Tag: learning

A performance of worth

Have you heard of “death by PowerPoint”? I am sure many of us have sat through a professional development session (or maybe a few) where the lecturer (sage on the stage) thought the most efficient way to promulgate their wealth of knowledge was via a PowerPoint presentation. They probably had way too much text on the screen and read most of the text from the screen. PowerPoint was never designed to be used like this. “Less is more” is certainly true when it comes to PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint was designed to be a visual clue for the presenter to keep on task and also to provide a scaffold for the learner via minimal text on the screen. If in doubt, have a look at most of the presenters at TED Talks.

How many of us are guilty of inflicting “death by PowerPoint” on our students? At the end of the unit of work on multiculturalism, for example, how many of us have asked for the obligatory PowerPoint presentation for the student to demonstrate their knowledge? Don’t get me wrong, an end of the unit presentation is sometimes the best way to demonstrate knowledge … sometimes! In contemporary schools, there are a plethora of ways children can demonstrate their learning, especially using technology. However, that is the scope for another blog one day!

At the end of a unit of work, apart from all the formative assessment learning activities the students have been involved in, there may be a justifiable reason for a summative assessment such as a culminating activity. No, I am not going to suggest a PowerPoint presentation here! A summative assessment, as the name implies, is an “at end of work” or “summary” of their learning. It could be as simple as the “Learn” column on a KWL chart, or as comprehensive as a website the student has created or a performance through the Arts.

Closely aligned with my previous blogs on the “so what of learning” and a “call to action”, I propose we should consider a “performance of worth”. When designing the unit of work sometimes teachers work backwards and plan from the performance of work (summative assessment activity) through all the learning activities required back to the initial learning activity to pique interest and assess prior knowledge.

If you decide a summative assessment is warranted then let us consider what might be a performance of worth. The performance of worth is a double-edged sword. It has “worth” because it is, generally, an important assessment piece to gauge student learning. Secondly, it is of “worth” to the student as they demonstrate their learning. For example, if you have been studying basic electrical circuits in Science, you could give the children a worksheet where they have to identify circuits that would work or not work. Even better, you could ask them to use an app such as Explain Everything and explain why some circuits would not work and how to make them work. Even better and more engaging would be for the student to make a house with lights and alarms that are activated by pressure pads (aluminium strips to connect the circuit). The students would not only demonstrate their knowledge, but also the application of the knowledge which s a higher-order skill (Bloom’s taxonomy). See for example https://www.instructables.com/Electronic-Cardboard-House/

Again, I have nothing against PowerPoint, is used correctly, however, there are far more engaging and higher-order performances students can utilise to demonstrate their learning.

The “so what” of learning

Often teachers spend considerable periods of time devising their own units of work or modifying existing units of work, based on their student needs. After all, we are in the game because we care and we want to see our children grow into active and informed citizens. That’s really what the purpose of learning in the classroom comes down to — not just covering content, but making it matter.

We scour through curriculum documents and whole school planning documents to devise these wonderful and engaging units of work for our children to devour and to learn from. Whether we use more traditional direct instruction or more constructivist inquiry learning pedagogies, the purpose is always the same – to enhance student learning!

We may alert our students to the purpose of the learning by posting our learning intentions at the beginning of the lesson or announcing what we want them to be able to do by the end of the lesson and check this off with an exit ticket. We are alerting their brains to what is to come so they can make connections, hopefully, with existing knowledge and what is to come.

Whether it be at the end of a specific lesson or at the end of a unit of work over several days or weeks, at some point the “penny” must drop of “why are we learning this?” Hopefully, as the teacher and creator of learning activities, the intention and applicability to their lives have been built into the learning activities. Hopefully, along the way, they have realised how they can apply these reading skills in their lives. What about applying Pythagoras’s theorem to their lives? Hmm! Well, we can try!!

A teacher reflecting on the purpose of learning in the classroom

Naming the Purpose of Learning in the Classroom

When creating a unit of work, it is worth considering “Why is this important for my children to learn, to understand or be able to do?” At the end of a unit of work specifically, after a raft of learning activities and the new knowledge and/or skills gained, how will this be of benefit to my students? This is the “so what” of learning. Why have we learned X, Y and Z and how does it impact my life? Will I use this on a regular basis? After all this learning, does it drive or compel me to act in a certain way? Is there a “call to action”?

For example, you have been studying how we celebrate cultural days in Australia (Year 3 ACHASS064) and learned about the important Australian and other cultural days of importance and held a cultural lunch with students and parents. Children can state the important days of celebration in Australia and a few from other countries and the feeling is all warm and fuzzy, especially after that shared cultural lunch. However, “so what” – why did we learn this?

Surely a unit of work on understanding days of significance in Australia not only develops an understanding of ANZAC Day, Christmas Day, etc. but also develops an understanding of other days of significance for cultures represented in our school population. Surely we want the students to develop an understanding of the importance of celebrating important days for ALL people. We want them to develop empathy towards people of all cultures and to respect their days of celebration and commemoration.

So, after the unit of work, apart from the usual PowerPoint of commemorative days around the world and the shared cultural lunch, what is the call to action? Do the Year 3 students note our school calendar only includes Australian days of commemoration? Do they notice we do not have special school assemblies apart from ANZAC Day? How are the other cultural groups represented in our school recognised and their commemorative days celebrated? Perhaps the Year 3s need to write a letter to the Principal encouraging him/her to also include other days of significance on the school calendar. Perhaps the Year 3s could invite the Student Councillors to hear why other days of celebration should be added to the list of assemblies for the year.

It is incumbent upon teachers as creators of learning activities to ensure students know why they are learning this and how it applies to their lives. One way to do this is to think of the “so what” of learning, which may involve a call to action at the completion of the unit of work.