An
Insider's
mock-up version of 20
An
…but it doesn’t start that way. We are full of wonder, creativity and optimism; fearless in our exploration. We have not been taught that “we can’t,” yet.
We learn to play, we play to learn as we develop an
understanding of our worlds. Quite simply, learning is fun.
The intrigue fades as compliance and regurgitation take value over
Contribut
creativity and process. Learning and play become mutually exclusive.
The solution to the problem is predefined, it’s A, B, C, or D. Too much collaboration is viewed as disruptive or even worse, cheating.
By high school you’re either good at “doing school,” you exist, or you suck, which pretty much seals your fate. It’s a system of compliance built for an era we have left behind. As we
have raced towards conformity we have lost touch with the essence of
learning. It is no longer fun. It is no longer creative. It is no longer learning. For too many kids this is how they summarize their educational experience, as they have little or no ownership in the process. It has become a
system of shifting blame, which needs to change. SCHOOL SUCKS !
...so change it is a project built on 45 years of collective, progressive
teaching experience. We firmly believe that students need to and can take
ownership of their education as they engage with adults to take back the educational experience. Continuing to do what we have always done is no longer acceptable…
Enough! We have been talking about school reform for decades. As experts study the issues, politicians politicize them, and frustration continues to build, our classrooms have become more and more polarized. “SCHOOL SUCKS ! ...so change it”
is designed to disrupt education
from the inside out by refocusing on students. Built on the voices so
often ignored, the movement begins by working closely with students to
Contributors
co-design the Insider’s Notebook . Student centered and student voiced the Notebook arms students and teachers with the tools necessary
to build alliances and recruit others into the movement. The key to the
process is creating shared ownership by no longer talking at students
but rather with students. By empowering student voice we create a new platform unlike any other in educational reform.
The Notebook targets the conversation at the students creating a chain reaction reaching outward to administrators, parents, community members, credentialing programs and policy makers. Our team of educators and
students will serve as both the catalysts and facilitators in the process.
Our request is simple. Help empower* us to do what we have been training all of our professional lives to do, to show students how to take
ownership of their education. Few people will argue with that outcome.
* Ready to help us disrupt education? Are you a publisher, funder, education activist or have connections? Then please see the outline of our plan tucked away in this mock-up.
The destruction of the book symbolizes a shift -C o ndestroying t r i b u t oar s seemingly traditionally respected system. A student standing before a teacher, ripping a book in half, passing a portion and taking a chance. The Notebook consists of two distinct guides; one student, one adult, bound together as a unifying plan. Featuring a “tear and share the
conversation” format where students tear off the adult portion of the
Notebook to share with a mentor. “The Tear” symbolizes the bond and trust a student has for an adult as they collaboratively prepare for this educational revolution.
We are not naive in thinking that students alone will be able to accomplish what so many adults have been struggling to do with generally top
down approaches. This format allows us to address both sides of the
conversation. Adults tend to gravitate to what the kids are reading as they are afraid of being left out. From the title of the project to the marketing we are acutely aware that we need teachers, parents and community
members to grab the Insiders Notebook . The “tear” is our unique way of
bringing both sides into the conversation. Possessing half a Notebook becomes a sign of being in on the conversation.
Contributors
“Schools kill creativity,” “U.S. education is failing…,” “Our schools will not improve until….” The experts continue to voice their findings, and yet, too many voices are still missing from this conversation. Hey kid, we can’t hear you because we aren’t listening. Politicians, professors, business leaders, community
members, researchers, testing companies and sometimes
even teachers and families all have a say in how schools need to evolve. The truth is when education reform is discussed we are missing critical voices. What do the
students need from school? What do the students want out of their
education? How do they learn best? Do we ever ask them? Well, sometimes we do, then we turn and continue the conversation with the adults. As we continue to process the progressive messages of Sir Ken
Robinson, Tony Wagner, Diane Ravitch, and others with a mixture of acceptance, resistance, and denial, we can’t help but feel somewhat
paralyzed. We have known in our hearts that the calls for change are valid but there have always been too many “obstacles.” Teach like you
were taught, the teacher leads as the students follow and no one gets in
trouble. What if that’s not the formula for the future? Imagine if the roles
shifted and students co-created change. How might school be different if we worked WITH students to design learning experiences? We will amplify the voices that will lead us in the future.
now who is listening?
By students for students...
Washington DC Directed. Digitally Connected. Hooked on Digital Crack. Welcome to the DC Generation. Waiting for them to disconnect is not an option. In 2001, Washington DC dictated the standardization
of education with the implementation of No Child Left Behind. Fifteen years later we are seeing the graduating classes of what we refer to as the
“DC Generation.” Students are being formed by DC regulations that were
created long before we ever imagined that they would be so Digitally
Connected. With technology’s trajectory, we have to ask ourselves are we developing engaged, creative problem solvers ready for careers that do not
yet exist? We are at a point where we have to admit we are still chasing the wrong targets.
We require students to keep their phones turned off and to put away
the silly apps. Are we missing an opportunity to take advantage of the technology in students’ hands? It really depends on your perspective.
Youtube can be a big waste of time or a megaphone for students to
broadcast their unique understandings. Cell phones can document the process of learning or send snapchats of your daily awkwardness. As is true with all tools, each will happen. The question is what do we do when they make those unfortunate decisions? Ban it, of course. There are better alternatives. Imagine if apps are
required, students create content not just consume it, social media becomes an educational platform and students learn self-regulation.
They are just chairs. Move them. It doesn’t cost any money, it takes just a few minutes, but it changes everything. The Notebook will be divided into ten chapters, each building on the
previous. Structured around student voice and backed by data, each chapter focuses on one objective for change. The objectives originate from needs based on our experience, research on effective learning environments and
then refined by student input as co-designers. These objectives must pass
the “doable by most” test, meaning that with little resources these changes
can be made in a finite amount of time. Let’s start with an example.
Move the chairs and tables from rows to a square - This simple act can create a more equitable learning space. Students feel more a PART of
the class, not just a recipient of information. By shifting the pieces of a
room there is a shift in power and focus from the adult to all individuals
in the room. To help students become independent learners AND successful collaborators, they need to look at each other, talk to each other, work
Contributo
with each other. They do not need to face forward and stare at an adult. Ask a student if we should change things up... “For sure, we get bored.”
Man school sucks...
I wish someone even gave a ... Right! Nobody cares what we think.
Yeah, they don’t even ask
Want to do Something about it?
Like you would know what to do!
Hey give me some credit I got ideas
Even if you DID have ideas nobody would listen
Insider's
An
Ask a student what a perfect school looks like. Afraid of what they’ll say? Don’t be! Go ahead, ask! They want many of the things that adults want. There is a problem...it is scary. Trust is what everyone wants, Some chaos, mixed with a little trust as we
move toward controlled creative chaos. Memorable learning moments come from experiences. How can schools create these experiences more often? Learning
WITH the students moves the teacher from the center of learning while helping students become independent and self-sufficient learners. Students do know what they need, they also know what they want. And, as experience has
shown us, if we ask them for ideas, they often are more creative because
they are not constrained by the experience and history of education that adults hold on to. Ask students for input. We do and it yields unexpected learning opportunities we couldn’t fathom on our own.
“
I adore the idea of students being allowed
to be self directed because no company wants
to hire people that have to be spoon fed every bit of information. Companies want self-directed
people who know how something might work or looks at something in ten different ways instead
of one. I like the idea of being judged by my peers instead of just one teacher, because that’s what happens in the real world. I want a school that mirrors the real world and encourages to make
,,
us think out of the box or try a new idea that may or may not work out. -Austin, Age 14
Being bored sucks. Students are bored. Teachers are bored too. Inspiring each to be uninspired, is a classroom’s demise. Going through the motions together is not inspirational. Learning used to be so much fun. Exploring, creating, laughing were all part of the primary grade experience. Then maturity happens. All of a sudden
you are sitting in rows. What happened to the fun? It’s ironic that with
maturity comes less freedom in school. “Don’t worry kid we are getting you
ready for adulthood.” Then adulthood happens, all the structure is released, and we complain that you are not a competent adult.
Being bored is a symptom of a bigger problem. The problem is related
to expectations. The student doesn’t feel connected to the topic - they don’t see the inherent worth in knowing or understanding the topic.
Intellectual curiosity, while at one point, was natural, has been reigned in and manipulated by outside forces. The task for the teacher and student is to re-engage with curiosity. What are the greater implications of understanding this topic? What is at the heart of this issue? Teenagers are inherently
focused on peer interaction and response. History is an analysis of human behavior, music is math, youtube is a physics playground, spoken word is poetry, social media is a political science experiment and cell phones are a broadcast platform for sharing evolving understandings. Still bored?
Look around you...the world is not limited to 8-1/2 by 11. It’s an artificial constraint. Imagine if it was banned from the classroom for just a day or two or more. You have choices. You can learn about
physics through reading a description in a textbook then respond to a series
of questions. Or you can get out of the
classroom and experience physics on the playground.
Your exam can be created on pages of printer paper based on a multiple choice format. Or you can create a live action
demo, choreograph a dance routine, produce a music video or write a Dr. Seuss inspired children’s book about Newton’s three laws.
For too long the teacher’s role has been defined as the
point source of information. Distribute, assess, repeat. Google Newton’s three laws. In .32 seconds you are presented with
close to half a million sources of information. Why do we need teachers then? It has to be about building experiences that will continue well beyond a test. Fostering creativity is a full time
position. Experiences that are limited to 8-1/2” by 11 are temporary at best, creative explanations on the other hand...
Collaboration cannot be taught from the front of the classroom. It is a messy learning experience that is pushed off until later. Later never comes for too many. Learning to collaborate is a pain for everyone involved.
Students complain, parents have questions, it’s difficult to manage and
administrators are concerned about the noise levels. Teachers instinctively retreat. However, there are reasons that innovative companies go to
great lengths to create collaborative environments. Collaboration leads to new understandings and innovative solutions. Passively waiting for an
explanation is generally not a highly sought after skill. We are no longer sending graduates to assembly lines to man a station that requires
repetitive solitary work. Learning to collaborate is now a non-negotiable. A highly collaborative classroom needs to be the new norm. Asking one
teacher to differentiate for every student in real time is a fool’s errand. A better use of time is to build an engaging and efficient classroom
culture with a new focus on students sharing their evolving expertise with each other. Sure it takes time, but ownership is distributed and
the return on investment is maximized as the flow of learning continues, uninterrupted. They all got the same answer. Are they all learning or
are they cheating? It doesn’t really matter if the emphasis is placed on
process of learning and less on the final answer. Look to your left or to your right, there is someone to assist you. We don’t have time to queue at the teacher’s desk.
Toddlers hack their worlds naturally. They pull it apart and reconfigure not understanding the rules. It is also the foundation of innovation. Hack is no longer a four letter word. Deconstruction, construction, and finding unexpected outcomes that are neither right or wrong should be part of the school day. Imagine if we no longer focused exclusively on
answers but rather developing new questions. Open ended and dynamic
thinking pushes for subject matter not to be taught in isolation, just as art should not happen in a room somewhere down the hall. The current system of steering all students to the same answers while constrained by subject silos needs to evolve. Do anything to avoid mountains of
worksheets. Write a poem about math. Construct models of cells using trash. Let kids propose their own outcomes.
example
Hacking is easier than you think. You don’t need to throw out the
curriculum! Let’s say you are teaching math or maybe social studies. How do we make it “stick”?
Take the Ramones’ song Blitzkrieg Bop.
Don’t laugh. Believe us it will be better than
a worksheet. And we start...
Hey ho, let’s go Hey ho, let’s go They’re forming in a straight line They’re going through a tight wind The kids are losing their minds The Blitzkrieg Bop The year was 1976 and punk was peaking. The term
Blitzkrieg beckons back to WWII but is also about the
craziness of growing up. In concert the song was played
at 177 beats per minute at first increasing 200 beats per minute for their final show. There are a lot subjects to
work with here. How do you rework (hack) the lyrics to include ideas from the content? You decide! Scratch out
some hacked lyrics. We left you some room to the left of
this page. Seriously try it. Got something? Use the table to tap out the beat, sing, learn, record and post it. Had some fun, right? Ready to let the students try?
Learn together. If we wait until we understand everything we will be paralyzed and do nothing or even worse the exact same thing over and over. Student or teacher, the line is becoming blurred. The teacher’s edition is now open source. Learning used to be simple. You went to school because your
teachers had what you needed, knowledge. Sure there were other
sources of information. Maybe you were luckier than most and had a
set of encyclopedias at home. Of course there was the library, but that
took extra effort. Then everything changed. Within a generation we have decentralized almost every aspect of our lives including education. With
these shifts in the power structures we no longer have to play by the
same rules nor should we. Of course the classroom is not insulated. Why
even go to school when we carry a smart device that provides us with a summary of all knowledge? Educators cannot ignore this reality.
Learning with the students requires a new mindset and classroom
structure. As ownership is distributed and content streams from so many new sources the teacher takes on new roles. Shared responsibility is the key. It is immediately obvious when you enter these classrooms. There is
energy. Where’s the teacher? It’s not so obvious. Find them sitting with the
students having discussions, observing, or pulling a small group of students to the side for focused conversations. These new environments require
transparency and in turn lots of teacher courage. Students can no longer be passive participants when they now have joint ownership.
Kids are terrified of failure. So are we. Failure should be taught. We are making a mistake by not embracing it. Failure is a part of life. Failure hurts. Failure isn’t easy to overcome.
Failure is not the end but rather the most important part of
succeeding. Conceptually, we all nod when we hear that, but when we
see it, we feel uncomfortable and rush in make it stop. Parents are afraid to allow their children to fail or experience disappointment. Too often we
use that moment of failure as a final mark of performance. Teachers do
it, kids do it, parents do it, employers do it. Failure has been labeled as a mark of defeat, when it should be seen an opportunity. An opportunity for growth, a mid point in the process. The struggle that comes from
the uphill climb out of that dark bottom is where the powerful learning happens.
For much of its existence our educational system has been based on picking the right answer. Typically it was regurgitation of facts.
This made sense on the factory lines as it was either “on right” or it wasn’t. We don’t live in that world anymore. We need a new mindset. Maybe if every student gets the “right” answer we have asked the
wrong question. We must de-emphasize the final answer and
emphasize the process. The process is by nature full of failure. By making this shift we teach how to embrace, reflect,
and adjust to the failures that are the most important part of the learning process.
“
Creators redefine failure. Failure is not
final. It carries no judgement and yields no
conclusions. The word comes from the Latin fallere, to deceive. Failure is deceit. It aims to defeat us. We must not be fooled. Failure
is a lesson, not loss; it is gain, not shame.
,,
A journey of a thousand miles ends with a single step. Is every other step a failure? --Kevin Ashton
How to Fly A Horse
Think about this...When was a time that you really learned something in school? We bet it was fun. We have learned that it’s OK to have fun with our students. We once
had a director tell us that he thought that fun and learning were mutually exclusive. That is BS. For us it was a deal breaker and we left. At the heart of SCHOOL SUCKS ! ...so change it
is this deep need to
reconnect to what makes learning enjoyable. Too often we get so pulled into the vortex of policy, standards, facilities, funding, going on and on
about all the reasons why “we can’t” that we lose sight that it is about
the human spirit. We are teaching kids to hate learning. When they had no other options that was sustainable. That is no longer the case as new
options appear daily. School as we have known it needs to change...quickly. Another thing that we have learned is that you cannot dictate the creation of a positive learning environment especially from the top down. Building such a culture is a messy and time consuming process that needs to
begin with the students. “On to the content we don’t have time for all of
that. Right?” This is where we push back the hardest. Learning has to
be inspirational. Learning has to cultivate creativity. Learning has to be fun. Throughout our journey as progressive educators we have learned this
lesson over and over again. Throughout the creation of SCHOOL SUCKS !
...so change it we will model the same ideals that we are presenting here.
What have we been waiting for? How long are we willing to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results? A part of the solution has been there all this time, it’s our perspective that needs to change. Contributors You are holding one of twenty mock-ups of our project. We trust you with our vision. We expect our words have struck a nerve or two...that was our intent. How will a teacher feel? How about the
students? Another school year is underway as a group of graduates are waiting to exit the system. Time is ticking. Give us a year to
get into the classrooms to co-create the Notebook . Our request
is that simple.
Give our team a one year sabbatical to get into classrooms across the country as we co-construct the Notebook, spark for an education revolution amongst adults AND students. During this period of time the team will document and broadcast our evolving understandings as we build momentum for the project. In addition to classroom data collection we will utilize digital platforms to crowdsource information. We have secured domains and social media usernames for both of these purposes. A critical component of the Notebook and our digital media will be establishing a look and feel that is unique. As we get into the classrooms we will meet students who are a natural fit to become the broadcasted student voice, as well as be featured in the Notebook. Just as in the mock-up, student artwork will be featured throughout. Knowing students, we have to create equal parts information, encouragement, mystery and randomness. It needs to be an adventure. The doodled student characters in the mock-up will expand and evolve to mirror the student voices being captured in the classrooms and digitally broadcasted. Because the Notebook consists of two distinct guides; one student, one adult, bound together as a unifying plan the teacher/mentor portion of the Notebook will mirror topics of the students’ section. The difference is that it has to be more direct and backed with concrete data and plans. We know teachers will inevitably review the student section out of curiosity so their portion has to be created in a way to support what the student section presents. Remember the teacher’s edition is now open source. This will be true with the Notebook as some students will be curious about the teacher/mentor section and will naturally use this information in expected and maybe unexpected ways. Based on our research we feel that progressive educational leaders, including credentialing programs will gravitate to the Notebook as a tool to better understand both the student and teacher perspectives. We are assuming that their copies will be read front to back and not torn apart...at least not initially. Plan “A” we will team up with an entity that is aligned with our mission and has the resources to launch our project. Plan “B” we rely on crowdfunding pathways to build momentum. It is not a matter of “if” but rather “when” we will bring student voice to the forefront of educational reform by getting the Notebook into our classrooms. We want you to be part of Plan “A”. Let’s continue the conversation...soon. Email us at info@sochangeit.com
As we were finalizing this mock-up America was sitting at a pivotal crossroad. Go forward, move backward or be stagnant. The American people have voiced their opinion. What next? What do we say to our students? From cabinet choices to common core education has become a polarized political wedge. Our students should feel secure and confident, lead by adults modeling the qualities needed for this new “flattened world”. Instead what they getting is “us” vs “them”. We would hope that they have the tools to sort it all out but if so then how is it that only 20% of our recently graduated voted when there was so much at play? Have our demands for compliance breed complacency? Students need something more from us. They need us to teach them “how to think” and “how to do” or we are destined to repeat our mistakes. The four year clock has begun ticking. Our freshman students will be eligible to vote in the next presidential election and they too will be at a crossroad. How long will we cling to the notions we should have left behind decades ago? We need a new type of student prepared by a new type of classroom. We have a plan.
Seriously we really have to talk soon, Call Acker at 619.847.4266
(so sorry we forgot our manners we should introduce ourselves) Acker !
• Joseph D Acker III • acker@sochangeit.com
C o n t r i b BS u t Engineering o r s • M.ST Teacher Leadership 21 yrs middle-college teaching experience
Math, science, robotics, engineering, comp sci
Inter-Nat award winning engineering & robotics teams/programs Presenter-PBL, STEAM, blended, maker mov, engr
Jaclyn :)
• Jaclyn Vasko • jaclyn@sochangeit.com
BA Liberal Studies • M.Ed Education
5 years primary teaching experience Multiple Subject TK-2nd grade
Founding staff member of two nationally recognized
campuses. • Presenter-PBL, assessment, classroom branding, personalized learning
Kali
• Kali Frederick • kali@sochangeit.com
BA International Relations • M.Ed Education M.ST Teacher Leadership
13 yrs middle-high school teaching experience
Humanities, Model United Nations, History
heybison
• Scott Hebeisen • scott@sochangeit.com
BFA Graphic Design
6 yrs-high school teaching experience PBL Focused
Contributors Arany R.
Maiven
I think school should
School is boring
have less homework.
make it your way.
Nalani Ivianna M. I think school should be
a fun place to be. A place
School should be
creative!
where we look forward to be.
Neva D. School should be
fun for students.
Brandon M. School should
let me build what my brain desires.
Erika Z. School should listen to their students and not assume that all of their decisions are correct.
Fernanda School should concentrate on the younger generation’s talent, passion, and growth on an awesome level.