Slip Slidin' Away

Paul Simon provided a significant part of my life’s soundtrack.  I can still sing along (not always well or in tune) to most Simon and Garfunkel tunes.  In the 70’s my favorite songs from his solo career included “Loves Me like a Rock” and “Me and Julio Down by the School Yard.”  In the 80’s, I wore out the Graceland album, which contains sessions recorded with the South African group, Ladysmith Black Mombazo.  “Diamond on the Soles of Her Shoes” is the best cut from Graceland, but I also love “You Can Call Me Al.” 

Short side trip down memory lane: Click this link to take a peek at a music video that has Chevy Chase lip-syncing and Simon adding backup.  If this doesn’t make you chuckle, I’m not sure how to help you: You Can Call Me Al

I mention Paul Simon because I was asked a question recently that made me think of his song “Kodachrome.”  If you know the song, hum the first line.  (Those of you newer to teaching may have to research what Kadachrome is before finding the lyrics to the song.)  As the song indicates, I remember lots of things about high school—some good and some bad—but the reality is that I don’t remember much of what happened in classes.

What were the assignments my teachers had me do?

Improvised Duet Acting

One assignment I do remember took place in English class.  In my junior year, Mr. Miller assigned Nate Barge and me the task of preparing for an improvised skit.  Our immediate reaction: “It’s improvisation.  How can you prepare to improvise?”  As it turns out, and as Mr. Miller taught us, the answer is “quite a bit.”  Nate was (and probably still is) a funny guy, and between us we eventually performed in front of the class and had a great time doing so.

I tell you this, not so that you ask me to do stand-up comedy, but to make a point about assignments.  I graduated in from Hesston High School in rural Kansas in 1975, and as I look back on all the things I learned in high school, I can remember only a handful of classroom assignments.  I remember friends, teachers, and administrators.  I remember much about sports, plays, and after school events, but I remember very few of the actual assignments we did in class: a few from debate classes, a few from my time on the student newspaper, and a handful of assignments from my art classes. 

I know I had good teachers and I assume I had good assignments, but for the life of me, I can’t remember them.  That may well say more about my memory than the assignments, but I wonder if you have the same experience.  What assignments do you remember?  Put that question on the back-burner and let it percolate while you read the rest of this entry.

Near and Far Transfer

Grant Wiggins says that as teachers, we have students do three basic types of activities in our classroom:

• Acquisition: building foundational knowledge and skills
• Make Meaning: providing practice and making connections
• Transfer: applying the knowledge and skills to new situations and creative problem-solving

Furthermore, he makes the argument that there are two kinds of transfer activities:

• Near Transfer (Application): These activities and tasks require careful and skilled interpretation, analysis, connection-making, and reasoning in response to a novel or unique challenges.  In his words, “Non-formulaic use of prior knowledge is demanded.”  Students need to test, confirm, or justify the approach, response, or result.
• Far Transfer (Creative Problem-Solving): These tasks and activities require insightful and in-depth thinking in response to complex and open-ended problems or issues.  The solution path is not at all obvious, so “sustained critical and innovative thinking are needed.”  In other words, Problem- or Inquiry-Based Learning.

Wiggins argues that for long-term retention of skills and knowledge, students must experience transfer of some kind.  Brain research supports Wiggins.  In order for knowledge to “stick,” we need something for it to stick to.  This might be a significant event, a strong emotion, or a personal connection.  In short, not only do transfer activities allow you to assess the depth of a student’s understanding, they ensure retention of the key content. 

A really good question for us to ask is this: Are we spending the right amount of time on each of these types of activities?  Specifically, I wonder about how much time we spend on transfer activities.  Is it enough?  Do we give opportunities for students to participate in near and far transfer activities?

Memories

As you might have guessed, my line of thinking at the beginning of this entry was sparked when I watched Grant Wiggins explaining the importance of performance tasks and authentic assessments.  In passing he asked, “What do you remember of high school assignments?”  It caught my attention. I found that my memories of class assignments were, in the musical words of Paul Simon, “slip slidin’ away.” 

I’ll end where I started.  Think about those assignments that you recall from high school.  Then ask yourself how you can ensure that over time your students will remember the key concepts and skills from your class.  What activities and tasks will plant the seeds that take root and continue to grow throughout a student’s lifetime?

Have a great week, HSE.  Enjoy your students.  Enjoy the learning process, and make some memories that have all the enduring qualities of a Paul Simon recording.

Phil

Hello darkness, my old friend,

I’ve come to talk with you again,

Because a vision softly creeping,

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of Silence

--Simon and Garfunkel (1965)