Learning Technologies Week 2 - Authentic Intellectual Work

 

Authentic Intellectual Work/Authentic Instruction and Assessment

1. Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) is a framework that increases teacher effectiveness, student interest, and student achievement. AIW can increase rigor and relevance, but is not a comprehensive teaching method or style. Traditional approaches to instruction and assessment focus on the steps to an end goal - for example, a teacher may share with students 'steps' to critical thinking or follow a formula to increase rigor in the classroom. Traditional approaches may be formulaic - do this to achieve this. Follow these steps in the right order. Memorize these words. Do this to accomplish this. AIW differs in that it "involves original application of knowledge and skills, rather than just routine use of facts and procedures" (Newmann, p. 3, 2007).

2. The three components of Authentic Intellectual Work are 1. construction of knowledge, 2. disciplined inquiry, and 3. value or relevance beyond school. 

    Construction of knowledge includes "organizing, interpreting, evaluating or synthesizing prior knowledge to solve new problems" (Newmann, 2007).

    Disciplined inquiry is perhaps what most educators would describe as their aim and method in the classroom. Students use their prior knowledge to formulate and share their ideas and outcomes. The goal is in-depth understanding - not just a rote repetition or regurgitation of facts. The new understandings and ideas can be shared in a multitude of ways - not just outloud with others, but through multimedia presentations, demonstrations, performances, praxis (doing), and relevant activities or experiences.

    The Chicago 46-School Study (K-8 schools) tracked students' standardized test scores (on the Iowa Basic Skills test) over one year to measure growth. Students submitted assignments and related written responses. The assignments were assessed to determine if they were a strong or weak example of Authentic Intellectual Work. Students who received higher authentic quality assessments showed approximately 20% more growth in the skills measured by the standardized test, and almost 40% more growth than students deemed to have received lower authentic quality assessments. It seems that these students demonstrated a strong grasp of AIW's second concept - disciplined inquiry. 

    Value beyond school ensures that students are engaged and invested in what they are doing - because they can see and experience its value outside of the school day. 

3. I teach K-5 music. Authentic Intellectual Work in my 1st grade music classroom could look like an activity centered around student names and rhythms with quarter notes and eighth notes. Students would review together what quarter notes and eighth notes look like and sound like, and would practice performing them using body percussion and a chosen classroom percussion instrument. Then, students would be invited to share their name out loud with the class, and deciding together how many syllables their name is, and how best to notate the rhythm of their name. Finally, students would create an original composition using their friends names and notating the appropriate rhythms to match. Each would have a chance to perform or lead others in a performance of their composition. 

2024 National Education Technology Plan Update

    The 2024 National Education Technology Plan Update (NETP) details three barriers to equitable learning through technology: the digital use divide, the digital design divide, and the digital access divide. The first barrier, the digital use divide, describes the differences between students who have regular opportunities to engage with technology in meaningful, creative, active ways, and students who may have the same access (or even more) to technology, but their experiences and activities are rote, not meaningful. Perhaps it's the same worksheet they would have completed on paper, just in a digital form. These interactions do little to foster creativity or authentic learning. In fact, this divide showcases what we talked about earlier - Authentic Intellectual Work. Students in the second scenario do not have meaningful technological learning experiences because the work does not encourage deeper understandings.
    How can I, in my elementary music classroom, help address the digital use divide? I'll be the first to admit I have too often felt excited about the possibility of sharing an activity with my students on SeeSaw, only to realize, when they're in the classroom with iPads in hand, that the learning experience hasn't changed in anyway from what we could have done without iPads. In fact, as the teacher I'm more frustrated as I dart from student to student trying to troubleshoot problems or keep distracted students on task!
    Thinking about AIW, I want to be sure that technology use in the classroom has relevance beyond school - something that connects to students' day-to-day experiences. I can utilize the second principle of Universal Design for Learning, multiple means of expression, to be sure that students feel a technology project is applicable to their real life. Students need the opportunity to choose how they will share their learning. Let's use the John Williams remix lesson plan I described in my last post. To extend the lesson, students could choose a presentation method that best aligned with their strengths and interests. Students could:
- record a short podcast episode describing and showcasing what they did
- create a video of themselves or others performing the remixes
- lead the class in a performance
- create alternate musical notation (pictures, graph, artwork, slideshow, etc.)
- use their remix as a soundtrack to a short animation or movie clip

Triple E Framework 

       There is a strong connection between AIW framework and Kolb's Triple E's (Engagement, Enhancement, Extension). Engaged students will be motivated to construct knowledge - organizing, evaluating, and trying to solve new problems. Enhancement values a more in-depth understanding that may not be possible with the usual tools or approaches - and could be expressed through disciplined inquiry. Finally, Extend is nearly identical to the idea of relevance beyond school. Both emphasize the importance of experiences and skills that can be used every day outside of the school setting.

Resources

Newman, F. M., Bryk, A.S., & Nagaoka, J. (2001). Authentic intellectual work and standardized tests:     Conflict or coexistence. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Newman, 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. 

United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2024). 2024 National             Educational Technology Plan (NETP): A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use     Divides. https://setda.info/2024netp

Images

Designed by Freepik