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"Linked Learning" presentation done at Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Gabe Soumakian, Oxnard Union High School District Superintendent, keynoted this interesting presentation on âLinked Learningâ to the Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce on January 28. He said that Linked Learning is not just to prepare students for college, but a gateway to careers, too. He said: âIf I ask myself: âwhen am I ever gonna use algebra, when am I ever gonna use chemistry, when am I ever gonna use earth science, right?â ⊠We wanna make the teaching relevant. We wanna take the learning in the classroom and link it to real world applicationsâŠ. How do we apply it in predictable as well as unpredictable settings?âŠ.. Critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, really understanding how to make decisions.â (see more in event video near bottom of this article). His approach consists of Common Core State Standards -what we teach- the content, curriculum- WHAT you need to learn), 21st Century learning (HOW we teach, HOW we learn) and Smart Balanced Assessments (HOW we measure it)â see chart below âŠ.
CSCC= Common Core State Standards
 He said that there are no more local or state assessment tests (all will be national level Common Core Assessments). Folks, this effectively means federal control of curricula. What you test is what you much teach (at a minimum)â and is also what is rewarded. They are using âadaptive testing,â meaning, he said, that the answer to the first question will help drive what subsequent questions will be. That would seem to imply that not everyone takes the same test. I wasnât there to ask âadaptiveâ questions about the implications of that and how meaningful comparative scores and benchmarks would be.
âWeâre really doing things radically differentâ
He said weâre at that tipping point where âweâre really doing things radically differentâ and that teachers are not going to be using textbooks as we know them. All the content is going to be placed on line. âThere is no such thing as a textbook anymore. The world is a textbook.â How they will decide what in the world is valid and what will be taught was not explained. They will be using tablets and laptops, connected to their network, inside or outside school, to the teacher and materials. Itâs called âblended learning,â which is a combination of face-to-face (with teacher) and on-line instruction. He doesnât believe in 100% on-line learning. He feels âtheirâ kids lack the discipline to do that and that colleges have a âdismalâ completion rate of this type of learning. âWe have to get our teachers trained, we have to get them to understand how to use the learning system.â
Note that this methodology has never been properly tested, piloted and validated on a large scale. Yet it is being rapidly rolled out almost nationwide (45 states in public schools and most private schools, although quite a few are trying now to eliminate it) very rapidly in its immature state. Also note that Congress has continually voted against a national curriculum and federal control of education, although âNo Child Left Behindâ and âRace to the Topâ do give the federal government some levers of control. Some say that such things exceed the constitutional powers of federal government. Speaking of constitutional powers, many object to the privacy (4th amendment) intrusion of so-called âdata miningâ used by Common Core to amass a huge data base of information about both teachers and students.Â
Dr. Soumakian said: âwe donât like to call them Common Core Standards. We call them âThe New State Standards.'â He mentioned that the new school board is all educators. âLinked learning is about having kids explore and understand âcontent curriculumâ and really make sense about what theyâre learning.â Content curriculum is a buzzword which could encompass anything from manuals, regulations, to biographies, and more. It has been used to help de-emphasize use of textbooks and âclassics.â He said the outcome is to produce entrepreneurs. It wasnât at clear from his presentation how that might occur, although use of industry collaborative partners was used to explain how more real-world teaching might be injected into the districtâs offerings. How many teachers and educators are entrepreneurs? If not, how will they know how to impart those skills? He said the âold model was to go to school, get an education, then find a job,â  He said the new model is âto create a job.â  This assessment is in stark contrast to expert critics who claim that Common Core is  âdumbed downâ and is designed to create âworker beesâ for community college entrance or blue collar jobs, many of which require further training/apprenticeship. The first-ever known California public debate on Common Core to cover such issues was held in June 2013.
 Blended/Linked Learning
Soumakian pronouncements on âblended learningâ of on-line and teacher/mentor instruction have proven to have a lot of merit, however.
Jim Rose, OUHSD Director of Career Pathways, who, he said, works âat the high school at the nuts and bolts levelâ spoke next.
âIn contrast with critics,â he said, âthey cover âacademics,⊠ to get them ready for the UCâ (University of California- 4 year university)⊠ânothing compromised.â However, critics say that some math and science are moved out, classics removed and other changes which make it less academic. Rose said it will also prepare students for the workplace and that âfailure is not an option,â although he doesnât explain how. With social promotion already in place, this is already virtually guaranteed.
He told the assembly that seven district high schools contain 22 âacademies,â more than any other in California. We have heard good things about the academy approach, but do not have statistics on success of this approach. He claimed a 96% graduation rate and 92% college bound, per Mike Henson, Regional Director, National Academy Foundation.  The academy approach has been highly successful in New York City Schools for many decades, although on a fairly small scale. For example, Bronx H.S. of Science and Brooklyn Tech. are top-flight, even legendary.  Oxnard Unified High School District is moving toward smaller academy-oriented facilities and no more 2000+ student schools will be built, it was claimed. That would seem to pose some transportation issues for students to get  to the academies of their choice.
Mr. Rose says that âproject-basedâ learning will occur, which coordinates the different subjects to help ensure that they support each other. We donât understand how yet, since only 15% departure (addition, no subtraction) is permitted to CCSS and CA has declined to add anything. So, will the district add material? Jim said that OUHSD has received $6MM in grants to help achieve this and other things.
 Dr. Soumakian, who has weighed in publicly on discipline issues in the past, mentioned that last year, the expulsion rate dropped about 38% and suspension rate 42%. He did not mention that state policies now highly discourage such actions, nor did he describe any changes in classroom management as a result, but said they seek âalternative means of correction.â Rose later mentioned counseling and student apologies as means.
Soumakian also stressed imparting of âtransferrable skillsâ which can be used outside of the âacademyâ focus, since many students end up in areas outside of their originally intended focus.
Mary Ann Rooney, Project Director, Career Pathways Ventura County (she is also a Oxnard/Port Hueneme Harbor Commissioner) then weighed in and said that they would try to identify work-based learning opportunities for students.
 These span awareness, exploration and preparation and include guest speakers, mentoring, field trips, company tours, âjob shadowing,â interviews and mock interviews, paid internships, virtual enterprises and student presentations. It is unknown what the state of development/maturity of these is. Chambers of Commerce, St Johns Hospital, Alcoa, Haas Automation and other companies are collaborating. She also presented the network map shown above.
 The report above written by CitizensJournal.us, not KADYTV, which produced the video. We enhanced likenesses of charts seen in the video as much as possible, above.
KADYTV offers local personalities, issues and events- Hyper-local news, in the KADY TV tradition!  Past shows archived on the web site and via Citizensjournal.us.  Executive Producer: Bob Allen.
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George Miller is Publisher of Citizensjournal.us and a âretiredâ operations management consultant, active in civic affairs, living in Oxnard.
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