What's YOUR Passion?

 When I was in Grade 7, our music teacher gave us an assignment on researching our favourite band or music artist and re-write one of their songs.  I was extremely eager for this assignment because 1) music, specifically singing had been my passion for as long as I can remember and 2) I had always been interested in song-writing but had never taken the time to actually go for it.  I chose to re-write the song Untitled by Simple Plan and put my whole heart and soul into a song dedicated to my grandmother who had recently died.  This assignment and song has continued to stick in my memory because it was not only a touching experience, but opened up my eyes to a new passion of singing/songwriting.

 Now as an aspiring teacher, I know that passion-based learning is an approach that I would love to utilize in my classroom.  Passion-based learning is an instructional approach that is driven by student interest and commitment (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  Through this interest, the curriculum becomes personalized and relevant to each student (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).   For much of my assignments throughout my educational career, many of my teachers gave us the option to create a topic for say a speech, essay, or science project.  What I think is really unique about passion-based learning, however is that students are able to steer the curriculum into an area that really interests them, and actually take action within their passion.  Although the example of my song-writing assignment was not necessarily considered passion-based, it certainly created a passion within me.  If it had been a passion-based, I could see that there would be so many other aspects of music that I would have loved to explore.  For example, producing my music.  I know that it would be a challenge and the end results of something I had created would have been an extraordinary thing.

When looking at ways that one can incorporate passion-based learning into the classroom, there are several ideas posted online.  An example that was discussed in EDUC 4P27 is Genius Hour.  In Genius Hour, students are given 20% of their class time to working on a passion project. This method can not only inspire a love for learning, but also guides students to inquire, learn and reflect (Laura Lane, Personal Communication, March 16, 2016).  Passion-based learning may be difficult to commence in a classroom because sometimes students are too nervous to delve in an area of interest in fear of failing. In order to create passion within students, teachers need to find out what their students are innately passionate about as well as exude passion in their teaching, so as to infect their students with excitement about their project (Laura Lane, Personal Communication, March 2016).

 As I have grown older, I have discovered new passions of teaching, working with children of special needs, and recently playing the guitar.  With the example of my Grade 7 music assignment, yes I had known that I had a passion for singing, but it helped me realize my passion for song-writing as well.  As a future teacher, nothing would make me more excited or inspired if that through a passion-based learning approach, my students would find and explore their own passions to new heights into something they could never imagined.  For those of you reading, if you were to take away anything from this final blog I would hope that you are inspired to further explore your current passions, create new ones and know that learning can be fun!

References

Drake, S., Kolohon, W., & Reid, J. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom           assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner (1st ed.). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Profile of a 21st Century Teacher

        If you had asked me what I thought what it meant to be a teacher my first year and compared it to my views today, the growth is enormous and exciting.  Within the past century, it is amazing to think about the changes that have occurred within the educational system.  The shift from a traditional classroom, in which students are seated in rows of desks, passively learning from the know-all teacher,  to the constructivist approach where children learn through experience and inquiry is really inspiring.   Throughout my educational journey as a future teacher, I have noticed and taken in several components that I deem are the necessary traits of a 21st Century educator, and each has made me more and more excited about my decision in becoming a teacher.

        First of all, 21st Century educators emphasize the implementation of a backward design.  This process consists of first planning and deciding on the curriculum outcomes students are to achieve, then developing the forms of assessments that will be used on students' learning, and finally creating the specific lesson plans that will lead up to the previously decided upon curriculum outcomes (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  By using a backwards design, it ensures that the lessons being taught already have specific curriculum outcomes in mind.

        A second component that I have noticed that is necessary for myself as a future 21st Century educator is the need to be relevant to the world I live in, so that I can be relevant in my students' lives.   This is extremely noticeable when looking at the huge rise and use of technology in classrooms.  Technology can be used as a way to enhance learning and allow for deeper assessment of learning (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  Students use technology on a daily basis at home, and so by being familiar with technology and implementing ways it can be used in the classroom is relevant in student's learning.  This need to be relevant is also really evident when exploring the 21st Century Literacies.  Being digitally literate, media literate, globally literate, mentally health literate, etc., are all extremely relevant to our world today, for these areas are what we as people are working on improving in.  It is important for 21st Century educators to explore each literacy, yet understand that none of these are fixed and that new literacies will most likely emerge over our years as educators.  That is why continuously looking for ways to improve is another crucial aspect of being a 21st Century educator.

       Related to the 21st Century Literacies, 21st Century educators are also very open to the world with regards to their ways of teaching (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  The use of class websites that are accessible to parents, as well as writing reflective blogs (such as this one you are reading) are becoming more and more prevalent.  These are tools that educators are using to not only connect with parents, but with educators across the world.  This is another underlying theme of 21st Century educators, collaboration.  Being able to collaborate amongst colleagues on different methods that have and have not worked within their classrooms allows for teachers to enhance their professional development and help ensure all students are receiving the best education possible.  

       Lastly, what I deem as one of the most important aspects of being a 21st century educator is the need to be caring.  By caring for our students and developing relationships, it assists in fostering their learning (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  Therefore, what I believe the goal is for myself as a 21st Century educator is to ultimately be a catalyst in my students' growth as a whole person.  I want to make a difference in the lives of my students by opening their minds of being a lifelong learner.

References

Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st     century learner. Ontario, Canada: Oxford.

Divergent Thinking: The Possibilities are Endless!

Although this is a continuation on my blog posts from a previous course, I would like to take a moment for those first-time readers to describe a little bit about myself.  I am a 4th year student at Brock University in the Concurrent Education Child and Youth Studies program.  I come from a large family of 6 children all born under 9 years (my mom loves to brag about!) and which also means that I am no stranger to conflicting views and perspectives.  In the past, I have explored many opportunities with working with children and youth, for example teaching Sunday School, working full-time at a daycare, being a support staff worker for a child with autism, and most recently being a performing princess at children's birthday parties (extravagant, I know!).  Teaching and working with children has always been an area of interest to me, in that it never seizes to amaze me their insight and the extraordinary ways they think.

As I previously mentioned, growing up with so many siblings really helped shape my understanding of multiple intelligences and ways of thinking.  An area of interest that really sparked me in last week's first lecture was the importance of divergent thinking.  Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different ideas in response to a problem (Sternberg & Williams, 2010).  This form of thinking focuses on the importance of creativity in children and youth and has been shown to positively influence problem solving skills.  Convergent thinking, however, is the process of finding a single correct answer (Sternberg & Williams, 2010).  This form of thinking was the most common form of thinking required when I went to school and I think significantly affected how I perceive myself creatively.  To this day, I do not consider myself overly creative and find myself looking for that one right answer.  This is an area where I would like to grow in for I believe what convergent thinking is, is lazy thinking.  Encouraging divergent thinking should be necessary in schools because it can really open up your eyes to a whole new world and amazing outcomes can come from it.  As a future teacher, I want to inspire my students to think outside the box and to explore their mind, in all its' glory because ultimately, the possibilities are endless!

References

Sternberg, R. J., & Williams, W. M. (2010). Educational psychology (2nded.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Creating the Be: Character Education

Throughout this course, we have learnt a great deal about the importance of the Know, Do and Be and how we need to incorporate and integrate each of these aspects into the curriculum .  Much of what we have learnt about the KDB is how to incorporate these intentionally.  An area I feel we forget to realize is that there are many little things we teach our students on an unconscious level.  I believe much of these underlying teaching help construct the Be.  Students learn through modelling, and so teachers need to recognize that they need to model in an appropriate way.  

Character education is an integral part of the Ontario's K-12 program (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014). When done properly, character education is interwoven in every aspect of school life and is focused on safe schools, anti-bullying, and ethical conduct (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  Areas that teaches students to act in a way that is socially appropriate, such as honesty, trustworthiness, respect and empathy are considered character education (Government of Ontario, 2008).  All of these values can be taught explicitly into the classroom, for example
classroom rules.  Through creating a list of expected classroom behaviours it not only helps in classroom management, but in creating respectful citizens.

Although teachers can implement rules within the classroom, it is imperative that the teacher follows these rules and teaches them implicitly as well.  For example, using manners such as please and thank you, and acknowledging when a student does the same will assist in shaping students in a positive way (Teachnology, 2012).  This can go the same with teaching things such as acceptance, empathy and kindness.  I think as teachers, we have a huge rule in developing these character traits.  Over the summer, I worked at a daycare.  I can recall that many of the children loved playing dress-up.  And so if a little boy asked me to help him put on a dress, I did not react any differently than if I was helping the girls.  Another example is if a child was upset, I empathized with them and acknowledged through positive reinforcement if another child came up to do the same. Here is a great website that provides examples on how to effectively implement character education within your classroom.  It has examples for teachers on an elementary, middle, and high school level.

Overall, we are well aware that as teachers we have important roles in the lives of our students.  We can help mold positive behaviour and characteristics through character education and modelling.  If you would like to find ways to teach specific character traits within your classroom, such as flexibility, determination, patience, etc., click Here to access free lessons, activity sheets, and videos!

Resources

Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Ontario, Canada: Oxford.

Government of Ontario. (2008). Finding common ground: Character development in Ontario schools, K-12. Ontario, Canada. Queen's Printer For Ontario.

Teachnology (2012). Character education for elementary classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/character_education/elementary_classroom/

Assessment: Applying it to the Mindfulness Pedagogy

I've always had a love-hate relationship with the idea of assessment as learning (AaL) within the classroom. I love that the goal of AoL is for students to be able to monitor their own learning by reflecting on their successful achievements, point out the areas they do not yet know, and create learning strategies that are effective for them (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  However, in any instance where I personally have needed to be self-reflective in my work, I have always been hesitant. In elementary school, I can recall times where my teacher would ask us to assess our work and the work of our peers and really feeling uncomfortable with the idea.  I wasn't overly confident with my writing and so when my peers were involved in assessing my work, I had this fear of being judged.  Allowing others look at my work felt very personal and I would worry about what they would think.  What if my work is completely amateur compared to the person assessing my work? Did I have the right idea with this assignment or is how I interpreted this assignment completely different than my peer's interpretation?

Recently in my EDUC 4P46 course which discusses Mental Health and Well Being in Schools, we discussed the concept of mindfulness and being aware of your thoughts in a non-judgmental way. 


Mindfulness is a concept that has recently been gaining popularity within schools.  It allows for students to be aware of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they occur in the present, and with an attitude of openness and non-judgment, especially when they are unpleasant (Coffey, Hartman, & Fredrickson, 2010).  To the right is a brief definition of what it is to be mindful.   

What is the Mindfulness Pedagogy?
A mindfulness pedagogy's goal is to create a compassionate and thoughtful learning environment for children (Bai, 2001). Mindfulness can be seen as a form of self-assessment for it allows students to get a greater sense of their internal life (Kelley, Lambert, & Pransky, 2015). Because students are able to first recognize their own thoughts in a nonjudgmental way, it demonstrates that all students think differently, which creates greater acceptance of their peers.  Some mindfulness-based techniques being utilized in schools today are the use of yoga and breathing techniques. 

Enjoy the following video to get a better understanding on the benefits of mindfulness and how schools today are implementing it into their classroom!

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

Overall, mindfulness is a very useful approach that is receiving greater acceptance within the classroom (Kelley, Lambert, & Pransky, 2015).  Ultimately, it allows you to fully be aware of the present and creates a greater understanding, acceptance, and control of your emotions and thoughts in a positive way.  It is something that I see could have benefited me in my learning with concerns to the doubts of my capabilities and so that is why I am a strong advocate for the use of mindfulness in schools.

For teachers who are interested in the use of mindfulness-based techniques in their classroom, the following is a guide they can follow:  Progress in Mindfulness Practice

http://ukedchat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MindfulnessChartPDF2.pdf

Bai, H. (2001). Beyond the educated mind: Towards a pedagogy of mindfulness.
Coffey, K. A., Hartman, M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2010). Deconstructing mindfulness and constructing mental health: Underlying mindfulness and its mechanisms of action. Mindfulness, 1(4), 235-253. 
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment:    Engaging the 21^st-century learner. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Kelley, T. M., Lambert, E. G., & Pransky, J. (2015). Inside-Out or Outside-In: Understanding Spiritual Principles Versus Depending on Techniques to Realize Improved Mindfulness/Mental Health. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health,17(3), 153-171.

The Holistic Curriculum

When trying to figure out what I wanted to discuss for my first blog, I knew I wanted to write about something I didn’t have much knowledge on, but that peaked a certain interest in how I’m interested in teaching my future classrooms.  For me, personally the traditional model is what I experienced and because I was successful at learning within this model I could see how some people could say it is an effective method of teaching.  Even now, I know that it works for me but because of what we have been learning within our education courses and how a more constructivist approach is idealistically best for all students, it has made me question where I could be today.  Would my strengths/weaknesses still be the same or would I be more creative?  

One type of constructivist approach, the holistic curriculum and its focus on allowing the child to be engaged in their learning through their mind, heart, body, and spirit (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014) is something that I had never known could be possible, but that really sparks an interest as to what I am looking to achieve within my classroom.  An example of this holistic curriculum are the Waldorf schools.  When children are able to relate what they are learning to their own experience, it allows them to become alive, and what they learn becomes their own (Barnes, 1991). Waldorf schools are designed to foster this kind of learning, and storytelling is a key method for teaching (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).  I think storytelling is so important in students' learning because it can relate to the importance of personal narratives and knowing your lived experiences are what shape your worldview (Clandinin, 2006).  If students are able to share their stories in their learning at a young age, it can lead to not only their own personal development but brings out different perspectives from their peers. 

   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlHnixpl5mQ  

References

Barnes, H. (1991). Learning that grows with the learner: An introduction to Waldorf education.     Educational  Leadership, 49(2), 52-54.

Clandinin, D. J. (Ed.). (2006). Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology. Sage Publications.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment:    Engaging the 21^st-century learner. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.