As a burgeoning HPE teacher it is difficult to admit that I love video games and that I enjoy watching e-sports as much as I do real sports. E-sports are professional video game competitions. This is difficult for me because as an HPE teacher, I should be promoting healthy active living, which does not include video games. But video games are just so much fun. In some cases they are even more fun than real games. This is because the companies that make video games have taken a scientific approach to finding out what makes games fun. In traditional sports, the fun generally comes from the competitiveness and challenge of defeating an evenly matched team or player. If the challenge is not even, sports become less fun. Many video games provide that same competitive challenge. However, what video games do that most traditional sports don’t is they provide an experience. There are many games that have few competitive elements, but allow players to explore an environment and complete various objectives for which they earn rewards, etc. The best video games, do both of these things really well: they provide an engaging and rewarding experience, plus they involve some sort of competitive element.
The reason I wanted to discuss video games, is because I feel like as HPE teachers, we are competing against video games. We are trying to get students to turn off their consoles and computers and go play sports or to the gym. But, perhaps we can learn something from these video games, that will help us create more engaging and rewarding experiences for our students. For example, if you gave students the option to play tag, or any popular video game, most would probably pick the video game. But if you included laser tag on that list, many of the students would probably choose that over the video game. Another example is the popular mobile phone game, Angry Birds. In Angry Birds you slingshot birds into structures and see if you can knock them down. You decide the direction and speed of the bird, and there are different types of birds that behave differently after you slingshot them. Now, if you gave students the option to play Chuck the Chicken or play Angry Birds, a lot of them might choose the latter. But what if you were to create a cooperative or low-organizational game, which included game elements from Angry Birds. For instance, teams set up targets at a distance (i.e. cricket wickets). The object is to use fitness bands to slingshot rubber chickens and knock over the target. Students can experiment with bigger or smaller targets, moving the target closer or farther, or using different projectiles. The inclusion of creative elements as well as problem solving creates a more rewarding experience than Chuck the Chicken does.
Another way in which HPE teachers and coaches could use video games is in team building. Some of the most popular e-sports are video games which require team play. The skills developed while playing team based video games are transferrable to real sports. If a group of students can learn to communicate and cooperate with their team in a video game, they will be more likely to do the same in real sports. The challenge for the HPE teacher is to include these kinds of communication skills and strategies in real games, so that students can apply what they have learned in video games. An example might be to create a cooperative game in which the only way players can communicate is through hand signals. The teams will be given time to develop their own sign language before the game starts, and perhaps part way through, they would be given the chance to change or add more signals.
In addition to communication skills, the strategies learned while playing competitive video games are transferrable to real sports. For example, in sports video games, players might learn advanced strategies because they have the opportunity to see the whole field, and assume control of any of the positions. Players learn how to set up offensive and defensive formations as well as learn how to use space effectively. These strategies can also translate to real world games.
The last thing to point out about video games is the sense of escapism they provide. Most video games allow players to gain a virtual experience that would be impossible to have in the real world. Whether the game is set in a fantasy world, or whether it is based in reality, the kinds of things that player characters can do inside the game world are not possible in real life. This engages players because they have the opportunity to role-play. They get to be the hero and feel powerful. In real sports only the best players get to feel like they are the hero, and feel powerful. Providing students with a sense of escapism, or role-play can be hard in the HPE setting. However, in the sport education context, students can choose from several different roles to play within their team. They get to create their team name, their mascot, their colours. In a sense, they get to create a team with characteristics that reflects their own desires and interests. In both video games and real life, these types of role play experiences allow students to learn perspective.
Perhaps video games and e-sports should not be regarded as the antithesis of healthy active living. Instead they should be viewed as tools that could be used to make real games and experiences more interesting. They might even be excellent training grounds for developing skills like communication and strategic thinking.
I’ve been contemplating the research which shows that as children mature, their interest in PE tends to decrease. This seems especially so for students who are not natural athletes. The students who tend to stay in PE longer are the ones that are naturally good at sports and always have been. Interestingly, these are the students who probably don’t need to learn fundamental skills, and probably play sports outside of school where they receive advanced training in their particular activity of interest. In that case, even those who are good at sports will get bored in a PE class that teaches fundamental skills and strategies. That is why PE often just becomes a venue to play various games and sports, without much teaching and learning. That is why the goal of many PE classes is to make the students “busy, happy and good.”
I think the reason young children like PE is because it is fun. They enjoy exploring and trying new and interesting activities. I think that for many, PE becomes less fun as it becomes more focused on specific sports and fitness. For most, fitness blasts are not fun. Likewise, team and team sports and activities that require a high skill level are not fun. This is because most people have no desire to put in the effort and work to gain the skill necessary to perform the activity at a competitive level. This is when the expression, “if it ain’t fun, it won’t get done,” holds true.
If learning fundamental skills is boring for naturally skilled athletes, and learning advanced skills is more like work than fun, what are we left with? If the goal is to keep children in PE longer, than I think it must be made fun and/or interesting somehow. Perhaps as educators we need to tap into the types of experiences that children enjoyed in PE when they were young. Provide students with a sense of freedom and allow them to explore movement. The way to do this is to find activities that involve movement, exploration, collaboration, and that when completed provide students with a natural sense of accomplishment. The culmination of the activity should be fulfilling unto itself. When you are child, climbing the jungle gym feels like scaling a mountain. Standing on top is a rewarding experience unto itself. The problem is that as children age, those experiences become harder to find.
After reflecting upon all of this, I have come up with a potential method for keeping children interested in PE. First, deemphasize formal sports. As mentioned above, students who are good at formal games and enjoy them, probably play them outside of school anyway. The same goes for fitness training. People who enjoy running, resistance training, etc., probably do that already. If schools wish to promote those activities perhaps it should be done through intramurals or clubs, etc. Instead, cooperative and low organization games should be promoted in PE. These games tend to take us back to the kinds of experiences we enjoyed as children. These are activities that allow for more freedom and exploration, and often have a culmination that feels rewarding. The goal is not simply to compete with and outperform the opponents but to solve a problem or challenge. Educational gymnastics can also provide that exploratory experience, as well as the satisfying culminating experience. Dance is also something that is almost universally enjoyed in childhood but in adulthood it is something only usually done at weddings and night clubs where large amounts of alcohol is involved. Perhaps as educators we should take that love of dance—in whatever form it comes—and build upon it. Lastly, I think that putting most of the emphasis on alternative environment activities would be the most effective way to keep students interested in PE. The reason is that as children we loved the playground because we were free and able to explore. By taking PE out of the gym and into the real world, we are once again free and able to explore. Activities like geocaching,rock climbing, orienteering, scavenger hunts, parkour, and canoeing—just to name few—allow for freedom and exploration, as well as a satisfying culminating experience.
One possible critique of this view might be that the school year is largely during the winter months and therefore students will be confined to the gym for much of the year. To that I respond by pointing out all the winter activities we enjoyed as children: ice skating, tobogganing, building things out of snow, snowball fights, etc. Also, activities like geocaching, orienteering, and scavenger hunts can still be done in winter, perhaps adding further challenges like snowshoeing or cross country skiing into the activity. All of this ultimately increases the sense of personal satisfaction upon the culmination of the activity.
While this reflection might have provided a possible solution to the problem of decreased interest in PE for intermediate and senior students, it is also purely based on theory. I have no experience to back it up. Therefore, it should only be regarded as a thought experiment. Something to keep in mind and not necessarily implement without any further thought.
With a Tomatometer score of 92%, obviously School of Rock was well received by critics back in 2003, but was it more than just a hilarious and entertaining popcorn flick? Jack Black is well known for his off-the-wall physical comedy and in School of Rock he thoroughly delivered his trademark brand. Indeed, who could ever take this movie seriously? Surprisingly, underneath all of the silliness, School of Rock is actually a pretty good glimpse of problem based learning (PBL) in action. I recently revisited this movie and looked for examples of constructivist pedagogy and PBL. Not only did I find those, I also found a whole host of good teaching strategies. Perhaps the most puzzling thing about all of this is that Jack Black's character, Dewey Finn, isn't a real teacher. He has no training at all. In fact, he's pretty much a failure at everything. He can barely manage his own life, and when he ends up in the classroom he just makes things up as he goes. So, how can anyone seriously learn anything about teaching from Dewey? Before that though, a brief overview of PBL.
PBL is a constructivist teaching method where students collaborate in an effort to solve a problem. Learning is achieved through the experience of problem solving. Students often start off with what they already know about a given problem, then they find out what they need to know in order to solve it. They then do any necessary research and finally they attempt to solve the problem. The teacher acts mostly as a facilitator or guide to this student centred process.
In School of Rock, the problem Dewey presented his class was: to prepare a song for a state-wide rock and roll competition and keep it a secret from the rest of the school and parents. He quickly found out that the students didn't know a lot about rock and roll, but he learned that they did have some training in classical music. Next, they brainstormed what will be needed in order to both create a rock performance, but also, keep it a secret. Students began to take on various specialty positions based on their own interests and knowledge. For example, the band needed musicians and singers, but they also needed security personnel, stylists, and choreographers. They needed technology specialists to set up lighting, smoke machines, amplifiers, and to oversee the logistics of transporting all the equipment. They also needed someone to create posters, graphics, and merchandise. Dewey even assigned a committee to come up with the band name, and picked one student to be the band manager. While Dewey was only doing this for his own selfish reasons and his use of PBL was completely unintentional, it is still a remarkable example.
Dewey then set up a curriculum including rock history, rock appreciation, and rock theory. In his estimation, these were things the students were not well versed in, and would be required to create a truly effective performance. To deliver his lessons he used a mixture of lecture and hands on methods. He used video presentations and even arranged a field trip. All of these techniques are not only part of PBL but also just good teaching practices.
Dewey's approach was constructivist in nature and extremely student-centred. If students weren't happy with their assigned duties they were given a chance to change. One girl was initially designated as a "groupie" but she wanted to sing. So, Dewey let her try out for the position and decided to give her a chance. Instead of just dictating which song would be played, he encouraged students to write their own song. He asked them what made them mad, in this case it was bullies, and he used that as the theme for the song they would then write. Ultimately, he employed a democratic process to decide which of the songs would be used at the competition.
During class exercises Dewey used formative assessments and gave feedback via learning cues. For example, the students were talented musicians but lacked a stage presence. So, Dewey told one boy he was too "robotronic" that he needed to loosen up. Another student was playing a bit sloppily and Dewey asked him to tighten up a bit. He then demonstrated the rock and roll "power stance" to give the lead guitarist the appearance of a rock and roll attitude. Dewey also embedded structure and routine when necessary. The class security officers had surveillance cameras set up and whenever the principal was nearby, the class had a strict routine for hiding their rock and roll project from her.
In terms of motivation, Dewey managed to engage the students through their own intrinsic drive. Right off the bat he stated there would be: "no grades, gold stars, or demerits in this class." Later, the band manager got them out of a jam and Dewey praised her accomplishment. She responded saying, "I didn't do it for the grade." Researchers and educators are still exploring the potential benefits of a "no grades" approach to education, and here, School of Rock was advocating it back in 2003.
Watching School of Rock again, in the context of PBL was very interesting. It just shows that sometimes true learning occurs under the most bizarre circumstances. Just like the students in School of Rock, I too, learned a lot from the most unlikeliest of sources.
At the conclusion of my last post I left a couple questions unanswered. One of those questions dealt with the implementation of Heinlein's Curriculum, and whether it ought to be done in a subject based system like the one we have now, or should it be done using an interdisciplinary model? Having given it some thought, I've come to favour the interdisciplinary way. In this post I will attempt to explain how this curriculum could be implemented. One more reminder before I get going: this is a purely theoretical curriculum. I'm not saying that it should be taught in schools, I'm just asking what would school look like, if it were.
In order to integrate all of things on Heinlein's list, there needs to be some sort of unifying theme. One example might be "birth, life, and death." In studying that theme students would cover things like caring for infants, butcher a hog, balance accounts, comfort the dying, pitch manure, cook a tasty meal, and die gallantly. All of these things can relate back to various aspects of life and death.
Another unifying theme might be "war and conflict." Under that theme students could learn to plan an invasion, conn a ship, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, fight efficiently and die gallantly. These are all skills that are all involved in war and conflict.
One final example which includes some of the items not included thus far might be "industry and infrastructure." Contained within that theme are things like: design a building, balance accounts, cooperate, act alone, build a wall, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure and program a computer.
The only thing from Heinlein's list that was not included in the above was writing a sonnet, or more broadly speaking, written language skills—which could be implemented into all of the above.
When broken down like that, it seems so simple, but these are all complex subjects of inquiry which take a lot of time and organization to deliver effectively. Only when several teachers with expertise in different subject areas pool their resources the above units of study are possible.
Another question that I posed in my last post was how to evaluate the above curriculum. For that, I think problem based learning might be appropriate. For example, in the "war and conflict" unit, the class could be posed a problem such as: in small groups, design and build a model of a fort using historical examples (i.e. Fort George) as a reference. Each member of the group could take a certain role, like chief naval officer, chief engineer, or chief medical officer. Each member of the group must research their own topic then incorporate what they've learned into their design. The roles could encompass any or all aspects of war and conflict and should be tailored to the students' individual interests. For example, the chief naval officer might learn about ships and naval warfare, so that the fort could be defended against a naval bombardment. The chief engineer could learn about palisade walls and how to build them so that attacking foot soldiers cannot climb over. Finally, the chief medical officer might discover what will be needed for medical supplies, food rations, etc. In the end, they would create a model of the fort using cardboard and/or popsicle sticks (or whatever other materials are available). They would also be required to create a written record of their design choices throughout the process. Teachers from various disciplines would oversee the process and include tons of ongoing feedback. Students would also be exposed to different methods of research, like text books, field trips, experimentations, etc. Ultimately, this type of curriculum could be as complex as time and resources will allow.
This has been a fun little thought experiment for me. The more I think about this type of curriculum, the more excited I am to begin teaching. To end things off I would like to return to the original quote from Heinlein. The very last line says: "...specialization is for insects." This is something I haven't really touched on yet, but I think it's important. One of the goals for 21st century education is to foster grit and resiliency. By focusing too much on one subject or subjects, students become less adaptable. In an ever changing environment, students need a broad base of knowledge and skills, so that they can become well-rounded citizens. I think Heinlein's Curriculum and others like it, if delivered effectively, can provide learners with all that they need to overcome the challenges they will face in the future.
I must confess to being a bit of a science fiction nerd. I'm into Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Gate, Battlestar Galactica... basically anything with a star in it. It may seem like just some sort of geeky obsession, but I think science fiction can be an extremely valuable tool. Some people don't understand that while the fiction part of sci-fi is made up—obviously—the science part is often rooted in real science. What the authors do, is simply take cutting edge science and technology, exaggerate it—possibly to extremes—then paint a picture of what society might be like in those conditions. Maybe that picture turns out to be accurate. Maybe not. What's important is that we consider how things might change given the advance of science and technology. It's a way of testing out new ideas, but the test subjects are all fictional. Now that I've explained the value of science fiction, I would like to create a fictional science experiment of my own.
What if I proposed a theoretical curriculum for elementary school, then considered how that curriculum would affect students? How would it change their learning? Just for fun, I'm going to pull a quote from one of the most influential science fiction authors of all time—Robert A. Heinlein—and use that to inform my fictional curriculum. If you're not familiar with Heinlein, one of his books was adapted into the popular action movie, Starship Troopers. Anyway, in the following quote Heinlein lists off all the skills a person ought to possess to be effective and productive in society:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." —Robert Heinlein
Some of the things on this list may seem out of place—plan an invasion?—but overall it seems to be a well-rounded list of invaluable skills. Let's see how many of the above items are covered by our current school curriculum. In language classes different forms of poetry are taught so writing a sonnet is there. The ability to balance accounts is implied in the math curriculum although I don't think it is quite often applied that specifically. Children are always taking orders from teachers. Children do learn to cooperate, act alone, solve equations and analyze problems. So, much of what I'm calling "Heinlein's Curriculum"—although he did not intend it as such—is already covered by our current education system. So, let's look at the things that aren't.
I think learning to change a diaper is a bit too specific, so let's extend that to mean "caring for infants." This was taught in home economics classes in the past, but honestly, I'm not sure if it is still taught today. It is definitely an important life skill in and of itself, but in learning it, students might cultivate a greater sense of empathy as well.
Planning an invasion? At first this seemed out of place, but using our science fiction thought experiment model, can we not extrapolate a time in the future, where we might be forced to overthrow a tyrannical government? It's happening around the world right now. What if it were to happen here? What if we suddenly needed to resist oppression, and were found lacking the know-how to do it? The results could be catastrophic. Although dystopian, post-apocalyptic settings are a huge part of science fiction, I don't want to dwell too much on the doom and gloom here. This is just food for thought—which brings me to the next point on the list.
To butcher a hog. Again, this is very specific, but I will take this to mean that we should learn where our food comes from, and how to gather it ourselves. I don't know about others, but it has occurred to me quite often that much of what I eat is of unknown origin. I am blind to the processes involved in getting the food from the environment to the supermarket. I find that extremely troublesome. We must eat to survive. We eat three meals a day, every day. By adulthood, we all ought to be experts on food. Yet, many of us know next to nothing. For our own health, perhaps we should cultivate a deeper connection to the food we eat, and where it comes from. Off the heels of that, Heinlein also suggested one should be able to cook a tasty meal. This is another thing that is not really offered in schools yet it is important for health reasons, but also social reasons. Being able to prepare a good meal is important for family gatherings, picnics, pot-lucks, and first dates, all significant social situations that usually revolve around good food and good company.
The ability to conn a ship. First of all, despite having heard the word used on Star Trek, I didn't even know what conning was, so I looked it up. Basically, to conn a ship is to control it's movements while at sea—or in space I suppose. Again, this is a pretty specific skill, so perhaps we should take this to mean "navigation." In other words, we should learn to be able to find our bearings wherever we go. This is a useful skill to have while travelling or planning a trip. It also provides a sense of self-efficacy, knowing that you can always find your way to your destination, wherever you are.
I'm going to lump designing a building and building a wall into the same category because I think they could be taught together. Anyone who has bought a house before knows that problems are inevitable. Whether it's a leaky roof, or drafty windows, or replacing an old kitchen floor with laminate tiles as I recently did. Learning the basics of structural design and construction is important. You need to know what potential problems to look for in a house and what questions to ask when looking to buy one. Even if you are not going to do any home improvement projects yourself, you will need to hire someone, and if you know a thing or two, you can find the right contractor and make sure that the work is being done properly. Just watch the television show Holmes on Homes and you'll see what I mean.
The next on the list is to set a bone. Setting a broken bone is something that should only be performed by an orthopaedic physician. So, I will infer that Heinlein was referring to basic first aid skills. This one, of all, seems to be the most obvious to include in any curriculum. Basic first aid training does not require a lot of time and resources and the potential benefits could be the difference between life and death, yet it is not taught in schools. If every student received a refresher in first aid and CPR on a yearly basis, by the time they graduated, they would have had years of preparation for emergency medical scenarios. Having worked as a paramedic briefly myself, I fully appreciate the importance of early interventions in life-threatening medical emergencies.
There are two items on the list that deal with death, so I will discuss them both here. The first is to comfort the dying, the second is to die gallantly. To be honest, I'm not sure I see any great importance in learning either of these. Perhaps that is because we live in a culture that tends to shy away from the topic of death until we are forced to deal with it. We all end up losing loved ones sooner or later. We all understand our own mortality. What we forget is that life can be fleeting. One minute we are full of life and the next we could be gone. To be able to look at ones life and say, "if I die today, I would be content with the time I had," might be an extremely comforting ability, yet not so easy to do. Similarly, with terminal diseases such as cancer, it is likely that we will each come to know someone who has to face their own inevitable imminent death. To be able to help comfort those people would be a great gift to society.
As mentioned above, students are always expected to take orders, but are rarely given the opportunity to give them. I think by this, Heinlein might have been referring to leadership skills. Which the current curriculum does touch on, but not to the extent that perhaps it should. Project based learning might be the answer to this, but it is not yet prevalent throughout the school system. So, there is hope to develop this within the near future.
Another potentially puzzling one on this list is to pitch manure. How could that possibly benefit young students? Well, like many others on the list, I took this as a specific example of a greater category of skills. In this case, it's just hard physical labour in a demanding environment. Whether it's shovelling manure on a sunny afternoon, or shovelling snow on a dark winter morning, there is something to be gained by engaging in some good old fashioned leg work. Rather than something that you can just teach, it's something that the learner must experience. It builds character and self-efficacy, because knowing that you are capable of performing in such conditions makes you feel like there is nothing you cannot do. When you push your body to extremes you understand what real work is like, and you no longer sweat the small stuff.
To program a computer. I think the benefits of this are obvious. Everything around us is computerized now. Being able to understand how computers work could help in innumerable ways. However, as an extension to this I suggest instead of limiting it just to computers, it might be understanding technology in general. Whether it's cars, microwaves, or computers, we all rely on technology in our day to day lives, yet most of us know nothing about their inner workings. Much like the food preparation example above, it is a shame. These are things we use all the time, therefore we should be learn as much about them as possible, but we don't.
Rounding out the list is being able to fight efficiently. Heinlein may have meant this in a military sense, as in everyone should receive basic military training. Some countries have this already, Israel, South Korea, Greece, and Finland are just a few examples. I'm suggesting that basic self defence be taught in schools as part of physical education. As a child I took martial arts classes outside of school and it has benefited me greatly. Not only am I able to defend myself, but I also increased my level of fitness and flexibility. Concepts such as respect and discipline are deeply entrenched within martial arts culture adding even more value for those who partake in them. If one of the goals of education is to produce resiliency—or grit—in students, than martial arts may be one way to do that. It may even help curb the bullying problem by ensuring that everyone can defend themselves. Apparently, Japan has tried including compulsory martial arts in middle and high schools with mixed results.
Conceptually, Heinlein's curriculum seems to be quite different from what we are used to. Interestingly, it has opened my mind to some novel ideas. However, there are many questions I would still like to explore. How would these skills fit into the subject-based school system we have now? Or, would it work better in an interdisciplinary setting, where problem based learning, and cooperative learning are the main modes of instruction? Also, how should the above skills and knowledge be evaluated by teachers? Perhaps I will explore these questions in a future post.
A while back I had an epiphany about education. I was recollecting all the "stuff" I had learned throughout my time in elementary and high school, and I realized that I had long forgotten most of that "stuff". I mean, I remembered some of the "stuff" that was of interest to me, and some of the "stuff" that I happen to use from time to time, but mostly it all seems like some distant and vague memory. Ultimately, what dawned on me, was that most of that "stuff" was unimportant. What was more important was that I learned how to learn.
While I've forgotten many of the things that I was taught in school, I am readily able to reteach it to myself, should the need arise. With technology and the internet, being an autodidact is easier than ever. So, I don't lament my failure to remember—for I possess something far superior, and more useful: metacognition. As I edge ever closer to becoming a full-fledged school teacher, I find myself wondering how I will gift this magnificent tool to my students.
One way to do this, I think, may be through assessment strategies. Between assessment "of", "for", and "as", the latter may prove most useful in this. Self-assessment, in particular, may be one of the best ways for students to learn about learning. By learning to critique themselves, and their work, they will be more aware of their strengths and shortcomings. Over time, they will begin to value self-improvement, and learn how to go about attaining it. As they develop different strategies to cope with the challenges they encounter, they become more versatile and effective learners. That is my hope at least. Right now, it is just a hunch.
To bring this back full-circle then: as a teacher, perhaps I should not focus on teaching my pupils "stuff", but more on teaching them how to learn said "stuff" and to teach it to themselves. That way, in the future, when they begin to forget—as we all inevitably do—they will not just shrug their shoulders and acquiesce, instead they will take that old textbook of the shelf, blow the dust off, and relearn what it was they'd lost. Well, I suppose it's more likely they will just use wikipedia, or some other online repository of "stuff".
The story model has far-reaching applications, not just in the education context but can be used to examine any social situation or institution. It is quite a dynamic model, featuring many facets from the individual to the global. Because it is so comprehensive in its scope, I would like to single out one aspect that is of particular interest to me, and explore it more deeply—namely, the cultural aspect.
I am extremely interested in culture and its power to influence people. As a future educator my goal is to facilitate learning. But, learning may not occur unless the culture, or sub-culture, within the classroom is one which values learning. Therefore, as a teacher, I must create a culture with my students that is conducive to learning. Can a teacher truly just create such a culture? If so, how is that possible considering the diversity of cultural baggage each student carries in with them?
First, it requires cultural understanding. I'm reminded of the saying: "know your audience," which applies to performers and writers, but I think is applicable in the classroom as well. As a teacher I should have some understanding of the cultural backgrounds of my students as well as their families, and also the culture that exists within the neighbourhood and the school as a whole. I should learn whether the culture has always been this way, or if it has changed over time, and if so, how long have things been this way.
For example, there may be a longstanding cultural norm which includes ritual hazing of new students. Although it is against formal school rules, it might accepted by the students as part of the experience of attending that school. If I was a new teacher at the school, I might wish to abolish this outright because it promotes bullying, etc. Rather than ban the practice, it might prove useful to channel the preexisting traditions to influence a more positive culture. Perhaps, the class could undergo an initiation ritual together, that is safe and non-exploitative. The act of the initiation solidifies the class as a group, promotes teamwork, and creates a sense of commonality. All of which serve to create a classroom culture that values learning.
In this one hypothetical example of how a learning culture can be created in the classroom, I have used the story model framework to assess the old story as well as the present story, and used that to develop a new story that closely lines up with the preferred story. I should emphasize that this is all very theoretical and has no basis in actual practice, however, it is an idea that I've been considering for some time, and wish to explore further.
