David Geurin: Don't Just Plan Lessons, Create Experiences

"How did you become a Chicago Cubs fan?"

I asked the question to a Cubs fan I was visiting with recently. And I wasn't being sarcastic, since I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and that would be on point for fan behavior between the two teams.

No, I was just curious because he wasn't from a part of the country that isn't typically considered Cubs fan territory. He explained that some members of his family were Cubs fans but what really hooked him on the Cubs was when he attended a game at Wrigley Field (Chicago) as a young boy.

That experience, he said, was something he never forgot and resulted in his lifelong love of the Cubs. It was as simple as that.

Experiences are powerful. They can change our entire perspective for good or bad. In this case, a positive experience resulted in a deep attachment to a baseball team.

I'm wondering about how students experience school. Are we creating experiences that result in a lifelong attachment to learning? Are we creating powerful learning experiences that develop curiosity and cultivate interests?

While much of my own school experience was somewhat routine and mostly forgettable, there were some amazing experiences that really led me to want to learn more.

Most of those memorable experiences were projects or trips to visit interesting places. I remember visiting a cave, a Civil War battlefield, and even a museum with a real mummy, all part of opportunities through school.

I also remember creating a news broadcast and interviewing people from our community, as part of a project for class. I also remember competing in a stock market game, and I remember performing a classroom play.

I don't remember a single lecture from school. I take that back. I remember one very gifted social studies teacher who could tell stories from the Civil War that were so interesting I wanted to learn more on my own. He had us on the edge of our seats.

I don't remember any worksheet tasks standing out. I don't remember any tests in particular. 

Here's the thing. I'm not saying tests, or assignments, or routine work are all bad in school. I'm not saying they don't have value. But if we want our students to be inspired learners, we better look for ways to connect learning to positive emotions. We better give students experiences that really capture their attention in ways that go far beyond the routine.

In a time where standards mastery seems to be at the top of all priorities, I wonder what types of experiences kids are having? 

What type of experience are they having when remediation has been routine for them year after year in school?

What type of experience are they having when they don't have the opportunity to pursue things they're interested in?

What type of experience are they having when they don't get to learn outside the classroom by taking field trips?

A couple of high school principals were discussing how they are making sure any field trips in their school tie directly to meeting standards. I guess that's one way to look at it.

But for me, I want our students to have as many opportunities as possible to learn and interact with interesting people and places away from our school campus. I especially want that for our under-resourced students who might not ever have those opportunities otherwise.

There is a time for rolling up our sleeves and doing the routine work of learning and life. But if we're not also creating peak moments along the way, we are missing the joy in the journey. 

And we're probably missing out on potential passions, and maybe even missing out on developing a passion for learning.

The routine work should flow from a deep sense of purpose. We need to know our why. That's where lasting learning is nurtured.

As I wrote in my book, Future Driven,

Don’t just create lessons for your students. Create experiences. Students will forget a lesson, but an experience will have lasting value. We want to do more than cover content. We want to inspire learning.

http://www.davidgeurin.com/2019/06/dont-just-plan-lessons-create.html 

David Geurin: Balancing Achievement and Agency

How do you define student achievement? Is student achievement defined by how students perform on some type of standardized assessment? When politicians, policymakers, and lots of educators too, talk about raising student achievement, it usually means raising test scores.

The problem is that test scores are a very narrow way to define student success and student achievement. That definition favours a certain type of student, magnifying a certain type of skill set while diminishing a whole range of other factors that can lead to success academically and in life.

So why is it the current definition of student achievement is always tied to how students perform on one test that happens in one moment once a year? I want to see more emphasis on student agency. I want to find ways for students to connect to what they are learning, to apply what they are learning, to do things with their learning that are making a difference. To me, when students exercise agency and demonstrate growth, that is an achievement.

When we are driven by preparing kids for a test, we may neglect to prepare them for life. I'm not saying we can't prepare kids for the test and for life, but too often I think that's exactly what's happening. The test is driving everything in some schools.

But does the learning stick? Will students remember the things they must know for the test? I really like how Will Richardson put words around this idea. He says we need to aim for learning that results in permanence. We should seek learning that has lasting value. When students have agency and ownership in learning, it's much more likely to have long term impact. When it connects to their passions and their goals, they're much more invested emotionally and intellectually.

Another question I would raise is this, does the learning shift perspective? Simply learning content and using it to answer test questions doesn't necessarily change who you are or how you see the world. And I think education should always result in more empathy and understanding. It doesn't just change what you know but helps you better understand who you are and how you can make a bigger difference.

If we want more permanence and perspective in education, we have to be willing to invest agency. We must empower students and teachers to do things that are bigger than just mastering content standards. We have encouraged creativity and connection and allow for learning that taps into strengths and passions.

So let's aim to get a better balance between achievement and agency. Achievement won't solve the world's problems unless our students learn they are powerful problem solvers. They must know first and foremost the significant agency they have to make a difference.

Originally published:
http://www.davidgeurin.com/2019/05/balancing-achievement-and-agency.html

David Geurin: Future Driven Newsletter

Dear Educator Happy New Year! We literally get this new beginning just once a year. I want to take the opportunity to cheer you on to the best 2019 ever. Wishing you great health and happiness! Here are five hopeful thoughts for the New Year: 1. Even if the first half of your school year didn't go as well as you'd like, things can get better. 2. Even if you can't change all the circumstances, you can change how you respond to the circumstances. 3. It's never too late to make a change. Your past does not equal your future. 4. Instead of trying to do more this year, simply be more intentional with what you do. 5. Keep giving generously to others. Your efforts are making a difference. I know you're the type of educator who really cares about helping your students succeed. Your commitment to raising hope and shaping futures inspires. Press on in 2019! Here are a few of the best articles I've read recently... 1. 30 Behaviors That Will Make You Unstoppable in 2019 How different is your life, right now, from where you were 12 months ago? If it’s quite similar, then you haven’t been learning very much. To learn, by nature, is to change and evolve. 2. Why Schools Should Teach the Curriculum of the Future, Not the Past The world is changing so fast, even schools who are trying to keep up are falling behind. What is your school teaching? Are you perfecting the past? Or helping create the future? 3. 9 Awesome High School Flexible Seating Classrooms I shared this post from Jennifer Hogan with our entire staff. It's great inspiration for creating a classroom that is designed with learning in mind. It's time to move past desks in rows. Keep pushing those limits! You'll are world changers. All the best, David Geurin #FutureDriven

David Geurin: Overcoming Isolation

With the digital tools that have emerged in the last decade, we are more connected than ever before. We can connect practically anywhere, anytime, with just about anyone. It’s easy to keep up with friends, family, and our entire networks through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram, and more.

We can talk with someone like we’re in the same room via Skype or Google Hangouts. It seems like just about every moment of our lives is documented on social media and shared with someone. And yet it seems like people are struggling with loneliness like never before. It’s normal for all of us to feel lonely from time to time, but when you’re stuck in these feelings of loneliness that’s a serious problem. Chronic loneliness is on the rise. And it’s possible our culture of hyper-connectivity is part of the problem. One study found that people who spent more time on social media actually reported more feelings of loneliness.

You see happy pictures of other people having fun, spending time together, and celebrating success, and you think you’re missing out. You don’t think you have as many friends, you’re not as interesting, or you don’t measure up. But technology isn’t the problem. The problem is related to how we interact with one another and how we invest in relationships.

All the platforms we have for connecting can be useful if we leverage them as a way to support our personal, face-to-face relationships. When social media replaces real-world relationships, there is cause for concern. When it’s about gathering likes and follows, it reveals an emptiness. When social media is an attempt to fill a void, it’s detrimental to a person’s well-being.

- David Geurin #FutureDriven