Transforming Student Learning: Mapping the Curriculum

Classrooms are changing. They are vibrant and filled with the noise of student engagement and learning - driven by personal goals and interests - not just scheduled curriculum plans. One of the first ways that you can join in on this refreshing style of education is to "Map the Curriculum" with your students. Giving them control of their learning by choosing the learning vehicle, product, success criteria, and level of support will boost self-confidence and intensify interest - in what you need to teach them anyway. This approach would especially benefit students in Junior, Intermediate, and Senior divisions.

*You can find a downloadable Microsoft Word copy of this "Curriculum Mapping Template" on my "Teaching Resources and Ideas" website here. It is yours to alter and use as you see fit in your classroom. This copy has an area beside each numbered question for groups to fill in as their plan while in their "think tanks."

*This is a link to a "Multiple Intelligences Product Grid" (source: Dr. T. Roger Taylor, 2002) that should be attached to the back of the Group Planning Sheet for students to consult when considering the "vehicle" choices for their projects.

First, divide your students into groups that will function as "think tanks" to determine the way that the subject is best taught given the needs and interests of the groups discussing.

Guiding Questions for Groups to Discuss and Plan:
*Hand them a copy of the curriculum "Specific Expectations" for the subject chosen (e.g., language, math, science, geography, history, arts, physical education)

1. How can we learn the information needed for each topic?

*textbook, library books, movies, internet, personal interviews, what else?

2. What environments could we use to learn in?

*classroom, library, around the school, other classes (class pairing/tutoring), in the schoolyard, in the community, at home/outside of school hours, field trips, what else?

3. How should we accomplish the learning?

*whole class lesson, small group instruction (guided), individual learning/discovery, peer/paired learning, what else?

4. What products or created-activities will demonstrate the learning to others?

*use of multiple choice intelligence grid, consideration of preferred learning styles (auditory, visual, kinesthetic), consideration of individual student learning needs (from special education plans, parent communications, student conferencing), what else?

5. How will we share our learning of the material?

*written projects, oral presentations (to teacher, to whole class, in small groups), demonstrations (computer presentations, working models, puppet shows, physical activities/games), what else?

6. How will we assess our learning? What checkpoints and processes should we follow before, during and after the learning process?

*Schedule key dates for checkpoints (what often should students "check in" to measure progress and get feedback on how project is coming along?)

*What kinds of self, peer, group, parent, and teacher formative (or "assessment as learning") options to support the learning process should we use?

*What "success criteria" have we created for this project that can be used to clearly measure our success in the learning goals? What will you know when your project has been successful in its completion?

**After each "think tank" session has finished, schedule time for the groups to each share and/or present their discussions and plans for moving forward. This should help spur new ideas for future sessions on other subjects targeted.

**Choose 1 lesson a day in the first few weeks of school (or any other time) to cover a number of different subjects using this approach.

Under these conditions, the learning has shifted from your complete direction to their discovery and an increasing accountability. This is a starting point in "flipping the classroom" from one ruled by you at the blackboard to one facilitated by you and driven by student needs, interests and motivations.

Do you already hand over the planning and "curriculum reins" to the students in your classroom? If so, what strategies do you use to increase both student engagement and accountability in their learning decisions?

Making a Case for Education

This blog is in defense of my profession. This post attempts to draw you in and hold your attention. These words should summon memories and feelings about schools and education. This is a call to educators, and society, to recognize what matters.

Reading media headlines such as "Schools Under Attack," and "More Cuts to Education Funding" should be a canary. These stories suggest that schools are places to be drained, minimized and altered. Society, and the global economy, is in tough right now. There is a battle playing out in our newspapers and on our television screens that wages war on public services like education and health care - in an attempt to 'balance' budgets or secure a better economic position.

To me, little more than education and health care matters. Society should be driven and improved through its public sector. We can debate about whether today's schools are successful in their endeavors of preparing students for the future; we can argue about whether hospitals and medical staff are performing their jobs in an efficient manner - but, we should not be having a conversation about whether these services are anything but vital.

The world economy did not crash and "re-adjust" itself on the actions of educators. Our current economic situation is not the result of cushy salaries or generous sick-bank programs. Capitalism, at its very nature, is an ebb-and-flow. Money needs to be lost in order to be made. Jobs depend on many things - some of which are needless and obsolete. Our system was not working and it finally caught up with us. But let's focus on what matters now. Through education we can prevent the inefficiencies and traditional economic model from working in a cyclical way. Our students have the potential to design a new system and plan - one that is sustainable and addresses our global needs.

Teaching needs to change - and I will be the first person to, not only acknowledge this, but also to help achieve it. There are many things that we can try in education to better reach students that are not being done as we speak. There are countless strategies and new ideologies about the nature of learning that can be implemented in a way that brings about real change. Teachers, like anyone, fear change when it compromises their security, well-being and comfort. We need to find ways to better educate our teachers about the future of teaching - without attacking the economics of their livelihood and causing resentment.

Most of this lasting change should begin in the Faculty of Educations across our province. Many of these new educational lenses must be adopted by our leaders as exemplars. And above all else, our efforts should focus on improved learning for students. With so many obstacles and challenges in the classrooms of today (i.e. student behaviours, minimized support), many teachers are getting by and doing the job they can do - not the one they should be doing.

Whether we are 'flipping the classroom,' teaching through differentiated instruction, or delivering inquiry-based programming, we, teachers, will drive the change and shift the face of the classroom from us to them. Except, how many teachers are willing to shift their practice and experiment with their pedagogy when they feel their job is under attack?

Grassroots change - real change - will only be possible through visionary leadership and careful planning. The potential of transforming student learning into meaningful, relevant and powerful experiences is at our grasp. We must not stay the course, but rather, venture on the other paths to truly discover our profession and purpose. What an exciting time to be an educator.

Banning "Teachers"

student: (noun) A person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college.

teacher: (noun) One that teaches; especially : one whose occupation is to instruct.

These definitions bind us. They pull us – and the system we endure – into the deep recesses of the mind. We are social creatures, and yet, we hold these titles as truths immovable. Empty vessels awaiting knowledge: they are not. We are in no way imparting our capacities onto this “passive audience,” known as ‘student’ in any lasting manner. At least, not when we teach as the definition would have us believe.

We need not instruct – on knowledge. Effective instruction should cultivate the learning confines as students drive their inquiry and experience. A student who is “formally engaged in learning,” seems to necessitate a ‘recognized environment’ like a school or college. But, we know that our students are learning all the while, especially when not in our classrooms, as they make sense of the world and its possibilities.

Teaching, indeed, needs to be flipped on its head. The formal classroom, the formal lesson, the formal experience – these things are begging for informal advances. Our education systems stand to gain everything from giving students the lead. If we teachers could only follow the creative musings and inquiries that our students inherently bring with them to our ‘formal spaces,’ we would gladly give up our place at the lectern and sit front row to their discovery.

Teaching is learning. There has never been a more important skill as a successful teacher than being a ‘lifelong learner.’ How can we know what it’s like be a student and learn; if we, ourselves, fail to experience it consistently and actively? If we are but the sum total of our educational experiences – many of us would stand fingers gripped across the lecturn edges as we scream and lecture and impart to whoever is (unfortunately) listening within our school walls. We, teachers, did not explore, create, discover, inquire and construct our knowledge in the way that studies and experts are consistently beckoning us to do. As a result, we do and teach what we know…

But, what if we enter that scary moment when chaos leers and lessons fade? What epiphanies might we encounter? What truths might we realize that were never searched for? What do we stand to lose by allowing our students to lead in their learning, as we assume the role of facilitator – not teacher – and cast off all shackles speaking of such things?

Ban the word, teacher. It imparts on us mistruths and misnomers about that which we aspire to, and yet, more often than not, find ourselves grasping in the darkness of educational constraints. We are all students – only without the need for being “formally” engaged. Learning is everywhere and everything – we dare not close it in.

The Merits of Online Learning and the Virtual Classroom

As with anything, there are both strengths and weaknesses to online learning. For years and years, online learning was dismissed as an inferior method of education for today's students both at the primary and secondary levels. However, as computer technology continues to grow and become an ever more essential aspect of our lives, online education has gained more respect in the academic world. Many individuals are seeking online learning avenues to better match their special needs. There are many aspects of education that online classrooms excel in and many other areas that traditional classrooms excel in. What seems to finally be agreed upon at this point is that online education is not wishing to replace the traditional classroom setting. These two avenues for education are available to meet the differing individual needs of different students. As more and more students flock to non-traditional modes of learning, we continue to discuss the pros and cons of online learning versus traditional classroom learning.

Pros

1. Anywhere, Anytime, Any Pace:

The most obvious and immediate advantage of online learning is that it allow students to participate in high quality learning situations from any place and at almost any time. Students from all areas of the nation and world can participate in classes as long as they have a computer and internet access. This flexibility in location and schedule is particularly useful for students with physical disabilities that limit their ability to access a traditional classroom. Furthermore, it also benefits individuals wishing to return to school who are currently working fulltime jobs, have families, or a bounded by some other daily responsibility. Though the requirements of different online classes will vary, the online classroom is typically available 24 hours a day. This means that students can develop their own schedules so that their education fits within their already complicated days.

2. Access to Resources:

The flexibility of the online classroom also allows instructors a number of options for their curriculum. Because the classroom is online, anyone can access it from anywhere. This means that instructors can easily include distinguished guests, experts on the topic at hand, and students from other institutions in the curriculum. With classes taking place through an online medium, it makes it much simpler for instructors to collect various online resources for students to utilize. Furthermore, online lines of communication provide an extremely convenient way for students to get a hold of their professor or classmates. With a world of information directly at their fingertips during their virtual classroom experience, students and instructors are able to expand on topics in more depth and can have better informed discussions.

Cons

1. Accessibility to Technology:

One of the major disadvantages to online education is that it requires access to the online learning environment. This requirement makes online learning inaccessible to a large portion of the population be it for economical or logistic reasons. Students from rural areas or lower socioeconomic lifestyles are put at a distinct disadvantage because of this. This is particularly an issue because one of online educations big ploys is that it is less expensive than traditional brick and mortar schooling, at least at the collegiate level. So, students who can't afford traditional universities, but can afford online tuition prices are still unable to attend because of their limited access to technology. Not only are computers an expensive investment, having reliable access to the internet is costly. If a participants' time online is limited by their ability to access the internet, then instruction and participation in the online program is not equal for all students involved.

2. Limitations of Technology:

Reliable technology is essential to an online program. Technical issues or internet problems can cause major issues for the success of a program. That being said, no technology is completely reliable. There will be technical errors and problems that occur regularly for an online institution. These technical hiccups can be majorly detrimental to the regular proceedings of an online class and to the learning that is supposed to take place. Because computer technology and the internet are such specialized fields, not everyone can maintain their devices in optimal working order. With this unreliability, online learning can be put at a huge disadvantage and students' learning experiences can be harmed.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes for online universities blog. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

Ignite. Incite. Inspire: The New Book Released

The new book release of Ignite. Incite. Inspire.": Examining 21st Century Issues in Education has happened. An artistic cover, table of contents (with numbered issues identified for each article), and a page explaining how the blog became a book have been added for a more complete print. A book preview is available for viewing in the right side margin of this blog screen.

The 'ebook' version of this book has been released on blurb.com. The link to order your copy is http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2989356. The cost is $2.99.

Paperback copies are $12.95 and hardcover (with dust jacket or imagewrap) are $29.95.

I have also setup a webpage for my book which can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/igniteinciteinspire/

My next step is to apply for a ISBN number in order to have the book available for sale on Amazon.com and even possibly in book stores. The process will take some time, but I will keep you updated and informed on my progress with this project.

Thanks again for your support and I welcome all feedback you have about the book - this is a certainly a growing experience for me as a writer and I would love to hear from you.