And That's My New Philosophy

    So here it is my last blog for EDUC 4P19. Throughout this blog I have shared some of my views on education and the New story, as well as posing many questions that I still need to work to answer. I have definitely learned a lot about different curriculum approaches and various teaching styles, including what I want to do and not want to do in my classrooms. What I have done is added to my philosophy on education.

     Last year in my drama in education class we were asked to explain our philosophy on education and present it in a creative way. I chose to make a video and compile clips from some of my favourite speakers, movies and TV shows to express the different parts of my philosophy. I broke it down into key words and phrases to express what I value in education and how I want to teach.  

   Here is what I pinpointed for my philosophy:

Equity

 “Equity speaks to differentiated instruction—to teaching and supporting students in ways that will allow them to benefit from equal opportunities” (Lundy). Students are individuals and have different needs; as a teacher it is important to try to appeal to the multiple needs so that everyone has a positive experience and the gaps of equality are filled.

Individuality

 Individuality is a part of my philosophy because it is important to recognize that all students are different and this should be celebrated.

Multiple Intelligences

All students need to have the opportunity to thrive, and to do this we need to teach towards the multiple intelligences that exist within the students.

Learn through Practice and Learn through Experience

Learn through practice, I believe that through hard work and practice goals can be met, and the work that is produced is of a higher quality. Learn through experience, is what I see as taking the experiences you have had in life and having them influence your future and present actions.

Take Chances and Make Mistakes

Within education, as both students and teachers, it is important to be willing to take chances and make mistakes. Without taking chances we will never grow and we will just become stuck. Taking chances can lead to positive experience and push you places you have never gone before. Making mistakes is also necessary in progressing in life. We learn from our mistakes and sometimes, what we see as a mistake can turn into a beautiful gift and work of art.

Support and Community

Support helps form the community within the classroom, where students can rely on each other and build a strong bond.

Inclusion

Inclusion is one of the largest parts of my educational philosophy. Everyone brings different experiences and talents to help the class. One person is no better than the other, and creating an inclusive classroom helps create the support and community.

Worth

 I felt it important to include worth within my philosophy, as all students should feel as though they are worthy. They should feel more then the grades they receive and feel like they can make a difference in the world. Having the students feel like they have worth can make all the difference in their confidence and lives.

Inspiration

I hope I can impact students as much as my teachers have inspired and influenced me. I want to inspire them to follow their passions and strive to complete their goals.

This is all that I included last year, and now I have more to add.

KDB

            Realizing the KDB of the curriculum will help structure the lessons and incorporates the 21^st century skills with the big picture ideas. The KDB works to create good citizens and well-rounded human beings, and that is what we should strive for as teachers.

Backwards design

            This is more of a practical aspect of my philosophy but important nonetheless. Backwards curriculum design I believe is a great way to form lessons and get the big picture learning to come through.  It allows me as a teacher to be creative in the final assignment and move away from the classic essays and power points that we have all had to deal with.

 21^st Century Skills: technology, critical thinking, problem solving, project based learning, and collaboration.

          The 21^st century skills are the largest part of the new story. I want to include all of these skills into my lessons as they are more student centered. I as a student preferred to learn with these tactics and they allow all intelligence's to thrive. It keeps the learning relevant and works with the skills many of the students will already have.

Assessment of learning, Assessment for learning and Assessment as learning

         Assessment whether it is done by the teacher or by the students is still a large part of the educational process. These various types of assessment bring in new assessment tools and work into the process at various times. Assessment of learning is usually a test at the end of a unit and this can help show the collective knowledge that was gained. However there is a push for a large emphasis on assessment for learning and as learning. These are more student based and take part during the learning process. These work into learning from practice and experience as well as taking chances and making mistakes. We need to learn as we go and it’s OK to make changes or realize where you need to improve.

    So this is my expanded and ever growing philosophy on education. This class has taught me about the curriculum and more practical aspects of teaching, which has enhanced my beliefs and has taken me one step closer to being a confident and successful (fingers crossed) teacher.

   Attached is the video I created for my drama class last year that I described above. In the video Education is the Key is repeated as I used a key as a metaphor in part of my philosophy but for the sake of the blog that part is not as necessary. I do apologize, it is quite an amateur video but I was attempting to use technology in a way I never had before. So enjoy how I see my educational philosophy and what people shows and movies have influenced me outside of the classroom.

  Thanks for following me on the journey in Education class as I take one giant leap closer to my future as a teacher. 

A 21st Century Contradiction

http://www.unr.edu/pathway/learning

    This week I got to see a 21^st century classroom and a 21^st century teacher in action. I had a placement in a grade 8 classroom in a small middle school. The teacher, let’s call her Miss L, was fully embracing the various elements of what it means to be a teacher of this century. Let me set the scene. The classroom was very large and the students sat at round desks with four students at each desk. There were several computers and a smart board within the class, as well as the student’s art work all around. The class had about 26 students from various backgrounds.

http://www.unifiedav.com//

     Miss L started the day with silent reading and the transitioned into a larger English lesson. This lesson consisted of the student writing and editing stories based on a certain theme. When Miss L told the students to start writing the rough draft, I expected the students to get out a pen and paper and work away. But boy was I wrong. The students made their way to the back of the classroom where they all grabbed notebook computers. Miss L explained to me that the previous principal had gotten two carts of these laptops  and this year, with the school size shrinking, her class was able to have one of the carts available at all times. Each student was assigned a computer and they were responsible for the care of the machine. They kids typed away working on their stories and while they were working they were allowed to listen to music on the computer. This helped most of them focus and kept the class surprisingly quiet. Once the students were done their stories the teacher showed me what they were to do next. All the students and teachers had Google accounts, and each student was to upload their work to Google drive. From there the students could see each other’s work and peer edit someone else’s paper. Once all the editing was done they sent it to Miss L on Google drive and she was able to mark and comment on their work online. Google drive was still private so no one outside of the school could access it, but it allowed all the students to work together online. The students were able to receive the comments from the teacher almost immediately and it kept all of the work organized online. Miss L also showed me the wonder of Google classroom; this is pretty much like a class website or blog but it allows the students to comment and upload their work directly to the website. Miss L was posting all the instructions for the lessons online, so the students could refer back if they missed anything. It creates an open dialogue online and connection to the teacher and the rest of the class outside of the school if necessary. Technology was in full swing in this classroom and it was being used well.

     Miss L also worked to involve another part of 21^st century education in her classroom, relevancy. Miss L was able to create connections in her geography class to real world events. The topic was water and water supply, and this triggered the subject of disease and medicine. Doctors without Borders and the relief in Africa became a class discussion, and students asked questions to each other and the teacher. It became a blend of student and teacher directed learning, all while the class was clam and engaged.

   This placement showed me part of what a 21^st century classroom can look like when things are done right.

    So that was the positive aspect of my blog, and now I can’t help but be a little critical. Not critical of my placement, but of my 21^st century education, or lack thereof.

http://www.gettyimages.ca

   In university I have seen professors, mainly education professors, attempting to bring 21^st century learning to their classrooms. New technology is used, topics are presented in real world context and constructivist methods are attempted. However, this style of teaching in university is extremely limited. In my education on education, we are taught that what you don’t want to do is stand up in front of the class and lecture. This only helps a portion of students and is strictly teacher directed. Yet in almost every university classroom you walk into you see a professor talking away and students either frantically writing notes or distracted on their computer. I think I am just confused. If we have worked so hard to change education to a constructivist model and that is what teacher education is about, why does this stop at the high school level? Why is university exempted from this change? What we are going to get are students who thrive in the constructivist ways; working in groups, working with technology, and doing project based learning beyond writing essays. Only to have them fall down as they get back to the old story in university. Why is there little to no change in the post-secondary world if the new story is proving to be so much better?

http://terpatron9000.com/dissonance

    It is like what Jack Whitehead called a living contradiction. In his context it is was when teachers believe in a constructivist approach yet teach in a mainly lecturing style. This happens all too often in education, even with some education professors. But the living contradiction can encapsulate universities as a whole.  Universities are supposed to be institutions promoting progress and the future, yet their teaching styles are often behind the times. Yes I understand that colleges are supposed to be there for the hands on learner, but why does this learning style have to be limited to one institution. With my understanding of the new story, the majority of students learn better with project based hands on learning, so why can’t the majority of post-secondary students have this available as well?

http://constructivism512.pbworks.com 

  You also see this contradiction with grade culture. We are taught to move away from the stress on grades yet this is impossible when grades are still important in post-secondary. To get into a good university or college, students need good grades. If students care about going to university or college they then tend to care about their grades. We won’t be able to get away from grade culture till post-secondary does.

    Changes seem to happen only in elementary and secondary education levels but these changes won’t last in education unless similar changes happen in the post-secondary level. The 21^st century education seems to be forgotten once student graduate from high school. 

Into the Classroom Trenches: Drama and History’s Integrated Curriculum

    As we get closer and closer in our education to having a classroom of our own I can’t help but picture what I want my classroom to look like. If the classroom is for teaching drama I would love for it to be a big open space with room to move around and spread out, maybe even an actual theatre. If it’s my history classroom, I love the idea of having historical artifacts, posters and the flexibility to change the room, even if it’s just a bulletin board, to reflect the era I am teaching. When I picture my history classroom I also picture it transforming and becoming a part of history. I want my students to feel like they are a part of history and are within the time period we are studying, and if this mean flipping some desks around to form trenches, I am all for it. Teaching and history specifically, goes beyond what gets written in textbooks. It is about the personal experience, the atmosphere and things like the sights, sounds and smells. I want to be able to bring these experiences to my classroom and to do that I plan on bringing my second teachable drama into the mix.

www.teachingphotos.co.uk

  Drama and theatre can go beyond the stage. There are many techniques, values and skills that the subject can bring to any classroom, like public speaking and confidence. I want to bring drama into my classroom to take the students back in time, much like what happens on stage in a period piece. Drama focuses on the human experience, the thoughts, sounds, sights and atmosphere within the context of what they are performing. So why can’t this come to my history classroom? I want students to be able to see and feel what the people in history experienced and this may be done through staging with props, maybe even costumes. If we were studying a period of war, propaganda posters may line the wall and a call to arms can be made. Soundscape is another amazing drama tool that can be used to set the tone, and this can be as simple as playing music of a bustling street or the sounds of war. I could even go as far and suggest something that can frighten anyone… role playing. Yes I said it. Role playing is a great opportunity to have students step into the shoes of others. One of my main lessons in history is that the people we study are not just us in funny clothing with no technology, they are completely different people. They had different morals and values and this is important to realize when studying history. Role playing can let students see that, and it could be done just through studying and reading letters from the war or having them draft their own Remembrance Day play.  Drama can take many forms within the classroom and it doesn't always mean staging a play. 

www.meaningcentered.org

   By combining drama and history I can create an integrated curriculum. I can use drama techniques and skills to enhance my history lessons and in turn get students who feel connected to the learning material and feel more confident in their speaking skills and learning style. This integrated style allows for various learning styles to come into the classroom and thrive, it is just about finding the right blend of both subjects.  With integrating drama especially, you have to know your students well. You have to have established a rapport with them and let them know they are in a safe environment. There needs to be a gradual build into these techniques and as a teacher you need to know how far you can go before the classroom becomes out of control, or the class is not at ease.

www.pebblepad.com.au

    I see my classroom as more then writing notes and talking about what went on in history. I want students to experience it, and build a connection to the subject matter. A classroom should be an open environment that can transform for the learning being done, so why not turn it into trenches or a speakeasy (without alcohol of course).

Here is a link to an article on edutopia.org by Matt Levinson. It is about how a teacher integrated "Simulations" into a history class. He calls it "simulations" I call it drama, but I know the word drama can be scary sometimes. It is a great example of role playing in a historical context and how he incorporated a research element as well. Enjoy! http://www.edutopia.org/blog/simulations-can-change-history-classes-matt-levinson

New Innovations and Lots of Questions

    As a teacher in training most of our education on education has been based in theorists and being critical of what has been done in the past. This of course has led to many new teaching techniques and developments, which we are starting to put into practice. There are some new ways of thinking which I am completely willing to embrace, like using more hands on activities, appealing to multiple learning styles and more specific things like the Backward Design Process. The Backward Design Process calls for some rearranging when making unit plans, and this is done by thinking of the major assessment tools and tasks before creating the everyday lessons. This to me makes sense, as you can set a goal and then work to achieve it. It also lets the students know what is expected of them by the end of the unit and they can work on the project or assessment throughout the course. This is just one of the many new innovations that are appearing in my education that I support. However, every now and then a new idea is put fourth that has me confused and unsure about integrating it into the classroom. For me currently this is caused by the flipped classroom. As to my understanding the flipped classroom is a new movement among teachers where they prerecord the lesson. Students then watch the lesson at home and then during class time activities are done to support the lesson. Now I am a bit skeptical about this, and the class discussion on this topic has left me with many questions.  So here is where I am left wondering and confused.

http://www.livescribe.com/blog/education/2012/07/17/the-flipped-classroom-infographic/

 (The links under the flipped classroom images, link the sources and websites that explain the flipped classroom)

1. What about asking questions?

While I support spending large amounts of class time doing hands on activities, rather than sitting and taking notes, I still believe that learning the lessons in class with the teacher is important. From my own personal experience having the teacher physically teach the lesson at the front of the class, or wherever they choose to stand or sit, has helped with understanding the lesson. Students can directly ask the teacher a question when they don’t understand or need something repeated. If there is no teacher to ask while you are at home, are you supposed to write down your questions and save them till the next day? What if your question hinders you from understanding the rest of the lesson? Having a teacher there, in my perspective, has allowed for questions to be asked and explanations given on the spot. The teacher can also react to the student’s responses and body language while teaching, and should be able to tell if multiple students are having problems or the lesson needs to be altered. With just having the students watch the lesson at home, the teacher won’t know if anyone understood until the next day. And this next day that is supposed to be for activities, could easily be taken up with multiple questions or a need to repeat the lesson if no one understands. The flipped classroom seems to take away the ability to ask questions directly to the teacher in that moment.

2. What about those who don’t have technology?

In most schools you will encounter multiple students that come from a low SES background. The flipped classroom advocates for the student to have the technology and resources available at home, and this is not always possible. Outside resources, like computers at the library are available, but some require paid usage. The flipped classroom to me assumes that all the students have access to technology at home, and this is an assumption that should not be made. Yes student have smart phones, but that doesn't mean they have a plan that supports data usage. Yes there are ways to access the internet outside of the home, but is that practical to assume that students have the ability to use these resources every day? The flipped classroom is something I can see as problematic to students without the technology or resources.

3. What about teacher accountability?

https://artofeducation.wordpress.com/tag/teacher-parent-relations/

As a future teacher one of the things that scares me the most is the parents. I don’t look forward to the day when parents start questioning the grades their child got. The flipped classroom to me is just calling out to parents to pounce. Taking away the teacher directly teaching the lesson puts the responsibility of learning in the students hands. Now don’t get me wrong I fully believe students need to take responsibility for the learning and should direct the learning when possible. However, this is taking the control out of the teacher’s hands and it can be hard to explain to parents that it was the student’s responsibility to learn the lesson that was not taught directly by the teacher. Confusing I know, it’s just a thought.

4. What about the humanities?

The examples that I have seen for the flipped classroom have revolved around science. Being a teacher for humanities I question how well it would work for something like history, where notes are needed but artifacts and physical examples can truly help the lesson. I think I just need to see examples where it has been done in a humanities classroom, where lessons can be heavily discussion and literature based.

5. Do you really want to expect students to sit down and watch a long video for home work?

http://ctl.utexas.edu/teaching/flipping-a-class/what

By taking the lesson out of the classroom and putting it in the student’s hands at home you are losing the guarantee that students will actually learn/watch the lesson. Kids are extremely busy after school with extracurricular activities, jobs and a good amount of homework. This video is to replace the homework but now it is not just a reinforcement activity or work that didn't get done, it is the majority of the lesson. And if the student doesn't watch the lesson how can they proceed in class? I do guess that this can be said for other types of homework and skipping class, but I think it’s a lot being put on to a student’s plate, no longer is it just homework it’s the entire lesson.

So those questions have been bouncing around in my brain since the topic of a flipped classroom came up. If anyone has any answers or comments that can help me out, I am all ears. 

Or will I?
 http://bartsblackboard.com/files/2010/03/the.simpsons.s17e16.jpg 

The Old Story and the New Story

Stepping forward in my education to become a teacher seems daunting. The world we live in is changing more than ever, specifically the teaching world, and it seems as if we are being asked to jump on to a fast moving train where the destination is unknown. No longer is education stationary, but it is quickly evolving and you have to keep up with it.  The concept of the old story of education transforming into a new story makes a lot of sense to me. I have witnessed as a student the ongoing transformation; receiving a blend of the old story ways and the beginnings of the new story.

In elementary school there was very little technology within the classroom. We copied hand written notes from the chalkboard, and examples were shown on overhead projectors. The only screens in the classrooms were the TV’s for watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and the lone computer, which was usually located on the teacher’s desk. We were expected to memorize multiplication tables, spelling words and cursive writing, all which was taught through repetition. As the years went on the library evolved into a large computer lab. Classrooms had multiple computers for students use and chalkboards changed to whiteboards. No longer were projects expected to be done on bristol board, but on a computer made slide show. Teachers taught with different learning styles in mind, and the lecturing format became rare. Project based learning, videos, hands on tasks and group work became more prevalent, along with the amount of technology in the classroom. By the end of my high school experience Smart boards were in most of the math rooms, and the teachers talked about the various seminars they attended on the ways they could use technology in the classroom. While all this change was exciting and the new story of education was emerging, technology seemed to become the base of class lessons.

Now I am an advocate for technology in the classroom, as it brings wonderful new experiences, and I rely on the technology I have in my life, like cell phones and the internet. I am a part of a generation that had their early childhood without texting and Facebook, but today have a great knowledge on how technology works and its future developments. As a student it was great to be able to see various examples online or on the Smart boards, and connecting with the teachers became easier. I loved the new assignments, such as creating Facebook pages for historical figures, making videos or even blogging about a book. These used the skills most of my peers had with social media and could be fun. As a future teacher I am excited to have the ability to take education further with technology and let the students use their skills; however I worry that technology has taken over the classroom and the basics are being lost.

 Classrooms today are fully a part of twenty first century digital education and I am a little nervous to enter this fully emerged world.  I worry as a future teacher that education is becoming too heavily reliant on technology and I have witnessed when a sole reliance on technology has gone awry. In lessons often slides and links did not work and if an electronic was broken the lesson was postponed, some teachers even tried to push the envelope too far. An example of this occurred in my high school where the teacher attempted to integrate cell phones into the lesson. We were to take a quiz as a class and text our answers to the provided number and the results would appear on the Smart board. While this seemed like an interesting idea, it became a mess in the execution. The school was designed in the early 1960’s and barely had air conditioning throughout the entire building, let alone cell phone service and wireless internet. Most students could not send their answers or participate in the exercises due to lack of service, payment plans or having a cell phone available. The quiz ended up taking more time than necessary and when the activity was done it was difficult for the teacher to get the students to put their phones away. It was a new story idea that was hindered by an old story building and a lack of full understanding of the technology and the will of the students. While changes are coming to help the new story develop, examples like these turn me away from complete reliance on technology.

There are many factors to consider when using technology in the classroom, such as the socioeconomic status of the school and students, resources available, and the ability to manage the technology as well as the class. Technology adds another layer to classroom management and assessment and this can be helpful and yet hindering. As a teacher if there is not complete knowledge and control of the technology, it is easy to get caught up in fixing the problem or device and in the process you lose the classes’ attention and even respect. I am also worried that the classroom will become overrun in electronics, and skills like note taking, hand writing and critical thinking without electronic resources, will become lost.

Technology does not always mean a better education. It is about finding the balance in using technology, and ultimately it is the teacher that directs the education not the electronics. It is using the other part of the new story, like project based learning and student directed learning that should work along with technology in the classroom. This can then appeal to multiple students’ needs and opens the door for further types of differentiation such as individualization and personalization as explained in the book Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment. We should not get too caught up with trying to find the latest and greatest device to use in the classroom. It needs to be about the teacher working with and managing the technology to enhance the lessons. While technology is the largest part of the new story, and opens many doors, it is important to go back to basics and remember parts of the old story. Not the entire old story was bad, and as teachers we cannot completely let go of the basics and become overrun by the new developments. This may just be the History student side of me who enjoys reading hand written letters and studying simpler times, but as a future teacher the amount of technology that is around can be daunting and managing the classroom has a whole new side to it. And I mean what’s wrong with cursive writing anyways.