Why isn't education as social as other aspects of life? This wicked question is the basis for my research and data collection. Why is it wicked? There is no definite solution nor is there only one. This question may never truly be answered. Because education is so varied among countries, states, districts, and even classrooms, teachers may come up with many different thoughts on this question.

There is a gap in educational research on this particular topic. Overwhelmingly, I found research that described the socializing of young children (i.e., preschoolers), or in the context of leadership. It was difficult to find research that was about education being a social place for students and how this would impact their learning. One thing that did surface was the TED Talk by Celeste Headlee (2016). In this short clip, she acknowledges the issue technology is presenting to students because they are interacting more via texting than the are face to face.

The teacher that Headlee refers to is Paul Barnwell. He developed a project that would require his students to hold a conversation, in the form of a podcast, about a topic they had been researching. Soon, Barnwell realized that his students' dependence on electronic communication was hindering their face-to-face interactions. "As I watched my class struggle, I came to realize that conversational competence might be the single-most overlooked skill we fail to teach students," (Barnwell,2014).

"Experiences with peers are not a superficial luxury to be enjoyed during lunch and after school." (Johnson 1981, p. 5)

David W. Johnson (1981) wrote about the importance of student-student interaction in education. What stood out is his explanation of school as a social system with networks of relationships. Johnson (1981) concluded that student-student interaction helped to improve achievement, the socialization of values, beliefs, and morals, and it also helped reduce social isolation.

I dug deeper into research of my own. My goal was to find out how classrooms have been/are run in regards to student interactions. There were 10 participants in this survey (n=10) all of whom were classroom teachers at one tome or are currently still in classrooms teaching. The table below shows the degree of agreement with the statement, 'students should work individually on assignments.' Only 2 participants disagreed with this statement, with the majority selecting "neutral." Because 8 of the 10 participants selected "neutral," "agree," or "strongly agree," I concluded that individual accountability is still an integral part of education. This suggests that students should be working on their own, rather than in partners or groups, at least the majority of their work time during the school year.

The next piece of data that I found helpful in understanding how social education is, was the response to the question, 'do you allow free movement?' While 7 of the 10 participants responded that they do allow free movement, the other 3 do not. This data shows that at least 3 classrooms have a stricter environment in which students do not have as much freedom as they would elsewhere. Why is movement relevant to social interactions in the classroom? If students are not allowed to move around, ask others questions, work together, or find a comfortable work space, they may be less likely to want to interact and get the help they need. They will also not be able to bounce ideas off of someone else and flesh out concepts that are confusing to them.

As I continued to think about my wicked problem, I tried to think of actionable solutions. One solution that I feel may be actionable almost immediately is social challenges in the classroom. This could be education escape room style activities (which are available to teachers online via websites such as TeachersPayTeachers or BreakOutEdu) or allowing students to begin an experiment without giving too many directions. One protocol that I find useful is the Critical Friends Protocol from New Tech Network. This is a way for students to provide constructive feedback to each other. Both of these solutions would allow students to navigate social interactions in meaningful ways. For example, students would need to have clear communication, be able to ask questions, and listen to each other.

To help bring this solution to fruition, teacher training is necessary. A multi-part professional development training would provide teachers with the information to start implementing the solutions I have suggested above. In order to understand the challenges appropriate for students, teachers will need to experience one and take the role of their students. After this experience, teachers would be given time to ask questions and collaborate to either find grade-appropriate challenges or create their own. After a couple weeks of trying these out in the classroom, another day will need to be devoted to troubleshooting, asking more questions, and applying challenges to any subject. The second solution is about the Critical Friends Protocol. Just as before, teachers will need to complete the protocol themselves and practice providing positive, critical feedback to a peer/colleague. During this professional development, teachers will be given access to a Critical Friends Protocol sheet which they can modify to fit their classroom needs.

References:

Barnwell, P. (2014, April 22). My Students Don't Know How to Have a Conversation. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/my-students-dont-know-how-to-have-a-conversation/360993/

Breakout EDU. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.breakoutedu.com/

Fields, S. (2018, November 29). [Two People Texting]. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/zsppCWsxJy0

Headlee, C. (2016, March 08). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vskiVDwl4&t=124s

Johnson, D. W. (1981). Student-Student Interaction: The Neglected Variable In Education. Educational Researcher. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0013189X010001005?journalCode=edra.

New Tech Network. (2016, August 23). New Tech Network Critical Friends. Retrieved from https://newtechnetwork.org/resources/new-tech-network-critical-friends/

TeachersPayTeachers. (n.d.). Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/