Saturday, July 14, 2007

Dewey System Dumped to Keep Young People Engaged

How can you create an inviting, appealing library environment for young people?

Organize books within ten broad categories was Mr. Melvil Dewey's strategy over one hundred years ago. Since then, librarians around the world have organized their collections under Mr. Dewey's system. Maybe you even recall card catalogs - wooden drawers filled with dusty cards.

Now the fifteen library Maricopa County Library District system in Arizona is dumping the Dewey system. It has adopted the Barnes and Nobles strategy of organizing books by subject into "neighborhoods".

Neither will you find stiff wooden chairs that seem obligatory at so many libraries. Furnishings, couches and soft chairs, at the system's Perry branch library exude comfort.

Featured books include Paris Hilton's "Confessions of a Heiress" and Chris Gardner's book "Pursuit of Happyness", the basis of Will Smith's recent movie.

If the bookstores have figured how to engage kids and young adults, I encourage our libraries to see if that model fits them as well.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Small NYC High Schools Deliver Big Graduation Rates

This is crucial, I mean stand-on-the-mountain-top-and scream crucial. New York City 'small high schools' significantly beat the graduation rates of its regular school cohorts.

How about a graduation rate difference of 18 points? The small high schools, often embedded in failing larger high schools, had an average graduation rate of 73 percenter comparied to 55 percent. I think of that difference as thousands of children who now have the potential to go to college, lead more meaningful and economically advantaged lives.

What are they doing right? Schools Chancellor Joel Klein remarked, "We've got to tell everyone in the country to throw away excuses and throw away low expectations."

Many of the small schools focus on a particular vocational area such as aerospace, computers and health careers. It is this specialization, I believe, along with the subtle messages that kids are expected to succeed that makes these programs winners.

Who would want a product that works only 55% of the time? It's time for school districts across the country to closely examine the success of New York's small high schools. Every year that youth drop out of school without a diploma is another year of pushing more lives with limited potential onto our streets and our governmental support systems.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

From Special Ed to Mission Control - All He Needed Was A Chance

This is a feel good story. After sifting through today's news of guts and gore, I need a feel good story. How about you?

Dale Mezzacapa of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that as a youngster, Jarmaine Ollivierre entered special education when his mother recognized his hyperactivity required special services. She was a single mom but provided a stable home life for Jarmaine, his sister and disabled brother.

Blessings abounded as he was placed at a school where philanthropist George Weiss promised post-secondary scholarships through his Say Yes to Education program.

Jarmaine was subsequently matched with a mentor at Boeing and received placements at various aerospace instutions, including two years' employment at Morton Thiokol.

Jarmaine, the special ed kid, earned bachelors degrees in aeronautics and physics, followed by a master's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

He is now a flight engineer in Mission Control, a place he only dreamed of as a child.

To borrow a phrase, all he needed was a chance.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Low Tech Math Means Big Fun for Students

You may think that in order to reach today's teens and middle schoolers, technology must be part of the equation.

Here's an example of a teacher in York, Pennsylvania who has developed a math activity using NASCAR racing.

Tom Baughman's students work in teams, using rulers, tape measures, calculators and protractors to complete a packet of questions. They then measure parts of the car. Calculating aspects of car travel such as distance is also part of the game.

Although I am not a fan of NASCAR (apologies to those of you who are), but I think Mr. Baughman's math activities contains two key components of engaging students in education.

  1. Hands-on learning beats textbook learning. The stickiness of hands-on learning brings a higher degree of retention. I'm sure these are lessons that the students will remember as they advance to higher levels of learning.
  2. The learning context, NASCAR racing, is relevant to students. Best of all, NASCAR racing should engage male students, who seem prone to disengage themselves from the learning process.
Now let's go back to my first point in this post? You don't have to have technology to successfully engage students in learning. A checkered flag to Mr. Baughman for making math come alive for his students.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Another example of a high school - college program

I'm noticing a trend that's got me very excited. I wrote in a previous blog about high schools that are offering combined diploma and associates of arts degrees. The program seems to be particularly effective with struggling students.

Evanston Township High School, just north of Chicago, is going to be launching a similar program in conjunction with Oakton Community College. This is a nationally ranked college that offers a rich program in technology and the arts.

The Evanston Roundtable reports that the ETHS board has just approved an arrangement to combine its Adult and Continuing Education program with other area high school districts which have formed an Alliance with Oakton.

This trend should be watched closely. Is it the magic elixir to keep students engaged yet guided on a path toward a meaningful future?

I'll keep you posted.

Monday, May 14, 2007

School (as we know it) Is Out Forever

Across the pond in Merseyside, England, high school is being redesigned. It's not a partial redesign but a total, throw-the-old-model-out-the-window redesign, reports Richard Gardner of the Independent newspaper.

All eleven secondary schools will be closed within two years, replaced by seven "state of the art, round the clock, learning centres with the aid of Microsoft".

The model tailors the day's assignments to the exact needs and interests of a student. Home learning is also part of the model even the schools will have a greatly expanded school day, including weekends.

This is what I call ground-breaking, literally and figuratively!

How did Microsoft come to choose to become Merseyside's educational benefactor? I'm not sure but Bill and Melinda Gates already had a relationship with the nearby Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases to which they've donated millions of dollars for research on malaria.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Cheating 2.0 - Cheating Upgraded is Cheating Nonetheless.

Let's see, what was cheating back in the day? Scribbling notes on our wrists, or the understide of baseball caps, or the tops of shoes.

Now in the new millenia, the goal is the same but the cheating technology has been upgraded.

Cheating has gone high tech. Cell phones, PDA and online term papers all are co-conspirators.

But professors are fighting back. Here's some ways that professors and educational institutions are reducing the odds of cheating electronically:

  • Turning off wireless access points during tests
  • Insisting all electronic devices are stored during tests
  • Running papers through turnitin.com to detect plagarism

Best of all was a sting run by professors at University of Maryland's College Park campus. Professors posted an incorrect version of the answers on a website that could be accessed via cell phone during the test. Those students who submitted those answers on the test were sussed out and flunked.

Global Warming - Who cares about it? Generation Z does.

Here's a heart-warming story about three Generation Z high school students who produced a video on global warming. Their vid won second place in a C-Span contest.

There's no ranting about global warming - just a shot of the Mount Greylock Regional High School Cross Country Ski team at practice. Look closely and you'll see they are wearing roller skis and are skiing on grass. No snow - no skis, in mid-January, in western Massachusetts.

A local ski shop owner notes that business is down from the lack of snow. The vid also includes an interview with a world-renowned global warming expert Elizabeth Kolbert and a clip of naysayer Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla).

You can tune in to C-Span on June 7th at 6:50 EST to see what Generation Z is doing to air their concern about global warming.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Cartoon College - Reaching Generation Z with Naruto

I bet you've met a Generation Z kid, wide-eyed kids, pencil in hand, sketching a anime character. Perhaps its their own creation perhaps it's a famous anime character like Naruto or even Pokemon (yes, its still on tv).

Is there a future for Generatioin Z kids who dream of becoming an grahpic novel artist?

Teresa Mendez of the Christian Science Monitor wrote an interesting story about a 'Cartoon College'. Actually, it's the Center for Cartoon Studies, if you please. Their first class in their associates of art degree, thirty students strong, are about to graduate.

Their primary concern now? Finding jobs, or at the very least contacts they can nuture like an idea for a new cartoon.

How big is the graphic novel arena? How about $300 million in annual sales. But as the article points out - breaking in is hard to do.

But what I liked about the students described in the article - is their passion. They were dedicated to developing a career in cartooning and graphic novels. Yet they were realistic about how difficult it is to break into this market.

These are good traits for a Generation Z kid - passion and dedication. Okay, these are good traits for anyone - of any age. Darn straight!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Completing College in High School - A Magnet for Struggling Generation Z'ers

An interesting article from the Chicago Tribune by Dahleen Glanton highlights a new approach for engaging struggling high schoolers - send them to college!

Actually, the way the program works is students who are targeted for improvement are enrolled in dual programs; their normal high school program and a college track focusing upon their career interests.

Take Mathew Basden for example. He is now avoiding gangs and other distractions to focus on his his career goal - opening a restaurant. He thinks he would have dropped out without the program.

Jequetta Williams was getting straight F's before enrolling in such a program. "I wasn't focused on school," she said. Now she is earning A's and B's.

The Chicago Public School district has developed a program in coordination with DeVry University call DeVry University Advantage Academy High School. Students in this program graduate with a high school diploma and an Associate's computer degree from DeVry. Perhaps, best of all 90% went on to four year colleges and the other 10% entered the workforce in the area they had specialized in. Talk about job ready!

Did you notice how many times the word Focus was used above?

I think this type of program is helping kids focus on their goals. When the realization of their goals is within reach, they seem able to focus on the important thing - building their future.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Classroom of the Future?

The York Dispatch reports that the Red Lion Area School District in Pennsylvania is apply for a grant to create what it calls the Classroom of the Future.

The approach doesn't seem revolutionary - laptops for every desk for social studies, math, science and English.

Yet the principal, Charlie Humberd reports that other high schools in the district with a similar program have experienced several key results that any school would want:
  • Increased attendance
  • Lower drop out rate
  • Fewer classroom disturbances
  • More student engagement in the school
If it turns out that this Classroom of the Future is effective contributor to the above results, then three cheers for it, revolutionary or not!

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Textbooks or Software - Same test scores

School districts across the country have poured millions of dollars into educational software with the intent of raising test scores. Did it make a difference?

The U.S. Department of Education concluded that there was no significant difference in student performance as measured by test scores, reports Amit Paley of the Washington Post. The study was conducted during the 2004-2005 school year as a mandated component of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. Coincidentally, or not, the law is up for renewal this year.

What is remarkable about this study is that it is the largest to date (132 schools, 9,424 students using 15 math and reading products). The study included various methods for incorporating educational software into the classroom. Some classes relied on software as the primary instructional method whereas others use it as a supplement to traditional materials.

So should we eliminate educational software if it proves to be no better than traditional methods?

Of course not! First, if you flip the question, educational software can be seen as producing the same results. So, at the very least, it isn't any worse at educating our children.

"Ah yes", you might say, "a laptop and software is far more expensive than a textbook and some worksheets duplicated out of a workbook, right?"

Indeed it is, but I believe there are secondary benefits in using educational software that must be valued into the equation.

  1. Students are increasing their technical skills, which is critical in the global economy. A generation that is unable to use the latest technology is unable to compete.
  2. Some students are more easily engaged when using technology solutions.
So I say, keep the technology, but make sure that teachers are properly trained and that the software is used as an aid.

Here's the crucial part - we still need to rely on teachers to teach, whatever the learning delivery method.

-
The Four-Eyed Observer

Friday, April 6, 2007

Saving Teens From Themselves

You've probably read an article about a teen, driving at an absurd speed, in a car filled with peers and perhaps alcohol or illegal substances. The story ends in tragedy.

As a reader, I am filled with grief for the families and friends who suffer the loss of a loved one. Then sometimes I wonder, "What were they thinking?"

Sometimes, it may turn out, they simply weren't thinking.

Are you wondering why teens engage in risky behavior, even those teens who have participated in educational interventions to the contrary? An article by Sharon Jayson in USA Today points out that the brains of teens are still not completely developed despite the privileges that society grants them in their teen-aged years.

Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg thinks he has the answer after analyzing ten years of research. "Education alone does not work. It's doesn't seem to affect their behavior," Steinberg has concluded.

He advocates laws that discourage risky behavior. He wants to see more laws that increase the driving age, charging more for cigarettes, and penalizes reckless driving. Of course, these laws need to be actively enforced to really discourage teens from dangerous behavior.

Why do we need to protect teens with tight societal constraints?

Simply put, there is a disconnect in the still immature brain of a teen between what they've learned and the behavioral choices they make. Psychologist and author Michael Bradley points out that "Kids will sign drug pledges. They really mean that, but when they get ina park on a Friday night with their friends, that pledge is nowhere to be found in their brain structure."

What does this research mean to parents? Laurence Steinberg recommends that parents must help their children make wise decisions but also parents must be actively monitoring their teen's activities.

Isabel Sawhill, co-director or the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution advocates a middle ground that includes the education programs.

I think everyone is right. I think a three-pronged approach is needed.

  1. Educational institutions and other organizations need to continue to efforts to teach teens about the dangers of risky behavior.
  2. Parents need to closely monitor their teens' activities. I know this is easier said than done.
  3. Society needs to use laws and other consequences to discourage risky behavior.
That's what The Four-Eyed Observer thinks.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Forget your French Textbook - Grab that PS2

Sony is testing out the PS2 as an educational tool. Teachers at Holyhead Secondary School in Handsworth, Birmingham, UK are designing lessons to operate on the PS2.

Children intent upon circumventing the technology to play commercial games will be disappointed.

Teachers believe that lessons can be customized to help students who need additional support on particular topics. Teachers are learning how to create rich media to provide a captivating experience.

It could be an effective method for having those button clicks count for something.

Parents of children involved in video game learning at school need to consider whether to reduce the child's video game usage at home.

School 2.0 - What's it about?

Welcome!

By now, you've probably heard of Business 2.0, Marketing 2.0 and Web 2.0. The 2.0 suffix suggests a revolution in thinking and processes.

So What's School 2.0?

Schools across the country and around the world are trying new methods to teach children, particular children who's motivation does not synch up with school.

This blog will feature new techniques, technologies and pedagogies for reaching youth and making education a more engaging experience.

This blog, Reaching Generation Z, is all about reaching out to the Z generation, and in particular, reaching out to them in school settings.

Ready? Here we go ...