Relating Objects to Pedagogy: Challenges and Opportunities

This summer I am a Teacher in Residence at the Freer Sackler, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art.  I, along with two colleagues, am working on a project to think about how we might best promote the museum's collection of Chinese Art objects to an audience of teachers, while providing materials that support the objects’ integration into curriculum and instruction.  It has been a wonderful opportunity. First, it is such a luxury to simply be in a museum surrounded by gorgeous, thousands of year old art everyday.  I casually walk by gilt buddhas and jade bi and bronze bells and silver platters served in the courts of Persian kings. Secondly, I began my teaching career as a museum educator and at a particular point decided I could do my best work in schools - how many chances do we get to walk the road not taken? Third, I love standing somewhere in the middle between museums and schools thinking about the needs of both institutions, their relationships, and how they can best serve each other.  The following essay examines trends that present opportunities for museums to engage schools beyond content standards, and in doing so, perhaps make themselves and their objects even more valuable.

Any survey will show that teachers have varying degrees of autonomy in designing curriculum, which can be determined at the classroom, school, district, or state level.  The majority of teachers have guidance on what they should teach from a supervising authority and some control over how they teach it.  Materials should show sensitivity to the many angles from which teachers may approach them.  They may be looking for an exciting way to start a social studies unit or to provide the context for an experience with a specific art medium or to heighten students’ critical thinking skills in preparation for a design project.  Whether a generalist or a specialist, teachers must maximize each minute of instruction.  There is never enough time to complete all that teachers want or are expected to.  Lessons that allow them to achieve multiple goals are very attractive.  In addition to considering current national and state standards there are a few other trends that could, and perhaps should, impact this work.

First, there is increased conversation around culturally responsive teaching and relatedly, the need to educate for global competency.  Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning.  Global competence is “the capacity to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development” (OECD).  The cultural distance from which students approach objects varies greatly.  These frameworks might lead to questioning how the collection serves as window and a mirror. How might students recognize themselves in the collections?  How do the collections help them better see and understand the culture of others?  How do objects in the collection relate to the modern issues facing the world’s people and the solutions they will need to create? These frameworks might center the relationship the viewer is making to the object rather than the object itself.  In this case, the objects might be selected for their potential to foster connection or to widen the viewer’s perspective by challenging commonly held assumptions. 

Teachers are also prioritizing tasks that incorporate Social Emotional Learning practices.  In what ways can interacting with objects in the collection help build empathy, self-regulation, communication, and cooperation? When students are asked to listen to one another, to put themselves into the shoes of someone else, or to share a story, they are practicing essential life skills.  How might our objects help students build stronger relationships to one another? To a culture? To the past? How might learning about the struggles and accomplishments of people long ago increase resilience and creativity? How might it inspire inquiry, conflict resolution, or teamwork?   Viewing encounters with objects as opportunities to build these critical competencies means the experience will have lasting effects far beyond the lesson or visit. 

Another impactful trend is Backward Design. This process begins with assessments as opposed to curriculum.  First, the specific skills and knowledge that are being assessed determined and the level of rigor students are required to reach in those areas is defined. Then the most effective way to assess student performance is determined.  Lastly, instruction and learning activities are designed to align with the assessment.  In these cases, teachers will be looking for activities (and objects) that align with predetermined outcomes.  These are more likely to be related to widely applicable skills and understandings rather than specific facts or narrow contexts.  Focusing on the broader implications of an object's material or cultural nature enhances the likelihood of a teacher making those connections.

A fourth important trend is the ongoing conversation about 21^st Century Skills.  Teachers are very focused on delivering an education that is relevant to and prepares students for an unknown future.  A persistent question should be how might educators use objects from the past to meet 21^st century objectives?  The objects selected and presented might then be evaluated for their potential to engage teachers and students in experiences that foster the necessary learning, literacy, and life skills.

Overall, there are many opportunities to connect experiences with objects in the collection to the concerns and requirements of today’s teachers.  Centering the experience of the viewer and their ability to connect and extend that experience into various contexts will make it more likely that both teachers and students readily accept an object’s importance.  From a teaching perspective, relevance is in the eye of the beholder.  Teachers and schools are attempting to respond to dynamic changes in the educational landscape.  Museums and their objects can and should choose to be extraordinary resources that support those efforts.

Private Schools with Public Purpose

Long time!  This week I am presenting at the Private Schools with Public Purpose Conference.

"The 2019 national Private Schools with a Public Purpose Conference at The Spence School on March 7-9th will be focused on the theme Collaborating in the Spirit of Justice:  On the Intersections of Equity and Service. This will be the 12th year of the PSPP conference, which draws teachers and school leaders from across the nation who are interested in service learning, equity, and summer learning programs. Our hope is to help schools envision how to partner with and support programs in their communities as a means of creating more equitable learning environments and opportunities for all students."

I first attended this conference in 2017 when it was in Washington DC.  My colleague and I held a workshop called "Sowing Seeds" about our 6th Grade Food Justice study.  It was really fun and helpful to talk to like-minded colleagues about our interest in growing our students understanding of food justice.

This year I am presenting "What Feels Like Seismic Shifts" about the challenges of doing this work over multiple years and the strides that we have been able to make.  35 people are signed up!  I will let you know how it goes.

Mendocino Poems

These are poems inspired by a place, Mendocino.  It is a small town on the northern coast of California.  My family has been going there every summer for over 50 years and now I take my son.  It's really special. 

Coastal

It is possible that there are
cliffs like these in other places but
I refuse to believe they are as beautiful.
That anywhere else the sky forms
a more elegant tapestry.
That those other waves crash as symphonically
against such perfectly carved rocks.
That the song the sea foam sings on other shores
is as sweet as the lullaby I hear right now.

The Show

You can pay $18.50 for a ticket to the planetarium 

or you can sit in a field unpolluted by lights 

during the Perseid meteor shower.  

The crickets will narrate 

instead of Morgan Freeman.

The temperature in the theater 

is subject to change without notice

and since the footage is unedited 

your patience is required. 

Still, you can be quite certain 

that the universe extends beyond the ceiling

that the infinity of stars are twinkling in real time and 

that the one you just watched has not already 

been used up on some other person's wish. 

Ars Poetica

I don't call myself a poet, but I do write quite a bit of poetry.  I have been teaching it for the last seven years and it has become my preferred method of documenting and discussing my personal and inner lives.  I have never liked journaling, and while I suppose blogging could be considered a type of journaling, I don't cringe at my past words here like I do on paper.  I am learning to offer myself the same compassion I offer my students and their writing.  These are a few of the poems I've written recently that I like.

Green

Spring did not come easy that year
and neither did her happiness.
Both were wrought from cold hard ground,
after a tough as nails winter,
faces into belligerent gusts of wind
and relentless rain.

Exhausted they turned toward the sun
the moment it appeared.
The first bud was strong and sweet
paving the way for full bloom.
Tiny leaves gathered on the branch andsuddenly everything was green. 

Blackberries

For Allen

My favorite memory will be picking blackberries with you
on the way to Boyle's swimming hole.
The path was well lit and sunny and dusty
like I remembered.
There were no cattails but the reeds were as high as our heads.
Blackberry thorns pricked on both sides.
Ripe fruit was scarce but
I reached into the briars
risking skin and limb because blackberries
are your favorite
and I would do anything for you.

Ars Poetica

When I was 5, I stole a piece of candy from the grocery store.
When I was 11, with my throat burning, I confessed this sin
to my father, who tilted his head as he looked at me and said,
Why are you telling me this?

Years later I gave birth to my one dear son,
and when I whispered my hopes and dreams
in his ear, he looked at me just like my father did.
Again, I guess, I was not making any sense.

Sometimes, language is insufficient

When Young Mothers Die of Cancer II

Somewhere in Maryland a
young mother is dying.
Down in Houston her mother grieves.
In California her children play together,
as she would have liked had she
lived long enough to see it.

At night sometimes she comes to them,
her smell sweet and familiar,
her hug warm and longed for.
She wraps them tight in memory.

In the morning they say nothing,
afraid someone will tell them it wasn't real.

Philosophy of Education

The book from college that I remember reading is Neil Postman’s The End of Education.  He was the founder and chair of my program, the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University.  While at the time I had no intention of becoming a teacher, now that I am I think about this book all the time.  To summarize, he asked school leaders, educators, and students, “Why are we all here?” Why indeed. 

Once I knew I wanted to be an educator I attended Bank Street College of Education, a place where I could grow my practice without compromise.  The gods served by progressive education were in alignment with Postman’s perspective that schooling should be about “how to make a life, not a living”.  After 12 years in the field, I still wonder how we might focus the methods of education (the standards, the learning goals, the essential questions, the projects) on “meaningful” ends – the definition of which educators disagree. Ultimately, what do I wish my students? A sense of personal identity, cooperative interdependence with others, respect for our earth, a commitment to community, to peace, and to justice.  Such “soft skills” are not often in vogue and yet who can deny that the human experience is complete without them?

I have three mantras that center my teaching around achieving what I see as the end goal of creating capable and confident lifelong learners who are empathic and engaged citizens.  People who might know how to go out and make a life. When faced with a dilemma I can count on these words to bring truth to light.

Teach the whole child

This was my first teaching philosophy, captured in a Master’s thesis that still rings true today.  At that time, I wrote:

My priority is preparing students to become lovers of learning for life.  I want them to value their intellects and capabilities and have faith in their desires and their dreams.  I want to provide opportunities for them to bring their outside learning in, as well as opportunities for them to share what we learn together with their families, friends, and communities…I want to be a teacher who sees all of my students as whole people with whole lives.  I want to fearlessly jump into those lives and care.  I want to bring those whole children into the classroom and leave their emotional, social, intellectual, and moral selves better than when I found them.  

My yesterday self would be proud to know that these are still my priorities.  I still seek to provide authentic learning experiences for the unique students I come in contact with each year. I still try to listen and solicit their ideas and feedback.  I still try to offer choices and leave room for their inspired creativity.  The invisible curriculum where students are building identities and friendships, where they are testing the boundaries of integrity and authority, where they are developing a growth mindset understanding of risk, failure, and success, is just as important as what we read and write and calculate.  I try and remember that those are simply means to a much bigger end.

Teach what matters

Our sixth-grade curriculum feels important.  Quaker philosophy asks that we “Let Our Lives Speak”.  To let one’s life speak, one has to discover what it might say.  By making careful curriculum choices, I try to give my students room to uncover areas of interest and to develop talents that might be of use as they go about the business of living. We are motivated by the testimonies – weighty concepts like peace, integrity, equality, and stewardship.  Over several years, our team has infused these ideas directly into the curriculum through the lens of social studies. 

Thematically, we study global issues and sustainable solutions.  Sixth graders want to know what is going on in the world.  We watch the news, we read articles, we research hot topics. We build our media literacy and think critically about information that is presented.  We debate potential perspectives. Current events can be frightening, even to adults, but we establish our classroom as a safe place to feel authentic emotions and to ask questions.  We learn about the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals and the movement to make major headway on key problems by 2030.  We leave room for our interests.  Last year we studied ethical sourcing of raw materials for chocolate and cell phones.  The year before it was endangered manatees.   The exact issue is less important than going through the process of asking ever deeper questions, using multiple sources to answer them, listening to a variety of perspectives, and putting our research into action.  It is a process they can use their whole life.   I am especially proud of how our food justice curriculum is taking shape. It contradicts the notions that service-learning work is not “rigorous” and that its integration dilutes the academic program.  What is more rigorous that studying world hunger?  It is a problem that has not yet been solved. 

We culminate the year with a design-thinking project.  Students are charged with building scale model sustainable homes for well-researched client families from around the world.  This highly collaborative, interdisciplinary experience allows them to apply a wide variety of gained skills in a novel way.  They have to depend on one another and to be dependable, as it is too much work for any one member to shoulder.  They can visualize what it will take to provide sustainable lifestyles around the globe.  What others need.  What we must give up.  Most of all, students walk away knowing there is a role for them in creating this better life.  They are involved and they are invested.  

Curriculum design is one of my favorite aspects of teaching.  I love wrestling with content, resources, and activities to craft dynamic learning experiences based on the interests of that year’s cohort. I see first-hand how social studies allows students to grapple with the problems of those who lived long ago or far away. It is an empathic exercise.  Quaker philosophy also asks that we look for “that of god in everyone”, something that I think social studies helps us to do.  Through our studies what I really hope is that students build the cultural competence and vulnerability required to be in community with others.  Only together in true partnership can we work on problems that really matter and create solutions that restore justice and create a sustainable future for all.

Teach without ego

 I sincerely believe that ego is the nemesis of the teacher.  I define it as a projection of a self that is separate and different and special from the other selves in the world.  Left unchecked it can be divisive and a barrier to compassion.  It breeds insecurity, jealousy, and competition.  Ego can be a detriment to the practice of teaching. I came across this dilemma while exploring the concept of the teacher-leader.  As I seek to be an integral part of progress and evolution in my schools, I have to be really honest with myself about my intentions.  Am I propping up my self-esteem, trying to get ahead, or seeking to control a situation according to my own desires?  Am I operating on fear or resentment? With a fixed resolution or an open mind?  Am I acting in the interests of my students? Do I honor best practice? Do I uphold agreed up ethics? Am I present to talk or to listen?

When I first joined my current school, I entered into a team teaching situation that I greatly underestimated for its difficulty.  I came to realize that most of the angst I felt at work could be traced back to my ego.  Desires to be recognized, respected, and right can be strong. Self-preservation seems sensible and competition seems healthy.  A twinge of resentment over a close relationship or individually achieved success seems normal. Suspicion of new colleagues and initiatives seems expected. Giving priority to the activities and topics I prefer seems logical. But when these emotional responses interfere with my ability to focus on what is best for my students and their learning, my ego is the one that needs to back down.  In those moments, I am learning not to fight, not to defend, not to protect, not to promote.  I am learning to let go.  When "I" am at the center of my practice, the world my students and I are creating together feels fragile and destabilized, tilted in the direction of a self-concerned perspective.  When my students are at the center of my practice, our world seems infinitely more solid.

These mantras are evidence of my growth and continuing evolution as a teacher.  I acquired each of them during a particular time though for me they remain timeless.  With further reflection, my practice continues to deepen, proof that I am what I wish for my students, on a joyful journey of lifelong learning.

On Mentoring

Everyone with a career needs a mentor.  As I make holiday gratitude lists and contemplate my areas for growth on the heels of the New Year, I am thinking a lot about mentorship because I know that has been a major key to my success. No one makes good decisions in a vacuum.  It’s important to surround yourself with people who have achieved what you hope to or who are setting similar goals.  They might think like you or have a completely different approach. They might be personal friends or people you admire from afar. Whatever the case, a set of guiding stars can provide clarity and confidence.  This article outlines 8 things good teacher mentors do.

I really enjoy bonding with previous generations of teachers. The ones who started when computers were bulky, when the internet wasn’t a thing, when craft was king, and being able to define one’s personal pedagogy really mattered.  I have been lucky to teach with many talented people from this generation.  Some have retired and some are still at it, providing critical leadership at a time when so much about school is up for debate.  I find their perspective incredibly helpful and listening closely to their insights has prevented many novice mistakes. 

I am also lucky to be teaching with an incredible team of teachers who have become peer mentors.  We complement each other wonderfully because we all have different strengths, but the common thread is that everyone brings their "A game" everyday.  We listen without judgement.  We don't fixate on problems, we solve them.  We collaborate without competition.  We share without  threatening one another.  We teach with no ego.  

Sometimes mentors show up unexpectedly.  We recently invited a dynamic speaker to visit our grade as a DC hunger expert.   She previously led a cluster of charter schools and now is a food justice advocate. I am fascinated by her energy, her focus, and her ideas, and I am plotting how I might become her friend and partner with her on a project or two.

I recently came across this blogpost from my good friend and long time mentor, Monica Edinger. We began working together over a decade ago at The Dalton School.  To this day she remains a steadfast champion and a critical source of advice and ideas.  I deeply admire the way she has never become complacent with her practice.  She stays true to her core principles, but tries something fresh and new and innovative every year.  To have someone like that believe in you when you are just starting out gives you the confidence to press forward, to take risks, and to trust that the journey to becoming a master educator could be the funnest and most rewarding ride yet.  I look forward to having the opportunity to provide that to someone else.  

Everybody Grows: A Community Partnership

As part of the 6th grade community engagement focus on Food Justice, we forged a partnership with Everybody Grows:

At Everybody Grows, our mission is to inspire and equip people to grow fresh, healthy food by bringing the home garden to everybody, wherever home may be.

We serve communities across the Washington DC area by making growing food possible regardless of location, age, income or mobility.  Our work brings families and communities closer through sharing the life-sustaining joy of growing food.

Inspiration Gardens are built in partnership with the DC Fire Department, local churches and nursing homes. These community-focused gardens provide an opportunity for people from all walks of life to plant together, harvest together and to learn how to grow their own vegetable gardens.

Jake is the Executive Director and an alum of SFS.  He had been looking for opportunities to bring his work as a landscape designer and gardener back to his alma mater.  Brad Ogilvie, long time SFS consultant connected us and this partnership was born.  This first we launched a seed growing initiative.  All of the students planted and tended over 700 seedlings.  Some died but some were donated and planted in DC community gardens.  As we solidify this partnership over the next year, we hope to soon have all 6th grade students going out into neighborhoods and helping with the gardens as well.  

Seed growing and soil quality are part of the 6th grade science curriculum so we will continue to deepen that connection.  We have found literary connections to Seedfolks and The Green Book, which I will teach this year.  It also connects to discussions about farming in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  It complements the OxFam Hunger Banquet and Global Village experience since it exposes students to the difficulties of actually growing food to eat, something our American privilege and culture separates us from.  

My coworker Stewart and I had the opportunity to present these ideas at the Private Schools for Public Purpose conference. Here is our presentation called Sowing Seeds.