Week 2 Blog Assignment

 Authentic Intellectual Work: The nature of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) is to have students engaged with the learning that will take them beyond just memorizing facts and following steps. It encourages students to construct their knowledge in a meaningful way. Students are then able to study the details of a problem, create a product, and share the product that has meaning outside of school. (Newmann et al., 2007, p. 2) This is different from traditional approaches because in a lot of classrooms, students are going through the motions to earn a grade or credit. They have very little buy-in and no ownership. AIW makes students be active members in their learning and creates an environment where they want to be engaged in order to create a product they are proud of for success in society. 

The three criteria for AIW are: Construction of Knowledge, Disciplined Inquiry, and Value Beyond School. Starting with Construction of Knowledge, which is "organizing, interpreting, evaluating, or synthesizing prior knowledge to solve new problems" (Newmann et al., 2007, p. 3). Construct of Knowledge means as teachers we need to give our students experiences with these skills so they can practice them because it is the best way to learn how to solve problems. Disciplined Inquiry allows for the solution to be accurate and valid. This comes from three components: prior knowledge base, in-depth understanding, and elaborated communication (Newmann et al., 2007, p. 4). Prior knowledge is about having the basic facts or understanding of the concepts. In-depth understanding builds on the prior knowledge and comes from inquiring, proposing, and testing solutions or the key factors in a problem. Lastly, elaborated, communication, is how students communicate the information to others. It can be in the form of an essay, infographic, poster, or chart. Value Beyond School means the work we give students have some sort of value whether it is personal, aesthetic, to help others, or informative. The work we give them needs to have meaning and significance (Newmann et al., 2007, p. 5). Including these components works, as evidence from the CORS24- School Study show. Schools of all different grade levels were assessed and rated on the AIW standards. Classes were assigned a score based on their pedagogy and found that in classrooms with the highest pedagogy score, students also had the highest scores on mathematics and social studies assessments. Similarly in Chicago, students receiving the highest AIW scored assignments scored "30 to 56 percentiles higher than students of teachers who gave the lowest quality assignments" (Newmann et al., 2007, p. 20)

An example of AIW in a science classroom could be students are wondering what the water quality of a local stream is. They would construct their knowledge by learning the basics of what makes up water quality and how to test it. Then they would dive deeper of in-depth knowledge by learning what good ranges are for dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrogen, and how to sample the water and living organisms. For the communication aspect, they would then run the tests and collect the data. Then students would give an overall grade to the water quality. They would create an infographic with the information and how to help improve the water quality. These signs would be posted around town. This assignment would allow students to practice skills and solve a problem in their town while hitting on all components of Authentic Intellectual Work. 

National Technology Plan Update: The National Technology Plan states that there is a "Digital Use Divide" and provides ways to resolve it. This section connects technology integration with authenticity because it shares the importance access to technology for all that will create real world opportunities for students. One example, students were able to showcase their multilingual abilities in different ways. Some students created eBooks filled with pictures, text, audio, and videos, while other students wrote an essay using speech to text. This then correlates back to value beyond school by students publishing their work for viewing from community members, friends, family, and teachers. This also helps with the "Digital Use Divide" because it allows all students, no matter their language, to participate in the class and AIW (Office of Educational Technology, 2024 p.12). 

Triple E Framework: The connection between the Triple E Framework and AIW is very evident. The Triple E Framework wants technology to support learning goals by making sure it is engaging, enhancing, and extending student learning. The clear connection for me is between extension and value beyond school. Both focus on their being a connection to outside of school. The learning and skills students gain from school, need to provide a benefit for them when they leave. In the example provided above both extension and value beyond school are present. Students are extending their learning by figuring out how to create multimedia presentations and are able to share these with community members to try and solve a problem. This allows them to work on their communication skills, collaboration skills, and see how the work they do in school relates to the world around them. 

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