Using Technology and Documentation in the Secondary Context

With the explosion of technology in the classroom, specifically the invasion of smart phone and the use of course shells online the question arises as to how we, as educators, can harness this for good. There is a tremendous amount of potential. The phones that students are bringing to class today have the ability to take pictures, record video, edit and post these to the internet. The course shells offered through “Desire to Learn (D2L)” provide the opportunity to post student work and create discussion groups online.  Exploring how to use these technologies for secondary students to document their own learning seems like an obvious and worthwhile undertaking.

To start, let’s explore the use of the cellphone. One of my first attempts of having students document their understanding using the cameras on their phones involved a grade 11 biology classroom and the concept of photosynthesis. As the concept of photosynthesis is not one that lends itself to inquiry, I used direct instruction to introduce the concept. After having spent some time with the information I asked them to go outside and using sidewalk chalk draw out the light and dark reactions. These are very complicated processes which require a lot of space to diagram out. The students were then asked to take a photo of their work and post it in our course shell with in a discussion area. We ended up with a number of great photos, a great first step. However, for those of you that are familiar with Reggio Emilia and documentation this activity was lacking, what Tiziana Filippini would describe as, the opportunity of the students to examine and learn from their documentation.  Enter the use of the discussion area on our course shell.

 

Attempt number two involved the biological process of cellular respiration. Cell respiration is a process that has a number of steps and involves large separated events connected together by chemical products linking one process to another. I thought that creating a movie would be a great way to demonstrate our understanding. I had the class divide up into groups and provided them with a number of post-it notes. I required that everyone must be in the video but no one may have their face in it. Students used their phones as the device to create the movie on. As a result, the movies were of a variety of hand movements and post-it notes with chemicals written on the post-it notes simulating the process of cell respiration. The videos where then posted in a discussion area on D2L and students were required to comment on the work of others. This to me provided that opportunity to use student work as text, providing that opportunity to learn from each other but there was a lack in the depth of discussion.

My third attempt, and more effective in my opinion, was during our discussion of enzyme activity for our digestion unit. I provided the students with a number of materials (coloured paper clips, oven mitts, lab aprons and string) and asked the students to demonstrate their understanding of a variety of principles associated with enzyme activity by creating a series of photos. The photos were to be a representation of their understanding of how enzymes work and the factors that can affect them. These were then posted on D2L in the discussion area and students were asked to comment on the work of others. This was an improvement over my second attempt as the materials that I provided really required a deeper level of understanding of the concept. Despite being our third attempt, the depth of learning that I was looking for still had not raised.

My final example is from the circulatory system. Students are required to have an understanding of the entire circulatory system, including movement of blood through the heart to the rest of the body, down to the capillary level. To demonstrate their understanding I asked students to write a story from the perspective of a red blood cell traveling throughout the system, starting at the heart and travelling throughout the entire body and returning to the heart. Students were given the option to create a narrative or a comic strip to represent the movement. Students again were asked to post their stories onto a discussion form on D2L. The difference from this activity to the others that I had attempted earlier in the semester involved me requiring the student to respond to the story in the following way: “Comment on the two project(s) that is posted directly below yours on D2L. Your comments must be specific indicating 1) what you really liked about how they displayed their understanding of how the circulatory system works and 2) how that individual could change their text or illustrations to improve your understanding of their thinking on the circulatory system.” By providing these questions there was an enhancement of the discussion for some, but others still were reluctant to share any deep feedback.

 
As a result of the process I have a number of insights regarding technology and its use in documentation at the secondary level. First and foremost, technology provides a great opportunity for documenting student learning. The technology allows for the capture of images which when used can provide deep insight into student understanding of a concept. In addition, digital technology creates a digital record of learning for individuals allowing them to see their own learning progress as well as seeing how others in the class have progressed as well. The opportunity for discussion and using student work as text is enhanced through the medium as students post and comment on each other’s work. Finally, the technology by itself is insufficient to act as a documentation of learning. Students need to be guided and prompted throughout the process of documentation. Bringing documentation to the secondary context is worthwhile and using technological tools that students are familiar, provides a great stepping stone, enhancing students understanding of their own learning.

Can We Make Learning Visible on Tests?

Testing and Reggio Emilia are clearly two ideas that seem to be philosophically incompatible. Yet given the context that I am working in, I asked the question can we use tests to demonstrate learning? It became apparent to me during parent teacher interviews that there are a number of students that, despite their time in school (10 to 11 years), cannot recognize the gaps that they have in terms of the content they are required to know or the skills they need to write a test. In addition, they seem not to have any idea why they are not successful, and are at a complete loss. They have yet to be empowered to improve in this area. Listening to the desperation in their voices and seeing the tears in their eyes as I state to them that clearly they want to do well, they are working extremely hard, yet the performance on these evaluations is really not a representation of their effort or desire to do well. It was after a period of time of reflection that I asked myself: “What do I do to help students better understand what these examinations are telling them?” , “How can I support them and uncover gaps that they have in their learning, specifically in their preparation for these academic displays?”

As a result of these questions I began to apply an approach of self-evaluating performance on tests for students. I started small. My first attempt at bringing out their learning was during a quiz. Upon completion of the quiz we corrected it together. Students were given the opportunity to talk with others in the class and share their quizzes. “The answer is out there in the class. Find someone who got it right”, I stated. Students milled about talking to friends and classmates, trying to determine why they got certain questions wrong. I remind them: “Ask yourself, why did I not get this question?”

Emerging from the moment were three simple questions which I have been using with students to help them evaluate their work: 1. Did I have the background knowledge to answer this question? If not, why not? 2. If I did have the background knowledge, what was it about the question that I did not understand, was it the question that I did not understand? What is it about this question that I did not get?” 3. Did I just make silly mistakes? If so, what can I do next time when I write a quiz or test to ensure that I do not make the same silly mistakes?

Asking these three questions is important but more important is taking the opportunity to make their learning visible for themselves. To do this I extended this activity to unit exams, asking students to write on their tests after getting the corrected test back. I asked them to write beside each incorrect response why they got it wrong. Was it because they made a silly mistake? Was it a result of not having the back ground knowledge? Was it because the question itself tripped them up? Taking the time to write out the reason why they got the questions wrong gives them an opportunity to see that they need help in test taking; they need help ensuring that they are studying properly or they need to be more careful when writing tests. After completing this self-evaluation I asked the students to write themselves a letter about the test. In the letter I asked them to give themselves hints about what they need to do differently for the next test as well as ideas about what to study at the end of the year for their final exams.

The feedback that I received from students about this approach to documenting learning after a semester was very positive. I gave them a survey at the end of the term and asked students to “Describe what you found most helpful in this course.” Students responded with answers like:, “I found that your teaching style in the aftermath of an exam, writing down how we can improve, greatly increase my awareness” and “I liked going over my unit exams to see how I did, and write notes to myself about what I need to pay extra attention on.” It is clear to me that taking the time to have a student document “the why” of their performance on any test is valuable to student learning. Providing these questions as a framework as a starting point is clearly important. Having students articulate why they did not perform well is a great starting point for them to see that they need help on test writing, they need to improve in their studying or need to be more aware of making silly mistakes. When it comes to taking a test, the devil is in the details and students need to be aware of that. Documentation helps to make this visible for students.

References

Jaruszewicz, C. (2006). Opening windows on teaching and learning: Transformative and emancipatory learning precipitated by experimenting with visual documentation of student learning. Educational Action Research, 14(3), 357-375.

Turner, T. and Wilson, D. G. (2010). Reflections on documentation: a discussion with thought leaders from Reggio Emilia. Theory Into Practice, 49(1) 5-13.

Bringing Reggio Emilia Inspired Education to a High School science classroom- setting the context

Teaching within the secondary context it becomes apparent that there are a number of opportunities for teachers who are looking to bring about the philosophy of Reggio Emilia and all that it embodies. Primarily the aspect of the philosophy that I am using to inspire my practice is that of documentation. My hope is that through this blog I will document my own experience and how it has changed my approach in the classroom.

To begin, I feel that it is important to set the context with which I am working to provide some insight of the struggles I have encountered. Currently I am working within a secondary school located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The students are from a relatively high socio-economic standing. There is ample access to technology and there is a wealth of resources for students. The school has a lab science lab that can accommodate 80 students at a time. As well there is a provincial park that is within walking distance of the school and provides a great amount of potential.

Teaching in high school science in Alberta involves a great amount of accountability. Standardized testing is the norm in terms of evaluation. Students who are completing their last year of their high school education will find that their final grade is determined in large by multiple choice exams. One of which, their final exam, is a provincially administered test worth 50% of their final grade. Teaching to the test is not uncommon and students expect that school is all about preparation for those exams. Learning is reduced to a final grade in high school and learning opportunities are only valued if they are marked and are part of the grade. Test preparation dominates our understanding of learning and how to evaluate it.

How does Reggio Emilia fit into such an understanding of teaching and learning? We have embarked on a journey where we are hoping to explore the use of documentation as well ideas that gain their inspiration from the “Project Zero-Making Learning Visible” out of Harvard. What does documentation look like for this situation?

Throughout this semester I have been trying to bring the Reggio philosophy to my secondary science classroom. The intention of this series of blogs will be document the ideas that I have implemented as well as talk about the ups and downs associated with these attempts. Good reading.