The Birth of the PianoDesk

 

by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

One of the interesting jobs that I have done with my spare time is to take old upright pianos and convert them into computer desks.  I have built these desks and sold them all over the United States.  This unique hobby came from my background as a piano tuner and technician.

I was in my garage one day, looking at a uniquely crafted old upright piano that I had recently acquired.  It was mahogany and had solid, hand-carved legs.  The only problem was that it had a huge crack in the soundboard.  That was the end of the road for this piano.  I looked it over for a few minutes, then walked into my house and sat down at the computer. 

My computer desk was nearly in pieces, so I looked over at my wife and said, “I’m going to take that old piano out there and make it into a desk.”  Needless to say, that didn’t go over very well.  My wife said she would not allow me to waste our money in that way.  A few minutes after she said that, I was in the garage tearing it apart and starting to build my new desk. 

My wife was not very happy with me for several weeks.  As the desk came together, she slowly admired the new piece of furniture.  The final coat of finish was on, and she was moving furniture around to make room for our new desk.  She even invited family and friends over to see her new and unique piece of furniture. 

A few years later, I had the opportunity to build a computer desk for a Hollywood producer.  Pictured right is the late Academy Award winning Producer Randy Stone (1958-2007).  I had the privilege of creating a desk for his office at Warner Bros. Studios in 2000.  Pictured Left is the desk in his office holding his Oscar and Emmy.  He was an amazing person and I'll remember this trip to California as a chance to make a great friend.

My next few blog posts will include the stories behind other woodworking projects that I have created over the last two decades.  Visit my web page for a complete list of projects. 

Stephen T. McClard

Superior Education

Copyright © 2010, Stephen T. McClard

Educational Evlolution 3.0

Article 3 
by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

 

Article 1  |  Article 2

Throughout history, man has sought to pass on knowledge to the next generation.  This process started with oral tradition, storytelling and writing.  With the advent of the printing press, knowledge and information slowly became available to the masses.  The amount of information that could be gained by one human in a lifetime was severely limited by his access to printed materials and wealth.  The majority of learning was gained through observation and imitation.  We can call this Education 1.0.

Education 2.0 starts around the late eighteen hundreds with universal literacy movements throughout newly industrialized regions of the world.  Improvements in education slowly transitioned from apprenticeship to formal education and training.  Despite our movements toward universal education, access to knowledge and opportunity remains inequitable throughout the world.  Even with the arrival of the computer revolution,  access to the tools of learning  continues to define the learner.

The next decade may mark the moment in history when all men are granted equal access to the greatest treasure a soul can possess.  I use the word may in the last sentence because there is the chance that we will miss this golden opportunity.  Access to Education 3.0 will only be gained through investment and universal standardization.  If we continue to divert wealth toward fruitless goals and corporate greed, this opportunity will be lost or hopelessly delayed. 

Education 3.0, when it arrives, will be the age of universal enlightenment.  Platforms for education and learning will slowly standardize and become globally accessible and affordable.  The poorest to the wealthiest will have access to the machine that runs the platform.

The thought on your mind at this point is most likely wondering what machine I keep referring to.  The machine in question is the one we have been so busy teaching and training since roughly 1969.  You've probably guessed it by now that I am referring to the internet.  The great cloud of knowledge that we call the internet is precisely the mechanism that we will use to build the platform of Education 3.0.  When the platform is finally in place, the decade to follow will see the greatest amount of wealth, discoveries and use of human potential that we have witnessed during our time on this earth.  The only question that remains to be answered is the point at which I will leave this series of articles.

When will we allow the user to use the machine to its potential?

Stephen T. McClard
http://www.superiored.com/

For other visions of Education 3.0, visit:

GetIdeas.org

Wikipedia, Education 3.0

Interesting Chart

Copyright © 2010, Stephen T. McClard

Envisioning the Standard

Article 2 - Unified Standardized Educational Platform

Article 1  |  Article 3

by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

The Future of Educational Technology part 2 

Continuing from the thoughts in my last post, I would like to elaborate on the idea of the student as a user of a new standardized educational platform.  It is obvious to me that the future of education will always mirror our everyday lives in one way or another.  If you examine how technology has influenced your daily life already, you begin to put together a snapshot of what it will mean to be educated in the next decade.

In the last few hundred years, most individuals would consider an education as something you receive.  You often hear the question asked, "Where did you receive your education?"  As we proceed through the next decade, education will slowly move away from reception and toward being custom designed for the individual user.  New technology will not only allow us to receive an education, but also develop an education.  The question we might ask in 10 years is, "How did you develop your education?"  The question of where will still be important, but the how of the matter will be the focus that defines the individual.

To make this a reality we will need a standardized platform from which to develop a student's unique education.  This standardized platform will allow us to tailor a custom curriculum that will be matched to talents, interests and life goals.  For the educator, a standardized platform will create a way to assist the student in discovering a true purpose in life through a unique educational experience.  The basics of reading, writing and arithmetic will not be taught as much as they will be discovered and used.  Learning will become a reciprocal experience between the teacher, the student and the machine.

Under a standardized platform, each of these three participants will have a role to play.  The teacher will be the facilitator, assisting the development of the curriculum and inspiring the direction the student takes.  The student will be the user, gathering resources, skills and knowledge in an efficient and measured sequence.  The machine will do the work of data gathering and analysis, which will assist the teacher and student in refining the curriculum.  This data gathering work of the machine will also free the teacher from the burden of record-keeping and tedious tasks that currently distract from the real job of teaching and learning.

Under a standardized system, grade level will be far less important.  Achievement and progression will be measured by accomplishment and intelligence as a benchmark for success.  The question of failure or success will be irrelevant and replaced with a standard and consistent measurement of potential and overall intelligence.  Information will no longer be missed but continually rehearsed and monitored for retention by the machine.

In our current educational paradigm, the teacher is in charge of arbitrarily constructing curriculum.  This approach to curriculum development is based on inexperience in some cases, outdated materials, inadequate funding and a shortage of time.  Measuring the success of a specific curriculum is currently impossible.  With a standardized system, comparisons of curricular success can be made across the entire spectrum of education and then continually reformulated and enhanced by the machine. 

Sadly, teachers today are bogged down with an assortment of mind-numbing tasks that would be better suited to an off-the-shelf automated system.  Tasks such as data tracking, reporting and record keeping are currently accomplished manually.  These tasks could easily be delegated to an intuitive database.  Developing a standard to follow would eliminate these tasks and free the teacher to do their main job of teaching students.

In my final article, I will try and take a look at the specifics of building the Education 3.0 Platform. 

Continue to part 3  

Stephen T. McClard

http://www.superiored.com/

Copyright © 2010, Stephen T. McClard

The Future of Educational Technology

Article 1 - The User's Toolbox 

Article 2  |  Article 3

by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

Thinking of what education might look like in the next decade, one quickly realizes that the trends in technology are leaving a large number of our students behind.  We no longer live in an age of visible movement when it comes to progress and innovation.  Today is an age of exponential change.  New and ever-improving technologies are popping up every day and in every corner of society.

Educating the best and the brightest in this brave new world will take a new and improved educational paradigm.  Allowing our educational tools to age in the corner of the classroom will be the mistake that may cost us our future.  Throwing away masses of children to inequitable access will ensure that we languish at the bottom of the global pool of employable workers for decades to come.

The New Toolbox


I was at an auction a few years ago and noticed a few old woodworking tools that I thought I could use.  For a few bucks, I was able to snag an assortment of hand tools that may have been in someone’s toolbox for a generation or more.  As the next decade passed, I used these tools in my shop for a wide variety of projects until my projects outgrew these old, dull tools.  My woodworking creations continued to improve as did my skills and artistry.  I quickly discovered that using improved tools would translate into improved craftsmanship.  As any woodworker will tell you, new tools require new skills.

Woodworking is a great metaphor for shaping and molding students.  There is simply no good substitute for a sharp tool.  If you want to build the best projects possible, you need to use the best tools possible.  Thinking in terms of the next decade for our country, we will be sorely disappointed in our projects if we fail to improve our tools.

Over the course of the next few days, I will attempt to paint a picture of how technology will shape the way we educate students in the next decade.  I will attempt to show the amazing possibilities that lay before us if we will simply walk through the doorway of opportunity that is open to us. 

My main focus in this series of articles will be this idea:  Transforming the student from being a passenger to becoming a “user.”  You may be wondering what I mean by this.  Let me explain.

Ask yourself what it means to be a user.  A user is not simply a person who uses.  For the student, being a user should involve using the latest technology in a free and autonomous manner.  This new-found freedom will allow the student to become an active participant in his/her education instead of a passive passenger.  No other time in history have we been so able to make this a reality.

In our current technological society, being a user also means being tracked.  Tracking has become a major part of our daily lives and is precisely the engine that should drive our educational process for the foreseeable future.  Tracking a student means having the ability to target education toward weaknesses and strengths.  The ability to accurately customize curriculum to the individual has been the holy grail of educational philosophy for many years.  This golden age of technological development may soon enable this dream to become a reality. 

Current educational curriculum and individual assessment is arbitrary at best.  Being able to accurately asses a student can only be achieved by using modern tracking and database technologies.  The means by which we can make this a reality is readily available and only needs to be taken off the shelf to be used.  If Congress is looking for a shovel-ready project, this may be the one.

Imagine a world where every child has a tablet computer with ready access to the App of virtual photographic memory (internet).  Further, imagine that every student can access all the knowledge of humankind freely at any moment in time.  Continue to imagine a world where a misspeled misspelled word brings up a spelling challenge application instead of an auto correction.  Try to contemplate what it would mean for a teacher to have a database of every misspelled word, every misunderstood concept or every missed equation for each of their students.  Try to envision a teacher with the ability to customize the experience of the individual user with minimal effort.  Imagine the curriculum being automatically targeted to the user through an intuitive educational platform that knows every strength and each unique weakness.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.

The company that makes this standard available to the educational community will be the company that shapes the future of humankind.   Will it be Google, Apple, Microsoft, or some other yet unknown pioneer?

I, for one, am ready.

In my next post, I will try to paint a picture of the form this standard educational platform might take.

Continue to part 2

Stephen T. McClard

http://www.superiored.com/

For a complete list of woodworking projects, visit my web page at http://www.pianodesk.com/

Copyright © 2010, Stephen T. McClard

Dealing With Criticism, Guilt and Shame in the Classroom

by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

When you think of shame, what comes to your mind?  How about guilt?  Many people associate shame and guilt as one emotion, but in reality they are very different.  By definition, guilt is the "I have done something bad" emotion.  By contrast, shame is the "I am bad" emotion.  As you continue reading, consider how your actions can impact guilt or shame in a child.  Ask yourself if there may be ways to change these emotions into success for your students.

Shame is felt when others are aware of our incorrect intentions or actions and can often lead to feelings of worthlessness.  Guilt, on the other hand, is the emotion that is felt when no one else knows about our intentions or actions.  I clarify this because it makes a noticeable difference to the person making the choice.  The difference between success and failure in dealing with our classroom management can depend on our perception of these two emotions.

A high percentage of poor behavior in the classroom will elicit neither shame nor guilt.  This is because the individual taking the action may be unaware of the impact his/her actions have on others, or they may simply lack the related values associated with their actions.  Dealing with poor behavior then boils down to the impact we have as educators when revealing the poor behavior to the student.

Evoking a guilt response in the student is an inevitable result of negative feedback no matter how delicately we may think we are handling the situation.  Avoiding this certainty will only allow the problem to fester and gives the student no new direction to head.  If we can first communicate indirectly, we create the best chance for success.  Allowing the student the autonomy to choose the correct path will be the most effective way to make first contact with poor behavior.  Evoking guilt in a student indirectly can be very powerful and may allow the student to avoid shame.  Guilt can lead to empathy if skillfully managed for the success of the student.

When it becomes necessary for us to take a student aside or openly correct a repeated poor behavior, the emotion can then become shame.  When our corrections reveal shame in a student, the reaction can differ depending on the personality of the student.  In some cases, we will have success and in other cases the student will choose to react poorly.  The defining factor in this will be determined by the approach we take.

Delivering negative feedback can be a dicey proposition.  Our approach can make all the difference and will determine our overall ability to build or kill rapport with our students.  Here are a few tips to take these emotions of the heart and turn them into success every time:

Tips for Delivering Negative Feedback

1. Be the Bigger Person

The first step to success is to answer the main question: Why am I correcting this student?  If the answer to this question is anything other than allowing the student to become a better person, then our motives are not true.  If we are merely in a bad mood, wanting to take revenge or looking for someone to use as an example, then correction will only backfire.  Revealing your contempt builds ground for the student to stand against you.  Remaining calm and assertive will allow you to build ground for the student to walk with you.

2. Eliminate Bias

In his book, Verbal Judo, George Thompson says that it is important to eliminate bias in communication at all costs.  A calm and assertive attitude will be the key to overcoming the natural gut reaction of the student.  Keep your anger, harsh emotion and condescension out of your approach to discipline.  Within the tone of your voice and the words you use, you can either turn off a student forever or create ground for him/her to walk with you.  The inner voice is normally grumpy, so ignore it.  Learn to control it and make it obey with positive intentions.

3. Sprinkle on the Praise!

Praise builds rapport and gives you ground to stand with the student when negative feedback is necessary. Praise often and be specific.  Don’t just say, "Good job, Tom."  Be specific and create a mental picture.  Praise can be effective, but praise for what is expected should be avoided.  Instead, praise what is unexpected.

"Tom, I loved the way you played that solo.  You showed so much emotion. It was hard to believe you kept yourself so focused. I'm impressed.  I can't wait to hear you again tomorrow."

4. Praise Last with Correction First

If you are going to add correction and praise together, do not praise first.

"I loved the way you played that solo Tom, but you need to stay away from B natural in this key."

This is an ineffective way to praise and correct because your students will learn to anticipate "but" as a negative at the end of all your praise.  On the other hand, if you correct first and then praise, the praise is the focus of the argument and will assist you in building ground with the student.

"Tom, I noticed that you used a B natural in the key of B flat.  We can work on that, but I was very impressed with your tone quality and mature sound.  Great job!"

This "but" comes across much better.  Your "but" should have as much impact as possible.  While you are laughing at that last sentence, remember this tip: Use humor often.

5. Create Context

Creating context with your students can be an amazing force multiplier.  Simply asking or telling a student to change a behavior is not nearly as powerful as asking with a picture.

"Tom, can you please refrain from blurting out (ask)?  The class will run much more efficiently if only one person speaks at a time (why).  In addition, you avoid taking the chance of getting in trouble (why not).  You will have a much better chance of avoiding a detention if you show me that you can be respectful (positive ending)."

Creating context will also involve answering the why for everything you say. Answer the question, “Why is this important to me?”

6. Paint a Mental Picture

Using a metaphor to further build context for proper behavior is one of the most entertaining and pleasant exercises a teacher can endeavor to accomplish.  A metaphor paints a mental picture that contains all the elements of a well thought-out lesson.  Evoking a previously learned metaphor can bring the lesson back to a student’s mind in a matter of seconds.  The following is an example of a great metaphor that I use in my band classes:

I use a metaphor that I call the consistency principle.  The consistency principle states that all people want to be seen as consistent.  I ask the students to mentally place themselves in my position in the front of the room.  I ask them to imagine what expectations they would have if they were the teacher needing to teach the class.  I then ask them to remain consistent with these expectations.  It is like a magic trick and gets them to empathize with me. All I have to do is have them imagine what it would be like to be me.  The fact that I made them believe in being consistent sets up the expectation that they should.  I can then continue reminding them each day to be consistent.

Final Thoughts

All of these suggestions create a basic foundation for pushing students to create their own high expectations and walk with us instead of against us.  It is one thing for us to have high expectations for our students, but when the students create their own high expectations, we are likely to minimize the need for consequences all together.  When we take this step, we create the best possible environment for students to turn guilt and shame into success.

Article by Stephen T. McClard, originally written in November, 2009, Copyright, Stephen T. McClard

Understanding the Underlying Causes of Misbehavior and Underachievement

Reprint chapter from my book, currently on sale at on Amazon and J.W. Pepper.  Visit my web page for more.  http://www.superiored.com 

Chapter 2 from the book,
The Superior Educator  by Stephen T. McClard - Complete Article List

“The ancients, wanting to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first governed well their own states. Wanting to govern well their own states, they first regulated their families. Wanting to regulate their families, they first cultivated their character. Wanting to cultivate their character, they first set right their hearts. Wanting to set right their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wanting to be sincere in their thoughts, they first increased their knowledge. Increase of knowledge was found in the examination of things. Things being examined, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then made right. Their hearts being made right, their character was cultivated. Their character being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made peaceful and happy.” Confucius 500 B.C.

Eighteen years of teaching have taught me one very clear lesson: experience and emotion drives all behavior, good or bad. Because of this, I can only control a certain percentage of circumstances based on my own experiences. These circumstances are further restricted by my abilities and emotional control as a leader. If I can somehow enhance my experiences and exert greater ability and emotional control, I can, in turn, control more of my environment.

The motivating force behind any behavior, good or bad, is found both outside my sphere of influence as a teacher and caused by my influence as a teacher. Therefore, a child’s behavior is motivated by unique experiences and the influence of outside forces acting on self-interests. A child’s ability to cope with these outside forces may be hampered by abuse, psychological disorders, developmental defects, psychological trauma, physical challenges, or neglected needs. My influence may assist in minimizing the effects of these handicaps, but in the end, I am only one piece of the puzzle.

Despite my best efforts, being connected to a child for one hour a day will not replace the needs that are left behind at home. Good old-fashioned family values are the key ingredient to stimulate a child for success. When these needs are not met, our educational process will leave children behind. This is why the No Child Left Behind Act misses the point entirely.

When you ask yourself the question of why children are left behind in American education, you are really seeking an answer to why needs are left behind. Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who studied how needs and development are interdependent in every person. In his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Maslow explores a hierarchical list of needs that are present in every human. 

According to Maslow, every person has basic needs that must be met for that person to progress to higher needs and ultimately arrive at the top of his “Hierarchy of Needs.” The fundamental principle of Maslow’s hierarchy is that some needs take precedence over others and, therefore, must be met first. Maslow’s theory brings us face to face with the ultimate cause of misbehavior in the classroom.

Think of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs like a ladder. Each need is a rung on the ladder with each successive step being dependent on the step below for progress up the ladder. These needs are broken up into five basic steps.  Step one, the most basic needs, are biological and psychological such as air, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, and excretion. The next rung on the ladder is the need for safety, which includes security, structure, resources, morality, health, and property. These two steps in the hierarchy are the basic needs that must be met by society and the family and cannot be efficiently met by educational institutions.

After children have these two basic needs met, they can now progress to the third stage in Maslow’s hierarchy, which is love and belonging. Important social networks like friends, family, teachers, coworkers, classmates, coaches, and intimate relationships is the third step. It is important to restate the fact that meeting the first two needs is necessary for the third need to be met fully. As a child progresses through early development, these three areas of need play a critical role in preparing the mind for learning and must be constantly maintained and stimulated. 

At this point in Maslow’s hierarchy, a child can reach the fourth step, which is esteem. Self-esteem can come from a variety of sources and includes feelings such as confidence, achievement, respect for others, and respect by others. It is only at this rung of the ladder that a child begins to go beyond his surroundings to seek knowledge. He becomes a “success seeker” instead of a “failure avoider.” Well-met needs are the foundation for this to take place. 

Seeking knowledge is the chief desire of all educators and can be the one missing factor in a child’s development. Understanding this fact gives you a clearer picture when developing your teaching and leadership style.  Transcendence is the last step in the hierarchy and is the point at which we seek a better world for others and ourselves. If it is possible to move a student in the direction of seeking knowledge, transcendence will ultimately follow later in life. It may take years for this to happen, but your influence as an educator will be critical in the movement toward this goal.

Consider Newton’s first law of motion and replace the word objects with children. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force (another moving object). Newton also said that the tendency of an object is to resist changes in its velocity and that objects at equilibrium will not accelerate. Moving children involves pushing them in the correct direction and upsetting their equilibrium. You may be the only unbalanced force in a child’s life that can create the proper educational inertia. Realize this power and use it wisely.

Abraham Maslow said, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” Educational institutions should not be the only tool of choice for the “nail” of student achievement. Once we realize this, we can focus on the true problems a child faces in the classroom.

It suddenly becomes clear why education is leaving students behind. Children who are “left behind” in America are experiencing a breakdown in the first four basic needs. The answer, according to politicians, is to incorporate as many social programs into education as possible and to hold teachers and school districts accountable for failing to raise standards. 

Teachers, who are already bogged down in preparing students for standardized tests to meet state demands, find it impossible to juggle between being a teacher, counselor, social worker, and miracle worker. On top of the juggling act, teachers receive half of the salary that any other highly educated professional would make in the business world. This situation is not making education an attractive alternative for the “best and brightest” undergraduates who want to be successful in life and receive respect in their profession.

Education will continue to be the scapegoat for the problem of social decay until lawmakers realize that education is not the source of the problem. Poorly performing schools are merely a symptom of a larger social problem. This problem will only be addressed when we are mature enough as a nation to set and enforce boundaries with decency in the media and tackle larger social problems that plague our society. We must work tirelessly to strengthen families and aid single-parent households in providing for children.


Exposure to violence, drugs, alcohol, vulgar language, and destructive behavior in the media and on the internet must be eliminated from the view of children. If not, we will continue seeing kids meet their own needs with self-destructive behavior, causing the cycle to perpetuate. If we continue modeling poor behavior in every corner of society, there will be no end to the problems we will create for children and schools.


When considering history, we see that our nation has the most advanced and effective educational traditions in the world. Most major advances in science have come from American classrooms. Telecommunications, computers, radio, television, the light bulb, and so many other inventions have come from our ability as a nation to transfer knowledge and inspire ideas. Unfortunately, most people tend to see our educational system as nothing more than the problem for children being “left behind” in our society.


In the media, you will hear such things as, “Education is nothing more than government-funded child abuse.” Arrogant, uneducated comments such as these are typical of what the public is led to believe about education today. This type of deceit is dished out to the public by such personalities who seem to be merely looking for political gain or ratings on their radio programs.


As teachers, we are bombarded daily by assaults to our professionalism in the classroom. We are told that we will be held accountable for our teaching abilities and that 100% of all school children must succeed. This impossible demand is placed on teachers, but the burden truly belongs with the family. This is not hard for the average person to understand, yet politicians and the popular media do not get the point, or worse, do not want the point brought out for fear of losing votes and advertising revenue.


There is little surprise that teachers leave the classroom at a rate of one in three each year. States will be lucky if they are able to replace the nearly one million teachers that will retire in the next five years. The “best and the brightest” will continue running away from careers in education if confidence in the field is not improved and salaries continue to stagnate. Politicians need to wake up to the truth and take the focus away from educators and educational practices when dealing with the issue of failing schools. They must get on with the business of cleaning up themselves first and then focusing attention toward society instead of the classroom.


There are no easy answers to the troubles that teachers and society face. Social decay in the United States is not going away any time soon. Until we admit to ourselves that improving family and protecting values is the ultimate answer, education in America will continue to fail for a certain number of students who, for whatever reason, have not had their basic needs met in a meaningful way by the family unit.


There have always been shifts with the curve of success in this world, and there will always be vicissitudes with any society. In the end, we have to look within ourselves to seek the greater good. When we seek to improve society by walking away from self-serving behavior, we step one rung higher on the ladder to improving the lives of everyone around us. Without realizing and affirming Maslow’s genius, we are just beating nails with the same old hammer.


If you remember one thing from what I write here, remember this: If no need is “left behind,” no child will ever be “left behind.” This educational plan costs nothing and enriches the lives of everyone who participates.

by Stephen T. McClard


Copyright © 2009, Stephen T. McClard