Cambridge residents may have thought an undercover operation was underway when they saw middle-school kids wielding digital cameras and scurrying around local streets, but the only secret agent in action was WIDE World's Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework.

This is a snapshot of just one of the 24 innovative uses of technology that have arisen out of a two year project with educators from the Cambridge (MA) Public School District's Project COOL (Collaborative Online-Offline Learning). Looking for courses with depth and interactivity, Project COOL co-director Joanne Krepelka turned to WIDE World. WIDE helped school-based teams of teachers, librarians and instructional technology specialists create technology-driven cutting-edge lesson plans.

Online courses enabled 64 educators throughout the district to devise novel units that targeted the use of new technologies on student understanding. King School's "Going Mobile: Massachusetts from A- Z" project is one example. 6/7/8 grade students with a wide range of disabilities were given a project based on motivating them to understand their place in the world, both locally and internationally. Using a camera, the class set out on a field trip, chronicling their neighborhood and then creating an alphabet book of geographical locations. Engaged and motivated students were involved in a unit that meets state and district content and technology frameworks.

"I think part of the real appeal of Teaching for Understanding is that you could write a curriculum that does align with standards, but that treats kids like they can be meaning-makers and not just meaning-receivers," remarked Joan Soble, the district's COOL/WIDE World liaison, and a teacher herself.

In addition, the directors asked WIDE World's instructor Lois Hetland and WIDE evaluators to find ways to improve the program. They observed workshops, conducted interviews and took surveys on teacher satisfaction. Together with their Cambridge colleagues, initial results have been presented at national and regional conferences. The project was funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education, and attracted the attention of The Cisco Systems AE Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), which is writing a best practice case for others interested in utilizing technology.

WIDE World's co-principal investigator, David Perkins, has an office lined with artifacts from his travels around the world. He has just returned from a trip to Victoria province in Australia, where he spoke about teaching for understanding and other topics in several venues. Victoria is in the midst of restructuring its curriculum to incorporate TfU, helping students to apply their knowledge in thought- provoking ways throughout their school career.

"One of the remarkable things about TfU is its flexibility," Dr. Perkins said. "It's not about any particular subject inherently...it's not about any particular level of difficulty. It's stretch socks for teaching and learning."

To help achieve this goal, Dr. Perkins noted that Victorian educators have a keen interest in providing technology tools for both students and teachers. Frameworks and structures of participation to encourage teacher development and colleagueship are another aim. These elements are a primary focus of WIDE World's courses, with its online and face-to-face aspects.

Like the United States, Victoria has a standardized testing system, but Dr. Perkins explained that this is not a barrier to implementing TfU:

"The trick is to test for understanding economically at scale. It comes back to the nature of the questions you ask. It's perfectly possible to design even multiple-choice tests that are understanding-oriented, rather than fact- or routine skill-oriented."

To read more about TfU and Victoria's new direction, you can view the transcript of our interview with Dr. Perkins on our website.

Students who reach the upper grades are often asked to learn content through an intimidating mass of materials, including textbooks, novels, essays, etc. This six session course helps teachers practice and reflect on reading comprehension strategies in their Language Arts and content area classes. It also gives them the opportunity to receive feedback from instructors and peers about their own use of reading comprehension strategies.

"I have begun to use a number of the techniques and strategies that were discussed, both by the text and ideas suggested by other students. Not being an experienced teacher, I don't have many tricks in my bag. So I have gained a lot in terms of practical ideas."

Carl Martin Walker (Grades 6 to 8), Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

"As a librarian, I have acquired new thought processes on how to recommend books for reluctant readers who are 'sent' to the library to check out a book or else... The course was concise, thought-provoking and enjoyable. I am delighted I was able to participate."

Participant in Spring 2005 Course.

Registration Deadline is 9/2/05; Orientation begins 9/20/05; Online classes begin 9/27/05.

August 18-19, 2005

WIDE World's principal co-investigator, Stone Wiske, will be speaking at Education and the Civic Purposes of Schools in the Americas, organized by the HGSE and Fundación Oscar Arias, in San Jose, Costa Rica. She'll be discussing the potential of online professional development initiatives to form international communities of teachers and support networks for learning new pedagogical approaches.

September 8-9, 2005

WIDE World's researchers and colleagues from Cambridge Public Schools will be giving a paper at HGSE's Online Teacher Professional Development: Evolving a Research Agenda conference. Their paper describes how WIDE World can help individuals and institutions integrate research-based strategies to strengthen teaching and learning.

September 27-28, 2005

WIDE World is attending the School Administrator Symposium in Marlborough, MA. Our director of research, David Eddy Spicer, and Joanne Krepelka, the Coordinator for Educational Technology at Cambridge Public Schools, will be presenting a paper about Project COOL.

• Over the past three years, more than 97% of WIDE World participants claimed the program generated improvement in their teaching practice.
• Of those taking 2 or more courses, 84% said courses had been "very helpful" or "transformative" when asked about the impact of Teaching for Understanding.
• Internationally, 99% of survey respondents perceived improvement in their ability to design activities for students.
• 90% of international teachers also agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I feel better able to participate in a reflective community of educators."

We are always eager to hear from our current and prospective course participants. If you have an idea about a newsletter feature (including projects you've constructed after taking a WIDE World course) or any other suggestions, please contact us at wideeditor@gse.harvard.edu