Halting Teaching Fads Means Changing Traditional Education

Insights from Educate,10th Edition

The EdSurge Podcast asks: “Why Is Teaching So Prone to Fads?”​

Before I even dived in (or listened in), I was already nodding my head in agreement. Teaching is prone to fads. I would even dare say it is overly prone to fads. With a decade of teaching under my belt, I have certainly felt the cyclical winds of education blow through.

Although there are some mainstays, such as backward unit planning (Understanding by Design) and using standards to guide instruction, each year I walk into another professional learning session, I am reminded yet again of how much there is to learn.

I was delighted to learn that personalized instruction was a thing in the 1960s and 1970s. I am a staunch advocate of individualized instruction and authentic education. Students are unique in every way, and their learning should not be an exception. Young notes of the previous personalized movement, “It was low-tech, but it foreshadowed some of the adaptive learning systems of today.”

Today, we have enough tech to make personalized learning a reality in most schools. We have access to the internet with videos and tutorials and web quests. Students already learn at their own pace and in their own time when pursuing their own interests (Tik Tok aside). There is no reason that we can’t incorporate this into schools today.

Why did this movement disappear and what other fads have come and gone? Why do we see a resurgence and/or disappearance of both good and bad ideas?

Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and guest on the podcast, notes that there still isn’t agreement on what good teaching looks like. This invites more research and policies as we seek to incorporate best practices while still trying to understand exactly what makes good teaching good.

And as Zimmerman notes, high-quality teaching costs money. It means investing in structurally sound buildings with expertly trained teachers and access to the internet and the devices that make it work. In our traditional education model, schools are overcrowded, buildings are leaking, and teachers are stressed trying to teach 30 students the same content in the same way.

The fads will continue as long as we continue to hold onto the traditional way of education — a teacher in front of the classroom trying to hold the attention of students who all learn differently.

Once we embrace a different model, perhaps a model of different parts where students move freely between classrooms and teachers focus on small group and individual instruction, we might be able to escape the fads that plague all of us educators in yet another mandatory training session.

One can only hope.

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Education News and Research

One of the most difficult transitions for teachers has been the mandate to teach both online and in-person for districts using the hybrid learning model. Not only are teachers exhausted from navigating the challenges of a pandemic, but they are also now tasked with double-duty instruction. Trisha Powell Crain from The Hechinger Reportnotesthat at least two districts in Alabama gave teachers the option to choose one mode of instruction or the other. Principal Joe Sharp of Baldwin County Robertsdale HighSchool states: “Our way was definitely best…anytime you can lessen a teacher’s workload, you’re going to get better results from the teacher. And the overall morale is going to be better.” While districts begin to see the repercussions of early retirement and teachers departing due to the stress of the pandemic, many are wondering how they can keep teacher exhaustion at bay while also meeting student needs.

​Richard Adams, Education Editor at The Guardian, reports that teacher unions are noting an interference in remote learning, called “parent bombing.” Some parents are jumping into live lessons to comment on instruction. Unions are urging schools to put a stop to this behavior which is leaving teachers on edge and on the receiving end of insults. Adams reports, “One in four teachers told the union they had been subjected to verbal abuse from their pupils or students, while one in 10 said they had received threats of physical violence.”

A year into the pandemic and schools are still trying to ensure students have equitable access to the internet for remote learning. Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package allocated $7 billion for distance learning in a boost to help districts get students connected. “Schools are critical for connecting students after the pandemic, said Amina Fazlullah, equity policy director of Common Sense. They can purchase in bulk, driving down costs, and their close ties to families help encourage adoption.” While some districts have paid for hot spots and devices, there is still a need for more affordable and reliable networks. As we move forward, it is evident that internet connection and devices will be a household educational need.

Professional Learning and Inspiration

​Assessing Prior Knowledge, Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University

The Center for Teaching Innovation provides a quick review of the importance of assessing prior knowledge before launching into new content. This helps create a “bridge” between what is known and what has to still be learned. In addition, teachers can become aware of diverse perspectives and also tap into background knowledge that may help in planning content delivery and methods. Strategies include asking students to answer open-ended questions or designing a gallery walk for students to input observations and knowledge into topics.

Assessing students’ prior knowledge allows an instructor to focus and adapt their teaching plan. For students, it helps them to construct connections between old and new knowledge.

​In Schools, Finding Hope at a Hopeless Time by Nora Fleming, Edutopia

It’s no secret that this has been a challenging year for everyone. When it seems all hope is lost, research shows that hope is actually a learnable skill. Fleming notes that hope has a positive impact on students and their self-esteem including the likelihood that hopefulness increases the chance of setting and meeting goals. To share hope in your classroom, Fleming suggests addressing the issues at hand without glossing over the difficult parts, sharing success stories, and framing this pandemic as a “moment in history.”

According to researchers and psychologists like Bryce, small shifts in curriculum, assignments, and tasks can actually have an effect on how students see themselves and their world. By making some adjustments and bringing new activities, teachers can mitigate some of the hopelessness students feel — and, in turn, make themselves feel more hopeful too.

​COMIC: How One Math Teacher Broke Through To Her Virtual Students by LA Johnson, NPR

In this comic series, NPR focuses on one weekly story of a teacher navigating the pandemic. Jessica Peacock’s story is illustrated as she explores what success has meant to her in virtual teaching. Check out the rest of the comic here.

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About the Editor

​Jennifer Osborne is an experienced educator with graduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Guidance and Counseling. She has taught in five countries across a wide variety of classrooms and schools. Jennifer is passionate about authentic education for students and personalized professional learning for teachers.

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