Making+Learning+Irresistible

=Making Learning Irresistible: Extending the Journey of Mabry Middle School= Tim Tyson

As a building principal at Mabry Middle School in Georgia, Tim Tyson encourages us to look at how school improvement efforts should "make learning irresistible." This chapter describes how students have taken ownership of their learning in an environment where they are supported by 21st century teachers and leaders. This community of learners provides a learning environment where school is not about the grades, but where the "whole is substantially more relevant, more meaningful, and more significant than the sum of the individual parts" (p. 118). The changes that happened in Mabry Middle resulted from having honest, open and thought-provoking explorations of school practice, examining horizontal and vertical curriculum alignment, and allowing for adequate thinking time to allow for sustainable change. (p. 118) Tyson's description of Academic Night turned Film Festival demonstrate authentic and engaging learning that has greater value than classroom limits can provide.
 * Summary:**

"If students were to become more authentically engaged in the art of learning, the classroom would have to be more participatory, as students had to get up out of their mental seats and produce something at least as important as a grade - a product that demonstrated not just content knowledge, but understanding that ultimately makes a contribution" (p. 121). "If digital technology is used in low-level ways - to do the same things we have always been doing in schools, just doing them now with computers - then we have failed to grasp the metamorphosis this technological ecosystem offers: (p. 130).
 * Point to ponder:**

Some of our classmates have had the opportunity to interact with Mabry students and see their two minute videos of a polished piece of media. Students from Mabry speak passionately about their topics and causes, with deep level of understanding and research. Mabry students wanted their audiences to feel and react to what their productions were about, rather than focus on the technologies used to create such projects.
 * Discussion Connections:**

We recognize that the Film Festival project is extensive and requires time and technology rich commitments. This type of 21st century learning provides students a wider audience for students to share their learning and provide more authentic opportunities for learning. When provided with more authentic tasks and audiences, students work harder and attain higher levels of achievement. Grades are secondary to the global impact and feedback that these students seek.

So... how can we foster a curriculum that extends beyond the walls of the classroom? While we have learned that we need to plan for a tested curriculum, how does Tim Tyson's demonstrate that the tested curriculum demonstrates mastery rather than documentation and completion of learning?

Tyson, T. (2010). Making Learning Irresistible: Extending the journey of Mabry Middle School. In H. H. Jacobs (Ed.), //Curriculum 21// (pp. 115-132). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.