How Neckties Prevent Disease

In university, I remember one of my professors sharing an anecdote about a trip to Sierra Leone. He explained that the villagers (from one local area he visited), believed that neckties protected people from disease. Strange - yes; but the conclusion that they had formed derived from the fact that all the agency workers, professionals and outside visitors (most of whom wore a tie) were never sick or impacted by the diseases to which they were often succumb. None of the local villagers wore neckties, and therefore, it must be the lack of neckties which caused there succeptability. In turn, ties were associated with health, prosperity and safety.

What I think we need to take away from this interesting anecdote, as educators, is the importance of drawing appropriate (and rational) conclusions. Especially, when it is those same beliefs that drive our programming, instruction and assessment decisions.

What the villagers had come to believe makes sense when you look at the surface evidence. Yet, when we add in the other factors and forces at play in this situation - there is certainly more to it than meets the eye.

In terms of the learning that occurs in your classroom - what assumptions are you making and how are using those assumptions to plan and assess for student learning going forward?

What "ties" are you focused on as indicators of student learning and appropriate assessment strategies?

Through what lenses can you observe, track, assess and provide feedback - in order to program for future learning opportunities?


Ultimately, what key issues do we need to shine a more critical eye on, in order to support student well-being and success?

My Evolving Educational Philosophy

What guts and confidence does it take to open ourselves up and expose our most personal views and insights for all the world to see. Education demands that we peer inside ourselves, first, and plan for learning, second. As teachers, self-assessment of what we truly hold important and that which we frame all programming and delivery decisions needs to be authentic, timely and specific; indeed, if it is to evoke needed re-tooling, re-framing and re-imaging exactly why it was that we stepped forward as our generation's "teachers."

Here is my journey so far. For me, my own education, classroom teacher experiences, professional development and life experiences have all culminated into what I can now confirm is an ever-changing journey of my own life and learning.  

THE BEGINNING: THROUGH A "TRADITIONAL" TEACHER LENS (2001)

(TEACHER'S COLLEGE)

Through my experiences as a student, I have developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge that can only grow through my future experiences as a teacher. My best teachers shared an ability to carry themselves and the material in a certain way directly to their students. I cannot wait to join the 'club' of teachers. I foresee myself placing an emphasis on critical thinking, especially on key world issues, so that my students will be able to 'decode' today's world into terms that relate to themselves and their experiences. I cannot wait to be given the opportunity to directly facilitate personal intellectual growth in the classroom through lessons, films, activities and exercises. I feel that today is an exciting time to be a teacher as resources such as the internet and personal computers have become key partners in the learning process.

THE MIDDLE: THROUGH A LEADERSHIP LENS (2010)

My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

Values and Guiding Principles

Education needs leadership. It craves direction and begs for insight. Teachers need to feel that they matter and are part of a bigger picture in the lives of their students. Without strong educational leadership, no teacher can teach to their true potential. Leaders find purpose and value in any action; whether it is a positive or negative experience. Visionary leadership is the ability to make connections that are not even there yet, and to offer possibilities that no one has thought of. However, it is the social connections that leaders make with their educational teams and staff that cultivates the audience for your school ambitions and goals as a leader.

My own personal philosophy of education is that people, intrinsically, want to better themselves. Learning and interacting are two important ways to accomplish this, and both are available through the vehicle of education.

The classroom environment is as important to a student as a home to a family member. Within these walls, students must feel safe, appreciated and welcome. Whether through the seating plan, wall posters or classroom routines; your decisions must consistently demonstrate fairness - not necessarily equality. The same is true for a staff. Fairness must emanate from your choices and actions. Your decisions must be transparent and predictable, that is how teachers become comfortable with your vision for the school and its direction as it pertains to their daily work.

Effects of my Philosophy on my Interactions

My educational philosophy guides and influences the majority of what I do and say. It is through my beliefs towards education that I foster positive relationships with colleagues and community, in an attempt to get closer to the promised land of self-fulfillment and attainment of my personal goals. Functioning as a valuable team member on a school staff is only possible through the use of the same differentiation instruction techniques we use when instructing students. Depending on the person we speak to, it is important to change our tone, change our words, or even to change our overall approach to the conversation. Our methods of reaching students are the same. No one style can reach all learners. No one approach can be successful with all colleagues.

Contemporary Issues/Theories in Education

I think that, as teachers, we find ourselves in interesting times. The current educational system in this province – and even beyond our provincial boundaries – is in disarray. Funding formulas seem unsustainable. Student enrollment is declining. Data-driven goals are placing heightened pressures on administrators and teachers alike. Caught in the middle of a technological revolution, schools find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to reaching students and motivating learners. Many teachers are learning how to implement new technologies and incorporate fresh ideas in their classroom practice, but curriculum constraints and increasing accountability to a vocal (and aware) public inhibit true change in many teachers today.

Whole shifts in the way we approach learning in a 21st century school are needed. Previous ideologies and values are being eroded and compromised by a student population that has been raised to believe, “that which they do not like, they re-write.” Online social media and web 2.0 tools have placed new perspectives on learning and the sharing of knowledge. Raising digital citizenship in our classrooms and surviving this educational crisis is only achieved through visionary and bold leadership decisions.

My Motivation to Become an Educational Leader

I want to be at the forefront of this exciting educational transition. Possibilities and perspectives emerging in academic and social discussions offer truly unique ideas in the organization and administration of schools. Having experiences as an overseas teacher, French teacher, Special Education teacher, and Junior/Intermediate teacher, have equipped me with a fused view of teaching from many different perspectives. Through my involvement with the Federation (as a collective bargaining rep and steward), I have been able to experience first-hand the overriding principles of our collective agreement and regulations and the practice of their implementation at the school level. This administrative step is the next phase of my educational journey in being a part of the new process of reaching 21st century students and teachers. It is only through direct involvement in these matters that I will satisfy my ambitions and pedagogy in the field of education.

THE NOW - THROUGH A SELF-DIRECTED/INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING LENS (JUNE 2013)

My Philosophy of Education

Students are the key. Whether it is designed authentic, learning experiences based on student need and interest; or engaging in purposeful conversations to uncover who they are and what they hold important – we need to know our audience.

Through inquiry-based learning, collaborative planning, feedback and sharing sessions, we are able to create the conditions for learning that will raise student engagement and improve student achievement.

Redefining teaching practice and constructing student-centered learning requires bold reflection and brave risk-taking. We need to expose ourselves as the life-long learners we truly are. We need to put our practice on display for ourselves and others to experience, discuss and reflect upon – if we are actually going to make the necessary changes to meet the needs of an ever-changing world.

The keys to facilitating learning for today’s students rests on our own ability to treat the daily experience as a work in progress and not a well-rehearsed presentation that we have perfected over the years.

If you want to join in the conversation of your own evolving educational philosophy and how you can make sense of it, use #engagedinmyed on Twitter. Thanks, Neil!

If It Bleeds, It Leads

Classrooms should be places that are linked to the outside world. One of the many ways that you can make this happen is to program for current events. As a tool for literacy, social studies, science and even math, current events create a place to share news and explore student connections to them in a controlled and safe environment. As a place for learning, classrooms offer a forum that can follow the rules of discussion and debate and encourage students to compare points of view and even bias in the media.

With the real-time coverage of the quake and tsunami disaster in Japan unfolding in front of us, students will be watching these horrific events in a way that is reminiscent of the Twin Tower explosions during 9/11, 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami that decimated parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that our children and students cannot be sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. If it is a major news event - whether war, natural disaster, plane crash or terrorist attacks - our youth will be watching and attempting to process it.

It used to be that these events were mere words on the page with a black and white photo in the newspaper. Hard to come across and even harder to imagine, disturbing news items were experienced by adults and kept within mature circles of conversation. Now that our students are actively pursuing information and media stories, it is the job of teachers to prepare them for what they are going to find.

We need to teach about global issues and the power of humanitarian efforts in minimizing loss of life and supporting the international community. We need to assure them of their safety, but be careful to educate them about the reason that these natural disasters occur and perhaps why they are growing in severity and magnitude. We need to expose the linkages between media, point of view, bias and news-making. Students have to understand why these stories are covered in the manner that they are; who covers them; who owns the networks that determine what is news-worthy; how this all impacts on the final video clip, tweet, headline or streamed video link that they view.

In short, we need to create a world for them that is safe from harm, but not ignorant of it. Give the tool of critical thinking when exploring current events. Their eyes are already open to them, but how they process what they see and feel is largely up to us as teachers.

Critical Thinking - A Flawed View of the World

Perception is everything in a world that is driven by rational and reflective individuals. What we think about something is shaped and contorted by our schema, which largely influences our actions. The world as a whole has a number of perceptions and bias about it that have become part of our collective consciousness and version of the truth. Geography is a perfect example. Human-made maps and collected data have shaped our view of the world and its places. The result is adopting and believing things that are inaccurate or misrepresented.

This West Wing clip entitled: "Why are we changing maps?" explains this very point. Critical thinking in a classroom is important. With nothing else at your disposal, you can always rely on open-ended questions and critical thinking to ignite discussion in your class. The quality of the talk and duration of the conversation will always depend on the nature of your class, but even if the discussion relies heavily on only a few students, the others should still be listening.

Students need challenges. The ones that really inspire thought and harness the potential of the student mind lack an answer and dare them to try. Critical thinking is vital to preparing global citizens and responsible members of the world. Progress demands that we question. History begs us to improve. Teachers need to set the stage in their rooms before releasing students into the world.