Putting It All Together...

As part of our 21^st Century Literacies course, we were asked to follow 3 educator blogs throughout the term. For my final blog post, I want to connect some of the ideas of my blog writers to what I have learned from this course and understand how together, these connections have begun to shape my own vision for teaching.

However, when I reflect on my previous blogs, I realize that this is really what I was trying to do all along. Many of my prior posts were inspired by something I read as these teachers chronicled their journeys in the classroom. I wrote about BYOD and integrated curriculum in response to Heather Theijsmeijer’s and Jimmy Blackwood’s implementation of these pedagogical approaches into their classrooms. Heidi Siwak’s tough decision to talk about the Ottawa shootings with her classroom in an older post in October resonated with my discussion on the difficulty I may face in teaching the sensitive content of the new Ontario human development and sexual health curriculum. I even wrote a blog about blogs as a means of understanding the importance of teachers sharing their learning experiences with other teachers.

To me, this is the point of developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) – share your ideas, learn from others, and consider a variety of perspectives on teaching. In the online educational community, creating a dialogue is key. There is a reason that many bloggers end their posts with questions or by asking readers for their input. Or why teachers and various educational organizations will send out “blog hops” for educators to bring their individual perspectives on a trending issue or topic. For example, ThePhysicalEducator.com blog (http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/)  has physical educators from around the world share their teaching philosophy on a regular feature entitled “How I Teach”. In a recent blog hop on “What does learning in the 21^st Century mean to me?”, Jimmy Blackwood gave his 2 cents, noting that he believes that learning should be self-directed by students. As such, he explained that the teacher’s role is simply to provide students with opportunities to develop the necessary skills required for them to be their own constructors of knowledge. And at the end of his blog post? A list of other teachers that have “joined the conversation” and links to their blogs.

For Andy Vasily, his PLN is a means of professional growth and development. In a recent video-cast he created for a different class I am enrolled in, he identified blogging and conversing with other teachers as his main forums for reflecting on his teaching (check out Prof. Tim Fletcher’s acknowledgement of the video-cast on Andy’s twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/andyvasily). In his blogs, he calls this his "pursuit of mastery". These types of discussions in and of themselves are part of a learning process. Likewise, the very fact that Heidi Siwak somehow finds the time to blog almost everyday demonstrates that it is an integral part of her teaching practice. It is how she evaluates her teaching on a daily basis. Heidi documents how her students have responded her lessons, areas to improve her own teaching, and how her reflection will impact her subsequent instruction and assessment. 

For me, the small PLN that I have developed has informed my own vision for teaching. This experience has begun to shape who I will become as an educator and what I believe 21^st Century learning will look in my classroom. And what better way to learn than from the experts – teachers in the field conducting their own “research”.  

The teachers I followed personify what it means to be a 21^st century educator. However, I feel I was able to connect most with the blogs written by Heather. While she is an experienced high school math and science teacher, she is open about her struggles as she shifts her teaching style from a more traditional pedagogy to an approach that is student-centred and incorporates the use of technology. In one of her posts she described how it took her and her students days to get set up on the tablets they received as part of a technology grant, going as far as describing her class as “pioneers” in trying to figure out all of the glitches that accompany new hardware and software. This reminded me of Dean Shareski’s discussion on students (and teachers!) having a “play mindset” when it comes to exploring new technology. Despite the roadblocks, Heather is embracing technology and throughout her posts it is clear that her classroom and her teaching are progressing to the point where the technology is not simply a substitute for pen and paper, but rather a tool for online collaboration, creativity, problem-solving and communication. This is evident by her recent electricity usage science project, where students used online software to gather, analyse and share their data.

As I venture into the world of teaching, I know I will face similar challenges. Heather could easily revert back to her old teaching approach or the way she was likely taught, a fear of many prospective teachers (and a reality for many once they start the job). Yet, this idea of perseverance seems to be a common trait shared by all of the teachers I followed and certainly something that they are trying to instill with their students. Heidi documented an entire unit she did with her Grade 5 students on tenacity, grit, perseverance and resiliency. She identified these components of character education as potentional springboards for learning. This idea of a growth mindset is key feature 21^st Century education (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). 

As my course on 21^st Century literacies comes to a close, I felt it appropriate to reflect on some other key features of 21^st Century education that I have learned about by following these blogs and engaging in the learning experiences of this course. To assist in my reflection, I chose to create this mind-map:

(By the way, the mind-map was created using the bubbl.us website, a great tool for documenting ideas and certainly can be used with your students during those valuable brainstorming sessions. Here is the link: https://bubbl.us/mindmap)

So...how does this all connect? What does it mean for my teaching practice?

In the 21^st Century, there are so many things that we want students to know, do and be. The literacies are a prime example of this and speak to the complexity of teaching. To help simplify things, I will attempt to narrow the focus of my future goals as an educator:

·      I know I want to build a strong sense of learning community with my students.

·      I know I want to provide my students with deep, meaningful learning experiences.

·      I know I want to promote the idea of students becoming life-long learners.

My search to discover how to do this will be ongoing, particularly as the world of education continues to evolve. As teachers, if we share the same commitment to learning that we ask of our students, our pursuit of improving our teaching practice should become a reality. 

Well, that’s enough rambling for one post! I am tempted to write a quick note about this being my final post…but something tells me you may be hearing from me again. With that in mind, I will simply say goodbye…for now.

References:

Drake, S.M. & Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21 Century Learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Links to followed blogs:

http://byodasap.blogspot.ca

http://www.heidisiwak.com

https://jimmyblackwood.wordpress.com

http://www.pyppewithandy.com/pyp-pe-blog

Let the controversy begin….Again!

Five years after the revised Ontario Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum was shelved due to objections concerning certain content on human development and sexual health (aka “sex ed.”), the documentation has been recently re-released (with a few additional amendments) with planned implementation in schools when September rolls around. Unsurprisingly, the news has been met with similar resistance as was seen back in 2010. The concerns regarding the documents seem to surround the age-appropriateness of various topics (i.e. what grade to teach anatomy terminology) and whether particular material should be taught at all (i.e. gender identity, same-sex relationships, etc.).

First off, let me begin by saying that I am not here to pick sides or campaign for one camp over another. As a student in a pre-service teaching program in physical education, this issue has direct impact on my future as an educator. This may very well be the curriculum that I am required to follow if or when I begin my teaching career. Rather, I am using this blog entry to make sense of these changes, understand how they will impact teachers and students, and how these types of policy revisions reflect education in the 21^st century.

Having not been updated since 1998, the long overdue revised documents are now comparable to the curricula of the other provinces across the country. Unfortunately, being overlooked among the controversy are the less debatable changes. However, for me, even these revisions represent the shift to a "new story" of education. This includes the implementation of essential educational literacies (particularly an emphasis on mental health in the high school curriculum), a focus on 21^st century skills, and updates on the movement side of physical education, including the advocacy of physical literacy. Still, all of the attention remains on the human development and sexual health portions of both curricula. 

The arguments from those that oppose the curriculum revisions sound something like this: 

•  Parents should decide when/if their children learn about certain components of sexual health
• Sex hasn’t changed since 1998, so why does the curriculum need to change?
• If children are not asking about sex, they don’t need to know about it
• Ontario does not need a “radical” sex ed. program
• Teachers need to focus on teaching math and reading skills

Proponents of the amendments contend that children are reaching puberty and are aware of sexual matters at a younger age, that the new curriculum provides knowledge children need to know and have a right to know, that technological advancements and changes in the educational landscape make it a necessity (i.e. the importance of teaching digital citizenship with the emergence of “sexting”) and that learning is the only way to promote awareness and acceptance in an increasingly socially progressive world.  

Both sides present valid points. Furthermore, the conflicting perspectives are completely understandable when you reflect on the wide spectrum of views and beliefs that educational stakeholders carry on the issue. For example, many teachers and school districts still teach a sex ed. program centred on abstinence. However, in both the elementary and high school revised curriculums, the introductory material identifies critical literacy as one of the goals for students in a high-quality HPE program. The question becomes, can students be critically literate without being provided the “whole picture” of human development and sexual health? Will students be taught the necessary skills to become healthy, safe and informed citizens? It is also important to note that students’ exposure to a meaningful HPE experience (of which sex. ed represents only a small portion) is already limited when you consider HPE is often taught by a generalist, discarded on a regular basis in favour of more “academic” subjects and not mandatory past Grade 9 in Ontario high schools. I know my human development and sexual health education in elementary school was virtually non-existent. In 4 years of high school, it lasted all of about 2 weeks.

Still, teachers must be prepared to adapt to the new curriculum as this time, despite the renewed controversy, it looks like it’s here to stay (Yay!). What we teach our students and when students are ready for certain material will always be debatable and subject to criticism. Teachers face this dilemma when they are tasked with the decision of whether to bring controversial global issues into the classroom or not. Should teachers educate their students on different religious faiths and values as a means of developing critical, multicultural and globally literate minds? And if so, when? To me, these discussions emphasize the importance of understanding both your curriculum and your students (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012). And while the argument has been made that students who graduated by means of the “old story” of sexual health “turned out just fine”, perhaps the new curriculum aims to cultivate learners that are more than “just fine”…

I support the new curriculum whole-heartedly. However, I recognize that adapting to and implementing the revisions will present challenges for teachers, students and other educational investors alike. What do you think? Join the conversation!

What do students think? Here is a quick video on the thoughts of some insightful eighth graders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oER3MJshXU

If you are interested in viewing the revised Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum documents (and older versions), check them out here:

Grades 1-8: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health.html

Grades 9-12: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/health.html

Until next time!

References:

 

Drake, S.M. & Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21 Century Learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

A Blog About Blogs

(Image courtesy of: http://blogpostsforlawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Do-You-Even-Blog-Bro.jpg)

Welcome back to my blog! It feels like ages since I last posted and I think I’m about ready for my next foray of educational rambling. This post is inspired by a webinar that I recently listened to on the topic of teachers as researchers, hosted by Dean Shareski. An interesting question was raised during the online session and I thought I would take a stab at it. Are teachers obligated to share their research?

If you are interested in listening to the webinar, please click the link here: 

https://ossemooc.wordpress.com

Teachers use many forms of social media to develop a personal learning network (PLN) (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012); however, online blogging is often the main platform for educators to share and follow teacher research (i.e. what’s happening in the classroom, project ideas, innovative instruction or assessment tools being used, etc.). So the question could be posed as: Should teachers be required to blog? This is a great question, because I don’t necessarily believe there is a right answer.  

In my case as a prospective teacher, I am being asked to document my journey and share my thoughts on what it means to be a 21^st century educator as part of my course requirements. However, it is not a matter of whether I would engage in this process of reflective practice if I weren’t mandated to do so. Rather, it is important for me to consider whether blogging is a worthwhile learning experience.  Does my blog benefit my learning and the learning of those that chose to read my posts? Obviously, I can only speak for myself.

From my perspective as a creator, self-reflection through blogging has been a valuable undertaking. It enhances my metacognition, exercises my communication skills and forces me to consider important issues in the world of education. Our instructor even proposes that blogging is an effective tool for establishing and developing a teacher identity and constructing an online brand based on our pedagogical beliefs, values and vision for teaching. As a consumer of teacher blogs, it validates my learning. It is one thing to read about 21^st century teaching practices in a textbook, but to follow real-world teachers as they (and their students) excel or struggle with the implementation of technology, project-based learning or the “flipped-classroom” brings greater relevance and meaning to my own education. I know from following teacher blogs, I am inspired to try new approaches in my own classroom.

The benefits of blogging that I have experienced above can certainly translate to teachers in the field. Learning does not end when teachers enter the profession and the shared research of colleagues represents a vast network of resources for professional development and improving teaching practice (in turn enhancing student learning). 

Don’t get me wrong; I understand that there are barriers to teacher blogging. Teachers are busy enough with other mandates such as standardized tests and ensuring that curriculum expectations are met. But teachers that encourage students and parents to follow their blogs also promote similar goals to those types of mandates, including transparency in their expectations and increased teacher and student accountability. Furthermore, as Dean Shareski indicated in the webinar, sharing teacher research online is not an additional mandate to go along with the job….it’s part of the job. This is particularly true in a 21^st century world where the learning environment is extending far beyond the classroom as a result of technological advancements and an increased global education community. 

Therefore, I think we may be asking the wrong question. Perhaps it’s not whether teachers should be obligated to share their research, but rather, why wouldn’t they want to?

I’ve heard that if you do something well, you shouldn’t do it for free. In the case of teacher blogging, I think we can make an exception…

Check out Tom Whitby’s post on why he believes teacher blogging is important:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/do-educators-need-blog-posts-tom-whitby

References:

Drake, S.M. & Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21 Century Learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.