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As I left class last week, I
wondered what significance the old story and the new story have on 21st
century learners. I thought maybe BIG ideas, creative insights, and new
discoveries. As I start this blog, I want to say that as educators and teachers
bring learning to children and youth in schools, it is important that they take
it to new and interesting heights! First off, the old story can go beyond what
is already known to better the new story. So what is the old story you may ask?
The two approaches to education are traditional and constructive (I like constructive
more). John Locke’s traditional approach seeks to the concept of tabula rasa. For example, a student is born empty, like a blank slate but will not be later on as the teacher transmits the
knowledge to him or her (Androne, 2014).
On the other
hand, I can describe the constructive approach as knowledge construction not knowledge
reproduction (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010). As I pursue my educational endeavours within the artistic
field, I would allow the students to freely express and make intelligent
choices that help them learn to their best potentials when it comes to
visualizing their personal artistry. The progressive-center
paradigm shows that a teacher needs to begin with the preferences and the
interests of the students first (Darder, Baitodano, & Torres, 2009). I
believe that students are organic beings who are in the process of growing and
changing within their development. It is vital that a teacher must plan out and
recognize the developmental stages that each of the students are at because
they are the facilitators of their learning. I think this process of a
continuance dialogue between the student and teacher forms a communicative
relation that is democratic as the educationalist John Dewey would definitely
agree on. It is also important to take in mind that education engages with the
notion of 'experience'.
The Journey of the New Story…
Flipped Classroom
So enough
about the old story, let’s build on the new story. The flipped classroom is one
ideal that is becoming more and more popular in classrooms today. I am actually
doing this in my education course 4P19. It is not the traditional method that
has the teacher lecture for hours and hours while the students sit in separate
seats and listen. Rather, the students read and gain the course material before
hand and when it comes time for class, the teacher actively clarifies that
knowledge through activities, projects, or discussions. In this way, the students
have the opportunity to voice their own thoughts and insights while developing
deep thinking and reflection. Take for example, the success criteria assignment
that I had to create with limited instruction as to how to go about it. Yet, I
managed to create one that embodies the structure and meaning of what a success
criteria is by using the exemplar in the textbook Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century
Learner.
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PBL, Project Based-Learning
So you might be thinking, is that all to the new story? No, let’s look at another learning method, PBL, project-based learning. This is one comprehensive approach that reflects content mastery and critical thinking. Students learn by ‘doing a project’ or ‘an experimentation’ and this demonstrates:
· Student voice and Choice: Project work allows the students to make their own choices that interests them, thus they become active learners and decision makers in reflecting on the layout, execution and intent of the project.
· Feedback and Revision: With importance of feedback and revision, students are able to critique their other peers and suggest improvements on specific areas where the project can grow even more successful.
· Problem-Solving: Students learn to process solutions for difficult problems.
· 21st century skills: Students learn to work in a team while gaining communication among their classmates.
· Inquiry and Innovation: Students make real
inquiry that is not about researching for information and noting it down,
rather inquiry enhances the students to question problems and to look for
resources that lead to the discovery of their answers. They learn to draw on
their own ideas and conclusions.
· Driving Question: This is a question that captures the interest of the students and allows them to apply the content through critical thinking and reflection.
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Check out this interesting video on the concept of PBL:
(https://youtu.be/LMCZvGesRz8)
PBL makes school engaging for students and it is student-centred. In my understanding, PBL is not just a ‘regular project’, not a project given to reward students for their learning but it is the learning and the process that are the reward (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010). In a way, the method allows for the growth of a ‘new mindset’ instead of a ‘fixed mindset’ to foster while experiencing real-world prevalence to learning (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).
So to end this very first blog, I leave you with this quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”~ Nelson
Mandela
So good luck in discovering your teaching journey…
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References
Androne, M. (2014). Notes on john locke's views on education. Procedia - Social And
Behavioral Sciences, 137, 74-79. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.255.
Darder, A., Baitodano, M. P., & Torres, R. D. (Eds.). (2009). The critical pedagogy reader
(2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom
assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Canada: Oxford University Press.
Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J. R. (2010). Seven essentials for project-based learning.
Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/
num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx.
