Week 2: AIL, NETP, and Triple E Framework

 Part I: Authentic Intellectual Work/ Authentic Instruction & Assessment

    In the Drama Academy, the goal is to prepare students for a career or further education in the Performing Arts. Each lesson is designed to prepare students with the skills needed for their future. Most students in the Academy have chosen to be there for this course of study and so all of the content is meaningful and has purpose. However, there are still quite a few students whose future goals do not include a future in performance or entertainment. With each assignment or project, it is important to have the students explore how the skills they are acquiring are beneficial to them in any life or career path they pursue. Chapter 1 of Authentic Instruction and Assessment reveals that memorization and retrieval of given information is disengaging and that students are more apt to figure out how to comply with the requirements of the course than to use their minds to solve meaningful problems or answer challenging questions.  A question asked by students when they are asked to learn information is "when will I ever use this again?" The teacher is tasked with helping students find the answer to that question and provide engaging lessons that put the content to use in real-world scenarios. 

  

  Traditional teaching might have students memorize vocabulary terms related to the theatre. However, the component for Authentic Intellectual Work would bring students into the theatre and have them Construct Knowledge by being a part of the process. Students develop the problem-solving skills unique to each situation in production. Construction of knowledge is guided by Disciplined Inquiry which includes use of prior knowledge, striving for in-depth understanding, and developing and expressing their ideas through elaborate communication. The work that students are doing in the classroom has added impact if it has Value Beyond School and students can make connections to how the work will be relevant to them as an individual (Newman, et al, 2007, p 4).

    

    In acting, Stella Adler believed that growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous (Core Beliefs, 2015). An example of Authentic Intellectual Work is to have students find a character with whom they can relate, analyze and explore the character, perform a piece with the character to demonstrate elaborate communication, and then reflect on what they have learned from taking part in this character's life. 

Part II: 2024 National Education Technology Plan Update

The National Education Technology Plan's first section "Digital Use Divide," connects technology integration practices with components of authenticity by providing opportunities for problem-solving skills, meaningful exploration and creation, as well as providing student with communication through a variety of media or technological sources. One example in the reading that combined the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and technology that also provided authentic work was the lesson of Ms. Ramirez and her unit "EcoExplorers." The unit allows students to demonstrate gather information of the content but gives them choice as to how they receive the information. Students may engage in a 360-degree virtual tour of rainforests, listen to podcasts, or use a simulation. Then the project engages all students by giving them roles in a group and allowing them to organize their information for presenting infographics using either graphic design software, created videos, or other multimedia sources.  By providing students with choices on receiving or constructing the knowledge and then communicating it, students become engaged and can apply real-world skills to their work while answering challenging questions.

Part 3: Triple E Framework

Authentic Intellectual Work falls in line well with the Triple E Framework. Students are actively engaging in the learning when they are constructing knowledge. Their learning is enhanced through disciplined inquiry as there is a more sophisticated understanding of the content. The learning extends beyond the usual school day creating a bridge to everyday life when students learn to communicate their ideas. In the example of Ms. Ramirez's unit,  students are engaged in both the obtaining of and the communication of the information. Each of the activities requires students to focus on the task without distraction and students become active social learners in the group assignment. In the first part where students are choosing the format in which they learn the information, they take responsibility for constructing their knowledge. Students enhance their learning when they use various forms of technology to present their group project. The technology provides a path for them to demonstrate their knowledge. Ms. Ramirez's unit enhances student learning by giving them the opportunity to use tools and communication skills that they can carry with them to college and into life. 

References

Core Beliefs | Stella Adler Studio of Acting. (2015, August 20).     https://stellaadler.com/about/corebeliefs/#:~:text=Growth%20as%20an%20actor%20and%20growth%20as%20a%20human%20being%20are%20synonymous

Kolb. L. (2015). Triple E. Framework. https://wwwtripleeframework.com 

Newman, F. M., King, M.B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment: 

    Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects.  State of Iowa Department

    of Education.

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and

    Use Divides: 2024 National Educational Technology Plan.  Retrieved from http://tech.ed.gov

    Introduction & Digital Use Divide (23 pages)

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