Inevitable

inevitable Mass Customized Learning Learning in the Age of Empowerment by Charles Schwahn & Beatrice McGarvey 


 * MS TEAM Book Study Facilitation Notes and New Learning **

Mass Customization KWL: (from Target ads, searches, ads, age of your kids - tracking your every move) Makes you feel important - focused on you, you your own expert Convenience - banking, shopping Don't have to talk to people Sometimes we think we could be anonymous - it would be ok to not have some of that Influential Some people really take hold of it, some don't Technology is helping to customize At your fingertips (iPads have helped with this) A little CREEPY - "Big Brother" NEWS It's not right to pigeon hole and not expose people to other "things" TV - Cable - Satellite || How will it work in a system that isn't set up for it? Standards and grading - how to mass customize to 118 children and there's one me? (algorithmic system used in most cases - how does this work with education? How do you put a system in place without the major data entry and analysis? (front-loading issues) Tech competency - willingness to take risks How does this relate to outcome based education? What happens to our role with culture - common experiences, etc? Is it going to become everyone for themselves? Loss of team concept - (we need to prepare them for different kinds of teams - independent collaborative work). ||  ||
 * Know || Want to know || Learned ||
 * Everything is being more customized

Feelings about Educational Reform: It needs to happen. Need to demonstrate growth. Change terrifies me though. Taking something I know and radical change is scary.

I support the changes, but those pushing the changes through need to know what is actually happening. It's not all industrialized. There are teachers working hard to differentiate and make learning more customized. We get talked to like we aren't changing. The system pigeon holes us all together like we're teaching them on an assembly line - we're not.

We don't have the power to do the reform. We are willing to buy in, but we are powerless.

We have a progressive bunch of people. Not all folks are as willing to change. You've gotta actually try. We make the assumption that everyone's like us, but they're not.

Focus on differentiation - now shifting to Common Core, trying to juggle it all again.

Standardization -

Comparing things to other countries - human rights, Constitution, etc.

Education reform can only happen with paired society reform. Is our society willing to support this? Are our communities willing to give up the structure?

All for it, but ???? Is it realistic? Management of progression of learning.......I'm for it, but how do we reach out to all of those kids. Motivation????

Highlights and talking points from the Introduction:
 * forces - demanding/resisting
 * no one believes?*
 * survival?**
 * already available? all levels?**
 * what does this look like - "workers" to professionals?**
 * cost**
 * meaningful, motivational**
 * preparing for the future, not our past**
 * level of engagement in our classrooms**
 * intrinsic motivation?**
 * technology = enabler**
 * stakeholders**
 * give those who KNOW that we can do better, and who want to be part of the journey,** a place to go
 * who's responsible for development of standards and progression of all of this
 * what is it going to look like - start/ending point
 * it's a lot of work!!!!!!

...these authors have conducted careful research and created a blueprint for a visionary new system... one of empowerment... of "differentiation" in curriculum for all students. We have long had policies and practices in place in the educational system which functioned as "gatekeepers" not "facilitators" of knowledge transfer.
 * Some comments shared in regards to this book: **

Whether or not you agree with the ideas presented, this book will make you think.

This book makes a great argument for why we need to change our educational system to meet our learner's needs and interests.

After reading the book, I now know the school I want for my children. If it is inevitable, why wait? Get this book, read it and prepare yourself to help be a leader in reforming your neighborhood school.

Chapter 1 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.
 * Assignment for next week: **



__ FACING REALITY __
 * Chapter 1 Intent:** To create dissatisfaction with today's schools that opens the reader to consider meaningful, impactful, transformational educational change.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's book //On Death and Dying// has be used by leadership and change theorists to describe stages of major change in individuals, groups, and society. (p. 3 & 4) What did you think of the quotes under Stages of the Change Process? (It's funny to me because I heard many of the same arguments we shared when setting the stage.) (taking some liberties with Ms. Kubler-Ross' work) || Stages of the Change Process || Where are you in this framework in regards to acceptance of the need for education to change and your willingness to embrace that change?
 * Stages of Death & Dying
 * Stage 1: DENIAL || Stage 1: DENIAL ||
 * Stage 2: ANGER || Stage 2: ANGER ||
 * Stage 3: BARGAINING || Stage 3: BARGAINING ||
 * Stage 4: DEPRESSION || Stage 4: DEPRESSION ||
 * Stage 5: ACCEPTANCE || Stage 5: ACCEPTANCE ||

__**Starting the DIALOGUE:**__ (check yourself if you're getting defensive) Harsh Reality #1: No one thinks that we are doing a good job in preparing our students for a successful future. Harsh Reality #2: We are Industrial Age organizations existing in an Information Age world. Harsh Reality #3: We are bureaucratic monopolies existing in a world of customization and service. Harsh Reality #4: We are an "industry" existing in a world that requires a profession.

The before & after:

- 1892 - "Committee of Ten"

- Bell Curve

- Assembly Line

- Time the Constant, Learning the Variable "The further learners get behind in a group-paced, time-driven system, the quicker and further they will continue to fall behind."

- Limited Learning Opportunities "fast runners"

- Simultaneously Teaching 25 Unique Learners "administrative convenience"

- Averaging Grades

- College Prep Curriculum

- Agrarian School Calendar

- Motivation and Professionalism, Then and Now student motivation and educator professionalism - cause & effect DIFFERENTIATION - readiness level, learning styles, interest MCL - makes it possible to consistently apply each of these three intrinsic motivators Intrinsic vs Extrinsic OUR BEST TEACHERS - structure not designed to encourage/support

Individualizing Instruction, a Brief Historical Perspective Professionals have known what needs to be done - stuck in a "group paced" paradigm (did not have the tools to escape) - WE DO NOW! TEST: If the innovation/change they are promoting retains the bureaucratic assembly line delivery of instruction, they are not talking about transforming education. They are talking about "tinkering" with an old outdated paradigm in hopes of "catching up". . . MCL is about "leapfrogging," not about catching up with those who are the most efficient at being obsolete.

How do you feel about the reality of public education at this time? Where are you in feeling empowered to take an active role? What are the "next steps" involved for us as educators?


 * "I dont' mean to come off negative. I like the idea of all of this. I just get frustrated with all the ROADBLOCKS."**

Assignment for next week:
 * Chapter 2 **
 * Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections. **

Chapter 2 Intent: **To show/convince educators that the technology required to customize learning for each learner is available NOW and has already proven itself to be effective and efficient.**
 * THE FUTURE IS NOW: TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES **


 * “Transformational technologies are disruptive. They have the power to make traditional tools and processes obsolete virtually overnight.” **
 * (i.e. digital photography) **


 * The OXYMORON **
 * Mass Customization **


 * The ANALOGY **
 * Mass Production : Industrial Age :: Mass Customization : Information Age **


 * The DEFINITION **
 * Mass customization...the capacity to routinely customize products and services to meet the specific needs and/or desires of individuals **without** adding significantly to the cost of the product or service.

Cross Industry Learners: ✔ How do they do that? ✔ How could we apply this method of mass customization to education, to our school, to our classrooms?

__The Larger Picture and Influence of Transformational Technology__: moved locus of power from the business to the customer; individuals and informal groups are feeling their power; the “Age of Empowerment”

CROSS INDUSTRY LEARNING

Things we go to as consumers - students don't go to school with the same attitude toward "knowledge." What about when their needs don't match up with their desire?


 * **Who** || **What & How** || **Application in education** ||
 * Apple, Inc. || Profit driven ||  ||
 * Amazon.com || Profit driven ||  ||
 * Verizon ||  ||   ||
 * Wells Fargo ||  ||   ||
 * Google/Bing ||  ||   ||
 * Facebook ||  ||   ||
 * Wikipedia ||  ||   ||
 * Yahoo Calendar ||  ||   ||
 * Walmart ||  ||   ||

Education, a Business, an Organization Industry ➢ Profession Need to move from a bureaucratic industry to an effective and efficient profession. Until we are able to meet learners at there personal need level in these three basic categories (learning needs, learning styles, interests), it will be difficult to think of our work as a profession.

Note 1: What would our school system actually look like if we were doing all of those things? How does all of this fit together? - Hang tight........

Note 2: OTB Thinkers (Outside of the Box) vs Tinkerers - Stay with us. Don’t despair. Trust us.

**Assignment for next week:** Chapter 3 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.

BUT FIRST. . . OUR PURPOSE

**Chapter 3 Intent:** To convince you that the purpose of education is to prepare students to live successful and meaningful lives. . . and that doing so also prepares students for more school should they choose. We also plan to show you how to create a compelling organizational purpose.

GRAFFITI WALL

POST-IT GRAFFITI COMMENTS: Teachers need to be more than just effective managers. . . need to be leaders who have clear vision & focus. We can prepare students for both their future lives & more school at the same time. Directions & control VS directions & purpose (p.37). Learners can be prepared for both life & more school at the same time. Should we have exit learner outcomes in the sphere of living? I like the visual on p. 44 (Arena/Spheres of Living). Strategic: Learner Centered; Future Focused; Based on Research; Regarding Students; & Learning. What infrastructure do we need for this to become a reality? We still have textbooks that are our curriculum, the assembly line is our delivery system, and passing tests is our purpose. Significant spheres of living: where we spend our time. Do school systems exist to get students ready for life or to get ready for more school? Do school systems exist to get students ready for life or more school? We should hire the authors.

__Other discussion points:__ Habit & Tradition? Logical & Illogical?

Habit:a settled or regular tendency or practice

Tradition:the transmission of customs from generation to generation

Illogical:lacking sense or clear, sound reasoning

Logical:of or according to the rules of logic, characterized by clear sound reasoning **Assignment for two weeks:** Chapter 4 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.

Through the Learner’s Eyes

**Chapter 4 Intent:** To bring sharp focus on the learner and learning experience when planning, designing, and creating learning communities. To identify today’s learners....who they are, how they are different, and what they bring with them. In short, to become learner centered and future focused in how we think, make decisions, and act. (Note the note here about FANTASY.)

Digital Natives - those born after 1990 Digital Immigrants - second language - “speak with a bit of an accent”

Suggested readings: //Grown Up Digital//, by Dan Tapscott (also authored //Growing Up Digital//) //Born Digital//, by John Palfrey & Urs Gasser

What do you think about the list of points they make about today’s DNs (today’s learners, today’s students) on p. 57 & 58?

Values & Expectations Freedom Customization Scrutiny Integrity Collaboration Entertainment Speed Innovate

REFLECTION - p. 59

FOCUS - the learner & learning (not technology, although it’s a critical tool)

Motivation, Maturity, & Supervision

CRITICAL MOTIVATORS - “Our take is that learning can and will remain intrinsically motivating if 3 conditions are continuously met:
 * 1) If learners are consistently met at their learning level.
 * 2) If learners are allowed to learn in their natural learning styles.
 * 3) If learners are allowed to learn while using a content of interest.”

Supervision is dependent on the learner - what they need/are ready for is what they get - ultimate goal - EMPOWERMENT - responsible, self-directed, lifelong learners

Another suggested reading: //The Element//, by Ken Robinson

.....in our element, in our zone, in the flow (think Michael Jordan, think Shawn Johnson, think Steve Jobs) when our passion intersects with our strongest talents.

PASSION

Why not be intentional about helping kids find their passion?

Story of 2 Brothers

Empowered people: PRODUCE BIG TIME

Empowerment: putting people in control of the variables that THEY perceive important to their success

Where there is passion & empowerment - there is meaning.

**Assignment for two weeks:** Chapter 5 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.



About Learning: The Baby and the Bathwater

**Chapter 5 Intent:** To challenge educators to apply our most basic research and knowledge about learning and learners and about effective organizations. Said another way, to challenge education and educators to move from an industry concerned with administrative convenience to a profession concerned with the personal needs of clients/learners.

“The Gambler” - Kenny Rogers - secret to survival - knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep

Attribute of professionalism - “acts on/applies the research base of the profession” > We know and understand //how human beings learn. . . and the conditions under which human being learn best//

IRONY -- practices and procedures in schools and in classrooms are often not congruent with the research .... with what we know. Pretending not to know? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE? Are we trying to address the things we know in the best way we know how? Are we victims of the system or do we uphold the system by supporting it the best we know how?

Beliefs vs Principles What’s the difference?

Form Follows Function - does our system allow this?

Baby/Bathwater Metaphor THE Professional Question - How is this learner outcome best learned? Did you follow what the authors are saying here? Do you agree? Thoughts?

Top Ten Babies Motivation Triggers - Control Theory vs Support Theory

The Bathwater

**Assignment for next week:** Chapter 6 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.

MCL: The Vision (Detailed) **Chapter 6 Intent:** To paint a concrete vision of a doable instructional delivery system that meets the daily learning needs of every learner. To show that MASS CUSTOMIZED LEARNING can be done, and to concretely and systematically describe one/a way to do it.

Mission VS Vision

Mission - is about purpose, what the organization will accomplish (what)

Vision - is about the structures, policies, and practices, what the organization itself will be (how)

//VISION: Your mental PICTURE of the FUTURE YOU PREFER TO CREATE. A detailed description of what your organization will look like, feel like, and be like when operating at its IDEAL BEST.//

“Pull” rather than “Push”

More powerful written in present rather than future tense - creates a sense of excitement, doability, and commitment

WORDS MATTER - p. 102 - visualization - a new vocabulary

Planning for Change..........or NOT “If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

Vertical vs Horizontal planning

A Mass Customized Learning Vision - Sycamore LEARNING CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGY STAKEHOLDERS PERSONNEL LEADERSHIP



**Assignment for next week:** Chapter 7 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.



Lori Does Her Learning Plan/Schedule **Chapter 7 Intent:** To clearly demonstrate how one learner can plan her customized learning schedule. . . so that everyone can see that the MCL vision can be operationalized and that the vision is scalable.

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What implications does a model like this have for us as educators? For the public school system?



Weight Bearing Walls

**Chapter 8 Intent:** To convince educational leaders that they can remain in control of a MCL system. . . that they can be accountable for the learning, supervision, and safety needs of learners while providing customized learning experiences for all.

Videos: Bea McGarvey Interview & Charles Schwahn Interview

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media type="youtube" key="BLCQaeU81sc" height="360" width="640" **Assignment for next week:** Chapter 9 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.



Ready for Rollout

**Chapter 9 Intent:** To clearly identify the systems and processes that must be in place prior to the successful implementation of the MASS CUSTOMIZED LEARNING vision. . . to provide a checklist of those systems, processes and technologies required for the successful launch of MASS CUSTOMIZED LEARNING.

__**7 Critical Elements.....Ready for Rollout**__
 * 1) Has a derived strategic design (SD) - identifying the organization’s core values, its mission/purpose, exit learner outcomes, and a detailed vision
 * 2) Has written curriculum as Learner Outcomes - each Sphere of Living includes 6-12 general learner outcomes (this is what will help them to be successful following completion of school - exit learner outcomes); “enabling outcomes” - support development of the LOs along the way
 * 3) Has categorized Learner Outcomes by learning format - online learning, seminars, lab work, projects, mentoring/shadowing, informal learning groups - for some there will be an obvious //best learned// strategy, for others there may be two or more; change may be necessary - “continuous improvement” - success is transitory, quality is also transitory - keep the learning and learner the focus
 * 4) Has created and placed online Learner Outcomes online - think iTunes
 * 5) Has created seminars for those Learner Outcomes requiring an interactive seminar format - friction free planning and scheduling of seminars
 * 6) Has designed and implemented scheduling technology for individual learners - access to scheduling - not unlike our calendar where you can export/import various calendars (need to be accurate)
 * 7) Has designed and implemented accountability technology for administration - tracking system designed for protection & safety purposes - those with need to know have access; also access to learner information; caution with comparisons - just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done

Also, here's the link to the article from the Argus Leader regarding Harrisburg HS's shift to a new approach. This will start in the fall with their freshman class. I've also included a link to the school in Omaha where the concept is from. It's interesting to read the "about."

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[|http://whs.westside66.org]

**Assignment for next week:** Chapter 10 Make notes or use stickies to jot down your thoughts, questions, and connections.



Total Leaders

**Chapter 10 Intent:** To help system leaders identify and acquire the attitudes and skills required to orchestrate the creation of a MCL vision, to plan for its implementation, and to facilitate the change process











Wrap-up: WIIFYs on p. 184

Do you still have your Check it Out Sheet as a bookmark?

Facebook Link

So NOW WHAT???