#visiblethinking

Time is a constraint that is common to all teachers (Ritchhart et al.,2011). I do not think that a teacher has to give up thinking time to prepare for testing, because you can prepare for standardized tests while also putting thinking ahead of rote memory exercises. Everyone makes the test the bad guy, but the test is just a representation of the standards which are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy and include both conceptual and metacognitive knowledge. I would argue that the curriculum and standards are at least adequate in most circumstances and the testing process itself, though inconvenient, seems to be improving through the collaboration of Edtech platforms and state education agencies. With the limitations to thinking that multiple choice tests create, the redesigned STAAR test that will begin field testing in the spring of 2022 will contain “new question types that reflect classroom test questions and allow students more ways to show their understanding” (Texas Education Agency, 2022). This willingness for TEA to grow and respond to the current assessment strategies in a typical Texas classroom stands in stark contrast to the punitive nature of the consequences for the losers of the high-stakes testing game. David Hursh states in his book High-stakes Testing and the Decline of Teaching and Learning: The Real Crisis in Education:

“I am not against using standardized exams as one of multiple measures. But, I am against high-stakes standardized tests that are used to punish students, teachers, schools, and school districts and used to misrepresent public schools as failures beyond redemption”        

What students and teachers need is a low-stakes environment that encourages thinking and deep understanding. That can be achieved through annual standardized testing, but less pressure to perform would enable teachers to focus on mastery of thinking skills rather than rapid progression through content. Changining question types and adjusting the presentation of standardized tests can help make them a more reliable measure of performance, but if performance is the basis for loss of funding or labeling a school unsatisfactory then the same “test taking strategy” instruction will overtake thinking strategy instruction. “Ultimately it’s what learners are asked to do with that content that makes it a rich opportunity for learning” (Ritchhart et al.,2011). To get the focus off of the end result of standardized assessment and onto the learning environment and thinking processes is the key to testing and thinking occupying the same space in teaching for understanding. 

Resources

Hursh, D. W. (2008). High-stakes Testing and the Decline of Teaching and Learning: The Real Crisis in Education. United States: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

 Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible. Jossey Bass Wiley.

As I work my way through all the book proposal advice I am soaking up; I realize one essential task, of course, is to outline the audience I wish to reach.  Because I'm working on a commercial non-fiction book that falls in the personal development category, I'm taking this piece of guidance to heart.  Don't try to be everything to everybody, but rather be something to someone specific.  Write what you know.  

In my user experience work, it's common to draft personas based on real people or research, and I have decided to take a similar approach to refine my target audience.  

It occurred to me this morning that I should leverage the real stories I know from the folks around me.  As it turns out, I see a lot of people struggling to work their way through the challenges of being a parent and mid-career or mid-life.  I know it's something I deal with often.

Something is tugging at me inside to help the individuals I know overcome their self-created obstacles.  I believe that once they begin to see how they currently think they'll be able to realize ways to start changing their thinking.  

I'm a guy who has perfected visualizing my ideas; it's something I have developed over the past 20 years.  I know many that feel stuck, who put their needs and dreams on pause and miss out on achieving more of their potential.  Why not leverage my gift for seeing thoughts and connecting dots?  Perhaps one of my greatest talents is for helping others think out loud where they can see what goes on in their head.

If you are anything like me, the work that happens behind the scenes to get a book in the hands of a reader is invisible and perhaps unthought of. I have had my eyelids peeled back and now see all the intentional labor that goes into merely proposing things to an editor or publisher.

This morning I studied up on all the juicy, purposeful things to include in a book proposal. At first, it seemed a bit overwhelming, but after spending a couple hours in the headspace, I feel like I’m starting to grasp the scope of what is needed.

I didn’t arrive at this thinking alone. I can thank Jane Friedman, talented folks at Reedsy, and authors Jody Rein and Michael Larsen. I’m soaking up all the practical and sage advice and making sense of it all.

Additionally, I’m reverting back to a student mindset. I’m scanning, skimming and stealing like an artist. I’m also sketchnoting and distilling the value-drenched parts that will fuel my future ideation and thinking.

Instead of living in the overwhelm, I’m breaking bits down to whelm-worthy chunks that I can leverage.

One last thought on how to develop an aesthetic for my book, visualize my ideas and potentially impact my brand was inspired by a random wall collection I stared at. It’s a look and feel exploration for apparel. It reminds me of how I used to work as an art and design student during college. Why I stopped working this way is beyond me, but I’m eager to revisit the approach. (See collage image below)

I’m studying the process of creating a commercial non-fiction book.  I’ve never gone through it and definitely have much to learn.  Fortunately, there is an abundance of materials, books, blogs, and content on the subject. At the moment, I’m learning about how to make a commercial non-fiction book proposal.  There are lots of interesting moving parts. Here’s the mindmap I’ve created that helps me frame up the major components of a proposal.  I’m studying Jane Friedman’s website and reading through How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider's Step-by-Step Guide to Proposals that Get You Published Fifth Edition by Jody Rein (Author), Michael Larsen (Author) for excellent advice and guidance.

I have much to learn, and that’s the best part.  Beginners mind here we go.