The students of High Tech high are experiencing learning in a way that is unlike their counterparts in the standard high school classroom. They work on real-world projects and put them together using current technological methods. The integration of technology does not involve a separate coding or computer class, but rather a situation in which technology is an integral part of the learning experience. The purpose of technology is production — the creation of an actual product. Students create a movie sharing what they've learned rather than simply taking tests and writing papers. Biology students are creating a DNA bar-coding process to help convict poachers. This is not a hypothetical problem, but rather a real attempt to solve a real problem. It is not learning just for the sake of learning, but rather learning as a means to accomplish a goal.
Students are asked to demonstrate learning all throughout the project. They must share and defend their product, but also must present their own learning. They are asked to give "Presentation of Learning" to their peers and teachers showing what they have learned during the term. They are not given finals, but rather in a more realist way they are asked to defend their own projects and define their own learning. It is a model that is much closer to the workplace in which you are often asked to demonstrate to your supervisors that you are accomplishing the tasks that have been put before you. These students do not study scientists, but rather, are asked to behave like scientists.
This is not unlike my approach to my own classroom. My students are currently learning to code a website using the HTML/CSS computer languages. They are currently tasked with building a website that demonstrates their learning in their STEM classes (4th graders are building a site explaining the CA Gold Rush, 5th graders a site that teaches about weather, and the 6th graders the dangers of oil spills). All of these projects are a unique way for them to demonstrate understanding, but are building to my larger goal of providing them with the skills necessary to begin to build websites for others. My goal being to create a real working company that builds websites for local companies, so that students can build a savings account toward college. The connections made in these lessons between the classroom and real world scientists is amazing. I would love to integrate that kind of connection between the outside world and my own classroom.
Sugata Mitra argues that the information age has come to an end. His revolutionary concept of education asks educators to make use of the technology that surrounds us, and allow students to learn, explore and even teach themselves. The concept of School in a Cloud asks students to tackle a problem using whatever resources they can. The teacher observes, encourages and responds to questions, but they are not the great vessel of knowledge. Mitra argues that students no longer need to know things, but rather must be confident in their ability to find information.
During the lessons shown, students were asked to discover why it is that tears are shaped like teardrops. Is there a reason? The teacher asked, and then she stepped aside and allowed students to determine the answer for themselves. The students worked in groups, huddled around one computer. They thoughtfully handed out jobs to each other, and after an hour of research, that involved noisy discussion, they made presentations of their findings to each other and to their teacher.
This type of learning is deep, in that it comes from within the students themselves. They aren't being handed information discovered by someone else, but rather, are attempting to determine reasons for themselves. The learning is evident not only in they're concluding demonstrations, but through on-going observation. The students are constantly asking questions of the computer, each other and the instructor.
I read about School in the Cloud early this year and have attempted it in my own classroom. My students were asked to determine how we would know that the drought had ended in California. My School in the Cloud wasn't as successful as I would've like. I am limited to a 45 minute class period, and it didn't seem quite sufficient to achieve a true School in the Cloud experience. I plan to try it again, and tackle a smaller, or less complex question so that there is enough time for students to truly explore the topic.
Sal Khan flipped education on its head when he established Khan Academy. Khan Academy provides a "free, world-class education for all". His entire approach is to focus on mastery and understanding, rather than performance. On the surface, the series of videos provided seem like a small change -- a shift from a person in the front of the room to a video.
However, Khan Academy offers a much more divergent approach than that; it puts students in the driver's seat of their own learning. They are not dependent on a teacher to learn a new task, or review a skill. They can study whatever they want, whenever they want and for as many times as they want. Many students have raised their hands in class to ask a question only to here a tired teacher respond, "I already explained that four times. Weren't you listening?" I could have personally benefitted from Khan Academy back when I was taking geometry! No matter how many times my teacher explained a concept, I needed more.
Khan Academy also offers control over the type of instruction a student receives. Students can watch short videos, read transcripts, practice skills, take assessments, and use hints for guided practice. They have control over their own learning, and thus can utilize a system that works best for them. They are not limited to what a teacher can offer in a brief class period, they are free to pause and practice a single idea, before moving forward for the next layer of complexity.
I have used Khan Academy in my classroom for several years now, and continue to be amazed by its effectiveness. My students not only grow in their math skills as evidenced by test scores, MI results, and improved grades, but they also develop a growing sense of confidence in their own ability to solve complex problems. As one student has told me, "Look, I don't get this now, but give me some time, and I'm gonna figure it out." This a profound and powerful statement from an 11 year old.
My exposure to Khan Academy has pushed me to let go of the reigns in the classroom. I can allow my students to not only learn and discover for themselves, but to even teach me. My students and I worked through Khan Academy's computer programing lessons together. Some of the lessons were challenging for them, and some of the lessons were challenging for them; we got through it together, and the end result was a learning community where everyone was a student and everyone was a teacher.