Now, I want to be clear here, I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad assignment. I don't know where the teacher is going with this. I could see this being the start of a really interesting exploration of countries, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
We began by doing what the assignment asked. We helped Abby find some appropriate websites about Bermuda and she read through them and tried to pull out some interesting and relevant facts about Bermuda (copying and pasting into a Google Doc). We also pulled up Bermuda on Google Maps to see where it is, and went to Flickr to look at some pictures of Bermuda. We had some decent conversations about what might be considered important about a country, but what might also be interesting to other sixth graders.
Now, at this point, it's an okay if not particularly engaging assignment and, again, I don't know where the teacher/class is going next with this. But, because Abby is our kid (some would say "has the misfortune of being our kid") we asked her if she might like to try to talk to someone in Bermuda and ask them some questions. (We're walking a fine line here, but we're trying to encourage her to be more curious and less anxious about just finishing the assignment.) She said sure, so I tweeted out
Within a couple of minutes Jennifer tweeted back
And then a few minutes later Shannon tweeted
We learned several things about Bermuda that Abby hadn't found in her initial search for "10 facts", including that they catch rainwater from their roofs for all of their fresh water, that girls like playing "netball," and that each house is only allowed to own one car. She also got to see what the roofs and houses looked like, and what Shannon and his wife (and their house) looked and sounded like. Ultimately Abby combined this new information with what she already had, came up with her 10 facts, and we printed out the Google Doc to staple to the homework worksheet. (Yes, I know, but sometimes it's just easier to print and staple than perhaps cause problems by asking to turn it in electronically. She also made a blog post.)
So, which is Abby more likely to remember, the facts she found from a couple of websites, or the 15 minute conversation with Shannon and his wife? (After we hung up we were talking about collecting the rainwater for all their water needs and Abby said, "Wow, they must get a lot of rain." I'm thinking that has more of an impact than reading their annual rainfall in inches.) Which one gave her a better feel for what it was like to live in Bermuda? Which is more likely to encourage her to be curious about the world around her?
What assignments of your own could perhaps be revisited? How can you help connect your students to the wider world around them?
To take this a step further -- why not ask Abby what other "countries" are in her classroom and ask out on twitter if other people could be willing to skype.
ReplyDeleteThen you could give a list to the teacher saying these people would be willing to skype in with your class -- or with your students.
The teacher might be willing to do this -- or it might scare him/her to death -- but you will be generating a data base of resources available to her students -- and if the teacher says NO, Abby still has resources to share with the her classmates.
I don't think the teachers (in general) are realizing just what a wealth of information is available at our fingertips.
The resource that Abby found -- and took advantage of -- could easily be extended to the entire class.....
Just a thought.
Jen
I'm so glad you shared about your daughter's experience when asked to research her country.
ReplyDeleteI agree...the lesson gravitated toward a real live experience with first hand pictures and conversations, making her research alive. I believe traveling is one of the best ways to learn as well as the experience is personal which gives the lesson so much value. I will pass this onto my students so their education can be enhanced as well.
Robin
I have to think that your daughter's presentation of facts generated more engagement by her peers - perhaps they will all ask to Skype THEIR next research assignment.
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you have the ability to help your child do this. There is no way I could assign my kids to do what Abby did because 60% of them do not have access to the internet at home.
ReplyDeleteSome of them don't have access to indoor plumbing. (I'm in the US). We sent home bags of food with 200 of our kids last Friday so they would have something to eat over the weekend.
I do have access to most of the resources you named at school. Last year I did skype with a couple of schools but we had problems with the connection. I'm pretty sure the problem was on our end. The other teacher were irritated with us and it showed.
My parents are thrilled with the videos my students are creating and posting to our blog. Most of our connections to other countries is going to be via blogs right now because of the connection issues we have had.
kherbert - Yes, we are lucky enough to live in an area where access to the Internet and the ability to Skype is not much of an issue. For schools where it is, I think your approach of trying to do it at school is ideal.
ReplyDeleteYou might try just Skype-chatting as well - even when the video/audio connection isn't very good, we've had very good results with the chat. Blogging is nice as well, but it is nice to have the real-time of chat (if not the full video/audio).
Longer term, I think a big issue for all of us is making sure that all schools have good, solid, reliable connections - I think it's inexcusable that we haven't figured out how to do that. Tougher (and more expensive), but just as important, is to make sure all students have them as well.
Jen - I completely agree, but at this point we're going to let Abby decide how much she wants to share/encourage her teacher to try these things. At the moment she's planning on sharing her blog post with her teacher today, but we'll see if that happens.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh when I saw your post. My daughter, who is in 5th grade, came home with a similar extra credit assignment on Holland. I suggested that she create a glog about her assigned country rather than a simple list of fun facts. She went to glogster.com and created a poster with images, audio of the national anthem and a video clip from Holland. When she went to school on Monday and wanted to share her work with her classmates, the site was blocked! Needless to say, she was annoyed and had me write a letter to her teacher asking to have the site removed from blocked list. I did so for her and the teacher is working with her to get the site off the blocked list at school so that other students can create more interesting and engaging homework assignments.
ReplyDelete@smacclintic
Lost in the discussion of the assignment is the obvious helicopter parent problem. "We" found the websites for her, "we" found the Google maps, "I" tweeted, "we" printed up the stuff. Agreed, the original assignment was not great, but it was an assignment a child could do without the parent taking over.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of using your network to make learning more relevant and authentic. However, to me it serves to emphasize even more just how many teachers who wouldn't have a clue as to how to make this happen... for themselves, let alone for their students. Perhaps this lies at the root of this kind of information harvesting assignment - "It's what's always been done." "Why change? It worked for me." I have a feeling many teachers have not experienced anything different themselves as learners. And, to many, talking to strangers online is both frowned upon and dangerous.
ReplyDeleteSo, what really has to happen in schools to make this type of learning no longer an exception?
Erik! - I'd ask you to read the post again. We helped her find the website, look at the google maps, and look at the flickr images - we didn't do it. And, if you view the video, you'll notice that Abby is asking the questions. Yes, I'm there to help, but I think it's a stretch to suggest we did this for her or that this qualifies as "helicopter parenting."
ReplyDeleteYes, I tweeted because she's under 13 and therefore can't use Twitter under its terms of service, and because I have a fairly wide network of folks I connect with. So, for now, she's using her Personal Learning Network - which includes her parents - to expand her learning by tapping into our Personal Learning Network.
Was it an assignment a child could do? Sure. But who cares? Is the point of learning to do the "assignment?"
I love how this assignment evolved in your house over the weekend. I would love it if my students took a simple task beyond what I was asking for. Maybe this will encourage her teacher to use these tools in her classroom! Very authentic and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the way you don't throw her teacher under the bus because, as you said, who knows where she is going with this...hopefully somewhere awesome!
I love using Skype with my students as a learning experience. These are the things they remember. I have been trying to start using Twitter as a class to micro-blog but have come up against so many walls within my school division (district). The thought of new tools and technologies scares the people who don't understand their value and the immediate response is NO.
Karl I was really moved by this blog post. It demonstrates to me supportive parenting (not helicopter parenting) and supportive teaching. Often as teachers we do not feel that our efforts are supported by parents. Here you showed that you did not necessarily think that the assignment was worthwhile as presented but you supported the teacher and then manipulated the assignment so that it still addressed the original criteria, but became more personal, meaningful and engaging for your child. I thought it was brilliant what you did. As a teacher educator I find it difficult to still see such assignments being given out to our students, when we live in a time when we can be connected and engaged with the world within which we live. This post made me want to be a better teacher educator so we don't continue to see these disconnected assignments being given to our children. Thanks again for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI read this post and then re-read this post. I'm not sure where there's any evidence of helicopter parenting. I don't see a comment about you or your wife calling Abby's teacher to complain about the assignment. I didn't see anything about you marching up to the school to demand she be given a different assignment. What I did READ was you and your wife helped Abby to learn more about what she was assigned, providing her with some additional ideas to consider. I did similar things when my kids were in school. While I realize not every parent is as connected online as you and I are, I really think that these types of family conversations truly help engage a child in his or her own learning. As a teacher, I LOVE when that happens. Parents are teachers, too. Great post, Karl.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Baldwin @michellek107
I really don't believe that this is helicopter parenting at all. In fact, I believe it to be just the opposite, just good old fashioned parenting. You took an assignment that was bland and could have easily been Googled in 10 seconds and turned into a learning experience that your daughter will probably remember. The only downside to this is that you'll probably be spending a vacation down there, which really isn't that much of a downside if you think about it.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for creating an enriching experience for your child and having the sense to assist her through it. I bet that you both learned something together.
I'm glad you're able to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt, but it was probably *just* this meaningless. I have three kids, the youngest a senior in high school. We've lived through many inane geography assignments, made barely tenable by my intervention as a parent. Create a brochure with facts about x country. Materials were invariably out of date (Zaire? Lagos as the capital of Nigeria?) and when you tell teachers that, they just say, "Oh, well." One even told me daughter, who had recently returned from our state's competition in the geography bee, "I don't want to confuse the other kids in the class" so he wouldn't tell them that the information he handed them was wrong. Geography is an amazing subject, but it is seldom amazing the way it's taught in public schools. We have cams! We have daily photo blogs! We can talk to people in other countries! So why in heck are we still doing WORKSHEETS!
ReplyDeleteDear Mr.Fisch after reading your post here I have decided to take getting the answer to a whole new level. I believe that there are many ways to learn that are a lot more attracting or "fun" such as skypeing or face time. The difference between these two things is how they approach the child. reading through a long post on the internet isn't as appealing to a student as being told the information by someone from the country. The question I have for you is is this a post dealing with the issue of entertaining home work or is it dealing with a broader more big way of learning?
ReplyDeleteKarl Fisch- I like and agree with the point your making because this is very much like in my school’s. This relates to me when i was in elementary school and most of middle school. Teachers would always ask to go researched facts about a certain country or even acid rain. Also in my social studies classes we usually had to read a few pages and write down facts. Now in my U.S. history class we have to explain and discuss the topic which gets the class more engaged and thinking. This also has to do with the world because all over the world schools only want kids to find facts. When we just look up facts we just write them down and don’t even stop and think about them. When all you do is research a topic it only takes 5 min. to do that. I think what you did was great and really got your daughter to think about that topic. I wish my parents would help me do cool things like this so i can learn the subject more. Overall i think education should change and become more involved all over the world. One question i have for you is: Do you want to change education and make it more interactive?
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you shared this experience. It's great that others would take the time to help with a school assignment like this one! I definitely believe that any students who were to Skype with someone and learn through seeing themselves what it is like to live there, or even talking to the person would be more likely to remember the experience and not just getting the the 10 facts from websites. I think that this would be a great suggestion for the teacher.
ReplyDeleteMr. Fisch-
ReplyDeleteThis was very interesting to me because remember when I had to do these types of projects. When I was in fourth grade I had to make a float for a state and have facts about the state. Later in sixth grade I had to do a country scrap book for the main part of my grade. Also in my earlier social studies classes I would to read out of a textbook about a country and write about it. Now in my U.S. history class I have to be able to explain and discuss about America's past time which makes the whole class get engaged and think. This also relates to the world because schools everywhere want students to find facts. This makes the kids look up the answer and write it down to get a good grade. I don't like doing this because I don't learn and I skim over some of the main points like "Is Google Making Us Stupid" talks about. I think what you did was great and really got your daughter to think about that topic. My parents are exactly like you because they want me to really engage with the topic. i think that our schools should make teachers teach us a different way by connecting students to the world and the students really getting evolved. Do you think that our schools should teach this way or no?
Mrs. Dent Scarcello - Thanks. It can be frustrating when the immediate response is always no, but keep trying. I've found it helps to share examples with folks, then they are much more willing to say "well, maybe we can try . . ."
ReplyDeleteScherrology - Hmm, a vacation in Bermuda. Actually, Shannon mentioned that the house next door was for sale . . .
ReplyDeleteTrentonN2015 - That's great that you are planning on moving past just "getting the answer" - that's really what we're trying to convey to you at AHS - it's not about getting the answer or finishing the assignment, it's about what you learn, and then what you do with it.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, it's both, but more the latter. We're trying hard to figure out how best to help you guys learn, and engage with the world, and make a difference. How are we doing?
Alexm2015 - I'm glad your history class at AHS is much more engaging and has got you thinking - that's what we're going for.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, yes, like most teachers I do want to change education - we're all trying to make it just a little bit better. Not just more interactive, but more meaningful and relevant as well.
adamb2015 - I'm glad you're having to explain and discuss in your history class at AHS, I think that will be much more meaningful and helpful to you. Yes, I do think schools - as much as possible - should try to connect students to the world and help them get involved. Like it says in the cafeteria, "Not for school, but for life, we learn."
ReplyDeleteJust passed this on to some teachers as food for thought! I haven't been keeping up with you lately! So sorry! I was reading Christopher Dawson's post where he mentioned this post.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but laugh about Chris's post as I just had a conversation with a teacher yesterday who is tell me his inbox is flooded with emails from his student's Google Docs assignments - proper heading on a Google Doc...
A common assignment turns into a brilliant adventure--thanks for the sharing the story. I'm curious about your approach to your daughter's teacher. Did you ever talk to the teacher about her purpose for the assignment? Or did you post your wonderings about her purpose and assignment to the blog first leaving the conversation for later?
ReplyDeleteLee Anne- We did not talk to the teacher - trying to walk that line between being involved parents and being "those" parents. Instead, we let Abby share it with her teacher, who seemed pretty interested in it and was even going to try to show the class the recorded Skype conversation, but had trouble getting around their filter :-).
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on such an exciting learning experience. Abby will remember it forever. She will have much to share with her class buddies and if she doesn't already sense her control over her education it must be growing fast.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiration!
LOVE this! As a "Humanities" teacher (we combine English & Socials Studies at our school) to full classes of Grade 7, 8, and 9 students, I'm trying my best to get them beyond our walls. I recently asked my 9th-graders to research a "teen leader" each and gave them suggestions to follow blogs, facebook, TedX, YouTube...I even suggested that they look in their own community and interview local teen leaders. Not many have gone beyond Wikipedia and the bios posted on websites. It's an area that we will KEEP working to develop. May I use the video as an example for the next project?
ReplyDeleteRaabster - Sure, go right ahead. I love the "teen leader" project.
ReplyDelete