflects the shade that is most appealing to each student? Surely the image of all the various shades more accurately represents the mosaic of students' interests and abilities in our school system.  Furthermore, we could consider that there are primary characteristics that make up the nature of each child but it is a complex combination of these characteristics that give him/her their individuality:

I invite you to share your metaphor on Twitter with the following hashtag: #PLmetaphor


 I'll leave you this week with a Charles Leadbeater video on innovation in education.  Have a great week.
 Stephen

UDL: Engagement and Prophecy

The theologian Ronald Rolheiser stated that "to be prophetic is to be able to describe the present" (2011). 


What motivates our students?  What tools do they use to communicate?  What does society expect of them? How do we prepare them to be contributing citizens?  As educational leaders in a digital world, I sense we are further outside of our comfort zone than ever before in trying to answer these questions.  This is disconcerting when we are supposed to be leading the way.


The consultation process of the BC Education Plan  helps address these shortcomings and most importantly engages a particular group of stakeholders who are far more prophetic than we are - the students.  By putting into motion this process with our youth, the Ministry of Education is leading by example and challenging the rest of us to "let go of the rope" - as described by superintendent Larry Espe in his latest blog.  This direction also recognizes the latest brain research that proves how diverse the learning journey is for each individual.   Engaging the students in an educational setting in a variety of ways is one of the cornerstones of the Universal Design for Learning framework:

A failure to be prophetic - to be able to realize what is happening around us - prevents us from taking action and articulating a vision for the future.  In his book "The 5th Discipline" Peter Senge uses the metaphor of the boiled frog to describe this phenomenon (2006 - 2nd ed):

If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.

 Describing what is and what could be, is not only our mission, it is the basic structure for great oratory that has inspired people time and again.  I was fascinated with a recent Ted Talk given by Nancy Duarte that reveals this structure in a comparison between speeches by Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King.  I'll leave you with this structure - and talk - have a great week,
Stephen 

Epigenetics: The Science of Hope

At the 2012 Conference on the Early Years this past weekend in Vancouver, we learned many things but nothing quite as astounding as the new science of Epigenetics. Dr. Tom Boyce from the UBC institution HELP (Human Early Learning Partnership), outlined a phenominal new approach to the age old rivalry of Nature vs Nurture. While this science is in its infancy, the implications will ripple through society in a few short years. Here is a brief introduction by Dr. Boyce:


Because our genes and our environment actually interact at a molecular and chemical level, we can say that the line between child and context has become blurred (Boyce, 2012)


First of all, a couple of salient, if not discouraging statistics that remind us of the strong relationship between childhood trauma and challenges in later life:


* 50% of adult mental illnesses can be rooted in the first 5 years of childhood (Grienenberg)
* Even after controlling for IQ, high school dropout rates can be traced back to the quality of care a 3.5 year old child received - at 77% accuracy (Sroufe, 2012).


The science behind these statistics is now being borne out by studies that show how synaptic connections are impeded by trauma or toxic stress - especially in the early years.


Nevertheless, the HOPEFUL part is that through the science of Epigenetics, we are beginning to learn how the right kinds of environmental/social interventions can actually re-alter and re-compose some of these connections and processes.  Furthermore, while our genetic makeup is determined at the moment of conception - including some predispositions for anti-social behaviour -  how this DNA is "unpacked" and chemically massaged depends on our ongoing social context - both positive and negative.


In other words, Trauma at an early age does not have to mean a life sentence of societal challenges.  Of course we knew that certain programs and interventions made a difference but now we have the science to back it up and need to pursue the research that shows which interventions make the biggest difference - on a molecular level.

Click here for reference website

Once again, the successful approaches that are being developed for children that have experienced trauma, are approaches that benefit ALL students.  This is the UDL mantra.

Have a great week,
Stephen

Science Fairs are UDL, Personalized Learning

As we continue to search for ways to frame personalized learning in British Columbia, we can point to some practices that have been around for a long time - notably the Science Fair.  Rather than pitting the philosophies of revolution vs evolution in our education system, I believe it is crucial to recognize what currently exists as excellent practice in personalized learning.  This approach is very much in line with the appreciative inquiry model which encourages a focus on what is going well.

 The "Science Fair Project", which normally hits the students around grade 4, is heavily anticipated and dreaded at the same time.  Anticipated by the students and dreaded by the parents!  There is something very cool and exciting about the concept of "experimentation" - something which we don't  encourage enough in our students nor in ourselves as educators.  The Science Fair project is one of those rare activities that encourages risk, the use of materials other than paper and pen, the mixing of all kinds of household products and an absolute freedom in pursuing an idea.  Sounds enticing doesn't it!?  It sure does if you're in grade 4!


Certainly, it creates anxiety:  It's messy, takes longer than a scheduled block, involves the participation of parents and community, entails public speaking, demands collaboration and creates a lot of "stuff" that doesn't fit in a locker.  In other words, many of the elements that are critical for the 21C learner.


As a parent of four children, I have now been through at least a dozen various science experiments that have met with varied levels of success.  I know what it's like rushing around to find an appropriate backboard that fulfills the very stringent  science fair requirements.  We all say we want to be more involved in our children's education but the science fair project demands it.  This is a good thing.  It doesn't mean we do the work for the child but we support them, listen to them practice their presentation and cart their stuff around when necessary.  Once you have seen the excitement on their faces and the motivation they display, it is all worthwhile.


The Science Fair project is an excellent example of "independent study" - a term we use in describing a personalized learning framework.  The picture below demonstrates how much time we currently allocate to this kind of study in the BC Education system:

Here is a model of what we would like to see in the future:

These slides come from the BC Ministry of Education and reinforce the value and necessity of independent study - much of which could be manifested in a science fair or heritage fair project approach.  We are very fortunate in our district to have a group of committed educators that ensure our Regional Science Fair is well-organized and exciting.  The event and follow-up visits to the National Science Fair have spawned life-long interest and opportunities for many of our students.


Finally, it is clear to see how well a science fair project fits in the Universal Design for Learning framework through Multiple means of Representation, Multiple means of Action and Expression and Multiple means of Engagement:

Universal Design for Learning




Have a great week,


Stephen

French Immersion and the Tower of Babel

Here is the audio of this blog:

Bonjour! C'est difficile d'imaginer un citoyen instruit qui ne parle pas une deuxième ou même une troisième langue.


One of the greatest gifts I received and pursued throughout my K-12 education as well as in university studies was the acquisition of other languages.  Once fluent in French, learning Spanish and Italian was so much more accessible.  It led to my career as a French teacher and administrator but just as importantly, it enhanced my educational and personal life experience.  Travel, meeting new people, learning new cultures and appreciating diversity:  all these experiences were were made possible and were so much more meaningful when carried out in a multilingual context. 


UBC’s former President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr Martha Piper, recently spoke of 5 ways to foster creativity and global citizenship:

1)  A Commitment to Languages
2)  Integrate Humanities and the Arts into Curriculum
3)  Embed Global Citizenship
4)  Embrace Community Service Learning
5)  Build Unique Environments

It was affirming to see that her first suggestion was on language learning - particularly as we gear up for French Immersion registration in our district for next year.  As a program of choice, it enables families to continue their child's education in a unique way.  This philosophy and approach is very much in line with the UDL principles I have espoused in previous blogs.  While the French Immersion experience and journey does not work out for everyone, it is a successful BC program that enriches the lives of many of our students. 


While we have other language programs, including of course FSL, the immersion environment is by far, the most effective way to learn another language.  In addition to the enhanced communication skills that are acquired in French Immersion, there is also research that demonstrates that students are "building brain matter" by learning a second language.  Here is the Rationale of the BC Ministry of Education around the programming of French Immersion:


RATIONALE
The Ministry recognizes that French Immersion programming benefits the cognitive and social development of students, as well as their opportunities for career advancement. Research demonstrates that students who successfully complete a French Immersion program attain functional bilingualism while doing as well as, or better than, their unilingual peers in the content areas of curriculum, including English Language Arts.


We have already shrunk the world significantly with the advent of personal technology and social media.  Contrary to the biblical purpose of the Tower of Babel, however, we are not constructing a global educational community in opposition of a greater power but rather to bring our students to greater heights of enlightenment and global citizenship.  

Turris Babel from Athanasius Kircher

Below is a humorous look at the Tower of Babel on Youtube.  It is put forward by a translation company... 

Have a great week,
Stephen



 

Achieving...or Becoming? Janus and the Educated Citizen

Here is the audio of this blog:

The "2-faced" god Janus

The Roman god Janus was depicted with two faces, not for his social shortcomings but rather his ability to see both the past and the future simultaneously.  He represents transition, change and progression.  His name of course, is also the origin of our first month of the year.


It seemed fitting to start this year's reflection contemplating this image and concept not only because of the date but especially because of the transitions we are currently undergoing in BC towards a 21C learner.


As I look back at some of the blogs and conversations this past Fall, one that struck me as particularly interesting and relevant is, "The Educated Citizen - Do We Have it Right" - a blog put out by Chris Kennedy , superintendent of West Vancouver School District, in early December.  It refers to to a description of the Educated Citizen put out by Statement of Education Policy Order;  The Educated Citizen, in 1989 and is worth reiterating here:


To this end, schools in the province assist in the development of citizens who are:
• thoughtful, able to learn and to think critically, and who can communicate information from a broad knowledge base;
• creative, flexible, self-motivated and who have a positive self-image;
• capable of making independent decisions;
• skilled and who can contribute to society generally, including the world of work;
• productive, who gain satisfaction through achievement and who strive for physical well-being;
• cooperative, principled and respectful of others regardless of differences;
• aware of the rights and prepared to exercise the responsibilities of an individual within the family, the community, Canada, and the world.

I was struck by two things when I saw this list; 1.  How closely it is aligned with the 21C skill set that we have been discussing - particularly around creativity, collaboration and communication, 2.  It is less about a student achieving goals than it is about a student becoming an educated, ethical and productive citizen.

Unfortunately, this prescient description back in 1989 did not translate into curricular outcomes based on what a student can become but rather what knowledge he/she can recite from various topics. In our current digital age, the 21C learner has this knowledge literally at his/her fingertips and therefore we must move beyond the memorisation paradigm.


Like Janus, we need to look to the past to recognize and retain our best practices and thinking - such as the 1989 Statement of Education Policy Order.  As we look to the future however, we must be able to transform that description into a new vision that reflects the digital age in which we live and one that puts the emphasis on the so-called "soft skills" of the 21 C learner.


In my opinion, the diagram below from the Alberta Ministry of Education depicts quite well the framework for that vision.

Have a great week,
Stephen