Teaching for mastery is more than allowing resubmits

Posted on April 7, 2019 by admin

I have observed multiple online references to teaching for mastery in the last couple of months. I have mixed reactions based on a career-long interest in mastery learning. On the positive side, seeing new interest in an old idea that I believe is typically novel to most educators is encouraging. On the other hand, it seems present interest involves a narrow perspective on what teaching for mastery originally meant. Teaching for mastery is more than allowing students a second chance to demonstrate their level of understanding or competence.

I think the original teaching for mastery approaches offer great possibility now that technology can offer ways to implement the components of mastery instruction as originally proposed. I think mastery faded not because there were not benefits to students, but because the demands of implementation were too great. To me, mastery based models were a way to respond to the differences in time to learn required by different students. These differences could be a consequence of differences in aptitude or in the success of past learning experiences. A successful approach combined multiple components and not simply the willingness to provide students a second chance. While an important component, nonpunitive, second chances still assumed all students will move on at approximately the same rate.


I have made an effort to describe what I understand to be a be a more complete approach to mastery based instruction previously and if interested, I refer you to these comments- https://learningaloud.com/grabe6/Chapter4/ch4_mastery.html

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The other side of the student-guided learning argument

Posted on April 4, 2019 by admin

Arguing for more traditional approaches is a good way to get ignored. However, often trends are more flash than substance. When it comes to the direct instruction / discovery, constructionist distinction, research has repeatedly demonstrated the advantage goes to direct instruction. This conclusion has been reached in multiple time periods when this educational controversy has emerged. Paul Kirschner has been one of those who continues to bring attention to this conclusion despite how he has been labeled. Here is a recent interview about his argument and his impression of those who continue to ignore the research findings.

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Oxford researchers question the dangers of adolescent screen time

Posted on March 24, 2019 by admin

A Scientific American article summarizes a recent study from Oxford researchers that concludes parent concerns with their children’s screentime are not warranted. I have yet to read the original research and I consider this essential, but I also trust Scientific American to vet the research they publish. The authors of this research propose that the studies demonstrating significant negative consequences receive attention not associated with the students failing to find a similar outcome. This differential exposure leads to public perceptions that do not reflect the actual science.

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Teen depression and social media use

Posted on March 16, 2019 by admin
Depression

The question of whether phone use of social media contributes to an increase in teen depression seems to surge and wane depending on the most recent study released. A core problem in this indecision is the descriptive nature of the data leaving open possible alternative explanations. This recent Minnesota Public Radio report offers a nice summary.

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Flickr will not delete photos with Creative Commons designation

Posted on March 15, 2019 by admin

Flickr made some changes to its free accounts recently that limited how much content could be stored. A change has just been added to how this limit is determined. Now, images assigned a Creative Commons license will not be deleted should the the capacity limit for a free account be exceeded. I think this is a great benefit for educators.

I have paid for a Flickr paid account and think educators could use some of the photos I have collected over the years. I different photos for family/friends and public view, but I keep forgetting public view is not the same as a Creative Commons license. The latter would determine what comes up in a search and what can be downloaded for use. I am going to have to take some time to offer some of my photos with a license. Creating a free classroom account and designating images for use would be a great way to help students understand copyright and Creative Commons licenses

Try this link for an example – https://flic.kr/p/2dq3Fig

I added the creative commons designation from a computer and was unable to find a way to do so from a mobile device. Perhaps there is a setting I was missing.

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Postcards for the future

Posted on March 1, 2019 by admin

My wife and I have different tech heroes.  She is a fan of Doug Engelbart. I have always admired Bill Atkinson. Mr Atkinson worked for Apple as a graphics person. He wrote MacPaint and later one of the most influential computer programs of all time – HyperCard. A triangulation interview with Mr. Atkinson provides some insight into his creativity and productivity while at Apple.

I spent possibly more than a thousand hours creating stuff in HyperCard.  At one time, I had 200 disks with my first study skills system available to students in the UND library. HyperCard was the perfect example of a low floor and high ceiling digital creativity app. I wish Apple would not have decommissioned it. This was before the days of coding for all and computational thinking, but it would be the perfect tool for developing these competencies.

Atkinson continues to do creative, visually-oriented things to this day. His recent work focuses on digital printing and postcards. His interest in postcards is based in his concern that our focus on digital imagery leaves behind little in the way of physical artifacts. What will be available to the next generation to provide a record of previous generations? Will digital imagery be passed on and examined? I do think this is something we all need to consider.

Atkinson’s partial solution is to encourage the continued use of postcards and he has attempted to offer a service that allows anyone to send high quality postcards using personal imagery. These are large in size and laminated for increased longevity and quality. We have used his application for the iPad during our trips and the quality is as advertised. There are now similar apps. I can’t say I have tried them because I like Atkinson’s message and his commitment to this idea.

“This is a labor of love. I want to see the postcard rescued. It’s going to die, if we don’t do something,” he said. “I am now a digital postal worker — I shepherd along these little packets of love. Nobody sends hate mail on a postcard. I want it to be beautiful, not like junk mail.” [comment from Atkinson]

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