Educator’s Notebook #441 (March 24, 2024)
INTRODUCTION
AI, fall elections, curriculum controversies, tutoring, and more
Dear Readers,
I have a question, and I’d be grateful for your feedback. In my consulting and with Athena, I continue to hear from many schools about two ongoing needs: 1) developing teaching & learning approaches for an era of AI, and 2) preparing for the fall election.
At Athena, we’ve had several inquiries about these topics recently, and are determining whether there is interest enough from teachers and schools to explore these topics in our summer fellowships. (Here is a brief overview of the fellowships we have run in the past.) My question: Would there be interest at your school in a summer PD opportunity focused on these topics?
I’d be grateful for your feedback on this. Thank you!
~
In the meantime, this week has been an excellent week for reading:
In the features: Find a report from a California classroom about student responses to the 2018 novel There, There. It suggests to me the importance of personally relevant content in our curriculum. This makes for an interesting partner to the second feature: As culture wars, international conflicts, and curriculum battles deepen, more institutions are exploring formal stances of institutional neutrality. See the first feature for notes from one such discussion at Harvard recently.
Beyond the features, find an interesting review of Bloom’s two-sigma claim, several perspectives across curriculum innovations and challenges, several approaches on cell phone management, a return of interest in microschools, more information on the eclipse, and an excellent section on AI.
These and more, enjoy!
Peter
PS. I’ll be at the AIR Show at ASU GSV (April 13-17). Find the full schedule here, and let me know if you’ll be there. Keep a special eye open for Schooled: The Musical on April 14!
FEATURED
On “There There,” A Novel That Is Reaching Hard To Reach Kids
“In the three years since Orange’s novel became a mainstay of the Millennium Art curriculum, pass rates for students taking the Advanced Placement literature exam have more than doubled. Last year, 21 out of 26 students earned college credit, surpassing state and global averages. The majority of them, said Ouimet, wrote about “There There.””
Harvard Hosts University Neutrality Discussion: How Far Should It Go?
“Ginsburg said that the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a non-profit, reports that more professors on the left and right have been “fired in the last few years than in the entire McCarthy period,” often in response to student demands: “This professor took this position, we can’t have this person here.” The complaints typically involve academic behavior that “would have seemed normal” a generation ago. But he agreed that “the current level of pressure from the state is something we have not seen, I think, since McCarthy.””
CURRICULUM
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
“Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack”
“Since January 2021, 44 states have introduced bills or taken other steps that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, according to an Education Week analysis. Eighteen states have imposed these bans and restrictions either through legislation or other avenues.”
Greg Walton On Small Moves That Make A Big Difference For Belonging
Laws Are Passing Restricting Teaching “Divisive Concepts”
Recommendations For Navigating Names That Are Difficult To Pronounce
Timeline Of Key Moments In The History Of Race And Education
“The Existential Politics Of Dr. Seuss”
“While I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew is a story about existential struggle in general, four of Dr. Seuss’s books have dealt with familiar and quite specific social issues: Illegitimate hierarchy, racism, ecology, and the arms race. In each, however, Dr. Seuss pushes beyond conventional liberal cliché to offer a more radical version of both the problems and the likelihood of their eventual solution.”
HEALTH
HIGHER ED
HUMANITIES
LEADERSHIP
“Be A Manager, Not A Mouthpiece”
Four School Structures That Shape Student Learning
“We define instructional design as the structures, processes, and routines that create the conditions for teaching and learning. The specific elements of instructional design include: Class scheduling, Teacher assignments, Student groupings, Course offerings”
Bezos On Trying To Be Right, On Failure, And On Writing
PEDAGOGY
READING/WRITING
STEM
TECH
In Praise Of The Do Not Disturb Setting On Phones
“Email Etiquette — 12 Rules To Follow For Professional Emails”
“Email Rule #9: Sometimes, 4,000 Emails Can Be a Phone Call”
WORKPLACE
Is Classroom Setup The Dominant Factor In How Teachers Teach?
Microschools Are Booming In Tennessee
What Drives Feelings Of Belonging Among Employees?
GENERAL
On Jonathan Haidt, And Why He Writes About What He Writes About
“For “The Anxious Generation,” the book that will be out this coming week, Mr. Haidt says he believes that he has taken a reprieve from the culture wars. Mr. Haidt has seized on a purpose — save the children — and an intervention — lock up their smartphones — that seem not just righteous, but popular.”
Here’s What You Need To Know About The Eclipse
Pursue Your Dreams
A.I. Update
A.I. UPDATE
Education use cases continue to climb, the industry continues to evolve
“Prompt Library” (GPT-4) Tectonic shifts continue in the AI world, as Microsoft acquires the key leadership team of Inflection AI. This bodes well for Microsoft’s AI division, and bodes ill for the future of Pi.ai, which is one of my favorite destinations for developing ideas. Most of all, this suggests that we are still in the very early phases of the AI landscape. Companies are searching for sustainable business models, and even extraordinarily well funded companies are having trouble entering the market. It’s increasingly clear that the big data models will belong only to massive companies, and the smaller companies will have to innovate around the margins.
In AI and education, schools are still early in the exploration phase. See this week’s features for ideas around policies (or positions) and ways in which AI may be able to reduce teacher workload. Also note in the education section that LA’s large public school district is experimenting with a chatbot for students and parents.
These and more, enjoy!
Peter
TECH/AI: FEATURED
AI: Consider A Position More Than A Policy
“It’s safe to say that AI is exactly the kind of “emergent novel reality” that brings new structural uncertainties to our schools and beyond, structural uncertainties that no oracle or expert system could predict with complete accuracy. That’s why the topic demands a systems-thinking approach (like the 5 P’s framework), or a new mental model that stretches us to perceive more than what forecasting and policy-making can afford us.”
“AI and Teacher Workload: Can AI Actually Save Educators Time?”
“Using the Eisenhower Matrix as a framework, I’m going to explore a few ways that generative artificial intelligence can be used to support teacher and school leader workloads beyond generic lesson planning and resource creation.”
TECH/AI: EDUCATION
LA School District Creates Chatbot For Students And Parents
AI For Education Is Leading A Free Summit - April 27 - See Agenda Here
“This one-day virtual event offers educators and school leaders a unique opportunity to progress from the practical to the possible. Kick off the day by building your AI skills and learning from leading experts before moving on to an afternoon of hands-on experimentation with the latest AI tools. Your experience then culminates with a collaborative exploration into the future of education designed to spark your innovative thinking and start dreaming big.”
3 Ways AI Can Save Administrators Time
“8 Ways To Create AI-Proof Writing Prompts”
Teacher Feedback Via AI Is On The Rise