Slide 1

1 . . . From the beginning of time . . . man has been on a quest. First for the basics of survival:

2First for the basics of survival: shelter, food, and protection. Over time, man invented and discovered ways to overcome their threats to survival. Then came the quest for information.

3Calculators, computers, the World Wide Web, marketing, industry, military, medicine, and education. Enter the 21st Century!

Education beyond the Information AgePatti Mason PelayoEDU 585Fontbonne UniversitySummer 2009

Education beyond the Information Age by Patti Mason Pelayo for Fontbonne University, Summer 2009. Now that we have satisfied our quest for information, it is time to rethink education in the Global Age.

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What are the implications for change in our education system? What current practices can we adapt to prepare our students for the 21st Century?

Having worked before and during the Information Age, I can testify to the massive changes that have occurred in our technological world. With the constant streaming of information and media at our fingertips every second of everyday, what worked in the classroom before may now need an extreme makeover.

Read questions 5

Reading

Writing

Thinking

Collaborating

Abydos Learning International is at the forefront of education reform. Founded by Dr. Joyce Carroll and Edward Wilson, Abydos is built upon scientific research, tried and true strategies that are useful in any discipline, and classroom observation. Having used Abydos philosophy and methodologies in my classroom for 16 years, I wanted to put them to the Global Age test. Carroll and Wilson predict four major areas of education reform necessary for success in the 21st Century. They are: Reading, Writing, Thinking, and Collaborating. 6Research Question

How does Abydos philosophy and methodology serve to prepare students for the simultaneous literacies of the global or conceptual age as called for by the expertise of researchers and educators?

Therefore my research question is this: How does Abydos philosophy and methodology serve to prepare students for the simultaneous literacies of the global or conceptual age as called for by the expertise of researchers and educators? First, lets see what the literature says!

7Reading

NCTE (2009)Critical LiteracyMedia LiteracyMultimodalitiesDaniel Pink (2006) A Whole New MindSymphonyEmpathyMeaning

One area where educational reform for the Global Age is critical is reading. On June 13th 2009, the first United States Declaration of the Right to Literacy was signed for the tens of millions of adults and children who do not have the skills needed to succeed in life. Add to this dilemma, the changes necessary for the Global Age and we have some serious work to do.

The National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) has been preparing for educational reform for 2 years. In a 2009 posting on their webpage titled Pathways for 21st Century Literacies they state three major concerns in the areas of reading and comprehension. NCTE proclaims that students in the Global Age must be comfortable with critical literacy: the ability to read text in an active, reflective manner to better understand the world around us; media literacy: the ability to decode and synthesize all types of media, and be multimodal: the ability to create, evaluate, learn and interact within different modes.

Our second reference is A Whole New Mind, written by journalist and author Daniel Pink. Pink believes there are six senses or aptitudes we must hone for the fast approaching conceptual age, 3 of which can be directly related to reading and literacy.

The first is SYMPHONY: similar to Blooms SYNTHESIS, symphony involves reading and blending a variety of sources for a new perspective of the big picture.

The second is EMPATHY: understanding what makes people tick. Pink calls this the ultimate virtual realityclimbing into anothers mind to experience the world from that persons perspective.

And last, is meaning: Pink declares this era following the information age to be a time of searching for purpose and meaning in our work, our lives, and the world.

Literature has always offered us opportunities to change our perspective, to live in someone elses world even if just for a little while, and to find our own meaning inside the words. The study of literature in the Global Age must include and encourage these opportunities.

8Writing

Involves the fullest possible functioning of the brain. (Emig, 1977)In-school vs. out-of-school literacies (NCTE, 2009)Story Compelling, emotionally engaging (Pink, 2006)

Janet Emig, Professor Emeritus of English Education at Rutgers University, in her 1977 article entitled Writing as a Mode of Learning, reports that writing involves the fullest possible functioning of the brain (432). To prepare for the educational needs of the Global Age and hone the senses that Pink (2006) suggests, we must tap into parts of the brain that have been at rest for too long.

With the Information Age, came the personal computer. Students are often more familiar with software and the internet than their teachers or parents. In a survey conducted by NCTE of teachers, teens, and parents, respondents agreed that todays students engage in at least two different literacies everyday: in-school literacy which is traditional and somewhat formal; and out-of-school literacy, self-directed and informal. Recognizing that these literacies are important in this new age, it would behoove us to allow for this dichotomy in the classroom and teach both in terms of purpose and audience.

In terms of purpose and audience, another of the six senses encouraged by Pink is Story. Now that information is streamed around the world 24/7, on a variety of screens, paper, books, magazines, etc., what we write must be compelling. Our readers must be emotionally engaged to hold their interest. Robotic, formulaic writing has not place in the 21st Century.

9Thinking

Knowledge workers vs. imagination & integration (Pink, 2006)Computers vs. Human Contact & EmpathyRote Learning vs. Metacognitive Learning (Marzano, 2007)

Pinks points out that the jobs of the knowledge workers of the Information Age are being computerized or outsourced to overseas companies. What is needed in the Global Age are people who can create and integrate with the big picture in mind.

He also calls for the use of human contact instead of computerized voices or menu selection. What was once seen as convenient is now an Achilles' heel.

Marzano, author of The New Taxonomy of Education Objectives, suggests we foster metacognitive learning, the ability to understand the way each of us learns, instead of the traditional rote learning where students are asked to regurgitate facts.10Collaboration

Mini-experts (Carroll and Wilson, 2008)Design & Symphony (Pink, 2006)Social nature of literacy (NCTE, 2009)Scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1986)

Carroll and Wilson agree that no one in this day of streaming data is expected to be an expert of just one thing. Instead, students can become mini-experts based on their knowledge, experiences, and talents.

Pink discusses two senses that complement the concept of collaboration: Design and Symphony. The Global Age calls for a fresh perspective, new ideas constructed by adapting old ideas with new knowledge. By joining forces with others we create a symphony of novel designs.

NCTE has created a program called Pathways for 21st Century Literacies that lists the social nature of literacy as a priority for examination. Using

Lev Vygotsky, a renowned constructivist psychologist of the early 1900s, suggested that what a child can do in cooperation today he can do alone tomorrow. He calls this scaffolding. Scaffolding occurs when students are allowed to learn new information via a whole-class activity, then apply the new information with a partner, and finally illustrate their new knowledge in an independent activity.

11Study Design

Using the educational reforms suggested in my literature review, I applied Abydos philosophy and methodology to examine the fit.12Meta-Analysis ChartReadingWritingThinkingCollaboratingLiteraciesCritical/MediaMulti-modalitiesSymphony/SynthesisDesign/CreativityThe Big Picture

I set up a meta-analysis chart with these focus areas as my column headings. My rows titles consist of the major areas discussed in my research. I explored the Abydos Philosophy and Methodology for matches and filled them in the appropriate cell.13Our idea of literacy must be revisited.Abydos Philosophy

Literacy = Learning + Success

Textbook Literature vs. Simultaneous Literacies

Reading, comprehension, synthesis and evaluationAbydos Methodology

Multimodal Reading

Reader-Response

Dialectical NotebooksText-to-selfText-to-textText-to-world

Abydos believes: that literacy is at the core of all learning and success. Dropout and crime rates are directly related to illiteracy.

That students must be exposed to a wider variety of text and media forums presented in different layers=simultaneous literacies to keep up with the changing times.

Reading, comprehension, synthesis and evaluation are key elements.

Methods:Abydos teachers expose their students to a wide variety of texts, both traditional and contemporary for a well-rounded repertoire.

There are 10-15 activities endorsed by Abydos that fall under the umbrella of reader-response. I will only mention two here.

The first is Dialectical notebooks which encourages student dialogue with a text. Students write in anything that comes to mind as they read: question, predictions, comments on authors style, favorite phrase, etc. As they become familiar with the process they can transfer this method to other texts and disciplines as a comprehension and learning tool.

Abydos students internalize their learning whenthey are invited to compare a text to prior experiences, texts, and knowledge. This comparison often leads to a new perspective and creative analysis.

14Writing is not regurgitation; it is a discovery of self and meaning.Abydos Philosophy

Process vs. Product

Thinking on Paper

MetacognitionAbydos Methodology

Hexagonal Writing

Multimodal Writing

Abydos believes: that writing is about the process journey, not just the end product. Everyones journey is different and should be respected.

Writing is thinking on paper and a sort of discovery. Writing and reading are ways into knowing, learning, and communicating (xxxiv).

Students can become metacognitive learners if presented with choices and allowed to choose what works best for them.

Methods:Hexagonal Writing:Students read a piece of literature and produce summaries from six perspectivesplot description, personal allusions, theme, analysis, literary comparisons, and arguments or evaluationon half-pieces of color-coded paper. From these short texts, students may choose to write an extensive paper that includes all of them or a select few, or they may decide to focus on one perspective throughout (Carroll and Wilson, 2008).

Multimodal WritingOnce students have been introduced to different modes of literature, it is time for them to compose texts in a variety of modes to prepare them for the global workforce: formal vs. informal, academic vs. entertainment, web vs. print, etc. 15The ability to think about thinking is at the core of everything we do.Abydos Philosophy

Metacognitive Learners =Success

Student Choice whenever possibleAbydos Methodology

Self-Assessment

Authentic Student Inquiry (I-Search)

Abydos acknowledges the unique capabilities and disabilities of students based on multiple intelligences and learning styles. Therefore, Abydos incorporates strategies to help students understand how they learn. Self-assessment and student choice are key to students becoming metacognitive learners.

Abydos students are encouraged at every phase of composition to stop and assess their own process. This also leaves room for them to set goals for their next assignment and assign themselves areas that need strengthening (Carroll and Wilson, 2008, pp. 188-189), thereby regulating their own learning.

Authentic Student Inquiry permits students to choose their own topic, decide what they want to learn from it, formulate a hypothesis, search for answers, compose/create a product, and select how this information should be presented (Carroll and Wilson, 2008).

16Collaboration in a world of mini-experts is an imperative function in the Global Age.Abydos Philosophy

Learning is a social activityAbydos Methodology

Scaffolding Sentence Combining

Text Rendering

Philosophy:Abydos agrees with Vygotsky that learning is a social activity. We learn from others knowledge and experiences and the days of sitting isolated in a classroom are over. There are many opportunities in an Abydos classroom for students to collaborate. I will discuss two here.

Methods:Scaffolding: Cooperative groups are given a sentence envelope of phrases and punctuation written on separate cards. Each student takes a card and, working together, the group must figure out the various ways their sentence could be constructed. Next, students work in pairs to construct their own sentence cards that can be arranged in different ways by their peers. The final evaluation of learning comes when students exhibit their new sentence combining skills in a composition of their own.

Text Rendering - Student groups are given a specific text to read and interpret. The group members then share their interpretations and insight to create their own version. They must keep the important information but they may improvise how it is presented.

17ImplicationsPlanning Wiggins UbD MethodStudy Limitations Selected practices highlighted

Limitations: Abydos offers a plethora of strategies backed by research for use in the classroom. However, it would be impossible to disclose them all here. However, the philosophy revealed in this report make it apparent that Abydos is constantly monitoring and adjusting their approach to better meet the needs of the 21st Century student.

Implications: How can I choose the best ones for each unit to ensure that my students receive the education they deserve for the Global Age?

I propose using Grant Wiggins Understanding by Design method, sometimes referred to as backward planning. By gathering the essential information and required standards at the outset of planning a unit, we lay the path for choosing multimodal materials, strategies, activities, and assessments.18Outcome

Based on my research, I have come to the conclusion that the Abydos philosophy and methodology are in alignment with the needs of education in the Global Age. The beliefs of Abydos teachers set the stage for incorporating timeless, transferrable practices for Global Age students. Abydos students are empowered by choice, strategies, metacognitive learning, and collaboration to become mini-experts who are able to visualize the big pictureall attributes required for success in the 21st Century.19