Week Six

"Learning in the Collective" - Thoughts

I am lucky, at my school we have build in PD time every week to collaborative with colleagues and community members. Myself and the other two math teachers at my school use this time to talk about pacing, lessons and usually technology. It is not required that we meet with only our department groups and periodically we meet with other teachers to discuss students, and/or curriculum. This built in time is quite different from my first teaching job and I appreciate "learning from others."  (Thomas)  

I have also participated in a lot of online classes through the University where we have collaborated during online class time and also collaborated outside of class preparing lessons. I've enjoyed the classes where we have to participate during the class, I believe that "a collection of people, skills and talent [will] product a result greater than the sum of its parts." (Thomas) The classes draw teachers in from all around the state of Alaska and each teacher is able to bring a different teaching perspective, from small rural schools to large urban schools. We are all able to listen and learn from each other. 

The idea about classroom learning vs website/blog learning caught my attention. Thomas spoke about how in a typical classroom a teacher delivers the information and students write down the lecture topics and examples and then they take a quiz, taking guesses at what the teacher will ask for questions. All along not really learning the information but memorizing it just for the quiz. "Finding answers and memorizing facts do nothing to inspires students' passion to learn. If anything, they dull that desire and make learning a tiresome burden." (Thomas) 

Thomas went on to talk about how people learn through the internet. If you want to learn about gardening for example, you can go online and read information or join a blog discussion and you will learn the information even though there is no quiz at the end of the gardening season. 

So I find myself asking the question, how can I shift the way that I teach so that students are not just memorizing information for the quiz, but really learning it? A quote from an Edutopia article I read is pretty spot on...."And the four walls of your classroom no longer limit your students' reach. To thrive in this always-on community, students and teachers must become agile learners, creators, and collaborators. Their success and our country's future depend on it." (Rubenstein)

Rubenstein, Grace. “Collaboration Generation: Teaching and Learning for a New Age.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 3 Dec. 2008, www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age.

Thomas, Douglas, and John Seely Brown. A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Publisher Not Identified, 2011, Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B004RZH0BG.

Week Five

What does the way you play have to do with embracing change and how does this impact you as a professional?

As a young child, I loved to play; in the water, on the sports field, with my sister and friends. We were always out side on the move and making up games. As an adult, I continue my passion of play, I've shifted slightly with my choice of play, I enjoy reading, photography, coed softball and fishing to name a few. Play "helps sculpt our brains to help us learn and make us more resilient." (Aguilar) In the Edutopia article, Agular listed the following categories of play: The Joker, the Kinesthete, the Explores, the Competitor, the Director, the Collector, the Artist/Creator, and the Storyteller. If I think back to my students this year, I could put each student into at least one of the categories. This is a good reminder of how important a multi-strategy technique of teaching is needed when delivering information and that "traditional approaches to learning are no longer capable of coping with the constantly changing world." (Thomas)

It is interesting to me to think about teaching as play, but it also makes sense. To me teaching is such a personal profession, you make hundreds of connections with students, parents and teachers over one year and what better way to make those connections last than play. By playing you can make a connection that is not forced, you can both be engaged in something that you truly enjoy. Once that connection is made students will be more open minded about learning and trying new things in your classroom.

In the ever changing technology world "play becomes a strategy for embracing change, rather than a way for growing out of it." (Thomas) As technology changes from year to year, teacher must learn and adapt like never before. We must be innovating and help guide students with technology because technology is the future and it is here to stay. "If the teacher is able to accommodate new changes, the recent changes, and employ them properly this society will be good." (Pennington)

As a result of reading these text, I will make a conscious decision to actively involve different levels of play into my classroom. I know that this will be difficult and "embracing change is a challenge" (Dunn) however in the long run I believe these strategies will help my students become better successful lifelong learners.



Resources:

Aguilar, Elena. “Summer Professional Development: Play!” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 26 June 2014, www.edutopia.org/blog/summer-professional-development-play-elena-aguilar.

Dunn, Mike. “Embracing Change In Your Practice.” The Educators Room, 1 Nov. 2016, theeducatorsroom.com/embracing-change-teachers-journey-across-desk/.

Pennington, Roberta. “Teachers Must Embrace Change.” The National, The National, 6 Apr. 2016, www.thenational.ae/uae/teachers-must-embrace-change-1.141733.

Thomas, Douglas, and John Seely Brown. A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Publisher Not Identified, 2011, Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2019, from https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B004RZH0BG.

Week Four

How different is your current classroom from the one in which you learned when you were a student?

Its almost been twenty years since I was a high school student. I had a great high school experience, loved school and was involved with lots of sports. I went to a school with around 1,000 students in grades nine through twelve and I was lucky enough to have the same math teacher three out of those four years. 

He was a great teacher by the name of Mr. Campbell. He was probably in his sixties and had been teaching at this same school for years. Every day he would come into the room and we would all have our homework out on our desks, which were lined up in rows and he would walk around and check it. Then he would teach a lesson at the board and we would all write down each problem in our notebooks. We would be assigned the evens (or odds, I can't remember) to do for homework. Each day was predictable and I liked that. I remember that we had to buy a TI-83 to use in the classroom (I still have mine and break it out to show some of the students I teach every now and then). I did great in math class and really enjoyed learning and the math came easy to me. 

Currently in my math classroom, the desks are in groups of fours scattered around the room. Students read from a textbook and work though real life problems. I walk around the room asking (and answering) questions to make sure students are on the right track. 

When the class is over, I post homework online with links to Khan Academy videos explaining the topic that we learned about. I also post study guide worksheet online with my answer key. Additionally, if I feel the topic is very difficult I will post a video of myself working through one of the problems. This is all quite different than from when I was a student and it is mainly because of the availability of technology. 

I found an article from Edutopia titled 15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher. The author goes through the fifteen characteristics of a teacher, I can relate to using some of them currently like number five: using smartphones in the classroom; number 7: go digital; number 10: connect; number 12: positive digital footprint as a teacher; and number 15: keep learning. 

I am by no means a technology expert, I use it seldom during class time (unless it is a graphing calculator...these are still technology, right?). However I have begun to put more of the class notes, study guides, web links and video tutorials online for the class to view as needed.

In another twenty years, I will probably still be in the classroom teaching. Who knows what new thing we will be using to enhance our lessons at that time.

Week Three

What role does professional satisfaction play in the effectiveness of a classroom?

Before reading the third part in Dave Burgess book Teach Like a Pirate, I would have said that professional satisfaction plays a small role in an effective classroom. However, after reading, I would say that it plays a major part in how effective teachers classrooms. 

First, as a teacher "we are in a service profession" (Burgess) so that means we are always looking to better ourselves. At the end of each day we think back and analyze how our day went. We go home and cook dinner, take care of our families and prepare for the next day all while reflecting on what we could have done better. How could we have taught that lesson differently, reacted differently, each decision continuously running through our heads even as we lay down to sleep. 

Secondly, the way we are teaching is changing. New technology is being introduced at such a high rate that once you learn a program there is a new and improved one just being released. Take the time to learn about the technology, students will react to it, and use it as a way to enhance the lesson. Teachers are also responsible for more of the social emotional child than ever before. If we can't meet the needs of these students emotionally then there is no way that we will reach them academically.  

Lastly, we must rely on our own inner satisfaction because there will be is no external. People are always looking to put teachers down, its the easy thing to do. "When criticism comes, take a moment to evaluate it" (Burgess) if it is something you can use to improve your craft great, if not move on. If you taught a killer lesson, tell people about it. If that student who you've been trying to reach all year finally opened up to you, tell people about it. We have to be able to toot our own horns once in a while to feel that satisfaction.


Find a great group of teachers and use them to help you improve, "take counsel from a wide variety of people and see out multiple perspectives." (Burgess) Get involved with social media, there are tons of groups to join with people willing to give feedback and ideas on new lessons. Be proud, be great and continue to grow.

Sources:
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate: Increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and 

transform your life as an educator. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting.