Imagine opening all the doors of teaching and learning with Count Basie and Jackie Robinson

Who is afraid of AI, not I said this educator.

 
Yesterday my future teachers were asking me about "AI in class".

I began with a YouTube video of elementary kids using movement, dance and song to tell the Jackie Robinson story. this is the link of the video we shared. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqzaUxJ5JXA

Their questions such as "How do we ensure students are really doing their own work?"
We had some great discussion and I reminded them how just last week we had a discussion on disciplinary literacy, and learning foundations. With disciplinary literacy, the learning receptive processes are rooted in listening, reading, and viewing. This is how we learn about our world. I reminded them that their mission as teachers is to remember the importance of using all of these receptive processes in order to engage and motivate.

AI, I continued is another learning tool, just like Google. When Google first came out , there were some teachers and educators who thought "game over"! Now students had instant answers to any question! Google (they thought) would end teaching as we know it... We all learned while Google can point students to a million possibilities, the learners themselves still have to search for the best answer. And that search is a worthy academic journey! Rote assignments rooted in the old ways of assessing students, do not inspire learners, instead they just "rank and sort" learners in ways that no longer make sense, especially in the 21st century.

Our role as teachers, is not to be rooted in methods and ways of the past. We need to think about upping the ante with those learning foundation engagements. We need to teach outside the box, and then watch students rise. Challenge them to demonstrate what they know, the best way they know how. Open doors to all the arts, add dance, singing, and visual art to your productive processes every time you can.
In this new brave world let us not restrict students to their seats, but unleash the arts, and then see them shine ~ again and again.
Dr. Jesse P. Turner
CCSU Literacy Center Director If you like to listen to the tune that inspired my morning walk, it is Count Bassie's "Did you see Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7Ac2LVVYU

Just Saying, another Reading War is the best you have

25 Billion every year for what? 

What do you call education reforms that spend billions on scripted reading programs, but not actual services to Black, Brown, and Special Education Children in our poor communities? Same old systemic racism that profits off the misery of children and teachers in our public schools.

JUST SAYING 

We have been fighting this war for over a hundred years, the casualties of war at this stage are in the millions. The profits are in the billions, and what have we gained? A vicious cycle of one-size-fits-all literacy programs, that increases profits, confuses teachers, and reduces children to data points.

Where is the humanity in endless war?

Where is the humanity in a public school system that spends annually 23 billion dollars more on wealthy predominantly White Schools, than on our poor predominately Black and Brown Schools?
Can we use that 2 billion dollars annually spent on high-stakes testing to give teachers the necessary resources?

JUST SAYING, I imagine something different, and this is what I am fighting for.

Just in case you like to listen to the tune that inspired my first day back teaching...its Barry Lane's "We Found Defiance" https://soundcloud.com/gaetanp/we-found-defiance-barry-lane-live-umass-dartmouth

The data that matters and the data that really matter

 In medical research any new medical or intervention requires research talk and listen to patients, health professionals, and family. New medicines or treatments are only approved with collecting taking and listening to your subjects.  It is not considered soft data, it is crucial data, so vital it would shut any approval process down without it. This is good science. I question any Education Research intervention that does not listen and talk to children, teachers, and parents. This isn't soft data, this is necessary and vital data. 

There is the data that matters, and there is the data that really matters! 

In education research, no one talks or listens to children, teachers, or parents and guardians. Imagine if we asked parents:

How do you feel about class size?

how do you feel about less art, music, and play?

How do you feel about some children getting everything needed, and others are given less? 

What if we asked children about all this testing down to them?

Would they ask for more? 

Would they understand why adults want to rank them? 

Would they ask for less art, music, and play to make room for testing? 

What if we asked teachers: 

Would smaller class sizes help?

Would better school and classroom libraries help?

Would less testing give you more time for teaching?

Is it fair that predominantly white schools get 21 billion dollars more every year than poor predominately schools of color? 

Would student loan forgiveness help,

Would Better benefits and pay help?

Would professional respect for teachers help? 

There is good science and poor science, 

Good science talks and listens,

Bad Science pretends listening doesn't matter. 

 I question any education science that does not talk and listen to children, teachers, parents, and guardians. 

Respectfully,                                                                                                                                                    Dr. Jesse P. Turner
CCSU Literacy Center Director

If you want to know what inspired my blog today? It was the Play For Change Cover of Teach Your Children song https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/235655313607365412/6193250921375836163