Believe in the power of perspective

What does 'smart' even mean? 

Smart because of high academic test scores? Smart in emotional intelligence? Smart in basketball tactics on court? Smart in mathematics problems during maths class?

Clever, bright, and intelligent. There are many ways to be 'smart'. One of the best ways to be smart is by gaining perspective and seeing different worldviews. This can be seen through the research done my Amanda Ripley through the eyes of the students that went abroad for a year on exchange. These students were able to see a different perspective at what schools' were emphasizing on.

Celebrate success!

Some students are all-rounders. Some are gifted in a particular area or subject. I believe there are strategies and school systems that allow for a greater number of students to be successful. This can only be provided if teachers are trained well and students find the intrinsic motivation to study and work hard (Estyn). Student achievement and personal expectations will be increased if teachers present their lessons with engagement and interest (Estyn). 

According to Amanda Ripley, students need to learn to show resilience (Ask the Kids, 2012). This is an important skill to have for our rapid-paced world. The determination to persevere and persist is vital in order to help students succeed when failure comes their way. 

What is working well for students who are considered smart?

1. "School is hard!"

Amanda Ripley's research and work with students who went abroad for schooling, witnesses how they believed school as being harder than the U.S. program in countries like Poland, South Korea, and Finland. The rigor provided by school systems allows students to take their work seriously. How well these students do in school determines their future (The Tyee, 2014). This automatically gives students a focus to want to perform well. Education is taken seriously and students care about their results and outcomes. Students that are considered smart are challenged in school and forced to think outside the box, respond to high-level questions, and solve intricate problems. They are encouraged to be creative. On the other hand, some schools focus so much on teaching to the test that the value of education is lost. Students are barely understanding the purpose for an education and this creates tension in the system as students don't see the need to attend school.

2. "Sports is just a hobby."

Ripley continues to discuss how sports in America is seen as a must in school and students participate in it with more determination than their academics. In other school systems, it is seen as a hobby that can be practiced, but academic work is valued more and focused on. Students that are considered smart are working hard in school and using sports and exercise as a way to relax and enjoy themselves rather than as a job or their ultimate goal to succeed in. On the other hand, some students talent is excelling in sports. Why can't they pursue that? Students need to be encouraged to participate in a variety of opportunities so that if disappointment hits they are able to have a back up plan.

3. "Kids believe that there is something in it for them"

Students believe in the power of perspective. Students believe their outcome in school will catapult them into their future jobs. School is not a joke. It is an important part of growing up and determining whether they can pursue their dreams and attend higher educational institutions. Students who can "delay gratification" considerably more than the average person and are able to show self-control in life are more likely to be considered smart (Anneli Rufus, 2011). Executive functioning plays an important role in being smart (Anneli Rufus, 2011). These factors show that kids who believe in their abilities and overall potential are more likely to perform well in school. Kids need positive role models to encourage them to believe in themselves. Believing that school will help them get to where they hope to be will encourage them to stick with it and put forth their best effort. On the other hand, standards and state objectives make it difficult for teachers to not teach-to-the-test. School is seen as a joke, because some teachers clearly dislike their job and do not put in the work needed to effectively help their students.

What do I think?

My last day teaching in New York. A letter from one of my student's
saying: ".... I'm going to be sad and upset because my favorite
teacher Miss Leonard is leaving..... my classmates and I
are going to miss Miss Leonard...."

I think that teachers need to realize the impact they can make on a student's success and belief in themselves. Teachers need to realize that school should be a place that is challenging, fun, and inspiring. So, overall, I do agree with Ripley. Students need to step outside their 'normal' and experience different cultures and systems in order to grow. The smartest kids in the world are being taught by excellent teachers. These students believe in school. They have learned to gain confidence in themselves to excel and perform well. They believe in the power of different perspectives. I believe we need to value the role of the teacher more in schools. Teachers need to be trained well in order to help support students and provide them with the quality education they deserve. Teachers should be partnering with parents to support creative thinkers who can lead the next generation. Teachers should be instilling hope and providing critical feedback to help students find their true calling and dream. All of this can't be done without partnership between schools, parents, and teachers.

Resources:

Picture: Janine Boldrin

Amanda Ripley (Ask the Kids)

Amanda Ripley (The Smartest Kids in the World)

Smarter Kids and how they got that way: Anneli Rufus 

The Tyee
Teacher Training Benefit Skills : Estyn

"The Fabulous Finns"

Is the Finnish educational system really all that fabulous? 

There seems to be such focus on the way the Finnish have approached Education. Many people are looking at the Finnish Way and gawking in wonder at their success. I believe we can all learn from each other. We can learn a great deal of important methods and strategies from the Finnish, but everything that works for them may not necessarily work for others. Some of the best primary school teachers I know would never be able to get through the initial teaching training course in Finland. Their true dream and talent would never be a reality as the Finnish Way focuses such responsibility and trust on the teacher itself. However, I believe we can learn about how the Finns approach education and how learning gets done.

What the Finnish do well:

• The Finnish people regard intrinsic motivation as important (From Pasi Sahlberg, Video 1)
• The learning focus is on the 'whole child', "learning by doing", and trusting the teacher (From Truth about Finnish Schools)
• "They let children be children" (From The Washington Post Article) 

What is an unfair comparison to the U.S. educational system (From the NY times article):

• The size of the country compared to the U.S. 
• The student population (ethnicity, economic status) is homogeneous compared to the heterogenous population of students in the U.S.  
• Government decisions and family priority is drastically different in both countries and cannot be compared

I believe through all the research provided that countries can really learn from the Finnish Educational system. I believe in many of the ideals put forth in Finland. For example, their emphasis on understanding the whole child. Students should feel a sense of pride and ownership in their learning instead of a consistent feeling of competition and comparison towards each other. Students should be able to be children longer and focus on play therapy at a young age instead of the pressure of Kindergarten classes and learning how to read so young. As students get older their passions are focused on and intrinsic motivation is clearly seen. Even with these beliefs, comparing Finland to the United States is unfair and not possible.

Personally, I enjoyed the competitive aspect of school. I wanted to perform well. The motivation of working harder so I could compare with or do better than my peers, helped me push through school.

Finland made sure over the years that their political reforms did not change the foundation of educational reforms in the country. The U.S. political state impacts the educational standards of the whole country (Video 2). The GERM (Global Educational Reform Movement) focuses on standardization and teaching to the test. The Finnish Way focuses on personalization, trust, and the student as a whole (Diagram of Two Global Narratives shown above).

Overall, we can learn a lot from the Finns about providing a more personalized system that is rooted in collaboration. However, they deal with a very different population than many schools in America do (NY Times article). The focus should steer away from the "Fabulous Finns" and more on how schools elsewhere in the world can meet the needs of their students and teachers. As Professor Linda Darling-Hammond puts it, "Finland could be an excellent model for individual states, noting that it is about the same size as Kentucky." (NY Times article)

So, the Finns are pretty fabulous because we can learn from them. We do need to focus on what works best for where we are though. We can all learn from each other. We need to understand that comparing educational systems is very complex and many factors need to be considered.

Thanks to the Finnish Way, schools across the world have been able to get outside their box and at least think about their perspective and programs. Stop looking behind your shoulder when your own country's system needs to focus on improving one aspect at a time.

Sources:

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeMM-hL0KFY 
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RJ50IePHU 
Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf65Z_gqH1U
Video 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlOfZL_J5fo 
Diagram of Two Global Narratives
Five Reasons Finland Educational System is better
The Truth about Finnish Education 
Washington Post Article
From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model  (NY Times article) 

Tap of a finger or turn of a page?

The controversial debate between tablets and textbooks

Tablets vs Textbooks

The tap of a finger

With the tap of a finger, students are participating in classrooms like they never have before. Students in remote locations around the world are able to get the resources they need to learn new information by themselves. Tablets are seen in schools as innovative opportunities for students to learn through interacting with the digital world. Technology is advancing rapidly that students need to be aware of how to use these devices. Tablets are lighter in weight allowing easy transport between classes (ProCon.org). Teachers are able to provide instant feedback and save paper as well as lines at the printer in the staff room. Personalized learning is given through using tablets as many e-books are available and teachers can differentiate appropriately. Tablets encourage students to enjoy their learning by providing multiple games and colorful ways to portray what may seem like boring information.

Students with Special Needs and English Language Learners:
Tablets have multiple apps that are used to help students with various academic needs.
These apps focus on speech support and language translation. It makes it easier for struggling students to be involved in classroom material and feel comfortable learning in a different environment. Learning games are used to create a fun and easy way to learn difficult concepts.

The turn of a page

With the turn of a page, students are able to digest information for themselves. Textbooks are better for health reasons compared to tablets (ProCon.org). Textbooks create a traditional learning experience that allows students to feel the fresh pages and highlight directly on the page. This physical hard copy allows students to always have information at their fingertips. This human experience of turning pages is better for your brain. Textbooks help develop critical thinking skills and are needed for students to know how to succeed in higher education.

Students with Special Needs and English Language Learners:
Textbooks are beneficial for students with learning needs as they can always be readily accessed. Even if students live in remote areas or have no electricity in their homes they are able to connect with new information and learn through turning the pages. Students are able to see how large the textbook is and therefore feel confident in learning the information provided. Textbooks can definitely come in color, with weblinks, activities, and fun facts for students to be interactive with.

Information taken from:
Frank Catalano: GeekWire.com
Alana Hackes: ThinkFun.com
Understand the issues. Understand Each Other: ProCon.org 
Future Tech: TectoGizmo 

What do I think? 

As a lifelong learner, the physical experience of turning a page helps connect me to the learning concepts. I am able to read and concentrate better. I am able to not get distracted by the online community and vast opportunities for games and apps. My eyes also get strained if I spend too much time looking at a screen.

As someone who struggles with reading, I benefit from the hard copy of words and the active movement of highlighting a page. As someone who struggles with focusing, I enjoy plain text and concrete information instead of abstract learning games and lots of color.
As someone who has lived without electricity and spent most of her life with multiple power outages for days at a time, I am aware of how grateful I was to still have a textbook at hand to read from. I would be worried if I were to rely on battery. Even with electricity, I would not have been able to afford a tablet, yet alone charge it or have suitable Wi-Fi connection to fully enjoy all that was available. Students spend a lot of time searching through options instead of learning. I may now be at a disadvantage as I live in the digital age, but tablet skills can be learned and traditional textbook reading is more difficult to enjoy if not grown up with it.

Too heavy?
Textbooks are heavy; however, this allows a great opportunity to be more organized with school books. This allows students to only bring their textbook for the specific class when needing to.

As an educator, I believe the best way is to integrate both technology and paper-based text in the classroom. Students are all different and have various learning styles. The most effective way to teach is through what works best for each individual. This may be through the use of a tablet or a textbook. I need to learn how to effectively teach using both means of resources. It is important to teach students the significance in using both a tablet and a textbook.

So, how about you? Tap of a finger or turn of a page?