My EDUC 4P19 Experience

Considering that I’ve never really looked at a curriculum document before this class, I found this class extremely beneficial to my future as a teacher. I have learned how to read the documents and make a whole entire unit using backward design, which I think is an awesome way to design a unit, having a big goal in mind. There are many different things that were done in this class that I think I will definitely use in my classroom one day, genius hour being one of them.

Last week's genius hour presentations were something that at first I didn’t really see having a point. I thought it’d be interesting but not very beneficial. However this was not the case. It was amazing to see other people’s perspectives on issues that I have always thought about and people passion towards so many different aspects of education. Bringing genius hour into a senior science class is something I think would be extremely interesting for both myself as a teacher and the students in my class. This will give students a chance to explore things such as different research going on, or just investigating a concept further and I’m sure many more unexpected fascinating and creative ideas. My personal genius hour was about reconstructing the Intermediate/ Senior Con. Ed. program plan to make it more effective and beneficial. Currently I think that it is too subject base, and taking fourth year advanced science classes are a little bit unnecessary to be a high school science teacher. I would much rather be taking education courses that help make me an expert in the specific knowledge that I will need to teach high school physics and science,which are concepts that I think I will have a hard time remembering considering I have not looked at them since I was in high school myself. I believe that in order for 21^st century education and the new story to ever become realistic and effective, the prospective teacher programs need to change so that we are learning more how to teach, not becoming experts at information that we will probably never use again, or observing classrooms but never actually learning and/or practicing how to teach. In order for the education system to change you need to start with the source, the teachers.

            Another part of this course I truly enjoyed was writing these blogs. It is not often that we have the time to freely write what we are thinking and reflect on our current educational experience, without being worried about marks, format and referencing. For the first time I actually enjoyed writing (I don’t think I’ve ever said that before). I think that as a future teacher blogs would be a great way to get constant feedback from my students and it was also a great tool for using assessment for learning. The three different types of assessment is another thing that I have learned from this course and will definitely be using in my future. Before this class I always saw assessment as marking tests or assignments and giving those mark to my students, as that pretty much the only type of assessment I received in high school, however I now see how much more effective it can be to use assessment for learning. Obviously assessment of learning is still important and apart of the curriculum because the students needs grades to get into post secondary schools, but using different types of assessment for the students to learn I think will be extremely effective.
          Overall many things I learned for the text and lectures are extremely useful and relevant to my future as a teacher. I now know so much about improving the education system to help students learn better, how to design units using backwards design and different methods of assessment. I look forward to using all of these tools and material in my future as a physics teacher!

from: http://48yo.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/teachlearn.jpg?w=750

Interweaving Within a Subject

As midterms come to an end and marks start to come back, again I’m left with the question of how a mark measures what you’ve learned. Why is it that so many education marks, specifically ones dealing with math and science, deal with writing papers? Is there no better way to assess these classes and what we’re learning? This is something I often become frustrated with because even though I learn so much, keep up with the readings and always engage in class discussion, my marks suffer because my writing skills are not the greatest. As a Physics major, I am used to writing in a lab report format and this is usually not viewed as a very good way of writing by education profs and/or T.A’s. But how would we change this? How could you make a mark based on what the student has learned? Everyone learns differently and will have different perspectives. Who’s right or wrong? Will creating integrated curriculums between different departments such as English and science help this?

In order for an integrated curriculum to work, I think that teachers would have to be specialized in more than one or two subjects. How would someone like myself ever be able to teach history or English in a physics classroom when I haven’t looked at these subjects since high school? I would not feel comfortable teaching these subjects, especially at a high school level, where what they learn is so important for the future. This goes back to my previous blog about elementary school teachers teaching all subjects. I think it is important for the teacher to know their material well in order to teach concepts correctly and confidently. Without knowing subject matter well how would you be able to design creative lessons that engage students in higher-level thinking? So although I do think that integrated curriculum can be done sometimes, within certain subjects such as math and science, I don’t think it can be as broad as some people picture it because in order for that to happen teachers would need multiple degrees to be experts in multiple subjects.

For my current group project where we are creating a unit where we are integrating big ideas within one subject. Instead of integrating multiple subjects, we have decided to integrate different types of science from the grade 10 science curriculum into one unit. I think that this would be a great way for students to be able to make connections between different strands such as physics and chemistry. Keeping them separate could limit students from making these connections, because the reality is they are all connected and I don’t think should be so separated until the senior years, where specialization in sciences come into play. In general science classes these connections are important. So integrated curriculum inside one class I think is great and doable for all teachers and will also lead to students thinking in a higher-order because they are making these connections and applying their knowledge to different concepts.

from: http://cdnetr.a.cdnify.io/images/learning_science_in_the_21st_century.jpg

Creative Teaching

After reading Chapter Four of Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment- Engaging the 21st Century Learner, I was left with many questions having to do with my future as a high school science and math teacher. Can evaluating creativity be implemented into high school math and science classes? Is it really measuring anything that has to do with these subjects or their corresponding curriculums? How would interdisciplinary teaching ever be possible in subject based classes, especially at the high school level?

I do believe strongly that everything being taught in math and science classes should be related to as many real world examples as possible, as this leads to higher-order thinking and better understanding of complex concepts, but I think that an interdisciplinary way of teaching is really only possible in elementary schools. But then I also think that elementary schools should be more like the innovative Calgary Science School where teachers are subject specialists, not generalists from grades 4 and up. I don't think it's right that a teacher with a degree in the arts is teaching grade 7 and 8s math and science, or a teacher with a math or science degree is teaching them subjects such as art and history;  something about that just doesn't seem right. If students who may be very good at math has teachers in elementary school that are not strong in math, this will lead to them falling behind and may lead to them being completely lost by the time they get to high school. I think that school needs more subject based at younger grades, in order for students to gain knowledge in the skills that they will need to succeed in all subjects in the future. I think each and every teacher a student has a huge effect on how they continue to look at that subject. Interdisciplinary learning is good in a sense of making connections and applying concepts, but in higher grades students chose the path they want to go on and go with it and because of this you need subject centred courses. Teachers should be creative in making real world and complex problems but in the end the subjects and units that the curriculum says each teacher needs to cover in a course are important. 

When it comes to implementing creativity into a high school physics classroom,  I think from the teachers approach it is important to design creative classes to allow students apply their knowledge, thinking in a higher-order and be intrinsically motivated. But in the end in subjects like math and science need to be marked on effort and getting to the right answer, not on creativity. I think creativity definitely needs to be used on things such as designing labs and experiments, and coming up with ways to solve problems but in the end the math and problem solving I believe out weigh the creativity aspect in these subjects. 

Backward design is definitely important in creating these lessons that provoke motivation and investment as well as enthusiasm in what they are learning. Metacognition is also really important, students need to learn how they learn best and when teachers are creative and create complex problems with multiple approaches that all lead to the same solution will allow students to be creative in a sense of choosing a problem solving method. 

In the end creativity is important in designing lessons that engage students and solving problems in math and science classrooms. The teacher needs to be an expert in this subject in order to do this and I believe this should start from a young age. 

source: http://media02.hongkiat.com/unleash-creativity-workplace/unleash-creativity.jpg

Ensuring ALL Students Learn

           In response to Professor Drakes blog this week, I completely agree. Schooling really has been about the grade we have received, not about what you’ve learned. What are grades if we don’t really learn? This is something I have often noticed in my upper year physics classes at Brock University. There are many things I should know from previous classes that I received a decent grade in, but the reality is I really don’t. I did at the time, I completed my assignments and studied for tests and in the end got a good grade, but what did I really learn? I learned how to be good at the “game of school” and give my professors the answers they wanted.

            I hope to see changes away from this with twenty first century education. But how does a teacher assess, and give out grades based on what a student has learned? Will higher-level thinking really help students to remember things in a couple years after they have taken a certain class? I guess it’s worth a try. I do think higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are a good end goal for the twenty-first century curriculum and will lead to success if mastered. From experience in tutoring jobs, I have noticed that a lot of times the things students will lack are problem-solving skills. They have all of the facts needed to solve the problem, but don’t know how to think abstractly about them to apply them to real life applications. Without a skill like this, what is the point of knowing facts? You need to be able to apply them, and I think this is an extremely important part of education and curriculum.

            When it comes to Erickson’s structure of knowledge, I don’t really think that you can rank those things in an order; they need to all be of equal importance. You cannot do one without the other, so remembering and understanding are just as important as analyzing and creating. I think a flow chart manner would represent this better.

            Knowing your students is something I believe is extremely important and I don’t think a lot of teachers realize this. You cannot teach to just one type of person. Each student is just as important, and everyone obviously has his or her own way of learning. I think a good way of getting to know your students and assessing where they are at is through pretests and portfolios. I always remember having to fill out these surveys at the beginning of classes, but I never really understood the importance of them. I think a diagnostic assessment is a great way to figure out where all of your students are at, and see what you may need to review. You cannot start every year or semester in the same way. Your lessons, especially at the beginning, need to change with your new students. Learning styles will change, background knowledge will change and the overall environment of your class will change from semester to semester.
            I know that in my future, as a physics teacher, there will be some semesters that I will need to and be able to do a lot of labs and hands on activities, while other years there will need to be a lot more in class practice problems and lessons. These are things that will depend on each class and group of students. In the end my goal is that each student learns important things, not just receives a good mark. I want to be able to prepare my students for university, not just give them the marks that they need to get in. In order to be successful at this I will have to know my curriculum and instruct it based on the different students I will have in my class.

source: http://pjmcclure.com/blog/learn-love-learning/

Integrating the Old Story and the New Story

As I begin to read this book, Interviewing Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner, chapter one reminded me of many things I learned last year in EDUC 8P50. The thought of school being a game and when you’re good at the game you will be successful in life. It is usually specific type of people who succeed in this “game of school”, as many teachers teach in a way that only benefits certain types of learners. 21^st century education is attempting to change this and improve education so that everyone can succeed, no matter what type of learner you are.

            I believe in order for this to happen, there needs to be a integration between the old ways and the new ways. The new story can’t be completely new in every aspect, but there can definitely be improvements and changes to the old story. We can’t completely push away from the traditional model, the teacher still needs to teach, and there are still things that students need to memorize (ex. multiplication tables) and be able to concentrate on their own without socialization. If this were to not exist in education in elementary schools and high schools, students would be shocked when they got to university or college. Secondary school still needs to prepare students for university or college or even the workforce, where independent learning needs to exist and you have to be able to obtain knowledge from a teacher or professor.

 I do think that project-based learning can be very beneficial too. It is extremely important for people to be able to work in a group and have good social skills, as this is apart of everyday life and post-secondary school. I think that the curriculum needs to integrate the traditional model with project-based learning to prepare students for life after school whether that is working or more school. The way curriculum is delivered is extremely important. The teacher needs to be aware of the different types of learners in the class. I think it is important for the teacher and the students to have the right attitude when it comes to succeeding. Everyone needs to be aware that anyone can succeed, sometimes this means the teacher having to boost a students confidence and giving them extra help or teaching them in a different way. I don’t think that a teacher can “baby” a student too much though, because again this is not preparing students to be successful in post-secondary school. I think the student has a big responsibility too, they need to learn how they learn best and I don’t really think this is something a teacher can teach them.  The teacher can definitely provide students with different types of strategies on things like problem solving and studying, but students need to be committed to their education and learn how they learn best.

As a future high school physics teacher (hopefully) I am really interested in reading further into this book and seeing real life examples of teachers who are using the new story of education in their classrooms, especially at the high school level in math and science.