Today was the much-anticipated FNMI workshop by Dawn Burleigh. This workshop was engaging, interesting, and brought forth some perspective that I hadn’t really considered in the past.
The workshop started with the “Blanket Exercise”, which was an incredibly interesting and powerful activity that taught me a great deal about becoming more culturally aware. From the beginning of the exercise we learned the gradual and unfair relationship between the First Nations people and European Settlers. Dawn did something during this “exercise” that really made the story hit home for me. She had us look out over the coolies and identified that our own backyard is very land had been seized from the First Nations communities years ago. However, the most impactful conversation was the discussion regarding the residential schools and the recency of these injustices – a sick feeling to say the least. Dawn did a very good job at relating all these stories to the here and now, particularly when she mentioned the negative, repetitive cycle, that results from these injustices. One example is seen through the forced assimilation via the residential schools. Many FNMI children missed out on their heritage, culture, and family connection as a result of being removed from their homes and forced into these schools. When an individual does not get to experience a loving home, it becomes much more difficult to create one for themselves when they are adults – one reason we see the current state of the FNMI poverty and low academic achievements. After setting the stage with the Blanket Exercise, we moved to a lecture that discussed topics more related to FNMI cultures and the impact/relationship it has with our career as educators – again, another topic I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to in the past. First, we discussed terminology and what was appropriate language to use when addressing someone from the FNMI community. As Dawn put it, “When in doubt, ask.” Simple enough, I think I can handle that! More to the point though, we talked in great detail about the staggeringly low statistics related to FNMI peoples. We found that fifty percent of First Nations students do not graduate high school. This statistic lead into the discussion of “necessary for some, but good for all”. In other words, incorporating FNMI culture, identity and language into my lessons can be a huge predictor of success for FNMI students. Through incorporating these ideas into my lessons, FNMI students are able to identify with the content, creating a more engaged learner. At the same time, learning about FNMI heritage is still useful for non-aboriginal students. Relating this workshop back to PSI, I can see how this FNMI workshop can be woven into our modules. First, a discussion of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was addressed. How can we as teachers expect any of our students to succeed in our class when their deficiency needs have not been met? Perhaps the greatest overlap was seen in Language in Education. There are countless valuable FNMI texts that could be incorporated into any English or Social Studies class – at nearly any grade. Overall, this workshop had its intended effect on me. It brought some new ideas to light, but most definitely stirred up more questions to investigate for the future. What First Nations reside within Southern Alberta? How do they differ with respects to their customs? Many of my philosophies were reinforced through this workshop. This includes my belief that all students can/want to learn, providing a safe learning environment, and the importance of getting to know my students on a personal level. More than anything, this workshop brought to light a topic that deserves the attention of all teachers.
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After observing the video and taking the time to reflect on conversations had in my PSI classes, as well as info taken from our class readings, I have made some conclusions regarding assessment in a multi-age classroom.
The philosophy behind multi-age classroom is that student learning occurs on a continuum and should not be segregated by age or grade. Just because a student is said to be in grade four, does not mean that is where their knowledge lies. Students do not arrive to class at the same level and learn at the same pace (Davies, 2011). Multi-aged classroom can help to account for this issue and ensure a safe learning environment. Davies (2011) mentions that students are more likely to take risks when they are in a safe learning environment. A multi-age class means that a grade four students at the low end of the learning continuum will be learning beside grade three students who might be at the same level. This will allow students to feel more comfortable in the class, as they will not constantly feel like they are falling behind. Multi-age classrooms also allows for older students to mentor their younger counterparts, creating a more collaborative environment and enriching the learning experience for all students (Davies, 2011). There are a number of different assessment principles at work in this video. I would like to add or reiterate some principals that I would put into practice in this multi-age classroom. My first priority would be to ensure a safe learning environment. This would require that I know my students on a personal level and vice versa. To foster a safe learning environment, it is also important that students know that making mistakes is essential for the learning process. If they know this, then they will be more likely to take risks while learning (Davies, 2011). Additionally, I would make sure that I use the Understand By Design process and start with the end in mind when planning my lessons (Davies, 2011). If I have a clear understanding of the learner objectives, then I can accurately plan my assessments and learner activities. With that, I would ensure that the students are involved in the decision making process. If they are given the opportunity to voice their opinion, they will be more likely to be engaged. This can be seen in the video where the students objective was to build a structure, however, they were allowed to choose the materials they felt were appropriate for the purpose of the structure. A multi-age class requires a variety of learning objectives to be addressed simultaneously, which could be seen as a problem for assessment. Project based learning is a tool I would use to address this issue. Project based learning is not something that I have any experience with at this point in my teaching career, however, I do understand that it can incorporate a variety of cognitive levels within Bloom’s Taxonomy as discussed by Gareis and Grant (2015). To give an example, you could assess a grade three’s ability to identify the four seasons, while having the grade four students identify the seasons by discussing earth’s relation to the sun. This is all done within the same project, but hits different learning objectives. Finally, I would use the Triangulation approach to assessment (Davies, 2011). Through a combination of observation, conversation, and product collection, I would receive both formative and summative information about student’s learning. Having a variety of assessments will provide me with the greatest amount of information to formulate an understanding of the amount of learning that the student has displayed. There are many facets to consider when working with a multi-age classroom. However, if I as a teacher take the time to clearly and carefully address the assessment principals that I believe to be important, then a multi-age classroom is no longer a barrier to overcome, but an environment that can enrich the learning experience. References: Davies, A. (2011). Making Classroom Assessment Work. Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada: Book Design, Building Connections Publishing Inc. Gareis, C. R., & Grant, L. W. (2015). Teacher-Made Assessment - How to Connect Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Learning. New York: Routledge. Reflective Blog 5 (Case Study 2): Galileo Video “Reflective Pedagogy and Making Learning Visible”10/13/2015 The Galileo video of “Reflective Pedagogy and Making Learning Visible” exemplifies many of the concepts that we have discussed during our PSI experience thus far. This case study reflection will focus primarily on how the video relates to concepts learned in Educ 3504 and Educ 3508.
This video demonstrated many instances of evaluation taking place. First, there are countless examples of formative assessment as seen through the teacher recounting her findings of students’ displaying skills and strengths that she didn’t realize they had along the way. We also saw formative assessment at the end of the video when the student’s verbalized what they would tell future students who were doing the same project. This showed a very deep level of thinking, as they were able to analyze and apply what they learned in a new way. We also saw self-assessment through listening to students report what went wrong with their first prototype and what changes they made. Finally, we witnessed summative assessment through observing the students’ final videos. If I were the teacher in this scenario, I would ensure that a number of assessment principles were in place prior to starting the project. The first place I would start is with the end in mind. I would begin with developing a method to assess my students fairly. Fair assessment could be accomplished through creating and sharing a rubric that clearly states the project expectations. I would also apply the concept of scaffolding as it may help to reduce the perceived level of difficulty for the learner. For example, the end result of the video could be broken down into smaller segments to lighten the burden of one comprehensive assignment. Through separating tasks like the prototype creation, their understanding of why it was or was not successful, the changes they had made to their initial prototype, and finally their written explanation that they used for the voice over could help to break the project into smaller more manageable pieces. Additionally, I believe this project achieved content, concurrent and consequential validity but could potentially miss construct validity. There is a possibility that if a student struggled with the technology aspects of this assignment, they might not be able to clearly explain and demonstrate everything they learned. With that said, scaffolding this project would alleviate this issue as the teacher would be able to assess (both formatively and summatively) along the way to ensure that the content was being understood. Technology was utilized in nearly every aspect of this project, which served to enhance the learning experience as a whole. Areas where technology was involved were researching online, video creation, voice over narration and the use of their class website and blog. The creation of the video provided a platform for the students to demonstrate the depth of knowledge they attained throughout this project. You can clearly see every level of Bloom’s Taxonomy being attained through students displaying the ability to remembering relevant knowledge, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluate and create. Furthermore, the teacher had mentioned that there was something very powerful about hearing the students on the video rather than written text. All these factors point to a very good use of technology in the classroom. Technology was also responsible for encouraging parent/family involvement in the learning process and resulted in students received lots of encouragement. Video creation was an excellent way to assess the depth of learning that occurred. However, one additional piece of technology that could be added to their final project would be some component of written text. This may be done by way of creating a mindmap that would outline the process required for creation of the video for future students to follow along with. This would server to further demonstrate the students understanding of the tech components related to this project. The use of Inspiration or Mindmeister is a couple of tools that could assist with this. This blog will relate the video “Wilson Middle School – Soup Kitchen” to all the courses I’m currently taking including; Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), Evaluation of Learning, Language in Education, Communications Technology and Education, and Seminar/Practicum.
Regarding C&I, Jen (the Grade 6 teacher) indicated that the objective of her lesson was for students to experience volunteering and make a difference in someone’s life, which made clear her intentions for the day. There are numerous ways to find links to evaluation within this video. One such example is through formative assessment. This can be accomplished through observing the student’s responses during their interviews to identify their understanding of the lesson objectives. Pacey, a young student mentions how it has been a great experience and she learned that she likes to volunteer and enjoys cooking. Another student, Layah said, “It feels good helping someone who doesn’t have what they need”. These are clear indications that the students accomplished the lesson objectives. One avenue I would look at using assessment to enrich this learning experience would be through incorporating the language arts. I would have the students complete a journal entry prior to going on the excursion. Their journal entries would include answers to the questions: What does volunteering means to me? What are my expectations for the excursion to the soup kitchen? How do I think it will feel to volunteer my time for those who are less fortunate? Do I think it is important to be involved in my community? These entries would give me insight to what the students thought the purpose of the field trip was and to initiate a conversation about becoming an active member in the community. Following the field trip, I would again have them complete a second journal entry, describing their experience and if any of their preconceived thoughts have changed. Through these journal entries I would be able to complete both a formative and summative assessment of learning. The three language arts that I was able to identify in this video were listening, observing and speaking. First, the students had an instructional session on how to serve the food. The instructor gave a demonstration as well as detailed descriptions of what to say and where to place the food. The students then were required to communicate effectively with the patrons while serving. With out the ability to use the language arts of listening, observing and speaking, this field trip would have been complete chaos. I see technology being integrated into this learning experience through having the students take an active role in filming the experience themselves. They could then create a short video using IMovie to highlight their involvement. The students in charge of filming could have also had the opportunity to be mentored by the filming crew from A Public Education. This video exemplifies the Social Constructivist theory of Vygotsky’s. This field trip required lots of interactions with peers and members of the community. There are also strong ties to social cultural perspectives, development of knowledge, ideas, attitudes and values. This is evident when listening to the students recount their experience. Although I’m not privy to all the work required by the teacher to organize a session like this. I’m sure there were mountains of paper work, phone calls, emails and lots of personal time invested.. The amount of thought and time required for planning the instructional portion (i.e. behavioural expectations, job duties, safety) would have taken considerable forethought, and if missed, would result in pure mayhem. I hope that the teacher realizes that her time was well invested as the students received some valuable lessons from this day trip. There are many reasons why I want to become a teacher, one of which is to become more invested in my community. I feel this video exemplifies one of my major teaching philosophies of community involvement. The main tenants of my teaching philosophy have not changed thus far. I still believe that learning should be student focused, while providing a safe learning environment. I have, however, begun the process of digging deeper into the world of teaching. This has led to finding more layers of information, which has brought up both insight and further inquiry.
This “digging deeper” has lead to more insight about providing a safe learning community for students. Paraphrasing (one of the seven norms of collaboration) will be an incredibly useful tool for establishing a health community. First, I will allow me to make sure that I’ve understood the student’s statement. Second, the student will feels as though I’ve heard and valued their question/statement, even if I’m in a position to correct or disagree with them. Another valuable piece of information I took from our discussion on collaboration was the importance of being a good team member when working with others. I need to be able to identify when it is appropriate lead or follow. My philosophy of a student centered leaning experience was also broadened this past week through the concept of formative assessment. I found it interesting that it is professionally acceptable to say, “Yes, I have done an assessment and believe that the student’s have understood this concept”, simply because I listened to students carry out a discussion. In no way do I disagree with this notion, it makes perfect sense to me now. However, based on my time as a student, all I can recall is being marked and graded for my acquisition of knowledge – worksheets, papers, quizzes and exams. This concept of formative assessment is not something that I expected to see, but in my opinion, is a wonderful tool to make a quick assessment of the level and depth of the student’s understanding. With that said, I do believe it is a new skill that I will need to fine-tune in order to both identify if enough learning has occurred and where to proceed from that point. I have also come to realize the importance of fair assessment. I think that adhering to the “Principals of Fair Assessment” give you a proverbial leg to stand on when put in a position to explain or justify a given grade if challenged by a student or parent. Through providing a grading rubric in advance, giving clear instruction and feedback, there should be no surprises for anyone involved in the grading process – teachers, students and parents alike. One final thought that crossed my mind over this past week is simply the fact that I’ve already begun to learn so much, yet realize that I still have so much more to learn. Although I am beginning to see the mountain of work ahead (both in classes and later as a professional), I’m happy to report that my desire to become a teacher still hasn’t waivered. In my life leading up to this point, my personal philosophy on nearly any matter has changed and evolved to the place it is today. I expect that my philosophy of teaching and learning will not be immune to this fact either. Although there are always grey areas when it comes to discussions like this, I think there are a few positions that will be with me for the foreseeable future.
First off, I think it is vital to any teacher’s philosophy to adhere to the Program of Study. This is important to ensure that students can obtain the necessary knowledge, skills and attributes required to successfully complete their courses. Furthermore, it will assist me as a new teacher with a path to follow when creating unit plans, so I’m aware of what needs to be covered. This in no way means that I will loose my autonomy with how I teach, as many of the KSA within the Program of Study is up for interpretation. Next, I think it is paramount to provide students with a safe learning environment, free from judgment and placing more value on the process rather than the product. All students will learn differently and it is my position to identify how each student can get the most out of my lessons. I also need to be cognizant of the fact that my student’s life does not start and stop with the bell. Awareness that there can be other social, economic, or health issues affecting my students’ is of the utmost importance. I realize that I should not take offence to all behavioural issues that will come my way as a teacher. These outbursts are usually a projection of something totally unrelated to my class, not necessarily a result of my actions. Connecting with my students on a personal level will be more conducive of a healthy relationship with my students. In order to provide students with the best experiences possible I need to be confident in the content I teach. When confidence is lacking, and I am sure it will happen more than once in my career, looking to others for assistance is critical. This could mean working collaboratively with a coworker, finding a mentor to ask for guidance, or reaching out to the Lethbridge community for local experts if needed. I think students must have confidence in my abilities in order for me to gain their trust and respect. I am aware that students are very good at calling your bluff. If I don’t know the answer, I need to be OK with saying, “I’m not 100% sure about that. Let me look into it and get back to you.” As a PSI student, I know in advance that I will make many mistakes, and through these mistakes I will grow. Growth will likely lead to changes in my philosophies as a teacher, but I think that what will help me succeed in the profession. “What made you decide to pursue a career in education?” Nearly all my friends and family have asked this question of me over the past six months. It was not until my time working with the Lethbridge College Be Fit For Life (BFFL) Centre that I realized how appealing the education world was to me. This position afforded me the opportunity to work with both teachers and students, which spurred me to apply to the Faculty of Education. Over the past year, I have begun developing some of my own values, assumptions and beliefs about the world of education.
Our values drive our actions. One value that I have always stood by is the importance of teamwork and collaboration. In the early years and likely as a seasoned teacher, there are going to be times where I will be both a mentor and a mentee. Throughout my life experiences, as an athlete and a professional, I have benefited from having team members that I could count on, as well as the fulfilling opportunity to be that safety net for someone else. Another value that defines a good teacher is the requirement to have a diligent work ethic. Being a teacher is not a “nine to five” job. There are going to be some weeks that require early mornings and late nights, volunteering for coaching positions, and establishing meaningful relationships with my students by investing my spare time in their activities. Is anyone perfect? No. However, without a steadfast work ethic, the students will undoubtedly be the ones to suffer. Everyone has assumptions and me being new to the teaching profession, I have a number of my own. One such notion is that all students have a desire to learn. It would be naive to think that all students will have the desire to learn about all subjects. Rather, all students will have the desire to learn about something. It should be up to me as their teacher to find a way to motivate and engage each student in order to help them find their desire to learn. Another first time teacher assumption is that it will be much more of a challenge to establish a professional, yet fun, relationship with students as an intern student teacher, or as a substitute teacher once I start my teaching career. This assumption brings up more questions than answers. How do you gain the respect of your students? Should I be the fun-loving or stern but fair version of myself? I do not have the answer yet and I feel it is something that can only come from experience. One such area that is well within my control is preparedness. If I take care of that, then I will be able to divert more attention to other areas that can improve the classroom experience. As a new teacher, I will strive to be the best teacher I can be. While I know they will change as my career progresses and I mature as a teacher, I will use my values and beliefs to guide my decision making in order to provide my students with the best possible learning experience. |
Austin DavenpotExcited to begin my new career in education and the lifestyle that comes with it! ArchivesCategories |