Myron Dueck
Featured Keynote Programs
What Educators Might Learn from Advertisers
Novelist Norman Douglas wrote in 1917 that, ‘you can tell the ideals of a
nation by its advertisements’. Whether humorous or dramatic, subtle or
loud, by some estimates we encounter somewhere between 300 and
6000 ads each day. A staggering 600 billion dollars are spent annually
trying to influence what we purchase, what we think and how we act
(O’Reilly & Tennant).
We in schools might have something to learn from the world of
advertising. By using actual ads and digging into the design-thinking
behind them, some key themes will be investigated. For instance, we may
want to…
Design experiences that invite curiosity rather than demand
attention.
Be clear on our purpose of education.
Ensure that we create a feeling or culture that supports learning.
Spend time and energy creating our own ‘elevator pitch’ for what
we do, and why we do it.
The best advertising firms understand that success is born through
establishing a feeling, or culture, around a brand. More recently, in light
of avenues such as YouTube and Instagram, some suggest that it’s the
consumer who defines the product, not the producer. Could the same
changes be occurring in our schools? Participate in this keynote to
explore why education may want to take a page from advertising’s
catalogue.
Ch-ch-ch-Changes & CONSTRAINT - The Upside of Uncertainty and Restrictions
Perhaps David Bowie sang it best, ‘Times may change me, but I can’t change
time.’ We’ve been through some pretty big changes in our collective past,
and clearly 2020 is a year like no other in that department. There’s no
denying that transformational forces are at play in the global education
arena - not least on account of COVID. Unlike the pandemic 1919, our
readily accessible digital technology (the biggest change agent since the
printing press,) has allowed us to reach across the street, into our homes
and around the world… to connect, communicate, learn. Education has
mutated as of late, and there may be no going back.
We’re also getting weary of constraints, the daily inability to do things the
way ‘we’ve always done them’. Here too we might take a page from a rocker -
Mick Jagger. Apparently, the small stages of the Rolling Stones’ early days
are to thank for his unique dancing style. Perhaps Jagger epitomizes the
adage, ‘creativity loves constraint’.
So as the ground moves beneath our feet, let’s be mindful that changes and
constraints can be forces for good. In this keynote, Myron will argue that
instruction and assessments that include inquiry, differentiation,
exploration and problem solving may prove more effective for an uncertain
future.
Grading Smarter Not Harder… In One Hour
This keynote is an overview of Myron’s best-selling book, ‘Grading Smarter
Not Harder – Assessment strategies that motivate kids and help them learn’.
The audience will get a distinct flavor for the tone of the book as well as a
good idea for what we could do differently in the areas of grading, unit
plans (targets), homework, retesting and creativity. Myron tackles why we
need to consider changes to traditional grading and assessment routines,
and provides a look at the tools that can help pave the way for effective
change. Overall, the importance of building strong relationships is
emphasized.
The Value of a Target – How one educator embraced learning targets in his classroom.
Common Core (CCSS), NGSS, C3, AERO and many other structures of
learning outcomes have arrived and with them educators are tasked with
re-examining the focus of learning. In this keynote Myron Dueck will
discuss the importance of targets, while focusing on the vital role that
targets play in learning. If applicable to the location, a short history of the
origins of CCSS will be provided so that audience members will have a
better understanding of ‘how did we get here?’ Myron will layout how he
incorporated CCSS/NGSS/C3-style learning outcomes in into the day-to-day
routines of his own classroom. Student responses to learning targets will
be presented as well as a selection of projects that resulted from them.
Accurate data around the extent to which students have understood the
targets is achievable and Myron will highlight his experiences in obtaining
results that guide instruction. We create opportunities for creativity and
autonomy once it is clear of the direction of the learning. Common targets
do NOT equal common teaching, but assessments that link to common
targets can certainly equate to better instruction.
Poverty, Pressure and Parents
How grading and assessment decisions can make things better…or worse.
Poverty is a reality in communities and classrooms across North America,
and too often the policies and practices in the classroom further exacerbate
the challenges faced by economically disadvantaged students. In an era
when schools supply food when it is lacking at home, what do we do with
homework policies when students do not have support at home? This is one of
many questions that arise when we focus on how grading and assessment
routines must be changed to improve the educational outlook for students
who live in challenging situations. Actual accounts of teachers and students
will be used to make the point that grading and assessment routines need
to be part of the socio-economic disparity conversation. Many students
overcome the hurdles imposed by poverty, and along the way a few changes
to traditional grading and assessment structures can help.
“What if…”
Imagining doing things differently in our classrooms.
Tradition is valued and upheld in many school districts. While educational
institutions have much to be proud of and should honor the contributions
previous educators, what are we to do when new, and possibly
contradictory, ideas and research appear on the horizon? Participants in
this session will be challenged to identify the difference between upholding
tradition and defending something that is arguably obsolete. What if poses
a series of questions such as: What if students could monitor their own
progress? What if we only measured personal evidence of learning? What if
students could strive for mastery learning? This keynote will challenge
educators to think outside the box and to consider the value of a paradigm
shift. Thankfully replacement routines will be offered for each question.
Mixed Messages - The disconnect between what educators say and do, and how grading & assessment changes can help.
Schools have mission statements and an abundance of rules and policies.
What are educators and students to do when the messages embedded in
these established doctrines collide with the very practices used in the
school? This keynote highlights how mixed messages abound everywhere
in our society and that the extent to which our actions contradict our words
ranges from the humorous to the disturbing. Unfortunately it’s no different
in schools. From school mission statements to classroom rules and norms,
students certainly feel the brunt of mixed messages. This keynote not only
addressed the issue of confusing statements, but participants will also get a
few suggestions and hands-on strategies to deal with the most obvious
mixed messages surrounding standards-based grading issues related to
homework, lates and attendance.
Retool
Why we must equip our students to succeed in a world where competencies will rule over content.
When content was our focus, we delivered ample amounts of it with specific
pedagogy. However, it’s obvious that the cutting edge of global education
has shifted towards competencies such as problem-solving, critical thinking
and creativity. The global forum rewards the competent learner who has a
sliver of innovation over one who has a broad but shallow knowledge base.
Given that learning is a dynamic endeavor with multiple pathways to
achieve it, how we design the context for learning becomes paramount. As
we teach students who will see the 22 nd century, we should not guess what
will be required, but rather help our students develop the tools that have
always been necessary for both advancement and survival. ‘Retool’ means
to ‘adapt or alter something to make it more useful or suitable’; perhaps
this is exactly what we need to do in order to remain relevant.
‘Ask Them’ – Why listening to our students matters.
In this humorous, fast-paced and broadly relevant keynote, Myron will start
with the unmistakable reality that we are all different in our passions, skills
and learning styles. Considering this reality, we need to make learning
personal, meaningful and relevant, and essential to this goal is asking the
student for input. In an era of Facebook and Trip Advisor, where feedback
from the user is considered essential information, how often do we ask
students for their opinion on grading, assessment, reporting or
relationships? In ‘Ask Them’ Myron Dueck will argue that it is high time we
ask students about their opinions and experiences as they relate to
learning. By sharing the views of real students, and incorporating some of
the tools used to gather evidence of learning, Myron will present the case
that students have much to share concerning their understanding and it is
time we listened very carefully.
Failing IS an Option! Space travel, music icons and harnessing the power of ‘desirable difficulties’.
Legendary NASA Flight Director, Mr. Gene Kranz, famously declared
that ‘Failure Is Not an Option’ while engineering the safe return of the Apollo
13 crew. Though this approach is essential when lives hang in the balance,
it may not be the mantra to adopt when designing deeper learning
experiences for our students. Recent research suggests that creativity and
understanding are the silver lining of struggle. Furthermore, bands like the
Beatles, who took great artistic risks, ended up fundamentally changing
modern music. Surprisingly, immediate feedback models and instant
performance measurements can actually be misinterpreted as true student
understanding, while our own life experiences suggest that difficulty,
uncertainty and mistakes provide the canvas for long-term memory. This
keynote will make the case that if we want to increase student learning and
promote competencies such as critical thinking and problem-solving, we
need to embrace modes of inquiry, risk and exploration in which
failing is certainly an option.