What Do You Mean by “Knowledge”?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in facebook

One of the most frustrating things in education is the tendency to have conversations about ideas and issues when we don’t share the same definitions. We also make false assumptions about what others believe. We spend a lot of time talking past each other. Add to that a tendency to create false dichotomies and instead of working toward understanding and meaning solutions, we follow the ugly trend of today’s political world and polarize people.

Among the topics and questions that fall into this trap include:

I acknowledge that I’ve simplified these debates and those invested in them would likely argue my statements themselves are flawed but you get the gist. One of the challenges falls in how we define things. It’s always a good idea to begin any discussion with the question: “And what do you mean by _____________”

Certainly, the idea of inquiry learning has gained traction worldwide in the past decade, largely because of the Internet. I used the term “inquiry learning” to refer to an approach that allows the learner more agency and choice as well as an expectation that the learner will demonstrate understanding and competency through a variety of measures that extend beyond tests but include but aren’t limited to models, papers, videos and presentions. Access to information means memorizing is less important than it used to be. Acknowledging that this shift means we might need to change how we teach is the work of many people including myself. Criticism suggests that this belief means knowledge isn’t important. While this debate lives in many places I’d like to address a recent tweet and article from Brian Aspinall.

https://twitter.com/mraspinall/status/1080429330151333889

It takes guts to acknowledge critique and I like that Brian wasn’t afraid to share this. I respect his right to ignore it and while there are reasons to fully dismiss his critic, I think there are a few conversations worth having here:

  • What’s difference between knowledge and information?
  • Is the research definitive?
  • Is anyone really advocating for one pedagogy over another?

While much of the article is somewhat sarcastic and disparaging, the author raises some interesting points that warrant discussion. In the article, Bennett writes,

What’s contentious about the edtech evangelists is their rather uncritical acceptance of constructivist pedagogy and utopian belief that “students learn by doing’ and require minimal teacher guidance.  A few, like Brian Aspinall, are ideologues who believe that “knowledge is readily available” on the Internet, so teachers should reject teaching content knowledge and, instead, “teach and model an inquiry approach to learning.”

https://educhatter.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/edtech-evangelism-where-are-coding-evangelists-leading-us/

I know Brian and I know he doesn’t “reject knowledge” or teaching it. What I think needs to be discussed here is the difference between knowledge and information. I would argue that inquiry requires information but leads to knowledge. You can be informed about a topic or concept but that doesn’t necessarily make you knowledgeable.

Let me attempt an example. I’m fairly informed about politics. I read, watch and listen to various outlets and pundits. I know a lot but I would hesitate to say I’m knowledgeable mostly because I’ve not participated in it other than to vote. That’s not to say you have to be involved in something to be knowledgeable but without getting your hands dirty, it’s difficult to consider yourself knowledgeable on most topics. Golf, on the other hand, is something I feel very knowledgeable about. Not only do I spend time reading, listening and watching all aspects of the game from instruction to architecture to equipment to the PGA tour but I play the game as well. I’m not a great player but I know it on a level that those who don’t play or play sparely can’t understand. I feel I could speak with virtually any expert on the game and have a intelligent conversation. My understanding of the game would likely be because of a personal inquiry approach. It certainly required and continues to require information but it goes way beyond that.

So yes, we need content and perhaps today more than ever we need high quality content. I’ve not met anyone who argues this point however I do see some who see no value in textbooks or core resources. This is indeed a dangerous idea as it suggests that the knowledge and expertise of others aren’t important. Textbooks and core resources are supposed to be memorized but used to help create personal knowledge and understanding. What Brian and others, including myself, would say, that content isn’t enough. Content, without context and inquiry isn’t knowledge, it’s information. Most of the advocates for a more content heavy, memorization laden curriculum might cite test scores. Even if they can cobble together data, my argument has always been that tests are great at measuring short-term memory, not necessarily learning. Frank E. Smith from The Book of Learning and Forgetting which might be the best book on learning ever written says this:

Forgetting occurs when we are unable to commit our learning to long-term memory. In the official view of learning, this comes from not being able to understand the content being studied, and only cramming the information for a given task or assessment.

This is by no means a deep analytical review of either Bennett’s article or the bigger issues at play. But it’s these exchanges or critiques that allow us to learn. Here are my reflections:

I think as educators we need to be more precise with language. We see those outside of exchanges toss out terms without knowing the nuances and implications. At the same time, educators are often guilty of this as well. Let’s get in the habit of asking “And what do you mean by __________?” I think it would save us a lot of time and frustration.

2018 Year in Photos and Video

Posted by Dean Shareski on in facebook, Personal, Video

Once again, it almost didn’t happen. Not only have I been less diligent in my photo a day effort but realizing this year’s photo has been dominated by my new love made me thing it would be too boring. Then my wife reminded me how boring other years have been with golf and conference images.

If you doubt how boring those other years were check out the previous 10.

2008
2009
2010 (aka, the year I tried something crazy)
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

After reading Alan’s annual post I was reminded that it’s not about a streak but a meaningful method to document life. It works for me. I will say the challenge was much greater in the first 4-5 years before mobile phones. Using a camera was sometimes awkward as well as it was far less automated in terms of uploading. Back then, my focus was to be mindful of my world and try to capture things some may find routine. While I still try and practice that, it certainly has become harder after 10s of thousands of photos later. Travelling lots makes this easier. This year was all about Harriet and I have no interest in justifying that to others. There are a number of appearances from my friends, family, colleagues and my network but Harriet was the story of 2018 and if you have 17 minutes maybe you’ll understand why. Get in contact with this corporate video production Sydney for more information.

Digital Citizenship: Where Are We Now?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in digitalcitizenship, facebook 1 Comment

This tweet was initiated by a few folks who are very smart and who do really good work. 

Katia  I am Stronger

Jennifer  Social Ledia

Bonnie  Experience Required: Walking the Talk in Digital Teaching & Learning

All of their work as I said I believe is really important and you would do well to follow them and their work. Smart people indeed. They offer a positive, useful way of understanding media literacy. However, looking at this from another perspective has me thinking that we’ve adopted a bit of an “if you can’t beat them, join them”. Or “this stuff isn’t going away, let’s make the best of it” or “you can use technology for good or evil, let’s focus on the good” At one time or another I’ve likely used these phrases and even presented on them. However, I do see myself questioning this to some degree. Mostly because there’s somewhat of a conciliatory message that’s being shared. The message that might be being lost here is the overall negative impact and force that we are facing. This perspective is not only born out of my own experiences but certainly the research bares it out. 

I think a couple of things are really important to consider. First, technology is not neutral. I still hear people speak as if it’s just a matter of how we use it. My graduate advisor Rick Schwier, still one of the smartest people I know, helped me understand this very early. If you need convincing, read Postman or McLuhan. If you don’t know who they are, you have some catching up to do. In fact, stop reading this, go read something of their work and come back. Essentially every technology has a bias or intended way to use it. Without question, the apps on your phone and social media, in general, want you using it all the time. While knowing this is critical, it’s also critical to understand that most people aren’t able to fully outwit its inherent power. 

smartphone addicted school teenager boy close up photo


Secondly, things have changed. I’m generally a pretty optimistic person and I think that’s a particularly useful disposition to have in education. Education should be about hope and possibilities. However, when I think about social media and technology in general, I’m seeing less hope and possibly than I did a decade ago. When many of my contemporaries were exploring these spaces, we did so with a child-like innocence to test the waters of what these spaces might offer. The notion of “followers” did not play a role. Communities were smaller and intentions were less clouded with ulterior motives and interests. Like so many things, the Tragedy of the Commons has infiltrated these once-emerging spaces of newness and possibility. While some might be thinking, “it’s all in how you use it or who you connect with” I’m not so sure. Social media is always a weird mix of ideas and people. That’s part of its appeal. But the belief that you can simply filter out the things you don’t want to see is naive or at least getting more and more difficult to do. These spaces allow for any conversation. People might say “I only follow people who only talk about x” Yet as humans, we don’t fully compartmentalize ourselves. While we might talk about education most of the time, we can’t help but talk about other stuff. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, I like that but that also invites many unwarranted ideas and conversations to cloud that space. Even if you’re fully able to talk only education, the lack of nuance and emphasis on branding can create a very unsatisfying experience.  For young people, the number of example of suicides related to technology is worth talking about. The research around added stress is worth exploring with students. 

I’ve seen my own children and other teens and young adults recognize the toxic nature that social media exudes. I don’t know of many who don’t see this. Yet, most just live in this and try to filter out what’s important and yet inevidentably get caught up in gossip, political battles of misinformation and feelings of inadequacies. These pitfalls are nearly impossible to weed out of one’s feeds. All of my kids, all between the ages of 20-31 have deleted at least one major social media space: either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. They don’t regret this choice. 


I suppose what I’m really asking is: 
“What are the trade-offs?”
“What do we potentially gain and lose?”
“What would happen if we taught kids about social media and media literacy and suggested that abstience is an option?”


Let me share a few ideas about how we might think about digital citizenship moving forward. 

  • Continue to think of it as citizenship and not digital. 
    • Spend time reflecting on what it means to be a good citizen. 
  • Cite examples of positive and negative use of technology and social media
    • Get very comfortable with the nuances and reserve judgment. Let kids decide what and if social media has value and where its problematic 
  • Talk about mental health and technology 
    • Explore the research on the brain and stress
    • Engage in experiments of restraints and disconnection
    • Include the adults. This is not exclusively an issue for kids but an issue for everyone 
  • Think carefully about any policies you enact
    • Don’t make it punitive. Even if you conclude you think mobile phones are a distraction, focus on the benefits for students. Allow them to recognize it as a distraction. This isn’t about control but it should be about informed choices. 
    • Be okay with teachers having different policies. Not every discipline warrants the use of technology. If a teacher doesn’t see value, don’t force them to use it. Conversely if a teacher does see value don’t restrict them. 

The closet analogy I can make here is sex education. This isn’t a topic that was always explored in schools. For years it was seen as something outside the purview of K-12 education. When it was introduced, abstinence was the sole focus. Today there is less judgment and more of a focus on providing all the facts and options. While many would adopt the “We know you’re all going to have sex anyway, so here’s how to do it safely” as the dominant approach, I would argue that abstinence likely offers better outcomes for many. I don’t know anyone who said: “I wish I had had more sex when I was a teenager”.  As adults, we know how powerful and amazing sex can be in the right context but we also know the potential damage and problems it can create and the fact that many young teenagers are ill-equipped to handle the consequences. 


So I wonder if moving forward we’ll see a shift in our approach and attitudes towards technology and social media in schools? What changes or at least nuanced tweaks do you think are missing from the current narrative? Maybe this is exactly how many are approaching it. My concern lies with those of us who have experienced the benefits of social media in the past and are struggling to acknowledge it’s not the same as it was a decade ago. There was certainly more innocence, hope and wonder that came with connecting with strangers. As always these are my ramblings, I’m sure others disagree or have alternative views. I’d love to hear them. 

The One Thing Teachers Want That No One is Talking About

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Discovery, Productivity 1 Comment

Ask any teacher what is one thing they wish they had that would make their job better. For most the answer is time. 

The solutions to this problem are complex and in many cases outside the purview of educators but there is one increasingly growing aspect that no one seems to be talking much about. Time spent looking for stuff. 

“Stuff” is more or less content. While many jurisdictions are understanding that content may not be as important as developing skills, content is still important and necessary for learning even if your focus is on skills. 

The most progressive curriculum I know is in British Columbia. Teachers are free to focus on big ideas and core competencies and student agency is the goal. Yet as excited as educators are to embrace this, many I’ve worked with and spoken to are struggling to find content. The curriculum is less concerned with content and yet without something to build upon, analyze, create with, the efforts to develop skills and competencies fail.

School Has a Content Problem. It doesn’t seem to want any. ….But try as we might to think of reading or mathing as a skill, we cannot divorce any of it from specific content in the classroom. These aren’t Subjects that can be studied or mastered in any manner divorced from content, which is infinite in possibility and purpose and audience. ‘Content’ and ‘Skill’ are not equal partners, because skill is universal while content is specific. You cannot learn a skill without the content, but the content requires the skill no matter what it is.

https://medium.com/@berniebleske/school-has-a-content-problem-b7b299461f15

In other jurisdictions where standards are more focused on content, teachers are dissatisfied with textbooks and formulaic approaches. Their print-based world often seems outdated and lacking engagement. They know there is better stuff out there. 

So in both cases, teachers turn to “the google”. I’ve witnessed this first hand as my wife worked endless hours at night exploring possibilitites for her grade 2 classroom. I tried to do my own research to see if this was indeed widespread so I reached out to Twitter and asked a simple question:

While not scientific, my hunch is the results are fairly accurate. I believe this is something new. I recall as a young teacher prior to the Internet that I spend very little time culling for resources. I might spend time at the beginning of a unit at the local library but I exhausted my search relatively fast. The other resource I had was a teacher librarian who would also alleviate some of this work. The majority of my time at home was spent planning what my students would do with the content.  I’d say on average I spent 25% of my time finding and culling content and 75% of my time on what the instruction would be. Today I’d say for most teachers that’s reversed. Today’s educator is both blessed and cursed with infinite access to content. While there are many ways to find content and tips to better curate, it still takes time. A lot of time.  I also think much of this time is wasted.  Like going into a giant mall when all you need is a basic pair of socks, what should be a 5-minute job suddenly becomes hours. Yes, there are times when that’s part of the experience but doing this on a daily basis is costing many hours. Most of us can already admit to wasting more time online that we’d like, we don’t need to be adding to the problem. It seems that teachers and administrators are okay with this or maybe they just haven’t thought about it very much. I have. 

I don’t often mention on my blog that I work for Discovery Education. Over the past 7 years, I’ve been grateful to work with so many forward-thinking districts, leaders and teachers. While we offer a whole lot more, we are best known for our content. When I first began, our team would often highlight the fact that we offered 300,000+ resources from video, text, images, audio, interactives and more. We don’t talk about that much anymore. Instead, we might say that our services offer a handful of multi-modal, quality and vetted resources for nearly every grade, subject and standard. Teachers don’t want/need more stuff, they want/need good stuff and they want/need it easily accessible. When we do our job, we help teachers and leaders see how our products and services save time. We want to shift teachers time to allow them to focus on differentiating instruction, addressing the needs of individual students without having to spend a whole bunch of time finding just the right content. 

The reality is, the internet and youtube provide great content. The trouble is you have to find it. While there are many teachers who are willing to spend the time to find that content, it’s not fair to expect teachers to spend hours each night searching for stuff when they could be spending that time on instruction or better yet, resting. 

I don’t mean for this to sound like a pitch for Discovery but I’m simply surprised by how little anyone is paying attention to this growing problem. With growing stress among teachers, giving them the one thing they really need seems like something we all need to be paying more attention to.

To quote my friend Bill Ferriter, Is any of this making sense? Is this true for you? Do you see this as a problem Anyone you know addressing this? 

Are All Voices Equal?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in rants 7 Comments

“Voice and Choice” “Equity” “Student Voice” These are words that dominate the educational change conversation today. They are important ideas but like so many words, they can lose their meaning and specificity as they permeate the lexicon. 

The short answer to the question “Are all voices equal?”  is “No”.

The better answer is “It’s complicated”. 

Without going down too many rabbit holes I’d want to explore a few elements. First the student/ child to teacher/adult relationship and more broadly the idea of expertise.

The Question of Student Voice

We certainly are doing well to provide students with more say, more choice and more power to own their own learning. For too long, they have been relative pawns in education where adults made all the decisions about when what, where and how they learned.  We’ve now entered a more enlightened time where things are beginning to shift. In some places, this shift is well underway and in other places, much work is left to be done but there are few places where this isn’t a conversation. 

But providing increased say and power to students shouldn’t negate the knowledge, wisdom and dare I say, the authority of adults who provide the structure and foundation of education. I believe that adults and those with experience ought to be given greater say and voice when it comes to education and probably most things related to working with children. Education, like parenting, is not a democracy.  Children lack the maturity, experience, and knowledge to make all the decisions in their educational careers.  Children are certainly equal to adults in terms of rights and opportunities. They are not equal in terms of their decision-making skills. 

When it comes to students I’m fine with hearing what students want from their education. However, they don’t know what they don’t know. It’s why I object to a full-on personalized learning experience if that’s being interpreted as students make all the decisions. That’s just a bad idea. Should students voices matter in how their schooling looks? Certainly. Students can provide us with insights we might be missing. We should be asking them for input into decisions that impact themselves and education more broadly. Should their ideas matter the same as the adults? I don’t think so. Again, if you’re struggling with this statement, think of yourself as a parent. If you let your children make all the decisions about their lives, you’d likely have some pretty selfish and poorly adjusted kids. Our role isn’t simply to provide them with whatever they need but also to guide and direct them into what it means to develop into healthy, happy and productive humans. If we truly care for children, we’ll offer them our wisdom and lead them as an act of love. 

Not Every Voice Counts the Same

All voices can be heard but not all voices should be given equal value. Many educators speak of the frustrations when leaders cower to overly vocal parents and media when the comment about things like “discovery math” or lack of homework and other areas that they do not have the knowledge to speak of intelligently. Consider your own development and growth. If you believe you are a lifelong learner and a growth mindset then presumably, 10 years ago, you knew less than you do today and thus others were likely in a better position to make decisions that impacted you.  Acknowledging that some folks do know more than you do is a sign of maturity. 

Expertise matters. I’d much rather have the support of 10 people who know about my topic than 100 people who don’t. But #socialmedia promotes the fiction that all opinions should have equal value. And increasingly that belief system is influencing all our public debates.— Andrew Campbell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@acampbell99) September 9, 2018

I’m grateful for the advent of the web and social media by providing me with a voice. I’ve been able to publish many ideas over that last 12 years that previously would have only lived in my head. Through that publishing, I’ve been able to think through some things and had the benefit of others to add their thoughts as well. However, as much as this has democratized knowledge, it has also diluted the importance of expertise. The barriers of the previous publishing world lacked the ability to include all voices but it did help identify expertise. As adults and educators, I think we have to work harder to identify the smart people and allow their ideas to be heard over the din of social media.  Expertise is not found in followers but on the quality and evidence of ideas that have proven the test of time. 

I also understand that many marginalized groups have not had their voices heard. This is where the power of the web has helped bring those voices into more conversations. This is a good thing. We need to find the new experts in these groups.

In the end, we need to have more reverence and value for wisdom, experience, and knowledge even as we invite other voices into important conversations. We need to listen to children and the voices of those that haven’t always been heard. But all voices are not equal.