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  • Why many colleges are giving more credit for learning outside the classroom

    Why many colleges are giving more credit for learning outside the classroom


    Alice Keeney was in the Navy from 2003 through 2012, where she learned how to safely operate the nuclear propulsion plants that power submarines and aircraft carriers.

    When she enlisted in the Navy in 2003, Alice Keeney attended naval nuclear power school. 

    There, she learned how to safely operate the nuclear propulsion plants that powered submarines or aircraft carriers — knowledge that she used when she was deployed outside the Arabian Gulf as a nuclear surface warfare officer in the late 2000s. 

    Keeney’s expertise in nuclear theory and practice was valued enough that she became an instructor in the Navy, and she trained the first 22 women who became submarine volunteers.

    Keeney specifically chose this path into the Navy because she believed it would give her skills that are valued in the civilian world. She spent many 12-hour days in school — not counting homework — studying advanced physics, math, chemistry and reactor core nuclear principles. She expected she could skip a few semesters ahead in college — and maybe even have enough funding from her G.I. Bill left over to attend graduate school. But it wasn’t that easy.  

    When she enrolled in chemical engineering at Cal Poly Pomona in 2012, Keeney was dismayed to learn that nothing on her Joint Services transcripts, a document that describes military training in a way that makes sense to colleges or employers, amounted to a single college credit.

    “It was frustrating to look at my transcript — for somebody who has the experience I have, who has the training that I have,” Keeney said. “There were classes listed like general chemistry — I should never have had to take that.”

    The benefits of getting credit for prior learning

    When students start college later in life, they often bring unique knowledge and skills with them. The military is the most common way — at least it is now — but that experience can also come through a job, a hobby or even volunteering.

    Increasingly, universities and colleges are working on ways to award credit to students for what they have learned outside the classroom. California’s community colleges and Cal State University system, in particular, have expanded this over the past decade, formally recognizing this experience, known as credit for prior learning (CPL).

    This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the practice during a news conference about the state’s effort to improve career education. He is promoting a shift toward what he calls a “skillset mindset,” where Californians can demonstrate their skills and knowledge beyond grades or a credential, whether those skills were picked up in school, the military or volunteering.

    He lauded the community colleges for ensuring that military members don’t have to “take basic requirements for education that they’ve already received in the military,” he said. “They get credit for prior learning.”

    How students receive credit can vary widely, depending on the discipline. Students might take a challenge test. A portfolio review by a faculty member might be appropriate for business or art courses. Some jobs require certifications that can transfer into course credit.

    Research shows that students who receive credit for what they’ve learned outside a classroom save time and valuable tuition dollars. A national study by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) found that students who entered college with 12 credits through prior learning could save anywhere from $1,500 to $10,500 and shave nine to 14 months off their time in college. 

    There are also psychological benefits for students who start college with credits under their belts. 

    “Students begin their college careers with a sense of momentum and accomplishment,” said Tina Barlolong, a veteran and credit-for-prior-learning counselor at Palomar College in San Diego.

    This might help to explain why 49% of students who received this credit for prior learning completed their degree compared with 27% of students who received no credit, according to the study by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. The national study followed more than 200,000 students, largely over the age of 25, at 72 institutions for over seven years, beginning in 2011.

    “That student immediately feels valued, they feel seen, and they’re going to take more advanced level classes, they’re more likely to take more units,” said Su Jin Jez, CEO of the nonprofit California Competes, a nonpartisan policy and research organization. 

    Students who receive credit for prior learning avoid the sense of deflation that Keeney felt when she realized that she would be required to take courses, like general chemistry, that she had long surpassed as a nuclear propulsion plant supervisor in the Navy. That may send students the message that college isn’t for them, Jez said.

    “We spend all this money on them and put them in harm’s way,” said James Cahill, an advocate for credit for prior learning for vets. “They come home and are told [their experience is] worthless.”

    Meeting workforce demand

    This is a subject that hits close to home for Jez. Her father spent two decades as a plane mechanic in the Air Force, but when he tried to attend a community college, he struggled to prove that he had the knowledge and skills to skip ahead in his coursework. Because he couldn’t get college credit, he opted to become a letter carrier.

    “We did fine, but he would have earned more,” Jez said. It’s not just her father who lost out, she said; the workforce also lost a worker with highly specialized and in-demand skills.

    This is what has motivated Cahill to advocate at both the state and federal level for veterans to be awarded college credit for their military training. Cahill’s son served as a medic in Iraq, but he received no credit for his military training when he enrolled as a premed student at Sacramento State. Cahill said his son burned through his G.I. Bill money by taking a lot of classes on topics he had already put into practice on the battlefield.

    Cahill testified about this issue at the height of the pandemic when the shortage of nurses became a crisis.

    “If they had had these laws in place, imagine how many nurses could have backfilled,” he said. “Imagine how many teachers and law enforcement and the language that [veterans] bring to a college campus.”

    Credit for prior learning isn’t a new concept. Since at least World War II, the American Council on Education has evaluated military training to help veterans transition to civilian life. But there are still no federal guidelines requiring colleges and universities to honor veterans with credit.

    Recently, credit for prior learning has begun to receive renewed attention as a way to encourage students to enroll — or re-enroll — in college to finish their bachelor’s or other post-secondary degree. One group of students with some college credit but no degree has caught the attention of colleges and universities, especially in the wake of pandemic-era enrollment losses. 

    About 1 in 5 adults in California over age 25 have attended college but do not have a degree. These are students that were at one point interested in a credential, but were, for a variety of reasons, sidelined.

    One of those students was Benjamin King. His first attempt at college didn’t go well, he said; early fatherhood threw a wrench into his plans. He planned on returning to school but then found a well-paying computer programming job that was stable — until the company downsized, and he became jobless.

    “At that point, I was at this crossroads where I was trying to figure out: Do I want to continue on my programming journey or do I want to go in a different direction?” he said.

    King enrolled in Palomar College to explore his options. It wasn’t his programming background that called to him, but his passion for photography. He took a job on campus running the photography lab. He enjoyed mentoring students and offering advice from the vantage of being an older student.

    “The faculty really saw the way I was interacting with the younger students and how I was able to help them out,” he said. 

    He was encouraged to apply for an adjunct faculty position in the photography department. There was one problem: He didn’t yet have an associate degree needed for the position, and the clock was ticking for when applications would close.

    Faculty encouraged him to petition for college credit through the prior learning program. Palomar College’s work to expand its process has paid huge dividends for veterans and even active duty members, but it also helped King, who had no military experience.

    King put together a portfolio of his photography that the faculty reviewed. This enabled him to get credit for several photography courses, finish his degree quickly and ultimately, land the adjunct faculty position. 

    Now he enjoys teaching photography courses and continuing to mentor students. Recently, a pregnant student came to him concerned about her future. He was able to assure her that he had been in a similar boat — and that it wasn’t the end of the road for him.

    “I enjoyed programming and still do it for fun,” King said. “But I get much more fulfillment from this job.”

    California slowly improves

    Trying to get credit for prior learning can be difficult. It’s not just students who need help navigating this arena — even many counselors or faculty don’t know what’s happening on their own campuses, according to Wilson Finch, vice president of initiatives at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.

    Finch compares the national landscape of credit for prior learning to an overgrown garden: “It needs a good pruning and cleanup just to make it useful for people.”

    Public universities and colleges in California have been doing some of that pruning. Legislation over the past decade has encouraged public universities to do more.

    Veterans have been a key target of legislation. They make up a small percentage of the student population, but — at least for now — the majority of students who are receiving credit for prior learning. Most begin their academic careers at community colleges.

    In 2012, legislators passed a bill requiring the chancellor of California Community Colleges to determine which courses could be completed using military credit. But state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, complained that three years after the law was supposed to be implemented, community colleges “still lack a uniform policy for the awarding of course credit for military education, training and experience.”

    The Senate passed Roth’s bill, SB 1071, requiring community colleges at the district level to create a consistent policy aimed at awarding veterans credit. Another bill, AB 1002, passed in 2021, was aimed at the CSU and UC systems.

    Cahill said he is frustrated to see Newsom only now promoting what had been signed into law before he took office.

    “The delay meant that thousands of veterans got no college credit,” he said.

    Advocates say that efforts to improve and expand credit for prior learning will benefit the larger student population outside the military. In fact, the 2020 study by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning found that when non-veteran students received credit for prior learning, nearly three-quarters completed their credential.

    But a 2018 survey from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office noted that 81% of credit awarded at community colleges was for military training compared with 13% for job training.

    The Chancellor’s Office would like to see that change. It has set an ambitious goal of ensuring that at least 250,000 Californians receive credit for prior learning by 2030, with most of those credits going to non-veterans. The Mapping Articulated Pathways (MAP) Initiative supports community colleges in these efforts through training, technology and policy.

    Streamlining the process for veterans to get credit for prior learning has sparked an effort to improve the system as a whole, according to Brent Foster, Cal State’s assistant vice chancellor and state university dean of academic programs. Each campus in the CSU system now has its own policy.

    “That was the whole reason many of us went back to the drawing board with CPL,” Foster said.

    Public colleges and universities now largely have their own policies for credit for prior learning. But that doesn’t mean it’s been fully implemented.

    “It’s not a light switch you flip, and it just runs,” Foster said. “You have to make sure the bones are good.”

    Counselors, faculty members and other staff are key in making sure that students even know that they might be eligible for the credit. The 2018 survey by the Chancellor’s Office found that the main barrier was a lack of awareness.

    “It’s an important reminder as we intake students,” Foster said, “that we need to look at the whole student and what kinds of experiences might help them graduate faster and save money.” 

    At Cal Poly Pomona, that means that administrators involved in promoting credit for prior learning have been holding discussions with groups on campus, such as faculty, department chairs and advisers to get feedback, and, perhaps most importantly, a buy-in, according to José Lozano, articulation officer in the Cal Poly Pomona registrar’s office.

    Changes at Cal Poly Pomona have come too late for Keeney to avoid taking classes she didn’t need. To save money, she ended up finishing her senior year through an online college. But her story became a case study for improving the credit for prior learning process — not just at Cal Poly but other CSU and community college campuses, according to Elke Azpeitia, director of the Veterans Resource Center at Cal Poly Pomona.

    Keeney said beyond policy, it’s important that people inside the system understand why credit for prior learning is so important.

    “I think having allies in universities who see value in education that isn’t just structured in a college scenario or university scenario,” Keeney said. “That’s a big thing.” 





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  • Standards to classroom: Transforming the opportunity to learn in California schools

    Standards to classroom: Transforming the opportunity to learn in California schools


    Riverside County teachers collaboratively learn with the Riverside County Office of Education math team around increasing student thinking.

    Credit: Riverside County Office of Education

    When I became president of the California State Board of Education in 1975 for the first of two stints in this role (1975–82), three different offices created state curriculum frameworks, instructional materials and assessments, without much coordination or integration. In the five decades since, I’ve seen the state make significant progress in aligning K–12 policies — including those that govern finance, English learners, career/technical education, teacher preparation, accountability, postsecondary preparation, and more — to form a system where the various parts do work together.

    But alignment alone is not enough for successful student learning and measurable academic growth. For example, Common Core math adopted by the State Board of Education in 2013 failed at the essential last mile of implementation by not providing the capacity for teachers and principals to teach the new math framework. As I reflected on my eight-year presidency of the board ending in 2019, I concluded we ended up with some islands of deeply rooted and changed math teaching, but mostly deserts where math teaching never changed significantly.

    In 2014, the board approved the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework and in 2023 a new math framework. Now, state educators must focus on the next step. To successfully implement both academic frameworks, we will need effective, aligned, sustained professional development that can reach and strengthen the entire teacher workforce.

    Scaling up means ensuring that every teacher in California has, on an ongoing basis:

    • Adequate time to prepare lessons
    • Opportunities to continually learn in math topic areas as well as best practices in teaching
    • Opportunities to collaborate with other teachers while on the job
    • Access to models of effective teaching
    • Access to coaching and expert support
    • Time for reflection, feedback and revision

    This kind of professional development has been implemented on a large scale in Ontario, Canada; Singapore; South Korea; and Japan.

    To better serve our students and realize the goals of our math and English language arts standards requires substantial shifts on the part of teachers and instructional leaders. The state must make a sustained investment to make this happen. The new 2023 math framework, for example, calls for students to explain and justify their reasoning, grasp concepts, and make connections between different solutions in a much deeper manner than was the case in the No Child Left Behind era. Teachers’ instruction will likely improve only if they have developed relatively sophisticated visions of high-quality mathematics teaching. Teachers need rapid feedback mechanisms and the ability to continually measure how well each student is learning.

    These are no small tasks to reach 9,700 principals and 319, 000 teachers in California. The local district is the first entity one would typically look toward in coordinating efforts to build teachers’ capacity to implement standards-aligned instruction. But most districts in California are quite small. Larger districts lack the necessary staff development capacity in-house, especially since staff support must be thorough and sustained.

    Each state needs to devise its own strategies for how to best build and sustain the infrastructure for a dramatic upgrade in local instructional capacity. California has set policies and oversees the preparation of new teachers primarily through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).  The state needs to expand the scope of the CTC, Department of Education, and California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to include current teachers starting with early career teachers, and scaling up to more experienced teachers. We can also learn from successful approaches that have taken hold in other states.

    The Newsom administration has invested in service scholarships and residencies to recruit and retain better-prepared teachers and, while these show considerable promise, they were funded with one-time money and have thus far not increased in scale to provide a large enough supply of new teachers. Districts and county offices also need support to train and coach in-service teachers. The state has recently directed funds to a county office and the state Mathematics Project to train coaches for districts so that they can establish ongoing embedded professional learning for their teachers. This, too, is a promising start, but unlikely to be sufficient to meet the enormous statewide demand for assistance. 

    Because human and organizational capacity building at the local level is expensive and difficult to carry out, technology and digital platforms must be designed to lower the costs. For example, students could be taught using individualized technology packages during a part of a school day, while teachers are released to attend a few hours of professional development that would otherwise necessitate the hiring of substitute teachers. Online video coaching for math teaching has already proved effective in districts such as Lost Hills in Kern County, which has shown double-digit gains in math proficiency levels for their students following such coaching,

    Some critics call for more state control of what happens after teachers close the classroom door. But there is no obvious path or mechanism to exert enough state control in hundreds of thousands of classrooms for top-down implementation of the series of complex instructional shifts called for by the curriculum frameworks. Advocating for the state to take an expanded interest in ensuring and coordinating local teacher training is not equivalent to explicit state control over how a teacher goes about delivering that instruction. The latter would likely achieve minimal local buy-in and could undermine the flexibility teachers need to meet the needs of different students with distinctive strategies. Instead, schools and teachers must internalize the new standards as their own and not perceive them as an intrusion. History and current research clearly demonstrate that standards-based implementation is unlikely to be advanced by additional regulations, mandates and sanctions from the top down. Teacher support for complex instruction instead must be constructed from the bottom up. California can achieve new policies that drive classroom improvement by supporting internal and revamped external school accountability, encouraging collaborative teamwork and funding sustained, ongoing professional learning. 

    •••

    Michael Kirst is professor emeritus at Stanford University and served 12 years as president of the California State Board of Education.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • How to resist Trump’s order imposing classroom censorship and discrimination 

    How to resist Trump’s order imposing classroom censorship and discrimination 


    The LGBTQ+ community rallies in solidarity, opposing the Social Studies Alive! ban in Temecula Valley Unified in June 2023.

    Credit: Mallika Seshadri / EdSource

    This week’s executive order by President Donald Trump disingenuously titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” is a brazen assault on our educational freedoms and civil rights. The order directs the secretary of education and other department heads to develop a plan to terminate federal funds that directly or indirectly support classroom instruction on systemic racism or provide supportive school services and protections to transgender youth. 

    The order’s sweeping definition of what it calls “discriminatory equity ideology” could lead to a ban on teaching about slavery, segregation, redlining, voter suppression and other historical realities that continue to shape life and opportunity in America today. The order could also result in a ban on ethnic studies, gender studies, queer studies and other rigorous academic disciplines that prepare students to think critically and to live in a multicultural, multiracial society. 

    Equally troubling is the order’s attack on transgender students and the educators who support them. By directing the attorney general and federal prosecutors to coordinate investigations and prosecutions against educators who provide basic support to transgender students, like psychological counseling, or who use the student’s preferred pronouns, the order puts already vulnerable students at grave risk. 

    Put this all together and what results is a stunning proposal for a federal takeover of local education, where the president of the United States dictates what local schools can teach and which type of student belongs in our classrooms. It is also another attempt by President Trump and many of his right-wing supporters to purge our nation’s history of uncomfortable truths and erase the lived experience of people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

    While the potential consequences of this order are staggering to imagine, the most effective way to resist it is clear: Schools, educators and communities should not cave in to threats and intimidation and rush to voluntarily comply with this likely unconstitutional and unlawful order. Stay the course, partner with students, families and community organizations, and resist unless and until the courts have authorized any aspect of these outlandish proposals. 

    Trump tried something similar and failed in his last days of his first presidential term by issuing Executive Order 13950, which prohibited federal agencies and grant recipients from conducting trainings that included “divisive concepts” such as systemic racism, white privilege and unconscious bias. The order was blocked by a court in Northern California on First Amendment and Fifth Amendment grounds and later rescinded by the Biden administration. 

    Similar attempts to censor classroom discussion and discriminate against transgender students have also faced legal challenges in states across the country, and most challenges have prevailed. Courts have generally protected local control and academic freedom as essential to democracy and have struck down restrictions on federal funding that essentially coerce states to the point of compulsion. Multiple federal statutes dating back to the founding of the U.S. Department of Education, including the bipartisan-supported Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, also prohibit federal officials from controlling specific instructional content or curriculum, and expressly leave such decisions to state and local officials. 

    Even if there are legal setbacks, it will take time, perhaps years, for the courts to resolve these issues. In the meantime, schools have a legal and moral obligation to protect all students and provide an inclusive and honest education. They should stand firm while legal challenges proceed.

    But the fight for educational justice belongs to all of us, not just to lawyers — and it requires a broader movement. Students, parents, educators and community leaders must speak out and stand firm against this dangerous attack on our values. Together, we must continue to make the public case for inclusive education. This includes sharing stories of how discussions of history and identity have transformed our classrooms and our life journeys. Documenting the positive and life-saving impact of supporting LGBTQ+ students. Helping parents understand why preparing diverse teachers to work with students of all backgrounds makes education better for everyone. And importantly, we must document the harm this order would cause to students’ educational experiences. These stories and voices — not just legal arguments in court — will ultimately determine whether we can build schools that truly serve all students.

    In the meantime, stand firm, keep supporting all students and continue teaching truth. 

    •••

    Guillermo Mayer is president and CEO of Public Advocates, a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity and climate justice.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • California college professors have mixed views on AI in the classroom

    California college professors have mixed views on AI in the classroom


    Cal State Long Beach lecturer Casey Goeller wants his students to know how to use AI before they enter the workforce.

    Tasmin McGill/EdSource

    Since Open AI’s release of ChatGPT in 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and models have found their way into the California college systems. These AI tools include language models and image generators that provide responses and images based on user prompts.

    Many college professors have spoken out against AI’s use in college coursework, citing concerns of cheating, inaccurate responses, student overreliance on the tool, and, as a consequence, diminished critical thinking. Universities across the U.S. have implemented AI-detecting software like Turnitin to prevent cheating through the use of AI tools.

    However, some professors have embraced the use of generative AI and envision its integration into curricula and research in various disciplines. To these professors, students learning how to use AI is critical to their future careers.

    An October 2024 report from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business found that 38% of the school’s faculty use AI in their classrooms.

    Ramandeep Randhawa, professor of business administration and data science at USC, was one of the report’s 26 co-authors and organized the effort. 

    “As companies increasingly integrate AI into their workflows, it is critical to prepare students for this AI-first environment by enabling them to use this technology meaningfully and ethically,” Randhawa said. “Universities, as bastions of knowledge, must lead the way by incorporating AI into their curricula.”

    All in on AI

    At California State University, Long Beach, gerontology lecturer Casey Goeller has incorporated AI into his course assignments since fall 2023.

    Students enter Goeller’s Perspectives on Gerontology course with various levels of experience with AI. By asking students for a show of hands, Goeller estimates the class is usually evenly split, with some students having no experience, others having dabbled with it and some who have used it extensively.

    Goeller aims to help students understand how AI can be beneficial to them academically, whether it be assisting with brainstorming, organizing, or acting as a 24/7 on-call tutor.

    To achieve this, Goeller’s assignments include students using an AI tool of their choice to address his feedback on their essays based on criteria such as content, flow and plagiarism concerns. Another assignment, worth 15% of their grade, emphasizes the importance of prompt engineering by having students use AI-generated questions to interview an older person in their life.

    While Goeller gets a lot of questions from fellow faculty members about how AI works and how to implement it, he also hears plenty of hesitation.

    “There’s a lot of faculty who’s still riding a horse to work, I call it,” Goeller said. “One of them said, ‘I am never going to use AI. It’s just not going to happen.’ I said, ‘What you should do if you think you can get away with that is tomorrow morning, get up really early and stop the sun from coming up, because that’s how inevitable AI is.’”

    Goeller heeds the difficulties in establishing a conclusive way to incorporate AI into curricula due to different academic disciplines and styles of learning, but he does recognize the growing presence of AI in the workforce. Today, AI is filling various roles across industries, from analyzing trends in newsrooms and grocery stores, to generating entertainment, a point of contention for SAG-AFTRA members during 2023’s Hollywood strikes.

    “If we don’t help our students understand AI before they escape this place, they’re going to get into the workforce where it’s there,” Goeller said. “If they don’t know anything about it or are uncomfortable with it, they’re at a disadvantage compared to a student with the same degree and knowledge of AI.”

    California State University, Northridge, journalism lecturer Marta Valier has students use ChatGPT to write headlines, interview questions and video captions in her Multimedia Storytelling and Multi-platform Storytelling classes due to the inevitability of AI in the workforce.

    The goal of the implementation is to teach students how AI algorithms operate and how journalists can use AI to assist their work. Not using it, she said, “would be like not using ink.”

    “I absolutely want students to experiment with AI because, in newsrooms, it is used. In offices, it is used,” Valier said. “It’s just a matter of understanding which tools are useful, for what and where human creativity is still the best and where AI can help.”

    AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot are frequently updated, so Valier emphasizes flexibility when teaching about these technological topics.

    “I basically change my curriculum every day,” Valier said. “I think it reminds me as a professional that you need to constantly adapt to new technology because it’s going to change very fast. It’s very important to be open, to be curious about what technology can bring us and how it can help us.”

    However, Valier acknowledges the issues of AI in terms of data privacy and providing factual responses. She reminds students that it is their responsibility to make sure the information ChatGPT provides is accurate by doing their own research or rechecking results, and to avoid reliance on the platform.

    “Be very careful with personal information,” Valier said. “Especially if you have sources, or people that you want to protect, be very careful putting names and information that is sensitive.”

    Valier sees a clear difference in the quality of work produced by students who combine AI with their own skills, versus those who rely entirely on artificial intelligence.

    “You can tell when the person uses ChatGPT and stays on top of it, and when GPT takes over,” Valier said. “What I am really interested in is the point of view of the student, so when GPT takes over, there is no point of view. Even if [a student] doesn’t have the best writing, the ideas are still there.”

    Balancing AI use in the classroom

    Many AI-friendly instructors seek to strike a balance between AI-enriched assignments and AI-free assignments. 

    At USC, professors are encouraged to develop AI policies for each of their classes. Professors can choose between two approaches, as laid out in the school’s instructor guidelines for AI use: “Embrace and Enhance” or “Discourage and Detect.”

    Bobby Carnes, an associate professor of clinical accounting at USC, has adopted a balance between both approaches while teaching Introduction to Financial Accounting. 

    “I use it all the time, so it doesn’t make sense to tell (students) they can’t use it,” Carnes said.

    An avid user of AI tools like ChatGPT, USC associate professor of clinical accounting Bobby Carnes encourages AI experimentation for some assignments, but prohibits students from using it on exams. (Christina Chkarboul/EdSource)

    Carnes uses AI to refine his grammar in personal and professional work and to develop questions for tests. 

    “I give ChatGPT the information that I taught in the class, and then I can ask, ‘What topics haven’t I covered with these exam questions?’ It can help provide a more rich or robust exam,” Carnes said.

    He doesn’t allow students to use AI in exams that test for practical accounting skills, though. 

    “You need that baseline, but we’re trying to get students to be at that next level, to see the big picture,” he said.

    Carnes said he wants his students to take advantage of AI tools that are already changing the field, while mastering the foundational skills they’ll need to become financial managers and leaders. 

    “The nice thing about accounting is that the jobs just become more interesting (with AI), where there’s not as much remedial tasks,” Carnes said. 

    Preserving foundational learning

    Olivia Obeso, professor of education and literacy at California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, believes establishing foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills through AI-free teaching is non-negotiable.

    Obeso enforces her own no ChatGPT/AI usage policy in her Foundations of K-8 Literacy Teaching class to prepare her students for challenges in their post-collegiate life.

    “AI takes out the opportunity to engage in that productive struggle,” Obeso said. “That means my students won’t necessarily understand the topics as deeply or develop the skills they need.”

    Obeso is also concerned about ChatGPT’s environmental impact: For an in-class activity at the start of the fall 2024 semester, she asked students to research the software’s energy and water use. 

    The energy required to power ChatGPT emits 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to Earth.Org. The average passenger vehicle produces 5 tons per year. Asking ChatGPT 20-50 questions uses 500 millliters (16.9) ounces of water, the size of a standard plastic water bottle.

    By the end of the exercise, Obeso said her students became “experts” on ethical considerations concerning AI, sharing their findings with the class through a discussion on what they read, how they felt and whether they had new concerns about using AI. 

    “You are a student and you are learning how to operate in this world, hold yourselves accountable,” Obeso said. 

    Jessica Odden, a senior majoring in child development, said Obeso’s class helped them understand AI use in the classroom as an aspiring teacher.

    “For people that are using (AI) in the wrong ways, it makes people reassess how people might be using it, especially in classes like this where we are training to become teachers,” Odden said. “What are you going to do when you actually have to lesson-plan yourself?” 

    Odden makes sure she sticks to learning the fundamentals of teaching herself so that she will be prepared for her first job.

    AI in curricula

    At the University of California, San Diego, some faculty members have echoed a concern for AI’s infringement upon independent learning. 

    Academic coordinator Eberly Barnes is interested in finding a middle ground that incorporates AI into curricula where it complements students’ critical thinking, rather than replaces it.

    Barnes oversees the analytical writing program, Making of the Modern World (MMW), where her responsibilities include revising the course’s policy of AI use in student work.

    The current policy enables students to use AI to stimulate their thinking, reading and writing for their assignments. However, it explicitly prohibits the use of the software to replace any of the aforementioned skills or the elaboration of the written piece itself.

    Despite the encouraged use of AI, Barnes expressed her own hesitancy about the role of AI in the field of social sciences and the research and writing skills needed to work within it. 

    “One of the goals in MMW is to teach critical thinking and also to teach academic writing. And the writing is embedded in the curriculum. You’re not going to learn to write if you’re just going to machine,” Barnes said. “The policy is inspired by the fact that we don’t think there’s any way to stop generative AI use.”

    When Barnes designs the writing prompts for the second and third series in the MMW program, she collaborates with teaching assistants to make assignment prompts incompatible with AI analysis and reduce the likelihood that students will seek out AI’s help for passing grades.

    “Students feel absolutely obsessed with grades and are very pressured to compete,” Barnes said. “That’s been around. I mean it is definitely worse here at UCSD than it was at other colleges and universities that I’ve been at.”

    A tool, not a cheat code

    Dr. Celeste Pilegard

    Celeste Pilegard is a professor of cognitive science and educational psychology at UCSD. She has been teaching introductory research methods since 2019, focusing on foundational topics that will prepare students for higher-level topics in the field.

    Educators like Pilegard have been struggling to adapt after the widespread adoption of AI tools. 

    “For me and a lot of professors, there’s fear,” Pilegard said. “We’re holding onto the last vestiges, hoping this isn’t going to become the thing everyone is using.”

    Pilegard is concerned that students rely on AI tools to easily pass their intro-level courses, leaving them without a firm understanding of the content and an inability to properly assess AI’s accuracy.

    “It’s hard to notice what is real and what is fake, what is helpful and what is misguided,” Pilegard said. “When you have enough expertise in an area, it’s possible to use ChatGPT as a thinking tool because you can detect its shortcomings.”

    However, Pilegard does believe AI can assist in learning. She likens the current situation with AI to the advent of statistical analysis software back in the 1970s, which eliminated the need to do calculations by hand. 

    At that time, many professors argued for the importance of students doing work manually to comprehend the foundations. However, these tools are now regularly used in the classroom with the acceptance and guidance of educators. 

    ”I don’t want to be the stick in the mud in terms of artificial intelligence,” Pilegard said. “Maybe there are some things that aren’t important for students to be doing themselves. But when the thing you’re offloading onto the computer is building the connections that help you build expertise, you’re really missing an opportunity to be learning deeply.”





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  • Using Wowzers with Google Classroom

    Using Wowzers with Google Classroom


    We’ve been receiving a lot of questions lately about how Wowzers can be used with Google Classroom. Google Classroom is a fantastic tool that helps students and teachers organize assignments, boost collaboration, and foster better communication, particularly for virtual learning. By assigning work from one central platform, teachers and students can easily find all their assignments, grades, and feedback in one location. We’ve put together some suggestions and tips on how to best incorporate Wowzers into this tool.

    Assign work through Google Classroom

    The first step is to assign specific content to students through Google Classroom. This can be a particular activity, section, or amount of time. For example, one of our teachers who currently uses Google Classroom often assigns, “Complete at least one lesson, game, and assessment in Wowzers.” This allows students to follow their own personalized curriculum path, but keeps all students moving at the same pace so no one gets left behind. When a student completes that assignment, they can mark it off as complete so you know it’s time to check their report. At that point, you can immediately review math concepts together using a digital whiteboard, if needed.

    Open a line of feedback

    Google Classroom allows students and teachers to communicate about particular assignments. Encourage students to provide feedback about each lesson. Was it too hard, too easy? Did they understand the content? Use this feedback to adjust the student’s curriculum path as needed, such as assigning an extra remediation video to reinforce a concept, or even moving them back to review a previous concept. Similarly, be sure to communicate back to your students. Congratulate them when they’re thriving or completing extra work, and provide support when they struggle. Let them know when you’re rewarding them with extra Wowzers coins.

    To keep a record of this communication, you can open up a private Google doc with each student and attach it directly to the assignment in Google Classroom. You could also consider using a digital whiteboard to review concepts and collaborate. To review a student’s progress, share your screen with the student, and go over their recent reports. It’s even possible to use tools such as Google Docs to group students into a collaborative discussion. This allows all students can participate and contribute.

    Provide supplemental activities

    Did you know Wowzers includes offline activities, worksheets, discussion questions, and projects as well? These supplemental materials are available as PDFs, which can be attached to an assignment in Google Classroom. You could even use Google Docs or Google Slides to have students work together as a group and prepare a write-up or presentation of their project to share with the rest of the class. Using the rubrics available in Wowzers, you can grade these supplemental activities directly in Google Classroom.

    Do you use Google Classroom alongside Wowzers? We’d love to hear your tips and tricks as well!



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  • New Findings – Items for the Classroom

    New Findings – Items for the Classroom


    How many of you are living at your classroom, trying to find ways to create a new and inviting space for your new students arriving in a few days? This year I found some new items for the classroom that I had to share. I am so excited to begin using these in my classroom this upcoming school year.

    Items for the Classroom

    Mini Chalkboards

    mini chalkboards - items for the classroom

    I found these small chalkboard signs at AC Moore for a dollar. I wanted to use these to label each of my literacy centers. I allow my students free choice centers. They choose which center to attend each day as long as by the end of the week they have attended each center at least once (for students who finish centers early they are rewarded). To manage my centers, I only allow 4 students in each center at a time. I have tried many different ideas to help students show they are in the center. I have use the library card pockets and had students put popsicle sticks in with their names to mark the 4 students in the center. I have tried using clips and having them clip to a card describing the center. This year I will be having my students clip to this sturdier chalkboard. I will be able to clearly see who is in each group and that only 4 students are there at a time. Also, the chalkboard allows me to quickly change a center for the following week.

    Really Good Stuff Bins

    When our budget was due last year, I thought about what items for the classroom I truly needed for my classroom. We use guided math centers in our district and I wanted a way to better organize my math centers and provide multiple activities and differentiated activities in each center. I found these chapter book and picture book bins from Really Good Stuff. They have two dividers that separate the bins into 3 compartments. This will be perfect for my math centers. There will be three different activities students can complete and I can also differentiate during the different compartments or colors.

    Flexible Seating

    As I previously wrote, I had a project funded on Donor’s Choose for flexible seating last year. This summer I found these great stools at HomeGoods. I am in the process of spray painting them to match my room. This will provide almost every child with a flexible seating choice in our classroom. With a growing class, I am hoping to find a few more ideas for seating before the school year starts so that everyone can have their own seating. The flexible seating last year was amazing. My students were able to concentrate longer and produce more quality work. They loved the choice of working in centers with different flexible seating and using one of the seating for the rest of the day.

    Dry Erase Dots

    dry erase dots -items for the classroomOne of my biggest problems is having students work with whiteboards. We have whiteboards for math but they are huge. Having 5-6 kids in a small guided math group, the boards cannot fit at our table with us. Also, the time it takes to get the boards, make sure the markers work, and make space for everyone would also take away so much time from my actual lesson. This year I purchased Dry Erase dots from Amazon. I am so excited to use these items for the classroom this year. The dots adhere to the table so there is no set up each day. It also helps mark off each child’s space at our small group table. Students will be able to use their dry erase dot to solve math problems or write sight words. Even if we are not using the markers, they dots will help show students where their personal space is when sitting at our table.



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  • Post-Holiday Classroom Activities – Education Coffee Break

    Post-Holiday Classroom Activities – Education Coffee Break


    On the first week back you will need to review all the rules and routines. The first day back from break I treat like the first day of school. Not too much academic work, but lots of reviewing the routine, practicing them, and review your expectations. During the post-holiday classroom activities for the first week back, we review each of our literacy centers and what they should be doing during their center times. We review how to sit on the carpet and how to work hard to get their work done well. We review expectations of guided math and guided math centers. Students need a review of all the classroom rules and expectations that have not been on the forefront of their mind over the break.



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  • Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology

    Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology


    Feb 4
    2025

    Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology

    Al Kingsley

    By Al Kingsley, CEO, NetSupport.

    Teachers know that giving students more freedom — by enabling greater choice and agency — unlocks engagement and better outcomes. Decades of research backs this idea up. Still, there’s value to structure in a classroom.

    How then, can teachers balance maintaining a level of control that steers productive learning with giving students the freedom they need to thrive? Setting clear boundaries and leveraging technology effectively are the keys. 

    The Value of Limiting Choice

    Technology is often thought of as a tool that can help open more choice for students. Whether it’s choosing research topics that fit their interests, providing options to engage in educational content to meet different learning styles, or even giving students ways to master topics at their own pace.

    Research on choice, however, shows that too many options can be counterproductive. People are more likely to make decisions, and avoid “analysis paralysis,” when there are fewer options. The magic number, the reports say, is to offer less than six choices. 

    As teachers continue to embrace allowing students more classroom freedom, using technology to offer a set of choices rather than limitless options can be effective. 

    Adding Alternatives for Answering Questions

    Class participation is an easy way to add greater freedom for students without overwhelming them with choices, especially by using technology. For example, if teachers want all students to participate in a classroom discussion they can ask for responses to questions using a computer-based poll and then ask students who feel comfortable to share their answers out loud.

    An alternative option is to adopt a platform with a classroom chat feature. Teachers who use classroom.cloud report that using the solution’s chat feature allows students who might be more self-conscious or shy to speak up. By typing their response, or even discreetly asking a question, students can engage more fully in classroom activities. 

    Adding Guardrails to Set Students Up for Success

    Many approaches that grant students greater freedoms are based on self-directed learning. Students might be able to choose the final format of a project or decide between learning about a topic by reading or watching a video about it.

    Likewise, offer a game like a web-based scavenger hunt. Such activities require students to use computers and tablets with internet access, opening the door to a variety of explorations, as well as distractions. 

    Just as teachers can use technology to increase options for learning, they can also use it to add guardrails that size down the vast world of the internet to something not quite so overwhelming (or tempting).

    Determining the websites and applications students can access by creating a list of “allowed” and “restricted” content ensures students only access relevant and appropriate resources during class. This way, they will stay on task and work more efficiently. 

    IT directors who have adopted classroom.cloud ease the burden of managing such a list off teachers’ plates. Instead of taking up teachers’ time to create and manage the lists, IT leaders work with educators to identify sites and apps and then set the restrictions and allowances. Other control options needed include different permissions for specific school buildings within a district. 

    Tools that enable simultaneous screen sharing as well as a lock screen feature can also help in setting up appropriate guardrails.

    When teachers can manage students’ screens with a single click, it becomes easier to bring everyone together after a period of working independently or redirect students who may have gone off track. 

    Provide Support Anytime, Anywhere

    Many classrooms have continued to embrace learn anytime, anywhere environments. Students are learning remotely, in person and in hybrid classrooms. No matter where kids are learning, they deserve the same level of help.

    The right technology can enable students to maintain freedom in where and how they learn while still getting the support they need. This goes beyond live-streamed instruction or watching videos asynchronously. Teachers can use technology, like classroom.cloud, to support and engage with students in the very moment they are learning.

    When teachers use technology they have an immense opportunity to continue fostering classroom environments that are engaging and anchored in choice. By considering how the same tools can create structure, educators can strike the balance to help students avoid feeling overwhelmed and keep them focused on growing and learning.



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  • Co Creating Success Criteria: Your Ultimate Classroom Guide

    Co Creating Success Criteria: Your Ultimate Classroom Guide


    Clarity in Education

    In education, being clear is important. When learners know what is expected and how to succeed, they feel more motivated and confident. This is why creating success criteria together matters. By getting learners involved in deciding what success looks like, teachers can help them feel responsible. This approach also brings openness and a common understanding into the learning space.

    Key Highlights

    1. Co-constructing success criteria involves learners in defining what quality work looks like.

    2. This practice promotes a shared understanding of learning targets and empowers students to take ownership.

    3. By actively participating in this process, learners can better self-assess and monitor their progress.

    4. Co-constructing success criteria leads to clearer expectations, reduces anxiety, and fosters a more collaborative learning environment.

    5. It’s an ongoing process that requires flexibility, reflection, and continuous refinement.

    Co-Creating Success Criteria Understanding Its Importance

    A key part of good learning is knowing what success means. That’s why it’s important to build success criteria together. This teamwork ensures teachers and students see quality work in the same way and understand what it takes to achieve it. Rather than just telling students what the criteria are, teachers involve them in real conversations. They help students look at examples, point out important traits, and explain what success means to them. This teamwork approach, supported by groups like the Core Collaborative Learning Lab, focuses on the student’s voice. It helps students take charge of their learning journey.

    What Is Co-Construction in Educational Settings?

    Co-construction in education is a process where teachers and students work together. They join forces to understand the learning target and how to achieve it. This method is different from the old way, where teachers only decide what success looks like. Instead of just giving out a rubric, co-construction helps students look at models. They learn to spot the key parts of quality work and express their ideas. This active role helps learners understand the learning goals better. It also gives them a chance to take charge of their learning. When teachers use co-construction, they create a friendly and focused space for learning. Here, students are actively involved in their own education journey.

    The Impact of Shared Success Criteria on Learning Outcomes

    Imagine a classroom in an elementary school where students know what is expected of them. They can easily explain what makes a good presentation, a well-written paragraph, or a math problem solved correctly. This clear understanding helps improve their learning. When students decide what success looks like, they feel more involved, excited, and interested in their own learning. This leads to a better grasp of ideas, higher scores on tests, and a bigger desire to try new things. Sharing success criteria helps give helpful feedback and self-assess. Learners can use these criteria to keep track of their progress, find things they can work on, and celebrate what they have achieved.

    Co-Constructing Kick-Starts a Metacognitive Process

    Kara Vandas, author of the article “How to Co-Construct Success Criteria in Education“, believes that co-constructing success criteria not only enhances student engagement, but also ignites a powerful meta-cognitive process. When learners define what success looks like, they begin to reflect on their own understanding, learning strategies, and areas for growth. This active participation cultivates a mindset of self-awareness and critical thinking, allowing students to evaluate their progress in relation to the established criteria. For instance, as students discuss and refine the criteria, they are encouraged to consider questions like, “How does my work align with our agreed standards?” or “What strategies can I employ to improve?” This self-reflective practice not only deepens their comprehension of the subject matter, but also fosters accountability and ownership over their learning journey. Through this meta-cognitive lens, students become more adept at monitoring their performance and making informed decisions about their learning, ultimately leading to more meaningful improvement and achievement.

    Enhancing Student Engagement and Ownership Through Co-Construction

    Vandas explains that enhancing student engagement and ownership through co-construction is a transformative process that allows learners to play an active role in their education. When students are involved in creating success criteria, they feel greater belonging and responsibility toward their learning. This participatory approach fosters intrinsic motivation, as students recognize that their input directly impacts their educational journey. By engaging in discussions and collaborating with their peers, learners develop essential skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. Moreover, when students see their ideas reflected in the success criteria, they become more invested in achieving those goals. As a result, classrooms become vibrant communities where learners are not just recipients of knowledge, but active contributors to their own success. Such an environment not only enhances engagement, but also cultivates lifelong learning habits, empowering students to take ownership of their achievements and prepare them for future challenges.

    Preparing to Co-Creating Success Criteria

    Transitioning to a co-constructed model requires some preparation. In their book Clarity for learning, Almarode & Vandas suggest you start by thinking about your own teaching methods and belief systems related to learning. How can you change from telling students what to do to letting them take charge of their own learning?

    Think about ways to create a safe and supportive learning space. In this space, students should feel easy about sharing their thoughts and viewpoints. Co-construction is a journey. It requires a focus on students and a readiness to work together.

    The What, Why, and How of Sharing Clarity With Learners

    Sharing clarity with learners about success criteria is essential for their understanding and progress. By involving learners in co-creating success criteria, you empower them to take ownership of their learning journey. This collaborative approach not only enhances student engagement, but also fosters deeper comprehension of the learning objectives. When learners actively define what success looks like, they develop a sense of purpose and direction, leading to more meaningful learning outcomes. The process of co-creating success criteria ultimately nurtures a positive learning environment where learners feel valued and motivated to achieve their goals.

    Essential Resources and Tools for Effective Collaboration

    Effective teamwork works best when you have the right resources and tools. To help your classroom get the most from working together, think about adding these:

    1. Exemplars: Collect examples of student work. This should include both good samples and those that need some help. Use these for discussion.
    2. Anchor Charts: Create visual guides for the shared criteria. Make sure to place them where everyone can see them, and use them often.
    3. Digital Tools: Use online platforms to brainstorm together. You can try shared documents, virtual whiteboards, or mind-mapping software. This is great for getting ideas from students who are remote or not in sync.

    By offering different tools, we ensure that all learners can find resources that fit their needs and ways of learning. This helps create a more inclusive environment during the teamwork process.

    Identifying Stakeholders in the Co-Creating Success Criteria Process

    Effective co-construction happens not just in the classroom. Teachers and students are key players, but it’s essential to see other people who can help with this teamwork.

    Parents, for example, can be important. They can encourage the learning intention at home, give support, and talk about the co-constructed criteria.

    Bringing in other educators, like special education teachers, instructional coaches, or librarians, can improve this process. They can share different views and help include all learners.

    Practical Strategies for Co-Constructing Success Criteria

    Co-constructing success criteria in the classroom can be a transformative experience, but it requires practical strategies to ensure effectiveness and inclusivity. In her article, Sharing Clarity with Students: 15 Ways to Co=Construct Success Criteria, Kara Vandas suggests starting by implementing regular check-ins, where students can voice their thoughts and experiences regarding the criteria. This approach can involve quick surveys or informal discussions, which will help you gauge the students’ understanding and comfort levels. Additionally, consider utilizing peer feedback sessions where students share their work, providing constructive feedback based on the established success criteria. This not only reinforces the criteria, but also fosters a collaborative learning environment. Incorporating visual aids, such as graphic organizers or anchor charts, can further support students in recognizing the components of quality work. Finally, continuously revisiting and refining the criteria based on student input ensures the standards remain relevant and resonate with their learning experiences. By consistently applying these practical strategies, educators can effectively co-construct success criteria that empower students and enhance their educational journey.

    Utilizing Success Criteria Templates for Effective Co-Construction

    Success Criteria Template Image

    How to Co-Construct Success Criteria in Education article suggests that utilizing success criteria templates for effective co-construction not only streamlines the process, but also supports a multi-faceted understanding of expectations among students. These templates serve as a structured outline, allowing learners and educators to collaboratively define and visualize what success looks like in different contexts. By providing pre-formed categories and descriptors, templates can guide discussions and help focus on key attributes of quality work. As students fill in the templates together, they engage in meaningful dialogue about what each criterion entails, promoting a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Moreover, these templates can be adapted to cater to various learning styles and levels, making the co-construction process more inclusive. Ultimately, leveraging success criteria templates fosters clarity, consistency, and empowerment, ensuring that all students have the tools they need to take ownership of their learning and strive towards excellence.

    Co-Creating Success Criteria: A Step-by-Step Guide

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4goerO8tp8U

    Embracing this team-focused way of working can feel tough, but it doesn’t have to be. To make it easier, think about these simple steps. Keep in mind that setting success criteria should be a conversation that keeps going, rather than just something you do once.

    If you use this easy guide and include examples, talks, and thoughts, you can build a lively learning space. In this space, everyone will feel sure and strong.

    Step 1: Establishing Clear Learning Goals with Students

    The key to successful teamwork in learning starts with setting clear goals with your learners. First, share the learning aims using simple language. This way, students can understand why what they are learning matters.

    Next, invite questions and spark a discussion. Ask students what they already know about the topic and what they want to learn. This helps them connect their earlier knowledge and prepare them for a deeper learning journey.

    Keep in mind that setting clear goals is not about giving orders. It’s about clearly showing what you want to achieve and making sure students engage from the start.

    Step 2: Facilitating Discussions Around Success Criteria

    Once you set learning goals, help learners figure out what success means. The Cult of Pedagogy highlights open-ended questions as great tools for meaningful talks.

    Start by showing students exemplars. These are examples of student work at different quality levels. Ask questions like, “What makes this work successful?” or “What could we improve?”

    Encourage learners to think carefully. They should find important parts and explain their thoughts. These discussions help learners understand better what high-quality work looks like.

    Step 3: Documenting and Refining Success Criteria Together

    As discussions unfold, capture the emerging understandings in a clear and accessible format. Co-create an anchor chart, a shared document, or a simple table that outlines the co-constructed success criteria.

    Criteria What it Looks Like
    Clear and Focused Writing Sentences are easy to understand. The main idea is evident.
    Strong Evidence Supporting details are relevant and convincing.
    Effective Organization Ideas flow logically. There’s a clear beginning, middle, and end.

    Regularly revisit and refine these criteria as learners gain experience and deepen their understanding. Encourage learners to reflect on their work, provide feedback on the criteria, and suggest revisions. This iterative process ensures that the criteria remain relevant, student-centered, and reflective of the evolving learning journey.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, working together to create success criteria in schools encourages students to get involved and take responsibility for their learning. This approach improves their learning results. By engaging everyone, setting clear goals, and working on the criteria as a team, we build a shared feeling of success. It’s important to empower students through good teamwork and ensure everyone’s voice counts. Together, we can create a more inclusive and enriching learning environment. If you’re ready to start this journey of making success criteria together, get the right tools and embrace the amazing power of teamwork. Let’s work together for a brighter future!

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  • A Great Example of Retrieval Practice from Kerrie Tinson’s classroom

    A Great Example of Retrieval Practice from Kerrie Tinson’s classroom


    03.07.25A Great Example of Retrieval Practice from Kerrie Tinson’s classroom

     

    We love to share examples of great teaching on the TLAC blog–especially great teaching that demonstrates core principles of cognitive psychology in action. If you follow the learning science at all you’re probably familiar with the importance of Retrieval Practice: how critical it is to bring previous content back into working memory so students remember it.

    We’ve recently added this beautiful example of Retrieval Practice to our library. It’s from Kerrie Tinson’s English classroom at Windsor High School and Sixth Form in Halesowen, England.

    Kerrie’s students are reading Macbeth and she starts her lesson with a Smart Start that focuses on Retrieval Practice… a series of questions that asks students to review and reflect on things they learned in the first scenes of the play.

     We love how Kerrie asks students to write the answers to her questions–this causes all students to answer–universalizing the retrieval.  We also love how familiar students are with the routine of starting with retrieval. This not not only makes the Retrieval Practice more efficient and easier to use but it socializes them to conceptualize Retrieval Practice as a great way to study on their own.

    As students answer questions, Kerrie circulates and takes careful notes. This allows her both understand what students know and don’t know–you can see that she’s added one question to address a common misunderstanding–and also to Cold Call students to give good answers, which expedites the retrieval, making it efficient and pace-y.

    But Kerrie doesn’t just rely on simple retrieval. She often asks students to “elaborate”: to connect what they are thinking about to other details from the play. For example, when a student recalls that Macbeth was a traitor, she asks “Why was that important?” The connections that come from elaboration build–schema–stronger connected memories that cause student’s knowledge to be connected and meaningful.

    We also love the way she ends the session–by pointing out a couple of key concepts–that Macbeth is Impatient and eager– that are especially important and that everyone should have in their notes.

    All in all its great stuff and we are grateful to Kerri and Windsor High School for sharing the footage with us!

     

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