Kari Peterson Week 2

 I have not previously learned about this concept of Authentic Intellectual Work/Authentic Instruction & Assessment. I can compare it to using "real world" problems and scenarios, but I didn't realize the extensive studies that have taken place in relation to AIW. I think it differs from traditional instruction and assessment in the way it approaches learners. Traditionally, teachers want to find the learning gaps and explicitly teach those specific skills that are lacking in order to set a firm foundation for students to build upon. It seems that in the AIW approach that the belief is those skills will be sought after and "figured out" by students in order to complete the task at hand. When students have a personal stake or interest in the problem, they will work harder to find a solution. This is an interesting concept, I can see that to an extent for many students, but I can also see that being very frustrating for others.

The components and criteria of AIW are impressive- Construction of Knowledge, Disciplined Inquiry including a prior knowledge base, in-depth understanding, and elaborated communication, as well as Value Beyond School. It would take careful consideration and planning to incorporate all aspects of AIW when planning lessons and assignments, but the results are very exciting for the teachers who did that in the CORS 24-School Study from 1990-1995. Teachers were observed, submitted assignments, and student work to be given an "authentic pedagogy" score to show if they were following all of the AIW components and criteria. The difference was 30 percentile points in the classroom with High Authentic Pedagogy. In multiple studies huge gains were made in classrooms where authentic intellectual work, instruction, and assessment were present.

Like the substitute teacher that had the students learning the concept of percent by using a hypothetical budget and discount coupons to see what they could and could not afford to purchase and then creating their own problems at home, I think younger math students working on addition and subtraction could "shop" for items in a classroom store and decide how many items they could afford to buy and what their change would be if given a set budget. Then, if parents were able, they could take their child to a store and give them some money and see if they could figure out what item(s) they could afford to buy.

I wasn't even aware of a National Education Technology Plan. The NETP is very thorough and has some very interesting thoughts, ideas, and resources. One of the examples aligned with the plan that I see opportunities for students to engage in authentic work is:  "Fifth-grade students at Escondido Union School District in Escondido, California, video-conferenced with rangers in four different parks along the state's coast (via the California State Parks PORTS Program) to learn how to become advocates for Marine Protected Areas. Later, the students crated public service announcements to encourage people to save Marine Protected Areas." There are a number of activities across several content areas that students could engage in. A few ideas are geography lessons where they could find other countries with similar ecosystems, they could study those ecosystems as part of a science lesson that could also include animal studies and how much land/water is needed to support these protected areas. A math lesson could include concepts like calculating how much money would be needed to sustain these protected areas or to create charts or graphs to display related data. They would be encouraged to use multiple platforms and technology resources to help them research, solve, and present their work.

The connection between the AIW framework and Kolb's Triple I is the hope and desire to help and encourage students to become critical thinkers who can use their prior knowledge, available technology, and resources to solve problems, acquire new knowledge, and put all of that together in their everyday lives. There are so many overlapping concepts and components in all of these frameworks and plans. Teaching students to use higher level thinking skills and apply what they already know to extend their understanding is why we do what we do. All of these resources are crucial in constantly updating how we teach in order to meet students where they are and push them beyond that point. I have been made aware of several resources and concepts that I wasn't aware of before reading these articles and taking this class, so thank you!

Gaer, S. & Reyes, K. (2002). Finally, Some Guidance! Using the Triple E Framework to Shape Technology Integration, Adult Literacy Education, 4.

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.

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A Call to Action to Close the Technology Access, Design, and Use Divides: National Educational Technology Plan. Department of Education.