Apple has Figured out Homework... Can You?
What does Homework Look Like in Your Class?
Over the weekend, while watching an over-dramatic television show, the advertisement titled "Homework" from Apple came onto our screen (see the video above). This is a brilliant add. Not simply because of the power of the iPad Pro, but the concept behind the students' inspiration. The classroom shows an overpacked room with a teacher who seems to be on the brink of either creative euphoria or a nervous breakdown, struggling to create groups for the project. There is a sense of disorganization and boredom within the walls of the learning space.
But then comes the best part of the Teacher's presentation:
Where was the 25-minute discussion taking the students through each individual detail about, "Who?What? When? Where? How? Why? How Much? How Long? Extra Credit? If it's Late?" and other discussions we seem to have in our classrooms.
There is no rubric.
There is no packet.
The teacher in this ad is EMPOWERING his students to take what they know about gravity and explore it! Who would expect anything less from a science teacher with 8 globes on his desk!
"Well, this is an irresponsible example..."
"If we as teachers do not lay out how we want the projects done then they will not be 'correct'". This is the comment I have received in my time training and consulting with educators. To think that students have to learn how we the teacher want them to learn is an outdated and flimsy sentiment. A sentiment that falls back on a system that is years if not decades behind the real world and what learning is and can become.
We see in this iPad ad a teacher who understands that his students have the power and wherewithal to experiment, discover and present their learning to the classroom. It is obvious by the writing on the whiteboard that he has covered the concepts of gravity. He did his part. Now it is the student's turn to open up and explore what the concepts mean in the real world.
And we see nothing short of greatness
While we see the video take us through the adventure of the student's exploration of gravity, we hear the poem "Homework, Oh Homework" by Jack Prelutsky (pg 25). It's incredible to experience, but by the time the students drop the watermelon and egg off of the bridge, the negative poem, that screams the feelings of almost every student, fades away because of my curiosity and wonder of gravity provided by these students.
The video showed what learning can be. Curious. Messy. Creative. Active. Experiential. Exciting.
Your learning that you are developing for your students can be these things. "Teacher" no longer means the "grand keeper of all knowledge", so we need to stop acting that way. How can we challenge our students to go deeper? Instead of memorizing the review packet for the test, what could they create that demonstrates their understanding of the concepts and mastery of the standards? Is there an assignment or unit that you dread teaching? Change it! Find a new way to encapsulate the same outcome of understanding. Does this mean we, as educators, have to work a little harder, do more research, and have more failures? Absolutely! Then, like the students in the video, when the reflection comes "did it work?", we can become overwhelmed with joy at the big and small accomplishments we see. Overwhelmed by letting go of control and embracing the unknown for the sake of learning.
Learning is more than notes and powerpoints...what will you do next?
Our Challenge as Educators
Think beyond the homework. When an idea feels intimidating, lean into the idea, see where it takes you. Find the curiosity and passion in your activities that you hope your students find in your lessons.
Check out resources like:
Sometimes less is more.
Works Cited:
IPad - Homework (Full Version) - Apple. (2018, March 27). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/IprmiOa2zH8
Prelutsky, J., & Stevenson, J. (1984). The new kid on the block: Poems. Greenwillow Books.
Love this! Thx for sharing or assigning! lol
ReplyDelete