Author: Terrell Heick
by Terry Heick Humility is an interesting starting point for learning. In an era of media that is digital, social, chopped up, and endlessly recirculated, the challenge is no longer access but the quality of access—and the reflex to then judge uncertainty and “truth.” Discernment. On ‘Knowing’ There is a tempting and warped sense of “knowing” that can lead to a loss of reverence and even entitlement to “know things.” If nothing else, modern technology access (in much of the world) has replaced subtlety with spectacle, and process with access. A mind that is properly observant is also properly humble.…
A critical thinking strategy is simply a ‘way’ to encourage or facilitate the cognitive act of thinking critically. Critical thinking is the ongoing application of unbiased, accurate, and ‘good-faith’ analysis, interpretation, contextualizing, and synthesizing multiple data sources and cognitive perspectives in pursuit of understanding. What are the 7 critical thinking strategies? Someone emailed me recently asking that question and I immediately wondered how many more than seven there were. See also Types of Questions 1. Analyze One of the more basic critical thinking strategies is ‘analysis’: Identify the parts and see the relationships between those parts and how they contribute…
Knowledge is limited. Knowledge deficits are unlimited. Knowing something–all of the things you don’t know collectively is a form of knowledge. There are many forms of knowledge–let’s think of knowledge in terms of physical weights, for now. Vague awareness is a ‘light’ form of knowledge: low weight and intensity and duration and urgency. Then specific awareness, maybe. Notions and observations, for example. Somewhere just beyond awareness (which is vague) might be knowing (which is more concrete). Beyond ‘knowing’ might be understanding and beyond understanding using and beyond that are many of the more complex cognitive behaviors enabled by knowing and…
by TeachThought Staff At the end of the day, teaching is about learning and learning is about understanding. And as technology evolves to empower more diverse and flexible assessments forms, constantly improving our sense of what understanding looks like–during mobile learning, during project-based learning, and in a flipped classroom–can not only improve learning outcomes but just might be the secret to providing personalized learning for every learner. This content begs the question: why does one need alternatives to the established and entrenched Bloom’s? Because Bloom’s isn’t meant to be the alpha and the omega of framing instruction, learning, and assessment. Benjamin…
Views 0 by Terry Heick The influence of Berry on my life–and thus inseparably from my teaching and learning–has been immeasurable. His ideas on scale, limits, accountability, community, and careful thinking have a place in larger conversations about economy, culture, and vocation, if not politics, religion, and anyplace else where common sense fails to linger. But what about education? Below is a letter Berry wrote in response to a call for a ‘shorter workweek.’ I’ll leave the argument up to him, but it has me wondering if this kind of thinking may have a place in new learning forms.…
It boils down to purpose. In 50 Ways To Measure Understanding, I talked about the purpose of assessment: Assessment: Of Learning vs. For Learning Assessment is often discussed as though it were a single act—a quiz, test, or score. But its real power comes from clarity of purpose. If you’re wondering what is the purpose of assessment?, the answer determines how you design, use, and respond to it. Think like a doctor: Before you design an assessment, you need a plan for how you’ll use the results. Data without a purpose wastes time, energy, and resources—both yours and your students’.…
In 2013, I wrote a post for edutopia exploring the difference between students and learners. As ‘learning trends’ become the basis for full-on institutions of learning (see the Avenues: World School and North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens for two examples), these kinds of ideas are being field-tested, moving them from wishful thinking and feel-good rhetoric to actual real-world application. Education constantly finds itself looking for proof of success: X data that says Y works, which would seem like magic: We could then take Y and spray it on schools and districts everywhere and repeat the same success. Of course, real learning…
by Terry Heick This is a sponsored post. You can read more about our sponsored content policy here. This is a sponsored post. You can read more about our sponsored content policy here. The goal of this post is simple: To provide examples of learning technology–identifying and clarifying what learning technology ‘is’ and ‘looks like’ in and out of the classroom. I actually started this post in 2015 and thought it might be useful for some, so I updated and finished it. A few frequently asked questions for context. What is the simple definition of technology? We tend to think…
Teaching Is Human Work. Systems Aren’t Built for That. Teaching Is Human Work. Systems Aren’t Built for That. Education is structured as a system—standardized, measured, and scaled. But learning doesn’t work that way. And teaching? Teaching is human work—improvised, emotional, and deeply personal. That difference is more than philosophical. It’s a practical, everyday problem for educators. I. Education is a system. Learning and teaching are not. This presents a challenge: when systems drive decisions, but people do the work, friction is inevitable. II. Systems are made of parts. People are not. Education, as a system, is made up of parts—and…
by Terry Heick This post has been updated from a version published in 2013 Good teaching is a major undertaking. Make no mistake–teaching has never been easy. But as we come upon 2014, as a profession teaching is increasingly characterized by its possibility, accountability, and persistent mutation. Which makes it a challenge to do at all, much do well. The response to these challenges is a mix of building-level professional development, self-directed teacher improvement, and a troubling amount of teacher burnout. So how can you teacher smarter rather than simply grunting harder? What are the ‘teaching secrets’ that lead to growth?…