Category: Reform in Education

Pedagogical Uses of Social Networking Systems

The Context: The following entry was written in response to a colleague’s question to the general faculty about the possibilities of using social networking systems like Myspace and Facebook in teaching:

I could envision lessons and activities that explore or study various aspects of social networking, but as far as actually using a social network environment to host class work, I tend to agree with my colleague Laurence: “there are some web platforms that may be better left to non-academic uses.” The social networks are where the “kids” hang out; there seems something invasive about “going there” as a class—kinda like bringing a class, uninvited, to someone’s party; it could work out okay, but it’s just . . . weird).

Aside from the question of how to use social networking tools in one’s teaching, I think the bigger pedagogical issue here has to do with broad matters of communication and rhetoric brought to the fore by the social networking phenomenon. Many media reports have sounded the alarm bell about the dangers kids expose themselves to in putting too much of their lives out there on the Web. We’ve long known of the danger of the Internet in terms of predators and children. Now, however, with young adults voluntarily publishing information about themselves (photos of drinking exploits at parties, for instance), the dangers have shifted somewhat from those involving personal safety to those involving professional liabilities (in presenting personal info that might make an individual less attractive to a potential employer, school admissions office, etc.).

What’s our role as educators in all this? Rather than foment the concern, I’d prefer educators show leadership and wisdom on this issue.

Specifically, I think educators—at all levels—should teach communicators (all students) the principles and practices of “effective communication.” Myspace/Facebook/etc. is giving us a marvelous “teachable moment.” I think we should take the lead and promote the study—and perhaps even the use of—social networking technologies (even if we don’t use such tools in our teaching). We should support and coach the responsible use of such technologies. In essence we should teach students how “to Myspace”—or at least help them build awareness of the range of communicative/social/personal/professional issues involved in putting one’s oar into the deep and sometimes turbulent waters of public discourse.

I make this proposal, in part, in response to the strong and growing move to curtail and control social networking—especially in high school environments. I’ve heard several reports by our student teachers and first-year teachers about (understandably) skittish administrators whose first impulse in such dangerous situations is one of censorship. It’s ironic; in higher ed, our goal is to stimulate discussion and critical thinking; we often lament our students’ inabilities in this regard—but, to be blunt, so much of the goal in earlier schooling centers on keeping the lid on “inappropriate” communication and critique; is it any wonder the kids come to us communicatively straight-jacketed?

But anyway, thanks for initiating this stimulating discussion [on the faculty listserv]. I see many ways the issues involved “connect.” I’m encouraged to think how a more open attitude about communication possibilities can empower us (the collective “us,” as scholars, as society’s experts in various types of communication)—and play to our strengths in terms of our potential leadership. Conversely, such openness may expose us to new situations where we will learn from our students. Some of us welcome such dynamics while others may be less comfortable with them.

In any event, whenever new technologies are involved, there will undoubtedly be “unexpected by-products.” I have a positive example of such a by-product from one of our student teachers last semester. The incident involved a student teacher who used Myspace to collect and share information about a high school student in her class who had died in a car accident over the Christmas break. The student teacher was able to gather many compelling artifacts from the student’s Myspace site. The student was a poet and artist. The student teacher was able to put together a soundtrack of music from the student’s favorite music, and create a slide show of words and images to celebrate the student’s life and help her classmates through the rough, early stages of grief.

I think there are various ways we in higher education can show leadership in “teaching how-to-Myspace” (if I may be excused using “Myspace” as a verb), but it starts with an open attitude and a confidence in/realization of our credentials to be the leaders. . . .

The Word Spy – defensive pessimism

Well, it turns out there is a word for it–this strategy of control, which leads to an ironic optimism:

The Word Spy – defensive pessimism

“A strategy that anticipates a negative outcome and then takes steps to avoid that outcome….”

Intriguing how this strategy reduces anxiety for some and increases it for others…. There’s the real lesson: the absence of an objective signification for any term, situation, strategy….

This term is a good fit for my “toolbox” approach to teaching. An important tool, here, for all those melancholy, back-door optimists.

Also: What uses could a dictionary like Word Spy be put to in teaching vocabulary in schools? Is there any way high schoolers could perceive and enjoy the fun of a dictionary like this (dedicated to neologisms), where the play and vitality and lability of language is uppermost….

Dealing with attendance issues in student teaching

A star student, now at the start of student teaching, writes:

I do want to ask advice about some of the issues that have surprised me. The first issue is attendance. Unfortunately, the lower-level classes [at my school] tend to have poor attendance. This makes it difficult for me and the class on many levels. Obviously, these students are missing precious class time, and they fall behind for the simple fact that they do not get to partake in the class discussions, notes, etc. Furthermore, these students tend to disrupt the flow of class with their constant questions that, while certainly necessary for their academic development, frustrate the other students because we end up covering the same issues over and over again (this becomes a compounded problem when several students are absent on the same day but return to school on different days). Additionally, the attendance problems make it difficult for me to do much group work with the students.

How can I incorporate group work without then penalizing the students who were absent (and without driving myself crazy trying to remember make-up assignments to equal the missed group work)? I’m not as concerned about doing group with with the regular-level class (and later on, the honors classes I will pick up the last week in Sept.) But for this Skills class, it poses a problem for me. The attendance also makes it hard for me to establish routine in the classroom. I have been enlightened by the teachings of Harry Wong, and his explanation and reasoning for procedures/routines can’t be beat. Yet, I’m facing an uphill battle just trying to catch everyone up on missed work while still teaching the planned lessons. And if that isn’t bad enough, we still have a lot of new students entering the classes each day (I had 3 new students in one class period today! FYI, school started on Aug 29).

Your attendance situation gets me thinking in a couple ways. I don’t have any slam-dunk answers, but a few possibilities. I think you have to look for organizational structures that enable individuals at all different points of project completion to work at their own level and pace. You need a clear communication of weekly or daily assignments (on the board each day, or on a weekly handout you could give to students and refer them to). I think if you could make personal responsibility a part of the grade, you might be able to reward productive behavior, and perhaps give the non-achievers a clearer route by which they can earn credit. I think you need to focus fiercely on keeping things positive, giving students as much a way to EARN points for cooperative behavior as possible. You need to communicate relentlessly about all the routes to success in the class. And even when you’re feeling extremely disappointed, you have to bring a positive, upbeat message to the group. As Machiavelli says, praise in public, censure in private. (Of course, sometimes you’ll have to raise hell with them, but that strong spice must be used sparingly. Love them more than you scold them, and even if you find you have to kill them, make sure you do so with kindness rather than with anger.)

As you know, I would advocate as much a workshop approach as possible, where you could counsel kids one-on-one as much as possible (thus not worry about wasting whole-class time catching up the kids needing catching-up). Also, I would advocate the set-up of as much “IEP-type” instruction as possible. (Richard Kent advocates the use of “People Plans” instead of “Lesson Plans”). Can you set up workshop so students are working towards individual goals as much as, if not more than, whole-group or small-group projects? Think of approaching that fragmented group in terms of developing “IEPs” for all of them. How would that change things? (I know things like your lesson plans, mandated curricula, and cooperating teachers might not make these approaches easy or obviously implementable….)

Also: these kids obviously don’t have a stake in class. How could they develop one? Can you ask them? Can you negotiate with them? Can you lay out YOUR absolutes (what are they?)–and then find places to respond to THEIR needs/desires? I’m not suggesting you become a pushover (I don’t think that would happen); you could be very firm, and yet very open and flexible with them. I think you need to meet them halfway on some issues…. What ways are you using to find out their attitudes, feelings, difficulties, obstacles, and struggles? In what ways can you adjust on the basis of what you discover?

This could be your experimental class. You are not having these issues with other groups. Why not communicate to this group their “special” status? They’re your project class: puff them up to be your great success story. Pull out all the stops. Use psychological warfare. Make it personal, and do confide in them how well they are doing when they are doing well–and always SEE THEM to be doing well…. (Is that fighting dirty? All’s fair in love, war, and trouble classes….)

We bloggers all pay homage to Winston Weathers

From page 44 of An Alternate Style: Options in Composition:

I, for example, try to capture each day some of the moods/events/thoughts/insights that I have experienced—and though some of my “material” may benefit from a Grammar A articulation, a good deal of it would be robbed of its vitality and immediacy if I did not write it down in Grammar B. Much of my journal writing is creative—not “arty,” not the creative of “creative writing class”—but the creative of immediate unhampered recollection, expression, outpouring—and that creative confrontation of the days of my life more freely comes into existence through Grammar B verbalization than through Grammar A verbalization. That’s what my psyche tells me at least. And I am willing to go along with it.

Reflective Action or Reflective Living?



Untitled Document

Blogger’s Note: This reflection was written in response to
a class reflection
written by Carol Medrano for one of her courses in the graduate reading program. Carol’s essay may be read by clicking this link.

Carol–I appreciate this opportunity to engage in a little dialectical discussion
with you here, so thanks for asking me to take a look at your reflection. Several
thoughts . . . I’ll share a few (ah, summer, when I can play hookey from the
required task, whatever it is, and diverge a bit in some side roads of thinking
and discussion):


You do a wonderful job countering the myth that reflection is solely a private
activity. It’s social. You summarize many other features from the analysis of
Dewey, but the social aspect is your main focus.

As teachers, the challenge is, "How do we create spaces, opportunities, requirements/threats/cajolings/pleadings
for reflective action? for reflective dialectical action?" It’s challenging,
but I’m beginning to see ways whereby the whole class can be organized–at the
point of conception–around the needs/rewards/dynamics of reflection.

The challenge becomes not merely one of having a single "reflective action"
added on at the end of something, but to have the reflective attitude guide
the process of learning from the onset and throughout. Part of this can’t be
taught, of course. Some people are "naturally" more prone to reflective
stances than others, etc. But reflectiveness can certainly be coached in all….
And therein is the challenge.

There’s a similar problem with group work. How do you shift from an ineffective
and rather typical use of small groups (I’ll characterize this ineffective use
as isolated instances of small group work thrown in randomly from time to time
to address certain lesson needs) to a more effective practice in which the teacher
perpetually supports and coaches collaborative interaction as a genuine social/intellectual
skill and disposition? One solution, I think, is to start your pedagogical planning
(in July) with the principles of "group" in mind rather than the task
they’ll be doing. Our usual procedure is to start with the lesson, and from
there proceed to the method of group work for engaging in the lesson. I’m suggesting
we turn the planning around. Why not start all our planning with the idea of
the group as the pincipal thing? We then ask in our day-to-day planning, "What
activities support, challenge, grow the group….?" We design learning
goals, curricular approaches, activities, etc. with the idea of the group impact/dynamics
invovled. In essence, the group becomes the organizing principle of our teaching
rather than the lesson itself.

The same holds true for reflection. How do we organize things if our main objectives
are rooted in the processes of reflection rather than the external learning standards,

curricula, etc. that are handed over to the teacher (often with a flick and a
threat)?

I’m beginning to see ways of doing this kind of reversal of prioritization.
But it’s really more than merely making a "priority" of reflection
or collaboration. It’s deeper; it’s starting with reflection and collaboration
as founding principles that give rise to all else. And at this point, I’ll close,
and only suggest that yes, I’ve begun to glimpse ways of organizing this way
(and relegating standards, goals, curricula, and other externals to afterthoughts—serious
afterthoughts that exert powerful shaping influences, but that keep their place,
too :).

But I have an exit analogy–on a somewhat negative slope. I’m reminded of
other highly effective organizations that might serve as models for the planner
of reflective/collabortive pedagogies: the military, cults, and gangs. They
start out with organizing principles of the "group," the "unit,"
"loyalty," "obedience," "duty," etc. They build
the organization first, and then apply actions to this or that situation. But
there is nothing "ad hoc" about these groups (unlike us in school
who are often so perilously ad hoc). These organizations are modes of being;
they are so un-ad hoc that, on their surface, their routines apppear to be the
antithesis of pragmatic, efficient action. Rather than dealing with the specific
issue at hand ("today’s lesson") they deal with the organizaiton
itself–its needs, its values, its code. But ultimately pragmatism and
efficiency do get nailed, and big time. But what if–in thinking about how to
coach reflection and collaboration–we look to the rituals and principled modes
of organization of the military, cults, and gangs?