Fix Your School And Get Your Kid Into A Great University

Version 3

The Scribd.com edition of “Fix Your School.” Please send us your input… VisualandActive.com [email protected] ------------

Fix Your School And Get Your Kid Into a Great University

By the Visual and Active Team Steve McCrea TheEbookMan.com

Dennis Yuzenas WhatDoYaKnow.com “Mr. Edu-tainment”

Fix Your School (and Get your Kid Into a Great University)

Dennis Yuzenas and Steve McCrea Educational “Edu-Taining” Consultants WhatDoYaKnow.com, VisualandActive.com FindaSmallSchoo.com

Back Cover

What makes a great school? What makes a memorable teacher? Here’s what good teachers remember:

“Students might forget what you taught them, but they will always remember how you treated them.” This small book gives you a summary (hey, you’re a parent! You don’t have time for a long book!) of the Visual and Active training method for Edu-taining teachers. This book also gives you tips about how you can make a difference in your kid’s future by creating a better school. Finally, it gives you the Vornle

Method (for better leverage ) and the McCrea “Broadcast Yourself” Low-Cost Marketing Method that most tweens and teenagers can adopt as their own money-making method of using the Internet to help others to get more attention….and kids can develop a work ethic. This is a DRAFT version. Please send recommendations and comments to [email protected] --- Thank you!

Welcome to the Scribd.com edition of “Fix your School.” It has been compiled in a hurry and you will no doubt find gaps in the narrative and some typos. The passion that lead to the creation of this book overwhelms any sense of “let’s work on it a little more to get it perfect.” You can change your child’s experience in school by working with other parents and the principal to create a great school. Your efforts to change your kid’s school will show your kid what one person can do…

and will no doubt inspire your child to do better (and get into a great university). That’s the focus of this booklet.

Table of Contents Chapter 1 There Are More Parents Than Teachers Chapter 2 The Step-by-Step Program Chapter 3 These Quotations Inspire Us Chapter 4 Another View Chapter 5 Building a Portfolio Chapter 6 Training Teachers to Edu-tain Chapter 7 Readings to Inspire Teachers Chapter 8 What Now? About the Authors Appendices

Chapter 1 There Are More Parents Than Teachers

Here's the main issue: If you see an area where a school can improve, how powerful are you as a parent?

It's you vs. them. Now--how can we turn this situation around?

1. You are the client. 2. You have numbers on your side. There are more parents than administrators and teachers combined. 3. You've read this workbook. You have found more information than most teachers know about. Most people have never heard of Dan Pink, Dennis Littky, ebooks, or alternative assessment by exhibition or portfolio. If a teacher or principal has heard about alternatives to "the final exam," then the conclusion is often: "It would be too unwieldy or impossible to do at this school" or "We've been a successful A-rated school for years -- why mess with

something that works?" or "We've been teaching students longer than you've been a parent. Don't you think we know something about how to teach teenagers / tweens / children?" =====================

Here is the flyer that we distribute to Parent-Teacher Associations and we mail the flyer to parents who contact us asking for advice. a) You can show this information to your principal and your child's teachers. b) You can show the information to other parents c) You can start organizing.

Power can be shared between teachers, parents and students.

Where do the rules come from? Is it TOP DOWN, rules imposed by the school on the students? In Littky's schools, part of the process of education is learning to work in a group to come to a consensus and learning how to be a maverick in the process. Students with guidance from the teachers and principal can create the rules of the school. Ideally, that would be the way the dining room is reshaped (many schools have open seating, so there are many cliques). How can the benefits of assigned seating be implemented and gained -- what could be changed and how often should the school have assigned seating while keeping

the great food?

-------------------------------------How can you attract more parents to your side? How can you persuade teachers and staff of your school to embrace change? Let's start with this flyer / brochure: (go ahead, print it)

This effort will require teamwork.

Parents: Do you sometimes feel alone? Do schools tell you, “It’s our way or the highway”? Do teachers who have been teaching for 20 or 30 years tell you, “I’ve been doing this a long time and I think I know what’s best for your child”? “Your child is going to have to step up and deliver.” “Your child is falling behind.” In 2006 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned a study to find out why students drop out of school. Was it economic pressure? Did students want to pursue a career? Yes, some kids dropped out to get a job and support their families. But most students? No… Most of the students who dropped out were bored with school. The subjects were taught in a way that made them irrelevant to the lives of the students. There are plenty of excuses for boring courses…and you don’t have to accept any of them. You’re a parent. You are not alone.

There are more of you than them. Teachers could be listening to you instead of telling you what your child needs.

Chapter 2 The Step-by-Step Program

HOW TO FIX YOUR SCHOOL Here is the program, step by step:

IF THE PRINCIPAL IS OPEN-MINDED a) Show the list of Readings to your school's principal. Ask if s/he has heard of Littky, alternative assessments, the Bill Gates speech in February 2005 at the National Summit about High Schools, the New Three Rs (Rigor, Relevance and Relationships). If the principal has heard of these topics, you are perhaps the first parent to mention them to him/her. You could become an ally to his/her push for improvement in the school. If the principal has not heard of these changes but is open-minded, then you have found a potential ally for change. b) Plot with the principal about the next step. Perhaps s/he will take the information on this website to his staff and then get back to you. Perhaps you will volunteer to talk to parents. (Step c). c) Talk to a few parents. Form a committee. Plan on step e.

d) Check with the principal. Is it okay for you to approach your child's teacher? e) Visit the PTA. Make a presentation about the "Fix Your School" process. f) Meet with your child's teacher. If the teacher is boring your kid, ask the teacher to review the "Visual and Active Methods" workshop section of this website. If your teacher is visual and active, suggest that s/he could get a certificate to enhance his/her teaching methods. g) Meet again with the principal. "What is the next step?" h) Contact Visual and Active Consultants: (954) 646 8246. Tell us where your obstacles are and what you have accomplished. Perhaps we can make a short presentation by phone or post a video on Youtube addressed to teachers, staff, the principal and PTA of your school. We are agents of change and we want to support you in your effort as a change agent. i) Organize workshops about edu-tainment to improve methods. You can show videos and pass out readings from the authors that we mention as our Mentors. Just the mere occasion of a workshop is a victory. j) Follow up on the workshops. Are teachers implementing the recommendations of this website and the results of the workshop that you organized? k) Wow, so many steps! Check the progress of your child. Is your child still bored in class? If so, return to step (f) and plan a new strategy. How can Edu-Tainment be immersed in classroom procedures? l) Review the Vornle Method and start your child on the road toward the Great University that you dream s/he will attend. m) Update this plan. Check that there is progress. Re-read the Readings and become inspired to do more. Constant improvement. n) The Small School Option: You can make a great school better by breaking it into smaller pieces, perhaps 200 or 300 students per school, per principal. See Bill Gates' speech about the New Three Rs (a adaptation of Dennis Littky's formula). Bill Gates gave $800 million to

1,000 schools to break them into 4,000 smaller schools. Hmmmm, maybe it's an idea worth looking at... www.FindaSmallSchool.com

=========================

IF THE PRINCIPAL SAYS, "We've been teaching kids for decades and we know what works," then you might need to change the order of the approach: Start with other parents and the PTA. Start with your child's teachers. Urge them to put more "edu-taining" procedures in the classroom. Start by writing to us and let's brainstorm alternative approaches. [email protected] ========================= The steps are many and the way is arduous and it's not clear that the process that we have described here will work. You might need to change the order of the events.

Fix Your Child's School!

Chapter 3 These quotations inspire us. "Movies, soap operas, TV shows and radio shows are competing for the minds of our young people. If we are going to have a chance at educating them, we need to use the same methods -- audio and visual." Paul A. Wagner in Collier's Magazine, 1949 “Given the widening array of possibilities, there’s no reason that every child must master the sciences, algebra, geometry, biology, or any of the rest of the standard high school curriculum that has barely changed in half a century.” Robert Reich, former Sec. of Labor

Multiple Intelligences: If individuals indeed have different kinds of minds, with varied strengths, interests and strategies, then it is worth considering whether pivotal curricular materials like biology could be taught AND ASSESSED in a variety of ways. 
Performances of Understanding: When it comes to probing a student’s understanding of evolution, the shrewd pedagogue looks beyond the mastery of dictionary definitions or the recitation of textbook examples. A student performs her understanding of the Holocaust when she can compare events in a Nazi concentration camp to such contemporary genocidal events as those in Bosnia, Kosovo or Rwanda in the 1990s. 
“Measures of understanding” may seem demanding, particularly in contrast to current, often superficial,

efforts to measure what students know and are able to do. Nonetheless, a performance approach to understanding is justified. Instead of mastering content, one thinks about the reason why a particular content is being taught and how best to display one’s comprehension of this content in a publicly accessible way. When students realize they will have to apply knowledge and demonstrate insights in a public form, they assume a more active stance to the material, seeking to exercise their “performance muscles” whenever possible. Howard Gardner, Intelligence Reframed

Let's start with assumptions that most people born before 1950 have about school and learning:
 1) If you pay attention in school and do the work, you will be a success.
 2) If you can't do something (if you can't perform a skill like writing or reading with good comprehension), then you lack the brain power or you weren't using your natural abilities. You weren't paying attention.
 3) The remedy (if the student doesn't understand) is to repeat and repeat until the student gets it right. “It's not the teacher's fault... I just need to keep trying until I get it.”


If teachers brought in the innovations of the 1970s, 1980s and later, they would introduce the following changes in their classrooms:
 1. Teachers would collect their lectures (and distribute CDs with audio tracks) to allow audio learners to pick up the information. Teachers would learn how to store videos and how to edit and share videos on CD/DVDs.
 2. All students would build portfolios of their performances and artifacts that show understanding. Written tests would be less important. Videotaped performances of understanding would be more important.
 3. Teachers would invite mentors into the classroom. (Oh! That will mean there is less time for lectures and the teacher might lose control of the class). Teachers could give academic credit for time spent in internships outside the classroom. 
 4. Teachers would have dinner with each student, meet the parents and other people who give the student emotional and nurturing support. teachers would share email addresses and exchange cell numbers.


5. Teachers would visit an “edu-taining school” (for example, BigPicture.org) and learn how these topics come together in the classroom.
 What would happen if a teacher introduced Dan Pink's "six elements" into the classroom? (From A Whole New Mind: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, meaning)
What if students were expected to include China, India and countries in South America in class discussions (in the way that we include England, France and Italy in many classes)? 
If you are a substitute teacher, what is your responsibility to ensure that students are exposed to the topics presented on this page? What are the connections between the forces that shape our world? Asia, Automation and Abundance (Danpink.com)

The "back to basics" movement and the focus on standardized tests ("drilland-kill") have brutalized schools. The students aren't having fun, the teachers aren't having fun. There is another way. -- Dennis Yuzenas To find out how “That’s Edu-Tainment” (the Visual and Active workshop for teachers) can come to your school, call (954) 646-8246 [email protected] VisualandActive.com youtube.com/visualandactive

Chapter 4 Another View Start by reading the blog at www.TheStudentIsTheClass.com. The blog is authored by Dr. Abraham Fishcler, former president of Nova University. Here is the key observation:

“No politician lost an election because of his vote on an educational issue.” Every politician says he or she is “an education candidate.” Yes, but what happens when there are budget cuts? The money comes from the education budget and social security and medicare are hardly touched.

Florida added the Lottery in the hopes of adding money to the budget for education… Before the lottery, 48% of the state budget went into Education. After the lottery, 42% of the budget went into education.. and the other 6% is covered by the lottery.

The state of Georgia was smarter: The lottery money did not go to the Legislature, but was placed in a trust fund for educational uses. The lottery has ADDED to the revenue stream for schools in Georgia.

Conclusion: No matter how many million parents get fed up with the current state of schools, nothing substantial will change. The decision-making takes place in a school board, and that board’s hands are tied by mandates from the State and Federal departments of Education. So, what can a school advocate do?

You can move your child to a small school (a charter school) and write a letter to the school board (stating that your child will return after x y z reforms take place)… and hope that 100,000 more parent will copy your example. This strategy is described in a 24-page booklet to inform parents and students about alternatives to big-box schools http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/15636953/In-Praise-of-SmallSchools-in-24-pages Or… THE NEXT EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Dr. Fischer would like to find a K-12 system willing to implement the Fischler Innovation Zone (FIZ). His preference is to implement the conversion in one zone (five or six elementary schools that feed a middle school which feeds a high school). It will take one year to get the community support in place.


Dr. Fischler changed higher education but “this is even more important since 33 percent of ninth graders do not finish high school,” wrote Dr. F.

http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2006/07/vision-for-educationalchange.html#links In other words, wait for the Fischler Initiative. Wait for a Fischler Innovation Zone (FIZ) to be started in your school district. Write to your school board and request a FIZ in your area.

Chapter 5 Building a Portfolio Notes from a conversation with Lois Hetland (Mass. College of Art) The following notes are from an interview with Lois Hetland, a professor in Project Zero. These are a transcript from the interview. April 10, 2006 Q: Portfolios are used to evaluate student learning, but could portfolios be used to evaluate a school? The way high stakes tests are being used? Dr. Hetland: you are trying to assess the quality of the teaching by measuring the quality of the learning. What we're really doing is measuring how much kids have learned. We're also measuring what they've been taught. ...and whether what they've been taught is important enough to be spending their time on. It's a complex mix of things we're trying to achieve in assessment. There's nothing wrong with a standardized test as long as it doesn't shape the entire curriculum. We see arts being dropped out of the curriculum. Kids are being rote-drilled on reading, writing and math skills. The skills aren't

enough for kids to succeed in the world. Students could succeed completely on the test but not have what they need for succeeding in the world. Skill is not enough. We need kids inclined to use those skills, to do something with them. The students also need to recognize "where are the problems out in the world?" To stay alert when an appropriate skill can be useful. Portfolios have a better chance of documenting and recording that kind of information than a standardized bubble test. The bubble test is good at telling you if someone can recall particular bits of information out of context. But there is not a strong connection between a good test result and using that information flexibly in response to a new situation, to the needs of context. We need more effective measures if we want our kids to learn for understanding. That is, learn in a way that allows them to respond in an adaptive, critical and creative way to the problems in the world. We don't want to give them highly refined problems all the time with very clear answers. Problems in the world are fuzzy and you have to poke your way through them. Portfolios can give kids practice in that kind of thinking. "I've done something... Now, what is it for?" For example, we can ask, "How can we find out the truth about something that took place a long time ago?" as a goal for understanding. History is about finding out (how do historians think?), and what is "truth"? Well, students soon discover that history is not about a sequential list of facts. Students learn that history is about making interpretations and comparing positions. That type of understanding is more likely to show up in a portfolio than on a standardized test. You can see growth over time in a

portfolio. How can you use a portfolio to assess whether a school is doing its job? Let's speak for a moment about standards. Standards set by states are leaning in the right direction. They are trying to give a clear enough vision of what we want our kids to have to become disciplined thinkers. What are disciplined networks of information? How do we use this information? Now we can check our teaching to see if we are aiming in the right direction. Some standards are too fragmented (what is 2 + 2) instead of "why do we have algorithms?" The skills have to be in service of the understanding. It's not just skills, it's "skills for what?"

Q: I often hear students ask me when I teach a matrix, "when am I ever gonna need this?" Dr. Hetland: in portfolios, we have kids and teachers self-reflecting about these big ideas that cut across the school. Then we can see how well is this school developing information in students' minds. So let's assume that every classroom has kids keeping portfolios. Kids reflect on what is in the portfolio and they select items to demonstrate specific learning.... So this is going on in every classroom in the state. If we have a random selection process when we drop into a school, then we have within our grasp the data to help us understand how well the school was aiming toward the particular goals. This random selection does not take kids off the task of really developing understanding. In systems, you get what you assess. That is a quotation from Lauren Resnick and everyone knows that it is so. If you measure a reading skill, you get that skill, not the understanding for using the

skill. We name what we value when we test it. We currently value discreet information out of context. We end up saying that we don't value understanding and "using information logically and creatively in response to problems in the world." However, there is a problem with reliability. Reliability tells me that I won't get a wildly different result if the same person takes the same test one day apart if nothing new has been taught. If student A and student B each know the same amount, they should get the same score. Portfolios are subject to different interpretations. There is so much variation in the way kids learn. Are the people rating the portfolio going to grade in a consistent manner? It is not an insurmountable problem. Look at the international baccalaureate diploma. The external examiners are trained to evaluate in a consistent way. They achieve very high interrelated reliability ... But you have to train people to assess portfolios according to clear criteria. It would take funding and effort and commitment If we had a group of external evaluators, we would be getting a much richer evaluation of teachers and schools.

Q: Howard Gardner mentions gathering a portfolio as a way to measure understanding. How would it work for a standardized test? How could a portfolio be introduced as part of the standardized testing process? Hetland: There are issues about validity and the reproduction or duplication of results and how the test is evaluated. If the child repeats the test and gives a best effort, will there be a similar result? Is the test valid? Does it really test understanding? Can a second evaluator look at the portfolio and give it the same grade as the first evaluator gave? These

are issues that can be worked out. The IRS doesn’t look closely at every income tax return. Only a certain percent are audited. So evaluators in schools could pull two percent of the portfolios from High, Average and Challenged learners. You can learn more about this by looking at books that describe portfolios.

Q: Do you know of any schools that are assessing their kids in this way, with portfolios? Hetland: There’s a list of schools that use the Multiple Intelligences methods. Q: I’ve just visited the Met school in Providence, RI where students are given evaluations by a two-page letter (every 9 weeks) , not by letter grade. The teachers teach all the subjects for four grade levels so that the students are known very well by their advisor. The emphasis is on connecting the student’s interest to the real world and finding rigor in the process. I would imagine that their “exam by exhibition” follows the Gardner model of assessment. Hetland: I’d like to learn more about the Met school. Q: In Florida, we use a standardized test called the FCAT. I’m interested in figuring out how an expanded FCAT would work. Would there be a set of guidelines for the appearance and contents of the portfolio? I’ve seen how a “high stakes” exam distorts people’s thinking, or rather how teachers twist and turn in order to respond to a standardized test. Hetland: This would not be a “best practices” portfolio. I would imagine that you want the standardized portfolio process to show progress in understanding, so there have to be a range of materials, not just the best of the student’s work. Q: If we have to have high stakes tests, let’s make them assess the students’ actual learning. A lot of students are picking up tremendous lessons in Social Reasoning and Emotional Intelligence. It’s clear to me that the FCAT assesses only a part of the linguistic intelligence and portions of the math and 3-D abilities. The rest of the learning styles and capacities are untouched. I’m curious to know how the portfolios could be constructed to accurately expand what is

assessed. Hetland: There is some standard literature out there that will guide the creation of useful formats. (Dr. Hetland then described some books that are available at the PZ.Harvard.EDU web site). (See Gardner's point about how to assess students from Intelligence Reframed) If individuals indeed have different kinds of minds, with varied strengths, interests and strategies, then it is worth considering whether pivotal curricular materials like biology could be taught AND ASSESSED in a variety of ways. www.newcityschool.org Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School Thomas R. Hoerr (Principal, St. Louis) Page 27 Keeping a portfolio for each child – a collection of work and artifacts that give a picture of the child’s growth – is a way of capturing progress without using paper and pencil measures. Unless the portfolio is given credence an shared with parents as a report card is, however, it will seen as just a grab gag with little educational significance. At New City School, the spring Portfolio Night highlights the role of the portfolio. During Portfolio Night parents and children review student artifacts and reflections and put their hands on evidence of student growth. Families come together to celebrate student progress and accomplishments and to talk about areas needing more attention and effort. In short, reviewing portfolios gives parents an opportunity to view their children’s progress in all of the intelligences. IMPORTANT All items in a portfolio should contain a reflection sheet. Completed by students, teachers or both, these forms indicate the particular intelligence an item addresses and why it was chosen for the

portfolio. Without a reflection sheet, it is easy for objects to lose their significance over time. Photographs of three dimensional accomplishments as well as audiotapes and videotapes that capture a student’s progress should also be included in each portfolio. ============== To see more material by Daniel Pink, go to his web site at www.DanPink.com I've collected some of Pink's writings and interviews at the GATES SPEECH web page See also the writings of Dennis Littky

http://sites.google.com/site/stevesattutor/home/portfolios

"I don't know why more students don't submit a portfolio. Harvard looks at portfolios from home-schooled kids, so why not from anyone if there is a wellorganized portfolio..." The Vornle Method (see the full method described in the Appendix)

To learn more: Visit the Vornle Method at www.SATVideos.com http://sites.google.com/site/visualandactive/Home/evaluations/vornle-method-forcollege-applications

Chapter 6 Training Teachers to Edu-tain If you want to hear about a dynamic method of teaching, visit www.VisualandActive.com, a website by teachers for teachers and parents who want to make education “edu-taining.” By mixing elements of entertainment in the course, we can make the learning stick. Find out what Bill Gates heard:

Until we find the child’s passion, it’s just school. When the child finds his passion, we teach to that passion. We can find internships for high school students: Kids say, “I love this internship!” and teachers can teach to that interest. – Dennis Littky, The Big Picture To learn more, get a free workshop at

youtube.com/visualandactive >> OFFER: perhaps you would like to win a free workshop. Send your email to us and we will draw the name of the winner every month. If you enter once, you are entered for all future drawings. Winners so far: 1 August: Embassy Language Center, Fort Lauderdale 1 September: Bok School of the Arts, West Palm Beach 1 October: Will it be your school? Questions: [email protected]

(954) 646 8246

More about trainings: http://sites.google.com/site/visualandactive/Home/about-us/thats-edutainment

Chapter 7 Readings to Inspire Teachers Trust. Truth. No Put-downs. Active Listening. Personal Best. Seen at New City School in St. Louis, Mo.

Howard Gardner Alternative Methods of Assessment Key quotes from Gardner Multiple Intelligences is most usefully invoked in the service of two educational goals. The first is to help students achieve certain valued adult roles or end-states. If one wants everyone to be able to engage in artistic activities, it makes sense to develop linguistic intelligence for the poet, spatial intelligence for the graphic artist and sculptor, movement intelligence for the dancer and musical intelligence for the composer. If we want everyone to be civil, then it is important to develop the personal intelligences.

The second goal is to help students master certain curricular materials. Students might be encouraged to take a course in biology so as to better understand the development of the living world. If individuals indeed have different kinds of minds, with varied strengths, interests and strategies, then it is worth considering

whether pivotal curricular materials like biology could be taught AND ASSESSED in a variety of ways. Intelligence Reframed, p. 167

Performances of Understanding When it comes to probing a student’s understanding of evolution, the shrewd pedagogue looks beyond the mastery of dictionary definitions or the recitation of textbook examples. A student demonstrates or “performs” his understanding when he can examine a range of species found in different ecological niches and speculate about the reasons for their particular ensemble of traits. A student performs her understanding of the Holocaust when she can compare events in a Nazi concentration camp to such contemporary genocidal events as those in Bosnia, Kosovo or Rwanda in the 1990s. “Measures of understanding” may seem demanding, particularly in contract to current, often superficial, efforts to measure what students know and are able to do. And, indeed, recourse to performing one’s understanding is likely to stress students, teachers, and parents, who have grown accustomed to traditional ways of doing (or NOT doing) things. Nonetheless, a performance approach to understanding is justified. Instead of mastering content, one thinks about the reason why a particular content is being taught and how best to display one’s comprehension of this content in a publicly accessible way. When students realize they will have to apply knowledge and demonstrate insights in a public form, they assume a more active stance to the material, seeking to exercise their “performance muscles” whenever possible.

The first R is Rigor – making sure all students are given a challenging curriculum that prepares them for college or work. The second R is Relevance – making sure kids have courses and projects that clearly relate to their Bill Gates (National High School Summit speech)

lives and their goals. The third R is Relationships – making sure kids have a number of adults who know them, look out for them, and push them to achieve. The three Rs are almost always easier to promote in smaller schools. ... Students in smaller schools are more motivated, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, and graduate and attend college in higher numbers.”

Schools don't teach the same way children learn. ... Children seem to learn best when they can explore the world and interact with expert adults..... They learn by watching adults, trying Alison Gopnik (The Teacher as Coach)

themselves and receiving detailed corrective feedback about their efforts. ...A good example of such teaching in our culture is the stern but beloved baseball coach. How many school teachers are as good at essay writing, science or mathematics as the average coach is at baseball? And even when teachers are expert, how

many children ever get to watch them work through writing an essay or designing a scientific experiment or solving an unfamiliar math problem? Robert Reich (former Sec. of Labor) “Given the widening array of possibilities, there’s no reason that every child must master the sciences, algebra, geometry, biology, or any of the rest of the standard high school curriculum that has barely changed in half a century.”

Lois Hetland, Steve Seidel, J. Walters (Portfolio Practices, Project Zero)

"Many universities allow home-schooled students to submit portfolios of their work to show their progress. Couldn't every student submit a portfolio with their college application? Paul Wagner, former president of Rollins College "Movies, soap operas, TV shows and radio shows are competing for the minds of our young people. If we are going to have a chance at educating them, we need to use the same methods -- audio and visual."

Educators should: personalize education and work to individualize instruction; view students' parents as partners and educate them, too; and demonstrate that students are prepared for the future. Thomas Hoerr (Building a Multiple Intelligences School)

Dan Pink (Free Agent Nation, A Whole New Mind, The MFA is the New MBA) What would happen if a teacher introduced Dan Pink's "six elements" into the classroom? (From A Whole New Mind: design, story, symphony, empathy, play, meaning) What if students were expected to include China, India and countries in South America in class discussions (in the way that we include England, France and Italy in many classes)? 
If you are a substitute teacher, what is your responsibility to ensure that students are exposed to the topics presented on this page? What are the connections between the forces that shape our world? Asia, Automation and Abundance (Danpink.com)

We have done a very poor job of conveying to kids the value of science and technology as a career choice that will make the world a better place. Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat)

Engineering and science is what led to so many improvement in our lives. But you talk to K through 12 kids about changing the world and they don't look at computer science as a career that is going to be a great thing." (quoting Richard A. Rashid, director of research for Microsoft) ... We should be embarking on an all-hands-ondeck, no-holds-barred, no-budget-too-large crash program for science and engineering education immediately. (page 275)

The "back to basics" movement and the focus on standardized tests ("drill-andkill") have brutalized schools. The students aren't having fun, the teachers aren't having fun. There is another way. Dennis Yuzenas (WhatDoYaKnow.com)

One day we read about dinosaurs and the book said that the dinosaur was twenty-five feet high with a head six feet across. "Let's see what that means. That would mean that if he stood in our front yard, he would be high enough to put his head through the third-story window but not quite because his head would be a little bit too wide." Richard Feynmann (The Pleasure of Finding Things Out)

About Finding a Child's Passion: Until we find the child’s passion, it’s just school. When the child finds his passion, we teach to that passion. We can find internships for high school students: Kids say, “I love this internship!” and teachers can teach to that interest. – Dennis Littky

"If there was anything in a person, of real worth, it would come out whether they went to college or not." Alfred Pope

------------------------Small Schools Booklet Compiled by a teacher at a small charter school who visited The Littky school in Providence, RI (Metcenter.org). This booklet is available for FREE download on pdfcoke.com and you are encouraged to share the link with parents, teachers, students and principals. Here is the link: http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/15636953/In-Praise-of-SmallSchools-in-24-pages

------------------------"See that bird? What kind of a bird is that?" And I said, "I haven't the slightest idea." He said, "It's a brown throated thrush. In Italian it is a -------; in Portuguese it is called a -----; in Japanese, they say -------. Now, you know in many languages the name of that bird and yet you know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You only know about humans in different places and what they call the bird. Now, let's look at the bird." My father taught me to notice things. I was a small boy and my father used to read to me from an encyclopedia. One day we read about dinosaurs and the

book said that the dinosaur was twenty-five feet high with a head six feet across. "Let's see what that means. That would mean that if he stood in our front yard, he world be high enough to put his head through the third-story window but not quite because his head would be a little bit too wide."

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out By Richard Feynman (Discuss the title of this book)

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Excellence versus Perfection A high school principal at a conference spoke about tips on reducing stress at work. "I recognize the difference between excellence and perfection. I believe it is important that my students bus their tables and put their trays away after they have eaten. You may think this is being nitpicky or that it's a minor issue. i believe that teaching kids responsibility is maybe the most important lesson we offer. My students generally come from upper income families and the cafeteria staff is largely lower-income. What's the message when they walk away and leave their trays? I can get 96 percent of my students to put their trays away. That's good, but it's not perfection. I want 100 percent of the trays put away. But I've come to realize that by striving for 100 percent, I would turn the place into a prison. In doing that, I would crate an incredible amount of stress for my self and everyone around me. So I've learned to be satisfied with excellence." Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School

Thomas Hoerr

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We should develop students who know how to: identify problems, use their intelligences to solve problems and create products, demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways, and work with others. Educators should: personalize education and work to individualize instruction; enable students to develop and use their areas of strength; view students' parents as partners and educate them, too; offer an environment that supports faculty growth; and demonstrate that students are prepared for the future. Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School Thomas Hoerr

Get the Littky Book, The Big Picture http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Big-Picture/DennisLittky/e/9780871209719/?itm=2&usri=1 and read these pages: page 34- Quote by Robert Reich, the former Secretary of Labor pages 66-70 School size pages 86-92 Discipline

pages 113-114 Real work Page 116 the formula that Bill Gates used in his Feb. 2005 speech to Governors at the National High School Summit. pages 152-162 Grades? no, narratives pages 162-168 Tests? no, exhibitions

More readings: http://sites.google.com/site/visualandactive/Home/aboutus/thats-edu-tainment/readings/littky-on-npr

If you know someone who can translate this workbook, please show them www.visualandactive.com and our course called "That's Edu-tainment." If you know a principal or director of a school who wants to transform the school's teachers, tell us... we can create an excellent workshop...

Chapter 8 What Now? Well, you reached the end of the book. There are some appendices, but you made it to the core idea (presented in Chapters 1 and 2). If you want to discuss the options, contact 1+ 954-646-8246 or send an email to [email protected] -- how can we improve this presentation?

About the Authors Steve is a teacher of English as a Second Language in Fort Lauderdale. He can be reached at [email protected]. Dennis is a middle school teacher of Social Studies. His website is www.WhatDoyaKnow.com

Appendix 1. What Learning Style Are You? 2. Rubric for a Performance 3. A Manifesto 4. The Vornle Method 5. Mentors on Video 6. 14 points about Dennis Littky’s School

Appendix What Learning Style Are You?

The Concrete Sequential individual: Needs and enjoys structured situations. Likes to work with hands-on projects. Likes things to be ordered and arranged in specific ways. Likes clear and definite directions. Is always "busy", looking for constructive things to do, can’t sit still for long. Is a natural organizer. Prefers to do things step by step. Follows directions. Is a natural editor, can take anything and make it better. Has a great fear of being wrong…. And prefers: Order and quiet Exact directions Guided Practice Know the accepted way of doing something Can apply ideas in a practical, hands-on way Are given approval for specific work done ======================== The Abstract Sequential individual: Reads avidly for information and ideas logically presented. Needs a quiet environment to think and work. Likes to debate about ideas and controversial issues. Likes to learn just to learn - self-directed. Gathers information and analyzes ideas. Strives for intellectual recognition. Thinks in a structured, logical and organized way. Fears appearing foolish or uninformed…. And prefers: Lecture and reading Follow traditional procedures Work alone Research Logical explanations Are respected for intellectual ability ===================

The Abstract Random individual: Dislikes routine procedures and orderliness. Is extremely sensitive to his/her own and others’ feelings. Is flexible, accepting and responds easily to change. Learns well through discussion and sharing of ideas. Is imaginative. Personalizes information. Is usually involved in many projects or interest at one time. Is focused on friends and relationships. Has a fear of not being liked…. And prefers: Cooperative work Assignments with room for interpretation Balance of social activities and work Noncompetitive atmosphere Personalized learning Are given personal attention and emotional support ================== The Concrete Random individual: Is highly curious. Finds out-of-the-ordinary answers to problems. Seems driven to say or do things in a way others have not. Is a risk-taker. Likes to discover his/her own way of doing things; must test things for self. Is extremely independent and competitive with self. Prefers to investigate and experiment; enjoys hands-on experimenting. Skips steps and details. Shows original creativity; has varied and unusual ideas. Has multiple projects going at once. Finds possibilities, creates change. Is notorious for not reading directions or instructions. Fears structure…. And prefers: Trial and error approach Hands-on experiences Brainstorming and open-ended activities Produce real, but creative, products Original and unique approaches to problem solving Self-directed learning Source: Floatingneutrinos.com

Appendix

Rubric or Checklist for a Performance of Understanding Based on the work of Lois Hetland and others

Evaluation of the Student’s Performance of Understanding Name of Student: _____________________________________ Date: ______________ Topic for Performance of Understanding: ______________________________ Checklist for Presentations (based on work by Patricia Crosby and Pamela Heinz)

Information Gains attention of the audience with an interesting detail ___ The student explains why the topic is interesting to him/her ___

Uses gestures to enhance the speech ___ Shows enthusiasm about the topic ___ Maintains eye contact with the audience ___ The student’s speech is clear and audible ___ The speech is not rushed (the student speaks at an appropriate pace) ___

Answers questions from the audience ___

Organization Uses visual materials to clarify important points ___ Communicates beginning, middle and end of the presentation ___ Many specific words are used ___ (“glamorous” or “fabulous” rather than “nice” or “good”)

Main ideas are supported with details ___ According to Howard Gardner, “Measures of understanding” may seem demanding, particularly in contract to current, often superficial, efforts to measure what students know and are able to do. And, indeed, recourse to performing one’s understanding is likely to stress students, teachers, and parents, who have grown accustomed to traditional ways of doing (or NOT doing) things. Nonetheless, a performance approach to understanding is justified. Instead of mastering content, one thinks about the reason why a particular

content is being taught and how best to display one’s comprehension of this content in a publicly accessible way. When students realize they will have to apply knowledge and demonstrate insights in a public form, they assume a more active stance to the material, seeking to exercise their “performance muscles” whenever possible.

Appendix Here is a document that summarizes my philosophy of education. What is the goal of the teacher? To transform into a mentor, advisor, facilitator and reduce the role of dictator.

Our Manifesto? Every time you walk into a classroom, you have the opportunity to create a new world. Cary, Tony, Dennis and I take that opportunity. We're visual and active teachers.

We upset the expectations of students. They come in and expect to dictated to. They learn that there's another way to transmit information, there's another way for the students to discover and grab and understand something about the world. Watch Tony, Cary, Dennis in a classroom. They get students involved. The students participate. The learners are no longer observers or passive receivers of bits of information. Students don't occupy a visual and active classroom. Students don't sit, copy and shut up. They don't wait for the teacher... they take the initiative. This book is written to capture that intensity. The energy and power that Dennis, Cary and Tony create in their educational worlds come from links to videos and dynamic material on the Internet, powerful questions that students are asked. This book could have a lasting impact on you as a teacher. you will be standing in line in Washington, DC, as Dennis

was, and a stranger will walk up to you and say, "Hey, you're Mr. Y! I was your student ten years ago. You were the best teacher I ever had. People remember how you treated them. They might not remember what you taught them, they might not remember the material that you presented in the classroom, but they remember how they felt in your class. The systems that Dennis Yuzenas and Dennis Littky put in place in their classrooms, the rules that Cary, Tony and I impose on the class, these are the methods that we use to show respect for students. We ask them, "What do you want to learn? How can we make this interesting? TELL ME HOW YOU LEARN and we will adapt to you." When you join us in this visual and active world, you will discover that you are part of the show, part of the movie. We are in a movie, we aren't just spectators. Movies are no longer entertaining to many of us visual and active teachers because we are tied of being spectators and observers. We want to participate -- and we participate so much that we are part of the show.

Appendix

The Vornle Method The following description is a DRAFT and it includes some of the commentaries made by the author and editors of the material. It was written as a long letter from John Vornle (a skilled writer and a graduate of Colgate University) to his children. None of them read the material completely, but perhaps you will. Posted by one of the editors... -------------------------------------------------------------------------

A perspective on College by John Vornle ---------------- d r a f t -------------

Introduction by Stephen McCrea

This pamphlet opened my eyes. I am a high school teacher. At least once a day I hear: “I need to pass this course to get into college.” “If I get a good score, I’m in.” Once a week I hear “Man, how am I ever going to raise my SAT? I just don’t get it.” (This is usually a student who wants to get into a first-rate school and needs a combined score of at least 1150). Most people believe that you need to get three good ratings.

Good GPA Good SAT Good rank in class (top 10 percent) Having a 3.9 GPA means nothing if you are ranked in the top quarter of the class (grade inflation is everywhere!). But I hear of students with 3.8 GPA, a combined SAT over 1200 and a rank of 24 out of 300 who have applied to five colleges -- and they get no letters of acceptance. What went wrong for these students who have accumulated such good records? Mr. Vornle’s analysis (“U.S. universities are businesses”) helps me explain the system to my students and it reveals two strategies: a) If you are a “full pay” student (able to pay full tuition), you have a surprise waiting for you … a “line of negotiation” into the process of college admission. b) If you are not an athlete or if you lack the funds , this pamphlet gives you three steps to use to improve your chance of getting accepted. After reading Mr. Vornle’s manuscript, I now ask my students, “What else should you be doing to get ready for college?” I hope you will agree that this short pamphlet will give students a new view into the “admission process” and that you will become a negotiator. It’s no longer a passive “admission process” (I hope they pick me). It’s more of a “Seize the Day” process: what can you do to grab the attention of the reader of your application? “Hey, reader! Look at what you will lose if you don’t read about me!” Good hunting! Steve McCrea

High School Teacher, MPA, Math 800, Verbal 720 Certified to teach English 6-12, Math 6-12, ESOL K-12, Political Science 6-12 Accepted at MIT, Yale, Swarthmore, Haverford, Princeton Waitlist at Harvard.

Some questions about colleges and the college application process: A) Getting perspective on American Universities What are the revenues of a university? What are the expenses?...Hmmm.. What are revenues divided by the number of students? hmmmm. That number is HALF of the tuition? That means any student paying full tuition is carrying another student... What should be an applicant’s strategy of negotiation? B) Selecting a College/ How do you get to know a college? Big school or small school? What is your personality? International or close to home? Junior year abroad? How do you REALLY get to know a college? Should you stay over night? What questions should you ask? How do you get away from the college appointed "guide" to the campus and really get to know what it's like to be on campus? Is the student-written guide to campus life and to the professors overly spiteful? Can you believe what you read in web sites? Is any of this important? C) How do you best prepare yourself? What is needed to be successful in college? What skills do you need to pick up in high school? What should you ignore at school?

What is "fluff" and what is needed in later life? A) Getting perspective on American Universities Question: What is the business plan reality of a college? Answer: If you divide the average revenue of a university that charges $32,000 per year by the number of enrolled students, the average revenue per student is actually around $17,000. This is the average tuition (and other fees) collected by colleges for each student. To me, this means that every student paying more than $17,000 is subsidizing the rest of the student body.

• American Colleges are excellent at promoting themselves to students, parents, and the business community. They are expert marketers. They are far ahead of European universities who have not spent much money marketing themselves over the past 20 years. Why do I tell you this? American colleges are full of fluff. Note: Spend your time in college making friends with the people you will want to remain in contact with after college. They are life-long friends. Get involved in as much as you can.

• Universities are businesses. They collect revenues from the parents of students.

• Why do I tell you this? Most people think that universities have a “higher purpose.” They do, but most fail in the execution. • What are most American Universities? The American university is a simple business. • McCrea adds: Universities claim that they are “not for profit” but running a university is a business. The typical college seeks clients

who will pay for its services. B) Selecting a College/ How do you get to know a college? At almost any university you can find a positive situation. Pick subjects you are interested in learning about now and dedicate yourself to associating yourself with the best teacher/ professors in the university system you can find.

Question: Given the importance of the teachers, why do universities not tell you much about their teachers, classes and curriculums? Answer: Profits. C) How do you best prepare yourself? Question: What are the three top qualities colleges look for? Conventional Wisdom: GPA SAT Rank in class The Vornle Answer: Other than athletic ability (which is number one for many colleges), I am going to say: (1) evidence of leadership (...of having organized peers and motivated a group to do something); (2) extra-mural distinction in some extracurricular activity, i.e. not just editing the high school paper, but writing for the local community newspaper, or getting nationally ranked in chess or debating; (3) personal dash, charisma, popularity, especially with adults. Evidence of leadership in fundraising is very attractive. “Personal dash with adults” is a trait schools won't ever admit noticing, but it influences them, like it or not.

Why do I tell you this? #3 is important. You need to capture the attention of adults so that they volunteer to write you the letters of recommendation. What are Admission Realities? Selective American colleges and American Ivy League colleges are very difficult to enter. The competition is intense.

However, there is room at those top schools for middle-ability kids from eastern prep schools and ambitious families to attend the best programs in the mid-west.

Afterward/ Conclusions/ Comments D-1 The marketing hype and tension associated with American colleges, their emphasis of being a business first and foremost, distracts from the reason for seeking a higher education. The world is open to each of you. I want you to consider colleges and universities outside the United States where: a) you may get a better education, and; b) you won’t be distracted by American conventional wisdom and being stuck with students that are less mature, less culturally aware. D-2 Don’t base your choice of universities on “feel,” or “comfort” with the campus. Since information about teachers, classes, course requirements, teachers’ assistants, etc., are hard to find, maybe you can create your own system of questions that you want to know about places. As far as the application process goes, make yourself stand out! The French have a saying: “Vive la difference!” It’s the differences that will make you attractive. Document yourselves well. Aim high! Aim for whatever you are interested in.

Appendix Other Points

E-1 • The important factors in selecting a college are the characteristics of the teachers/professors with whom you spend your time and the legacy of learning and inquiring process they are able to impart to you. Why do I tell you this? This is why I think you should be going to college. E-2 Question: What do colleges want? Answer: They want full-pay, traditional age (between 17 and 19 years old in the freshman class), well-rounded students, who also have exceptional grades and Board scores. Why do colleges want “free kids”? It allows them to earn more profits. “Free kids” are considered desirable because: 1) As current students, they are likely to be rewarding to teach and to graduate on time (Incoming grades and scores are the best predictors of on time graduation.); 2) They are likely to contribute to the extracurricular life and morale of the community (Their future is expected to be like their past.); 3) They raise the rankings of the school, which heavily turn on the academic profile of the undergraduate body (The fact that rankings rest heavily on profile of student body is partially defensible, since students do learn from each other, and partially sheer snobbism.); 4) As alumni, the full-pay kids contribute more to the school. E-3 The type of person who reviews your application is not a professor. They are regular people trying to select an “entering class of students” who will meet the criteria as determined by the school’s president. As an applicant you need to have done the things that make you stand apart from your classmates. Being like everyone else is a distinct disadvantage.

E-4 • Of an entering class of 1000 students, the Admission Committee objective is that 800 must meet the GPA and SAT criteria, and half must pay the full tuition. The remaining 200 are selected to complete sports teams, meet social objectives (blacks, other minorities, religion), satisfy special organizational skills (band instruments, chorus, art, student government, newspaper reporting, community service).

Why do I tell you this? You have a chance to get into even the most selective colleges if you meet special criteria that they need. The challenge is figuring out “what” is needed and then landing with an admissions person who agrees with this characteristic’s importance to the school. E-5 Reality check: All the double-700 SAT, full-pay, top 10% of high school class, well-rounded 17 year-olds in the whole country will not fill the freshman classes of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. E-6 • Student Counselors in High School provide suggestions based on statistics (GPA, SAT and acceptances of past students). • Why do I tell you this? Don’t expect much! E-7 • For students, universities are a place of learning and fun! However, they are not “transparent”: Universities don’t make good information available about their teachers and courses (especially not to applicants). • It is difficult for non-students to find out about the personal teaching style of professors and the reaction of students to the professors; E-8 • If a person becomes a tenured professor, he then has an easy secured life with relatively no pressure. • Why do I tell you this? Professors are sometimes good, sometimes

bad. E-9 Why go to University? The certificate is important. It is the expected thing to do in the American system. The interaction with the student body is important for your education. However, keep it fun. Participate fully in the life of the campus and the community. Good luck.

Appendix

What else can parents do?

Ask to become a MENTOR ON VIDEO www.MentorsOnVideo.com

Suggested QUESTIONS to answer 1. What did you learn in school that you still use today? (This answer shows relevance.) 2. What do you wish you had learned in school? Additional relevance plus a suggestion to a teacher to include something extra in a future lesson.) 3. Name one of your teachers. If you can name the teacher, then something was given by that teacher to you. What was it? Honor that teacher by telling us why you remember that teacher. (This shows an important relationship)

4. Tell us about a book. What have you read in the past ten years that you use today? (This answer shows continued learning -- and we are asking you for a performance about what you took from the book, a performance of understanding.)

For more data, contact posdev.net.

McCrea Educational Archives is borrowing your image and voice to educate students. If you wish the video to be withdrawn, we can stop future distribution. Your video image will be seen by students who need adult role models.

Mentors On Video is a program to allow "ordinary humans' (non teachers) to visit middle and high schools on video. You can go to a "real" school and get videotaped. Or you can ask for someone to video you. My production company, McCrea Educational Archives, sells video training for FCAT preparation, SAT preparation, training for teachers and "how to read better". All of this training is placed on DVDs and CDs and there is often an extra 100 or 150 Megabytes on the CD or DVD. What to do? Put some videos of Mentors on the CD. Free. Your donation of your time will be returned by having your voice and/or image shared with dozens of students. Students tend to watch a CD if they are told that it is not required. "Huh, maybe this is the new Pirates of the Caribbean DVD." Sometimes they are bored, sometimes they are hooked. The idea of the mentor isn't to appeal to EVERY student, but rather to hijack at least one student from the reverie induced by surfing on the Internet or playing with an Xbox game. If you wish to participate, please contact me. Make your own video or call me and I'll put you on the list for me to video you.

Appendix How Does Dennis Littky Operate his Schools? “Kids are dying out there,” said Dennis Littky, founder of Big Picture Schools, in an interview on National Public Radio. He meant that many students are dying of boredom in school and some, literally, are dying because many schools are not as safe as they could be. Littky also asks, “Even kids in A schools could do better if they were working in a doctor’s office or an architect’s office during the school day.” See the appendix. Littky’s remedy? 1. make the school smaller. 2. Help kids find and reveal their passions. 3. Find internships to put their passions to work. 4. Get a lot of mentors. 5. Ask every parent to read excerpts from his book The Big Picture, so that everyone is onboard the school-reform train. 6. Ask teachers to write narratives, not just grades. 7. Ask students to give “stand ups” or exhibitions instead of written tests. 8. Parents are part of the curriculum team and the team for planning the student’s individual education plan (IEP). 9. Every student writes a 75-page autobiography based on interviews with people who know or knew his grandparents and parents. The work can be in the form of a magazine or video (edited). 10. Teachers are called “Advisors” and they stay wit the same cohort of 15 students for 3-4 years. 11. Advisors teach all the subjects. If additional support from another teacher or mentor is needed, the advisor still learns with the students.

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Schools invite alumni back to the school, allowing alumni to use computers and to network and get job references. Returning alumni act as mentors to current students. The school tracks the alumni for at least 10 years, sending a packet and questionnaire asking “what do you wish you had learned in 10th grade? What was useful? What could the school do better?” Make all the classwork and homework real. If possible, bring real work from the outside world into the classroom to make a real project. Every student applies to college as part of the requirements to graduate. If you don’t submit an application to three colleges, then you don’t receive your high school diploma.

See what happens.

This is the end of this DRAFT document. A book is never realy ever finished. Please make some suggestions about how we can improve the format or presentation of this material. [email protected] Thank you