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Part 1: Authentic Intellectual Work/Authentic Instruction & Assessment.
Authentic intellectual work focuses on the quality of work and requires the synthesis of skills, knowledge, and problem solving to find solutions to problems (Newman 2007). To accomplish this type of work a student must have a base of skills and knowledge that would come from a variety of places. Further, it is important that the base of knowledge be vast and expansive. When a student is faced with a particular problem to solve, the student would utilize higher order problem solving skills to find solutions to the problem they are addressing. In many cases, the solution to a problem may not have one correct answer. The problem to be solved may also be a unique problem that has not been seen before. As students face new unique challenges they must draw upon their knowledge and skills and creatively find solutions, much like an Engineer.
In a traditional classroom, students usually learn a variety of facts and test over knowledge that they have learned by rote. However, traditional learning methods do not incite complex problem solving. In my experience, I have seen many students become disengaged with traditional teaching methods. Students seldom see the value in their effort in traditional teaching methods and feel discouraged when their biggest accomplishment is on a Scantron. Unfortunately, teachers often feel trapped in these methods as they are being assessed by how students perform on standardized tests.
Assessing authentic intellectual work is also a unique process (Newman 2007). As an educator it is important to consider a student’s process and creative problem solving. What methods did the student try? What solutions failed? What did students learn from their failures? What distinctive resolutions did the students find? As students search for answers they continue to learn and grow significantly during the process.
There are three key components to authentic intellectual work: construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school (Newman 2007). Each component used together creates the best possible learning experience. First, construction of knowledge requires that the student have a strong and varied base of knowledge to pull from. Additionally, this is believed to be best used when the knowledge base has students applying knowledge to real world experiences. Second, let us explore disciplined inquiry. A student must use prior knowledge along with an acute understanding that would allow the student to navigate deeper into ways to problem solve based on their deep understanding of the knowledge. Additionally, students must be able to communicate complex and intricate ideas to others upon their findings. Third, students should be able to recognize the benefit of learning outside the classroom and lesson (Newman 2007). I work hard to instill these components in my own teaching. Most notably, the idea of using the wealth of learning outside the classroom. Research tells us that the value of authentic intellectual work far exceeds the lesson at hand. Reports note that students from Australia, Singapore, and the UK who were exposed to AIW over a number of years created a higher quality work product (Sayne 2018). I see positive results among my own students as well. Students seem to thrive when they are given such opportunities.
My advanced theatre students must synthesize years of knowledge and skills, combined with in-depth training in a variety of acting, vocal, and physical techniques, while also drawing upon their prior experiences and research to build characters that can live in the world of the play. We have a statewide competition each year where every high school in the state of Texas must choose a play to present and perform to a panel of judges. The judges vote on the best plays to move forward in the competition and each school's play must move up in the ranks at five consecutive contests to compete at the state level. To prepare for the One Act Play competition, I begin by choosing a script with relatable issues that will incite a Brechtian response from our audiences. Our goal is to face hot topics head on and get people feeling and talking about uncomfortable issues. My students become ignited with passion to research topics related to the play. Through this process all the students involved must have a strong prior knowledge and skills related to theatre. Students must conduct a disciplined inquiry into the specifics of the world of the play, the characters, and themes related to the story. However, the most rewarding part of the process is the connections they make to real-world issues and the problem solving and leadership skills they are gaining along the way.
Part 2: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update
After surviving the last year of teaching through COVID, I realized I was utilizing technology in a new way and it was genuinely more efficient and better for students. While we missed physical human interaction, my students felt empowered as they explored and discovered innovative ways to continue the world of theatre. They used TikTok to create and edit short films. They made connections to theatre professionals online. We end each year with Senior directed scenes where all the underclassmen are the actors. COVID made us rethink how we perform. My instruction was they must find a way to meet, rehearse, and complete a final performance to share online. Directors created google forms for auditions where actors were instructed to submit an audition video. Directors created a casting system and a shared google sheet to track actors and their contact information. Rehearsals were recorded over Zoom and submitted as evidence of their work. Technical students read each scene, conducted research on characters and details of the play, and designed props, costumes and digital backgrounds to share with directors. Finally, each director had to edit multiple recordings to create a final performance that must include title and credits, music and upload on to YouTube to share with our final audience. This project is a perfect example of technology and authentic intellectual work at hand.
Part 3: Triple E Framework
The Triple E Framework and AIW both focus on quality of education and learning. We do not want to have a world of mindless students who stare at computer screens and answer only multiple-choice questions. When students see the value beyond school, they become engaged. I instruct teachers to start with why. Let students know why they are studying this information and by seeing the value of what they are learning they are hooked. This too allows for the Triple E idea of Extension and how skills can be used outside the classroom. To accomplish a disciplined inquiry, students need to Enhance by using the best technologies and resources to aid in their discovery (Kolb 2020). Additionally, students must draw from a sturdy base of knowledge to know how to best use the tools available to them. In short, AIW and the Triple E framework are an ideal match for the modern student.
References
Kolb, L (2020). Learning First, Technology Second in Practice New Strategies, Research and Tools for Student Success. First Edition. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment: Common Standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects. State of Iowa Department of Education. Introduction, Chapters. 1 & 2 (30 pages). Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T9JNAZgLfKvXAX7JoaOJElkkZS5Xf-lp/view?usp=drivesdk
Saye, J. W., Stoddard, J., Gerwin, D. M., Libresco, A. S., & Maddox, L. E. (2018). Authentic pedagogy: examining intellectual challenge in social studies classrooms. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 50(6), 865–884. https://doi-org.ezproxy.se.edu/10.1080/00220272.2018.1473496
