“Speed Dating” my way through TEDxOntarioEd … further reflections on a wonderful evening

In my last post, I shared the gist of a talk I gave at a locally organized TEDxOntarioEd event. For someone accustomed to participating at conferences and teaching in a minimum two hour time block, I spent agonizing weeks writing and rewriting and paring down my diatribe to fit the tight time line hoping that in the end, it would still make sense. The weeks (yes, weeks) that went into preparing for this was a time of enormous reflection – over about 27 years of teaching, and trying to tease out those salient ‘bits’ that were transformational to my experience and those of the students I taught.

I have been searching for a way to express what it felt like to be a part of this event. As an academic interested in multiliteracies pedagogy, the presentations represented a virtual feast of multiliteracies practices and for the rest of the weekend, I found myself unable to stop thinking about it.

I have decided that participating in the TEDxOntarioEd event might be comparable to ‘speed dating’; short but intense moments to get to know some remarkable people.

The evening started with the unmatchable energy of Ray Zahab, a man who personifies energy, commitment and a zeal for life that he works hard to bring to our students through the development of online educational resources. In many ways, his works seems to ‘take us along’ on the amazing adventures he experiences.

Nathan Toft and Jane Smith shared their PortablePD and PortableRadio ideas and the playful banter in their presentation revealed how energizing and fun working creatively with colleagues can be.

Joey Savoy’s presentation highlighted some amazing work he is doing in Miramichi, New Brunswick. I could spend serious time learning from each of these people!

Zoe Branigan-Pipe presented her talk in the form of a very moving and inspirational letter to her mother, a retired teacher who clearly left an indelible impression through her own modeling of innovative practice. Zoe has picked up the torch and her online work suggests makes me think she is the Ray Zahab of the online world!

We were treated to a delightful virtual presentation by Tim Long, writer and producer for the Simpsons, that made us laugh as he reminded us about what was both inspiring – and uninspiring about schools.

Lee LeFefer’s skills at expressing himself clearly and succinctly in three minutes (Common Craft: In Plain English) made our 5 minutes seem extravagant! It is a talent!

Alec Couros, an educator that many of us have followed for some time in the virtual world, battled some technological challenges – but his ‘freedom sticks’ and the happy dance came across loud and clear, and demonstrated problem-solving skills mix well with humour!

I spent some time in the ‘green room’ with a young secondary school teacher named Danika Barker. Danika and I were both rehearsing what we wanted to say while also checking out Dan Misener’s brand new iPad. I knew my anxiety surrounded my ability to stick to a script so that I didn’t meander outside of the time allotment. I have followed Danika, and read her blog, and her presentation of her classroom NING illustrated a thoughtful, reflective and pedagogically powerful use of social networking tools in the classroom.

Jesse Brown’s presentation walked us through his experiences in school, suggesting that for him, doodling was a necessity in order to allow himself to be able to focus on what the teacher was saying. As the creator of Bitstrips for Schools, he highlighted the value of visual literacy as an important approach to meaning making. Needless to say, the graphics on his presentation were amazing!

The entire evening was catered by the way, by the ‘Screaming Avacado Canteen’ under the leadership of speaker Paul Finklestein. Paul’s energy suggests that he runs marathons everyday at school as he uses ‘food’ to help students find productive paths in life. As I had only myself to ‘get ready’ that day, I was humbled by what Paul has accomplished in a day, let alone in his career.

Tim, a student from Lambton Kent was our final presenter. Whether he realized it or not, Tim (and all of our students) were really the reason we were all there. Every one of us had been motivated by students in some way to do the things we do. I suspect that Tim’s talk will resonate with teachers and students around the world. Although he describes himself as a ‘teacher’s nightmare’, I think that sometimes institutional constraints create nightmares for both teachers and students. Tim described himself as ‘At Risk’, a term widely used in Ontario to allow students access to certain types of programs. This term has bothered me for some time, and as I watched Tim speak, I could not help but think how ‘At Promise’ would have been more fitting.

To the TEDx OntarioEd Committee, Jamie Reaburn Weir, Ben Hazzard, Rodd Lucier, Sharon Drummond, Kim McGill and Colin Jagoe – all I can say is ‘Wow’. Great job and, I get it. As much as it was obvious the work and organization that went into pulling together such a wonderful evening, working in creative, engaging ways with like-minded individuals is powerfully energizing. Thanks for the rush!

TEDxOntarioED Talk April 9, 2010, LONDON

On Friday night, I was honoured to be invited to speak at the TEDxOntarioEd event in London, Canada.

Set built, appropriately, by students in Listowel ON.

Video:
TEDxOntarioEd -Kathy Hibbert 04/09/10

Text of talk:
I was invited to speak to you tonight about the role that student motivation has played in my life and work. For me, the seeds of these lessons were planted early. When I was a pre-teen growing up in rural Ontario, my family sponsored a young Vietnamese family as they began a new life in Canada. Even then, I relished the role of teacher. But it was years before I understood that while I had taught my adopted family to read and write the ‘word,’ once we shared a language, they taught me about the world.

As a new teacher in the early 80s , I experienced an annual change in teaching assignment. Perpetual learning became my reality. However, as I worked with colleagues and students developing new curriculum each year, I learned that engaging in creative intellectual work fed my teaching and nurtured my spirit.

Malcolm Gladwell has suggested that three things – autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward are necessary for work to be satisfying. Similarly, Daniel Pink argues that autonomy, mastery and purpose create conditions for people to do their best work. I thought back nearly twenty years ago, to a time when I was working with about 400 students across a large geographic area. They approached me and asked to build a website. I had no idea how to go about it (as this was before the days when we had access to programs like Dream Weaver), so three students in grade 5 sat down and patiently taught me enough HTML coding to develop the site. Was it complex? You bet! Did we have autonomy – we sure did, and it was immensely rewarding. I learned that satisfaction and motivation are powerful allies!

In the mid-nineties, the introduction of standardized curriculum and assessment procedures saw ‘professional development’ devolve into ‘training’. Autonomy evaporated. Purpose was determined from ‘above’, and prior mastery was irrelevant. Instead of working with colleagues to build upon our ideas, experiences, and theories, I traveled outside of our region to receive ‘training’ in order that I may return to ‘train-a-trainer’ at each school. Although this is apparently considered ‘economically efficient’, for me, this process was the antithesis of good teaching and professionalism. I learned that dissatisfaction was a powerful drain on motivation.

I began to wonder how teachers could sustain creating engaging experiences for students in classrooms when their own creativity and intellect was ignored over the long term. What do we lose when we condition a talented body of professionals not to ‘think’, but just ‘do’? I find it ironic that as the world around us begins to open up and share knowledge in new and creative ways, (like so many of the examples we have heard about tonight at this TEDx Talk) our schools have increased monitoring and surveillance in a quest to ensure that we raise scores on a single standardized test. We need to be concerned about this. Do we want (and can we afford) to simply graduate individuals who have demonstrated proficiency at following instructions – at a time when success in the global economy is dependent upon innovative thinking?

Recently my work has focused on ways in which digital resources support learning. [See ATM Confessions ]. Since our adolescents are the lead users of technology, I invited them to participate in this inquiry. One of these students, dismayed by what he perceived to be a resistance to technology in his classroom, uttered the familiar idiom, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. Well, horses are not unlike people. It is part of human nature to resist forces that limit our autonomy. But if we reframe our thinking about this however, we may open up possibilities. The question ‘How might we arouse thirst’, acknowledges our natural desire for meaning.

It is why my current multiliteracies project is called The Salty Chip. This project trusts in the power of engaged teachers and students working together. It honors and respects the different places we all are in our learning, and in our use of emerging technologies.

A balanced intake of salt is essential to our physical life. Too much leads to health problems; too little can lead to death. It might be worth considering the ‘fluid balance’ in our intellectual diets. How often do we feel intellectually dehydrated when ‘training’ ignores the principles of differentiated instruction?

What kind of a legacy are we leaving our students, and the teachers who follow us? I think it is time to shift the discourse in education — from one steeped for too long in the dominant discourse of management, accountability and measurement –to one of inspiration, engagement and hope. Hope that our schools can move beyond the factory model, and its factory mentality; to spaces that are more relevant to the 21st century ideas that have ignited a new generation -illustrated by the wonderful examples that have been shared this evening. Hope that teachers and students can be freed to engage as learners together in ways that leave us all full, satisfied and thirsty for more!