EDUC-5313-W1 Week 2 Post

This week’s blog post covers an immense amount of information and feels like a 6–8-page paper condensed into 700 words, but I will do my best!

 

Part 1:

This week’s readings started out with the concept of authentic intellectual work and how to use it in instruction. Authentic intellectual work refers to the work that students are doing in class that goes beyond mastering conventional academic skills and encourages creative and individual application of knowledge as opposed to regurgitation. It has two distinct characteristics, construction of knowledge and disciplined inquiry (Newmann et al., 2007).

Applying these characteristics in education requires creative thinking from teachers, and it almost feels like a complete shift in education from 1st grade up. Newman et al. recognize that in life, we need to apply basic knowledge to unique situations. This involves organizing, interpreting, evaluating, or synthesizing prior knowledge to solve new problems (Newman, et al., 2007, p. 4). That process describes construction of knowledge.  In school, I think we often recognize that we are responsible for teaching them the basics but often forget that we need to teach them how to apply them. This seems to be the key to authentic intellectual work..letting students productively struggle with the information we give them, instead of thinking that giving them the information is the end goal of education.

The next characteristic that is described is disciplined inquiry. This portion of the process requires a lot from the students. They first must acquire a prior knowledge base that is strong enough to build upon. This could include vocabulary, ideas, skills…all of the “basics” we think of in education. They must have an in-depth understanding of these concepts. This is not simple regurgitation of dates in history class, but an understanding of how events relate to each other. This isn’t the memorization of a cycle in biology, but understanding the impact of that cycle on an ecosystem. Lastly, they need to be able to communicate their solutions effectively. This is called elaborated communication (Newmann et al., 2007).

When reviewing the data and findings from instruction that includes construction of knowledge and disciplined inquiry, it seems to be one of the big keys to equitable education and closing gaps between all groups…gender, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic (Newmann et al., 2007). We strive to provide education that is accessible to all of our groups and provides strong growth and results to all of our students, and this method proved to provide that across all groups.

In math class, one of the things we do to promote authentic intellectual work is our personal financial literacy units, which come at the end of the year. Students need to apply skills learned earlier in the year (including circle graphs with percentages, operations with rational numbers, and proportions) to create a monthly budget. We often make them “shop” for cars and loans and have them apply their knowledge of calculating interest using various rates.

Part 2

 

The 2024 NETP from the Office of Educational Technology discusses the issue of the digital use divide. The digital use divide is the gap between how students are typically using technology, either as passive or active users. It is known that students from lower socioeconomic groups may actually have more access to technology, but it is in a far more passive manner, as opposed to using technology actively and productively (Office of Technology, 2024). One of the ideas I loved most that I will try to bring to my theatre class was the student-choice, project-based learning STEAM opportunity that was given to students in the Pendergast Elementary School District in Glendale, AZ (Office of Technology, 2024). In my theatre classes, I will have artists, writers, performers, and hands-on hammer-and-nails kids. If I can give my students options to present their research (through a script, or a set design, or a costume), I can help them become more active users of technology to research their chosen method of presentation and give them more control over their outcome.

Part 3

I think the AIW framework is so closely tied to Kolb’s Triple E Framework, which involves Engagement (active use of technology instead of passive), Enhancement (moving past traditional memorization and worksheets to being more connected personally to learning through technology), and Extension (moving out of classroom applications to authentic, real-life applications through the use of technology) (Kolb, 2020). The Kolb Triple E framework is essentially the pathway to effective technology use when creating authentic intellectual instruction and assessment. In the STEAM student-choice example I used above, the fact that the entire series was student-led and project-based helped to promote engagement by giving students some agency and autonomy.

I’ve learned a lot about how to integrate technology purposefully into my classroom this week. One of the things I feel like we are constantly complaining about as educators lately is how apathetic students are about their education, and it seems the real truth is that kids are just changing faster than education can keep up. I hope to be able to add more positive feedback in these discussions in the future.

            References: 

Kolb, L. (2020, December 9). About - Triple E Framework. Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007).  Authentic instruction and assessment: Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects.  State of Iowa Department of Education.

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A Call to Action to Close the Technology Access, Design, and Use Divides: National Educational Technology Plan. Department of Education.