Tablets in the Classroom: 

Merging Inquiry Based Learning and Technology 

A lot of teachers today (or traditional teachers) may be afraid of technology in the classroom for a number of reasons. Maybe they think that it will distract their students and take away from the traditional learning process. Or others may be afraid that they don't know how to deal with and use the ever-changing technology that gets introduced to our world almost daily! 

Whatever it may be, all of those fears can be overcome if teachers can see and understand the benefits that merging inquiry based learning and technology can have. Upon reading Harwood, Bajovic, Woloshyn, Di Cesare, Lane, and Scott's (2015) paper on tablets in an early childhood education classroom I was inspired to learn about how inquiry based learning and technology can mesh well together. 

Considering children today are growing up in a fully technologically literate society, it makes sense that what they learn in the school system also be conducive to the technological literate society they are a part of. It is most certainly true that educators may be afraid of technology, but we need to embrace that fact that our students are not and we could, in fact, learn a great deal if we become open to what our students have to teach us. 

According to Harwood et al. (2015) inquiry based learning centres around the premise of "active exploration, experimenting, experiencing, problem solving, and multiple representations of understanding knowledge" (p. 54). With that being said, being a teacher candidate who is comfortable with technology, I would consider tablets as a great tool to allow students to actively explore and experience the world in which they live. For example, there may be some topics within the classroom that we can't have readily available at our fingertips. However, with a tablet in our hands, the possible of active exploration are endless.

Another aspect of inquiry based pedagogy is the idea that we are promoting an education that is "balanced around children's emerging interests, play, queries, and natural curiosities" (p. 54). Considering the previously mentioned point about children being surrounded in a world filled with technology, it is without doubt that these children will be curious and interested in the technology that they find themselves surrounded in. Therefore, why would we, as educators, prohibit our students from exploring these opportunities because we are afraid of them. We need to take the professional development/growth steps to learn about new technologies and stay current with the information and tools that are meaningful to our students so as to provide them with a full education. 

However, just because our students are growing up in this technologically literate society, doesn't mean that we can just add tablets and technology into our classroom without understandings its positive and negative impacts. As mentioned, we need to educate ourselves on the technology we are implementing into our classrooms as well as ensure we are keeping an eye on what our students are getting into. Lessons on internet safety are good things to incorporate, no matter what age. Blagojevic, Brumer, Chevalier, O'Clair, and Thomes (2012) article on learning and exploring using tablets is an excellent resource to use when deciding whether tablets are the right fit for your classroom, as well as the steps to take after introducing them. They suggest how to choose the right tool for your class, as well as suggestions given for proper app selection once the tool is introduced, and managing the use of it in your classroom. 

For teachers considering the idea of using technology in the classroom, the references I have provided are great starting points to show you how beneficial technology can be in the classroom as well as how to begin the implementation process. Good luck and don't be afraid! Technology has a lot to offer both you and your students! 

References

Blagojevic, B., Brumer, H., Chevalier, S., O'Clair, A., & Thomes, K. (2012). Learning and exploring tablets. Learn and Grow, 6(1), 18-21. 

Harwood, D., Bajovic, M., Woloshyn, V., Di Cesare, D. M., Lane, L., & Scott, K. (2015). Intersecting spaces in early childhood education: Inquiry-based pedagogy and tablets. The International Journal of Holistic Early Learning and Development, 1, 53-67. 

The Outdoor Classroom: 

Enabling our Indigenous Students

Upon my years at Brock University, it has been brought to my attention multiple times that Indigenous students have seemed to receive the "short end of the stick" when it comes to their education. According to Chambers and Radbourne (2015) Indigenous students experience significant gaps in achievement in comparison with their non-Indigenous classmates, as teachers today are still using a "fragmented and Euro-centric approach" to teach these students (p. 5). This simply cannot continue to happen, in order to ensure this, some real change needs to happen in our classrooms today.

With this being said, I propose that incorporating the outdoors into the classroom is an excellent idea to ensure that all students (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) are getting everything they possibly can out of their education. By using the ecosocial theory, and environment as text proposed by Chambers and Radbourne (2015), students will be able to develop respect and care for the environment in which they live as well as for each other. Taking the classroom outside doesn't mean that science will be the only topic covered. The outdoor classroom can incorporate a cross-cuticular approach, teaching students critical literacy, mathematics and science. The math and science will come in obvious ways from the environment, but critical literacy takes a bit more planning. Students will be able to read their world and answer critical questions that the environment begs us to answer (Chambers and Radbourne, 2015). How does the environment shape us as humans and how do we shape the environment? As human beings its quite clear that we aren't separate from the environment, both have an equal impact on one another and teaching students this importance will allow them to critically analyze what they do and how they do it and why it effects the environment.

Chambers and Radbourne (2015) suggest that Indigenous Elders and artists have an active role in this outdoor classroom by both planning and instruction. With Indigenous community members as part of the learning process, Indigenous students will begin to develop self-esteem and the belief that their traditional identity and culture matter and make a difference to the environment. Indigenous Elders can teach all students about the reliance that their people have on the land and water, and about their own cultural beliefs on what land and water can offer them. These individuals can help everyone learn about the lands ability to produce and support life.

By teaching everyone in the classroom about the multiple cultures that make up our world, we are creating a safe place where every student can feel confident in sharing and appreciating the culture in which they came from. We are teaching a culturally responsive pedagogy, and teaching our students to confront the norm and to accept that it isn't the only way of being. That is critical literacy.

Many teachers being raised in the traditional (or what we see as traditional) Euro-centric hegemonic ways of Western society, may find this idea of a cultural responsive pedagogy difficult to teach, incorporating individuals from the communities we want to learn about is a great way to become more open-minded.

I can see an outdoor classroom being beneficial to every student, specifically the Indigenous students who, for so long, have dealt with being second best. Hands-on, kinaesthetic, and land-based lessons and units can help positively impact students academic achievement, in more than just one subject. I believe it can create a well rounded, culturally responsive student who is appreciative of every culture, not just their own.

Reference

Chambers, J. M., & Radbourne, C. L. (2015). Developing critical literacy skills through using the environment as text. Language and Literacy, 17(1), 1-20.

Financial Literacy

When someone says you need to be literate, what does that mean? Well, when I think of being literate I think of my ability to read and write. But more than that, and arguably most important, is being able to understand what I am reading and writing. Without understanding is there really any meaning to anything written or read? Not really.

With this in mind, what does it mean to be financially literate? To me being financially literate is ones ability to understand the language of the economy. Economy is anything to do with money and the way the world depends on it. So why is it only now that society is deciding it to be an important topic of discussion in schools? When I was in elementary and high school, I don't believe I got any sort of financial education. My parents still do my taxes, I have no idea what life insurance is, or interest on bank accounts, or a house mortgage and how to pay it off. In fact, the thought of having to one day do those things on my own is quite frightening!

Why, then, is it that these things were never taught to me in school? Everyone, at some point or another, will have to deal with any number of these things at the same time, so why is it that its important to teach today? In discussing this with my colleagues in lecture today, we thought that it was because the economy and society now, places a tremendous amount of importance on money, and being able to properly handle it. Kids today as young as 5 years old have their own debit cards, I didn't get one until I was in third grade, and even then I still had no idea what I had in my hands!

So, since I am financially illiterate, now what? As a future educator and with the increasingly important need for teachers to be able to teach students about financial literacy, what do I do to prepare myself? Well, the internet of course! There is so much on the internet that I can use to help make myself financially literate, from YouTube videos on how to calculate interest, to WikiHow's on how to pay off a mortgage, theres nothing I wouldn't be able to teach myself online. However, if the internet isn't the way you want to go, you could always seek out someone who knows what they're talking about! You could go to your bank and sit down with a financial adviser and pick their brain about the ins and outs of the financial world, or ask a colleague to help you out! Can you say professional development?

Although the thought of teaching the unknown is scary to some (like me), there is a limitless supply of information at my fingertips!

Understanding Backward Design

As a student in teacher education, it has been interesting to learn about new ways of teaching. Recently we have been introduced and "submerged" - if you will - in the idea of backward design and the positive aspects of this new way of reviving the curriculum to ensure all students are truly grasping what is required of them each year.

In an nut shell, backward design is essentially figuring out what needs to be accomplished before setting out to accomplish it, at least thats how I see it. For example, as a student in teacher education, hoping to one day become a teacher myself I think I approached my goal in a backward design type of way. In high school, as many students do, we were required to start thinking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some people knew right away, or had already been thinking about for a while. For me, I wanted to be a event planner! So in a backward design sort of way, I knew what I wanted my end goal to be so I went about figuring out how I could get there. I knew that going to college for an event planning program would be my way of knowing that I know how to be an event planner, but what did I have to do to get to that step? Well in high school co-op was an option at my disposal so I took the opportunity to get my feet wet and see if event planning was something I truly wanted to do. Turns out it wasn't...my co-op experience was certainly not all I thought it would be.

At that point I had to sit back and really think (again) about what I wanted to do when I grew up. At this point I was in grade 11 and with high school quickly coming to an end, I was concerned that I would choose to quickly and be disappointed again. With that being said, I decided to finish my co-op experience in a Grade 3 classroom, simply because it was at my disposal and it seemed like a safe option. I hadn't really thought of being a teacher yet. However, once I completed that co-op experience I knew that teaching is something I absolutely wanted to pursue. Once I knew this, I went to my guidance counsellor and we devised a plan for me to reach that end goal. This, to me, is backward design in its true form. I knew what my end goal was, knew what school I had to go to in order to accomplish this goal and, in turn, knew what classes I needed to take in my last 2 years of high school to complete this goal.

http://www.bowlandmaths.org.uk/photos/hotundercollar.jpg

With this story in mind, I think a picture of what backward design is, is starting to come into view. It includes only a few steps, as described by Drake, Reid and Kiloton (2014), all of which are extremely easy to accomplish.

1. First we need to find out what is the most important for our students to know, do and be. This information comes from the curriculum documents all teachers are extremely familiar with. 
2. Next we need to determine how we will know when they (students) know it? .... Do you follow? In other words, we (as the facilitators of curriculum: teachers) need to know when our students have grasped what is required of them to know, based on what we thought was important in step 1. Are we on the same page? This step is when we would decide on a rich performance assessment task (RPAT) that is a culminating assignment that will show us that our students have fully grasped what is of them. 
3. Lastly (and arguably most important), we need to know what we have to teach our students every day in order to ensure that they are able to show us that they know what we expect them to know. I.e. what do we teach our students every day so that they are able to demonstrate the know, do and be of the curriculum in the RPAT at the end of the unit? 

https://kencito54.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/backward-design1.png

That was a lot of information, but once in practice it is very simple. Jennifer Dorman, a Grade 7 and 8 teacher at Skowhegan Area Middle School, used backward design in her classroom upon attending a conference led by Joey Hawkins and Jane Miller in the summer of 2014 (Dorman, 2015). She stated that she was not satisfied with her students writing and found that implementing backward design in her classroom improved her students writing dramatically. Jennifer took a different approach at the backward design, describing it in the following steps:

1. Develop a guiding question before starting the unit. 
2. Use only activities that will help answer the guiding question.
3. Use public notes that all students have access to (i.e. Google Docs)
4. Show students a variety of sources (relevant to the unit), providing them with multiple points of view. 

This is essentially the same as the steps presented first for backward design. The guiding question Jennifer presented before the unit is what she sought out as most important upon reviewing the curriculum. This guiding question will essentially encompass what is the most important to know, to do, and to be in the curriculum. Secondly, she says to use only activities that will help answer the guiding question. Again this is similar to the idea of creating a task that will allow teachers to know when his/her students have mastered the important components of the curriculum. Lastly, Jennifer doesn't end with determining what to do day-by-day in order to ensure the first two steps can be done, but rather she explains the importance of providing students with relevant documents they may need throughout the unit as well as showing students multiple points of view relative to what they are learning in order to foster critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the material. 

References

Dorman, J. (2015). I wasn't satisfied with my students' writing. So I learned a new way to teach it. The Point, Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/25/the-point/i-wasnt-satisfied-with-my-students-writing-so-i-learned-a-new-way-to-teach-it/

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

Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Keeping Your Students Engaged: Tips and Tricks

Keeping Your Students Engaged: 

Tips and Tricks

what-is-engagement.png

According to Herrmann (2013) engagement is defined as emotional involvement or commitment. As a teacher, keeping your students engaged may seem like a daunting task. Using the same strategies day in and day out may get boring and frustrating for you, and your class will most certainly feel the same way. Constantly using professional development to update your strategies is a great way to ensure that your class is always engaged and never gets bored. You can ask new and experienced teachers for ideas they may have on how to engage the class as well as research online. Upon doing my own research I found TONS of ways to keep your class engaged. Pinterest has some excellent ideas for engaging and keeping your class awake and ready to learn! 

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Some of my favourites were:

1. Using a foam ball, toss the ball to students when asking questions. Having students aware that there may be a ball coming their way will keep them alert and focused on the task at hand! It is also active and will entice those who have a difficult time sitting still for those seemingly never ending 40 minute periods. 
2. Use a special, fun and enticing word and shout it during class. Explain to the students that this word means they must do something active (i.e. clap their hands twice, or do a drum roll on their desk). A word such as "Bazinga!" or "BAM!" shouted slightly louder than your normal teaching voice will wake the kids up, and the action they are required to do will energize them to make sure they are staying focused. 
3. Change up the classroom a bit. Allow the students to get up and move to a different desk in a different part of the room than they are in right now. Again, the idea of getting up out of their chair is always helpful and will allow them to interact with their fellow classmates they may not be used to! Or another example could be allowing students to sit on their desks with their feet on their chair! For students, (especially in the Primary/Junior grades) the idea of doing something somewhat "forbidden" will be very exciting. With this activity its important to let the students know that this is a special classroom only activity! 

The video below, describes 7 other ways in which you can keep your class engaged. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjADkTe5upA

These are just amongst the thousands of ideas that are available out there! However, it is important to realize that some ideas may work better in certain grades and be a total bore in others. When deciding on classroom engagement ideas, educators must be aware of their audience and ensure that the type of engagement he/she chooses is age appropriate! For example, shouting "Bazinga!" in a grade 8 classroom may not be accepted as well as it may be in a grade 2 or 3 classroom! 

Furthermore, it would be a great idea to have a few of these engagement tricks up your sleeve all the time. Seeing as the elementary and secondary school year is 10 months long, the trick you used in September may get very boring and not exciting for students come December/January. Changing it up and keeping students on their feet is exciting for not only them, but for you too! I firmly believe that school should be fun, not having your students sitting there with you teaching AT them. I think we should teach WITH them! Allowing your students to be part of the lesson or even teaching the lessen themselves. This type of engagement will increase their intrinsic motivation exponentially. 

References

Herrmann, E. (2013, Dec 11). Compliance or engagement: When are students truly engaged in class? Multibriefs: Exclusive. Retrieved from http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/compliance-or-engagement-when-are-student-truly-engaged-in-the-classroom

R. Lynette. (2015, Oct 5). Minds in bloom: 20 ways to keep your students attention. (Web log comment). Retrieved from http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-ways-to-keep-your-students-attention.html?m=1

The New Sex Ed Curriculum

https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum

The new Ontario sexual education curriculum, being introduced in the classroom this 2015/2016 school year, has raised numerous concerns and applauds from individuals all over the province. Many parents from the Halton Catholic board are having serious issues with this new curriculum, with parents from opposing sides of the argument threatening to physically harm other parents for their disagreements regarding the issues (Fatima, 2015). 

The government did not update the Health and Physical Education curriculum without first consulting parents. Freeman (2015), reports that a parent from each publically funded school in Ontario were sent a survey last year asking about what their educational priorities were. However, Freeman (2015) mentions that the surveys themselves did not ask the parents what they felt should be included in the sexual education curriculum, which could be cause for the uproar of opposition from many. With this being said, the government ensures that the updated curriculum was developed with the help of experts in the area. But with this being said, many people have concerns regarding who this expert is. The Campaign Life Coalition, released an article stating that the Deputy Education Minister at the time of this revamp in curriculum was a confessed child sex predator, being charged with seven child pornography related charges. 

Excerpt taken from the Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised, discussing the Human Development and Sexual Health for Grade 1 students.https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum 

I will not go into the ins and outs of this new curriculum, as it can be accessed and looked over by any member of the public via this link “Health and Physical Education 2015”. Regardless of the arguments that this new sexual education curriculum has caused, Freeman (2015) mentions that parents are able to withdraw their child from these new Health and Physical Education lessons if they are uncomfortable with their child learning this new curriculum. However, it must be done through the process that each school has in place. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/05/02/ontarians-divided-over-new-sex-education-curriculum-poll-suggests.html

With this being said, as a future educator, it is concerning to learn about all the controversy surrounding a piece of legislation I will be required to incorporate in my classroom. In their book Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, Drake, Reid, and Kolohan (2014) mention how important it is that we understand and embrace the “emerging new story” of education. Within this new story, we must understand three things, a) that technology is transforming the education we grew up and are familiar with into something entirely new that we need to learn and embrace, b) that the new pedagogy of education surrounds the idea of constructivism and allowing students to be at the center of their learning and c) that we as educators are change agents meaning that we have to be the mediators of all of this new information in the curriculum. Furthermore, we must understand and know our students (Drake, Reid, & Kolohan, 2014). It is not enough to simply reiterate and regurgitate the same curriculum year in and year out, as educators of this new story of education, we must be able to adapt and change the curriculum to incorporate the uniqueness of each and every one of our new students. 

Excerpt taken from the Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised, discussing the Human Development and Sexual Health for Grade 6 students.https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum

Understanding the new story of education as well as understanding that we must know our students and embrace their uniqueness; teaching this new Health and Physical Education curriculum might be somewhat challenging, especially going into the education field with nothing but 11 weeks of teaching practicums under our belts. The new wave of teachers entering the workforce may be more equipped in dealing with and implementing this new story of education, but personally, I feel far less ready to take on a new curriculum that I am completely foreign to as it is something that I was never taught (especially so explicitly) in my elementary years. I believe that this curriculum is something that I will need to take step by step, ensuring that I not only know each and every one of my students, but also that I know their families so that I am careful not to “step on anyones toes”, so to speak. The new sexual education curriculum may seem intimidating at this point in my educational career, but it is a challenge I am willing and ready to take on. 

References

Benzie, R. (May 2, 2015). Ontarians divided over new sex education curriculum, poll suggests. The Star. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/05/02/ontarians-divided-over-new-sex-education-curriculum-poll-suggests.html

Campaign Life Coalition. (2015). Ontario’s radical sex ed curriculum. Retrieved September 22, 2015, from https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Sex_Ed_curriculum

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

Fatima, S. (June 11, 2015). Ontario sex-education debate turns heated in Halton. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/polarized-debates-over-ontario-sex-education-curriculum-continue/article24915342/

Freeman, J. (May 11, 2015). What you need to know about Ontario’s new sexual education curriculum. CP24. Retrieved from: http://www.cp24.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-ontario-s-new-sexual-education-curriculum-1.2369847

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2015). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: Health and physical education. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf