Category: Blog

One month in the teaching program, and it has been nothing like my undergraduate degree.

Biggest learning experiences about teaching and learning.

First, the teaching program is structured in a pass / fail system. What I found the most interesting about the pass / fail system is that it has made me a lot more open to learning. I feel removing the concept of grades takes off the pressure of trying to be perfect. Which in turn allows you to be able to learn and internalize the material in a meaningful way.

I found in my undergraduate degree that most students were working towards getting into the medical program, dentistry, etc. So, it had a highly competitive culture around test scores, presentations, and overall grade point average. Since the focus was on the grades rather than the learning, I felt like information that we learned was memorized and regurgitated on the test, and then dumped out of your head to make room for the next set of content. Furthermore, I found that I was closed off and unreceptive to doing anything outside of content that would be tested. Which is kind of sad really.

However, in the teaching program, doing the writing assignments, listening to the guest speakers, and even researching for interest sake, all in the name of learning has been a real breath of fresh air.  I also feel that the passion of our instructors also has impacted the way that I have viewed this new system. Therefore, I want to implement the atmosphere, passion, and philosophy of teaching and learning that I am experiencing into my future classrooms.

Expected learning so far.

The expected learning can be generalized into 3 categories.

• The old way is not always the best way.
• Teachers need to be open to learn and adapt in order to make the classroom better place for all children.
• Changes occurring within the BC curriculum to de-colonializing and indigenizing our education system to work towards reconciliation.

When we look through the history of the Canadian Education system there are obvious horrific offenses that have occurred towards many marginalized groups in Canada. What is common in all of them is that the structure of the colonial education system is not inclusive and needs to be changed. Currently, the education system is trying to understand the diversity within the classroom and how to teach in a way to support each student’s individuality rather than try to assimilate or isolate people that are different, which was the previous method. One way in which they are doing this, is by re-structuring the BC curriculum around the First Peoples Principles of Learning. These principles are full of wisdom. The First Peoples Principles of Learning represent values of individuality, flexibility, adaptability. Therefore, teachers need to learn this philosophy and adapt their teaching style so all students in the classroom can be represented and feel successful. The implementation of the First Peoples Principles of Learning, inclusion, and demystification of Indigenous Knowledge allows for a forward’s path towards truth and reconciliation. Furthermore, the use of professional development days can give teachers the necessary training and opportunities to learn so that they know how to implement this into their classroom. Moreover, the process of de-colonizing and indigenizing education will be a lot of work but will have an amazing impact on the quality of education that the future generations will have it we do the work now.

What I have learned about myself.

One thing I have learned about myself, is a feeling of resistance to some of the teaching philosophies present and their implementation in high school sciences. However, I feel acknowledging these biases and hesitation are really highlighting the depth to which western/ colonial structure of what education is has is built into my cognitive processes. What I am doing is actively approaching these hesitations and understand why I feel that way, and then restructuring it. So, I brainstormed with my husband project ideas or different approaches to some concepts to foster their creativity, intuition, and inquiry while still covering some content.

What really solidify the fact that I must approach these apprehensions head on was in my observational practicum. I found in that in the class I was observing was probably the textbook definition of a teacher. It was a lecture, fill in notes, practice and done. There were no connections to the world outside or even to the students in the classroom. So, what I learned about myself, is that I need to challenge myself, to apply the principles we have learned so far to create connection, creativity, individuality, and inquiry into my future classroom.

Digital literacy is a term that is especially relevant for teachers today due to the rapid development of technology. Digital literacy refers to the idea that we need to be able to take in new information, evaluate them critically, use it to solve problems, apply it to create, all while being safe and respectful to others (Gov. B.C. 2020). It is important for teachers to include digital literacy in their classroom is to highlight how to be safe with technology because there are risks. These risks can include information security, crude content, and cyber bullying (Frankel et al., 2020; Hsu et al., 2019; Vandoninck et al., 2010). In addition, students also need skills in digital literacy and adaptability in order to take advantages of the different opportunities that arise (Hsu et al., 2019). Therefore, teaching digital literacy in schools will teach kids skills to be come better adapted the high paced technological world.

Teaching digital literacy is a unique challenge of the present.  Trying to keep up with the digital quo and find age appropriate or skill appropriate technology requires a lot of work. One useful model that was effective in teaching digital literacy is called the spiral learning model (Hsu et al., 2019). It uses the principle that you introduce a technique, and then start spiraling up the difficulty. It requires students to draw on their previous knowledge form other projects along with using problem solving skills (Hsu et al., 2019).  For example, in a high school science class, I may introduce the idea of critically assessing internet sources with a topic that was already learned in class. This way students are familiar with the content and can then see if the information presented in the source matches their previous knowledge, and can then assess the author and website credibility. To follow, I may do a similar activity again but with another layer new skill, producing the spiral effect. However, Hsu et al. (2019) found the only aspect of digital literacy not enhanced by their model was digital citizenship since there was not specific task that explicitly require it. In an article, Clarke (2020) explained a project that approaches the ethical side of digital literacy and digital citizenship. In the project students around the world tell their stories, listen to others, comment, reflect and expand on how this was similar or different from their lives. Allowing them to comment, contact, and expand on students lives outside of their own countries in addition to building their skills for digital writing, posting pictures, and being respectful, and asking questions about others cultures (Clarke, 2020).

All seeming fine and dandy, the concept of teaching digital literacy does have some concerns. Although the consequences of teaching digital literacy are not quite known, one  author published a paper questioning what might happen with excessive use of technology (Laidlaw & O’Mara, 2015). For example,  loss of handwriting and other fine motor skills due to the trend towards using digital means instead of physical (Laidlaw & O’Mara, 2015).

I also extrapolated off this idea and questioned if there will be an effect on reading ability since libraries are trying to keep up with the popularity technology and using audiobooks. Lastly, I would be concerned that teaching digital literacy usually leans towards using more technology in class – would it provide an unequal learning opportunity to students with who do not have the same access to technology? Will this impact their ability to produce work or even give them a fair turn to learn the skills they need? If not, will this influence their mental health?

Clarke, L. W. (2020). Walk a Day in My Shoes: Cultivating Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Digital Literacy. Reading Teacher, 73(5), 662–665. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1890

Frankel, K. K., Deanna, M., Editors, B., Brooks, M. D., & Frankel, K. K. (2020). Pathways for Educators to Challenge Deficit Perspectives: Adolescents’ Transnational Digital Literacy Practices in the Classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(6), 711–714. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1042

Hsu, H. P., Wenting, Z., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Developing Elementary Students’ Digital Literacy Through Augmented Reality Creation: Insights From a Longitudinal Analysis of Questionnaires, Interviews, and Projects. In Journal of Educational Computing Research (Vol. 57, Issue 6). https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633118794515

Laidlaw, L., & O’Mara, J. (2015). Rethinking Difference in the iWorld: Possibilities, Challenges and ‘Unexpected Consequences’ of Digital Tools in Literacy Education. Language and Literacy, 17(2), 59. https://doi.org/10.20360/g2hc7k

Provincial Government of British Columbia. Digital Literacy. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy

Vandoninck, S., D’Haenens, L., & Donoso, V. (2010). Digital literacy of flemish youth: How do they handle online content risks? Communications, 35(4), 397–416. https://doi.org/10.1515/COMM.2010.021

Recently, I was introduced to the First People’s Principles of Learning. I was intrigued by these principles, but they seemed kind of vague. However, what I didn’t understand was the depth to which each principle speaks to (probably because I had no context). One person who sought to explain and provide context for these principles is Jo Chrona. She produced an amazing amount of work on her blog explaining to the best of her ability what each principle meant on a contextual level.  After reading her blog, I was just in awe about the amount of wisdom that each principle represented. In addition, she made an activity to help people interact and reflect on each principle as well! Jo’s blog is an incredible resource that I know I will continue to use in my teaching future.

In my education class, we participated in Jo’s activity.  My group examined the principle:

Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

What resonated most with me from Jo’s explanation the following quote:

“The exploration of one’s identity includes developing an understanding of one’s place in the world, in addition to being able to identify all the factors that contribute to how people see themselves. These factors include their strengths and their challenges, their innate abilities (gifts) and capacities to learn.”

What I thought from this, was that understanding the self give and what their strengths are it can be helpful for the teacher or self to where they can shine in groups will help make them feel like a valued member. One, of my group members also pointed out that in our western society, looking into yourself or self-explosion is viewed as being narcissistic, and maybe this is limiting our learners.  Rather than it is allowing us to be closer to who we are and this helping us to become a contributing member to our community.

Being from a science and psychology background, this principle brought up some questions on the effects of this on mental health. I wondered, if we fostered this principle in schools would we see less self doubt, negative self talk, higher confidence in kids because they are not trying to be “normal”. Also, if you could instill this into the younger kids, would it help them during their transition periods later in life.

A successful gardener has many distinctive traits.

They must first be observant. An observant gardener will recognize that each plant is unique.

The gardener must notice that they cannot care for each plant in the same way and end up with a lush garden.

Secondly, a successful gardener must be organized. Each plant requires different amounts of water, light, weeding, and fertilizing which requires organization to keep track of.

Thirdly, a gardener also must be adaptable. They cannot go and tend to their garden in a dry, wet, normal year in the same way and expect the same results.

To follow, a gardener must exhibit patience. Not all plants will bloom at the same time or in the same way.

A gardener must also be creative. Some plants, like orchids, need structures or scaffolds to lean on to be just as successful as the rest of the garden. But the gardener must find a way to implement that.

Lastly, a successful gardener must keep their composure when working with plants because they are delicate and being to abrasive will damage them.

When a gardener has all these balanced their plants will develop strong roots, grow, and flourish.

I thought of this metaphor for teaching while reflecting on the most influential learning experience that I have had, which was my time working in learning assistance. I worked with amazing teachers that acted as mentors for me and explained the dynamics and diversity in the classroom.

What was most prominent from these teachers was that everyone in the classroom was unique. They had their own story. Being what it may, these students all needed help. But what that help ways was very different (which took a while for me to figure out). Eventually, being there everyday, allowed the students to trust me more, and adapt how I helped them depending on what they needed. Some modifications have a simple solution included the use of technology, having an EA read or write for the student.  But others take a lot more time. The fact that teachers put in that extra time and effort was noticeable in the kids when it was work that they could achieve compared to assignments that were really challenging for reasons outside the child’s control and the effect that this can have on a child’s mental health.

Overall, the effort that the teachers put in is outstanding in ensuring diversity and individualized learning so that each student can be successful.