This Ain’t No Industrial Age Homie: Teaching In The Information Age, Part 3a: Be Like Mike And Teach Students to Be Like Mike

by Oskar Cymerman     @focus2achieve

THIS AIN’T NO INDUSTRIAL AGE HOMIE: TEACHING IN THE INFORMATION AGE, PART 3A: BE LIKE MIKE AND TEACH STUDENTS TO BE LIKE MIKE

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan

Alas, we have arrived at the first leg of the final leg of the marathon I dubbed: “This Ain’t No Industrial Age Homie!” What can I say? It’s Thursday afternoon (and will most likely be Friday tomorrow, and Saturday the day after), I have a monster headache after a full day of teaching stoichiometry and smart thinking (don’t ask), and I want to tell you something, so you can tell it to your students:

Be Like Mike and Tell ‘Em to Be Like Mike

Remember the saying: “Failure is not an option?” What a bunch of bull ordure.

See, I’m a Chicago dude, and while I live in the “Land of 10,000 (actually 11,842) Lakes” now, I grew up watching His Airness lead the Bulls to 6 NBA Championships. He claims that he missed 26 would be game winning shots, so it must be true, but somehow I only remember the ones he made. I think it’s because greatness is measured in “failure response” units. And, Jordan knew that.

He also realized that FAILURE IS THE ONLY OPTION ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS.

To learn, to correct, to gain the confidence in knowing that “stuff’s gonna be okay no matter what,” to continue to take risks, and to ultimately succeed, we need to TEACH OUR STUDENTS HOW TO FAIL.

To make failure okay, tell your students about your personal failures. Validate their feelings. It sucks when you take on something and fail at it. It’s okay to feel bad. But, it’s not okay to give up. It’s imperative to teach students how to fail and how to respond to failure. And you have to learn with them.

A student in my chemistry class, a varsity basketball player, has really been struggling recently. In my inception into the teaching cult years I would have probably brought the hammer down on, let’s call him Luke, if I saw him being constantly off task and distracted. But I learned that this kind of an approach rarely yields the desired result.

The truth is that, while I can guess why Luke is messing up in class, I cannot know for certain what is going on. And, if I just punked him, I might have completely turned him off and thus my actions would have led to a chain of events that would prevent Luke from learning chemistry. And let’s be honest here: NO ONE CAN LIVE WITHOUT CHEMISTRY. So what did I do?

Remembering the newest installment of the Star Wars series I just saw recently, I awakened the force. I channeled my inner Yoda (I know, I know – different episode, but bear with me here…), and instead of telling Luke what to do and what not to do, I simply started with my recent observations:

Me: Luke, I noticed that Da Force is not as strong with you as it used to be (Translation: I noticed you’ve been distracted and the quizzes are killing you).

Luke: (Nod)

Now that I had his attention I moved in for the kill.

Me: There is opportunity yet to be one with Da Force again (Or I might have said: You can retake the last quiz, but you should prepare for it to be successful).

Luke: Yeah, I wanna do that.

Me: Da Force has been strong with Jay (another young Jedi (I know, another continuity error, but what am I to do when Luke had no BFF to share his frosted flakes with? And is it a grammatical faux pas to insert a parenthesis inside a parenthesis?) and a friend sitting next to Luke, who has been acing assessments). Maybe you can help each other out.

Jay: (Nod)

Luke: (Nod)

Me: Da Force is stronger with those who help others (When you teach others you deepen your knowledge of the concept, because you have to explain it in an understandable and complete way).

Jay: (3 nods)

Me: May the force be with you.

Luke: You’re weird.

That was a slam-dunk wasn’t it? In your face apathy! Luke failed a couple of quizzes and was well on his way to land “summer school,” and maybe he will still end up there, but at least he knows that he is not doomed yet. He knows that he has options. He knows that he can yet succeed. He knows that he is not alone. He knows that there are people who believe in him.

And I believe that I have reached my word quota. I know, you hated when the Hunger Games Part 3 ended up being parts 3a and 3b, and you had to wait another stinking year for the conclusion, but rules are rules homie, so Pardon Me While I Burst Into Flames. See you next year!

Ok, so I’m lying. Part 3b is done. But I am not sure when the best time and day to post it is. Help me out if you can and comment below on what I should do. Or don’t. And sign up for my NEWSLETTER, because you can. Either way and when in doubt, use the force. 

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This Ain't No Industrial Age Homie: Teaching In The Information Age, Part 2: Be Like Taylor Swift

THIS AIN'T NO INDUSTRIAL AGE HOMIE: TEACHING IN THE INFORMATION AGE, PART 2: BE LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT

“If I had access to the Internet when I was alive I would have been more authentic and told them to eat Oreos” - Marie Antoinette

This is Part 2 of the article I wrote last week: THIS AIN'T NO INDUSTRIAL AGE HOMIE: TEACHING IN THE INFORMATION AGE, PART 1: PREACH LIKE BROTHER JOHN. In it, I discuss the need for our students to be creative in solving relevant problems, appropriate to the times we live in, using tools and skills they will actually need to use/figure out, when they venture out into the "real world." This can only be done through transforming our teaching practices and how we approach the learning process. So, put your spacesuit on and enjoy!

BE LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT (As Featured on EdWords)

Okay. So chances are you’re not going to become a top digital music-selling artist, be in a relationship with Joe Jonas (who???), or write extremely catchy songs that capture the hearts and minds of teens. You can however, just as Taylor does it, connect to the highs and lows of this generation, be current, and gain relevance with your students.

How?

Be Authentic and Connect.

The hard truth is we are educating a different breed of learner this day and age. And that’s okay. It’s supposed to be this way. It’s part of the evolution of things. What that means is that we must earn our students’ attention by being authentic. What does that entail as far the millennials and the iGEN kids go?

For one, we have to sell what we teach in a way that does not feel desperate and overbearing to our students. We must do it with confidence, conviction, and good intentions. We also have to do it comfortably by staying true to ourselves. The time of the bully teacher is long gone and the era of the Student-Champion has begun.

If you are a teacher who struggles with accepting any of this, then get out now. Seriously, this gig ain’t for you, because it ain’t about you! It requires putting students first and serving them; not controlling them (although their acceptance of your guidance is a nice byproduct if you meet their needs first - insert smiley face here -).

Good news is that most of us, the ones committed to the teaching cult, can and do learn from our mistakes. And, that is why this job is so awesome! We learn and grow with our students.

I still remember the prof leading my first teacher prep class say: “Do not smile on the first day of class.” What a load of crap that was! Of course, I did not smile that very first day of my first year... I regret that now... Oh what was and what could have been... Alright, enough sobbing for one article.

But what is the lesson I learned from this one and other experiences I’ve had? It is to BE YOURSELF. ALWAYS. BECAUSE “YOURSELF” IS THE ONLY PERSON YOU CAN AND WILL EVER BE. You cannot fake authenticity, nor can you fake that you care. You have to BE authentic and really do CARE. Besides, students can smell bullshit from 1.609 km away. That’s why they spray so much AXE in the school hallway (I really should be getting paid for this advertisement - I better call 1 800 ASK GARY, oops...).

Be With It.

Look: You gotta be relevant. If you’re not, you hardly exist to many students, and are a complete waste of air and space to others. Use the tech and let them use it, because this is the age we live in. Use it, because your students are using it and are comfortable with it. They use it, but (and this may surprise you) they are not proficient at it.

When you start, you will notice that some kids have used apps and software for things other than gaming and socializing, but many have limited experience with software that doesn’t involve these 2 things or standard word processing applications, and need time and opportunity to learn and become good at it. This is key for students. You do not need to be a technology guru, because if given time and chance, your students will figure the tech out and use it (and you can take ALL THE CREDIT for it as their BTF).  

And yes, allow BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) learning. Some (okay, most) students will get distracted while using their smartphone. They have good intentions mostly… It’s just that the smartphone gives you access to so much information and has so many cool features… Besides, if you own a smartphone, you can probably relate, because the last time you were trying to look up the weather on it, you checked your e-mail, squeezed in a quick text or two while at it, and then viewed that cute cat video your friend recommended you like.

So, while always striving to stay focused, we must accept that phones are here to stay and try to integrate them into the learning process. And, if that one annoying kid keeps using his phone when he’s not supposed, to take it from him, because it is not okay for students to be on their phone during direct instruction, even though the phone is basically an extension of his hand (this is one of those times you are allowed to go all Darth Vader on his ass and cut his hand off just as the tin-head lightsabered Luke’s left extremity off in The Empire Strikes Back).

There are 3 main reasons you should not fight the phones in your classroom:

1. You can’t win,

2. You can’t win, and

3. You will always lose (and remember: this isn’t the “you against them” sweepstakes).   

If you decide to be “that teacher” and ban phones from your classroom not only will you miss the opportunity to use powerful interactive apps, such as Kahoot!, Poll Everywhere etc. for formative assessment, but you will be slowly killing yourself! Think about the stress of constantly policing students, breathing down their necks, dealing with multiple offenses, and always being the bad guy. Being a teacher, chances are you are already experiencing stress at work (my entry for the understatement of the year contest) and STRESS KILLS, SO IF YOU CAN, AVOID IT.

The alternative is DEATH.

That does not sound cool, but you know what does? Michael Jordan. Whaaa?

Next post homie…  PART 3. Teach Students to Be Like Mike.

Does this article speak to you? Share It! How do you create authentic and relevant interactions in your classroom or life? Do you have ideas or resources you can share with others on this topic? Please comment below, give me a like (or not), and sign up for the always free and never boring Focus 2 Achieve Newsletter. Thanks for reading and remember that you have the power! Use it.

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This Ain't No Industrial Age Homie: Teaching in the Information Age

by Oskar Cymerman | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger | @focus2achieve

Teaching in the Information Age (As Featured on Bam!Radio Network EdWords Blog) 

PART 1: PREACH LIKE BROTHER JOHN

"No generation in history has ever been so thoroughly prepared for the Industrial Age" - David Warlick

Seriously...

I think it's safe to say that the industrial times ended at least a couple of decades ago, but the U.S. Educational System ("The System") is still at it: working hard to pump out generation after generation of Industrial Age Superstars. I mean, Henry Ford would be proud. Perhaps, he'd hire them on the spot too.

Problem is we don't need any more Tin Lizzie (no offense to Henry's Ford Model T) builders. This age is a time in which information has become a speed of light fast product, communicated efficiently, and available readily via computer technology. And, it calls for the Elon Musk-esque Tesla Innovators and the Let's-Build-a-Human-Colony-on-the-Moon-Tomorrow-Because-We-Can Visionaries.

We need our students to be creative in solving relevant problems; appropriate to the times we live in and using tools and skills they will actually need to use, or at least be able to figure out, when they venture out into the "real world." This can only be done through transforming our teaching practices and how we approach the learning process.

So… My Teacher Homies… What follows are the 3 Practices You Can Start Right Now to Change the Educational Status Quo (and they are not all about technology):

1. Preach like John Maxwell.
2. Be like Taylor Swift.
3. Tell students to be like Mike.

1. Preach Like John Maxwell.

John C. Maxwell, a world-renown author, speaker, and authority on leadership, teaches us to “invest in people daily.” According to John, “investing in people” involves listening to them, encouraging them, respecting them, developing their abilities, and helping them succeed. Sound familiar?

While the above actions might not have been listed on the job description when you applied, they are the bulk of what you do as a teacher. In fact, I believe that they make up the most important and rewarding aspect of the job. There is simply nothing better than the satisfaction of knowing that you (yes YOU) are changing the world when your students are learning.

So, invest in the Human Beings you interact with (aka Students) Not The Content Standards daily. And while this might be a tough one to digest, because learning standards were pretty much tattooed on your brain since your initiation into the teaching cult, you will love the results. I envision you sipping hot cocoa under a warm blanket on a cold January night sporting a smile while reflecting on this. One night... Why not tonight?

If you feel I’m dissing the standards, relax. I am not telling you to abandon the core, content, academic, curricular, or whatever standards you are mandated to follow. In fact, I believe that they’re okay. My beef is with the fact that the so-called “learning standards” have very little to do with the learning process, which is what I believe all teacher-prep programs should spotlight and all teachers emphasize in their classrooms. 

Let’s google: “learning standards”

The highly revered in the academic field source, Wikipedia, defines learning standards as “elements of declarative, procedural, schematic, and strategic knowledge that, as a body, define the specific content of an educational program.”

The Glossary of Education Reform (sounds official doesn’t it?) describes learning standards as “concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education.”

Honestly, I did not bother to look past the first page of Google results on “learning standards,” but everywhere I did look they can be distilled to “Knowledge” and “Ability To Do Something.” And, while I appreciate knowing the destination, because it is extremely important to know where you’re going before you set off, a flippin’ map would be nice. Just saying...

I view the learning standards as a framework that allows me to write goals and objectives for students. Having goals and objectives, and telling students about them is extremely important. In fact, I wrote about it in my article on objectives: Want Students To Learn? Don’t Just Tell Them What You Are Teaching.  I just think that because of the official rhetoric the standards come with, many of us educators worry so much about “covering” all of them and getting through the entire curriculum, that we often forget to teach the students how to learn all that stuff.

Most of us teach the “stuff” well, but I know that I myself have forgotten on more than one occasion (like a million times) that the true purpose of education, thus my purpose, is to educate human beings.

This involves investing in each student’s inner mind, by myself learning how this mind operates, and equipping it with the cognitive and metacognitive skills necessary to be successful in any subject, any endeavor, any “thing” it takes on now and in the future. And that is what this party is all about!

It involves teaching learning approaches, problem-solving methods, and study skills. It entails explaining and exemplifying strategies for effective and meaningful learning, fostering creative outside the box thinking, encouraging risk-taking, and training students to really believe that failures are just necessary stepping-stones to their progress and ultimate success.

Oh, and by the way: None of these things can be taught in one shot; they have to be repeated, reiterated, and reinforced over and over and over. For FREE resources, including the student learning reflection and approaches to note-taking, problem-solving, and studying I use with my students to help them focus and achieve more success, visit my Free Resources page.

And while I am intentional about doing it the right way now, I know that there are many dedicated teachers out there, who lose sight of what it truly means to educate students (aka human beings) when faced with the pressures of producing lean mean test taking machines.

But no more. 

We’re all doing this, ‘cause we’re real like Taylor Swift (but that’s my next post).

Does this article resonate with you? How do you invest in your students or other human beings? Do you have ideas or resources you can share with others on this topic? Please comment below, give me a like (or not), and sign up for the always free and never boring Focus 2 Achieve Newsletter. Thanks for reading and remember that you have the power! Use it.