the creative agency classroom
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
The Creative Agency Classroom
Justin Reich
EdTechTeacher.org
4/26/2011
ACCEPT
Do Now!
Imagine a classroom teacher.
What image do you conjure in your mind?
Go Dark
METAPHORS, ARCHETYPES, AND MENTAL MODELS
• We devour a book, try to digest raw facts and attempt to regurgitate other people's ideas, even though they might be half-baked.
• But when talking about money, we rely on liquid metaphors. We say we dip into savings, sponge off friends or skim funds off the top.
• Republicans- Stern Father• Democrats- Nanny State
Images of a “Teacher”
“Real School” (Metz 1988)
• “We dispense knowledge. Bring your own container.”
Deliver a lesson
Give a test
Present a lecture
That kid just doesn’t get it
But that kid picks it up really quickly
This doesn’t look like a classroom; this looks like a creative agency on deadline.
Why the “Creative Agency Classroom?”
• As Archetype– “Creativity” as 21st century skill– Agency as redefining students as
autonomous, semi-independent “agents”– Creative agency as source of gainful
employment in 21st century
• As Framework– Students as Knowledge Workers– Teachers as Project Managers– Administrators as Agency Executives
Structure of the Creative Agency Classroom
• Students as Knowledge Workers– Working individually or in small teams– Producing some meaningful performance of
understanding for a public audience– Responsible (having agency) for their learning
and for teaching others
Do versus Get knowledge
Structure of the Creative Agency Classroom
• Teachers as Project Managers– Creating projects and project structures for student
learning– Providing an initial overview and just-in-time instruction– Develop structures so students receive individual/small
group support– Managing students’ executive function
• Helping students develop short and long term goals and measure progress
• Identifying distracted students and refocusing them
– Developing effective collaboration/communication skills
How do we project manage?
Structure of Creative Agency Classroom
• Administrators as Agency Executives– Evaluating and developing management
talent in the creative agency context– Providing forums for teachers to share best
practices– Nurturing a culture supportive of creative
agency teaching with students, parents, and teachers
– Developing accountability structures for student and teacher learning
Cycle of Experiment and Experience
Fear - Growth+
Institutional Capacity+
Experiment
Review (Experience)Plan
Imagine a classroom teacher.
What image do you conjure in your mind?
• “It’s the hardest work I’ve ever done in my career. We’re trying to effect change at scale, and we have to ‘play on two playing fields’ at once. We’re still being judged by the criteria for AYP and state accountability, while holding ourselves to a much higher standard. We have to succeed at both. It’s hard, but it’s the right work to be doing.” –Jim Merrill, Virginia Beach (quoted in Tony Wagner’s Global Achievement Gap)
Join us for 21st Century School Leadership, Leading Change in Changing Times July 21-22
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Getting to the Creative Agency Classroom
• Why change?• What does change look like and how do
you get there?• How do you assess progress towards the
changes you want?
Getting to the Creative Agency Classroom
• Vision: Re-frame archetypes and metaphors
• Practice: Develop and harness instructional leadership– Supporting Skunkworks– Teacher-to-Teacher PD
• Assessment: Identify goals and assess progress
Re-framing language• Assessments vs. Performances of
understanding• What will you do? vs. What will students
do?• Teacher evaluations vs. Class manager
evaluations• Class websites vs. Student publishing
Assessing Change in Changing Times
• Wiggins, Schooling by Design• NEASC, Schoolwide Rubrics
Logic Model
Learning GoalsPerformance Assessments
Skill Benchmarks
Learning Activities
Instructional Support
Causality
Design