Week 2: Authentic Intellectual Work

 

      Authentic Intellectual Work.  What is it and how does it differ from traditional educational approaches to teaching and testing? 

     Authentic Intellectual Work is a robust form of disciplined inquiry.  During this inquiry students are tasked with “real-world” behavior that includes searching for answers and using evidence to substantiate their understanding of the learning concept.  This inquiry also allows students to plumb the depths of educational concepts instead of existing in a narrow, thin window of understanding.  Authentic Intellectual Work also allows for development of student voice and extensive communication that aids students in synthesizing what they have learned. AIW leads to the real-world learning that is crucial for human development and human flourishing which holds value outside the four-walls of the school building. According to Newmann, King, and Carmichael (2007), AIW also bridges racial, ethnic, sex, and socioeconomics to reach every student with significant learning gains.

     When classroom instruction demands disciplined inquiry, student performance rises in class and on standardized testing.  Reviewing a study entitled The Chicago 12-School Study, it is clearly seen that students with rigorous, real-world AIW instruction and practice gained 20% more than the Chicago-wide average, and 40% more than students without rigorous, real-world AIW instruction and practice (Newmann et al., 2007).

     One example of Authentic Intellectual Work in the content area of reading is to allow students to act as a selection committee for the school library.  This AIW would include students engaged in reading authentic reviews, excerpts, studies, books, and more.  Students would be tasked with creating collaborative rubrics to lead the committee in thoughtfully choosing appropriate texts for their school library.  It would satisfy disciplined inquiry by activating prior knowledge base of the student in reference to genre and their own connections to texts.  It would provide for students to engage in deep understanding of what a text in the school library should encompass.  Finally, it allows for elaborated communication among peers by creating claims, evidence, and reasoning.  It also adds real-world value by the actual purchases that would be made for the school library.      

            In terms of EdTech and in-class technology, the digital use divide can be seen as a hinderance to AIW.  According to U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (2024), learners that come from systemically marginalized communities are often relegated to interacting passively with technology.  When students passively engage with EdTech tools, there can be no Authentic Intellectual Work.  In order for educators to create AIW within districts that experience a large digital use divide, they must be given tools and support to bridge these gaps.  Pendergrast Elementary School in Glendale, Arizona began implementing goals for a district-wide, learner-centered, project-based learning that bridged the digital use divide, and the ramifications were far-reaching and significant.  The following outcomes were observed in Pendergrast Elementary’s developed FUSE program:

Now in its 12th year, FUSE Studios has grown through word-of-mouth from a small demonstration project to a program implemented in more than 250 schools in the United States and abroad, and serving more than 50,000 young people during the 2022–23 school year. The majority of students using FUSE are from historically marginalized student populations. (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 2024)

Not only did Pendergrast Elementary’s vigorous attention to project-based learning affect the AIW of students, it also supports engagement and enhancement as developed in Kolb’s Triple E Framework.  The FUSE project used by Pendergrast Elementary engaged students by using leveled challenges in thirty different modes which led to enhancement by including areas for student learning in 3D design, digital animation, robotics, and other electronics projects (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 2024)

References

Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction     
            and assessment: Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching
            academic subjects. Iowa Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2024).     
            National Educational Technology Plan. https://tech.ed.gov

Week 1 Blog: Using Collaborative Technologies to Increase Civic Engagement

 

Week 1 Blog

Using Collaborative Technologies to Increase Civic Engagement
Focus:  Literacy and Voter Turnout Rates

This lesson thoughtfully aligns ISTE standard 1.7.b with Oklahoma Academic Standards 10.1, 10.3, 10.7, and USG.5.4 by focusing on increased civic engagement. This lesson focuses on how literacy impacts voter turnout rates. Technology has been implemented that allows for student-to-student collaboration, and class-to-community collaboration. By using tools such as EdPuzzle, Flip, Google Docs, and Canva, students practice critical reading, writing, and civic argumentation while also developing fluency with tech tools. These tools were integrated into this lesson to engage learners in authentic, multimodal expression which reinforces the idea that 21^st century skills involve the consumption and creation of knowledge responsibly in digital spaces (ISTE, 2016). This learning experience is intended to enhance literacy standards, civic engagement, and knowledge of digital tools. 

This lesson also integrates ISTE’s pillar in which students connect globally and contribute to their communities by extending learning outside the classroom (ISTE, 2016).  This lesson incorporates advocacy letters, online infographics, embedded QR codes in public spaces, and virtual showcases to connect students to their communities. The integration of literacy standards with purposeful digital tools demonstrates how instructional design can leverage 21^st-century tech to promote engagement, amplify student voice, and support educational transformation.

I aligned this lesson with Kolb's Triple E Framework by designing times for engagement, enhancement, and extension. For engagement, I built substantial time on task to think critically about peer-collaborative questions by using Padlet and digital sticky notes in a shared interactive whiteboard.  For enhancement, I deepened student learning by connecting the lesson to their peers in class and with the community through QR codes and video public service announcements.  For extension, this lesson allows communication with county election boards through letter-writing, QR code publicly posted for community notification, and a virtual showcase at a local library with stakeholders.

Please view and comment on the full lesson plan that is attached here.

 

ISTE Standard 1.7.b Multiple Viewpoints

Using Collaborative Technologies to Increase Civic Engagement
Focus:  Literacy and Voter Turnout Rates

Grade Level: 10th

Subject Area: English Language/Government

 

Standards Alignment

10.1 – Students will actively listen and speak clearly using appropriate discussion rules.

10.3.W.2 – Students will compose informative texts incorporating evidence.

10.7.R – Students will analyze the relationship between context and meaning in informational texts.

10.7.W – Students will create multimodal content that accomplishes a purpose.

USG 5-4 – Students will evaluate the importance of civic participation for preservation of our constitutional government.

 

Learning Objectives

Content

•         Students will explain how literacy influences civic engagement.
•         Students will analyze how educational philosophies connect to real-world literacy access.

Language

•       Students will use academic language in written and spoken formats.

 

Materials & Tools

  Excerpt from Noddings (2017), pp. 35–36 (uploaded to Google Classroom/Drive)
    
Digital Graphic Organizer: Literacy and Power T-Chart (Google Docs/Sheets or Canva Interactive Whiteboard)

·         PBS News Video (embedded in EdPuzzle with comprehension questions)

·         Abstract from NIH article (shared via Google Docs)

·         Exit Ticket (Google Form or Flip video response)

·         Technology Tools Integrated: Google Docs, Canva Interactive Whiteboard, EdPuzzle, Flip (Flipgrid), Canva, Padlet, QR codes, Google Sheets, Mentimeter.

Lesson Sequence

Day 1

Anticipatory Set:

1.  Display Dewey’s quote in Google Slides with embedded Padlet link. Students respond digitally to the reflection question: “How can reading and writing help people make change in the world?” Responses appear live on Padlet.

 

Collaborative Conversation:

2.  Students use Canva Interactive Whiteboard to share and rotate answers with peers. Digital sticky notes allow collaborative, real-time reflection.

 

Mini-Lesson & Discussion:

3.  Present Dewey’s ideas with visuals in Google Slides.

4.  Students brainstorm current literacy challenges using a Mentimeter word cloud.

 

Guided Practice:

5. Watch PBS video via EdPuzzle, pausing for embedded comprehension questions.

6. Read NIH abstract in Google Docs. Students highlight evidence collaboratively.

7. Complete Literacy & Power T-Chart in Google Sheets.

 

Exit Ticket:

8. Students record a 1-minute video response on Flip using academic vocabulary.

 

 Day 2

Review:

1. Groups revisit T-Charts in Google Docs/Sheets and add new insights.

 

Collaborative Project:

2. Groups draft a letter to the county election board using Google Docs.

3. Create a multimodal product:

4. Canva infographic showing literacy & voter turnout connections.

5. Canva Video for a PSA.

6. Google Slides public announcement with QR codes linking to resources.

 

Sharing & Publishing:

·         Present projects to class.

·         Upload final letters and graphics to a class Google Site or blog.

·         Generate QR codes for student products to share with families and community bulletin boards.

 

Assessment:

Formative: Day 1 Flip exit ticket.

Summative: Letter and multimodal product, assessed with a rubric that includes effective use of digital tools.

 

Community Integration:

·         Post projects on the school’s website or social media to engage adult community members.

·         Share infographics with local library partners for literacy awareness campaigns.

·         Host a virtual showcase (Google Meet/Zoom) with community stakeholders (library staff, election board representatives).

Reflection

Students respond in a Google Form: “How did technology help you communicate your ideas more effectively? How might the tools you used today be valuable in civic life outside of school?”

References

 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for students. ISTE.

            https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Noddings, N. (2017). Philosophy of education (4th ed.). Westview Press.

Hello Classmates and Students!

 Hello Classmates and Students!

I am excited to be blogging again.  I forgot what an enjoyable and efficient way this is to communicate creative and interesting ideas.

My name is Nichelle, and I am a passionate educator in Oklahoma schools for 19-years.  I am a life-long learner, a voracious reader, a poet, and a 5th generation Oklahoman. I work in in the heart of downtown OKC but live a bit outside of the city in a more rural area.  I feel like this gives me the best of both worlds:  the vibrant, diversity of the city, and the peaceful somnolence of Oklahoma countryside.  

My current place of employment designs curriculum and assessments based on the Oklahoma Academic Standards.  I hope to continue to expand the depth, complexity, usefulness, and rigor of our curriculum to create successful learners and support teachers in the classroom.

Here are some images of my favorite things:

 

My favorite books are:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
1984 by George Orwell
Anything by poets Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Tupac Shakur