Question: Include an overall impressions with the content we covered in this class. In addition, which items do you hope to implement in the upcoming school year?
This class was a great reminder of focusing on students' needs and how those needs have changed overtime. Educational systems that were set up in the past haven't really changed much or adapted to the growing needs of our 21st century learners. It's a sad reality. However, throughout this class, we learned many strategies to address these needs within our classroom and school communities. I enjoyed the ideas presented in the book, "The Big Picture" and can take away ideas I can implement in my class. First, it was great to know that there are things I currently am doing right like focusing on relationship building. I pride myself in truly caring and getting to know each of my students and building on that connection from the start. I believe this is the foundation of our job. Like we've heard before, "Kids can't learn from teachers they don't like." Another takeaway is the importance in integrating student interest within their learning. Engagement increases once students are bought in. Lastly, the refresher on blended learning was great, because this is something I can implement right away in my class. I like the 4 ideas presented with the flipped classroom, station rotation model, lab rotation model, and flex model, but what will be most applicable to my class are the flipped classroom and station rotation models. I can definitely apply the station rotation model to my Math section since this is something I've done before distance learning took place. In the past, I have a station with small group instruction, one that involved technology (IXL, Math Playground, or any other sites I can explore that will be content related), and a few that had hands on interactive games, manipulatives, etc. that students are usually really engaged with. Though I do believe my students are more than capable to be able to work independently, my principal just told us we can have volunteers in our class again which will be a bonus in managing student accountability. The flipped classroom can be implemented in ELA as well. I can have direct instruction or support/feedback/formative assessments with half the class while the other half works on an assignment in Google Classroom, whether it be their writing piece, group collaboration with reading, etc. I also enjoyed the reflection blog. I would love to incorporate this with my 4th grade students maybe through Google Sites. It will take a lot of instruction and support in setting it up and understanding the process of posting, etc., but as this class emphasized, I need to be able to trust my students and their capabilities, so I will give it a go. Now that we have access to volunteers again, I can utilize their support. I love the interactive aspects of the blog where students can read each other's entries and have discussions about it. Lastly, I simply need to focus on consistency. All these ideas are great, but in the past, it's the implementation and commitment where I sometimes fall short. This means I just need to be better at sticking to these ideas even during the times they don't seem to be working out. We learn and adjust from our failures, so it's something I will try to work through with my students. Growth mindset...I need to make sure I listen to and apply what I preach to my students :).
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Question A - What are your thoughts about technology in education?
I think technology in education is beneficial to both students and teachers. Kids nowadays are so technologically savvy, which can result in students being more engaged and efficient. The self-pacing and ability to have access to the resources as students need it are positive aspects of blended learning. For students who have lives that may not necessarily allow them to be able to attend school in person consistently, technology will provide access to education that they won't otherwise have. It also allows students to have access to resources before class which will then provide for more collaboration, interaction, and reflection during the actual face-to-face sessions. One on one time can be maximized, providing a more personalized education. Additionally, with technology, teachers will be able to focus more on grading based on mastery as it goes hand in hand with self-pacing. It will also allow for more efficiency. For example, I taught 4th grade all throughout the pandemic, and the online assessments that I've already created are still relevant for the years after distance learning. Technology is part of students' day-to-day live and interactions. Like what was mentioned in class today, students are more capable than we give them credit for. Question B - How could these blended learning resources help you to personalize learning for students in your classroom and community? I enjoyed the video where it talked about the three models: station rotation, lab rotation, and flex. Specifically, the station rotation is something I can see myself realistically incorporating into my class because I feel I've already incorporated some of these strategies during distance learning. During distance learning, I taught hybrid where half of my class were at home and the other half was in person. The flipped classroom model was perfect. It did take work and time to set up, but it was beneficial because my students already had familiarity with the content we were going over during our face-to-face time along with any questions they may have. This allowed for me to smoothly transition between my Roomers and Zoomers and focus on my interaction with the two groups in addressing their reflections and questions. I joined one group to provide a more personalized education while the other students are provided with assignments they worked on related to the content. I was happy with the efficiency it provided. This is something I can see myself incorporating back into the classroom for something like Math. I already have all the videos ready in Google Classroom, which helps the transition easy and efficient. This will go well with the centers I plan on having this coming school year. Today’s takeaway is, “It Takes a Village”. Ted Dintersmith’s video, “Committee of Ten” focused on the fact that we cannot create significant changes alone. He noted that this will easily cause burnout and that it’s hard to get people to buy in when they know that it’s “your goal”. The idea of getting together intentional and proactive people to make positive change within our schools to create “our goal” is great. This is a great idea to bring back to my school. I liked how he noted that we need to include different voices, especially those of students whose needs are currently not being met. On page 21 of The Big Picture, it states, “And you cannot know a kid whose voice you don’t listen to, whose interests are a mystery, whose family is excluded, and whose feelings are viewed as irrelevant to the educational process.” In Chapter 1, page 14, it stated that teachers at The Met are hired in a democratic way, with staff and students both involved in decision making. This is definitely the ideal. Partnership with students, parents, educators, and even community members is what’s needed to fully give the support and guidance the students need.
In all honesty, today’s class was overwhelming. As I mentioned in my last reflection, narrowing down my topic for research was challenging. I saw the importance of many in my top 10, but as I thought back to our last class when we were talking about secondary schools and college and career readiness, I wanted to learn more about how to incorporate this in elementary school since I teach 4th grade. This wasn’t even in my original top 10! With having two teenagers myself, getting them ready for college and a future career is in the forefront of my mind. So, when Mr. Griggs used this specifically as his example tonight when sharing how to use EBSCO, I took that as a sign! So, I want to delve deeper into how I can help students have a career mindset at an earlier age. I’m looking forward to what I come across. There was definitely much to think about after watching the video, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” by Simon Sinek. This was the first time I heard of “The Golden Circle,” and it does make sense as he shares examples of how certain businesses and people gained their success. He states over and over in the video, driving the point hard that, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” It is all about getting people to believe what you believe, because if they do, they will go above and beyond to work for that purpose, not for you, but for themselves. He stated that, “While leaders hold the position of power and authority, those who lead inspire us.”
Everything about this is so fitting in education. How do we get our students to buy into what we believe? How do we get educators to buy into the system? Today in class, there was much discussion about the issues and breakdowns in our educational system. We talked about the disconnect between the ideal big picture with the reality of our everyday teaching, the presence of burnout, the increase in teacher turnover, the lack of resources, the emphasis on the wrong things like standardized testing or focusing on not being sued instead of truly meeting the children’s needs, and the list goes on. So it seems to me that leaders and change-makers in our education system need to start from the center…the WHY. How do we fix or improve the current system we have? This seems like such a big undertaking. So for me, I can take baby steps starting with my first question: How do I get my students to buy into the importance of school for them? I think Dennis Littky sums it up when he noted in The Big Picture on page 15, “When a teacher loves kids, is excited about the act of teaching, and is a learner himself or herself, that is when the best teaching happens.” He also stated on page 13, “Teaching becomes figuring out how to see and listen to each kid, one kid at a time, so that the kid can reach the goals for himself or herself.” I think instilling in my students the intrinsic desire to learn and grow for themselves is the goal. One way to show this is to be an example myself. I need to build relationships with my students, get to know them, and show them I care. I need to let them know that I'm excited to be there and teach them. I need to figure out how to help them integrate what I'm teaching them with real life applications. I need to show that I am constantly learning to let them know that the learning never stops. It's okay to not get it the first time around, make mistakes, and learn from them. One other thing I realized is that coming up with the Top 10 things we did in class wasn't easy for me. I ended up in the room with other classmates discussing it because it was challenging. Hearing them share was helpful. I'm including my list here in no particular order, so I can come back to it: 1. teacher retention 2. student safety 3. bullying/cyber bullying 4. smaller class size 5. project based learning 6. parent/community involvement 7. standardized testing 8. social/emotional learning 9. differentiation/scaffolding 10. helpful PDs As of right now, I'm still not sure what I'm going to focus on, so this will be something I need to figure out soon. There was definitely a lot to take in on night one! Many contributed different perspectives, experiences, backgrounds, and even challenges. I’m so excited to continue to learn from and collaborate with everyone. A major takeaway from tonight was that it is evident how each one is passionate about what we do. Even through the burnout and struggles that some of us experienced the last couple of years, our motivation and desire to give our best to our students and make changes towards progress (even if it’s just in the four walls of our classroom) are on the forefront of our minds.
When I was completing the opening activity, the article by Grant Wiggins, “A Diploma Worth Having” resonated with me. Teaching is my second career. My bachelor’s degree is in Accounting, and I came from 16 years in that field. I was a good student who fit the system well. I got great grades, aimed for advanced classes, followed the steps through college as expected, and was an overachiever through and through, receiving honors and accolades that definitely made my family proud. There is a history of accountants, nurses, doctors, and engineers in my family, so what I heard growing up was, “Get into a stable field that will guarantee a good-paying job.” There was really no space for exploration. I was afraid to fail, so I didn't take risks. I felt what Sir Ken Robinson stated in the video, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, which was, “We are educating children out of their creative capacity…all children are born artists, but the problem is remaining that way.” Here I am now, thankful for the opportunity to get a second chance with a completely different career and loving it more than I ever did my first choice a thousand fold. Just like Rita Pierson said in the video, “Every Kid Needs a Champion”, our career (teaching and learning) should bring joy! I got my teaching credential and am furthering this education in my 40s with three children in tow! How I wish that I nurtured this passion of mine earlier in life…that I got to experience and explore it then, even if it may not be as “high-paying” as the careers I mentioned above. I wish that wasn’t what I focused on or what our culture and society valued…the prestige and accolades. I do hope that my children see that change is okay and that our path in life is rarely linear. With two children who will be in high school this coming school year, I find myself still struggling with how to guide and support them with my experiences growing up and now being a teacher. There is this system that is no longer as relevant as when it was created, but it’s still a system that measures “success”. How do I balance guiding my children to explore and search for their passion but at the same time teach them responsibility with what’s required of them? I did appreciate what some of my cohort shared today when they mentioned that change is happening. They spoke of different pathways available in high school, immersion schools that are proving to be successful, and common core strategies and project based learning that are guiding students to be better critical thinkers and problem solvers. Sometimes, it’s easier to focus on everything that is going wrong than appreciating the progress and what is going right. The awareness of what 21st century employers are looking for with the research shared today is a step in the right direction and gives me hope, so we can focus more on teaching towards expressing creativity and developing emotional IQ for example. I agree that we need to better integrate teaching basic skills like the process of saving and investing money, doing taxes, and buying a home with the system currently in place. My son took an elective in his 8th grade year that had a simulation in investing in stocks and tracking his progress. It definitely piqued his interest, and it ended up being his favorite class! Now, he is looking into business classes he can take in high school! I truly am looking forward to learning more tools and strategies I can implement in my 4th grade classroom to better prepare them (and my own children) for the 21st Century. |