Organic Learning

Several weeks ago at Thacher in Ojai, CA, LAUSD teachers spent the week collaborating on how best to engage students in authentic learning. One group of teachers were Physical Education teachers from elementary, middle and high schools, who learned together how to use technology tools like heart rate monitors and fitness grams, along with the newly adopted California standards for physical education, to help students learn better. Another group worked together to learn one semester of Cisco training so they can begin that program in the fall. Another group worked to develop online content for students for the Los Angeles Virtual Academy. Even though teachers worked in their own groups, they came together to share meals and also special presentations, which were a real treat this week.

One of the best keynote lineups I have ever heard happened here on Sunday night. We had 3 keynote speakers. The first speaker was Dianne Wilson-Graham, who is the consultant of physical education for the California Department of Education. Next, Marc Prensky came to us virtually from Florida, through the online collaborative tool called Elluminate. Then, Ian Jukes spoke to us. Afterwards, we had a question and answer session. Following is my summation of the event.

Dianne Wilson-Grahams message was that physical activity is important for all of us. At no other time has there been so many 10 year olds at risk of cardiovascular disease and other health risks.
Along with the new California Physical Education standards, there is a new budget of 40 million for hiring elementary PE teachers. There is another 500 million allocated for PE and the visual and performing arts. All of this can offer great potential in the upcoming years.
However, Dianne stresses that we need to use the tools wisely. She stressed that it important to be a facilitator of student learning, because if they don’t learn what it is you are teaching, your teaching is irrelevant.
She stated that confidence is important for student learning. Through physical education, students can gain confidence to excel in school.

Next in our speaker lineup was Marc Prensky. Since my summation is getting foggy in my head since it has been two weeks now since I heard his presentation, I was delighted to find another blogger, Steve Dembo, whom I regularly read, who just saw his presentation at the recent Building Learning Communities in Boston. A link to his thoughtful summation of the presentation is on his recent blog post. I recommend you read this excellent post to find out about what Marc Prensky’s message is. (I found this while cruising Hitchhiker, a brilliant new tool created by David Warlick, which tracks the blogs and photos of all the latest technology conferences.)

Our next speaker was Ian Jukes, who also talked about how student brains are wired differently than ours, and that we need to change how we teach to address these new changes. We are so accustomed to and comfortable with teaching the way we were taught, that making changes to that model will take some effort. We need to include more images, more multi-media, more conversation and interactivity to engage our students. Ian stayed until Tuesday morning, sharing his passion for educators and education with all he met. More reflections about Ian and a special podcast will be forthcoming.

After the three presentations, we had a question/answer session. I was amazed at how each of the three presenters kept the focus on student learning and complemented each other with their message. Educator participants were actively engaged in conversation and thinking about student learning.

All of our presenters were on the same page, putting the emphasis on the importance of engaging students in powerful, relevant learning opportunities. I commend Kip Leland, Chad Fenwick, and all the others who thoughtfully gathered the best keynote kickoff I have ever seen. Teachers all week were completely focused on student learning instead of teacher instruction as they worked in their groups. What a great week of learning and sharing!