Blog Post Week 2

    Authentic Intellectual Work is grounded in the fact that it is not just routine use of facts and knowledge. Students should instead find ways to utilize the learning standards in the way that they would in the workplace. They are applied more deeply in constructive problems to be solved. In much of traditional education, students are instead expected to merely regurgitate information and recite memorized facts (Newmann et. al., 2007, p. 3).

    Authentic Intellectual Work is made up of several components for successful application. An individual must be able to construct knowledge. They should be able to take knowledge that they currently have, then organize and synthesize it in new ways to solve everyday problems. Successful application is also dependent upon disciplined inquiry. The individual takes their prior knowledge, then deconstructs it through various forms of questioning, and finally presents the information in one of many forms of communication. This example is shown to help learners be prepared for the decision-making demands of the workplace. When faced with a decision or the need to make a vote, they have a plan to break down information and are able to process what they are given, instead of providing a simple, surface level answer (Newmann et. al., 2007, p. 9). Authentic Individual Work should have some kind of value outside of school. The learner is not only being tested for competence, but demonstrating understanding of the knowledge in scenarios that require higher levels of problem solving (Newmann et. al., 2007, p. 11.

    One example of authentic individual work that I utilize in my classroom is the creation of sketch comedy scenes. Students construct knowledge by creating an outline for their script and showing how they use at least three of the principles of comedy that I teach. This helps them to connect the principles in an actual example and requires them to identify how they work in a story. As the students write, they develop inquiry skills by Taking the outline and using it to write the script. They must determine if their initial plan works, then reconstruct and adapt until they have a well-organized and purposeful scene. This is one of the jobs that is move available for students, and they use the writing and organizational skills in any career.

    The National Education Technology Plan shows clear connections between the ideals of Authentic Intellectual Work. The plan lays out five ways that technology can enrich student learning. One of these ways is through real world applications, which connects finding value outside of school. Students can find ways to publish and prepare information that Is more far reaching. They are able to access research and use programs that they would be able to in the workforce (Office of Educational Technology, 2017, p. 14). One way I might do this is to help students prepare and submit an audition self-tape. They would be practicing audition skills, but by recording and submitting the self-tape they must think through how they can best demonstrate, and they have the chance to perfect the assignment for a performance scenario. They then have an example audition they can submit to both me and any other theatre companies they are interested in working with.

    The Authentic Intellectual Work framework closely connects to the three E’s. Engagement and Enhancement help students to construct knowledge and make inquiries about the information they are working with. Extension helps them to find value in the real world. Specifically, Kolb’s description of extension mentions that technology should be easily accessible to students, and the activities should be something they would do with this technology in the real world (Kolb, 2020, p. 81). In my example listed above, students record a self-tape. I would have them do this on their own digital devices, because this is what they would use in an actual situation. They are extending audition skills into a digital medium, with a finished product that is available for real-world auditions.

References

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning First, technology second in practice: New Strategies, research and tools for Student Success. 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. Prepared for the Iowa Department of Education.

Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan update. LINCS. (2019, September 25). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-902