Robert+Smith

Response Journal #1

Hi! My name is Robert Smith. I am a teacher at Dhahran High School in Saudi Arabia. This is my fifth year teaching overseas, all of which has been spent at DHS. Over the past four years, I have taught Grade 9 and 10 English, Grade 10 History, SAT Prep and Beginner’s Guitar. This year I am currently teaching four sections of Grade 9 English, SAT Prep and Guitar. I am also the moderator of our school’s Student Council, and co-moderator of our Model United Nations club. Prior to moving overseas, I used to teach in Ontario, Canada. Shortly after I entered the teaching profession, the Ontario government began to completely overhaul the education system, including both the curriculum, as well as the manner in which teachers assessed and evaluated students. The assessment/evaluation model that was introduced was based on the ideas of Wiggins and McTighe. I was fortunate to have been able to attend many Professional Development sessions and conferences in which I learned about Wiggins and McTighe’s philosophies and techniques. These ideas were pedagogically revolutionary for me and my colleagues, and represented a sea change in the evaluation methods we had been using up to this point. It was clear to me that these new ideas represented a significant improvement over our past thinking about how assessment and evaluation should be done, and I began to introduce these ideas into my classroom. My exposure to these concepts, however, was limited to several years, at which point I moved overseas. To be sure, I continued to employ many of the ideas I had been exposed to, including the use of rubrics to clearly lay out expectations for assignments. Sadly, professional development opportunities have been limited in Saudi Arabia, and I have, by my own admission, not continued to further my understanding and practice of Wiggins and McTighes’ ideas, both with respect to planning my curriculum using UbD, as well as building on their superior assessment and evaluation practices. I am excited about the opportunity that this course presents to revisit the ideas of Wiggins and McTighe, because I understand that these concepts will significantly contribute to making me a more effective teacher. There is, I think, (at the risk of generalizing this phenemonon!) a tendancy among teachers who have been in the practice for many years, to “coast” with respect to lesson/unit planning, as well as how they undertake assessment and evaluation in their classroom. I am guilty of this. I understand that I need to rethink the manner in which I plan my curriculum and administer assessment and evaluation. This will help to make me a more effective teacher because I will have a clearer understanding of the degree to which the curriculum I am delivering addresses the outcomes for my subject; in practice, a better understanding of the outcomes we are working towards will allow me to more effectively plan lessons that ensure that I am addressing the skills and information that I want the students to master by the end of a unit. I will also have better tools to measure my students’ mastery of the curriculum and skills that I am teaching them. This, in turn, will allow me to more effectively modify my curriculum to ensure that I am delivering the most effective curriculum possible to my students. On the other hand, student learning will also be improved by the more effective assessment and evaluation practices I will be employing in my classroom. Students must clearly understand the outcomes, standards and criteria that are being used to evaluate them, and how their mastery of the skills and information they are learning will be measured. Ubd will help me to more effectively create and administer assessments and evaluations that fairly and accurately measure their mastery of skills and information. In short, UbD is a win-win proposition; more effective teacher planning and delivery of curriculum combined with improved assessment and evaluation methodology contributes to creating a much more effective classroom.

Journal #2: Response to the Article “Knowledge Alive”

The author’s point of view with respect to the idea of the knowledge arts is that knowledge is about more than simply learning facts. Rather, true knowledge reflects the various skills that we employ as we create knowledge, and think about WHY we are learning about something and HOW we organize and communicate that information. Too often, the author contends, in classrooms today, the process of obtaining knowledge occurs in an uncritical and passive manner in which the learner does not truly understand why they are learning this information, or how they can use or apply this information in their life outside the classroom. As teachers, it is our responsibility to make learning a more active process in which the learner is actively engaged in creating knowledge, seeking out answers to questions relating to why they are learning this information and how they might be able to apply this information to situations relating to their life outside the classroom. The author encourages teachers to employ strategies such as “thinking routines,” through which teachers actively engage students in the learning process by asking questions such as “What’s going on here?” and “What do you see that makes you say so?” The author suggests that teachers must “Teach for Understanding,” a process by which teachers guide students to and help them to seek out a deeper understanding of simple facts; this can be accomplished by having students examine cause and effect relationships, different perspectives from which certain information could be viewed and interpreted, and the impact of that information on different populations. In short, teachers must rethink and rework curriculum and pedagogy with an eye to creating a classroom environment focused on inquiry, energy and excitement.

I strongly agree with the ideas presented in this article. Too often, the curriculum that I deliver in my classroom is too fact based. Occasionally, my lessons focus on learning information without asking my students to critically consider why we are learning this information, or how they can apply this information outside my classroom. For example, I can teach my students vocabulary, but they must also be challenged and encouraged to seek out opportunities to use this vocabulary outside the classroom. Similarly, I can have my students read a novel such as To Kill a Mockingbird, but it is not enough to simply ask them questions about or discuss the content of the novel. To truly understand the themes of the novel, students must be asked to consider questions such as “How and why were African Americans discriminated against throughout the twentieth century?” and have them actively examine whether the conditions faced by African Americans in the novel still exist today.

As curriculum designers, teachers must rethink and retool their curriculum and pedagogy. We must move away from passive transmission of knowledge, towards an active, inquiry-based, critical engagement of the information we are asking them to learn. Having read this article, I am already thinking about various ways that I can reshape my curriculum in order to more actively engage my students. For example, moving away from an approach that focuses on using chapter questions to study a novel, towards asking the students to approach a novel using inquiry based questions such as the ones I proposed above for the novel To Kill a Mockingbird would help them to come to a better appreciation and understanding of racism, the main theme of the novel, and a problem which still plagues most societies today. To take this to the next logical step, students could apply this knowledge through a debate on a topical issue such as whether Obama’s skin color will be a factor in whether U.S. citizens will vote for him in the next election. In short, instead of walking away from the novel with simply an understanding of the events of the novel, my students would have had the opportunity to explore how and why racism became a problem in the U.S., and how the issue of racism still exists in our contemporary society.

Response Journal #3

In Elliot Eisner’s article, “Preparing for Today and Tomorrow,” he critically explores the idea that too much focus is placed by education systems on preparing kids for the future. Rather, he urges, the focus should be on preparing kids to cope with the issues and challenges they face in the present. Indeed, exhorts Eisner, in order to make the educational experience more meaningful, we must engage students by providing them with intellectually challenging problems and ideas. To this end, Eisner proposes a number of aims, including the teaching of judgment. We must equip students with the ability to examine a situation that might have more than one potential outcome, and be able to make an informed and sensible decision based on logic and reason. A second aim of our education system, according to Eisner, should be to teach our students critical thinking skills that enable them to critically analyze and consider an issue, and all the possible implications related to this issue, then apply this knowledge to problems that they face today. A third aim that Eisner believes should be a focus of our education system, is to teach meaningful literacy, a skill which he defines as the ability to express oneself through forms other than our traditionally conceived forms of expression such as literacy and numeracy. Specifically, Eisner cites visual or performing arts programmes as being important vehicles for students to express themselves and develop their minds. Collaboration is yet another aim that Eisner would like to see further developed in the classroom. The ability of our students to effectively work and communicate with others must be cultivated through group projects. Through such collaboration, new ideas will emerge and students will develop a closer sense of community at a time when globalization threatens the notion of community. The final aim that Eisner cites in his article is the provision of service opportunities for our students. Giving back to the world is essential if we are to cultivate socially responsible young adults who are concerned about more than just their individual welfare.

In my experience, I would disagree with Eisner’s thesis that our education system is too focused on preparing students for the future. I don’t disagree with the aims he proposes, or that we don’t do a good enough job of incorporating these aims into our education system. I don’t think that our failure to incorporate these aims into our education system is a product of being too focused on preparing students for the future. I don’t know of any teachers who approach their curriculum or skills teaching in this manner. To be sure, we teach to provide students with the skills they will need to enjoy success in college or the workplace, but I don’t think most teachers I know would see this as being more important than providing students with the skills necessary to enjoy success at the present time. Therefore, I disagree with the notion that we are forcing our students to jump through hoops in order to prepare them for an unknown future. If anything, we are guilty of focusing too much on delivering facts to prepare students for standardized tests, rather than equipping them with the skills that Eisner proposes would better equip our students to deal with the challenges they face today.

I do believe that I am in a position to incorporate these aims into my school and classroom. I say school because many of the aims articulated by Eisner can be delivered in the school, but outside the classroom. For example, our school holds a Week Without Walls event every year for which teachers organize study or service trips. This year, I have organized a service trip to Thailand during which my students will build a new school for a remote hill tribe. Similarly, as a moderator of our school’s MUN programme, I teach my students to engage problems that face our world, think critically about these problems, and suggest create and meaningful solutions. This, of course, is done collaboratively, thus fulfilling another of Eisner’s aims. Within the classroom, opportunities abound for students to work collaboratively on tasks. When analyzing short stories, I have my students work together in groups. There are certainly areas where I need to improve, and I will work hard to incorporate more activities, such as debates, that challenge my students to think critically.

Response Journal #4: Powerful Learning

People learn what is personally meaningful to them: As a teacher, I believe it is of the utmost importance for us to be aware of and up-to-date with respect to what kids are interested in, and then incorporate this into our curriculum. For example, for my Grade 10 English students’ research essay, I ask them to consider the morality and legality of downloading music for free. Because this is a topic that most students are interested in, they are intrinsically motivated to learn about this topic.

People learn when they accept challenging but achievable goals: One of the biggest challenges that I present my Grade 9 English students with is to write a research essay. For most, it is their first foray into writing an essay, and it is a very intimidating prospect. By breaking this process down into small, manageable chunks, I am able to slowly and gradually lead them through this daunting process. By the time they are done writing the essay, most comment on how it was not nearly as difficult as they anticipated it would be AND they have learned many new skills relating to essay writing in the process.

Learning is developmental: To be honest, this is something that I struggle with. As a high school teacher working in a college prep school, the expectation is that all students are working to defined expectations. If they have not developed to the point where they are able to meet these expectations, they are asked to leave the school. Thus, assignments and expectations are not modified (wrongly?) to account for different levels of development.

Individuals learn differently: As teachers, we must recognize that every student has different intelligence strengths. Where one student may be strong at performing arts, another may be more skilled music, while yet another may be a strong writer. One way in which teachers can tap into each student’s strongest intelligence is to offer different options with respect to how the mastery of skills or knowledge is measured. For example, a final assessment based on Romeo and Juliet might include options such as choreographing and performing a dance routine that demonstrates a theme from the novel; another option might be to create a video, or a painting that demonstrates an understanding of the key ideas covered during the study of the play.

Much learning occurs through social interaction: The challenge here is to keep students focused and on-task. Thus, learning activities involving social interaction must be high-interest. When studying To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, I have the students debate issues relating to racism. When studying Lord of the Flies, I have the students work together to interview the boys on the island as if they are on a talk show. These socially interactive activities are fun and engaging, and my students enjoy learning more when they are working together on these activities.

People Need Feedback to Learn: The essay process can be very complicated. By breaking it down into steps, and providing meaningful feedback during each step, my students clearly learn and understand each step of the essay writing process. By the time they actually write the essay, they often find it quite straightforward because I have provided meaningful feedback to direct them as they move forward, or to correct errors or misunderstanding that might otherwise have lead to problems when writing the essay itself.

Successful learning involves the use of strategies – which themselves are learned: There are several strategies that I employ in my classroom to assist my students in this respect. First, every major assignment that I give my students is clearly broken down into manageable, clearly explained steps that are spread out over a clearly defined timeline. Students are constantly encouraged and reminded to be working on these stages. Due dates are always written on the board, and students are constantly reminded to write down these due dates in their planners, thus teaching them organization and time management skills.

A positive emotional environment strengthens learning: I am a firm believer in making the classroom environment positive and fun for my students. I try to regularly inject humor into my lessons, and respond to all comments by my students positively. I truly believe that my students feel at ease in my classroom; they come into my classroom knowing that they will be able to learn in an encouraging and fun environment.

Learning is influenced by the total environment: When I teach Modern World History, the major semester assessment is a mock trial. Students are asked to defend or convict a controversial figure from the 20th century. While most students agree that this is one of the hardest assignments they have ever had to do, they also assert that is one of the most memorable, and that they learned a tremendous amount of information relating to a historical figure and that person’s place in history.

I believe that, with the possible exception of the differential developmental stages, all of the above are viable in my classroom, and are being practiced to a greater or lesser extent, as evidenced by the examples provided above. With respect to the different developmental stages, there are undoubtedly ways in which I could improve my awareness and ability to assist students who are at different stages. Students who are at higher developmental stages could be challenged to take on more challenging assignments, or perhaps mentor students who are struggling to learn a skill. Where and when possible, I work one-on-one with students who are struggling with the curriculum or with a skill.

I will say that this assignment has helped to raise my awareness of various learning strategies which I consciously or unconsciously employ in my classroom, and as such, serves as both a reminder and a re-enforcement of good pedagogy that teachers should be practicing in their classroom.

Journal Topic 3: Constructivism

There are quite a variety of benefits to constructivism. Since constructivism calls upon students to work together collaboratively, students must learn to work together and communicate their ideas effectively. With many different people contributing ideas, students are in a position where they must learn to negotiate with others in such a way that all voices are heard and everyone is able to make meaningful contributions to the learning process. With many voices expressing disparate ideas in our world today, this is a skill that will serve students well later in life. In addition, constructivist classrooms help to break down the walls of the classroom by encouraging students to examine authentic, “real world” problems or questions. This allows students to more easily relate this learning to their lives outside the classroom, as they can more easily apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom to new situations they encounter outside the walls of the classroom. Constructivism also encourages a much stronger personal investment on the part of students in the learning process. Since much of what the student learns in a constructivist classroom is a derivative of inquiries launched by the student, they feel more closely tied to the information they are learning; that is to say, if you pose a question, it is probably because you are actually intrinsically interested in knowing the answer to this question. Thus, you will most likely feel a stronger sense of initiative with respect to the learning process as you move through the steps required to find an answer to your question. You are probably also more likely to remember information that you were highly motivated to seek out.

One of the most important benefits of constructivist learning, though, is that it teaches you to think; rather than simply memorizing information in an uncritical, passive manner, constructivist learning activities encourage students to think, analyze, critique, question, formulate theories, and explore hypotheses. Significantly, the skills learned through this type of active learning can then be applied to almost any activity outside the classroom, whereas knowledge that is passively learned often does not involve learning the skills noted above that can be transferred and applied to new situations outside the classroom.

Finally, one of the greatest challenges that teachers face is trying to find ways to make learning interesting enough for students that they WANT to learn. Too often students complain about being bored and tune out because they don’t enjoy being “talked at.” Students want to a part of the learning process, and a constructivist classroom provides opportunities for students to become actively involved in the learning process. Students who are excited about learning and who want to learn, will ultimately be more likely to stay in school (as opposed to dropping out) and will enjoy a far more enriching educational experience than a student who is simply a passive vessel waiting to be filled.

As with any educational practice, teachers must carefully assess to what extent that practice is truly meeting the needs of their students. There are questions and concerns that I would have about how successful Constructivism would be in a high school English classroom. For example, would constructivism, a practice that seemingly focuses more on the learning process than on the amount of information learned, enable students to learn enough knowledge to adequately prepare them for A.P. English or university level English class? Similarly, would this focus on learning to learn come at the expense of knowledge required to be successful on an SAT? The reality is that, for better or worse, these types of standardized tests are still the measure used by most universities to determine whether a student should be admitted to a university. Certainly, a student who is a product of a constructivist environment would in many respects be better equipped with the skills necessary to be successful in university, but would they even make it into that university without the knowledge base provided in a more traditional classroom environment. I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I do know that as long as universities continue to use standardized tests to measure the worthiness of a student, constructivism may, ironically, be detrimental to a student’s chances at being accepted into university.