Moving from Transactional to Transformational Learning

As a kid, we would go to school and learn things. We would come home and our parents would ask us questions. Deep and thoughtful ones. "So, what did you do in school today? What are you learning in math? What's your favorite class? What are you reading in school?" They would ask these questions because for them, just like us, school was about acquiring knowledge. Back in 1980something, or 1950something, we couldn't ask Siri what was the capital of Nepal or what was the heat capacity of Aluminum. Life was about gathering information. Those who accelerated to the top, knew how to acquire and hold information and were able to retrieve it quickly.

Teaching during this time required a transaction. The goal for the teacher was to distribute information quickly, accurately, and meaningfully. Occasionally in some subjects we would apply the information. We would all do labs in Science and from time to time have simulations in Social Studies. Even in these experiences, the fundamental component in the end was how we transmitted the information back in the form of a lab report or write-up. The product was secondary to the process. Everything was about the transaction of information. The few kids who actually engineering products were in the shop classes not the college prep courses. Each experience was a transaction. A redistribution of information. 

Beginning in 1989 Compton realized it would be very powerful to put the encyclopedia straight on everyone's computer. They released Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia. However real traction came in 1993 when Microsoft changed paradigm with the release of Microsoft Encarta. Distributing encyclopedias as they sent out Windows operating systems. In 1995 the World Wide Web began to make traction and by 2001 Wikipedia was introduced. In a short 12 year span, we went from information being the vital limiting reagent to universal access to all information. Gone were the days of microfilm and microfiche. Card catalogues disappeared. Film strip projectors vanished the way of the Dodo.

In classrooms, our expectations and our instructional skills were all about the transmission of information. There were exceptions vocational education, fine arts, and physical education. Each class relying heavily on transactional distribution of information for a knowledge economy. Skills, better handled by Siri, Wolfram Alpha, or a Google Search. A shift in the paradigm is occurring. Our kids have figured out how to quickly survive in the world of the knowledge economy. Ask any 10 year old  "Who was Joan of Arc?" and instead of replying like Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, they quickly will search the web through any of a variety of means and give you a deep answer about who she was. The transactions of the past have little skill or value in the application world of today.

The differentiator for us as well as our students is how we can transform the knowledge into unique and innovative products. What a student can do with the information is far more valuable than the act of acquiring or redistributing knowledge. This process requires us to rethink the learning experience. Adjust rubrics to include the acquisition of key knowledge but emphasize the capacity to apply that knowledge to create new products and new knowledge. In the past we would encourage students to make the same diorama or poster presentation. Now we want to infuse creativity, innovation, and uniqueness. As these will be the skills that open doors of employment and success. As instructors, since distribution of knowledge is no longer the utmost priority, our role changes. We become coaches. Giving students baseline skills and challenges. Encouraging them to problem solve, create, and cultivate. Providing feedback to their creations not reporting on the status of them recreating our ideas. In a short time the paradigm of learning has changed. It should make the dinner table conversation about "What did you do in school today?" a whole lot more interesting.

Opening Up A New World

The Winter Grind

When you live in a snow state, February is a grind. The newness of snow and winter has passed. The novelty of snowmen and winter lights has faded. Instead days are simply short. Nights are long. It's cold. The wind is bad. If there is snow, it's a hassle because no one remembers how to drive and getting the kids snow gear on is a pain. Winter, this lovely festival becomes the dreary day to day. It is the grind.

In school's it is no different. The kids wander in their various states of dress. Some bundled up like Nanook of the North, which I remember watching at Downers Grove South High School in 1989, and some dressed like they are ready for Weekend at Bernie's, which I also watched in 1989. Each day we are presenting harder concepts to them because this is the work time, the productive time, the time during which growth accelerates. Each night, kids go home and hit the books. They read, do their math, watch some youtube and head to bed. The next day it's back to the grind.

This is the hard time of year. This is the difficult work. The time in the trenches. This is when the growth happens. Just like a child, where you put them to bed and they wake up a little taller. In schools, this is when we do the day to day hard work and then Spring comes and we realize they came out a little smarter. These are the hard days and the long nights. For kids and adults it can feel like a grind. In our district, between January 4th and March 24th, there are 57 days of school and 2 three-day weekends. There will be many indoor recess days, many wind-blown bitter bus stops, daily learning opportunities that challenge the very fabric of our understanding and many long nights. For now in schools, it is the grind.

As all Winters, even in Narnia, Spring truly is just around the corner. With it, renewal, sun, energy, children still not dressed for the weather, and celebrations of growth. In these tough days we cannot lose track of the power of each day. The investment that comes from the hard work. When we feel as if we are going to snap, recognize that for all of us, kids and adults, this is the grind. However, it's just a stage. This too shall pass, and the value gained from our investment of time, energy, and diligence will bring value in Spring.

Narnia, The River Melts