ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How different is your current classroom from the one in which you learned when you were a student?The biggest difference I see is in the amount of technology available. I used to have to go to a computer lab, and now students have laptops, tablets, and smartphones. With more technology it seems that technology skills are taught less and students are just expected to have them. However, I do believe the idea of what education is has changed dramatically. "Instruction doesn't consist primarily of lecturing to students who sit in rows at desks, dutifully listening and recording what they hear, but, rather, offers every child a rich, rewarding, and unique learning experience. The educational environment isn't confined to the classroom but, instead, extends into the home and the community and around the world. Information isn't bound primarily in books; it's available everywhere in bits and bytes" (Lanier, 1997). This quote is from when I was in elementary school and I don't think it is different than what is expected now. Thomas and Brown (2011) echo the same notion that learning can be augmented by using the information in digital media and by focusing "on learning through engagement within the world." With all of the new technology available Heick (2014) gives 7 ways the classroom has changed:
This last quote from Thomas and Brown (2011) really sums up my thoughts after reading this week: "A growing digital, networked infrastructure is amplifying our ability to access and use nearly unlimited resources and incredible instruments while connecting with one another at the same time." Digital connection can be integral in helping students connect to course content really expanding their learning. Sources
Heick, T. (2014, March 25). 7 Ways Teaching Has Changed. Retrieved February 02, 2017, from http://www.teachthought.com/terry-heick/7-ways-teaching-has-changed Lanier, J. T. (1997, July 01). Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession. Retrieved February 03, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher Levinson, M. (2015, January 14). O Captain! My Captain! Where Has Teaching Gone? Retrieved February 02, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/captain-where-has-teaching-gone-matt-levinson Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change [Kindle].
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What role does professional satisfaction play in the effectiveness of a classroom?I think professional satisfaction is the biggest key to being effective. A new survey from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) showed that "Nearly half of teachers would quit now for a higher-paying job" (OBrien, 2016). Now the way the question was worded may not be completely accurate it is still startling. "For most unhappy educators, some combination of inane policies, misbehaving or unmotivated students, and unsupportive administrators, colleagues, or parents is at the core of dissatisfaction" (Mendler, 2016). There will always be things that will upset us or discourage us, but Burgess (2012) makes a good point about finding "our own personal 'drum' and then playing it the best we can." There is so much that we cannot control so we need to try not to worry about the stuff we cannot control. "Play with all the passion, enthusiasm, and heart you can muster. Nothing else really matters. You can offer no finer gift or higher honor to the world than to find out what your 'drum' is and then play it for all it’s worth." Sometimes this can be hard. This year for me has been very trying. Some of the things you can't control really affect you and it is hard to get past some of these things. Up until this year I have been very happy with where I was at, but this year things are different. Everyone before me who left teaching in a village has told me there was a feeling that you got when it was time to move on and I believe this is what I am feeling. I feel like my emotions are controlling me more than my mind. I believe this is professional satisfaction in a nutshell. When you are happy you know you are in the right place, and if this isn't the case you will know it. Burgess (2012) really sums this up perfectly with a law that I actually taught to my physical science class this year. "The Law of Inertia states that an object at rest will stay at rest unless a force acts on it and that an object in motion will stay in motion unless a force acts on it. To overcome inertia and start moving forward, we must exert great force. Once we are in motion we are more likely to stay in motion. This is especially true if we build up speed and momentum. If you have to stop a car from rolling down the street, would you rather it be rolling at two miles per hour or sixty miles per hour? If it’s rolling sixty miles per hour it will roll right over the top of you and keep going. We want to be rolling sixty miles per hour towards our goals so that obstacles in our path get steamrolled and are distant memories in the rearview mirror. The reason many people get held up by problems and obstacles is that they haven’t built up enough momentum. Take your foot off of the brake and step on the gas!" Sources
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost your Creativity, and Transform your Life as an Educator [Kindle]. Mendler, A. (2016, May 13). Rediscovering Your Fulfillment as a Teacher. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/rediscovering-your-fulfillment-as-teacher-allen-mendler OBrien, A. (2016, June 09). 3-Step Method to Increase Teacher Voice. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/increasing-teacher-voice-decision-making-anne-obrien ESSENTIAL QUESTION: HOW DO WE KEEP OUR LESSONS ENGAGING? DOES INNOVATION PLAY A PART IN THIS?I believe engagement is always changing. What works for one class may not work for another. With that being said, I do believe there are techniques that promote engagement such as: mixing up your teaching style, getting rid of "dead time" or having students collaborate to name a few (De Frondeville, 2009). You can also engage students by showing how excited you are to teach them. As Burgess (2012) says "passion is all about being on fire in front of your class. I’m fond of the quote, 'Light yourself on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles around just to watch you burn!'" Findlater (2013) argues that for a lesson to be engaging it must weave together fun and learning. She advocates for the use of visuals, audio, or props to help bring students in. These kinds of things can give students something to talk about. Engagement is about providing a new experience for students and I wholeheartedly believe innovation is key. We can think about innovation if we think about pirates. A pirate is someone who is okay with being unconventional and changing things up. They are after one thing: treasure. Burgess (2012) advocates that teachers need to embrace this philosophy where we are after making school "fun" for students. Almost all pirates have hooks so to embrace this philosophy we need to hook our students to fully engage them. If we do this then everyone will receive the "treasure" which is a love for learning. In my quest to fully understand what I was reading I googled David Burgess and Outrageous Teaching: Teach Like a Pirate. I found 2 video links the first one is below. I can read all I want, but I couldn't get a sense of the person writing it. The videos really helped put me in the right mindset and allowed my reading to come alive. On a side note, Teach Like Pirate really made me think of the gamification class I took last semester. Every idea he threw out made me think of some aspect of gamification. He advocates for hooking students and drawing them in. I can't help but wonder if his classroom provides units that are gamified? I know he has aspects of it, but they seem to be separate an not tied together. I really wish I could witness one of his classes but the YouTube video helped me to get an idea. Sources
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost your Creativity, and Transform your Life as an Educator [Kindle]. Burgess, D. [TEDx Talks]. (2013, November 05). Teach like a pirate: David Burgess at TEDxLitchfieldED. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-c3-tdSo6s. De Frondeville, T. (2009, August 03). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips Findlater, S. (2013, August 07). A teacher's guide to immersive lessons. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/aug/07/teaching-immersive-engaging-lessons |
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