Week 2 - Authentic Intellectual Work and the National Education Technology Plan Update

 Part 1 - Authentic Intellectual Work - 

Schools often teach skills and knowledge that can be recalled for a test, without seeming meaningful to students. Authentic Intellectual Work is a framework that aims to make instruction in school more effective and relevant to students (Newmann et al., 2016).  It includes three criteria developed by looking at how adults successfully learn and apply their learning in complex tasks. As the developers of the framework put it: "The three criteria - construction of knowledge, thorough disciplined inquiry, to produce discourse, products, and performances that have meaning and value beyond success in school - provide the foundation or criteria for the more complex intellectual work necessary for success in contemporary society" (Newmann et al., 2016, p.10).

Studies have shown that using Authentic Intellectual Work has increased student achievement across subjects and grade levels. One example is the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988 - 1992, involving 10,000 students in math and science, grades 10 and 12, where scores went up 60-80% in standardized tests from grades 8 - 10 and increased 100% from grade 10 - 12 (Newmann et al., 2007, p.18, table 2). Multiple other studies also show gains of 30% or higher when measured by assessments in various subjects, including students with learning disabilities (Newmann et al., 2007, p.17, table 1).

An example of Authentic Intellectual Work in High School Geometry could be this task which looks at a circular housing development: https://whenmathhappens.com/2014/07/07/rotonda-west/ (Ehlert, 2018) and asks students to figure out how much money would be needed to build and develop this community. In Act 1 (part 1), students are asked to give a rough estimate. In Act 2, they are prompted to consider what information they would need to find a more precise answer to the problem and write down any questions they might have. It would be helpful for them to work in groups to brainstorm and research information they might need to know, while the teacher can provide guidance as needed. Groups could present their answers to the class and compare their results. In the final act, the number of units actually built is revealed and students can see how close they were, and what assumptions affected their answer. This applies the California High School Geometry Standard G-C-5 "Find arc lengths of sectors of circles" (California Common Core State Standards: Mathematics, 2013, p.73) to a real-life problem.

Part 2 - 2024 National Education Technology Plan Update

The 2024 National Education Technology Plan Update describes a Digital Divide in three areas. One is unequal access to technology, another is inequality in professional development for instructors, and a third is inequality in the implementation of technology, where some students are given more creative and challenging tasks while others are given passive assignments such as filling out digital worksheets (Office of Educational Technology, 2017). This divide mirrors the distinction between Authentic Intellectual Work and the less meaningful tasks that ask students to recall facts or use procedural skills.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) involves having multiple ways to present information, multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning and multiple ways for students to engage. In this way a lesson can reach all learners, accommodating students' various strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. (Office of Educational Technology, 2017). In the Geometry task above, the teacher would have visuals of the circular housing development, as well as describing it verbally.  Students could be provided paper copies of the development in addition to being able to access an interactive digital model online on Desmos, giving them multiple ways to engage with the material. A three-dimensional model could also be possible.  Students could use accessibility tools, such as having the computer read websites aloud or summarize them for greater accessibility.  Students could also be given various options for recording and presenting their findings. 

Part 3 - Triple E Framework and Authentic Intellectual Work

Kolb's Triple E Framework (Kolbe, Triple E framework 2015) emphasizes the importance of the "E"s of engagement, enhanced learning, and extension opportunities when using technology. Authentic Intellectual Work would likely be more engaging for students since they are more engaged by meaningful work than rote learning (as in the Geometry task above). Technology would only generally be used in an authentic context if it enhanced the ability to learn and do the task (such as the ability to use Desmos as a tool, search for information online, and perhaps digitally present findings in the Geometry task above). Both frameworks also share an emphasis on learning that extends beyond the classroom. In the housing development problem above, the skills of making an estimation, working in a group, selecting and using tools to solve the problem, and reporting on their findings are all useful for students' lives beyond that Geometry classroom.

References

California Department of Education. (2013). California Common Core State Standards: Mathematics. California Common Core State Standards, Mathematics (Electronic Edition). https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/ccssmathstandardaug2013.pdf

Ehlert, D. (2018, May 15). Rotonda West. When Math Happens. https://whenmathhappens.com/2014/07/07/rotonda-west/

Kolbe, L. (2015, January 5). Triple E framework. Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

Newmann, F. M., Carmichael, D., & King, M. B. (2016). Authentic intellectual work: Improving teaching for rigorous learning. Corwin.

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. (2017). A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides: 2024 National Educational Technology Plan. 
https://tech.ed.gov/netp/.