WEEK 2 BLOG

 Authentic Intellectual Work/Authentic Instruction & Assessment

 Technology is evolving, and it affects our lives. Nowadays, almost every student has a cellphone or an Ipad. Teachers have to ensure that students are equipped with the appropriate tools in the classrooms to learn. 

   Authentic intellectual work is different from traditional approaches as it focuses on instruction and assessment by giving individuals the opportunity to be challenged to help students apply the learning they receive in a broader context. Newmann, et al. (2007) describes Authentic Intellectual Work as the "construction of knowledge, through the use of disciplined inquiry, to produce discourse, products, or performances that have value beyond school" (p.3). Disciplined inquiry comprises three parts: prior knowledge base, in-depth understanding, and elaborated communication skills (Newmann, et al., 2007, p.4). In order to solve problems in the real world, students need to be able to activate their background knowledge to get a deeper understanding of the problem they are trying to solve. They need to be able to communicate the process they used and speak with classmates to accomplish such goals effectively. These are crucial skills that are beneficial for the school setting and are vital for dealing with obstacles outside of the classroom. According to the research performed on this assessment “research indicated that students who experienced higher levels of instruction and assessment that promoted authentic intellectual work showed higher achievement than students who experienced lower levels of instruction and assessment aimed toward authentic intellectual work.” (Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L.,2007). 

 The best way to incorporate AIW and technology into an ESL classroom would be to assign students a topic to research and talk about it. This way, students will be able to brainstorm ideas and do some research using classroom computers. Since my class is diverse, I will have each student come up with an idea of how their culture is different from others. For this activity, students will use Canva to record videos and present them to the class. Using something that the students have knowledge of already and get excited about while tying it into a new topic. 

2017 National Education Technology Plan Update

  As a teacher, I always strive to create a learning environment that develops my student's knowledge into authentic intellectual works. Schools for as long as we know have been confined to limited resources; however, the introduction of technology has allowed an expansion of information which provides multiple avenues for students to learn even around the world (Office of Educational Technology, 2017). Through the use of technology, students can use the internet to connect with other students around the world to produce a more meaningful opinion about different cultures instead of learning through a single resource. It brings about a more genuine meaning to the information learned when you can collaborate with other students of the same age who are living in different areas of the world. It also creates excitement and encourages students to be aware of others and the resources they may have. Technology is a great way to engage, improve and increase the learning and development of students. 

Triple E Framework 

  The concepts mentioned above tie in the tripe E framework as it drives students to start the learning process by researching the specific assigned topic as follows: 

Engagement: This project engages the student because they get creative control. They would be given the topic to research, but they get to present the findings however they would like into the video. This gets them passionate about the project. 

Enhancement: This enhances their education, but they are learning. It is not like going home to read an assignment and then writing a paper. If they are inspired to do the research and make the video, they retain and learn the information.

Extension: This is the idea of using technology. This incorporates the use of recording videos using the Canva platform.

 References

Kolb, Liz. (2020). Learning First Technology Second in Practice: New Strategies, Research, and Tools for Student Success. (P.39-99) 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.

Office of Educational Technology. (2017). Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update. Retrieved from http://tech.ed.gov. Introduction and