Being the 21st Century Teacher

What makes someone a 21^st century teacher?

In my last blog, I discussed how teachers could make their students prepared for the 21^st century world. Through integrating the curriculum, teachers allow students to better see the relevance to what they are learning and apply their knowledge and skills in the real world, effectively BEcoming active and informed 21^st century citizens. However, to be able to allow our students to be informed 21^st century citizens, we as educators must also hold certain 21^st century traits.

Our textbook effectively describes the characteristics of a 21^st century educator as someone who plans a unit with curriculum outcomes and classroom assessment before choosing instructional outcomes, and someone who makes material relevant and accountable. Technology is used to enhance learning and allow for deeper understandings. They have strong beliefs grounded in a constructivist philosophy, and are conscious of the need to differentiate and personalize the curriculum. They open their classroom to the world through blogs or websites and take risks, collaborate and engage in personalized professionalized development (Drake et al. 153). Not only do 21^st century teachers KNOW their curriculum, they KNOW their students and themselves, aspiring to BE the teacher their students need and want. However, the path to becoming a 21^st century teacher may not be that transparent.

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How does one negotiate between the OLD and the NEW story of education on the path to becoming a 21^st century teacher?

Although it is easy to see how students can become 21^st century learners, it is harder for a teacher to see himself or herself as 21st century teacher. As our textbook describes, in the transition to the NEW story of education, many teachers find themselves a living contradiction, where their practice does not fit their values. To address this contradiction, teachers need to find a way to combine the opposites of the OLD and NEW stories of education (Drake et al. 151). It is only through this reconciliation that an educator can become a 21^st century teacher.

Many things about the NEW story of education can be intimidating: trying to navigate between the demands of increasing accountability and the desire to move away from assessment OF learning; trying to scaffold students, while at the same time inspiring self-discovery; the fear of technology reversing the role of the teacher in the classroom. These are all fears that many teachers face on the road towards becoming a 21^st century teacher who takes risks to make their classroom relevant and engaging. I know that as a prospective teacher I am also anxious about addressing these contradictions. However, if one’s own beliefs fit this NEW pedagogy and the desire to be an agent of change in the lives of students, then the risks become more rewarding than intimidating. It is the teacher’s ability to reflect and grow that allows them to navigate between the OLD and NEW stories of education.

Here is an example of how educators today aspire to move toward the NEW story of education:

How does my personal story fit the profile of a 21^st century teacher?

As a prospective teacher, I want to be able to engage all of my students. I want their learning to be relevant and I want to inspire change in their lives. I had a positive experience throughout my education and I want all of my students to experience the same joy I did in learning. Although the risks involved with becoming a 21^st century teacher seems to be overwhelming right now, I believe that it is possible to adapt to the NEW story of education.

Participating in Genius Hour, gave me a glimpse of this future of education. By being able to choose an idea of our own, my group and I came up with a project that thoroughly interested us and made research fun. Trying to think of a medium to present our research and articulate our ideas was also an interesting challenge, since we wanted to make sure that those who saw our project would be as interested in the topic as us. What we came up with was a blog called “Humans of Education.” You can check out our blog here. We interviewed each other and some of our friends to see what their PERSONAL story of education entailed and linked their stories with academic literature. The importance of KNOWing your students was really emphasized to us during our exploration.

Through the process of Genius Hour, I can really see how making the curriculum engaging and implementing assessment FOR and AS learning is important for the NEW story of education. Just by participating in this new culture of learning, it is easier to see that becoming a 21^st century teacher is possible and within reach. For education to be fulfilling, for both the students and the teacher, what a teacher aspires to BE must reflect what they practice. It is through this process that I hope to become an engaging 21^st century teacher. 

“Be the Change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Source: http://cdnetr.a.cdnify.io/images/Daily/Insight/21stcentury_learning_teaching_education.png

References:

Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.

Integrating the Curriculum

How can teachers prepare their students for the 21^st century world?

Our world today is full of interconnections on a variety of levels. Whether we are connected to family members, friends or colleagues on a local or global scale, we are always using these connections to build our knowledge and understanding of the world around us. Collaboration through these connections is how people have improved the living conditions and standards of living for many. Understanding other people’s perspectives is how people in the 21^st century solve complex problems. It is because of this that an integrated curriculum is important in the classroom.

As our textbook describes, an integrated curriculum exposes students to a variety perspectives and approaches to solving 21st Century problems (Drake et al., 123). Students are able to gain a deeper understanding of subject matter and distinguish between disciplinary procedures. Being able to think about how others might approach a problem allows students to become critical thinkers and innovative when collaborating with others. 

 Source: https://www.pebblepad.com.au/vu/download.aspx?action=view&useroid=0&oid=1199630&x=249

How easy will it be to integrate the curriculum?

Trying to incorporate multiple disciplines into one unit may seem like a daunting task. However, as our textbook points out, the K-12 curriculum has a unifying framework showing that all subjects share the same basic learning goals (Drake et al., 108). Using the backward design for curriculum that I mentioned in my last blog can easily be applied to an interdisciplinary approach. In a high school setting where multiple teachers collaborate to integrate the curriculum, using this backward design makes it easier to see what is common between different subjects. Once common outcomes are identified then these teachers can work together to develop enduring understandings that allow students to problem solve complex issues that address each subject.

This video in class really highlighted the effectiveness and collaboration needed to integrate the curriculum:

Now that we are working on our own curriculum development, I definitely see the benefits of integrating the curriculum. Just looking at the front matter of history, geography, and English (the subjects we chose to integrate) it is clear that there are common expectations for students to KNOW, DO and BE. After looking at the front matter my group found that all these subjects want students to KNOW different perspectives, concepts of identity and cause and effect relationships. As for the DO, these subjects want students to be effective communicators, be able to interpret and analyze, and collaborate. Students should BE creative and critical thinkers and informed citizens. With similar expectations in each subject, we are confident that we will be able to make connections to instructional and assessment tasks that represent learning across these three subject areas.

Initially my peers and I were frustrated with trying to develop an integrated curriculum. We had never seen curriculum documents before and the steps of backward design seemed difficult initially. Working through the steps took a long time and seemed tedious, and trying to discover exactly what was expected of us when developing the curriculum was frustrating. As we worked through and asked questions however, the ability to integrate the curriculum seems more and more attainable. As professor Drake mentioned in lecture, it is the willingness to work through the complexities of backward design that will make developing an integrated curriculum an enriching experience for teachers as well as students.

Why should educators focus on integrating the curriculum?

Although the process of integrating the curriculum may be tedious and long, there are significant benefits. Student knowledge becomes multidimensional and embedded within real world experiences when teachers take the extra step to integrate the curriculum. Having a common theme between disciplines allow students to make connections and enduring understandings that they might not have otherwise considered. It is through integrated curriculum that students can better see the relevance to what they are learning and apply their knowledge and skills in the real world, effectively BEcoming active and informed 21^st century citizens.

“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IvrNoQZwJSpPc7KJ5nXdF8FDmFjuVTFLKwIWhFLor6fR1RZ2ZRu_FYI4AM7cvWhbII3_iJYoxxBk5snr1mO2Zn-s-kPI-be5_QH9CzHVjN83P5wRh7schjLnlPYE5CCAShyaRfzaFWE/s1600/21stcenturylearning0.png

^Reference:

^{Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.} 

Letting Students KNOW, DO and BE: Curriculum Development

How can teachers implement a culture of learning and apply 21^st Century skills while still being accountable to formal curriculum?

Accountability is a major aspect of being a teacher. Teachers are not only accountable for WHAT their students learn but also HOW they learn and WHO the students become (the Know, Do and Be). Teachers must keep in mind their accountability to the school board’s regulations, the principal’s expectations, and expectations of the parents of their students, while at the same time they try to facilitate student learning in preparing students to be active citizens with 21^st Century skills.  It can be easy for teachers to be caught up in teaching the goals outlined to them in curriculum documents as a checklist they must get through in the short amount of time they have to teach each unit. This however makes education linear, and students can lose interest very quickly. By focusing on just the KNOW of curriculum, we are perpetuating the OLD story of education

The “Backward Design” of curriculum development presented in our textbook, Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, I see as a very effective way to incorporate the NEW story of education. By first focussing on the Big Ideas and identifying the most important things for students to KNOW, DO and BE (KDB), a teacher can make sure that curriculum, instruction and assessments align and inform each other to reach the overall learning goals of a unit.

 Source: http://unidc268.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/learningtriangle.jpg

By implementing this Backward Design, it is easier for teachers to implement student-centred inquiry learning to reach the overall expectations of the curriculum documents. Furthermore, interdisciplinary skills can better be applied. As our textbook points out, many subjects in the K-12 curriculum share the same ultimate goals of learning. With Backward Design, the similarity of the goals will be evident from the beginning of curriculum development and will thus better inform the everyday activities and methods of assessment that the teacher decides on. Ultimately, with Backward Design, collaboration on all levels is possible and assessment FOR learning can better be applied. By putting curriculum first, assessment becomes an integral part of curriculum development that can seamlessly be connect to instruction. 

How can focusing on the KNOW, as well as, the DO and BE of education prepare students for the future? 

In my last blog, I expressed concern on how the development of a learning culture instead of a mark-obsessed culture could prepare students for future post-secondary education. After reading and discussing the goals of Backward Design and its ability to allow the KNOW, as well as the, DO and BE to be addressed in curriculum development, I can see how this learning culture can be very beneficial to students. Backward design allows teachers to better focus on applying approaches to education that allow for student directed learning, which is the type of environment that students find themselves in post-secondary education. By allowing students to study a topic that interests them, while at the same time applying interdisciplinary skills, this type of curriculum better prepares students for the “real world.”

 

Source: http://sourcesandsolutions.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/keys-to-21st-century-skills.jpg

How easy will it be to apply this theory of what students need to KNOW, DO and BE within the classroom? 

Throughout my education so far as a prospective teacher, most of what I have learned is all theory. We are presented with various theoretical teaching methods to help us form our own pedagogy and opinions on how we think we will develop as teachers. From what I have learned about educational theory, however, is that there is a gap between the theory we are taught in school and actual teaching practices we will apply in the real world. The ideas of the Backward Design however have shown me a practical application of teaching methods. Through learning about curriculum expectations and development, I finally feel as if I am getting information that I will be able to apply into a classroom setting.  The easiness of applying this theory, however, is still obscure.

When we were looking at old curriculum documents in class last week, I thought about the assignments that I had done in high school and how they applied to the Backward Design model of reaching curriculum expectations. Thinking back to grade 10 history I can see how my teacher had tried to implement this technique. Our major assignment was to write an essay on Canadian "defining moments." Through out the semester we learned about what could be considered a defining moment, what were the proper techniques to writing an essay and we were able to choose whichever defining moment we though the most interesting. Furthermore, thinking back to the day to day activities of the semester, I can see how they connected to this final assessment of the essay. My teacher was able to reach the curriculum goals in a way that gave the students some choice of method. Thinking about this gives me hope for being able to bridge the gap of theory and practice in applying the Backward Design and letting my students KNOW, DO and BE, in the future.   

As professor Drake has said in lecture, Backward Design is like a puzzle and can be difficult to work through. It is about willingness to work through the difficulties to create a more enriching environment not only for the students, but for the teacher as well. Thus, the question is not about how easy it is to apply theory or the practicality of the Backward Design, but about how willing teachers are to shift to the NEW story of education and better engage their students. It is about knowing your curriculum, knowing your students, and being willing to allow them KNOW content, as well as DO the skills required of them and BE active and informed citizens.

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Source: http://magazine.pepperdine.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bridge-header1.jpg

Reference:

Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.

Moving Away From Traditional Cultures of Learning

How do we get students to focus on learning over getting good grades?

This question stuck out the most to me during lecture this past week.

Our textbook Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, makes the statement that “Once students (and their parents) and teachers adopt a learning culture, as opposed to a mark-obsessed culture, students will put in effort to improve performance” (Drake, Kolohon, & Reid, 2014). In theory, I agree with this statement. If students become more invested in WHAT they are learning, then students will want to learn MORE. This desire to continually build knowledge in today’s world helps students to be more involved citizens prepared with 21^st Century skills; effectively reaching the “goal” of education.

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 The implementation of this learning culture however can be an intimidating task. Students today, including myself (as well as teachers), grew up in an environment that focussed on grades. This accountability and need for standardization is significantly present in a society with increased technological developments changing our perceptions of what “knowledge” is. Students, like myself, learn what they THINK the teacher WANTS them to know, and do not actively challenge ideas presented by teachers because all they want to know is how to get a good grade. The value of student learning today is measured not in the effort put forward or the process, but in intelligence and talent. Assessment is thus OF learning and not FOR learning.

Here is the video in class that really made me think about grade praising vs. effort praising:

Thinking back to the time I was in elementary school and high school, I can see that this happened quite a lot. I always listened to my teachers and did well on tests and assignments. I always got A’s and usually did this with minimal effort.

Now that this notion of a “learning culture” has been brought to my attention, I can see how the mark-obsessed culture may have hindered my actual learning. If I was motivated through feedback that acknowledged my efforts and made areas of improvements easier to see, then I might have applied myself to my schoolwork in a more fulfilling way.

Why does this matter if students are just going to be put back into this traditional mark-obsessed culture once they move on to post-secondary education?

This is a question I seem to be struggling with a lot. It is hard to imagine that students can benefit in a culture of learning so different from what they will face in post-secondary life. Furthermore, implementing a learning culture so different from what is already embedded within their personal story and cultural lenses will likely be welcomed with resistance. I can even see this happening within our own class right now.

Will the project-based learning and collaborative assessment techniques they will be accustomed to prepare them for the independent study and the tight curriculum of the post-secondary world?

I believe that it can. From what I have heard in lecture and read in Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment it is clear that the desire to self-improve and self-assess can promote good study, research, and critical thinking techniques that can allow students to adapt to different types of curriculum situations. This desire to continually improve performance can enhance the student’s desire to learn THROUGHOUT their schooling career and later in life. Learning thus becomes personalized and student driven.

It is the notion of assessment AS learning instead of assessment OF learning that can foster a positive change in student’s lives. It is assessment AS learning that can align the processes of curriculum, instruction and assessment to allow students to effectively KNOW, DO and BE.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

Source: http://brainysmurf1234.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/a-new-culture-of-learning.jpg

Reference:

Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.