Effective Educator Recipe Must have Equal Parts “Anything” with Equal Parts Support
It was a common misconception in education to think that as long as we had smart boards in the classroom, learning would be fun. It was just as incorrect to think that once every student had a computer, the learning would be more efficient. Major ingredients to that recipe are missing. It’s like paella without saffron, it just won’t work.
The best example in comparison, and perhaps a root of this issue, would be when calculators were first accepted for use in Math classes. The calculators needed to be basic, and I remember having to know the difference between a basic calculator and a scientific calculator — right when “TI-81” came out. We all learned to use a calculator by pressing buttons, yet the TI-81 in the 1990’s had a graphing component that made use by pressing buttons not so possible unless you knew which buttons to press.
Both were effective, both enhanced or pushed the boundaries of, and even scaffolded learning in Math class, however the “Texas Instruments” version couldn’t be just given out and demanded proper use like the old basic calculator. Teachers found that they themselves also needed to learn to use it first, before they could have students use it effectively.
We were spoiled by the simplicity of new technology because of how basic it use to be. Today, every one of my teachers has a 70 inch promethean board (some even have 2!) at the front of their room, and knows how to use it. We paid almost the same in professional development and training, than we did for the technology itself — as you simply can’t have one without the other.
Gone are the days of flooding teachers with technology and thinking the job is done. Teachers are lifelong learners as well, and that’s because the delivery of instruction is always changing — not so much the information itself.
If you have a brilliant history major from Yale, and the resume has 4.0 and multiple degrees in multiple areas of competency, that teacher is demonstrating that they know their content — which is great. As a supervisor I may be thinking to myself in the interview of the candidate about the potentials of putting this teacher with all of this knowledge, into a “smart classroom” with all of the capabilities to deliver that information to students in a multitude of ways.
However, a few months after hiring them we find that the teacher may have such a limited ability to incorporate technology that we immediately associate them as antiquated. What good is all of that information, if you can’t figure out how to do it with technology? Perhaps to be a historian, one may forget the amount of learning involved, reading necessary, and positions taken on said content in order to successfully complete the degrees on that resume we were initially impressed with. Technology use was not intrical in that equation, and therefore it doesn’t mean the teacher can’t — but it does mean that the teacher never has. So train them.
If you are an administrator and know that your staff has the technology needed to teach math at “Google High School”, but can’t figure out why learning hasn’t improved, I have your answer. You are not supporting them properly. You’re the teacher who just gave out 25 TI-81 calculators for the first time to students and mandated that in the next 2 minutes, they graph 3 functions correctly.
I’m the kid in class who will hate that calculator every time I get it in my hands after that. Perhaps that’s what happened to me in my relationship with Math?
So what your staff has new laptops, or smart boards, or students all have chromebooks. No google app for education will impact learning anymore than a chapter book — if teachers are given the technology and don’t fully understand how to use it.
If you’re asking how can you support it, I have some solutions as well.
- Go to the vendor and request training.
Some companies are competing with so many others that it’s included in the package for purchase. Some companies are more than willing to figure out how to help, because it’s additional to the purchase plan. Some are looking to branch out in that department and want to help for free, so they can begin to develop a reputation in that area.
Vendors who say they can’t help, should be eliminated from your purchasing list. They just made their money, and that’s not the kind of business relationships that you want in education.
2. Find trainers who specialize in that field.
Perhaps you may find that google certified teacher trainers are more than happy to zoom in and virtually host PD for you and your staff so they can learn from experts. It may be different for the staff and therefore healthy to hear from someone new. It may create a network. It may foster engagement in some that lead to further certifications and now your own staff are training others. That’s great because they should give you a better price when training your own staff!
3. Find others in schools around you to collaborate with.
For a number of reasons, this is a great idea. First, you’re networking with other schools, which is always great in so many ways other than your original intent. Second, access isn’t seen as limited, since a close proximity of locations should entice more frequent communication and collaboration. Third, an association of common grounds will for sure foster a greater plan down the road. Perhaps you will have to give back to that other school based on one of your strengths. Perhaps you and some administrators from the other site can work together somehow. Perhaps student groups can share, compete, or work together to obtain a common goal.
Your teachers can only be as effective, as you enable them the grounds to be. Since the world around us has constant technological additions to our lives that require unpackaging on a level which takes time and training, we can’t assume that just because it’s visible in the classroom — that it’s working or even being used correctly.
Here’s some additional tips to consider the next time you want to add to the technology pile in your school:
- Why are we buying this? What need does this technology satisfy?
- How am I going to support the learning and comfort of use of the new technology for both teachers and students?
- What is a realistic timeline to go by, when rolling out new technology? Months? Semesters?
- How will I communicate with the staff the expectations of following the timeline?
- Is this the best solution to our current need?
Let’s call it old school “bullet proofing” so it’s a solid plan, thought out with realistic expectations, and one that revolves around student needs and considers the learning curve.
Therefore, if you’re thinking that providing the most updated technologies available in your classroom — do not expect positive results unless you are supporting the learning cycle that accompanies the purchase.
