Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate - Online Course - Week 7

9/23/2015

Consider the following quote:

“Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness."
~Eric Jensen

What are your ideas about connections between this quote and the unit design process? Record your thoughts by replying to this post. Please respond to at least two other teachers' thinking as well.

45 Comments

Kendra

12/11/2015 01:43:41 pm

I think this quote is especially true today, when our students have unlimited access to any information they want to learn. I think this has contributed to the rise in apathy among students, and I can see it from their perspective now - Why would school be interesting when you can just "ask the google" (as my kids say) any question you find interesting?
I think this relates to the Unit Plan Process strongly. In designing our plans, we must take this fact into account. Kids can look up anything they want to know, so our challenge in designing lessons is not to feed them the information, but to engage them in the learning of the content and giving them the appetite to learn.

Alisha

12/13/2015 02:33:22 pm

I use google everyday just to understand some topics I teach and how to connect them to real-life. How to do engage them in your classroom and give them the "appetite" to learn? Do you incorporate technology into your teaching when possible?

Kendra

12/21/2015 12:41:03 pm

Alisha, I use Google myself and during class if someone has a question we can't answer, plus it is great for english unit conversions. However, I have limited technology for the students to use. I have a computer and projector, but have to book a computer lab in another building when I want students to do any research. I think Google can be a great resource honestly, but I also have students who try to learn Chemistry (for example) overnight that just get more confused when they look it up on Google.
It's a good question though, how do we keep from squashing their natural curiosity while running our classroom?

Melanie Dowell

12/31/2015 11:17:23 am

I also use Google and encourage my students to 'google it'. I have done this more as a method to encourage students to see that just reading or having google/Siri tell you how to do something doesn't mean you 'get it'. They need to participate in class discussions and with their classmates to truly understand how something works or to assimilate the information as their own.The overwhelming idea with many students (yes, I can see using the word apathetic) is that they don't need to hold onto their learning..it is disposable and can be found again. I constantly struggle with this mindset versus the idea that some things need to be practiced (in whatever method) to become yours. My example; I don't want to be in the emergency room and my doctor is 'googling' on his/her phone how to fix my problem.

Sarah A

12/14/2015 09:46:28 am

I agree - we've got to completely change how we approach education in this world with Google at your finger tips. It's just so hard to get change to happen in schools...due to the bureaucracy of education these days. I am optimistic that we will get there - it's just clearly going to take a lot of time. And then the question becomes - what is the next "Google" invention that completely rocks how we teach our students? We've got to get faster at keeping up with a changing world!

Tobi J

1/9/2016 08:55:09 pm

Sarah, you are so right that change is difficult from an education standpoint. I have seen teachers so adamantly refuse to try something new because it wasn't how they learned. I admit there have been many times when I have had to really push myself to try something different instead of doing it the way I always have. Ultimately, however, it's our job to prepare these kids for today's world which includes a whole lot of "googling it." I feel really lucky to be working with some amazing people as we try to figure out how to get the wheels of change turning in schools across the state!

Susan

12/22/2015 07:44:44 am

Kendra, I agree with you that the unlimited access to information today creates apathy among students. I tried to incorporate internet resources in my unit plan. I don't want the student just surfing and coming across sites that are inappropriate because they have that unlimited access. I don't mind them checking other sites, but I want to make sure they are safe for them to view.

Kendra

1/10/2016 02:38:35 pm

Susan, that's a good point. I have a friend who graduated recently with a doctorate in genetics, and she often talks about how her undergrade students even don't really know how to research with the internet. The technology itself has expanded so rapidly, I think as educators we quickly got behind on how to do good sourcing and researching ourselves, and this go passed on to our students in an ongoing cycle. I think part of my struggle is always in trying to efficiently teach students to do effective research so they get the "meaty" sources that actually have honest, unbiased, and factual information in them.

Sarah Morales

1/3/2016 01:33:57 pm

I agree with you about "asking the google". I have had the amazing opportunity to teach advanced students this year and have heard myself saying, if you don't remember the topic, ask google or search the web. If I have this mentality, then the students could or will soon. This has lead to my thinking about what is my role as technology becomes ever more important. I have come to the conclusion through this grant experience and my own self-reflection, is that I am there to guide them, lead them to the desired learning and help make connections throughout math and their daily lives that the "google" doesn't always provide (at least not yet anyway)!

Aimee

1/14/2016 05:47:51 pm

Kendra,
I hope to accomplish and love how you were able to put it in words..."giving them the appetite to learn."

Jerred Webb

2/4/2016 07:15:35 pm

I like the "appetite to learn." I have a couple of students that ravenously devour books, and that hunger often carries over into school texts as well.

Alisha

12/13/2015 02:31:23 pm

I am full believer that lessons become meaningless when students cannot connect the ideas to something tangible in their lives. As I teach Algebra II and Trigonometry, students repeatedly as me the question (the one I'm sure you have heard many times) "When will I need to use this." Unfortunately, many days I am left without a response to answer their question and do not provide the opportunity to make those real-world connections. A student asked me the other day when they would need to know what a conjugate was and how they would ever use it in their life with radicals. I told them I didn't know and today I still do not know the response. I use it because I am a math teacher, but how would an agriculture enthusiast use it?

In regards to the Unit Plan it is has struggled me a great deal to provide relevance of the topic I am creating. I am so used to requiring students to regurgitate information rather than absorb it and apply it. It is an aspect of my teaching that largely needs changing. Though I have yet to fully pinpoint the real-world aspect of my Unit Plan, I am gaining a greater awareness of the need for such connection.

Sarah A

12/14/2015 09:50:34 am

It's a struggle in Biology to engage the students (and Biology is the study of LIFE...you'd think they would connect to LIFE)...I can't even imagine in math. Students often come to science and math with a negative attitude right from the beginning. So it's also hard to get them to just open their minds and try to approach our content in a positive way. It sounds like you are open to change - it's just a matter of finding that inspiration. I look to TED talks, TED Ed videos, Scientific American articles, NPR, etc. to try to help me find real-world and/or interesting connections. They do have them for math! Though I'll admit I think it's more limiting. :) Good luck!

Kendra

12/21/2015 12:45:06 pm

Alisha, I'm sympathetic to your dilemma. Even though science has a more concrete link to real-world contexts, students struggle to know why they really need to take Biology. I am asked the same question about math concepts, actually, when students learn something like square roots in math that day and they ask me why they have to know that. I generally answer that they need it because they will have to be able to use it to solve problems in science, or to learn the next level of math, or even just so they survive college, but I know that's not really what they want to know, and I think that's a common failure of education today.

Susan

12/22/2015 07:52:49 am

Alisha, I have seen you struggle with finding information for your unit plan to make it meaningful to your students. I believe you are fully trying to implement real like aspects into your unit plan so that the students will gain a greater awareness of the need for the connection between Math and real-life.

Matt Swigert

1/2/2016 08:39:28 am

A philosophy that my non-educator wife came up with has helped me deal with the dilemma you speak of. She simply stated, "Students have to take all sorts of classes so they can find out what they are interested in."
I actually think this is very profound. Whether it be an elementary student or a high school student, at some point in time, some students become interested in a topic. I know this philosophy doesn't work for every student, but at some point in time, every scientist in the world realized they were into science. Most likely this is because of a school. Every accountant came to the realization they liked working with numbers. Most likely this is because of school. Every architect came to the realization they liked to draw and design things. Most likely this is because of school. You get the point. This is what I tell my students when and if the question ever comes up.

Sarah Morales

1/3/2016 01:40:31 pm

Matt...
I think that philosophy works for more kids than we realize. I have the incredible opportunity to work with an 8th grader that I had as a 6th grader. We all "wrote him off" when he was a 6th grader, thinking he was going to drop out at 16. He rarely came to school, when he did he slept or gave attitude. This year, he has decided that school isn't horrible, he can learn when he wants to (still showing is lazy attitude), but he is passing most of his classes. I think he needed a longer time to see the benefit of learning. He has even asked me for more work in class when he was finished with all I thought he would do. Exposing kids to as much as possible is truly needed.
Personally, my husband felt his education was lacking in that he didn't understand all the different types of careers out in the real world. He was lost all throughout college, he stumbled into a job for 10 years and finally found a passion that he is pursuing. I think the more we can inform students how education will help with careers (and ones they don't know about) the more we will get them to buy in.

Thanks for listening to my little rant!!

Tobi J

1/9/2016 09:01:32 pm

Alisha- It looks like just about all of us have struggled with the "when will I ever use this" question. Although I hate that I don't always have the answer for my students, it did make me feel a little better that I'm not alone. I worry that with Google and other search apps so widely available, this may become an even harder question to answer:( Hopefully, as we help our students become better thinkers instead of memorizers, the importance of content,too, will become more apparent.

Sarah A

12/14/2015 09:43:45 am

I can definitely identify with this quote right now. I'm struggling to do the latter (inspire and engage students in meaningful content) while still being held accountable for their performance on a test that assesses the former (Google type content). The struggle is real. It's a balancing act to try to design lessons that engage students and motivate them to explore and participate in the explain process, let alone elaborate...while still teaching 300 vocab terms and meeting some very dry standards in terms of content. That said, in an ideal world I feel that the 5E lesson plan format is very useful when trying to design units. The reminder to engage and explore before diving into content is always welcome when I'm fighting back panic that I haven't progressed quickly enough through my pacing guide of content. With this generation of students who have grown up with Google, it is more important than ever before to get them hooked on the topic before you work your way into the content. Though my success rate is still hit or miss. It's hard to predict the issues and topics with which my students will truly connect. They like real people, drama, and topics they can relate to personally. Sometimes that is a challenge! But for me, I think just starting with the issue is key. Instead of teaching mitosis and then leading into cancer...start with the cancer and work your way backwards! Although I did have a group of students last year tell me they were bored with the topic of cancer and didn't feel they needed to learn anything about cancer. When I shared some statistics about cancer to try to emphasize the importance of learning this particular topic, they accused me of trying to give them cancer. So. Yeah. That happened. I guess I need to work on my delivery.

Joe B

1/11/2016 02:44:26 pm

Sarah, why are you trying to give your students cancer? That's messed up!

On a serious note, I just want to say that I can relate on the struggle to deliver what I have begun concocting in my brain. I fully recognize the need to deviate from lecture-heavy courses but find it frustrating when I don't have enough time to overhaul all of my classes/lessons in a year. I think we need to be patient?

Colleen F

1/15/2016 06:17:26 pm

Good idea Joe, I have a tendency to panic as well Sarah. I know there are so many things I need to cover this year and keeping them engaged is a struggle. I agree that the 5E format helps with reminding us to engage and explore before content. It has helped me revamp how I do things this year.

Susan Ricketts

12/16/2015 07:17:46 am

The quote presented by Eric Jensen is meaningful because students today are a new breed and a teacher has to work harder to connect their learning in ways to inspire them. The teachers in my past did mostly lecture and I modeled myself after them when I first started teaching. We would listen and learn because we knew we had to or else suffer the consequences at home. Today, it is more difficult to keep the students attention by just lecturing and doing a lab now and then. With all the technology and other things that are constantly stimulating students, a teacher almost has to do a song and dance to keep their attention. I am doing more hands-on activities and labs in my classroom today than I have ever done in the past. I am trying to design my unit plan to stimulate and inspire my student's learning process. I want my students to be interested in science, therefore, I think the unit plan makes them more accountable for their product and they will be engaged in their work from start to finish.

Alisha

12/20/2015 06:41:56 pm

The students are a different 'breed' today, as you say, even compared to five years ago. I have noticed the change in students' needing constant reassurance and the fear to think for themselves. As technology advances increase and as each person becomes logged on multiple hours a day, technology is the way to which connecting with the students can and/or will take place. Even as an adult I find myself not wanting to learn something unless I can clearly visualize its relevance on how I can use it in my life. As teachers, the bar has been raised for us to do so daily with multiple content areas.

Kendra

12/21/2015 12:56:09 pm

Susan, even though I've only been teaching a handful of years, I have done the same as you and modeled my classroom after my own teachers, meaning it is mainly lecturing and labs. I know that I need to incorporate more hands-on activities into my classes, but it is difficult to do so. This process we are going through is helping us find ways to do that and showing us the motivation for it as well.

Melanie Dowell

12/31/2015 11:21:37 am

Kendra, I agree that this process is helping us find ways to connect more meaning to our teaching. I think the greatest result of this project will be the collaboration between the teachers...we learn and share from each other. New ideas are much easier to incorporate when we have either a) a sounding board or b) someone else who tried something that I want to try. I think a characteristic of a great teacher is one who never settles or does something the same way all the time...we are learners as well!

Melanie Dowell

12/31/2015 11:09:40 am

Content can be found everywhere. Connections to what and why certain content is interesting to an individual is powerful. Good teachers plan lessons/activities that stimulate students' interest in finding out more about a topic. That can be extremely difficult when students don't know what they plan to do or we as teachers are told that we are preparing students for many jobs that don't exist yet. If I don't know what you (the student) will be doing later in life, how do I help you get ready? The only answer I have to that is to plan lessons/activities with numerous authentic connections where students learn to filter information, ask questions and come up with a plan of attack (problem solving strategy or solution). I think we must facilitate student curiosity and thinking to prepare them for their (unknown) future. The implications for my unit design are strong- to promote student engagement and exploration, the authentic scenario to practice my math skills must be real ( not contrived) and global. Even if an individual student thinks that they might not be doing this specific activity, the student can see connections to smaller parts of the activity or applications for their future.

Matt Swigert

1/2/2016 08:43:56 am

Melanie,
You make some great points. I rarely think that I am preparing students for jobs they might have in the future. Perhaps because I'm so far down the line from their 'real life' (7th grade) that I just don't consider it. However, as you stated, they will have jobs that don't exist yet. That's actually scary. I hope the state of education changes that will allow teachers to do more units like the ones we have developed. What I mean is that we are told to instruct one way and the students are tested by the state another. These two must become aligned or we could possibly be damaging students in the future.

Colleen Freeman

1/15/2016 06:08:53 pm

Very good comments. I hadn't thought of the fact that we need to prepare students for their future jobs. I always felt that by teaching them to ask questions, look for answers,critical thinking skills and have an understanding of how basic things (in my case forces, reactions,etc) work they will continue to do those things as they plunge forward into the unknown.

Matt Swigert

1/2/2016 08:26:46 am

“Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness."

The first part of the quote is ridiculous. The second part is worthwhile.

Teachers must teach content. As of right now, the state of Missouri has 93 GLEs for seventh grade science. The GLEs, for the most part, are content-driven. Am I supposed to leave it to Google to provide them with that content? Am I supposed to hope that they sit around and ask Google, "What exactly are the forces that cause major change on earth?" Of course not. With the current stakes the way they are in education, we must continue to teach content to students. I have recently heard of a district in Missouri that has launched a new teacher evaluation program that is directly tied to MAP (or whatever it's called) scores. Do you think the teachers in that district are going to forego teaching content? I think not. I certainly would not.
The second part of the quote is what most teachers would like to strive for. Of course we want our students to have a deeper, more meaningful understanding of what they have learned. One way of achieving that goal is through the unit that we have all created. I believe the 5E model is perfect for deeper learning for students. Having students become responsible for their own learning and requiring them to tackle real world problems and come up with real world solutions is a great way to ensure that students truly understand the content they are to learn.
Since being involved with the grant, I have changed the way I go about teaching. I have a much more inquiry based classroom, we have written a persuasive essay and have had two debates. But there is a price to pay for diving deeper into the learning process. I am on Nov. 7 of my pacing guide--two months behind the other seventh grade science teachers in my district. Unfortunately, my students will actually suffer from this as there is no way for me to expose them to the 93 GLEs set forth by the state. Until the status-quo changes, there will continue to be issues like this going forward.
Thank you.

Sarah Apple

1/4/2016 06:56:23 am

I agree - it is difficult to abandon a content-driven approach to teaching when we are held even more accountable now to our students’ standardized test scores - that are based on tests that are also content-driven. As teachers, we often feel we are being told to take two completely different approaches at the same time…and with very limited time. It’s confusing and frustrating. I continue to take more of an issues-based, literacy approach (because I feel it will be of most benefit to my students) and just hope that my students can still succeed on the multiple choice regurgitation portion of the EOC (so that it doesn’t come back to bite me in the end).

Joe B

1/11/2016 02:40:05 pm

I agree with what you guys are saying about the 5E model being of a slower pace. I too see that as a negative. However, I would also argue that because we are trying to approach our lessons in this manner, we are (hopefully) doing a better job at teaching the students how to think. Many of the standardized tests, while content specific, are thinking/reading tests as much as anything. There are many questions that can be dissected and successfully completed through careful reading and strong reasoning.

In short, my hope is that as we slow things down in order to delve more deeply we are not going to suffer (at least significantly) on the exams because, even though they may know fewer facts, they will be better thinkers!

Full disclosure: I'm not sure if that made any sense, as I am extremely tired!

Sarah Morales

1/3/2016 01:48:57 pm

This quote speaks to me and the current internal discussion I have been having with myself for the whole school year. I have only gotten the chance to teach "regular" and "remedial" students for the past 10 years. This year, I was blessed to teach the advanced students as well. This class has challenged me in ways that I wasn't prepared for, but am glad I was forced to. I have often used the phrase when they ask me a skills based question, did you google it? They often say no, and I find this discouraging. I then teach them that they can find most of their skills based questions (how to solve proportions again?) online. I pull up an internet browser and show them how to search, how to look through the results and gain understanding.
In doing this, I have been left to wonder what my job really is now if google can teach skills to the students. The answer seems obvious now. Google can't teach students how to make connections within their skills-based knowledge and understanding. It is my job to create well-thought out units that allows students to see the connections within math topics, as well as other subjects.
If teachers can help students make connections and see how it might apply to careers when they are older, students will hopefully engage in the learning while setting a life goal for themselves.

Sarah Apple

1/4/2016 06:50:46 am

I agree - in the age of google it is a whole different ballgame. When I give do now questions, many students just google the answer rather than think about it. And when I create do now questions that can not be googled, I am asked "how are we supposed to be able to answer this?" You have to think! And then just try! I tend to get less participation. Because it is hard work!
So obviously we need to be requiring them to do more of the hard work so it's not so hard. Critical thinking and problem solving require a lot of practice. Googling an answer requires a little practice (understanding how to search for things properly) but not much thought.

Ashley McMichael

1/13/2016 02:51:13 pm

Sarah,

I completely agree with your evaluation of students. I often have the same trouble with my students wanting to simply Google every question as they are used to having the answers at their fingertips. This however, has discouraged the learning and thinking process as it is more difficult. I am currently having my students work on a writing project where they will write science news article. My hope is that while the content can come from Google, they will learn far more skills that will be useful to them in the future.

Aimee

1/14/2016 06:08:37 pm

I totally agree Sarah. I have so many students that have trouble with self-starting due to their lack of problem solving skills/critical thinking skills. I often hear " How do I start?" Then, I shake my head!!!

Tobi Johnson

1/9/2016 08:45:18 pm

For the most part, I agree with this quote. I feel that it is very important that our students graduate knowing how to think, apply information, and solve problems in their lives. The work we have done in this inquiry unit have certainly helped us become more capable of providing the tools our students need to do this. However, I think it is still important that we teach content, too. Despite the fact that students can find virtually anything they need or want to on the internet today, I believe it is still the responsibility of teachers to teach content, too. Just because someone can look something up, doesn't mean they will have sufficient background knowledge to understand what it means. When we teach both literacy and thinking skills along with content knowledge, we get the most successful students.

Jan Garner

1/13/2016 06:21:27 pm

Tobi, I completely agree. Without the very basics understanding of content students will lack the ability to make proper connections and be able to effectively apply any knowledge they may find from google, or other sources. Content knowledge may not be the sole focus of education but is a key piece of the puzzle.

Joe B

1/11/2016 02:32:01 pm

“Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness.” – Eric Jensen

I appreciate Eric Jensen's quote a great deal. I absolutely believe that it is necessary to learn content and have a strong grasp of vocabulary and, although his statement contradicts my belief when taken literally, I believe Jensen is urging for more of a balanced approach to memorization/content, etc. rather than a total neglect.

In my many years as a student, the teachers from whom I feel I benefited the most from were not those who made us regurgitate the most information, but those who inspired me to apply myself in their class.

The quote connects directly with our 5E course design because, rather than focus on regurgitation, we are to focus on inspiring students to learn (in class and on their own) by relating material to things they understand and appreciate.

Ashley McMichael

1/13/2016 02:46:06 pm

Joe,

I completely agree with you that the most memorable teachers for me were the ones who inspired me to be a life-long learner. So much of the content I learned faded away once I wasn't using it everyday but the skills and drive I learned from my teachers stay with me to this day.

I also noted in my post how closely I believe this quote relates to the 5E lesson plan design of this course. Using strategies such as engagement and exploration will teach far more than just content.

Ashley McMichael

1/13/2016 02:41:34 pm

I agree with this quote by Eric Jensen. Students can access almost anything they want from their cellphones these days making it all the more important to make school relevant to their lives.

This quote seems to explain the purpose of the 5E model. While content is important, teachers must engage students and invest them in learning. The first step of the 5E model is to Engage students and often, content alone won't be able to do this. I have found that hands on labs and activities have been the best way to engage my students in science content. While they may be able to find the information online, they often aren't able to experience science hands on or see how it is applicable to their real lives. Our job as teachers is to encourage our students to be life-long learners.

Jan Garner

1/13/2016 06:16:36 pm

Eric Jensens's quote, “Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness,” seems idealistic. I believe as educators we should teach content as it is necessary to have a better understanding and of the world. However, I do believe that there should be an overwhelming emphasis on making personal connections and inspiring student as we learn the necessary content. If we can effectively inspire students and make personal connections with the content it will enable them to be life long learners in all areas of their life.

Jerred Webb

2/4/2016 07:17:25 pm

Inspiration is definitely a key component!

Aimee

1/14/2016 06:05:55 pm

“Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness."
~Eric Jensen

I disagree with the beginning of this quote because I believe teachers do teach content and/or aid our students with understanding of the content.Google is considered a resource in a vast amount of resources for our students.
The second part of the quote is true for teachers. As teachers, we strive for greatness and hope we have inspired our students to continue learning. However, I find it necessary to find connections to engage the students sometimes that is a challenge.

Colleen Freeman

1/15/2016 06:02:55 pm

“Strong teachers don’t teach content, Google has content. Strong teaching connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness."
~Eric Jensen

I think strong teachers do teach content, but I think the point he was trying to make is that strong teachers don't stop at content. I think he makes a valid point that the importance of teaching is to inspire our students to go beyond just what they are told. Inspire them to ask the questions and look for answers, and to question those answers. In our school we struggle every day with our lack of technology, but our students don't seem to have an issue with using google and just accepting what they find as the answer. I think it is important to continue to strive to get our students to ask the why and how and not settle for what google says.

Jerred Webb

2/4/2016 07:13:10 pm

I rather like this quote. One of the biggest lessons I am constantly trying to impart is that students don't need to be limited by the classroom. The world and all of its knowledge is only a smartphone away, and all they need to do is be willing to put in the time and open to new ideas. It's getting them inspired that is, of course, the struggle.

Even if we reach Matrix levels of learning adaptability, it'll be fruitless without a desire to utilize the knowledge. I see an undercurrent of entitlement among many of the students, an assumption that other people will take care of what they need, rather than them having to learn to do it. It's a fight to break through that and get them wanting to learn.

Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate - Online Course - Week 7

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