The Tools to Make it happen

As we have progressed as a cohort throughout the course of the semester, questions of practicality have been at the forefront of the discussion. There is a good reason for this; most of us (as teachers or IFTs) need to actually take the design principles back to the classroom with us, and weave them in amongst the competing schedules, ideas and requirements that exist in typical schools.  What is increasingly apparent, is that good design can be a part of the larger picture in the classroom. The third design principle is what ties the content to the design. Before the third design principle was revealed to me, I asked some serious questions about the role of traditional class content, and the SOLs. From my first year of teaching (2013-2014), I remember drilling the middle school United States History SOLs into my students because so much emphasis was placed on a teacher’s pass rate. As a first year teacher, it can be difficult to succeed with those expectations. It can also prevent a teacher from considering the larger implications of design. The third design principle can permit a teacher to use the SOLs as tools, with an eye towards the larger design. The role of authentic activity (learning by doing) has also become more apparent as something necessary in the classroom. Students cannot be expected to truly internalize concepts that are drilled into their minds.

The ABCs of Learning also raised an interesting point: students create webs of meaning, rather than learning facts in isolation. Providing students with opportunities to create meaning, and permitting culture to reinforce the learning are the foundations of a well designed classroom. Teachers should consider how they can help students to integrate new concepts with previous concepts, as well as exercise newly acquired tools. The third design principle connects design and content, but similar to the other design principles, this design principle comes with specific implications. In particular, the third design principle mandates instructional diversity. In other words, authentic activity, mechanical tools, and time to apply the tools in a practical setting are required for learners. Above all, the third design principle helps the teacher solve many practical problems while teaching students how to problem solve. What is unique about the design process is that the skills that the teachers teachers use to design for their classrooms are the same skills that teachers want to instill into students. To an extent, teachers get students to the PICKLE by using the PICKLE themselves. All teachers already do this in some form, but may not realize it. The biggest challenge presented by the third design principle is the question of relevance. What are the concepts that can be used as tools? What information isn’t necessarily relevant? What are the mechanical skills needed to achieve this? Are certain concepts better suited to authentic activity? Can “advanced technologies” (I use this term because anything can be considered technology) make a difference?