Today I'm getting the chance to learn with students. The teacher next door has invited my class to a STEAM (science, teach, engineering, art, math) share. She and her students will share the many innovative projects they've embarked on over the year. They will also demonstrate the ways that they learn in hands-on, student-directed, investigative ways.
All year I've watched this class create with enthusiasm. Hence, I'm looking forward to this collective way to learn. While in the room I plan to do a lot of observation and take lots of notes since I plan to replicate this learning event in my own classroom soon. Then I plan to think more deeply about the tools and strategies I see over the summer so that I can employ similar strategies next year.
My grade level colleagues and I have started thinking about new ways to share our strengths and teaching strategies; we hope to get into each other's rooms more often next year to observe and share. We've built a strong level of collegial trust and common vision which makes this possible. I'm excited about the learning to come as I know this will help us to teach children well.
Showing posts with label STEAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label STEAM. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Moving Schools into the Future: Actions
When I read George Couros's post this morning, and then read about a number of new Chrome apps, I was reminded once again that the world is changing. We can make that change more positive if we join the evolution by moving schools into the future.
As we sat at PLC this week and talked about "executive functioning," one colleague shared a strategy of asking students to "put on their future glasses" prior to starting a new project or endeavor. The "future glasses" will help a child visualize the end product or result.
As educators we have to put on our "future glasses" in order to move schools into the future--what is it that we want and hope for when it comes to our children's education? How will we collaborate with students to make these shifts?
With my "future glasses" on, and the best of my current knowledge about the changing landscape of education, these are the shifts I'll be making:
Explore Time: Time for children and adults to explore and apply the new tools. Explore time will include teacher-student conversations, class discussions, and project application. You cannot employ a new tool without trying that tool out with children first. Learning with children is an efficient, meaningful way to explore new tools for optimal teaching.
Standards: I will consider the standards the backbone of the program, and look for the most engaging ways to embed those standards into the daily program. I will bundle and integrate standards and apply a menu of online/offline learning tools, strategies, and processes for each bundle.
Menus: Menus of apt tools will support most learning in the classroom. I will list the menu of online/offline tools on the class website for easy 24-7 student/family/colleague access. The menus will continually change as new tools are added, and less useful old tools are deleted.
STEAM Space: The STEAM space, for now, might not look a lot different from the old time arts and crafts corner, but the STEAM space will hold greater significance and integration as students explore science, tech, engineering, art and math.
Multi-Media Literacy Corner: The cozy rug-covered corner with bean bags, books, computers (when we have the cart), iPads (1 for now), and iPods will continue to serve as a center of reading, thinking, writing, exploring and learning.
Digital Share Space: The desks will be moved back to make room for a new rug and digital share space in front of the giant white board. We'll meet regularly to share and critique student work, and other digital learning resources.
Learning to Learn Focus: The year will start with multiple "learning to learn" lessons and strategies so that students understand that learning is a life-long endeavor, an endeavor that they manage. I will also emphasize that I am there to serve their learning needs.
Communication: Almost all communication will be digital. Newsletters and home study lists will be continually updated and accessible 24-7 highlighting classroom emphases, student expectations, and choice. Almost all classroom materials, learning venues, and information will be included on the class website for easy access. Twitter, the class blog, and content websites will host timely announcements, more detailed information, and student project share. Communication will be a two-way street so that all members of the learning community are using digital technologies to converse and discuss matters of importance.
The work ahead continues to center on a learning design focus--learning design that includes review, grade-level standards, and student-driven enrichment. My job is to know the standards well--standards that at my grade level are foundation skills, knowledge, and concept. Then, with the help of school/standard scope and sequences, I'll bundle the standards into units that include menus of exploration tools, strategies, and foci. When the year starts, we'll integrate and skip from one standards bundle/unit to another responding to students' interests, needs, questions, and adaptations.
As Couros suggests, what will I delete as we transform? This list represents some of the changes:
As we sat at PLC this week and talked about "executive functioning," one colleague shared a strategy of asking students to "put on their future glasses" prior to starting a new project or endeavor. The "future glasses" will help a child visualize the end product or result.
As educators we have to put on our "future glasses" in order to move schools into the future--what is it that we want and hope for when it comes to our children's education? How will we collaborate with students to make these shifts?
With my "future glasses" on, and the best of my current knowledge about the changing landscape of education, these are the shifts I'll be making:
Explore Time: Time for children and adults to explore and apply the new tools. Explore time will include teacher-student conversations, class discussions, and project application. You cannot employ a new tool without trying that tool out with children first. Learning with children is an efficient, meaningful way to explore new tools for optimal teaching.
Standards: I will consider the standards the backbone of the program, and look for the most engaging ways to embed those standards into the daily program. I will bundle and integrate standards and apply a menu of online/offline learning tools, strategies, and processes for each bundle.
Menus: Menus of apt tools will support most learning in the classroom. I will list the menu of online/offline tools on the class website for easy 24-7 student/family/colleague access. The menus will continually change as new tools are added, and less useful old tools are deleted.
STEAM Space: The STEAM space, for now, might not look a lot different from the old time arts and crafts corner, but the STEAM space will hold greater significance and integration as students explore science, tech, engineering, art and math.
Multi-Media Literacy Corner: The cozy rug-covered corner with bean bags, books, computers (when we have the cart), iPads (1 for now), and iPods will continue to serve as a center of reading, thinking, writing, exploring and learning.
Digital Share Space: The desks will be moved back to make room for a new rug and digital share space in front of the giant white board. We'll meet regularly to share and critique student work, and other digital learning resources.
Learning to Learn Focus: The year will start with multiple "learning to learn" lessons and strategies so that students understand that learning is a life-long endeavor, an endeavor that they manage. I will also emphasize that I am there to serve their learning needs.
Communication: Almost all communication will be digital. Newsletters and home study lists will be continually updated and accessible 24-7 highlighting classroom emphases, student expectations, and choice. Almost all classroom materials, learning venues, and information will be included on the class website for easy access. Twitter, the class blog, and content websites will host timely announcements, more detailed information, and student project share. Communication will be a two-way street so that all members of the learning community are using digital technologies to converse and discuss matters of importance.
The work ahead continues to center on a learning design focus--learning design that includes review, grade-level standards, and student-driven enrichment. My job is to know the standards well--standards that at my grade level are foundation skills, knowledge, and concept. Then, with the help of school/standard scope and sequences, I'll bundle the standards into units that include menus of exploration tools, strategies, and foci. When the year starts, we'll integrate and skip from one standards bundle/unit to another responding to students' interests, needs, questions, and adaptations.
As Couros suggests, what will I delete as we transform? This list represents some of the changes:
- We'll replace workbooks with hands-on/digital activities for the most part.
- The time I used to spend organizing class management structure, rules, and highly structured, teacher-led lessons will be replaced by "learning to learn" lessons and student-driven, collaborative exploration and study.
- Long films will mostly be replaced by short, pointed digital presentations, most of which can be accessed at home for review.
- Assessment, grading, and response in many cases will be done online and through teacher-student conference meetings.
There is much to consider as we move schools forward. This is one attempt to structure that evolution for my classroom. What actions will you roll out to move your students and school forward? What will you take away?
Friday, 15 March 2013
Moving Up in Education?
There should be a sense of excitement and encouragement with regard to "moving up" as an educational professional, but in many ways this movement is met with a range of emotion. Why?
I think this is true because for some "moving up" means "moving away" from students and teaching. The upward mobility in education is a path where moving up is seen as a positive movement and suggests that staying in the ranks of classroom teaching and coaching is not as positive. The financial rewards and role/time flexibility of "moving up" support this notion. In many cases though, we're talking about two very different jobs as what a classroom teacher does and what an educational administrator does differ in many regards.
There needs to be leadership in education, and there needs to be highly qualified teachers and coaches. The best leaders recognize the difference in the two jobs and work to support, encourage and lift up the potential and possibility for classroom teachers, while those who are not as positive put "ambition ahead of mission" and don't serve teachers or students as well. Those leaders that don't serve teachers or students well have a top-down, controlling attitude that puts them above the teacher or coach whereas the most positive leaders have an attitude of collaboration, shared problem solving, respect and transparency.
To "move up" in some systems is tricky business that necessitates political savvy and favors, while systems with clear mission, role definition and practice create "moving up" processes and roles that are fair pickings for any professional interested in a role change.
I'm in favor of role audits and reviews in education today. I believe the skills, talents and interests of positive education leaders differ in many ways from the roles of teachers--I don't always think that "moving up" means that a teacher moves to leadership, but instead I think there should be many ways to "move up" and many roles of advancement in education. I think the current education roles are too narrow and mirror old factory notions in too many ways.
I'm not sure what the new roles would be or how new pathways to advancement and leadership would be created, but I do believe it's an area in education that needs reconsideration and revision. What do you think?
I think this is true because for some "moving up" means "moving away" from students and teaching. The upward mobility in education is a path where moving up is seen as a positive movement and suggests that staying in the ranks of classroom teaching and coaching is not as positive. The financial rewards and role/time flexibility of "moving up" support this notion. In many cases though, we're talking about two very different jobs as what a classroom teacher does and what an educational administrator does differ in many regards.
There needs to be leadership in education, and there needs to be highly qualified teachers and coaches. The best leaders recognize the difference in the two jobs and work to support, encourage and lift up the potential and possibility for classroom teachers, while those who are not as positive put "ambition ahead of mission" and don't serve teachers or students as well. Those leaders that don't serve teachers or students well have a top-down, controlling attitude that puts them above the teacher or coach whereas the most positive leaders have an attitude of collaboration, shared problem solving, respect and transparency.
To "move up" in some systems is tricky business that necessitates political savvy and favors, while systems with clear mission, role definition and practice create "moving up" processes and roles that are fair pickings for any professional interested in a role change.
I'm in favor of role audits and reviews in education today. I believe the skills, talents and interests of positive education leaders differ in many ways from the roles of teachers--I don't always think that "moving up" means that a teacher moves to leadership, but instead I think there should be many ways to "move up" and many roles of advancement in education. I think the current education roles are too narrow and mirror old factory notions in too many ways.
I'm not sure what the new roles would be or how new pathways to advancement and leadership would be created, but I do believe it's an area in education that needs reconsideration and revision. What do you think?
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