Studenting : behind the - PowerPoint Presentation

Studenting: behind the faÇade - Peter Liljedahl

THE PHENOMENONPretending to try to solve a problem. Doing their Science homework. Pretending to be using a cell phone as a calculator. Copying homework from someone else. Mimicking the teacher’s example. Sharpening their pencil. Passive note taking. Pretending to have done homework. Pretending to be collaborating. Pretending to be doing in-class assignments. Pretending to be studying. Pretending to be reading. Forgot something in the locker. Going to the bathroom.

THE PHENOMENONCommon Traitst here is a façade (seems to be directional) it subverts the teacher’s intentions (not always deliberately) it isn’t learning! SO WHAT TO CALL IT?

STUDENTINGThe concept of studenting or pupiling is far and away the more parallel concept to that of teaching . [..] there is much more to studenting than learning how to learn. In the school setting , studenting includes getting along with one’s teachers, coping with one’s peers, dealing with one’s parents about begin a student, and handling the non-academic aspects of school life . ( Fenstermacher , 1986, p. 39)

STUDENTING[T]hings that students do such as ‘psyching out’ teachers, figuring out how to get certain grades, ‘beating the system’, dealing with boredom so that it is not obvious to teachers, negotiating the best deals on reading and writing assignments, threading the right line between curricular and extra-curricular activities, and determining what is likely to be on the test and what is not . ( Fenstermacher , 1994, p . 1)

STUDENTING AS GAMING[T] hings that students do such as ‘ psyching out ’ teachers, figuring out how to get certain grades, ‘ beating the system ’, dealing with boredom so that it is not obvious to teachers, negotiating the best deals on reading and writing assignments, threading the right line between curricular and extra-curricular activities, and determining what is likely to be on the test and what is not . ( Fenstermacher , 1994, p . 1)

STUDENTINGStudenting is what students do while in a learning situation. conducive to learning (or not) conforms with the teacher’s wishes (or not)

STUDENTING AS GAMING

METHODOLOGY

INITIAL CONTEXTSnow you try one (PME 2013*)grade 10 homework (PME-NA 2013*) grade 10-12 note taking (TBD) grade 12 … * with Darien Allan

NOW YOU TRY ONE

TEACHER’S INTENTIONSMs. Duo Well, I use them to give the students a chance to check their understanding of what we had just learned. This way, if they don't understand something we can catch it right away. Researcher And what do the students do with these problems ? Ms. Duo For the most part they do the problems. You'll see when we are in there that there are a couple of boys in the back that don't do them but they don't really do anything. Everyone else, though, does them.

AMOTIVATION (n=3)disengaged for the full class. Frank I don’t get it . [shrugging his shoulders and looking back down at his cell phone] Andrew My tutor will help me with this tonight. Jason I'm just tired today .

STALLING (n=4)went to the bathroom (n=2) sharpened their pencil looking for calculator Barry I was waiting until there was a break in the lesson.

FAKING (n=2)pretended to try Keesha I don't want to mess up my notes. Jennifer Not only will she give us the answer , she will give us the best answer . This is the one I want in my notes .

MIMICKING (n=17)constant referencing to the previously solved problem [ n task  (n-1) example ] John This is how we do things in this class . The teacher gives us an example and we write it down. Then she gives us one to try and we copy what we did in the example.

REASONING (n=6)tried it on their own reasoned their way through it anticipated next example Kenneth I don't know. Maybe. … I mean it all makes sense. If anything maybe the examples just showed me what kinds of questions are possible.

NOW YOU TRY ONE catching up on notes (n=0 ) n =32

NOW YOU TRY ONE n =32

HOMEWORK

TEACHERS’ INTENTIONSResearcher Why do you assign homework? Ms. Calie Mathematics is something you can just watch. You need to practice it. I assign homework is so they can practice it. Researcher Do you mark it. Ms. Calie Of course … otherwise they don’t do it. Mr. Bennet No. Its supposed to be formative.

HOMEWORK Grade N n Marking 10 32 20 random check for completion 10 30 20 random check for completion 11 31 20 random selection of questions marked 11 33 20 not marked 12 28 20 not marked

DIDN’T DO IT (n=31)I forgotI was busy “I had basketball practice after school and when I got home I had to finish my English essay.” I tried but I couldn’t do it It wasn’t worth marks I took at chance

DIDN’T DO IT (n=31)

CHEATED (n=15) Copied from a friend from a different year Showed a different day rewrote numbers Did half

CHEATED (n=15)

GOT HELP (n=30)“ If you had to do a quiz on this material today, how do you think you would do? ” would fail quiz would pass quiz would excel at quiz

GOT HELP (n=30)

DID IT ON THEIR OWN (n=24) m imicked from notes d id not mimic from notes m imicked but completed

DID IT ON THEIR OWN (n=24)

HOMEWORK   Marked (n=60) Not Marked (n=40) Marked (n=60) Not Marked (n=40) Didn't Do It 15 16 Got Help 18 12 I forgot 5 3 Felt they would fail quiz 6 1 I was busy 4 2 Felt they would pass quiz 3 3 I tried, but I couldn't do it 3 3 Felt they would excel 9 8 I took a chance 3 0 Did it On Their Own 13 11 It wasn't worth marks 0 8 Mimicked from notes 4 5 Cheated 14 1 Did not mimic from notes 6 6 Copied 7 1 Mimicked but completed 3 0 Faked 5 0 Half homework risk 2 0

HOMEWORK   Marked (n=60) Not Marked (n=40) Marked (n=60) Not Marked (n=40) Didn't Do It 15 16 Got Help 18 12 I forgot 5 3 Felt they would fail quiz 6 1 I was busy 4 2 Felt they would pass quiz 3 3 I tried, but I couldn't do it 3 3 Felt they would excel 9 8 I took a chance 3 0 Did it On Their Own 13 11 It wasn't worth marks 0 8 Mimicked from notes 4 5 Cheated 14 1 Did not mimic from notes 6 6 Copied 7 1 Mimicked but completed 3 0 Faked 5 0 Half homework risk 2 0

HOMEWORK

TAKING NOTES

TEACHER’S INTENTIONSResearcher Why do you make your students copy notes? Mr. Clark I want them to see me demonstrating how to do the math. And I want them to write them down so that they have it in their notes for studying for tests.

TAKING NOTES (n=30) don’t n=3 don’t use notes n=27 yes n=3 don’t keep up n=16 USE NOTES TO STUDY

TAKING NOTES (n=30) gaming 90% gaming 63% USE NOTES TO STUDY

THEORIZING ABOUT STUDENTS

THEORIZING ABOUT STUDENTSdoing being … a student (Sacks) practical rationality (Aaron) law of least effort ( Kahnemann ) motivation and avoidance ( Hannula ) didactic tension (Mason) goal regulation ( Hannula ) self-determination theory ( Deci & Ryan) institutional norms (Liu & Liljedahl) avoidance ( Hannula ) learning style (Gardner)

FRAMEWORK OF GAMING

THEORIZING ABOUT TEACHERS

THEORIZING ABOUT TEACHERSPROBLEMS PRESENTED IN OTHER RESEARCH: are seen as social engineering → teaching methods are seen as solutions in need of a problem are far removed from individual teachers’ classrooms are seen as abstract or theoretical represent an ideal do not easily bridge to the practical are often seen as systemic

THEORIZING ABOUT TEACHERSTHESE RESULTS, ON THE OTHER HAND … are recognizably problematic are a recognizable reality have verisimilitude are familiar provide a reality check YET … are seen as important to change are within the realm of things that can be changed

THEORIZING ABOUT RESEARCH

RESEARCH

CLASSROOM

Q & A QUESTIONS and ABUSE

THANK YOU! liljedahl@sfu.ca www.peterliljedahl.com/presentations