Cousins With a Common Purpose

Classroom teachers spend their entire careers being presented with one initiative after another.  Often times these initiatives have little to do with each other and may even work against each other.   However, sometimes initiatives work hand in hand with a common purpose.

Both situations above are the case with three current educational initiatives: Common Core (CC), Standards Based grading (SB), and Mass Customized Learning (MCL).  These are three separate initiatives that don't necessarily come from the same folks.  However, these initiatives are actually related.  In short CC represents the latest set of content standards that students will soon be expected to meet.  SB is an approach that requires all students to meet the standards of the Common Core and requires schools to report each student's progress toward that goal.  MCL is an approach that allows the theory of Standards Based grading to become a more practical reality.  Thus, MCL is also an approach that helps students meet the standards of the Common Core.  Though separate, the three initiatives are related, like cousins.

The difficulty arises when targeted experts, people who are rock solid in one initiative but lacking in understanding of other related initiatives, give well intended advice that is counter productive in the long run.  For example, some of these experts make claims about how best to address the Common Core, despite having apparently limited knowledge about how Standards Based Learning and/or Mass Customized Learning work.  This serves to fragment educational progress and undermine pedagogical growth.

It is far more effective to look at CC, SB, and MCL as cousins working toward a common family purpose.  When combined, these three beneficial initiatives are more likely to take the giant leap from theory to reality.

A Question of TIme

I've had a question arise recently that has given me pause for reflection.  If students appear engaged in the classroom, yet some are not meeting target dates for meeting standards, is this okay?  Is it okay to let this go, focusing solely on interventions for those students and not the fact that they are "behind".

In a fully implemented MCL system, my answer would likely be, "Yes, learning is the constant; time is the variable."  However, when the MCL classroom exists as part of a traditional school system, there are time limits placed upon teachers and students that are hard to ignore.

The irony is that the overwhelming majority of students may be learning far more and achieving to a higher level than before an MCL implementation, including those who are not working at an expected pace.  The dominant concern could be the time it might take some students to progress, not the progress itself.

Perhaps it is okay to "note and nudge" in this case.  In other words, I could make note of each student's current status (I do this anyway) and nudge those who need it in some ways that don't disrupt the positive feel of the MCL classroom.  Putting student names on the board as a special caution flag along with the suggestion that those students work during break or after school as they see fit seems a good step.  I had tried this as a mandatory step, and it really felt like I was dragging mules, not my intent!  I much prefer the offer as opposed to the command, and the students appear to feel the same way.  I'm yet to have an empty room during break since I made that switch.

Another way to nudge is the parent phone call.  Some students find an extra gear when they learn a call home is imminent (noted by their name being written in a different color on the board), making the call unnecessary.  Others benefit from the extra nudge at home.  At very least, the parent becomes informed of the situation and the opportunities for assistance available.

What gives me great comfort is the reality that being "behind" doesn't mean what it used to.  Being behind used to mean missing work along with a assessments that could include very low scores that were indicative of a student failing to meet not just the standards linked to the missing work, but potentially even the work that was "complete".  In the standards-based classroom in which I am implementing an MCL approach, a student may be a few standards behind.  However, the difference rests in the prior standards.  ALL of the prior standards will have been met or exceeded.  That's not just work completion but work completion with an appropriate level of quality.  That's a huge difference and I'll sleep easy because of it!

Direct Instruction in the MCL Classroom

In the earliest days of my MCL pilot, I had several classroom visitors who noted the lack of whole class direct instruction.  This was an accurate observation as I needed to learn the best ways to use this valid instructional method with my students.  Here are some strategies that I have tried or hope to try in the future.

• Whole Class Direct Instruction: Aside from occasional status of the class check ins, this was largely absent from my initial implementation.  The absence didn't exactly break my heart as I've found that many young adolescents do not favor this type of instruction.  After some consideration, I realized that the problem with direct instruction isn't with the teaching method.  Rather, the challenge is with the readiness of the student, half of the direct instruction equation.  Previously, I had used whole class direct instruction to introduce content and to share the most important information.  This was riveting for me but boring for most students despite my best jokes, bells, and whistles.  A month ago, I started using direct instruction in a different way.  Rather than using the method to introduce content, I used it as a means to review and expand upon learned content.  In short, whole class direct instruction now takes place when I feel a critical mass of students have acquired the knowledge based needed to participate in a discussion, rather than to just absorb my sleep inducing wisdom.  For example, students who know the details of the Constitution are more likely to be engaged in a discussion about current constitutional issues like the Supreme Court review of the health care law.  This method is still at the bottom of the favorites list for most students, so I try to keep these discussions rare and brief.  However, when we do have the discussions, they have more purpose and merit.

• Direct Instruction By Video Lesson: Let's face it.  Students are living in a point and click world.  It seems only natural that on demand multimedia play a major role in the 21st century classroom.  This is the primary way that I share new content with students, rather than the cat wrangling of whole class direct instruction of new content.  Students are required to access video lessons that I have created and other media that I link for them within our Moodle course.  What makes this more effective for students is that they have full control of the instruction.  Play, stop, pause, replay, all are available to students.  There's no excuse for missing anything.  Another benefit is that this form of direct instruction is available anywhere, anytime.  If a student has internet access, that student can access video lessons.  If a student is going to need a video lesson but will be without internet access, the video lesson can be downloaded directly to a laptop for offline play.

• One-To-One Direct Instruction: One of the benefits of students working in an MCL classroom is the freeing effect of independent student learning.  If students are working independently, the teacher then becomes free to assist as needed, one of my favorite parts of teaching.  If a student seems to be struggling, I am free to provide assistance.  I am also much more free to field questions from individual students.  Finally, students seek me out when submitting content, which provides an excellent opportunity for me to reinforce the most critical understandings of the content and to explain how their work measures up against the standard.  Many students sincerely desire to exceed the standards.  They just need to know how.  A little one-to-one direct instruction is just what they need.

• Small Group Direct Instruction: This is one area where I need to make more progress.  I have found that I am much more in touch with where individual students are in their learning than one might initially expect in such an independent, diverse learning environment.  Since all work funnels through me, I have a much better viewpoint of this than I did when collecting 40 identical worksheets.  I have read about how some MCL teachers temporarily group students for direct instruction.  I admit, I haven't made this a focus so far, but I definitely see the merit.  I have grouped some students for projects and some checklists require students to play learning games together.  However, I haven't taken advantage of the opportunities to bring students together for small group direct instruction.  It's on my "To Do" list.

• Seminars: In my happy dream world, I would advise a group of students for several years and facilitate their learning using an MCL approach.  On scheduled occasions, I would present seminars to students (my advisees and/or others) who have signed up on an as needed basis.  The fact that the seminars would not be required for students would undo some of the hazards of whole class direct instruction, as volunteers tend to be more engaged than those who are forced to participate.  This would require a system-wide change to the educational system, but even teachers can dream!

Tools For Independent Learning

One of the best features of MCL is it requires independent learning on the part of the student.  This, of course, has educational merit, but my observations have indicated that independent learning tends to lead to higher levels of engagement.  Here are some tools that have proven helpful.

• Video Lessons: These can take a couple forms, but they all have the same outcome.  Students can point and click to view a direct instruction video on the topic of study.  Video lessons can be homemade (I make mine as self-playing Keynote slideshows that I export and upload as Quicktime files) or from public sources.  The benefits of homemade video lessons are that you know they will remain available, you know they won't be blocked by internet filters, and most importantly, students receive the exact, word for word content that you intend for them to receive.  Using videos from other sources can be a time saver, plus they sometimes include higher quality content/images than a homemade video lesson.  Regardless of which you use (I use both), students have access to the content you wish them to engage in and can review the direct instruction as much as they want, when they want.

• Checklists: Most students thrive in an environment where they know exactly what they need to do on a step by step basis.  As my students work toward meeting standards, they work through multiple series of checklists that include required tasks selected by me.  Built within the checklists are opportunities to work alone, work with partners, receive direct instruction, play games, complete worksheets, create teacher/self selected projects, and more.  Students get to choose which checklists they are working through which is a big plus.  The other day, I was talking with a student about the option to move from one series to another.  He just let out a sigh of relief and said, "I like that."  This is no surprise.  Some students get in a zone and need to keep working with a single focus while others need frequent shifts of focus to maintain their engagement level.  The shift for students is as easy as viewing a different checklist.

• Electronic Classroom Management: The folders, files, cabinets, and trays of the 20th century classroom are being increasingly replaced with electronic tools like Moodle and StudyWiz.  In my class, Moodle is used as a platform for sending and receiving the majority of educational content.  Students download checklists and other documents, click on links to multimedia resources, complete and submit assignments/quizzes/projects, receive prompt and specific teacher feedback, and more.  What really makes this a tool of independence for students is the ability to access "classroom" content in the library, at home, anywhere there is an internet connection!  With organizational difficulties being one of the typical challenges of young adolescence, Moodle is a lifesaver for many students.

• Progress Charts: Even in the traditional model, where all students are roughly working on the same content at the same time, young adolescents at times forget where they left off.  This is even more an issue in the MCL classroom.  Students will likely be working on content that is entirely different from their neighbors.  This is where progress charts are very helpful.  Students need only walk to the wall of charts to view their current progress.  Set up in spreadsheet form, these charts allow students to see what they are currently working on.  The charts take two forms.
• Standards Met Charts: As standards are met, the correlating boxes are marked with an X or filled.  This works well with standards that are largely knowledge based.
• Level of Skill Charts: As students develop a skill (that correlates to one or more standards), boxes are gradually filled to show this development.  This works particularly well with content that develops over the long term, like writing.  A student might begin the year writing narratives of a quality that only partially meets the standard.  Over time, the student develops his/her writing skills, producing higher quality narratives that warrant filling in of more boxes.

Using these tools and others, students are becoming more and more independent.  It has been noted by some that this is excellent training for the online courses that will likely play a major role in the future of higher education.  Most importantly, students working independently appear to feel a sense of freedom that leads to engagement.

MCL Through Different Lenses

I just read the chapter outlines for Inevitable, and it made me think of the wide range of conversations about MCL that I've had with people.  I've noticed that one of the challenges of promoting MCL is that it can be viewed through various lenses, from narrow to very broad.

For example, in my class...

• Students are moving largely at their own pace.
• Students have a voice in the way they are accessing/demonstrating the most critical, higher level content.
• Students move on only when they meet a given standard.
• Students have nearly unlimited opportunity to meet and/or exceed each standard.
• Common content is available at multiple levels (e.g. - ALL students must be able to identify literary elements in narratives.  EACH student meets this standard in the context of level appropriate readings.)

With the above features in my classroom mix, it is fair to say that, at the classroom level, this is a functional MCL approach.

However, while my classroom approach features many core principles of a MCL classroom, that is just one level at which the term is used.  Many teachers speak of MCL from a larger, building/content wide viewpoint.  At the building or content level, there are greater requirements for commonality of process.  Some may use this as an excuse to keep from moving forward at the classroom level, claiming that it is impossible to move forward on one's own until the MCL processes for the entire building are established.  This is an understandable viewpoint if one views MCL through the building-wide lens.

Finally, one could view MCL through a system-wide lens.  This one is a reach with today's traditional school system structures.  However, it is what the leaders of this movement appear to endorse.  In this approach, the features of MCL would be applied to an entire K-12 system of education in a school system.

Since we all come to MCL with differing experiences and viewpoints, it makes sense to consider when communicating with others about MCL the lenses through which each of us view the initiative.

Welcome!

Welcome to my Mass Customized Learning blog!  I've been experimenting with MCL as a part of my standards based education efforts.  I've found the two to be a perfect match.  Along the way, I've run into difficulties but have had many more successes and huge personal/professional breakthrough moments.  The initial purpose of this blog is to share some of these.  Since I began this work a while back, some things I will share will be reflections on past experiences.  Other reflections will focus on more recent learnings.  It's been a great ride so far, so welcome aboard!