Just Stick It!

At the risk of becoming a product huckster, I have to tell you that Gorilla Tape is the real deal.  It's a bit like duct tape on steroids and shouldn't be used unless you really want the tape to stay put permanently—because it does.  You even have to be careful to make sure you don't put a small extra strip on the inside of your forearm for later use while you are working on a project because it won't come off without ripping several layers of skin and leaving a bright red mark that stays for days but fortunately is hidden by the long sleeve shirt that you wear to school--just saying.

Photo from gorillaglue.com

 Gorilla Tape is made to stick, but that is not the main point of this entry.

Culture of Coverage

At this time of year, many teachers are facing a major dilemma.  Because of snow days and delays, because of cram-packed curricula, because some topics took longer than anticipated, or because of a hundred other reasons, many of you are feeling the pressure of needing to cover the material before the year ends.  Adding additional pressure is the fact that Spring Break starts at the end of this week, and we all know that May is filled with AP tests, ECAs, and Final Exams.  That leaves almost no time to get it all in.

The danger of speed-teaching, of course, is that we can sacrifice understanding for the sake of coverage.  It's a huge problem with no easy answers.  Grant Wiggins writes about an epidemic in schools which he calls “The Culture of Coverage.”  The hallmark of this phenomenon is conflating ideas with information.  When teachers have only enough time to tell about ideas and don’t let students delve deeper, analyze, build meaning, or question, we contribute to the Culture of Coverage.  Wiggins argues that there is a vast difference between covering facts and uncovering understandings.  Unfortunately, efficiency often is the enemy of effectiveness. 

From Grant Wiggins:

Teachers often unwittingly conflate terms with ideas.  In their desire to make teaching more efficient, they often treat the theory or strategy as a fact related to definition…. By treating all ideas as facts to be learned instead of inferences to be validated and analyzed through use, we unwittingly end up inhibiting meaning and transfer.

Even though we know the research that says students must be allowed to construct their own understanding, we feel the pressure to tell and cover the content because of our time constraints.  The result, as might be expected, is the loss of long term retention and the inability to transfer knowledge to new situations.  The research is crystal clear: covering content is very different than students understanding content.

Made to Stick

So what should you do?  Admittedly, there is no easy answer, but we do have a really good question: Is it possible to cover and still get information to stick?  The easy answer is “no,” but a better answer might be, “It depends….”

Chip and Dan Heath in their book Made to Stick give some suggestions that may help us answer this key question in more positive ways.  The authors are brothers, one with a background in education and the other with a background in business.  They argue in their entertaining and memorable book—it better be memorable considering the title—that there are six principles that make ideas understandable and memorable.  You don’t need to use all six principles to create a “sticky idea,” but the more you use, the better the chance of your students understanding and remembering important ideas.

Below is an infograph of the Made to Stick model which comes from the Heath Brother website.  It does a nice job of summarizing the whole book—and hints at some of their stories that you may want to read later. 

For more information and details, visit http://heathbrothers.com/

In the next few months, you are going to be tempted to cover material quickly.  If you want to avoid the dangers of this approach, and you want your students to retain the learning beyond May 2015, somewhere along the way, you should work in as many of the Heath Brother principles as possible. 

After all is said and done, our goal is not to cover the material; it is to make ideas stick like Gorilla Tape to our students.

Have a great week and an even better Spring Break, HSE.  That’s my wish for you, and I’m sticking to it.

Phil

The Bowler's Question

I first heard Steve Barone speak at Indiana Principal Leadership Academy.  He taught me lots of things about how organizations work.  He argues that all organizations must eventually change, or they stagnate and die.  He also taught me lots about building trust, the dangers of breaking trust, and the importance of creating “strong promises.”  I often find myself quoting things Steve said or wrote.

I give you this introduction as a way of giving credit to Steve for what he calls the “Bowler’s Question.”  I’m not much of a bowler, but I’ve done enough to understand why he calls it this unusual name.  If you’ve ever been bowling, you probably know how the lanes have one set of marks in the approach area and another about 10 feet down the alley.  Whereas I use the rear-back-and-chuck-it approach to bowling, good bowlers, apparently, use these marks to make adjustments all the time.  They change their footing, their spin, and which mark to hit as they release the ball.

Photo from okcmod.com

Good bowlers are always asking themselves about changes they need to make in order to get a specific result.  And this, according to Steve Barone, is the Bowler’s Question: What would it take to…?  (Insert the outcome of your choice.)  Barone advises against asking questions in important situations that result in yes or no answers, such as, “Can you finish the project by Monday?”  Ask instead, “What would it take for you to get that project finished by Monday?” 

It’s a subtle difference in the format of the question, but I have found the outcomes and responses are very, very different.

Barone says if you frame a question with a yes or no response, you severely limit the potential for getting a positive outcome.  The Bowler’s Question actually names the result you want as the outcome, but changes the options from two to unlimited.  The framing of the question still gives the receiver of the question a choice, but it is a much different kind of choice and often moves the conversation forward in positive ways. 

I encourage you to try the Bowler’s Question with your students, with your fellow teachers, with your own children, or even with your administrators to see if it helps bring about a positive outcome and good dialogue.  I would caution you to use it carefully and for something about which you care deeply because the answers you receive will often call for interesting decisions of your own.

Maybe if we all start using the Bowler’s Question, we can get shirts and shoes to match.  For our Art Department, as you can see, this would be right down their alley. 

I hear bowling is a fine art at HSE.

What would it take for you to have a great week, HSE?

Phil

Powerless Point

I had one of those head-slap eureka experiences this week.  I could have been in a commercial for V8 or imitating Homer Simpson’s “D’oh.”   I read something and it dawned on me I was going about things in the wrong way.  In fact, I was spectacularly wrong, but I didn’t fully recognize the problem until the head-slap.

I had good intentions, and I even thought I was being helpful.  Unfortunately, you experienced my error because I did it to you!  I’m not sure exactly how to move forward.  I have some ideas of how to get better, but it will be a work in progress.

Let me illustrate my mistake:

This is a PowerPoint slide I used last September in a PD session.  If the research is correct, you probably do not remember the exact content of my presentation, but you probably do remember doing the Marshmallow Challenge during the session in which it was used.  Before going any further, think back and see if this is right.  Do you remember the topic of this PowerPoint presentation?  (Hint: It wasn’t UbD.) Now, do you remember the Marshmallow Challenge?

Typical PowerPoint Presentations

My head-slap moment came while reading an article in an EdSurge Newsletter entitled, “Why Your Students Forgot Everything on Your PowerPoint Slides.”  This incredibly long title also serves as a synopsis.  If the author, Mary Jo Madda, is right—and she cites lots of research to support her claims—I have not used the power of PowerPoints well.  In fact, my approach may have contributed to confusion rather than clarification.

Madda says our brains can only process a limited amount of information at any one time.  Like our computers, our brains have limited working memory.  In danger of mixing a metaphor, Madda says putting information in our brains is like filling a bucket with rocks.  The more complex the task and information, the more “rocks” are thrown into the bucket.  When our brains are overloaded, similar to a computer running out of working memory, everything slows down and pieces are lost completely.  Adding multiple modes of processing is like opening up another software program when the computer’s working memory is already maxed out.  It adds to the cognitive overload. 

That is what often happens with PowerPoint presentations.  Our students have difficulty reading, listening, taking notes, and processing information simultaneously.  Our mode of presentation can add stress to already strained working memory.  Madda writes about the Redundancy Effect: “The duplicate information—spoken and written—doesn’t reinforce one another; instead, the two effectively flood students’ ability to handle the information.”

I read that line and slapped my forehead.  I do this all the time.  I put up a slide full of words.  I know I shouldn’t read the text because that irritates me to no end when I am in the audience.  But I do talk about what’s in the text.  What this does, according to Madda, is put people in the audience in a difficult position.  They try to read the text, listen to me, and filter through the information to find key points all at the same time.  Our brains don’t work this way. 

If we are reading, we can’t listen fully.  If we are processing information, we can’t listen or read for comprehension.  If we are listening, we might “see” the words, but we won’t “understand” the content.  We are merely word-calling and not attaching meaning.  Our working memory becomes overloaded.  The result is the opposite of the intention.

So I’m guilty as charged—and you may be as well.

Other Options:

Fortunately, Madda does offer some research-based options for what to do when using a PowerPoint.  Her suggestions:

• Eliminate Textual Elements: Instead of words, use visuals and talk through the points you want to make.  This allows students to focus on one mode of presentation and provides a visual cue for later recall.
• Use Words as Visuals: If you have to use words, try limiting yourself to one or two words per slide.  The key words become a visual cue, as opposed to being lost in all of the other text on the slide.  For example, this slide from the same presentation might be a more effective approach:

• Use Text; Stop Talking: If you include a slide with lots of text.  Stop talking, and let your students read and process the information.  This one is especially hard for me, and I suspect it might be for you as well.  Students need time to read and process.  The required time varies for each student.  It is hard for us as the experts in the content area to remember how difficult reading and comprehending new material might be for beginning learners.  You need to give more time than might feel comfortable. 
• Build in Processing Time: Class time is precious.  Content is extensive.  The pressure to rush can be our enemy.  If we don’t build in time for students to process the information as we go, they will not make the connections required to retain the learning.   There are lots of ways to build in this processing time.  For example, have the students quietly write a short reflection, pair and share, talk to others at table group, formulate one important question, summarize the content with one word or one sentence, draw a visual reminder, or put notes into their own words.  Ironically, you must slow down in order to speed up!

No question about it.  I was wrong.  I need to change my approach.  One of the reasons I’m writing this today is so you can hold me accountable.  If I put up slides full of text and don’t follow best practice, you have permission to call me on it. 

More importantly, I want your help in a different way as well.  Do you have a favorite PowerPoint presentation that follows best practice according to Madda?  Do you have ideas for how to provide processing time in the middle of a presentation?  Do you have alternatives to PowerPoint presentations that you find effective?  If so, please send me your examples.  If possible, include a screen shot and short explanation.  I would love to learn from what works well for you. 

By the way, the topic of the PD session referenced at the beginning of this entry was about creating and using authentic assessments.  How much of that presentation do you remember?  I rest my case.  D’oh!

Have a great week, HSE. 

Phil

This picture of my desk reminds me of one of my goals:

Shattering Expectations

My youngest daughter has a science teacher at Indiana School for the Deaf who has sparked her interest in science in a variety of ways, but mostly because this teacher has a room full of animals: fish, a hedgehog, lizards, and turtles.  Mercy’s favorite, however, is a crested red gecko.  She has been saving her allowance and birthday money for a while.  Recently, she bought a cage, complete with heating pad, rock-like watering dish, and fake tropical plants.  The only thing remaining is the purchase of the actual gecko.

Mercy's New Cage

Her teacher told her that we could buy a gecko from a pet store, but we should also check out the Reptile Show at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.  So last Sunday afternoon, while the county was still digging out after the snow storm, we loaded up Mercy and Zeb and headed over.

Red Crested Gecko: Photo from SilverToraGe

To be perfectly honest, I was not prepared for this experience.  We paid the entry fee and walked into Hall C.  Tables had been arranged to create booths all around the room, and these tables were covered end-to-end with clear plastic containers of various shapes and sizes.  Inside the containers were critters: lizards, tarantulas, turtles, scorpions, snakes, skinks, monitors, and geckos.  Two booths were set up for food: the first was for human consumption and the second, not so much.   It held cages of mice, crickets, worms and other delicacies favored by the creeping, crawling, and jumping creatures watching us from inside their plastic containers.

The word heebie-jeebies has always been one of my favorites, and I now have an experience to associate with the term. 

Almost as interesting as examining the reptilian menagerie, was watching the other attendees at the show.  People intensely interested in reptiles, spiders, and snakes, as you might imagine, tend to be unique in other ways as well.  They rolled in and out of the hall in waves.  They stood and debated the merits of different creatures, wrapped enormous snakes around their necks, and nuzzled creepy crawlies of all types.  From what I could hear, the young and old aficionados have read extensively, they have real-life experience with their pets, and they care deeply for creatures about which I know very little.

Even with a serious case of the willies, I must admit that I began to understand some of their fascination when I actually held a gecko and looked closely.  I was mesmerized by the unblinking eyes staring back at me from its prehistoric face.  I was fascinated by the movement of its sticky-toes as it walked up my arm, and I had my expectations shattered when I discovered the baby-softness of its skin, when I expected it to be hard and scaly to the touch.  I’m not a full convert, but am beginning to understand the appeal.

Gecko Feet: Photo from nsf.gov

As I think back on that day—and I have done so regularly since then—I have reached a few conclusions.  They are, in no particular order of importance, as follows:

• Cross-Cultural Experiences: When I travel, I assume I am going to come across cultures different from my own.  I know that I will run into people with different values, interests, beliefs, and passions, so I am seldom shocked.  In fact, I find the experience enriching.  After attending the Reptile Show, I am more convinced than ever that we can and do have cross-cultural experiences right here in Fishers, Indiana.  In this case, I witnessed a whole group of people who are passionate about reptiles, snakes, and spiders, but this is only one example of many.  I was surprised by this experience and my reaction to it, but I shouldn’t be. 
• Danger—Not of Reptiles, but Rather of Attitudes: I recognize that I may be unintentionally dismissive of the passions of others, simply because I am uninformed, unaware, or fail to see the beauty and wonder that they do.  Intentional or not, my attitudes have potential to hurt, especially if others perceive my own biases as rejection of who they are and what they consider important.
• HSE Students: I want to change the pronoun to plural in this point.  We see students every day who have interests in tune with our own.  In fact, we likely have multiple points of connection to most students walking our halls.  If we take time to look more closely, I believe we may also discover students who have interests and passions very different from our own.  More importantly, we may be able to tap into the passions, interests, and gifts of these students in ways that will benefit them, help them feel appreciated, and can enrich all of us.

There is no question that last Sunday’s trip to the fairgrounds took me out of my comfort zone.  It gave me the heebie-jeebies at first, but I’m starting to see how Mercy’s interest could become one of my own.  Her gecko could become one more point of connection between us.

It makes me wonder.  I wonder how our students who are disconnected from school or feel outside the mainstream might react if they could spend time in at least one class deeply exploring and sharing their own areas of interest.  Providing this opportunity may take us out of our comfort zone.  Giving up some control on content may give us the heebie-jeebies at first, but it might also shatter a student’s negative expectations of school.  It might help these students reconnect to school, feel part of the school, and result in some amazing learning—for students and for us.

That possibility gives me the shivers of a different kind.  Have a great week, HSE.

Phil

• “The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.”  --William Blake
• “Snakes are sometimes perceived as evil, but they are also perceived as medicine.  If you look at an ambulance, there are the two snakes on the side of the ambulance, the caduceus or the staff of Hermes.  There are the two snakes, which means that the venom can also be healing.”  --Nicolas Cage
• “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  --Mahatma Ghandi