Don't Kill the Creativity

The biggest smirk came across my face when Steve Spangler described what will NOT lead to success in the classroom. A slideshow of faces streamed through my mind as he described hardworking teachers with worksheets, rubrics, detailed procedures, lists of standards, goals, data, and laminated lesson plans filled with definitions taken directly from an outdated textbook.

Spangler thinks he has the answer to success in the classroom, but the education community on large does not. As recently reported in a NY Times magazine article, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is investing millions to improve teaching quality, but what does that mean? “Unfortunately, it seems the field doesn’t have a clear view of what characterizes good teaching,” Gates said. “I’m personally very curious.”

Spangler proved his point by leading the audience through an investigation of Bernoulli’s principle. He posed the question, “How many breathes will it take to fill the plastic bag?” We all made our best guesses. I could feel the robotic steps of the scientific method start their march from question to hypothesis to observation and so on. He then instructed the volunteer to put her hand on the end of the bag, her mouth on the bag and blow. Clear step-by-step procedures were given, and the volunteer performed the duties like a good student would. We observed how full the bag became after three breathes then were asked to estimate how many more breathes would be needed to fill the entire bag.

This activity sounds like a pretty typical middle school science demonstration. Science teachers know that they need to give students opportunities to apply the scientific method, but also fear losing control of a room full of crazy thirteen year olds. The marriage of these two objectives results in TOO MUCH HAND HOLDING. These sorts of experiences are not teaching students to think like scientists. They prepare them for jobs at fast food restaurants or assembly lines.

“As soon as I said, put your hand right hear and put your mouth on the bag, I killed the creativity.” Spangler suggested a better approach. Instead, introduce the task by saying “I don’t know how you are going to fill the bag, but you have 3 minutes to figure it out.”

The latter describes real inquiry! This gives students an opportunity to try different methods, learn from trial and error, and possibly discover the secret is to blow air in front of the bag so that a fast stream of air comes behind and fills the bag with the air around us. Bernoulli’s principle taught without the definition. The teacher still needs to address how this works, but this is done after students are already hooked and have a reason too want to know the answer. Brilliant.

The British Are Coming!

Paul Schmaul from London is poking around our school for a couple of days as part of the school's Quality Review. Why is some British schmuck evaluating an inner city public school? I suppose it has something to do with the new way schools are being assessed. Rather than looking at performance indicators to determine the success of a school, there is a new fancy mathematical formula (modelled after the British system) that looks at other indicators including progress, curriculum, standards, parental/community support, and I forgot the last one. AYP (adequate yearly progress) at our school earned us an A on the school report card while other high performing schools actually failed because they are not making "progress". There is a lot of controversy surrounding the new grading system. Despite some flaws, I think that it holds school communities accountable for most of the factors that influence a student's opportunity to learn and get a good education regardless of what neighborhood school they attend.  Whether or not a quality review is able to measure those factors is another issue all together.

The new model stresses learning over teaching. What are the kids doing? Are students needs being met? Are students supported at home? Too often, educators are defensive about their teaching methods rather than reflecting on the progress of students. Focusing on how we can helps kids become more successful, using data to inform instruction and creating a classroom environment were students feel respected and nurtured are steps in the right direction.

Today, Pauly Pete grilled a group of teachers including myself at a luncheon with questions like, "What are the goals of your classroom? What are the best things about the school? How do you differentiate instruction? How is student behavior dealt with at the school?" Everyone gave politically correct answers to help bolster up the school. I played along and spoke up when I could make an honest & positive contribution. After the meeting, I called bullshit on one teacher who called in-house detention the "SAVE room" as if being put in isolation and treated like a herded animal is some form of rehabilitation for troubled students.

Well, tomorrow the Brit will be observing my students. I planned a tiered activity based on ability. Students get to chose different projects and presentations that correlate with their "readiness" on the topic (water cycle), interest and literacy skills. Hopefully all goes well, and students will be able to present at the end of the class to show their understanding of the water cycle and concepts related to the movement of water in and around the earth The list of options includes sixteen activites in total (four at each level). Some examples are plays/skits, posters, drawings/pictures, storyboards, meteorology broadcast, tv commercial, and flash cards.

3/20/08

Every once in a while, all the right elements come together and the moment is nothing short of magical. In the midst of all that could go right, Mr. Paul walked into my science classroom. He had to step over kids who were sprawled out on the floor with construction paper and squeeze around the kids staging a water cycle drama presentation. Students were really focused and engaged in their chosen projects as he circled around the room and asked students questions. My ears were open and I glanced over when I could without being too obvious. He approached the students by joking with them about his accent and then said, "I'm here to see what kind of school this is and want to know what you are doing." Brittany showed the handout that listed the choices for the water cycle project. She was working on a poster with two other students. He then moved on to Siara & Maribel who were working on a presentation to explain the importance of precipitation and its role in the water cycle. The girls were referring to their notes and a book. He asked content based questions (that I couldn't really hear), but I moved a little closer and heard Maribel telling him the affects of low precipitation on food crops and available drinking water. He was nodding his head yes and showed enthusiasm on his face. He spoke to Elissa who was planning a powerpoint presentation to explain the water cycle. At this point, I had to consult with Dennis regarding the skit he was planning and Mohibur to make sure he understood water safety and purification. I caught another glimpse of the Brit as he looked around the room wide-eyed with a smile on his face. I was SO PROUD OF THE KIDS. Not only did they know the content, but they were able to communicate what was going to the visitor, work together with little guidance from the teacher (me), and stay on task. In the end, everyone came up with really content-rich, creative projects. It was one of my proudest moments as a teacher.

Yuk, Omar & Kevin presented a TV Broadcast from Channel MS88 alerting the public that all the oceans had dried up and the earth was no longer the blue planet. It was so awesome! They planned three segments 1) A meteoroligist explained what had gone wrong due to increased temperatures & increased evaporation rates. 2) A farmer was interviewed who shared the problems with his crops due to lack of water. 3) A scientist shared recent research on finding new water sources and ways to counteract the problem.

I can't wait for the other presentations on Monday! Samantha called the project "brilliant." She's almost right. The kids are brilliant. I just gave them the opportunity to prove it.