Is teaching an art or a science? I think this centers around the idea - are there natural teachers? can you learn to teach? how does one become an effective teacher.
Teaching is both an art and a science. Just as it is both an uplifting passionate experience and a frustrating, heartache. Just as I am both teacher and learner. Teaching is both the art of science and the science of art. It is an ever-changing experience and to be an effective teacher one must be willing to constantly evolve themselves. It is only as we allow ourselves to be changed by our students that we realize how great of an effect a community of learning can have on one another.
Teaching requires creativity. It requires the ability to think on one's feet, and to then dance the content across the room in an way that inspires students to jump up and dance in it too. This is the art of teaching.
Teaching requires careful practice and consideration. It requires a thoughtful plan, observation, and critical thinking. For this reason it is a science.
Ultimately, a teacher has so many roles that it is impossible to even narrow it down to the two choices. The job description for a librarian at SFUSD is that we are to wear four hats-- or was it five...? There are so many roles that we play within the school day, that we must just become flexible in ourselves. It is easier to sway in the wind than it is to stand still...
How does one become an effective teacher? They work hard, devote themselves to self-reflection, and learn how to flow.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Collaboration
Until entering this program through SJSU I have not had great success with collaborative learning assignments in my higher education. I felt like information was regularly jigsawed, but that as a student I was generally not responsible for learning the information other groups created. This program has given me a new perspective on collaborative learning. The difference is the way in which assignments have been designed. An assignment that requires students to critically confer with one another will help them to develop more complete ideas regarding the information they are learning. Students will be able to teach each other while learning themselves. The ideas presented in Understanding by Design seem relevant here (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). An assignment should be created to push students to deeper levels of understanding through the use of ongoing collaborative efforts.
One of the greatest benefits I have found through this blogging assignment was the motivation caused by the pressure of knowing that my peers would be commenting on my discussion. I found that I would think about each topic question a few different times through each cycle. I enjoyed reflecting on the ideas from a number of different perspectives and found myself looking forward to reading what each of you had written. Your comments have been insightful and I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you. This experience has helped me in the development of a new perspective regarding collaboration in education. While I may still drag my feet over the completion of an assignment, once it is finished, I find myself flipping back to the blog-- in anticipation of your responses.
That does not mean, however that a badly designed assignment will become any better just because students are working on it together. It just means that the students will get together and talk about how poorly designed the assignment was. Collaboration is an important aspect to learning, but in one sense collaboration is much like technology-- it is a tool that has become effective in learning, but simply using that tool does not necessitate that true understanding occurs.
Teachers rely heavily on collaborative efforts to best meet the educational needs of their students. At my schools this takes place in a number of ways. Most teachers share resources, ideas, lesson plans--as well as students since they are divided into ability groups for ELD time. They also meet weekly within grade levels to share ideas and discuss challenges and strategies to handle those. It seems as if teaching and collaboration are, at the elementary school level, intricately tied together. The challenge is learning to teach students to do the same.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006) Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
One of the greatest benefits I have found through this blogging assignment was the motivation caused by the pressure of knowing that my peers would be commenting on my discussion. I found that I would think about each topic question a few different times through each cycle. I enjoyed reflecting on the ideas from a number of different perspectives and found myself looking forward to reading what each of you had written. Your comments have been insightful and I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you. This experience has helped me in the development of a new perspective regarding collaboration in education. While I may still drag my feet over the completion of an assignment, once it is finished, I find myself flipping back to the blog-- in anticipation of your responses.
That does not mean, however that a badly designed assignment will become any better just because students are working on it together. It just means that the students will get together and talk about how poorly designed the assignment was. Collaboration is an important aspect to learning, but in one sense collaboration is much like technology-- it is a tool that has become effective in learning, but simply using that tool does not necessitate that true understanding occurs.
Teachers rely heavily on collaborative efforts to best meet the educational needs of their students. At my schools this takes place in a number of ways. Most teachers share resources, ideas, lesson plans--as well as students since they are divided into ability groups for ELD time. They also meet weekly within grade levels to share ideas and discuss challenges and strategies to handle those. It seems as if teaching and collaboration are, at the elementary school level, intricately tied together. The challenge is learning to teach students to do the same.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006) Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Online Learning
Taking online courses is a significantly different experience that face to face learning in a number of ways. Take, for example, the fact that I have been in the program here at SJSU for three years, and have still never been to the campus. A university campus contains a wealth of resources that students are able to take advantage of, which online students often cannot. During my undergraduate experience, I liked going to the gym, joining intramural sports teams, or watching performances. The educational experience becomes central to a student's life. An online education is designed so that students are able to continue the course of their lives while obtaining an education. For this reason, I would hypothesize that the majority of online students are there to take their education seriously. Nonetheless, it seems as if there is a large part of the educational experience that is lacking. To me, that would be the submersive environment of traditional higher education.
One of the main challenges to an online education is the high level of self-responsibility that accompanies student learning. Students who are unable to be motivated self-starters will be unable to succeed in this type of environment. Perhaps this is one of the skills that online learning fosters, but more likely, those students are are not self-starters will not be able to obtain an online education.
The online education I am receiving is more collaboratively based than any classes I have ever taken. Is this the nature of online learning, or is it merely the current educational practice? I'm not sure. What has gone along with this, is a plethora of collaboratively created online content. The nature of collaboration evolves in the face of virtual education. As we are working with online documents, wikis, blogs, etc., we have to learn to become used to publishing unfinished work so that others are able to collaborate on that project. It is frightening to publish work that you know is unfinished. It has been challenging learning to let go of the insecurity regarding that experience. An interesting byproduct of that concept is the evolution in my personal idea of what constituted completed work. In the past, once a paper was printed out, it was finished forever. Now, using collaborative online tools, I find myself rethinking choices and reflecting on ways that my projects can be revisited and reworked. Assignments that have been published online can be drawn from and expanded upon to find new life. For example, I have begun sharing my tween book blog with students as an opportunity to teach them to write their own book reviews.
Ultimately, each teacher is different and each class is a unique experience. Online students, like students who attend physical classes, must learn the distinct style of their professors.
"Students must repeat the acclimation process for each Web-based course at the beginning of a semester" (Orellana, Hudgins, & Simonson, 2009, p. 354). As we are unable to see the people around us, this acclimation process makes the beginning of each semester a slightly uncomfortable process.
Orellana, A., Hudgins, T., & Simonson, M. (2009). The perfect online course. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
One of the main challenges to an online education is the high level of self-responsibility that accompanies student learning. Students who are unable to be motivated self-starters will be unable to succeed in this type of environment. Perhaps this is one of the skills that online learning fosters, but more likely, those students are are not self-starters will not be able to obtain an online education.
The online education I am receiving is more collaboratively based than any classes I have ever taken. Is this the nature of online learning, or is it merely the current educational practice? I'm not sure. What has gone along with this, is a plethora of collaboratively created online content. The nature of collaboration evolves in the face of virtual education. As we are working with online documents, wikis, blogs, etc., we have to learn to become used to publishing unfinished work so that others are able to collaborate on that project. It is frightening to publish work that you know is unfinished. It has been challenging learning to let go of the insecurity regarding that experience. An interesting byproduct of that concept is the evolution in my personal idea of what constituted completed work. In the past, once a paper was printed out, it was finished forever. Now, using collaborative online tools, I find myself rethinking choices and reflecting on ways that my projects can be revisited and reworked. Assignments that have been published online can be drawn from and expanded upon to find new life. For example, I have begun sharing my tween book blog with students as an opportunity to teach them to write their own book reviews.
Ultimately, each teacher is different and each class is a unique experience. Online students, like students who attend physical classes, must learn the distinct style of their professors.
"Students must repeat the acclimation process for each Web-based course at the beginning of a semester" (Orellana, Hudgins, & Simonson, 2009, p. 354). As we are unable to see the people around us, this acclimation process makes the beginning of each semester a slightly uncomfortable process.
Orellana, A., Hudgins, T., & Simonson, M. (2009). The perfect online course. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Assessment
Assessment guides learning in a variety of ways. Education is increasingly being lead by data that is collected through examination. It is agreed that we need to check that our students are learning, but assessment can guide our understanding of how, not only our students are performing, but also our teachers, schools, and curriculum.
Student achievement on standardized tests guides so much of education. While I agree that it is important to ensure that all students are receiving a solid education, I sometimes feel that authentic learning gets hindered when teachers are forced to teach to the test. This test will tell us, not only how individual students progress from year to year, but also how they are doing compared to other students. Standardized tests scores compare how well students have achieved in each class, school, neighborhood, and city across the country. Some lawmakers even want to create a formula that correlates student achievement on standardized tests with the salaries of teachers.
Assessment is typically considered as a tool to assess student learning. It is the method to determine how well the students are doing their job.
Teachers are trying to inspire student learning, and they must evaluate their students' comprehension. If none of the students learned the material, then the teacher obviously had not been successful with this lesson. In this way, assessment is also a tool to determine how well teachers are doing their jobs. Assessment can guide teachers to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of their lessons and tailor them to obtain greater success in the future. They will also be aware of the gaps in student knowledge, and have a deeper understanding for what the students need additional assistance with.
Ultimately, the purpose of evaluation is so that we are able to think metacognitively about our educational practices. In order to discuss understanding, assessment provides us with vocabulary to use in the conversation.
Understanding by Design (2006) discusses the creation of rubrics to guide assessment. The details in the rubric provide learners with a clear understanding of that which is expected of them. Educators must carefully consider the desired student learning outcomes and determine what characteristics would demonstrate said learning. Two questions guide users in the evaluation of a rubric:
"Could the proposed criteria be met but the performer still not demonstrate deep understanding?
Could the proposed criteria not be met but the performer nonetheless still show understanding" (Understanding by Design, 2006, p. 188)? These questions force educators to examine, not only how well the students are achieving, but also the validity of the assessment itself.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006) Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Student achievement on standardized tests guides so much of education. While I agree that it is important to ensure that all students are receiving a solid education, I sometimes feel that authentic learning gets hindered when teachers are forced to teach to the test. This test will tell us, not only how individual students progress from year to year, but also how they are doing compared to other students. Standardized tests scores compare how well students have achieved in each class, school, neighborhood, and city across the country. Some lawmakers even want to create a formula that correlates student achievement on standardized tests with the salaries of teachers.
Assessment is typically considered as a tool to assess student learning. It is the method to determine how well the students are doing their job.
Teachers are trying to inspire student learning, and they must evaluate their students' comprehension. If none of the students learned the material, then the teacher obviously had not been successful with this lesson. In this way, assessment is also a tool to determine how well teachers are doing their jobs. Assessment can guide teachers to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of their lessons and tailor them to obtain greater success in the future. They will also be aware of the gaps in student knowledge, and have a deeper understanding for what the students need additional assistance with.
Ultimately, the purpose of evaluation is so that we are able to think metacognitively about our educational practices. In order to discuss understanding, assessment provides us with vocabulary to use in the conversation.
Understanding by Design (2006) discusses the creation of rubrics to guide assessment. The details in the rubric provide learners with a clear understanding of that which is expected of them. Educators must carefully consider the desired student learning outcomes and determine what characteristics would demonstrate said learning. Two questions guide users in the evaluation of a rubric:
"Could the proposed criteria be met but the performer still not demonstrate deep understanding?
Could the proposed criteria not be met but the performer nonetheless still show understanding" (Understanding by Design, 2006, p. 188)? These questions force educators to examine, not only how well the students are achieving, but also the validity of the assessment itself.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2006) Understanding by design. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
What is information?
Information is a broad concept that can be defined through many lenses. A physicist, librarian, and a reporter would each treat it differently. Christine Bruce discusses the way that our viewpoint of a topic correlates with our understanding of that topic. As we learn to look at information in a different manner, we are gaining knowledge. "We engage with and transform information; information engages with and transforms us" (Bruce, 2008, p. 53). We become different through the process of gaining knowledge.
Christine Bruce discusses a trend to refer to information literacy or information literacy instruction as learning specific skills; she feels that it should pertain to experiential use of information for direct learning (Informed Learning, 2008, p. 5). It is interesting that she comments on the distinction between gaining a skill set and transformational learning because the AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner are presented as a set of skills to be acquired.
These standards discuss the globalization of information and the necessity of educating students regarding the ethical use of information and the importance of analyzing information from a myriad of diverse sources (Standards, 2007, p.2). The standards acknowledge the vast quantity of information available and the importance of learning to choose, evaluate, synthesize and utilize that information.
In her Relational Frame for Informed Learning, Christine Bruce explains that, "Information may be experienced as objective, subjective, or transformational" (Informed Learning, 2008, p. 32). Much of the information students are presented in school comes from an objective or subjective perspective. I would even say that much of the subjective information that is presented, is done so under the guise of it being objective. In past eras, this was especially so. For example, I remember being in elementary school, learning about how Christopher Columbus discovered America.
History classes have often been presented from the perspective of a particular culture. In Arizona, a controversial law has just passed regarding the viewpoint through which American history classes are taught. This tells me that, while I would like to believe that all Americans believe in equitable access to all perspectives, there are still plenty of closed minded individuals attempting to control access to information.
As information has become increasingly digitized, access to that information has greatly increased. This has led to a democratization of information as individual citizens are able to publish information from and around the world instantly and effortlessly. With this democratization has come a reinterpretation of what information truly is. Where once, information users had access to a limited scope of perspectives, they are now able to access a wide variety of perspectives on any particular manner. This has allowed information users to synthesize a multitude of perspectives to be able to obtain a more objective understanding of a concept, as noted in the AASL standards.
Before the invention of the printing press, information was more difficult to disseminate. At that point in time, information was largely controlled by the ruling class-- the wealthy and religious sectors. People would receive information from one particular, subjective viewpoint. This is only possible in a closed society-- where there is no outside perspective to compare against. In today's modern society, with widespread digital information, people are able to develop more holistic understandings in their research. This has led to a transformation in the way that information is presented. Synthesis and creation have become important facets of information literacy instruction. This has brought us to an era of open information. Users are no longer expected to digest information, but to evolve alongside it.
Christine Bruce discusses a trend to refer to information literacy or information literacy instruction as learning specific skills; she feels that it should pertain to experiential use of information for direct learning (Informed Learning, 2008, p. 5). It is interesting that she comments on the distinction between gaining a skill set and transformational learning because the AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner are presented as a set of skills to be acquired.
These standards discuss the globalization of information and the necessity of educating students regarding the ethical use of information and the importance of analyzing information from a myriad of diverse sources (Standards, 2007, p.2). The standards acknowledge the vast quantity of information available and the importance of learning to choose, evaluate, synthesize and utilize that information.
In her Relational Frame for Informed Learning, Christine Bruce explains that, "Information may be experienced as objective, subjective, or transformational" (Informed Learning, 2008, p. 32). Much of the information students are presented in school comes from an objective or subjective perspective. I would even say that much of the subjective information that is presented, is done so under the guise of it being objective. In past eras, this was especially so. For example, I remember being in elementary school, learning about how Christopher Columbus discovered America.
History classes have often been presented from the perspective of a particular culture. In Arizona, a controversial law has just passed regarding the viewpoint through which American history classes are taught. This tells me that, while I would like to believe that all Americans believe in equitable access to all perspectives, there are still plenty of closed minded individuals attempting to control access to information.
As information has become increasingly digitized, access to that information has greatly increased. This has led to a democratization of information as individual citizens are able to publish information from and around the world instantly and effortlessly. With this democratization has come a reinterpretation of what information truly is. Where once, information users had access to a limited scope of perspectives, they are now able to access a wide variety of perspectives on any particular manner. This has allowed information users to synthesize a multitude of perspectives to be able to obtain a more objective understanding of a concept, as noted in the AASL standards.
Before the invention of the printing press, information was more difficult to disseminate. At that point in time, information was largely controlled by the ruling class-- the wealthy and religious sectors. People would receive information from one particular, subjective viewpoint. This is only possible in a closed society-- where there is no outside perspective to compare against. In today's modern society, with widespread digital information, people are able to develop more holistic understandings in their research. This has led to a transformation in the way that information is presented. Synthesis and creation have become important facets of information literacy instruction. This has brought us to an era of open information. Users are no longer expected to digest information, but to evolve alongside it.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Teaching about Information
What are the key understandings in teaching about information? (Synthesis due Oct 20th)
The ways that information is used vary greatly. Educators need to be aware of the multitude of information literacy skills students need to use so that they can ensure that they are hitting all of the skills. This is why the adoption of the new library standards is so exciting for teacher librarians. We are at a critical moment in the development of libraries and by having strong standards, we can guide our practices to ensure that we are protecting the future of libraries themselves. Classroom teachers are struggling to keep up with the educational mandates that determine what they teach. Many feel that they don't have time to teach information literacy. Those who do often become bogged down with technology issues and aren't able to transmit the necessary content. School librarians are aware of this and have made a move to take this content into their realm. I feel as if one of the key understandings regarding the teaching of information is
When designing a curriculum for teaching curriculum there are a number of accepted teaching points. The Big 6 is a popular method for teaching information literacy that highlights six skills that provide students with a strategy for dealing with any assignment or problem. The six stages include task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. Taken as a whole, these skills provide students with some of the most commonly accepted understandings regarding information literacy.
"As educators, we need to think about information use and its relationship with learning when we design learning" (Bruce, 2008, p. 3). Oftentimes, educators neglect to consider the bigger picture when designing a curriculum. We need to examine the specific skills that students need for success. This begins with topic selection, and performing successful search strategies, and then onto evaluating sources, analyzing and synthesizing information and using that to create knowledge.
Bruce, C. (2008). Informed learning. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Eisenberg, M. & Berkowitz, R. (1987). Retrieved September 30, 2010 from Big 6 website, http://www.big6.com/
The ways that information is used vary greatly. Educators need to be aware of the multitude of information literacy skills students need to use so that they can ensure that they are hitting all of the skills. This is why the adoption of the new library standards is so exciting for teacher librarians. We are at a critical moment in the development of libraries and by having strong standards, we can guide our practices to ensure that we are protecting the future of libraries themselves. Classroom teachers are struggling to keep up with the educational mandates that determine what they teach. Many feel that they don't have time to teach information literacy. Those who do often become bogged down with technology issues and aren't able to transmit the necessary content. School librarians are aware of this and have made a move to take this content into their realm. I feel as if one of the key understandings regarding the teaching of information is
When designing a curriculum for teaching curriculum there are a number of accepted teaching points. The Big 6 is a popular method for teaching information literacy that highlights six skills that provide students with a strategy for dealing with any assignment or problem. The six stages include task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. Taken as a whole, these skills provide students with some of the most commonly accepted understandings regarding information literacy.
"As educators, we need to think about information use and its relationship with learning when we design learning" (Bruce, 2008, p. 3). Oftentimes, educators neglect to consider the bigger picture when designing a curriculum. We need to examine the specific skills that students need for success. This begins with topic selection, and performing successful search strategies, and then onto evaluating sources, analyzing and synthesizing information and using that to create knowledge.
Bruce, C. (2008). Informed learning. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Eisenberg, M. & Berkowitz, R. (1987). Retrieved September 30, 2010 from Big 6 website, http://www.big6.com/
Sunday, September 19, 2010
What does it mean to learn?
What does it mean to learn? Learning is the ability to pick up new information. This can happen in a number of ways. It might involve analyzing or synthesizing information to discover new meanings that were previously unrecognized. Learning is achieved through a wide variety of ways-- be it audio, visual, and kinesthetic. Different people have varying success at learning through various modalities.
Learning is not an ability that only humans are able to achieve. Throughout the animal kingdom creatures acquire new understandings of the world around them. While some knowledge is inherent-- such as the ability of a young baby to suckle it's mother's breast. Other aspects of the same phenomenon are learned-- such as learning which nipple will provide access to the most milk. In a large litter, learning this information could be a matter of life or death.
Learning happens both formally and informally, directly and indirectly. Author, Tom Bodett explained that “the difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” This illustrates the fact that much of what we learn comes from direct experience. It is through new and different experiences that we acquire understandings of the world. These are ever-changing depending on the situations we experience. It is only because we learn to incorporate new knowledge into our perspective that we can understand how these fit together.
At school learning is thought to happen in a number of ways. Students might learn by memorizing information, such as multiplication facts, learn by practicing something, such as playing a musical piece, learn from observation, such as might take place by watching the behavior of a classroom pet, or learn by listening to a lecture. Now, as students are using more and more technology in the schools, the audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning are often taking place all at the same time—be it in front of a computer screen. The more modalities information is presented in, the more likely people are to learn it.
The old methods of learning are being replaced by new understandings of the manners through which people learn and the best ways to accomplish this. "If we learned to read by repeated drill and memorization only, and by thinking of reading as only decoding, making sense of a new book can be a monumental challenge" (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p.41). To understand a book, a reader has learned, not only how to decode, but also how to synthesize the words into ideas that can be reflected upon. As the reader considers an idea more and more, they are learning new ways to interpret the information they have gathered.
To learn is to acquire a new understanding based on input that is provided through any of the means previously discussed. Through these understandings, an individual will react to situations differently as they learn to navigate the outcomes until they discover how to achieve a desired outcome. This process many happen consciously or unconsciously. As an individual discovers the proper method to attain a desired outcome, they can use this information throughout situations. This process is sometimes referred to as transfer. "Transfer involves figuring out which knowledge and skill matters here and often adapting what we know to address the challenge at hand." (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p.41). When transfer occurs, then an individual has not only learned a cause and effect relationship, but also synthesized that information and applied it to another situation. This is a different type of learning.
Bodett, T. Retrieved September 19, 2010 from: http://www.bodett.com/storyarchive/quoteme.htm
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