By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 26, 2009
We all want to be paid for all the work we do and when we are not paid, we feel cheated. When that happens, usually, we will avoid that type of work in the future. The same hold true in education.
What does your scoring say to the students? How you weight quizzes and exams marks sends a strong message to your students. You may think you are being fair and equal about everything, but is that how the student sees it.
At the university where I worked teaching English, the program director wanted the four main language skills weighted the same (reading, writing, language knowledge and listening). This sounded fair and correct, however the way that the university assessed these four skills were different.
To assess the language knowledge (vocabulary) the students received multiple-choice questions, outside of memory, not much work required. To assess listening, the student listens to a taped conversation and answered mostly multiple-choice and true/false questions. Even the assessment of the reading skill used multiple-choice questions.
Now, the writing is entirely different. The students had to write a 500-word essay. The essay was based on a question, which was related to the reading and listening component. Connecting the writing task to the listen and reading is great however, the students must write 500 words or more. This requires much more work than answering multiple-choice and true/false questions, not to mention you are incorporating the listening task and reading task.
Each section of the exam received the same amount of marks. The exam consisted of 20 questions from language knowledge, the 25 questions from reading, the 20 questions from listening, and the 500-word essay (with an outline). Each section, Language Knowledge, Listening, Reading and Writing all received the same amount of marks; 25% of the value of the mid-term or final exam (the final exam for Foundation year was 50% of their final grade and the mid-term was 25% of the final grade).
Here is the question to my fellow educators. How do you suppose this affects the students? Knowing that the amount of work required for writing an essay has no more value than answering multiple-choice and true/false questions, where would you devote you efforts.
Of course, the students concentrate on the first three sections and if time permits, they go to the writing section and write something. I have invigilated many of these exams and watched the students ignore the writing section and concentrate on the solving the multiple-choice questions. Afterwards they would spend 10 to 20 minutes writing something, often not even answering the question.
Their actions made a clear declaration that they did not value the writing section because it was not worth it. I followed up my theory by giving the students of my classes and two other classes a survey. The results showed that the students felt that 1) the writing took too much time, 2) they could score higher by focusing on the multiple-choice questions, and most importantly that 3) they would attempt to write the essay if it was worth more on the exam.
This attitude also affected their learning. Attempting to teach these students how to write well was very difficult. They did not see a need for it. They felt they could pass the course without learning how to write well.
Attempting to be fair, we have de-motivated the students in a particular skill. Looking at this true-life example may give you some insights on your own classes.
How do you weigh the different tasks the students perform? How do the students perceive the marking? In our case, we performed a survey to gather data on student's perception to the different tasks and the value of each of those tasks.
Assessing the impact of our assessments is very important for the continued success of our students. Take a look at how you assess your students, how you mark the assessments and the weight you assign to each task and ask yourself and your students if it is fair. You may be surprised at the answers you get.
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 23, 2009
People are worrying about their jobs and the next paycheck. Companies are closing stores and budgets cuts are happening everywhere. Banks are reeling, yet there is a bright side to this economic turmoil, especially for educators.
For years, many educators have been complaining about the standard of education. Countries around the world were pushing people through their educational system in the same manner as GM pushes cars through its assembly line. Often governments pushed people through who were not qualified in order to get people off the streets and enough warm bodies into the market. The end product was mediocre workers. That will change.
The competition for jobs will increase steadily for the next two to five years. Only the best, only the most qualified people will get jobs. Companies and governments cannot afford to spend money on bringing people up to speed or hiring two people to do the job of one. They need people who are qualified and ready to start work.
Governments will start demanding that everyone who exits an institution of higher education is 100% qualified. They will demand that their people are competitive in a global market. As the colleges and universities start turning down admission to students who are not ready to study at higher levels, governments will put pressure on the high schools to ensure the quality of their graduates.
This is where the benefit to the educator comes in. We have labored under antiquated systems. We have used meaningless curriculums, which would not produce the caliber of student, which today's world needs. We know of methods of teaching, which research has proven, but were unable to implement against the status quo. All of these things will change.
Governments and administrators will become receptive to improvements. They will implement new methods of teaching. They will listen to complaints about the weaknesses in curriculum. They will want to overhaul the educational system to produce world-class graduates. They must overhaul the system for their people to survive. They will listen.
Now is the time for educators to gather all their data, all the facts that prove a particular system does not function, as it should. Combine these facts with sound arguments, backed by research and present a plan for change. This is the hour of the educator. Do not allow this opportunity to slide by.
]]>By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 2008
Recently, while working at a university, the rules changed for taking mid-term and final exams. Prior to this change each section of the exam was timed. Of course, everyone understands the importance of timed exams on producing assessments which are considered valid in the eyes of other institutes. The change was brought about due to the complaints of students that there was not enough time to complete the exam.
The original tests were designed to give the student, what is considered, the proper time to respond, provided that the student has a working knowledge of the information. To present an example; the old multiple choice section provided 1.1 minutes per question. Under the new system, there is no real time limit for the multiple choice section.
We are focusing on validity not reliability. Reliability has to do with the consistency of scoring between markers where as validity is focused on the consistency results when used in different groups of student (yet the same level), different schools, different school years, etc.
Mid-term and final exams are high stakes assessments. They determine whether a student proceeds to the next level or the next year in the university. High stakes assessments must be proven valid, especially if the university wants to be considered as a legitimate institute of education.
In order for an assessment to be considered valid there must be generalizability. In other words, "the degree to which evidence of validity based on test-criterion relations can be generalized to a new situation without further study of validity in that new situation." AERA et al (1999 p. 15). You can not get the same results in different areas because each person will dedicate a different amount of time to the task.
AERA et al (1999) report states that 'time period' or allotted time per item or section is an important aspect in measurement consistency. Without consistent measurements how can we properly evaluate the curriculum? Without consistent measurements how can we properly evaluate teacher efficiency? We use the 'timed' aspect to our exams otherwise our results will be skewed.
This skewing of results has occurred. In the latest exams, we had students who scored extremely high on the reading section, but very low on the vocabulary section and others who scored extremely high on writing, but failed the vocabulary and reading. Each student chose the area which they wanted to dedicate their time.
These skewed results make it impossible to evaluate the learning process and the educational program as a whole. It makes it impossible to find problem areas in the program or to make adjustments to the program. Exam validity is a cornerstone to our education system, no matter what the students may think.
As to the student's complaints of not enough time to produce good work, that complaint is but a myth. Kroll (1990) found that the timing really did not make a difference. Polio et al. (1998) came up with the same results. TESL did a study in 2006 and found basically the same results. They noted the only thing which will make a difference in the writing section is the use of technology, computers. Otherwise, giving the student more time to work on a task basically only helped in the spelling component.
Therefore, changing our allotted time scheme and allowing students to determine how much time they spend on each task will not permit us to have truly valid tests. We can not change to match the whims of the students. The student must learn to function under the dictates of the world around them. Yes, we should listen to their complaints and assess whether their points are valid, but to bow to the whims of the students is not acceptable.
These types of complaints are but one of the consequences of the assessment. There are consequences to every assessment; both good and bad consequence. That is part of assessment development. The consequence of students complaining about time restraint is to be expected and as AERA et al (1999) says these consequences do not invalidate the assessment.
If we are to assess the learning of our students, if we are to assess the programs we use to teach the students, all exams must be valid. The must produce accurate data to ensure the success of the students and the institution. If you are coming under fire about exams and are thinking about changing the exams, think twice. You may not be helping the students or the institution, you may be leading it into disaster.
References:
American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA), & National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). (1999) Standards for educational and psychological testing.
Kroll, B. (1990). What does time buy? ESL student performance on home versus class compositions. In B. Kroll (Ed.), Second language writing: Research insights from the classroom (pp. 140-154).
Polio, C., Fleck, C., & Leder, N. (1998). "If I only had more time: ESL learners' changes in linguistic accuracy on essay revisions." Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(1), 43-68.
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Considering the difficulty in learning a second language we need to provide our students with all the aid possible to ensure their success. In order to have a chance at being successful in their university studies, the students must attain at least intermediate level English. According to the Defense Language Institute in
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]]> <a href=”http://www.blogged.com/directory/education“>by Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Having worked in Asia, the Middle East and
In all of these countries, I have seen people who have been studying English for 10, even up to 15 years, who are still at upper-intermediate level English. After 10 or 15 years of studying a language, a student should be proficient at the language, they should be bilingual. Yet, we are not producing the desired results. I wish to address this problem and propose a solution to the problem.
In order to teach the students about English, 85% of the language programs use an off-the-shelf program; like Interchange or one of the other popular books. Those who use course material in English, use course books from the
Utilizing these off-the-shelf programs means the school does not need experienced course designers and most ESL teachers from many different parts of the world will be familiar with the material. This adds standardization to the program. It also allows for standardized tests to be prepared by authoritative, capable test preparers and ease for the teachers in planning and delivery. However, does this approach provide the student with all the right tools to learn English and become bilingual?
Content or subject matters taught in context have received a great deal of support from researchers (Brinton, Snow & Wesche, 1989; Chamot & O'Malley, 1987; Christian, Spanos, Crandall, Simich-Dudgeon, & Willets, 1990; Garcia 1990; Mohan 1986; Slavin, 1986; Snow, 1991). Schools and universities around the world are jumping on the band wagon and changing their system to bilingual education and some to education completely in English.
This would be a fantastic advancement of English and great aid to global communication if the desired result were always achieved. However, the English needed for schools and universities is not the off-the shelf English you find from most publishers, instead it is Academic English, which is much different than books like Interchange. Even the authentic course material is not sufficient to fully aid the student in acquiring bilingual status.
The off-the-shelf programs deal with communicative or social English and are written to the Western style of life. A student in
Even the subject content material has a
I have witnessed children who were straight "A" Math students fall to B and even C level students when the material was presented in English. True their English skills did improve, but at what cost? These students started to become disconnected in their Math classes because of their failures, though when placed in Math taught in Spanish, using local Math material, these students regained their advanced status once again.
The same has held true in Geography and to some extent the Social Sciences as a whole. The context of the content was US or Western in nature, leaving the student with little to connect to.
In order for our students to learn English and remain engaged we must provide material which matches the context of their culture, not ours or the Western idea of culture. Swain (1996) explained that we should not be so worried about imparting the Western idea of education and presenting material in a Western context. Instead we should allow the student to discover the language using their own culture as a peg. Roulet (1980) suggests that the learner must use his/her mother tongue in order to work out the organization of the second language in order to increase the competency of the learner. Working with a standardized, one program fits all, does not provide this opportunity.
Years ago, many of those who wished to learn English did so in order to travel to
When the reason was to travel or live in one of the English speaking countries, understanding the culture was very important. The off-the-shelf programs functioned well. However, with the change in emphasis, the material needs to be changed.
Our off-the-shelf programs are directed towards the Western idea of education, learning and culture. Granted, they use names and a few location which are not Western in nature, but this, in itself, does not constitute teaching the subject matter in context to culture. Students need to connect the words and ideas to something in their own culture and background. I have seen this around the world.
I worked in
The books had been written to use locations, names and dates familiar to the students. Those parts which were familiar to the students were learned quicker and with more enthusiasm than the parts which were wholly Western in nature. However, all the material had been written by Americans and British ESL teachers. As such the slant of the discourse and the focus of the themes were on the Western culture. It made some of the material more familiar to the students, but the concepts, ideas and culture were Western, which confused and de-motivated the students.
As Mosley-Howard (1995) warned, these practices can cause learning barriers and a feeling of discrimination. Responses to this situation are as varied as the perceptions of it: from dropping out of classes or lashing out at the institute or the authorities, to proactive and creative strategies for systemic change, to demonstrating exceptional academic success in the face of barriers. However, as educators, we owe it to our students to remove as many barriers as possible to ensure their success. Utilizing material with a particular cultural bias can place unneeded barriers in the path of our students. We must take into consideration the learner and his or her relationship to the material.
The Western culture with its individualism, form of democracy and other issues is often foreign to the student's understanding and the student's culture. The ideas are confusing to their way of thinking. We have not taken into consideration the learner's relationship to the material. We have used our relationship to the material and tried to impose that on the learner. This will cause most students to suffer, to varying degrees, a language gap between their native language (L1) and English (L2), as such we must aid them in bridging this gap.
Even our best subject content material when it is in our (Western) context does not aid in bridging this gap. The context we present in our English as a Second Language programs is the Western cultural context. We present ideas and concepts which at times are completely foreign or perhaps offensive to the student, which only enhances the gap instead of diminishing the gap.
An example of this can be found in most of the teaching books presently in use, for example the family. In the Western culture talking about the family is permissible and even encouraged, however some other cultures, like the Arab culture, talking about the family is a private matter and will only provoke the student to silence and perhaps dislike for the new language. As stated above, this causes a barrier to learning.
Have we impeded the learning of English by using the family as a theme or a way to teach words in context which is not acceptable to some learners? The context is fine in the west but in other cultures the context is offensive. If we have offended or confused the learner does not that hinder the student's ability to learn? It has affected the students mind set and this affects the ability to learn (Perkins 1987).
Have we designed the context correctly? Is our context acceptable to the culture? Does our subject matter context have the same meaning in the student's culture? Can't we develop Math books that teach Math, via English, in the same way that another culture is accustomed to learning? Can't we develop Social Science material, in English, which shows what is important in the student's country and culture? Have we provided an avenue to learn words and their meaning which will be acceptable and understandable to all?
If we wanted to teach the student about age and how to ask about age and that was a subject which is not normally used as 'public' discussion, could we not use the age of a car or a nation or some other context which would be acceptable to them? How old is your car? How old is your country? My car is two years old. Of course, words like cousin and other family relationships would have to be taught, but the activities could be changed so as not to obligate the student to confront a sensitive subject matter. This would allow the student to learn in a non-threatening manner and connect new words to their prior knowledge (Gordon, E. and Roberts, F., 1991).
The student needs to connect the words and means to something they have in their own language (L1). They need to be able to relate to concepts, ideas and feelings in both languages. In order to have truly bilingual people, they need to learn what the word or concept means in their own language. Without this peg, the new words are often meaningless and difficult to remember and learn.
Remember, English today is not for travel to the
The new words or concepts can even be misconceived; learning a Western concept, with Western values mixed in, can lead to confusion on the part of the student. In some cultures when you go to an office to talk to someone, you do not come directly to the point, which is considered rude or impolite. Instead you talk about the weather, the family or current events and then you get down to business. This is considered polite, however in the Western culture this is consider tedious, even annoying, but that is the context in which we teach this subject matter.
The students learning about interaction will become confused as to what is courteous and what is rude. The learner will have misconception about interacting with people. They have learned words, ideas and concepts, but are unsure of their correct use.
The student can learn words, ideas and concepts in the context of their own culture and become fully bilingual without the addition of the Western cultural context Schumann's (1986). The student needs to learn the new words or concepts in the context of their own culture, thereby providing a peg to hang the new knowledge. There are more than enough situations, in the person's culture, which can be presented to teach all the words, ideas and concepts which the person might need to become bilingual.
Another example would be the words we learn for socializing and the context in which we present these words again can be offensive and sometimes confusing. Not all cultures socialize in the same way as the west. We can teach the same words, but they must be presented in the context of the native culture. Only then will the student truly understand the words and use them correctly. Western culture can be taught after the student learns to handle the language.
Is not that the way in which we, as Westerners, usually learn a foreign language? We learn how to use the language and then we learn about the customs and culture of the people. Why should it be different for others to learn English?
When presenting words, concepts and/or ideas, we need to do so in the context in which the student is familiar. The activities and context we use must relate to the student's culture not ours (Banks 1988). In this way we encourage the learning of the new language. We provide pegs to hang the new knowledge on and we help the student understand the meaning and usage of the new words and concepts.
The use of the native culture to shape the context of the learning material is imperative to the student's ability to correctly understand the new language and to transfer present knowledge and experiences to the new language. Many researcher are in agreement that culture plays a big role in the acquisition of the new language and have suggested strategies to teach English to various cultures (e.g., Byram, 1997; Furstenberg, Levet, English & Maillet, 2001; Kramsch & Andersen, 1999; Liddicoat & Crozet, 2000; Lo Bianco, 2003; Lo Bianco & Crozet, 2003; O'Dowd, 2003).
Therefore, we need to evaluate the material we consider context. Is the material really in context to the learner? Will the context of the material aid the learning in connecting and transferring existing knowledge and experiences to the new language (English) or will it hinder or offend? These are important questions to ask when considering any teaching material.
It is for this very reason that we find so many students with misconceptions and errors in their English communication skills. In the lower levels the student mimicked the context which was given in the class and the teacher told them they were doing fine. During the initial learning levels the student only mimics the material present.
Later, when true communication was needed the ideas in the student's head did not match any of the contexts presented or the student misconceptualized the context with a concept in his/her own language, producing errors in relating in English. By the time the errors are discovered, they have become hardened habits, which are difficult to correct and break.
So where does that leave us? As educators and leaders of educational institutes we have an obligation to help our students to learn. We can produce truly bilingual students if we use the right material.
Using the right material does not mean that you have a Western ESL teacher prepare the material. Instead, you need a native, who is proficient in English, to prepare the material in the context of his/her own culture. You can use your Western ESL teachers to ensure that the grammar and syntax are correct, verifying all changes with the person who prepared the material.
This method will provide the students with material which is relevant to their understanding and culture, thus encouraging them to learn English. They will no longer consider that they are learning English as a second language, but learning something about their country, Math, Geography, History or culture in English. They will consider that they are learning about themselves and something that is important to them, the only difference being that the material is written in English.
This method encourages student to learn and understand English in all its forms. It motivates the student to become truly proficient in English. Through this method students become truly bilingual citizens who can thoroughly convey their thoughts and ideas to anyone in the world via the medium of English.
Once the student has learned enough English, if they so choose or if they need it, they can learn about the Western culture and the reason we say and do things the way we do. The primary goal is to make the student proficient in English so that they can transmit their knowledge, ideas and culture to others around the world via English and receive the knowledge, ideas and culture which are based solely in English and be able to move effortlessly between the two. This is producing truly bilingual students.
Baldwin, J. R., Faulkner, S. L., & Hecht, M. L. (2006). A moving target: The illusive definition of culture. In J. R. Baldwin, S. L. Faulkner, M. L. Hecht, & S. L. Lindsley (Eds.), Redefining culture: Perspectives across the disciplines (pp. 3-26).
Banks, J.A. (1988). Multiethnic education: Theory and practice.
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Chamot, A. U., & O'Malley, J. M. (1987). The cognitive academic language learning approach: A bridge to the mainstream. TESOL Quarterly, 21, 227-249.
Christian, D., Spanos, G., Crandall, J., Simich-Dudgeon, C. & Willetts, K. (1990). Combining language and content for second language students. In Padilla, A., Fairchild, H., & Valadez, C. (Eds.) Bilingual education: Issues and strategies (pp. 141-156).
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Garcia, E. (1990). Instructional discourse in "effective" Hispanic classrooms. In Jacobson, R. & Faltis, D. (Eds.), Language distribution issues in bilingual schooling (pp. 104-132).
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By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Input, input, input! I-Pod, I-Phone, Walkman, cable TV, cell phones, instant messages, CNN, high powered ad campaigns, internet and the list goes on; we are undulated with input. Everywhere you turn you are barraged with input, however there is no time to digest and evaluate the information.
Yes, we are in a world where the amount of information and knowledge doubles every 18 months. We live in a time where there are great discoveries and it seems that we will find the answers to everything. However, how much of the information we receive is really useful, how much is good, how much is leading us in the right direction? This is difficult to tell, especially without true reflection.
Many of our students are so accustomed to having constant input that they do not know how to evaluate what is good, what is helpful or what is correct. They do not know how to take the information they have received and turn it into solid abilities. They need to learn how to reflect on the information and turn it into something worthwhile, to turn it into true knowledge and not just memorization.
One of Dewey's (1933) basic assumptions was that learning improves to the degree that it arises out of the process of reflection. Therefore, Knowledge is constructed, in part, through reflection, e.g., ongoing active, persistent, and thoughtful consideration and participation in a situation (Canning, 1991).
In order to make good decisions, in order to make the right choices, we need to reflect on the information we receive. According to Mezirow (1990) reflection is used "to examine the justification for one's beliefs ... and to reassess the efficacy of the strategies and procedures used in problem solving" (p. xvi).
Even when a student arrives at the university, he/she does not have this ability. In many cases they have to learn how to reflect on what they have learned and turn their information in to concrete strategies and procedures. Teachers at the high school and elementary level have given the student volumes of information, knowledge, but the student has not had time to sort, categorize and process the information into usable knowledge and abilities.
Often, the student made errors during his/her time at school. These errors were corrected by the teacher giving the student the correct answer. However, the student did not have time to reflect on his/her mistakes and discard the faulty thinking which caused him/her to make the error in the first place.
This lack of reflection means that the student will probably continue to make the same mistakes. Students who have errors in their thinking process or misconnection with information need time to reflect on the information and sort out what is correct and what erroneous. They must connect the right information with the right outcomes; so that they will 'know' that the answer is correct.
Mezirow (1990) said that "reflection enables us to correct distortions in our beliefs and errors in problem solving. We must re-learn how to use reflection in our daily lives. We must teach our students that they need to take time out every day to reflect on the information which they have received during the day and discard that which is not useful or incorrect.
We have bombarded our students, our future hope, with volumes of information. We have given everything they need to succeed, except for the most important tool possible; reflection. The only way they can sort our this bombardment of information id by teaching them how to effectively reflect on the information to avoid errors.
Singer (1980) has said that the bombardment to the senses produces a series of orienting responses that interferes with cognition and reflection. Our students have more information in their head than most of us when we were their age, but with less ability to use this information correctly. The increased amount of input is actually causing our student to become less intelligent, less effective.
In an effort to ensure that our students learn and to combat what we believe is apathy or inability to learn in a specific manner, we as educators, have often turned to the visual aids and the media to help with the education process. In fact we may have been defeating ourselves and our ultimate goal. It has also been put forth that prolonged exposure to media reinforces a narrow view of reality, suggests children (Swan, Meskill & DeMaio, 1998) and adolescents (Huston & Alvarez, 1990; Signorielli, 1990, 1993; Wroblewski & Huston, 1987).
These added inputs may help to student learn or memorize some facts, but in the end it may hurt more than help. We may be causing our students to focus on a narrow point of view and a point of view which may be erroneous. If we want our students to break the mold and to overcome the errors we have made, we must help them to overcome the effects of this incredible amount of input.
This is not to say that we must stop or limit the amount of input. Instead of trying to stop or limit we must teach them how to properly reflect on this input to determine what is good and what is helpful, so that they can discard errors or the useless information. We must teach elementary and high school children how to correctly reflect on the input they receive and how to evaluate their own reflection.
Just talking about the information you have received or rehashing the information in your mind is not sufficient to engage the metacognitive level. In other words, you will not really learn from the information Marzano (2001). Marzano has researched and written much on the subject of learning and one point is clear, we need to do more than just present information. We need to teach our student how to reflect on what they have learned.
Every new piece of information must be compared to prior knowledge and or old idea. Connections must be made. Errors must be discovered. Truth must be reinforced and the student must proceed.
We are in the process of developing the future. this future will determine what happen to the human race, as we know it. Shouldn't we give them every possible opportunity to succeed? Shouldn't we give them every tool they might need? We teach them about every subject under the sun while they are in elementary and high school, just in case they need that information. Now, let's also give them the tool to evaluate, assimilate and use that information. Let us give them the gift of the Art of Reflection.
References:
Canning, C. (1991). What teachers say about reflection. "Educational Leadership," 48(6), 18-21. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ 422 848).
Dewey, J. (1933). "How we think."
Huston, A., & Alvarez, M. (1990). The socialization context of gender role development in early adolescence. In R. Montemayor (Ed.), From childhood to adolescence: A transitional period (pp. 156-179).
Marzano, R. J. (2001). Designing a new taxonomy of educational objectives.
Mezirow, J. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning.
Signorielli, N. (1990). Children, television, and gender roles: Messages and impact. Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 11, 50-58.
Singer, J. L. (1980). "The Power and Limits of Television: A Cognitive-Affective Analysis," in The Entertainment Function of Television, edited by P.
Putnam, R.W. (1991). Recipes and reflective learning: "What should prevent you from saying it that way?" In D.A. Sch%n (Ed.), "The Reflective Turn: Case Studies in and on Educational Practice."
Swan, K., Meskill, C., & DeMaio, S. (1998). Social learning from broadcast television.
Vandewater, E. A. and Lee S. J. "Measuring Children's Media Use in the Digital Age: Issues and Challenges," American Behavioral Scientist (forthcoming).
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes.
Wroblewski, R., & Huston, A. C. (1987). Televised occupational stereotypes and their effects on early adolescence: Are they changing? Journal of Early Adolescence, 7, 283-297.
Note about the articles and Dr. Weaver:
These articles are not meant to be scholarly investigations, just the experiences, opinions and beliefs of Dr. Weaver.
Ever time I have run into a problem with my students or colleagues, I have looked for answers. I have read the research of others on the subject. I have performed my own research, whenever possible, to find the answers. I have taken time to reflect on the information and form my own opinion.
Afterwards, I have put into practice the information, as I see it. If it worked, I continued to use it. If it did not produce the desired effects, I went back to the drawing board.
What worked for me is what I have written about. I write these articles to others who may be experiencing similar difficulties in their career, in the hopes that something in these articles may help.
May you find the answer to your problems and find success in your live and promote success in the lives of those you teach.
]]>A Look at What Fluency Really Means
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
How fluent are you at English? Almost every application for employment will ask the question, 'how fluent are you?', yet the relationship that fluency plays in proficiency is still unclear (Butler-Wall 1986; Hieke 1985). A person may be considered fluent, yet not proficient or via versa.
There is little understanding of what comprises fluency in nonnative speakers (Riggenbach 1989). For the most part fluency is defined as 'planned, smooth, effortless speech without numerous pauses' (Raupach 1989:268). It is easier to judge if a person is proficient at written English than to judge if they are fluent in speech.
We can give oral exams to assess the person and normally that is the way we determine their level of fluency in most institutions. However, the type of testing or the type of conversation will determine if the speech is considered fluent or not.
A person may be rated fluent in one type of test (dialogue, cued dialogue, monologue or cued monologue) yet not rated fluent in a different type of test. Additionally, different examiners focus on different parts; fluency in grammar, utterance, discourse, phonetic or sociolinguistic levels. The context and the examiner determine the rating. All of this adds to the confusion in determining if a person is fluent or not.
As an educator working with mainly ESL learners, I am always confronted with the task of determining if a person is fluent or not. There are so many aspects to look at when making this decision. I have had occasion to pronounce a person fluent and later informed that the person was not considered fluent.
As an administrator, I have outlined the criteria for assessing students for fluency. We, as an institution, have proclaimed that a student is fluent, yet the teacher disagreed with our ruling. There is always the other side of the coin, so to speak. I know many of my colleagues have faced the same difficulties.
For example; you are the teacher of a group of young learners. You give periodic exams, according to the institution where you work, and at the end of the course or term, write a report about the student. In this report you claim that the student is fluent at English. Later, the student has a planned oral exam in which he/she does poorly.
Were you wrong? Are you a poor instructor? Was the institution wrong? What happen?
That is easy to explain. In class, you work with the student in an atmosphere which is relaxed. The student knows you and has become accustomed to your way of teaching, habits, etc. The student feels confident talking to you. You have great conversations, but soon the student goes to take a formal exam.
When the student goes to an exam the student is stressed. He/she probably does not know the other examiners. He/she has no idea of how to act or react. Therefore, the formal exam will prove disastrous compared to the classroom conversation and this is normal. Students will perform their best in a situation in which there is the least amount of stress (Brown & Yule 1983).
Additionally, if the student is talking about a series of events instead of answering multiple questions, they will exhibit a higher degree of fluency. If you give the student a topic to plan a discussion, he/she will perform better than if you ask questions where they have to give shorter, unplanned answers. Of course, even with the planned discussion, you still need to apply sufficient cueing to provide structure to the discourse, otherwise the exam could be bias and the student will be evaluated as having less fluency that actual.
Another problem is culture, yes culture. As stated, fluency is defined as 'planned, smooth, effortless speech without numerous pauses'. Every culture has its own speech patterns. The pauses we consider numerous or long, may in fact be normal for the culture. The student will speak English in the same style in which he/she speaks their native tongue (Olynyk 1990). Often we will describe the person as having problems with fluency, when they are speaking properly for their culture.
There are so many variables when considering if a person is fluent, which can be confusing to student as well. Imagine the student who graduates from a course at one institute and enrolls for an advance course at another institute and is denied direct admission because he/she is not consider sufficiently fluent. The student thinks that the first institute did not complete their responsibility to him/her or if he/she has confidence in the first institute believes that the second institute is trying to get extra money from him/her.
Indeed, we as educators have great challenge before us. We must attempt evaluate every student fairly and correctly and at the same time take into account all the variables which may affect the outcome. Take into account the variables, judge fairly and if someone differs with your verdict, take it with a grain of salt. We are all trying to get the student to the same point, but we all look from our own point of view. After all, the other person may have seen something that you missed or something that will make the student a better speaker of English. By cooperating with each other we will succeed in helping the student.
References:
Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1983). Teaching the spoken language: an approach based on analysis of conversational English.
Butler-Wall, B.A. (1986). The frequency of disfluencies in native and non-native conversational discourse. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Hieke, A.E. (1985). A componential approach to oral fluency evaluation. Modern Language Journal. 69(2), 135-142
Olynyk, M., D'Anglejan, A., Sankoff, D. (1990). A quantitative and qualitative analysis of speech markers in the native and second language speech of bilinguals. In C.R.Scarcella, E.S. Andersen, & S.D. Krashen (eds). Developing communicative competence in a second language.
Raupach, M. (1980). Temporal variables in first and second language production. In H.W. Dechert & M. Raupach (eds). Temporal variables in speech: Studies in honor of Frieda (Goldman-Eisler.
Riggenbach, H.R. (1989). Nonnative fluency in dialogue verse monologue speech: A microanalytic approach. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Other material not quoted but used in consideration of this article;
ALDERSON, J. C., 2006. Diagnosing foreign language proficiency: the interface between assessment and learning.
BACHMAN, L. F. AND PALMER, A. S., 1996. Language testing in practice.
BACHMAN, L. F. AND SAVIGNON, S. J., 1986. The evaluation of communicative language proficiency: a critique of the ACTFL oral interview. Modern language journal, 70 (4), 380-390.
BROWN, H. D., 2004. Language assessment: principles and classroom practices.
DAVIES, A., 1992. Is proficiency always achievement?
©2005 Unique Leaders
]]>By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
The world in which we live is changing rapidly. Agriculture, as a way of life, is fading. Industry and technology are the number one employers and education is a must. We have more people entering schools than ever before in the history of mankind (Institution for Educational Leadership 2000). There is a teacher shortage, but more importantly, there is a shortage of leaders for the educational institutes (e.g., Jordan, 1994; Moore, 1999; Adams, 1999; ERS, 2000; O'Connell, 2001; Lord M. 2000).
Ten years ago, leaders (principals or directors) were not even on the list of 'needs' for urban schools. By 2005 leaders were number 7 on the needs list. Why are we seeing this shortage? The reason is simple, it takes a special type of person to lead a school to success and keep it there. It takes an extraordinary person to lead a school into success, keep it there and have it stay that way after he/she leaves (Effective School 2001). That, my friends, is exactly what we are running short of, extraordinary people; leaders.
You may say that the shortage of principals or directors is not that severe, but an estimated 40% of our current educational leaders will be retiring within the next 5 to 7 years. In 2005 school leaders were number 7 on the needs list for school. When 40% of our existing principal and directors leave, what will be left? What will that do to the market?
Remember, I am not talking about the paper shuffling manager type, which will not work in this new educational world. Just sending people through the university does not produce a leader. We live in time that demands true leaders and true leadership.
The advances in technology, the increase in knowledge and spread of information has created a new educational world. The students need to learn more than ever before and there is no more hours to add in the day to teach them. This demands changes in our educational system creating a new educational world.
The new educational world demands higher academic standards, the new educational world demands that everyone entering school leaves school competent. The new educational world is ever changing and full of challenges. The leader must know education in side and out. He or she must be charismatic to win over the team. The leader must have a vision for the future and a plan to get there. The new educational world demands great leadership.
These changes can not be made without a leader. These challenges can not be met without true leadership (Albritten 2004). The leader (principal or director) holds a very important position in the school (Drake 1992). If we are to educate and make students competent for the challenges of this rapidly changing world, we need special men and women guiding those efforts (Gimbel 2003).
We know what we need, so why do we have a shortage? Are there not enough men and women entering the universities to supply the needs? If the current leadership were to stay on board for another 10 or 20 years, yes we might have enough. However, as stated 40% are getting ready to retire and others are leaving the profession due to the immense stress involved. That will produce a huge shortage. There are two main reasons for the shortage; low pay (e.g., Whitaker, 1998;
The pay has to be equivalent to the amount of work involved. Remember the work involved is not just shuffling paper and sitting in meetings. The principal is responsible for the school, the teachers, the staff, the students and preparing those students to meet the challenges of the future. That is a lot of work and a lot of stress.
The stress involved in running a school is tremendous. Students must achieve the grades on standardized tests. The government is ever increasing the challenge to raise the academic standards. Every year there is something new to learn. And most importantly, for our futures, every student needs to be completely competent in all skills and knowledge. For that to happen, you need a leader, a guiding force.
The principal is the guiding force (Gene Bottoms and Kathy O'Neill 2001). Often, he or she is the reason that students are able to achieve the high standards (Bossert, Dwyer, Rowan, & Lee, 1982; Hallinger & Murphy, 1986; Andrews & Sober, 1987; Zigarelli, 1996). The interaction with teachers and even students, professional development of teachers, a vision for the future needs, analyzing data, planning ways to get there, reviewing the progress and making changes when needed, allocating recourses, managing curriculum, monitoring lesson plans and the general guidance can take a low performing school and transform it to a high performing school (Deborah King 2002). These are the abilities which the principal needs to bring to the job.
These abilities do not come with your Bachelor's degree, not even with your Master's. These abilities come through time, with guidance, experience, mentoring and coaching. This is where the training comes in.
Universities are attempting to prepare potential candidates for school leadership positions (National Policy Board for Educational Administration 2002), but more reading and case studies can not compete with experience and mentoring. Our leaders need more than book knowledge (Parkay and Rhodes 1992) or sitting around talking about how they would handle a situation and that is the key word; situation.
I have been training people for 25 years in education and in businesses. Yes, we use case studies, but only to measure the person's abilities and disposition. Case studies are a great tool for weeding out the one who won't make it. After the weeding out process, we get to work training.
We need to have potential educational leaders in the field training (Bottoms, Gene; O'Niel, Kathy; Fry, Betty; Hill, David 2003), before all our experienced leaders have retired. They need help to understand how to handle different situations. Talking about a situation and living through it are entirely different. The potential leader needs to be working hand in hand with a pro, a great leader until he or she is able to run the show on their own.
Even after the leader is place in a position by himself or herself, the mentor continues to meet with them and advise and mold them (also read "Principal Mentoring - An Update by Robert J. Malone. Research Roundup; V18, N2 WIN 2001 - 2002). The mentor helps the potential leader become a leader (Guiney 2001). When he or she is going through a tough time the mentor lends a helping hand. When the troubles come, the mentor gives ideas or verifies the ideas of the potential leader. The potential leader is molded into a true leader.
As you can see, we are at a perilous point in time. If we do not act soon, we will have a shortage of educational leaders and the ones who are in place will lack the experience and guidance to confront all the challenges which face them.
Take a look around. Can this world afford to make more errors? Can we afford to produce one or two generations of people who are not fully prepared to function in this world? We must get more people into the training mode and then pay them what they are worth. After all, how much is a good future worth to you?
Unique Leaders Educational Leadership Development works with schools around the world. We partner with schools to help them train teachers and develop future educational leaders.
Contact Unique Leaders for more information www.we-develop-leaders.com
References:
Adams, J. P. (1999). Good principals, good schools. Thrust for Educational Leadership 29(1), 8-11.
Andrews, R. L., & Soder, R. (1987). Principal leadership and student achievement. Educational Leadership 4, 9-11.
Bossert, S. T., Dwyer, D. C., Rowan, B., & Lee, G. V. (1982). The instructional management role of the principal. Educational Administration Quarterly 18(3), 34-64.
Bottoms, Gene, and Kathy O'Neill. Preparing a New Breed of School Principals: It's
Time for Action.
Bottoms, Gene; O'Niel, Kathy; Fry, Betty; Hill, David. Good Principals are the Key to
Drake, N. M. (1992). The association between principal influence on teachers and
student achievement (Doctoral dissertation, Washington State University, 1992).
UMIProQuest AAT 9321022
Education Research Service (ERS). (2000). The principal, keystone of a high-achieving school: Attracting and keeping the leaders we need.
Effective Schools Products, Ltd., (2001). Effective schools primer. Retrieved Dec. 10,
2005, from Revolutionary and Evolutionary: The Effective Schools Movement
Web site: http://www.effectiveschools.com.
Fennell, H. A. (1999). Planting seed for change: Fostering leadership. Planning and Changing 30(3/4), 175-197.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change.
Gimbel, P. (2003). Solutions for promoting principal-teacher trust.
Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Guiney, E. 2001. Coaching isn't just for athletes: the role of teacher leaders. Phi Delta Kappa, 82,10, 740-743
Hallinger, P., & Murphy, J. (1986). Instructional leadership in effective schools.
Institution for Educational Leadership (2000). Leadership for student learning: Reinventing the principalship.
Jordan, D. (1994). The supply and demand trends of public school principals and administrators in
King, Deborah. "The Changing Shape of Leadership." Educational Leadership 59, 8
(May 2002): 61-63.
Lankford, H., O'Connell, R., &
Lord, M. Hello? Anyone there? School districts scramble to fill principals' chair.
U.S. News & World Report, 129 (6), 43
Moore, D. (1999). Where have all the principals gone?
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. Standards for Advanced
Programs in Educational Leadership.
O'Connell, R. (2001). The
Parkay, Forrest W., and John Rhodes. "Stress and the Beginning Principal." In Becoming a Principal: The Challenges of Beginning Leadership, edited by Forrest Parkay and Gene Hall. 103-22.
Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Moral leadership: getting to the heart of school improvement.
1st ed.
Whitaker, K. S. (1998). The changing landscape of the principalship: View from the inside. Planning and Changing 29(3), 130-150.
Zigarelli, M. (1996). An empirical test of conclusions from effective schools research. Journal of Educational Research 90(2), 103-110.
©2005 Unique Leaders
]]>Students Lacking the Skills to Organize
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Johnny comes into class, he is a likeable boy, pays attention, but his grades are poor. The teacher asks for the homework from last night. Johnny rummages through his backpack and after a few minutes, pulls out a crumpled piece of paper or answers that he can not find the homework or worse, that he did not do it.
We look at the crumpled paper and decide that Johnny does not care about the subject. In the case of the missing homework, sometimes we do not believe that he did the homework. If Johnny said that he did not do it, we are really upset and believe that he is lazy. However, all of these assumptions may be wrong. We may have a more serious problem which will affect Johnny's entire life.
Many children today suffer from the lack of study skills and organizational methods. To compound this problem, many teachers do not teach students how to be organized or to study; it is not part of the curriculum. We assume that the child should come to school with these abilities.
When you and I were children, one of our parents was usually in the house, normally Mom. Mom was always on our back; pick up your clothes, put that back where you found it, straighten your room, straighten your books, you have 15 minutes to finish your homework, you can't go out until your room is clean, the yard better be cleaned before I get back, etc. Mom was teaching us how to organize things. However the children today do not have that benefit, the norm is that both parents work and the child is alone or with siblings.
Children need that quality time with the parents. They need to be instructed in what to do, how to do it and when to do it. The children need to be nurtured, especially if you want the children to develop good study skills and organizational methods (
Without guidance the child will become increasing disorganized, with the result of failing on tests and perhaps the year. This in turn affects the child's self-esteem and adds a great deal of stress to the child's life (Williamson, 1997), which starts a vicious cycle of failure and often the child quits school and enters the workforce.
Entering the workforce is no advantage. Due to the lack of skills and education the person is ill-prepared and can experience many difficulties in his/her life. If the employer does not see that the person has been taught the basic skills, the person will not be hired (Hanson, 1995). As educators, we need to step up and help these children before it is too late.
Remember, "children are not alike in their ability to be organized. Some children have better organizational skills than others" (Gallagher, 2003, para. 3). Therefore we can not judge all children the same. We must help them to see and experience an organized life style. We must explain to them what organization means and teach them how to organize their time, books, etc.
This is not an easy task! Even if the parents are helpful, the child has a multitude of choices before him/her everyday. Did you realize that the average child spend only a half an hour in 'meaningful' conversation with his/her parents each week. What does the child do with the other hours? Many of our students choose technology, of which television is one example. Television and other technologies do not require organization; in fact they discourage it (Gale, 2006).
At one time you had to plan what you wanted to watch. Today, with cable, VCRs, DVDs, etc, there is no need to plan. You watch what you want when you want to. Planning and organizing has been lost. This is not the only consequence of technology.
Student spends an average of 28 hours per week in front of either the TV or computer verses 5.6 hours for homework. The amount of time participating in interaction with others or participating in events which will foster and reinforce organizational habits, such as reading, writing, cleaning or conversing, is seriously hampered. This dedication to the TV or computer leads to lower academic achievement and poor study and organizational skills. The home and technology are not the only culprits; we as teacher have some blame.
Often, we believe that we are doing our jobs correctly when we announce the assignment dates and important facts in the class. We assume that the student is able to understand, record, organize and recall the information at a future time. Later, like with our example Johnny, the assignment does not appear or is it not as we asked. We are disappointed and do not understand what happen. We say the child is not trying or that they child does nothing in class. We tell the parents that the child has the mental and physical capacity to perform the task, but he/she does not want to work; however, poor organizational skills have prevented them from completing such a task (Bryan & Burstein, 2004). So what can we do?
Lack of organization covers all grade levels. There is no one particular magic grade where you can change the student. We must devise plans for all grades. Students need different skills at different levels, grades or ages. Providing models and guidance can help.
Teachers can provide a set-up for how the inside of a school desk should look, monitor work areas, and provide a clean-up time at the end of each class, day, or week (Ito, 1996). Keep a clean classroom. When students see that the area is clean and organized, they start to model what they see. It seems that all research suggests that teachers need to provide students with time to make sure that their personal space at school is organized (Bakunas & Holley, 2001). Yet, we need to go further.
We need to explain what organization is, means and how to be organized. Just having the models will help, but the student needs more guidance and direction. Explain how to organize time, items and choices. Teaching the students how to organize will increase the academic achievement and produce a better student. Research demonstrates that intervention will raise test and homework scores (Bryan & Burstein, 2004).
We have many tools at our disposal; require the students to use assignment books, encourage organization of desk and or lockers and binders. With the binders, make sure you help the student to understand how to divide and organize the binder.
Using a daily agenda or planner will help. Have the students keep track of important items, events, tests, assignments or times. Once they are keeping these in the planner, have the students set a priority to each item. Be sure that as they complete items, they also check them off and the teacher should check the student's planners regularly (Bakunas & Holley, 2001).
Remember to provide positive feedback for the students. By providing a positive interaction with the student, the teacher will be boosting the student's self-esteem, which will lead to higher morale, and in turn, higher achievement (Wigley, 2004) and that is what we, as teachers, are aiming for; high scores and motivated learners.
If the school permits, add a life skills class to the schedule. Give the students one hour per week to learn about study skills, organizational skills, active listening, note taking and other life skills. Students should be directly taught study skills, from planning to actual location of studying. Students should make a list of steps or procedures at the end of every day. Providing classes in these skills proves beneficial (Wigley, 2004).
This article is written primarily for teacher in formal education. However, all that is equally applicable to non-formal settings, such as ESL classrooms. In fact, teachers in the ESL classes run into these problems more than teachers in formal education.
It may be wise and even profitable for language institutes to add classes in these life skills. They may want to require that student have the basic skills and if not the student must fist attend the training sessions.
References:
Bakunas, B., & Holley, W. (2001). Teaching organizational skills. Clearing House, 74 (3) 151-155.
Bryan, T., & Sullivan-Burstein, K. (2004). Improving homework completion and academic performance: Lessons from special education. Theory into Practice, 43 (3) 213-220.
Gale, T. (2006). Michael Ramsay and James Barton biography. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ow-Sh/Ramsay-Michael-and- Barton-James.html .
Gallagher, R. (2003). Organizational skills for school success. The Parent Letter,1(3), Retrieved November 30, 2006, from http://www.aboutourkids.org .
Hanson, B. (1995). Getting to know you: Multi-year teaching. Educational Leadership, 53 (3).
Isreal, G.D., & Beaulieu, L.J. (2001). The influence of family and community social capital on educational achievement. Rural Sociology, 66 (1). 43-68.
Ito, C. (1996). I think I did it, but I can't find it: Assisting students who lack organizational skills.
Williamson, R.D. (1997). Help me organize. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33 (1) 36-40.
©2005 Unique Leaders www.we-develop-leaders.com
]]>By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
The buzz word in the educational world is "improve grades". Every school in every country is attempting to raise the academic level of education. The
As I said, 'some form of' and this is the key word. (Arter 2003) Often teacher do not; clearly state the goals of the lesson(s), clearly state the 'learning pathway' to achieve these goals and have trouble designing assessment which will clearly state if the goals where reached and if not where on the pathway is the student weak.
Clearly stating the goals is a foundational part of student involvement. Arter, Chapius & Stiggins stated that if teachers do not start with clearly stated learning goals, they will not end up with sound assessments.
Checking to verify that the student understands the goals as the teacher intended them is important (Cown 2004). When students know and 'understand' exactly what is expected of them, they usually respond. In addition, with clearly stated goals the student knows when they are not on track and go to the teacher for help. So how does a student know if he/she is on track?
The teachers need to have a clear pathway to learning. To reach a goal a student must learn various items. Normally, you need to understand and be able to apply one piece of knowledge before you can effectively use another piece of knowledge. The teacher must map out this process for the students, so that they can participate in the learning process.
Moody and Shafer (2003) found that standards do not help teachers, students or parents to understand what is missing in the students understanding or abilities. A clear outline of each step in the learning process or 'learning pathway' must be given to the students. An example is the language arts teacher who is teaching the paragraph. Usually the stated goal or standard is "the student will be able to construct a 4 sentence descriptive paragraph." What does the student need to write a good paragraph?
Is this all that the student needs to know to write a paragraph? No, before the student can write a paragraph he/she needs to know how to write various types of sentences and questions. Additionally, before the student can write a sentence he/she needs to know the various parts of the sentence.
This is the 'learning pathway' for the student. Clearly stating this pathway enables both students and parents to understand at which point there is a gap in the understanding. This allows the student and/or the teacher to fill the gap or to fix the misunderstanding in the information. As you can see the 'learning pathway' is as equally important as setting the goals. When these two are combined with frequent (daily, bi-weekly or at most weekly) assessments, the students are empowered to learn.
Because proper assessments are so vital to measure where the student is, if there are any gaps and what the next step in the learning process is, teachers must be able to design good oral and written assessments. Research has proved that many of the teachers in our school at this moment have not had much training in setting benchmarks, designing standards or designing assessments for learning. In the university they learned to write tests to assess what the students had learned or summative assessment, but not the important assessment which will improve student learning.
In order for the whole process to work and work well, teachers need additional training in assessing the students. They must learn how to assess the students daily in conversation, bi-weekly or weekly in written or quiz form and end of lesson assessments. These assessments must be tied to the goals, standards and learning pathway set out at the beginning of the lesson(s).
The results of these assessments need to inform the teacher at what point in the pathway the student is stopped, what skill they need to acquire (or strengthen) and what the student needs to move to the next level (Talbot 1997).
Once the teacher is competent at all three parts, you will see an increase in the learning capacity of the students. If you are using a scale of 1 - 100 the students will experience anywhere from 10 to 30 points gain in their scores. This is a significant increase and well worth the time to train the teachers.
An added benefit is the increase in the motivation by students to learn (Peace, Mayo, and Watkins (2000)). Today we find the majority of secondary student apathetic to learning (Broadwater Hilker (1993)). When the student realizes that he/she can be competent and they understand what is required of them and how to get to that point, the apathy disappears and intrinsic motivation grows.
If you are reforming your educational system and want your students to be happy, competent students, design a plan to implement Formative Assessment and train your teachers. You will be glad you did and your students will thank you for it.
Unique Leaders Educational Leadership Development works with schools around the world to develop leadership and train teachers. For more information contact Unique Leaders at www.we-develop.leaders.com info@we-develop-leaders.com
© 2005 Unique Leaders www.uniqueleaders.org www.we-develop.leaders.com
References:
Arter, J. (2003). Assessment for learning: What it looks like in the classroom. Retrieved June 27, 2006, from http:www.adprima.com
Arter, J. A., Chappuis, J., Chappuis, S., Stiggins, R. J. (2004). Classroom assessment for student learning. Doing it right-using it well.
Cown, W. (2004, May 05). Boxes and Arrows. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/
focus_on_the_student_how_to_use_learning_objectives_to_improve_learning
Hilker, J. B. (1993). Toward creating the intrinsically motivating classroom: can students' motivational orientations be changed? (Rep. No. Sp 034 606).
Peace, T. M., Mayo, K., & Watkins, R. (2000). Becoming consumers of our own research: What really makes a difference in improving learning? (Rep. No. SP 039 118).
Schafer, W., & Moody, M. (2003). Designing accountability assessments for teaching (Rep. No. TM 034 932).
Talbot, G. (1997). Can self-regulated learning be taught to college students? (Rep. No. SP 037 412).
Dr. Edwin Weaver
Unique Leaders Educational Leadership
May 25, 2008
For years the educational world has been talking about Formative Assessment. It has been more than 100 years since Formative Assessment was first researched. Since that time, reams of research have proven its effectiveness, yet we appear to be no closer to solving many of the educational problems which exist.
Governments around the world have instituted standards based educational systems. They have mandated Formative Assessment for all school, yet many students continue to fail. Are the standards wrong? Is Formative Assessment wrong? I would have to answer a resounding no to both of these questions. The answer is much closer to home.
You can have the best system, the best methods, however if the people utilizing these systems, these methods do not truly believe in the system, its benefits or themselves, the system and/or methods will fail. Borko, Mayfield, Marion, Flexer, & Cumbo, 1997 and Shepard, in 2000 found that the belief system and the practices of teachers need to be changed in order for Formative Assessment to function properly.
For more than twenty years I have worked in education and training as a teacher, school principal, teacher trainer and corporate trainer. I have been in charge of implementing Formative Assessment in schools around the world. I have seen the implementation of Formative Assessment produce great success and great failure.
In an international school where I was the principal, everyone admitted that the school needed a change. In some subjects, 87% of the students were failing. In addition, there were incredible discipline problems (due to the lack of learning opportunities).
I met with the directors and proposed implementing Formative Assessment. I presented the successes which I had experienced in other institutes when Formative Assessment was used for educating the students. The directors were unanimously in agreement that the school should change and implement Formative Assessment to improve the level of education and change the attitudes of the students.
The teachers were informed of the change and those who wished to stay and be a part of the new system where given training in Formative Assessment. Though a person is trained, if they do not thoroughly believe in the training and/or the results of the training, they will not produce the desired results.
We trained teachers to use Formative Assessment, however many did not apply Formative Assessment in the classroom. Others applied the system when they were being observed, but when no one was watching they went back to old style of teaching.
At the end of the first 10 week period when the report cards were process, it was easy to identify the teachers who were not using Formative assessment. Failure rates were as high as 47% of the class for the teachers who were not utilizing Formative Assessment. In the other classes the failure rate was 0% to 3%. The difference was obvious, but the reasons were not.
We started interviewing the teachers to find the reasons for the high failure rates. We also interviewed the successful teachers and compared their answers to questions about Formative Assessment to the answers given by teachers with high failure rates. Upon examining the answers, we learned that the successful teachers had a very different attitude towards Formative Assessment. Even the teachers who used what appeared to be Formative Assessment in their classes and who had high failure rates answered differently than those who were 100% behind Formative Assessment. The attitude and/or belief system kept the teachers from applying Formative Assessment properly.
There was no one group of teachers (old, young, new) which disbelieved, however those teachers who had been in the school for 10 to 15 years made up the highest percentage. The smallest percentage was from recently graduated teachers. They appeared more open to learn something new or to learn a different way of teaching.
We began working harder with the group of unbelievers. Again the hardest group to convince was the group of teachers who had been teaching the longest. They believed that their ways had worked for the last 15 to 20 years; therefore there was no need to change.
They admitted that they were not getting the results needed or required, but no one had complained before and these were the results they had obtained for 10 to 15 years. Furthermore, they believed that the failure rate was due to the students which they were teaching. We showed them the results of the teachers who were correctly using Formative Assessment.
They agreed that these teachers were enjoying a great success with their students. However, they felt that this group of students performed better. We examined school records and found students who had been taught by teachers in the unbelieving group in prior years. We questioned the teachers in the unbelieving group about certain students. They confirmed that these students did nothing in their classes. We showed them the report cards for this year. These "do nothing" students were obtaining "B"s and even a few "A"s.
What is the difference? The teaching method made the difference. The students were allowed to learn. The students were encouraged to learn. All the gaps were filled and the students felt confident that they could learn. The "Do Nothing" students became achievers and even leaders.
Formative Assessment works, when implemented properly. It is the responsibility of the educational leaders (Rector, Dean, Head Master, Principal or Director) to evaluate the belief system of the teachers. The belief system and the attitude towards change will determine the success of the implementation.
As you have probably already guessed, we had to dismiss some of the teaching staff and bring in new personnel. We have been working on a questionnaire which will help us to eliminate the candidates which do not whole heartily believe in the benefits of Formative Assessment or who are resistant to change. Thankfully, all the teachers who were implementing Formative Assessment properly are still with us.
Formative Assessment provides an additional benefit; not only do student learn more and learn it better, but discipline problems drop substantially and because there are fewer problems and happier students, the teachers are happier, more content with their positions and their life in the school.
Formative Assessment works, when used properly! If you would like more information about Formative Assessment contact www.we-develop-leaders.com . If you would like to have you staff evaluated and train in Formative Assessment contact www.we-develop-leaders.com or info@we-develop-leaders.com .
Unique Leaders Educational Leadership Development prides itself on helping educational institutes around the world to produce better students; students who are competent in all areas, ready to meet the challenges of life. Contact us today.
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References:
Borko, H. , Davinroy, K. H., Bliem, C. L., & Cumbo, K. B. (2000). Exploring and supporting
teacher change: Two third-grade teachers'experiences in a mathematics and literacy staff development project. Elementary School Journal, 100 (4).
Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29 (7),1-14.
]]>By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
The days of complete authority in the classroom have long since gone. The students today 'do their own thing' and are not afraid of anyone or anything. The only words they know are 'I have the right'. They know their rights, but they do not know their obligations.
This has left the educational institution in turmoil. Teachers are almost terrified of the classroom, and with reason. The classroom has turned into 'no man's land' where only the strongest survive. Students no longer obey because it is the right thing to do. The students do not study because it is the right thing to do. The students do whatever they feel is right, not necessarily what is right and when you correct them, they rebuke you with the 'I have the right to believe the way I want to believe.'
The world is in a flux. Times of uncertainty and a form a chaos are covering the world as we know it. It is not the first time this has happened in history. Every time that the world has vacillated between many options and opinions, the cure has been for good leaders to arise and direct the people in the way in which they should go. The same holds true in the schools today. Today the teacher must develop a new strategy.
There is a strategy which works. Part of the new strategy is the teacher as leader the other part is formative assessment. As to the teacher as leader, the teacher/leader must inspire the group of students with a vision which will create in them the desire to both study and obey. That is the role of a leader. A leader inspires a group of people to do what they do not want to do or what they do not think they can do.
Remember, the students are going in any direction they 'feel' is correct. They need guidance, but will not ask for it, nor allow it to be forced on them. They are starving for direction. That is why we often encounter anti-social groups. A leader has finally arisen who can inspire them and they follow, because they are starving for direction.
The role of the teacher/leader is to inspire the students; to capture the imagination and souls of the students and give them a direction; to give them a will to live. The teacher/leader provides a vision of what life can be and provides that vision with such conviction and enthusiasm that the students believe the vision and fall into line with the teacher/leader. This is the grand description of a teacher/leader.
The teacher/leader must also organize the group. Every leader evaluates his troops and decides how to organize them so that they will be most effective in battle.
When referring to the teacher as leader, we are not comparing the teacher to Alexander the Great, but to the leader of 10s or the leader of 100s. Perhaps the best comparison can be made to the sergeant or staff sergeant in the army.
The staff sergeant is responsible for the continued successful development of the non-commissioned officers below him as well as that of other soldiers in the section, squad or team.
The teacher/leader is responsible for the success and development of the students in his / her classes. Some of the students will be assistants leading a group, while others will be part of a group learning. As with the staff sergeant, the teacher/leader must inspire his / her group to go beyond what they thought possible; inspire them to confront their fears and overcome them; inspire them to confront difficulties and find the solution. .
Once the organizing is finished the teacher/leader goes into training mode. He/she must now take these troops and train them for the battle of their lives. The training will consist of trust, cooperation, dedication, and of course information on the academic subjects of the class.
Now if you are a soldier, but you do not see the qualities that your leader is asking for, will you believe in this leader? The answer is of course no. The leader/teacher must model all the qualities which he/she want to inspire in the troops.
If you want the troops to arrive on-time, you as the leader/teacher must be on-time. If you want the troops to have everything ready when they enter the classroom, you must have everything ready before you enter the classroom. The leader/teacher also needs to explain why these things are important and re-explain until the troops make these values apart of their life. There are 10 important qualities which the leader/teacher must have...
As with the army, the student will repeat an exercise until he/she is proficient. This is nothing more than formative assessment. The leader/teacher knows how important it is for student to be competent, just delivering information and saying that it is the student's responsibility to learn will not work.
The leader/teacher makes sure that the student learns. The leader/teacher evaluates every step of the learning and helps the student to understand, helps the student to learn. The leader/teacher repeats every exercise until the student can perform the exercise with true success. This repeated success builds the confidence of the student to face the battles of the future.
Boot camp is now complete; it is time to go into war games. The war games are the quarterly or semester exams. If the leader/teacher was successful, the troops have the confidence to face the exams and they have competence to correctly answer all the questions.
As with the army, the leader/teacher and his/her troops are intricately linked together. In war, if the leader fails to train the troops properly, many will die, including possible the leader. However, if the troops are completely competent, the troops can come out of the conflict without casualties and maybe without a scratch. The leader/teacher will determine the futures of the students he/she directs and quite possible his/her own future.
One problem to this strategy is the lack of understanding of the consequences of the teacher/leader's non-participation in the improvement of the students. Many do not realize that their futures will be directly affected by the direction in which they guide their current students. Many hope that the student will miraculously change when he or she reaches adulthood. This rarely happens. The foundation years (elementary and high school years) are what a person carries forwards and that becomes the base for their actions and reactions.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the leader/teacher be fully trained as a leader not a teacher. The current system of teacher training produces people who deliver information and construct exams to sort and categorize people according to their natural abilities, without concern for making all the people competent for the future. Whereas, training people to be leaders, leader/teacher, the educational system and the world in general will benefit from people trained to go beyond natural abilities and develop students who are competent to face all the challenges of the future.
As you have seen, the leader/teacher model is the new order in the educational system. To understand how formative assessment fits in read New World, Old System, Old Ways or contact Unique Educational Leaders for information about Formative Assessment training for your staff.
Unique Educational Leaders develops leaders at all levels of the educational system. Our goal is to produce educators who will produce students who will lead us into a bright future. To learn more about our programs contact Unique Educational Leaders at www.we-develop-leaders.com
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Much research has been done concerning the discipline problem in schools. People like Glasser, Kohn, Wong and others have put forth their ideas on how to bring discipline back to the classroom. Everyone is looking for the answer to one of the greatest problems of this century, classroom discipline. This is not meant to be a scholarly discourse on the subject, but a call for refection and an exchange of ideas to solve a problem which is plaguing the educational institutions many countries.
Up to this point, there is not one program that works in all schools. There have been successful schools, which become the example, but nothing that works everywhere. What works in one school may not work in the district or school next to it. What works in one school may not work in another school even though they have to same eco-social and student makeup. The cure to this problem remains a mystery.
That leaves educational leaders (directors, rectors, principals) wondering what to do. Their only option is to keep trying programs or combinations of programs until the indiscipline is reduced. Even when they find a plan and manage to reduce the indiscipline, over time the problem returns.
Is there hope? There might be. As an educational leader, I have read through mountains of research on discipline problems in the school. I have implemented plans that succeeded, later to find that the problem, like a bad cold, was returning. We would revamp and fine tune the plan and later the problem returned, like a malignant cancer.
Every time the problem was rearing its ugly head, I would return to latest research and the latest articles in the journals to seek guidance. I would read and look for anything which resembled what was happening in the school. We would sit down and rework our plans and implement a new plan to combat the new symptoms. However, I wanted a permanent answer. I wanted to know why the discipline problem keeps coming back, even in the best of schools.
Reviewing all the research papers and all the articles from the different educational journals, I noticed that I could not find any research done on the effects of affluence on the behavior of children. I became curious as to the effects affluence might have on the behavior in the classroom. I started my own 'informal' research.
One point that always 'seemed' to hold true; meeting the needs or satisfying the internal wants of the students, diminished the discipline problem. Glasser (1992) states that until the needs of the child are met, the child is likely to disrupt the class. Once the needs of the child are met the discipline problem goes away. In many ways, I believe this to be true.
Consider for one second that this is true. Over the past 50 years the changes in society have been incredible. In particular, I wish to address in the increase in affluence, wealth, materialism. As the comfort or luxury of the home has increased, the needs of the people have changed.
At one time having a roof over ones head, a set of clothes and at least one good meal a day satisfied the needs. Anything beyond that was considered a great blessing. How many, today, in
Look at the riots and shootings in
The expectations of the masses have risen considerably. The children today (in most developed countries) have every comfort imaginable, in comparison to 20 or 30 years ago. They are not content with the standard of living that their parents had at their age. They want more,they may not be sure of what that more is, but they want more. That "want" creates dissatisfaction in their lives and that comes out as a behavioral problem, which due to the amount of time spent in school tends to affect the school.
I note here that I have used developed countries and developing countries as the example, because over the past 30 years I have worked in developed, developing and poorer third world countries. I have seen the differences in classroom behavior in these different environments.
There is a distinct difference in the behavior of students in different level of affluence. I put forth the theory that the level of affluence influences the wants or needs of the people. As part of this theory I suggest that current programs to combat the discipline problem do not correctly address the root problem of the discipline problem.
As Glasser stated, we need to address the needs of the people if we want discipline. When people are content, they do not misbehave. The school can fulfill that need if the school knows what the 'real' need is. Once the real need is identified, the school can help students to understand that education is the path to fulfilling that need.
In the poorer countries, I found few discipline problems. The children focused on the classes, because, as they saw it, their only hope of getting out of their economic situation was to get the education. Others looked at education as a way to escape their country and go to a prosperous country (US,
In the developing countries, I noticed discipline problem, but once the students had a reason to study, the discipline problem would diminish or end completely. Giving them a reason to study allowed their needs to be met. Usually, the motivation was focusing them on achieving the same standards as the developed countries, so that they could enjoy the same benefits as the developed countries.
The need was that they wanted more. They had seen the affluence of developed countries in the movies, in the newspapers and in books. They wanted what others had. The key to the discipline problem was helping them to realize that if they achieved a superior education, it would satisfy their wants. If their grades were high enough, they could qualify for scholarships, attend universities in these affluent countries and if they were good enough in the university, receive job offers in these countries. Once we helped them to understand that education was the answer to their need, the behavioral problems ended.
This brings me to the point of the paper; there is a need for quality research into the 'needs' of this generation and future generations. My parents wanted to be able to buy a car. Completing the 9th grade would give them the ability to earn enough money to accomplish their desire. My father did stay in school past the 9th grade, but he grew restless and bored and left school. His wants or needs had been met. Had he stayed in school longer, perhaps he would have had discipline problems.
When I was growing up the want was to own a home. Because the economics of the country had improved, a person with a basic education could only afford to live in an apartment. To earn sufficient money to buy a house, you needed at least two years of university.
In my case, the economy of the
In order for the schools to fulfill the wants or needs of the students, they need detailed information on the wants or needs of the students. What is the want of this generation? Can those wants or needs be accomplished via education? By researching the want or the need of this generation and helping students to understand that education will allow them to achieve this want or need, we will regain the discipline in the classroom.
Further more, the research must be on going, since the technology and the economics of countries are constantly changing. As stated above, the wants of my parents were different from my wants or needs. Every change in technology, every change in the economic standard of a country will change the wants or needs of the people in this country. Schools and educators need a constant source of information about the wants or needs of the children in the educational process.
No one school is capable of this type of investigation, though the school may participate in the research. The research must be sponsored by the government or by business. Perhaps business would be the best choice since they are the end user. It is to their advantage to discover the wants and needs of people so that they will receive qualified, competent employees at the end of the educational process. Not to mention employees who do not come to them with poor behavioral habit.
The research must be localized. Some aspects of the research are general to a country; therefore the country can sponsor some of the research. However, each city or each area has its own particular needs. For that reason, the individual areas will have to build on the initial research started at the macro level and fine tune it to the micro level.
Finally, having good discipline in the schools is achievable, but the path to that success may be different form the programs and books which are popular at this time. The answer does not lie in one cure all program, but in a constantly changing system to meet the needs of a constantly changing populous. Perhaps, this too is the key, helping people to understand that through their education they can bring about stability and security, instead of teaching them that their education will help them to develop the next generation of computers or some other thing which increases the change and instability in their lives. We will have to research this option to see if it meets the needs of the people.
References:
Cotton, K., and Savard, W. G. Student Discipline and Motivation: Research Synthesis.
Douvan, Elizabeth, "American Families" Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1980. Good source book on variables shaping the development of the family.
Doyle, W. "Classroom Management Techniques." In Strategies to Reduce Student Misbehavior, edited by Oliver C. Moles.
Edwards, John N., "The Family and Change," Alfred A. Knopp, 1969. Seeks to explain the reasons for changes in the family structure.
Emmer, E. T., and Aussiker, A. "School and Classroom Discipline Programs: How Well Do They Work?" In Strategies to Reduce Student Misbehavior, edited by Oliver C. Moles.
Evertson, C. M.; Emmer, E. T.; Sanford, J. P.; and Clements, B. S. "Improving Classroom Management: An Experiment in Elementary School Classrooms." The Elementary School Journal 83/2 (1983): 173-188.
Glasser, W., M.D.(1992). The Quality School (2nd ed.).
Gottfredson, D. C. "Developing Effective Organizations to Reduce School Disorder." In Strategies to Reduce Student Misbehavior, edited by Oliver C. Moles.
Gottfredson, D. Gottfredson, G., Hybl, L (1993). Managing adolescent behavior: A multiyear, multischool experiment. American Educational Research Journal, 30(1), 179-216.
O'Hagan, F. J., and Edmunds, G. "Pupils' Attitudes Toward Teachers' Strategies for Controlling Disruptive Behaviour." British Journal of Educational Psychology 52 (1982): 331-340.
Mijanovich, T, Wetzman, B. (2003). Which "broken windows" matter? School neighbourhood and family characteristics associated with youths' feelings of unsafety. Journal of Urban Health 80(3), 400-415.
Sharpley, C. F., and Sharpley, A. M. "Contingent vs. Noncontingent Rewards in the Classroom: A Review of the Literature." Journal of School Psychology 19/3 (1981): 250-259.
Skolnick, Arlene A. & Jerome H., "Family in Transition." Little, Brown and Company, Fourth Edition, 1983. Looks at the family as it passed from one structure to another to determine the causes of.
Steinberg, L., Lamborn, S., Dornbusch, S., & Darling, N. (1992). Impact of parenting practices on adolescent achievement: Authoritative parenting, school involvement, and encouragement to succeed. Child Development, 63, 1266-1281.
Strother, D. B. "Practical Applications of Research." Phi Delta Kappan 66/10 (1985): 725-728.
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
In the 1980's a new breed of people began to enter the work force. The "ME" centered generation. Their main mantra was, "What's in it for
The answers to these problems become clear when we look at the stages of development in the educational systems and the entertainment industry. Neither can claim full responsibility, because both are to blame.
The major employer as of last 40 years ago and further back was 'manual labor'. Most jobs required manual labor and few academic skills. The majority of the people were only educated enough to meet the needs of the economy.
It was acceptable to have a large number of students fail, because there was more than enough jobs which required little academic preparation. The teachers were not required to motivate students to strive to achieve higher grades or to fight to pass the year. Students had to have their own motivation. Intrinsic motivation was the driving force in society. "Only the best succeed." "Hard work and lots of effort would make you successful." These were the saying of the generations prior to 1970.
A student's future depended on his or her own abilities and hard work. There were abundant examples of people who had worked hard and become rich. There were abundant examples of people who had worked hard and become famous. Many of these examples were people who had little formal education. These examples became models to stimulate the inner motivation of the student. A person could become anything he or she wanted to become if they applied themselves and worked hard.
As the social - economic environment changed in the
Schools were forced to find ways to motivate students to study and change the number of drop-outs and low achievers. There was no longer an abundance of manual labor positions. Many countries were changing from agrarian or industrial societies to service industry and later information societies. The computer was making its debut, which would change society even more. More people were needed who had at least a high school education and hopefully one or two years of college.
Schools were mandated to produce a better product using the same old system. This could be compared to producing gold from copper. To add to the problem of producing a larger number of well educated people with a system designed to sort out the majority of the people, the schools were now over crowded. Good educational practices were almost impossible to implement with over crowded conditions.
How can you produce more quality students with a system designed to sort out the majority of people? Since teacher did not have the time to dedicate personalized attention to the students, they sought out other forms to motivate the lower 80% of the students. These motivational techniques were extrinsic in nature, thereby slowly changing the locus of the student. This changed the way students were taught and the way teachers and administrators treated the students.
The student was no longer required to have intrinsic motivation. The student was no longer required to push himself or herself, now the school was required to motive the student to perform. If the school did not produce the required number students, they were penalized. Extrinsic motivation became the believed cure all for the system. This changed the locus of the generation.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within. The person develops the desire to study and achieve greatness. No external forces are needed for the person to do what is expected of them.
On the other hand, extrinsic motivation comes from outside the person to motivate the person. The person becomes accustomed to receiving something which he or she desires in return for doing what is expected of them.
The problem with this has been clearly documented ("tangible rewards tend to have a substantially negative effect on intrinsic motivation" (pp. 658-659) Deci, Eghrari, Patrick, & Leone, 1994), (Grolnick & Ryan, 1989), ( Kasser andRyan(1993,1996), An extrinsic goal orientation is defined as the desire to engage in learning tasks to garner consequences external to the task itself, such as receiving rewards or avoiding punishment. It was found to predict a variety of negative outcomes, including cheating, avoidance of help seeking, the use of self-handicapping strategies, and less use of regulatory and cognitive strategies (Anderman, Griesinger, & Westerfield, 1998;Midgley& Urdan, 1995; Patrick et al., 1999; A.M. Ryan & Pintrich, 1997), along with many others. It (extrinsic motivation) produces a dependency on the stimulus (extrinsic motivation). In the majority of the cases the stimulus had to be increased to obtain the same results and with many, they came to believe that the extrinsic motivation was their right or that they deserved the rewards (Transformative Classroom Management by John Shindler).
Since teachers were ordered to get results, most used extrinsic motivational techniques to persuade low achievers to perform better. In order to produce the required number of graduates the administration gave their approval to these techniques. Even in the area of discipline the technique was used.
In an effort to persuade children with disciplinary problems to change, teachers and administrators used extrinsic motivational techniques, instead of teaching the students correct behavior. Because of heavy academic loads, more time was spent on motivating the students via external stimuli than instructing them on their responsibilities and duties in life and increasing their intrinsic motivation.
Therefore, the student learned little about being a part of society and contributing to the welfare of the whole and more about seeking out only what benefited the self. They learned little about motivating themselves and more about receiving motivation from outside themselves.
This has led to students who have an attitude of "what's in it for
Intrinsic motivation has almost been destroyed in place of external or extrinsic motivations. This problem was compounded by other events in society which worked hand in hand with change in attitudes.
To compound the problem of changing attitudes, the entertainment industry provided movies which supported the misconceptions the students were learning in the schools. The entertainment industry has always shown the brighter side of life. They have always made life in the movies more appealing than reality and as the economic levels increased, the entertainment industry portrayed an even rosier, more affluent life style. This became the standard to achieve in this developing generation.
How was this level of luxury to be achieved? Many movies came to the cinema which portrayed the easy life which was received in the easy way. Little hard work was required to achieve success. People just seemed to fall into good things without putting out much effort.
In addition to this, movies like "Risky Business", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and others, portrayed people (students in school) who did wrong but were not punished, in fact their lives increased in wealth and affluence through their misdeeds.
Weekly sitcoms like "Welcome back Kotter" portrayed students who did not want to apply themselves and students who misbehaved, yet who succeeded in life. The main premise was a teacher (Gabe Kotter) who motivated the students to do some of their work, or to succeed, through the use of extrinsic techniques.
Everywhere you went you could see children imitating these role models. Children would come to school dress like the 'sweat hogs' of "Welcome Back Kotter" or would wear the dark sunglass like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business". They would quote lines from the sitcom or the movies. Some would even act out parts of the movies.
These 'bad' role models led impressionable children into believing that they could succeed, even if they did not apply themselves. They came to believe that even if they disobeyed there were no serious consequences and if there were consequences they did not impact their lives, they were only momentary consequences.
The students were now leaning towards inappropriate behavior, because this is the behavior they saw succeeding in the movies. In order to curb this behavior, teachers started using more extrinsic motivation to get the student to behave and perform in the classroom, which caused a spiraling effect.
The student's belief that they could receive something for nothing or receive something for doing what they should be doing was now being reinforced in the school. The schools needed to apply extrinsic motivation to achieve the same results.
During the same time that schools were using extrinsic motivational techniques to motivate students, the entertainment industry was unleashing a barrage of films which influenced the thinking of impressionable students. Films such as "Smokey and the Bandit" (1,2 and 3), the "God Father" (1,2 and 3) along with many others which displayed that crime does pay. These movies led to the concept that people who do the wrong thing can succeed and succeed very well.
A new motivation was taking hold of this generation. The motivation was to get all you can, as fast as you can and any way that you can. The motivation was for money and power. If what you were doing (work or school) gave you the extrinsic benefits, then you performed the task well. If you could not receive the benefits, you did what ever was needed to receive those benefits, which you believed you deserved (Transformative Classroom Management by John Shindler) or you did not perform the task or you quit the job.
Because of the changes in economics, parents were now required to work more to earn enough to provide a good life. Where only the father worked, now both father and mother had to work. The family structure changed and parents were no longer the driving force in the raising of the children.
Raising the children was now delegated entirely the school system, which was leading the children in the wrong direction. The parents were not counseling their children about the movies they were watching, helping them to understand that what they were seeing was not reality and that they could not succeed in life using the models they were watching.
Since neither parents nor schools were guiding the students away from erroneous beliefs, the children started believing what they saw. When the child acted out the character he or she saw in the movies, the school attempted to change the behavior via extrinsic motivation, which in turn reinforced the message of the movies and sitcoms.
The people who grew up during this generation are now adults, many with their own children. The values they learned, they are passing on to their children. The children of the "ME" generation lack the intrinsic motivation even more than their parents. Their parents at least started with intrinsic motivation and were weaned away from it through extrinsic motivation, but the children of the "ME" generation do not know of intrinsic motivation.
The parents have not taught them about being self motivate. The parents have left that responsibility to the school system, as their parent had done. The school system does not and can not, under its current system, teach the children how to be self motivated. Therefore, they have little or no internal motivation.
Where does that leave us? We have a generation that has fallen into error and they are raising a generation completely in error. If the process in not stopped (and hopefully reversed), the following generations will need a greater stimulus to produce the same results.
A partial hope is an overhaul of the educational system. The educational system can not cope under its present mandate. The amount of information a child must learn in the time given to learn it requires that only the best survive or institutions apply extrinsic motivational technique to attempt to achieve the quota.
Changing the both the amount of information to be taught and the time given to learn the information will allow more students to succeed via their intrinsic motivation. The educational institutions will not need to apply extrinsic techniques to motivate students. This will allow space for institutions to address the errors in the understanding, motivation and/or behavior of the children.
With less information to cover, teacher will be able to spend more personalized time with the students. This in turn will allow for the development of intrinsic motivation (self motivation).
The educational institution will be able to produce the required number of people for the economy. Not only will the required number be achieved, but the people will be competent and self motivated, thereby producing a society which is more community centered instead of self centered.
Of course, this process requires great proactive leaders, who can change the educational system from the in-side out. Developing educational leaders who can see the problem and find a solution is what Unique Leaders Educational Leadership Development specializes in.
The other area in need of repair is the home life and family. This is a problem which will require more than a handful of scholars to repair.
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