We See This as the Future of Higher Education

About a year ago I ran across this article in the New York Times titled, Learning in Dorm, Because Class is on the Web (two pages, make sure you click through to page two) and I'd like you to take 5-10 minutes to read it. Go ahead, go read it, then come back.

This article illustrates that many colleges – which most of you will be attending in 3-4 years – are starting to utilize some of the same video techniques we’re trying to use in our Algebra class. There are a variety of different ways colleges are using this, some are pretty similar to what I’m doing, others are very different (consider yourself lucky, you only have to watch 8-10 minutes of me, not an 85 minute streamed lecture!).

Note that some colleges are doing this primarily for financial reasons,

You have X amount of money, what are you going to do with it?

others are exploring whether it can be a more effective way of delivering instruction,

She said an advantage of the Internet is that students can stop the lecture and rewind when they do not understand something.

No matter the reason, it appears likely that more classes will be offered this way by the time you get to college.

We see this as the future of higher education.

So consider our Algebra class a chance not only to learn Algebra (and enjoy my amazing wit), but an opportunity to begin preparing yourself to be successful in college – and beyond – by learning how to learn through online components of courses.

Notice how some students don’t like this approach.

In a conventional class, “I’m someone who sits toward the front and shares my thoughts with the teacher,” she said. In the 10 or so online courses she has taken in her four years, “it’s all the same,” she said. “No comments. No feedback. And the grades are always late.”

This is one of the reasons why I believe hybrid classes – where there’s an online component and a face-to-face component - are perhaps currently the best of both worlds when done well (although that may change as we get better at implementing online courses). The way I've tried to structure our class is inquiry first - we explore the ideas together in some kind of context - and then you watch the video outside of class to reinforce the skill and to help you go from the more concrete to the abstract. But several things have to happen in order for classes like this to work.

First, students must watch/complete the “lecture” video portion of the class outside of class. Clearly some college students – as well as some of you – are not doing this. If this part isn't done, the entire model falls apart because the videos outside of class allow us the time in class for inquiry.

Second, just as critically, students must be active participants in class to maximize the value of our time together. Students must be willing to use class time as an opportunity both to explore and to practice mathematical ideas and concepts, not as a time to sit back and be “told” or “shown” what to do. This is why I continue to try to get you guys to think more on your own, to talk and work in your groups, and to take risks in your learning, instead of simply waiting for me to show you the “right” answer.

So I’m hopeful that as we continue with this approach we all will get better at it. I need you to hold up your end of the bargain (watch/complete the videos outside of class - including the Guided Practice and Self-Check portions, complete the online pre-assessments on the Moodle, actively participate/explore/think in class, and come in for help and to re-assess), and I hopefully will get better at structuring class to complement the video instruction outside of class. Together we can not only help you master Algebra, but prepare you to be successful learners in college and beyond.

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So what do you think? Are you planning to go to college? If so, what are your feelings about the fact that you undoubtedly will have a large online component? If not, how do you feel about online training in general, as many jobs that don't require college now require that type of training?

What about Algebra - given that this is how I've structured the course, is there anything you can be doing better to maximize your chances for success? Be specific. Is there anything I can be doing better (keeping in mind that the basic hybrid nature is not going to change)? Do you have any other thoughts about above article and my thoughts regarding it?

(Bonus: While not specifically about using video, this post I wrote a while back is also about higher education - specifically, the University of Virginia, and the expectation that students do the preparatory work outside of class and then come in and be active participants in class. You might be interested in reading my post and the linked article).

Can't We Just Memorize a Formula to Plug Stuff Into?

I've been wanting to share something with you the last couple of days in class but just haven't had time, so I decided to just put it here on the blog instead. In The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun I came across a couple of passages that I thought were relevant to our class. In a section of the book talking about the myth that good ideas are hard to find, he writes:

While waiting in a city park to interview someone for this book, a nearby child played with Silly Putty and Legos at the same time. In my notepad I listed how many ideas the young boy, not more than five years old, came up with in 10 minutes. Sitting in the grass, he combined, modified, enhanced, tore apart, chewed on, licked, and buried various creations I'd never have imagined. His young mother, chatting on a phone while resting her morning coffee on the park bench, barely noticed the inventive creations her toddler unleashed on the world. After being chased away for making her nervous (an occupational risk of writers in parks), I wondered what happens to us, and what will happen to this boy, in adulthood. Why, as is popularly believed, do our creativity abilities decline, making ideas harder to find? Why aren't our conference rooms and board meetings as vibrant as childhood playgrounds and sandboxes? (p. 82)

. . . To open minds and find good ideas, return to the kid in the park. What is it about his attitude that allows fearless idea exploration? Linus Pauling, the only winner of two solo Nobel Prize awards in history, had this to say about finding ideas: "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." This sounds idiotic to most ears because it cuts against the systemic, formulaic, efficiency-centric perspective worshiped in schools and professions. It seems wasteful to follow Pauling's advice. Can't we just skip to the good ideas? Optimize the process? Memorize a formula to plug stuff into? Well, you can't. (p. 85-86).

The passage also includes this picture of the first computer mouse with the caption, "The superficials of innovation are rarely impressive. This is a version of the first computer mouse."

(image source: Wikipedia)

What does this have to do with Algebra? Well, this is very similar to the philosophy of what I'm asking you to do in this class. Yes, we do have some formulas that you're going to need to learn and "plug stuff into." But our more important goal is for you to open your minds and be willing to explore ideas. This is why I'm always asking you to try to figure things out, both individually and as a group, and not wait for me to tell you how to do it.

Sure, we can "skip to the good ideas" and I can just show you how to do certain procedures, but that ends up not being very meaningful for you, and you're also not very likely to remember it very long. Instead, I want you - as much as possible - to play with the ideas. To be curious, and creative, and try to figure things out and find patterns and methods on your own, including exploring various real-world applications of the mathematics. And, yes, that's harder than just memorizing the formula and doing random problems out of the book. But I think it's also much, much, much more worthy of your time.

As Eric Hoffer said,

In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.

I want you to be a learner; to take the attitude of "fearless idea exploration." In my class, in all your classes, and in life in general.

Fisch Food for Thought (Part 2)

First, if you haven't read Fisch Food for Thought Part 1, please take 5 minutes and go read that first. Go ahead, read it, I'll wait.

So in that previous post I talked a bit about why I don't want to be looking over your shoulder all of the time to "check up on you," and why I think the limited amount of homework I assign you is hopefully meaningful, and why it's important that you do it. In this post I want to talk a little bit about how I'll decide if I'm "successful" with you guys in this class.

I won’t think I’m a success if you get a good grade in Algebra, although I certainly hope you do and I’m going to try really hard to help you do that. I won’t think I’m a success if you score well on tests like CSAP or ACT, although I hope you do, and even though a lot of well-intentioned people think that’s how I should define success. I won’t even think I’m a success if you go to a good college and then get a good job, although I certainly want you to do that because I’d like to retire someday and I need you all to have good jobs to support me.

No, I’ll consider myself successful if you turn out to be good, kind, caring adults. If you’re a good spouse, child and parent. If you contribute to the world and to your community and help those around you. If you participate. And learn.

And here’s the deal. The education that I received was a pretty good one. But it’s not good enough for you guys. Not anymore. You see, in a rapidly changing, information abundant world, the people who are going to be successful – both professionally and personally – are the learners. And by “learners” I don’t mean people who just learn what we teach you here at AHS.

Now, I want to be clear, that doesn’t mean I don’t think you should learn what we teach you here at AHS. I don’t want you to go to your second period teacher, raise your hand, and say, “Mr. Fisch said I don’t need to learn what you’re teaching.” Please, don’t do that. That’s not at all what I’m saying. Your teachers here work very hard trying to share important, meaningful and relevant knowledge and skills.

And that’s important, but it’s not enough. Because to be successful in the 21st century you’re going to have to be a learner, you’re going to have to learn how to learn, and go after things on your own. As I talked about in the previous post, you’re going to have to be independent, curious, passionate learners, who don’t just sit back and wait for someone to tell them what they’re supposed to know, but who go out and try to figure things out for yourself. Who pursue your interests, your goals, your passions with intensity, and who actively participate in everything you do. Who go out and find other learners who are passionate about what you are passionate about and learn from them – and alongside them.

To quote myself (sorry), the world has shifted. The world of school, and the world of work, and the world in general has shifted, and so I need you to shift as well, and that’s what I’m trying to do in this class. I’m trying to get you to be actively involved in your own education, to be independent and curious learners in mathematics, even if Algebra is never going to be your favorite subject.

I believe you need the skills I’m trying to get you to learn for three main reasons.

First, to be a successful citizen in the 21st century you have to be numerate. In order to deal with all the data that is going to get thrown at you, and to make good, responsible, effective decisions, you’re going to need a lot of the skills we’re learning in Algebra. And, frankly, that’s not necessarily true about all the math classes you’ll take. Honestly, if you take Trig and Pre-Calc (typically what you'll take your senior year), the skills you learn there are very important if you go into the math and sciences, but perhaps not so much day-to-day life for most of you (some folks will disagree with that). But the skills we learn in Algebra you’ll be using every day to make sense of all that data in the world, to be informed voters and decision makers.

The second reason to learn the skills is if you decide that you are passionate about math and science, you need these skills in order to progress to more complex topics and to go deeper.

The third reason – and it’s the one I think is least important but you may think is the most important – is that right now in the short term you have to learn these skills to get a good grade in this class, to do well in school, and to get into college if that’s what you choose. So while I prefer that you focus on the first two reasons, this one is still a valid one for many of you.

So, again, I’m asking you to please, please consider what kind of future you want, not just for yourself, but for those around you, and make an effort to be as independent, as curious, as responsible, as passionate of a learner that you can be.

I just defined what I think success would look like for me in this class, what would success look like for you?

Fisch Food for Thought (Part I)

Many of you have probably noticed that I didn't "check" the last couple of times to make sure you had the self-check problems from the video written down. I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about that a bit.

Here's the deal. In a perfect world, I wouldn't grade homework at all. (Okay, in a perfect world, I wouldn't grade you at all, but that's a whole separate post.) To me, homework is a chance for you to learn, to ask questions, to practice, to extend your thinking a bit, and to see what you know and what you don't yet know. It's not something I want to "grade" you on; not something where I want to say, "You got this one right, this one wrong." I don't give a ton of homework (less than most typical Algebra classes I suspect), but what I do give is meaningful. I want you to do it not because you're going to get some "points" for it, but because you know that I wouldn't assign you something I didn't think was worthwhile, and that by doing what I assign it will help you understand the mathematics better.

This is why it’s critical you do the assignments I’m asking you to do, like watching the videos I’ve created for you and doing the online pre-assessments in the Moodle. Those videos and pre-assessments are designed to help you master the skills, and to become more independent learners. But they’re also designed to free up class time so that we can become more curious, active learners, in class, and so we can explore interesting (or perhaps not for some of you) applications of Algebra like the bike gear ratios or Tim Tebow’s speed at the NFL Combine or a how fast our assistant principals and media specialist were moving, or a variety of other activities we’ll be doing this year. In order to apply the skills in class, I need you to do the necessary work outside of class.

But in order for that to happen, in order for us to use our class time to be the kind of learners I think you need to be to be successful in this century, your century, I need you to step up and take care of business. I need you to watch the videos, and use them as they’re intended, and do the pre-assessments and the other things I ask you to do outside of class. And I really, really need you to participate in class, to be active learners. To ask questions, and be involved, and talk to each other, and help each other, and be willing to take risks in order to learn more, even if that makes you a little nervous or uncomfortable. I need you to do more of the talking in class about the mathematics, and me to do less. I need you to do more of the thinking, and the questioning, and the figuring out.

So I’m asking you to please, please consider what kind of future you want, not just for yourself, but for those around you, and make an effort to be as independent, as curious, as responsible, as passionate of a learner that you can be. And I promise that I’ll bring the passion every day and do the very best I can to help you become that learner.