I have never taken to video games so at the outset of OLTD 509, I was very skeptical as to whether gamification would be relevant to my teaching practice. But I like physical sports, board games and card games. In fact, I can get quite competitive while playing them, even to the point where I won't necessarily let a child win. That happened recently while playing Monopoly with my stepson. I won't get into Freudian explanations for father/son, father/step-son rivalries. I simply eliminated the 11 year-old from the game, and he didn't take it well. A week later, he legitimately beat us all in Clue, a game I enjoy much more than Monopoly - good for him. A friend of mine who designs card and board games says that, despite it's popularity, Monopoly is one of the most poorly designed games, because some players can lose very early on in the playing, while other players can continue playing for hours before a winner is decided. What do the eliminated players do in the meantime?
Certainly, this type of early elimination/eventual winner outcome would not work well for gamified learning. As an instructor, you'd want all the students to be engaged in the gamified learning for as long as the learning continues. I was surprised to discover during OLTD 509 how engaged I became in the gamified learning environment - surprised because the gamification was educational technology-based, which I previously associated with video games - a platform that I have not enjoyed ... yet. The 2014 K-12 Edition of the NMC Horizon Report describes how "effectively designed games can stimulate large gains in engagement, productivity, creativity, and authentic learning. " I notice that when my stepson plays video games, he is motivated by achieving levels. I found in OLTD 509 that I was motivated not by badges or levels, certainly by points, because I wanted to achieve at least 80% in the course (I'm a product of that paradigm), and I was motivated by the narrative. This aspect surprised me the most. Since, like most people, I love a good story, and because I'm an English teacher, too, a strong narrative can be the key to engaging me. Our OLTD 509 instructor, Avi Luxemburg, introduced the narrative in the first simultaneous session. From my perspective, it was a narrative that modelled metacognitive reflection on teaching practice, and that aspect has been the main take-away for me. During the six weeks of this course, I have reflected on my teaching to date and opportunities for future teaching practice more than I have in the past ten years. While the quality of the narrative is the motivating piece for me, the use of a gaming LMS is the most daunting aspect. I know that the preparation of the gamified LMS, sets the stage for personalized learning (also a highly motivating aspect), but I can see that using a LMS such as 3D GameLab requires learning the management system and then a tremendous amount of work setting up the gamified learning environment. At the beginning of OLTD 509, I was closed to the idea of gamification for my first year English courses because, first, I hadn't related the power of narrative to gamification, and I was overwhelmed whenever I thought of the possibility of setting up the LMS. The experience was similar for Lee Bessette, first year composition instructor and regular blogger on "Inside Higher Ed", but she has recently become more open to the idea as she reflected on how a gamified learning environment lines up with her philosophy of teaching and learning: "The challenges and problems students will be facing in college and beyond are open-ended and don’t have one right answer. Video games are much the same, educational or not. There are seemingly endless possibilities and variables, forcing players to improvise, strategize, and experiment. And, when you fail at a video game, your life doesn’t end and your financial aid isn’t revoked – you start again, with new lives and another chance to learn from your mistakes. These are all skills that I wish my students had more of" (Bessette, 2012). Bessette described a specific learning unit within which she and her students read a piece about contemporary life in rural Haiti and then followed that up with a video game that required the students to provide the necessary sustenance for a Haitian family of five. The game is largely text-based, so it does not require the quick-trigger reflexes of most video games in order to succeed, and, again, the strong narrative is motivating for the students. I think this example provides me with an opportunity to integrate gaming as deeper learning. I'll search out accessible games that are relevant to the topics I cover in my first year English courses and consider whether I can integrate them and whether they have captivating narratives and contribute to personalized learning. That I am even considering this possibility is an indication of the shift I've made during OLTD 509. While I am barely a novice in emerging pedagogies, I am no longer a confirmed Novi. Works Cited Games and Gamification - Time to Adopt: Two to Three Years. (2014). NMC Horizon Report: 2014 K-12 Edition. Retrieved from: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxvbHRkNTA5fGd4OjE4N2M2MGYwZmZmZjk3Mjc Bessette, L. (March 11, 2012). Now You See It: Gamification of FYC? Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/now-you-see-it-gamification-fyc
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In 2103, McGill's student online newspaper, The Port Arthur Herald, reported that three-quarters of Aboriginal internet users in Canada live in urban centres, but half of the country's Aboriginal population lives in rural and remote areas and many have insufficient internet connection.
Many of these communities still have dial-up as their connection, which limits their ability to visit web pages, send emails and download. The lack of high-speed connection contributes to a digital divide, between remote Aboriginal communities and urban Aboriginal internet users and with non-Aboriginal communities. Even in remote Aboriginal communities that have broadband connectivity, the cost of the service can be prohibitive. Internet service in Montreal in 2013 cost $30 per month. With NorthwestTel, which services the Northwest Territories, the cost is $180 per month in remote communities. 34% of urban Aboriginal people describe their computer skills as excellent, whereas 21% of rural Aboriginal people describe their skills as such. Digital literacy has become a basic skill for success in education and employment. Rural Aboriginal people are disadvantaged due to a lack of sufficient connectivity. The internet provider companies view remote Aboriginal communities as high-cost and low-profit, so government initiatives are required. This map shows the status of BC First Nations connectivity: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1352223782819/1353504825398?p=bc In the last budget, the federal government budgeted $4 billion for infrastructure projects in Aboriginal communities, $1 billion being for educational infrastructure and connectivity. Due to physical isolation, many Aboriginal communities are already at a disadvantage. Opportunities to engage with the rest of Canada are limited without broadband. It's not just northern remote communities that have lacked broadband connectivity. Seven First Nations communities on Vancouver Island are only now receiving broadband. The Toquaht First Nation community of Macoah received broadband for its residents and industry in fall, 2016. Six other island communities will be connected by March. These villages lie within the region that my college, North Island College, serves. It means that students in these communities will now have much improved access to online learning opportunities. Anne Mack, Chief of the Toquaht First Nations recently stated: "High-speed Internet for the Toquaht Nation is of the utmost importance at this time in our history. We are building our community from the ground up and this is one more stepping stone to achieving our vision of bringing our people back home. We can now look at building homes, businesses and our government house. Kleko! to Pathways to Technology for their intuition and commitment to all First Nations in B.C.!" Works Cited First Nations community infrastructure. (2016). Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100010567/1100100010571 High Speed Internet Arrives for First Nations on Vancouver Island's West Coast. (September 23, 2016). Pathways to Technology. Retrieved from http://www.pathwaystotechnology.ca/news/high-speed-internet-arrives-for-first-nations-on-vancouver-island-s-west-coast Kim, S.M., Gilfillan, K., Saab-Brault, J., Trott, M. (April 17, 2013). Left Out of the Conversation: The Digital Divide and #IdleNoMore. The Port Arthur Herald. Retrieved from http://princearthurherald.com/en/news-2/left-out-of-the-conversation-the-digital-divide-and-idlenomore NMC Horizon Report's (2015, K-12 Edition) "Rise of STEAM Learning" states that STEM learning (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has received growing emphasis in school systems because "these disciplines are widely viewed as the means to boost innovation and bolster national economies"; however, many leading educators support the rise of STEAM (A for "the arts") learning as a fuller response to the quest for innovation. STEAM education breaks down barriers between disciplines and integrates them in order to prepare students for real-world innovation that comes as the result of a wide variety of skill sets and knowledge. The STEAM movement aims to demonstrate how the arts, humanities and design relate to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Rather than this being a new philosophy of learning, I believe it is a renaissance. Early scientists were as committed to the arts and humanities as to science and mathematics. Consider the Golden Mean, aka the Golden Ratio, or Fibonacci or Leonardo da Vinci. Early biologists were often trained artists because they wanted to accurately document species - example, John James Auduban. We have seen this integration of arts and design with technology with many successful companies, too. Apple and Steve Jobs come to mind. Not long after the MacIntosh personal computer came out, Jobs talked about how he envisioned Apple would create artfully crafted technology: "When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood in the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through" (Steve Jobs as quoted by Cliff Kuang). NMC Horizon's "Rise of STEAM Learning" also identifies the film industry as an example of a successful industry that employs the integration of the arts with computer technology, machinery and precise cinematography calculations. I would say that another successful example is video gaming, which has evolved to the inclusion of complex narratives, fuller characters and highly detailed visual art. Because STEAM is a response to STEM, STEAM education leaders work at integrating the arts into STEM learning activities. I believe it's because these educators recognize, like Steve Jobs did, that the most successful, or revolutionary, innovations require the contribution of the creativity of the arts. Elementary school teachers have been using the STEAM philosophy forever. Since they often teach in thematic units, disciplines are integrated - art, language arts, science and technology, music are wrapped together in an interesting and creative package of learning opportunities that meet diverse learning needs. The NMC report also states that the conditions are better than ever for STEAM learning because of educational technology. Technology is the "connective tissue" to integrate the STEM and arts disciplines, such as 3D modelling and multimedia documenting of STEM learning projects. The article concludes that "Formal experience with the arts is proven to foster innovative thinking, adaptability, and other problem-solving skills that are essential for mastering STEM competencies. In other words, creativity is a precursor for students to understand, use, and apply technologies in new ways." Since I consider that the literature courses I teach as learning that's associated with the arts and that promotes divergent thinking and deeper learning and human interactions and problem-solving, I am grateful that the learning I've experienced in OLTD has given me more confidence to integrate the content with educational technology tools and experiences, consistent with the philosophy of STEAM. Works Cited Kuang, C. (July 11, 2011). The 6 Pillars of Steve Jobs's Design Philosophy. Co. Design. Retrieved from https://www.fastcodesign.com/1665375/the-6-pillars-of-steve-jobss-design-philosophy Rise of STEAM Learning. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Retrieved from: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxvbHRkNTA5fGd4OjNhZjZlYThmMmZmMDAzZDc Photo credit: http://www.juevesfilosofico.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Picture-14-450x299.png Todd Finley's Social and Emotional Learning article, "Negativity Jammers - Ten techniques that help students control their emotions", published in Edutopia provides some useful strategies to help students avoid derailing their learning and the classroom experience for their peers and their teacher. They're strategies that a teacher can offer to students and help them practice. Beyond this, though, they're negativity jammers for anyone.
I have experienced few emotional outbursts by students in my college classes, although there is sometimes lively debate. However, anxiety seems to be a growing condition particularly in the past five years. In first year English classes, especially composition and literature, we often discuss topics that could be triggers for students. Last semester, I had a student, John - bright, creative, unconventional with his writing, expressing divergent ideas - whose sister had recently died from a fentanyl overdose, and he was estranged from the rest of his family. Early in the semester, his hurt and anger flared up in a group discussion. "Fuck your god," was all I heard before he got up and left the class. I de-briefed with the rest of the group and contacted John after class. Rather than discussing the college's student conduct policy with him, I talked with him in a way that seemed to allow him to discuss the emotions behind his outburst. He also explained that he was getting counselling therapy. I asked him if he had strategies to manage his emotions in class. He said that he had just begun to work on these and would continue to. He agreed to discuss his outburst with his group mates. This conversation contributed to trusting working relationship between me and John, and since there were no more incidents of this nature, I assumed he was using strategies to manage his emotions. While I would likely refer students to the college counsellor in the rare situation of this nature, Todd Finley offers strategies that I'd be comfortable suggesting to my students: 1. A neurolinguistic programming (NLP) "stop" when thoughts begin spiralling to negativity:
2. Prime students in your class by posting the following words in your classroom: focussed, engaged, determined, disciplined, confident, creative and successful. This one I'm going to try. This semester is the first time (might well be the only time) that I have all of my classes in the same room at the college. This week, I will print these words large and tape them around the room. 3. Diaphragmatic box breathing. To be used by a student in a moment when emotions rise, or before an exam:
5. Touch: Finley says touch such as hugs, high fives and fist bumps "builds trust, lowers stress and improves performance". He suggests that fist bumps would be appropriate in a school setting, but I will not be touching any of my students. 6. Finley uses Mihaly Ciskszentmihalyi's explanation of Flow, described as an "effortless, spontaneous feeling". Finley states that teaching adjustments can promote Flow. OLTD 509 instructor, Avi Luxemburg, describes how a teacher can create the conditions of just the right amount and type of challenge in order to promote Flow for students. I was well aware of Flow in the context of the arts and athletics, but I hadn't considered it thoroughly in the context of of my college teaching and learning until I first encountered Avi's use of it in education two years ago. 7. Emotional Goals: Ask students to right down one emotional goal, such as caring, and a plan to carry it out. e.g. "Tomorrow I will smile at my classmates and ask each a specific question about their lives." I'm not likely to use this one in my college English classes either. 8. Meditation chaining: Finley encourages meditation with his students. He notes that a daily meditation of at least 11 minutes "enhances positive emotions and decreases anxiety". He suggests that students use a calendar and strike off the days as they meditate, thereby creating an unbroken chain. The difficulty I see with this is that many, if not all, students will require coaching in meditation. One of my college colleagues did lead a meditation at the beginning of each of her English classes last year, She claimed that it enhanced the emotional atmosphere in the class, but I'd like to follow-up with her on details. 9. Loose intensity: Finley describes this as being relaxed but focussed. I have experienced this type of intensity in karate, but I would describe it as calmness and focus. Finley says that he holds impromptu contests in his class to see who appears to be most observant but at ease, with eyes alert but "shoulders, hands and jaw(s) loose." Again, this is an activity I'd be more likely to do with my karate kids than with my college students. 10. Bliss Break: The name of this strategy seems a bit misleading, but I see how students would likely enjoy it, and I'm going to try it. Finley suggests that you ask students to silently group themselves for an activity in collaborative groups according to eye colour. It means that students need to look closely into each other's eyes. Since no one is able to talk, it will lead to giggling and, therefore, good feelings. I wonder if any of my OLTD colleagues have tried any of these and/or whether they have other suggestions for "Negativity Jammers". Work Cited Finley, T. (January 25, 2017). Negativity Jammers. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/article/negativity-jammers-todd-finley Andrew Marcinek, in his Edutopia piece "The Pathway to Digital Citizenship", asks the question, "So how do we integrate standards and skill sets that prepare our K-12 students for an interconnected, digital world that can often be incendiary and hurtful?" And, he claims, in many regards, we are too late. "Applications and the pace of technology have outpaced our ability, as parents and teachers, to keep up with what our students can access."
I could be wrong, but I believe that the young adults that I teach at the college likely had some digital citizenship guidance in their high school education, but not before that, since smartphone and social media usage has experienced the greatest growth in the past five years. Certainly, all of these students would have had citizenship and empathy-building modelling and activities and reinforcement at home and in school through elementary and middle school. And, we'd like to think that these behaviours are completely transferable to online citizenship, but I think that they are not quite. As it is so often observed, when you're online, behaving badly, you do not have to face the person you are disrespecting, bullying, or harassing - you do not have to look them in the eye. What I like about Marcinek's article is that he provides ways that teachers (and parents) can help elementary and middle school students transfer offline citizenship to the digital space, where "there should be no difference between how they act online and how they act offline." Their constructed online personality should reflect their real offline personality. Here are some strategies for elementary teachers to help students with digital citizenship: 1. Have students hand write letters to each other. It is transferable to email writing, of course, and it helps students to understand that online they will need to express their ideas clearly and use writing conventions. 2. Have each student (or small groups) make a creation - poem, visual art, a sentence - in a large format, like flipchart paper. Then, have students walk around and make comments on their classmates' works. They might need some coaching on commenting beforehand (my college students sometimes do), but it's a good way to practice constructive feedback and avoiding being hurtful. 3. Because you don't want your students to think of digital spaces as dark and menacing, but rather as places of great opportunities for growth, you teach them how to "construct and maintain a positive digital presence." By the time students enter middle school, Marcinek thinks they should be able to:
In my first-year composition and critical analysis course, I find, generally, that my students' research skills are not well developed and it's the minority that have experience with correctly citing sources. They generally appear comfortable with social media and have an understanding of consequences of bad behaviour, but they have little exposure to learning management systems. I am curious to learn from OLTD K-12 colleagues about how digital citizenship skills are being taught because, first, I have a daughter who will begin kindergarten in the fall, and because your students will become my students (well, if you're a kindergarten teacher, in truth, I'll likely be retired before your students reach me). Work Cited Marcineck, A. (November 16, 2013). The Path to Digital Citizenship. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-path-to-digital-citizenship-andrew-marcinek Steve Lee, assistant director of the CLIMB program (Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences) at Northwestern University, states in his piece, "A Metacognitive Reflection on Using Metacognition in Professional Development", that, "We often assume that we understand students' backgrounds, what they need to succeed, and how they define success." I agree that I make many assumptions about the latter two, but not as many about the former. Since I'm 55 and most of my students are 19 - 22, I begin my courses understanding that I know nothing about their backgrounds. Admittedly, I assume that they are more adept with the digital than I am. I assume that some are brighter than I am, some are about the same, and some are not as bright, but this doesn't matter, because I assume that they are all capable of succeeding in my courses. In the first class, through introduction activities, I attempt to learn about students' backgrounds - where they come from, who their "people" are, what their interests are, their studies and experiences to date, and their plans for future studies and employment - and, although, I've set the course syllabus beforehand, I think the knowledge I gain in the introduction class does influence my choices of examples, illustrations, anecdotes and supplemental curriculum.
Steve Lee says that he has shifted his practice to "helping students develop their metacognitive skills ... to discover their own strengths ... so that they take more ownership of their work ... constructing their own path to success." Steve Lee's students are PhD level, so, by its nature, that level requires that students distinguish themselves in a unique course of study. However, I see how OLTD 509 promotes metacognition. Our instructor, Avi Luxemburg, has provided bountiful choice within the course for students to hone their strengths and to begin developing new skills. It is clear that he uses metacognitive reflection to guide his own teaching practice. He has creatively shared some of this ongoing reflection using the characters Yesvi, Novi, Avi and Him, encouraging his students to reflect on their own beliefs and assumptions about their teaching practice. Steve Lee has observed that with metacognitive reflection students might simply navel-gaze. Since he is assistant director of a program committed to collaborative learning and mentoring, he wants students to consider not just "who am I?" but also "who are we?". He says that college studies often have a bias towards fostering independence at the expense of interdependence; whereas, he wants to foster the quality of interdependence in his students. Lee, therefore, encourages collaborative reflection and discussion with student peer groups. I find it interesting that while the current course that I am enrolled in is "Emerging Technologies", I am engaging more in metacognitive reflection on my teaching practice than I have in a long time. Reference Lee, Steve. (March 12, 2012). A Metacognitive Reflection on Using Metacognition in Professional Development. The Evolllution. Retrieved from https://evolllution.com/opinions/a-metacognitive-reflection-on-using-metacognition-in-professional-development/ Authentic learning includes "real-world" problem solving, experiential learning and/or hands-on learning. It also involves metacognitive reflection - thinking about how the learning applies and how useful the learning is in the "real world". I am reflecting upon the authenticity of the learning in my first-year English classes. In "The NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition", the piece on Authentic Learning identifies five major obstacles to the practice of authentic learning in schools:
1. Curriculum and content standards are too rigid 2. Testing and accountability are driving pedagogical decisions 3. Schedules are too regimented and silos are too restricting 4. Educator practice requires more risk-taking 5. Education policy is fostering a culture of achievement instead of one of teaching and learning At my college, authentic learning naturally occurs in health and trades programs, and to some extent in business and tourism programs. Health programs have simulation labs and students have preceptorships or practicums. Learning in trades programs is mostly hands-on and is linked with apprenticeships. The most authentic learning is business and tourism programs comes through co-op opportunities, but our college is making community partnerships to provide students with real-world learning experiences. With my business writing and technical writing courses, I am able to integrate authentic learning experiences in a significant way into the content. I find that obstacle #1 identified above is not an issue for me. As long as I and my students are meeting learning outcomes, I have flexibility with content. Therefore, I am able to create real-world application writing assignments, such as collaborative proposal writing, process descriptions formal letter writing, based upon student interest and career direction. In my experience this has helped to improve retention. But, how to create the conditions for authentic learning in a literature course? My belief is that a student's understanding of literature grows through understanding themselves - their values, biases, motivations - and through working at understanding others, and through working at understanding their roles in relationships with others. I am not a sage, so I cannot show or teach them how to know themselves more deeply. Increasingly, though, I am offering opportunities for metacognitive reflection in my literature classes. The element of fictional characterization, for instance, naturally offers up activities to explore how the student relates to the character and how they differ or are similar. I require students to consider why they analyze a story a certain way and consider why a fellow student has a different interpretation. In addition, the students must consider and analyze the choices the writer made in creating the characters, the plot, the symbolism, the theme ... again they reflect on their own perspective and the sources of it and they reflect on the perspective of the writer. In workplaces, effective collaboration, team problem-solving and conflict resolution comes through understanding of self and being open to and curious about the fears, motivations and interests of others. And, of course, many will need to be able to write effectively for workplace communication. While I have the opportunity to offer what I think are authentic learning experiences in my English courses, I agree that there are some obstacles at the college level as identified in the Horizon Report. At my college the schedules are regimented and the silos are restrictive, since there are few interdisciplinary offerings which could mimic real-world learning. I have noted in previous blog posts that risk-taking by college instructors is present but not widespread and not supported adequately. The culture of achievement continues from high school into our college primarily because North Island College offers few degrees, and most university-level students, after a year or two, seek admission to VIU, UVic, UBC and other universities. I loved learning about and experiencing literature in my undergraduate English program. I had some engaging professors. But, I don't remember considering the learning as more than academic learning. Never did I consider it real-world learning. Work Cited Authentic Learning Experiences. The NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. (2016) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6btfF7n9Vl1ZmlBSnZqT1VLRTg/view Michael Gorman, in "Ten Ways to Use Discussion Forums to Promote Digital Citizenship and Academics" discusses, yes, what the title implies, but also how effective online discussion forums are as collaborative learning tools.
The ten ways he describes includes: as a formative assessment tool, checking for understanding; as a reflecting tool for meta-cognition; as a divergent tool in which students pose questions in response to questions; as a launch tool for classroom discussion; as a connection tool in response to a video or other resource; as a mentor tool in which an online expert hosts a discussion; as a simulation tool in which a historical character or fictional character hosts a discussion; a role play tool in which several students interact in the roles of characters from a story; a research tool in which students share research links; a student-centred tool in which a student group is responsible for creating an extension discussion from class topics. I have used online discussions on the Blackboard Learn sites of my f2f English courses in the past, but sparingly, and I have been the initiator of the discussions, i.e. I pose questions and require that students post a response to my initial post and that they respond to, say, the post of one other student. The online discussions, therefore, have been mostly teacher directed. Because I decided to add some blended learning to my literature courses for the winter semester, I chose to include collaborate literature circles with an online discussion component. Each group of four students is responsible for guiding the class through an analysis of a short story using the roles of Director (to identify and describe five important elements of the fiction), Connector (to make five connections between the story and other stories, movies, news events, personal experiences), Researcher (to research cultural contexts, historical aspects, difficult vocabulary), and Passagist (to identify passages that foreshadow, that are metaphorical, that are poetic, that are imagery-laden). These groups present to the class f2f as a panel. It is not a requirement for the students to use a presentation tool other than a handout, but some have said they will use PowerPoint or Prezi. Each group also has a Discussion on Blackboard Learn and each group member is required to post a question to the class related to their role. Other students are required to read these questions before the group's presentation and be prepared to respond as these questions will be the basis for class discussion after the presentation. I have provided a rubric for the collaborative group work. I prefer in-class discussions in f2f literature classes, but I know that not every student will always read and/on think about the discussion questions posted by a group and come to class prepared to discuss. My inclusion of the discussion post in this way is a student-centred approach; however, in the future I'd like to expand the blended learning. Reference Gorman, Michael. (July 1, 2014). K-12 Blueprint. Tech and Learning. Newsletter. Retrieved from https://www.k12blueprint.com/blog/michael-gorman/ten-ways-use-discussion-forums-promote-digital-citizenship-and-academics James Kobialka, in his Edutopia piece, "7 Reflection Tips for Assessment, Empowerment, and Self-Awareness", says that reflection is an integral part of teaching and learning. I would agree that it contributes to deeper learning and that, for an instructor, reflection can transform one's teaching practice.
But, it takes time to nurture a culture of reflection in the classroom, and there must be a way of keeping track of, or a way of curating, reflections so that learning, and growth can be assessed over time. I am continuously reflecting - on my teaching practice, on being a husband, a father, a stepfather - but I'm abysmal at recording my reflections. Hence, some reflections become like sample loops, and I have no idea whether I've experienced growth. Therefore, after reading Kobialka's piece, I am committing to some systematic recording of reflection on my teaching practice. I see the value of what he writes about using reflection in the classroom with students. His first tip is "Reflect with Shout-outs". At the end of the day or class, students share something positive that a classmate did for them that day. I'm using this tip this afternoon, in fact. A collaborative group in my first-year literature class with be presenting a literature assignment on a short story. I will ask that their classmates give them feedback on one aspect of the story that the group helped to clarify. The second tip is described as "Reflect through Writing", but specifically, Kobialka is referring to giving the opportunity at the end of the semester for students to explain what grade they should deserve and why. Since I use rubrics, students know what mark they have by the end of the semester, and the rubric explains why they will have received certain marks on their assignments. And their grades are available to them on Blackboard Learn. I have not explored self-assessment at all. Some college colleagues have. Some have even explored it to the extent of creating the evaluation criteria with the students at the beginning of the assessment. At the college level, I believe there are opportunities for self-evaluation, and, in this, student self-reflection would be required. The third tip is "Model Reflective Learning with Pluses and Deltas" Since I use peer-editing in my composition course, I ask students to read another student's writing and identify plusses and at least one "delta", as Kobialka calls it (a suggestion for revision). It's important to give the students some language to use as examples of useful, actionable, feedback because many students will not have engaged in this type of activity. Kobialka's fourth and fifth tips for Reflection, "Reflect on Quizzes" and "Reflect on Behaviours" are not as relevant to my college classes; however, I could use a variation of the former. Some of my courses include mid-term exams and they all include take-home essay essay assignments. In variably, I hand back marked assignments and exams, littered with comments (some plusses, some deltas) and I ask students to see me if they have questions about the comments I made. They almost never do. And, I don't know whether they will take my suggestions and use them to improve their next assignments. Perhaps what I could do is ask them to write a reflection on specific improvements they could make based on my feedback, and I could give them credit for these reflections. The sixth tip is to "Model Reflection for Your Students." Specifically, Kobialka describes when a lesson doesn't go as the teacher expected, the teacher might say to the class, " We didn't get as far as I hoped we would today. Does anyone have any ideas why?" I suppose to a room full of perplexed faces, you might say, " It looks as if this concept isn't clear. How can we explore this in a way that would help your understanding?" Finally (and this is one that I will improve my practice of this semester), "Reflect on your Teaching Practice". By journalling about failures and successes and saving notes you made on lessons, you curate your reflection, and you are better able to note growth in your teaching practice. I see how this record would stop the loop of reflecting, but not changing, and how it makes the development of your teaching practice measurable and, therefore, celebratory. Reference Kobialka, James. (May 10, 2016).7 Reflection Tips for Assessment, Empowerment, and Self-Awareness. Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/reflection-assessment-empowerment-self-awareness-james-kobialka Discomfort, Growth and Innovation
Alyssa Tormala, in her Edutopia piece, “Discomfort, Growth and Innovation says that, according to Simon Sinek’s discussion of the Law of Diffusion of Innovation, “only 16 percent of any group actively pursues change”. The 16% of teachers who actively pursue change risk, learn, grow and innovate. They try new strategies, new ways of assessment, new technology, and they consider it a learning experience whether the risk they took succeeds or fails. They believe in continual growth and improvement in their practice, and they look for new and innovative ways to meet challenges. During my 22 years teaching at North Island College, I have gone through phases. I first taught upgrading courses in west coast First Nations communities, then I was the Aboriginal Education Coordinator for three years. Next I had a 10 year period of very little change professionally, primarily, I think, because I was experiencing a lot of change in the rest of my life. Towards the end of this period I realized that I was experiencing no professional growth. I requested, and was granted a move into the English department. Each year since, I have taught at least one new course which has allowed me opportunities to take risks and to grow in my practice. Within the English department, I have felt, in a way, like a new teacher again. However, I haven’t considered myself as being part of the 16%, despite the change I’ve experienced and sought and despite engaging in the learning in OLTD. Most of the teaching that occurs at my college is traditional. I believe it’s because that while some innovation is encouraged and the few innovators are celebrated, as Tormala describes in the piece, not much support is in place to create innovation, or in other words to assist the 84% of instructors to engage in change and growth. One limiting factor in the public college system seems to be the course calendar. I proposed to my department chair to change one of my courses from f2f to a blended model for its next offering in fall 2017 and was told that it would have to wait for approval for fall 2018 because the calendar would alreading be advertising the course as f2f. Tormala says that in order to move more instructors out of the status quo, empathy for their fears and concerns must be shown, modelling by innovative instructors must be shared and even the smallest changes and growths in practice must be shared and celebrated. Here’s two small changes I made to courses I’m teaching this semester, and they were made possible by the learning I experienced in my OLTD courses this past fall. First, I’m including a couple of small online assignments in my f2f literature, thereby including some blended learning in my courses for the first time. And, secondly, I am adding an optional assignment using social media (Twitter) for the first time. These are very small changes, indeed, but I will share them with my department colleagues and I will learn from them whether they succeed or failure. And, while they are not very original changes, they allow me to begin innovating my teaching approaches at a pace that presents what I consider to be acceptable risk and change, and which also seems to fit with the slow rate of change in the college system. Reference Tormala, A. (October 24, 2016). Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/discomfort-growth-and-innovation-alyssa-tormala |
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