The following activities were to help learn a designed way of thinking to solve a problem by first examining possibilities of redefining it. They are based on d.School's Bootcamp Bootleg document which gives several techniques for helping work to define ideas and plans.
My problem again was to find a more effect way of teaching writing skills, and for giving useful feedback on written assignments.
Part 1: Using designed thinking skills to explore redefining the problem.
My problem again was to find a more effect way of teaching writing skills, and for giving useful feedback on written assignments.
Part 1: Using designed thinking skills to explore redefining the problem.
- A. 5 Whys? A Root-Cause Analysis.
- Q1. Why is traditional feedback unsuccessful/not valuable for students?
- A. Because they take teachers a very long time, and much effort to complete. It is not a simple task and often classroom objectives move on before feedback is returned. Time restraints often do not allow for "re-writes" and thus, students feel a disconnect from their paper other than the grade.
- Q2. Why do they take teachers such a long time?
- A. Because they are supposed to showcase a student's complex thought process and are supposed to be showcase a student's learning as a polished final product over time. This usually means longer length and many objectives to grade for each piece. Also, the number of students in the classroom keeps increasing- my averages are 150 students, roughly, in a day. Even if I spent a mere 5 minutes on each paper- that is 750 min, or 12.5 hours. Even if I spent my entire prep hour each day- it would take me 13 days ( 2 school weeks). This also does not account for any actual time to prepare lessons for teaching! They are also time consuming to grade because they are often very subjective- there is immense pressure on and time spent by the teacher to "look for mistakes" for the feedback to the student.
- Q3. What alternatives have already been tried to solve this dilemma and what were the results ?
- A. Essays grades are somewhat subjectively scored by nature. Grammar mistakes and misspellings, for example, are weighted differently for different English teachers. Other teachers give points for simple completion (think rough drafts). Each teacher grades writing in a unique way.
- Some have tried comprehensive rubrics to cut down these decisions for the teacher and save time. I have found this does help save some time (for example- circling points on a rubric versus marking up each paper)- but it really doesn't add any connection for the student.
- Some have gone to a digital turn in (G. Docs, etc.), while the turn in is definitely easier to access papers- it doesn't save any time for feedback as the programs for grading take as much or more time to use versus just writing on a hard copy. So far, the technology has only digitized the same sort of grading process.
- I had tried a "sit down approach" to writing. Each student got a date and time slot where they needed to workshop with me on the piece. They were supposed to prepare questions ahead, etc. While these one-on-one conversations helped the revision processes, it didn't really change that final grading process. But, it was at least getting the kids more involved in their own feedback/process.
- A. Essays grades are somewhat subjectively scored by nature. Grammar mistakes and misspellings, for example, are weighted differently for different English teachers. Other teachers give points for simple completion (think rough drafts). Each teacher grades writing in a unique way.
- Q4. What would I change most about the feedback process?
- A. The fact that it seems most of the burden is on the teacher to "grade" or "correct" a paper rather than a student taking an interest in his/her own learning process.
- Q5. What would you need in order to make this change?
- TO figure out how to "reinvent" or rethink the process. I want to think more about how I can GUIDE students in their own thought processes of writing, rather than be a judge of it or a simple editor.
- TO figure out how to "reinvent" or rethink the process. I want to think more about how I can GUIDE students in their own thought processes of writing, rather than be a judge of it or a simple editor.
- Q1. Why is traditional feedback unsuccessful/not valuable for students?
- B. The Why-How ladder.
- C. Point of View Analogy
- If you want modern students to engage and perfect their communication, it needs to be Snapchatesque: with interactive and fun layers that are quickly refreshed, updated and available.
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- Part 2 of the Define Mode
In this class, students were asked to identify a problem of practice that could be worked on using design thinking skills.
All were guided to choose a problem that was large in scale and one that didn't have a concrete solution.
For me, this was easy. Years had gone by in my teaching where I had worked with numerous classes on core writing skills. Yet, each time I went to grade student writing , I found myself grappling for more time and wishing I had a better solution for giving feedback without all the tedious work. Furthermore, I felt that my students learned no more from my strenuous feedback on papers and I only gained extra frustration when they threw every minute of my feedback in the trash can.
I found myself pondering time and time again...there has to be a better way !
Herein lied my problem to work on: how can teachers grade writing skills in an efficient way that also engages the student?
After engaging in a few extra thinking assignments I now believe that this problem has a deeper main root that I had originally NOT anticipated. While I originally was wanting to explore new ways to give feedback on essays,etc. I now realize that traditional essays are more than likely part of the problem. This type of writing is not authentic for students, does not engage them, and is not really preparing them for real world applications. Frankly, as outlines in my map above...it's pretty streamlined and the world we live in is just not that way anymore.
The industries that will exist for modern students do not require this long form "essay"writing technique (outside of academia). Instead, they will revolve around a different more social skill set. They will mostly focus more on innovation and skills in thinking than with writing.
Most English essay assignments or grading do NOT emulate this. The root problem is that we have a major mismatch in the world in which educators create assignments and the world in which kids feel they need to prepare for. This causes a lack in motivation and stifles creativity. Kids feel like their work is just to get a grade, and a means to an end. It also is draining on most modern teachers as they toil through paper after paper. With this in mind, I needed to address this as well in my problem in order to work on a realistic solution:
So the revised problem really should be this:
What writing skills are needed for modern students, and how can teachers grade these skills in an efficient way that also engages the student?
I now see my project looking deeper into what a modern student really needs. I see myself looking for new ideas on how to make assignments to fit these, rather than trying to come up with ways to streamline essay grading. For example exploring these ideas: Maybe NO essays at all!? How could we do this? Does video count as writing? How can I use social media to teach communication/writing skills?