Apprenticeship

Historically, the apprenticeship model was a means to learn, develop, and master a craft through the intentional relationship with an expert who modeled, coached, and then stepped back and allowed the student to become an experienced craftsman as well.

In their article, Collins, Brown, & Newman note that “Apprenticeship is the way we learn most naturally.”  The article outlines the underlying characteristics of the Cognitive Apprenticeship model, a beautiful means of meshing facts and problem solving skills as the apprentice is guided through the learning experience.  “Conceptual and factual knowledge thus are learned in terms of their uses in a variety of contexts, encouraging both a deeper understanding of the meaning of the concepts and facts themselves and a rich web of memorable associations between them and problem- solving contexts.” (p. 457)

There are several effective models of apprenticeship including reciprocal teaching in which students learn to form questions, summarize, ask questions, and clarify difficulties.  They take turns having the teacher model these strategies and taking on the role of the teacher to deliver the strategies.

The cognitive apprenticeship model can also be applied to varied subject areas such as writing as demonstrated in Scardamalia and Bereiter's Procedural Facilitation of Writing or math as outlined in Schoenfeld's Method for Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving.  Their methods include the same approach of modeling, coaching, and fading.

Hand in hand with the cognitive apprenticeship model is the use of situated learning in which students are given “real world” tasks or scenarios to solve.  Problem-solving is not learned in isolation, but is framed in a manner that provides meaning or purpose.

In thinking through the shift from apprenticeship & focus on developing a specific skill set to the generalized instruction of all subject areas now imparted through traditional education, I am reminded of the writing of C.S. Lewis.  He reasoned that "In those days a boy on the classical side officially did almost nothing but classics.  I think this wise; the greatest service we can do to education is to teach fewer subjects.  No one has time to do more than a very few things well before he is twenty, and when we force a boy to be a mediocrity in a dozen subjects we destroy his standards, perhaps for life.”

I wonder if we are indeed doing a disservice to students by straying from this model of instruction and/or thinking that we can realistically/fully use this model to teach EVERY subject area well.

Pay for Performance

You may be rightly questioning what Pay for Performance has to do with Problem Based Learning...

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the school system where I am currently employed, has initiated the implementation of a Pay for Performance compensation plan to begin in 2014.  To say that there are kinks and/or ideas to flesh out would be an understatement!

They have solicited the feedback, suggestions, and collaboration of current faculty to create the structure, framework, and specifics of the program and how exactly salaries will be attached or distributed based on teacher performance.  Truthfully, I had a pretty negative initial reaction to the proposal.  I decided that rather than complain, I should step up and be part of the solution.  So, with plenty of spare time (she says sarcastically), I volunteered to participate on a Design Team.

As I read the information this week and listened to the lecture highlighting the key components of Problem Based Learning, I realized that my involvement in the P4P Design Team is closely linked to this model.  

There are about 8 groups that have been tasked with very specific objectives as identified by the school district.  My group, consisting of a team of 10 teachers, was selected from a pool of interested parties to discuss "other options" beyond the basics outlined in groups 1-8.  We were given the open-ended task of creating innovative measures that hadn't yet been considered by the school system.  It has been challenging and yet exciting work!

As in the PBL model, we started with what we knew (and/or researched what was currently "known" or being put into place in other districts). From there, we began to brainstorm ideas and categorize measures that correlate directly with teacher effectiveness.  Our team has gathered a lot of resources, looking not only at current measures implemented in the United States, but seeking defining characteristics of education programs in countries that outrank the U.S.  We have done research individually and then discuss the findings when we come together for our weekly meetings.  A wiki has been set up to store, share, and organize our ideas.  We have established roles within the group to stay on track and manage our work (chairperson, time-keeper, my role of managing the wiki, etc.).  In addition, we also have a team member who is employed by the school system in the P4P department who serves as a liaison.  We've had some great discussion and debate regarding all of the ideas that have been brought to the table so far.  In keeping with the PBL model structure, the group will be compiling data and making a proposal which we will present to the Executive Committee & School Board, making recommendations for the 2014 plan.

While our group has expected guidelines from CMS to meet in person, this work could certainly be done via the web.  The wiki could continue to be utilized and updated by team members for collaboration purposes and our meetings could consist of online interactions through Elluminate, Skype, DimDim, etc.  When we come to the place of solidifying our proposal, we will also need to explore tools that will be effective in presenting our plan.

Speaking firsthand, the PBL model certainly provides a rich experience for the participant!



On a side note...
Reading and hearing the "PB" in PBL this week triggered a memory of the commercials for PB Max candy bars that were a hit in the late 80s/early 90s.
Random? Yes!
A welcomed memory? Yes!

"all for one, one for all"

I think that the motto, "all for one, one for all," shared by the friends in Alexandre Dumas's classic novel, The Three Musketeers, sums up the Cooperative Learning model.


The idea that students are working collaboratively toward a common goal or purpose is the heart of the cooperative learning process.  In many ways, this model is an extension of the guided design process, allowing students to collectively develop problem-solving skills while also learning management skills, conflict resolution, and ways to interact within the framework of a project team.


There are many recorded benefits of this model, including:

• the opportunity to learn with and from one another
• the accountability created by a model where all members will "sink or swim" together ("A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link")
• the interdependency of each member's role 
• creates a "safe" place for those not comfortable sharing in large group settings
• each team member has an opportunity for their voice to be heard
• promotes problem solving skills
• increased student retention
• student engagement
• allows students to develop communication & social skills
• promotes positive self-esteem
• a collective sense of accomplishment when the task is complete

Kudos to the team at NCSU who recognized the learning style of women and incorporated the cooperative learning model as a means to engage & retain women in the field of engineering!  "The use of cooperative learning has specifically been advocated as a means of retaining women in engineering programs, since women tend to prefer collaborative to competitive learning." (Haller, Gallagher, Weldon, & Felder)

There are so many models for how Cooperative Learning can play out in the classroom setting.  Think-Pair-Share is one that I have both participated in as a student and initiated as a teacher.  On the other end of the spectrum, I am reminded of the small group collaboration among students playing the World Peace Game as highlighted in the movie "World Peace and other 4th Grade Achievements" (see trailer below).  The sky's the limit when it comes to finding ways to incorporate the Cooperative Learning model in an educational setting.

Guided Design Process

I currently teach at an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) elementary school.  Some of the major goals of the PYP program are to help shape students to be inquirers, problem-solvers, and risk-takers.  The guided design process model seems to be a great vehicle to promote these skills.

I have read several books that align with this philosophy as outlined in this weeks’ lecture and articles.   Both in John Barell’s Why Are School Buses Always Yellow?: Teaching for Inquiry, PreK-5 and in Ted McCain’s book entitled Teaching for Tomorrow: Teaching Content and Problem-Solving Skills, the authors outline how educators can and should present students with meaningful, real life scenarios to develop collaboration, higher level thinking, problem-solving skills, and overall rich learning experiences.  No matter the age level, students can take an active role in learning through the guided design process model.

The instructor plays a key role in developing scenarios, listening to students as they interact and problem-solve, and pose questions for further inquiry and processing.  This is a dramatic shift from the traditional lecture-style method of delivery.  In Wilson’s article, he reports positive results from the model.  Of the 62 teams of students evaluated, he found 90% to work well as a team and 65% showed decision-making improvements. This model of instruction allows students to play an active role as well as develop skills necessary for life.

What Is The Internet, Anyway?

I got a good chuckle watching this video clip from the Today Show that aired in January 1994.