One of the fundamental realities one must face when tackling a wicked problem is recognizing that wicked problems are inherently complex and thus no one solution can completely address the problem. Tackling a wicked problem requires wrapping one’s mind around the the extent and frontiers of the problem as well as the major obstacles presented by the problem.
My colleague, Sarah Robinson, and myself explored the Achievement Gap as a wicked problem. Our initial goal was to gain a fundamental understanding of the Achievement Gap in order to identify one small facet we could explore more deeply and work toward a solution that held the possibility of moving toward improving outcomes for students.
We identified literacy practices in the home as holding the possibility of developing a solution. We arrived at literacy practices in the home by consulting a variety of journal articles that addressed various dimensions of the achievement gap. While reading select research papers we encountered several discussions addressing literacy in the home. One article examined the results of a study which set up a home based literacy program in which families were provided books to read to their children. The result was a marked improvement in the children’s literacy levels upon entering kindergarten (Harvey, 2016).
Our questioning process led us to ask: what if we created an app that allowed students to access ebooks for free with functions that both rewarded, challenged, and held students accountable for their reading outside of the classroom. Cell phones play an important role in many students lives, even students from lower socioeconomic households. We saw cell as holding the promise of meeting students where they were with respect the type of medium that would increase the possibilities of reading outside the classroom.
The result of our work is presented in our Prezi: The Wicked Problem of the Achievement Gap. We welcome any feedback, especially constructive criticism.
http://prezi.com/j8ion3hrtvuw/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
WORKS CITED
Harvey, A. (2016). Improving Family Literacy Practices. SAGE Open, 6(3), 2158244016669973. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016669973
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