Pt I.
Authentic Intellectual Work is described as a higher quality type of work and instruction. This type of work dives into some key aspects of how humans learn. The ultimate goal of authentic intellectual work is for the student to be able to produce something new, based on what they learned and their understanding of the concepts discussed in class. Of course, all students learn differently, so, in the book “Authentic Instruction and Assessment” the authors describe this work and that “...successful construction of knowledge is best learned through a variety of experiences that call for this kind of cognitive work, not by explicitly teaching a set of discrete ‘thinking skills’” (Carmichael et al., 2007) This is different than other standard teaching methods because it takes a look at the student as a learner, and works on nurturing the whole student, including beyond the school setting. As the authors of the authentic instruction and assessment book state, “[t]eachers report that authentic intellectual work is often more interesting and meaningful to students than repeated drills aimed at disconnected knowledge and skills” (Carmichael et al., 2007). This type of instruction allows students the tools to construct their own knowledge in the outside world, instead of simply focusing on how the concepts solely are used in a school based setting.
Authentic Intellectual Work starts with the fact that all knowledge must be constructed on previous knowledge. Questioning is essential as asking students questions forces them to think and their minds to wander. Wait time is also crucial when such questions are asked so students can seriously think about it (Carmichael et al, 2007). In a study done in Chicago K-8 schools, they took data from different subject classrooms in grades 3, 6, and 8. They looked at classes that had a high level of Authentic Intellectual Work versus classes that had a low level of authentic intellectual work which described “...consistent benefits in authentic intellectual performance across grade levels and subjects of teachers’ making demands for authentic intellectual work (The Chicago 12-School Study (K-8). There are several other studies that look at similar criteria in different grade levels, and they more or less conclude the same thing: Authentic Intellectual Work is proven to help students actually retain more! A summary of all of the studies discussed in the book, “Authentic Intellectual Work and Assessment,” discusses that “...exposure to high levels of authentic instruction can be distributed equally to students from any racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group, or gender” (Carmichael et al, 2007), this shows that this type of instruction is proven to work no matter what a student’s background may be.
An example of this type of work in the area of science would be beginning a lesson by relating the topic to an average student’s real life. This would be to engage their prior knowledge and set up a road for the student to construct new knowledge on. For example, in Science when we discuss electricity, I tend to start off the lesson by having some balloons which I will pass to a few students (who will pass it to the next person once they do the short activity) and I will show students to rub the balloon on their hair, or if anyone has a sweater or other thick cotton materisal, and then try to stick the balloon to something, like the wall, or even other people. I will ask if anyone has ever done this before, and maybe wondered how does the balloon stick to say a wall? Is it magic? No, just science. This will engage students’ past experiences and get them interested in learning about electricity. We will have already learned about the nature of atoms, so electrons involved in electricity will be a refresher for students too, and also an opportunity to apply that knowledge to more real world phenomena, like electricity. By the end of this lesson, the authentic intellectual outcome students create will be their own circuit. Given the materials, students will explore the many ways in which to build a circuit, and this will cement the key objectives in the lesson which would be that for electrons to flow, a circuit must be closed. There may or may not be more than one path, and extra power sources or resistors, but for electricity to happen, the circuit must be closed.
Pt II.
The NETP describes many examples of how students can use technology as an aid in their learning journeys. The authors describe that in addition to normal school subjects, people also need to work on non-cognitive activities to become a well rounded and active member in today’s society. In an example of other non-cognitive skills that are proven to help all students, some of these things “...include development of self-awareness, control of impulsivity, executive function, working cooperatively, and caring about oneself and others” (U.S. D.o.E., 2017). In this plan they also describe some methods in achieving these skills, one big thing that is discussed are academic games. Games are important in helping students and keeping them engaged because they like the game. They may be learning different cognitive or non-cognitive skills, but they may not even realize it! Games also open up the creative mind of students and help them build different skills depending on what the game is. This further ties into Authentic Intellectual Work because it allows students to be themselves in a learning environment. Positive experiences like this encourage a growth mindset and ultimately encourage students to use that knowledge outside of the classroom.
Pt III.
In the book, “Learning First, Technology Second,” Kolb’s dive into Enhancement describes how technology can be used in conjunction with other traditional teaching methods. Kolb discusses how even having students look at a powerpoint can be interactive if you have students wonder about certain things or ask them questions about the powerpoint. They can share with other students their thoughts which can then be opened up into a big group discussion. This is a method I use almost everyday in my classroom. I always have a powerpoint with my lessons and there are several points where I ask students to ponder a question and or discuss with a neighbor before learning more about it. Kolb agrees with this method by saying “[a]lthough the students are not creating or producing with PowerPoint, by conducting the image analysis and sharing their observations, they are still using their higher-level thinking skills in conjunction with the technology” (Kolb, 2020). Prior knowledge is always the beginning of learning. As discussed earlier, games are an example of how a lesson may be enhanced. In my Social Studies classes, I like to play different games on Icivics.com to show students how the American government system actually works in the real world. In both the Authentic Intellectual Work method and Kolb’s discussion, and in several other studies, engaging a student’s prior knowledge is a crucial step in the learning process. Enhancing it is also vital to student success, if we do not supplement learning with a variety of methods, then we are not teaching to all students.
References
Kolb, L. (2020). Learning First, Technology Second in Practice: new strategies, research, and
tools for student success. International Society for Technology in Education.
Carmichael, D. L., King, M. B., & Newmann, F. M. (2007). Authentic instruction and
assessment: Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects.
State of Iowa Department of Education.
U.S. Department of Education (2017). Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017
National Education Technology Plan Update. U.S. Department of Education.
