BIG SHIFT - Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture

As Richardson (2006) so eloquently states of the Read/Write Web, it is “one of seamless transfer of information; of collaborative, individualized learning; and of active participation by all members of the class” (p. 127). With the continuous process of creating and sharing content, Richardson relates ‘shifts’ in thinking about content and curriculum and how educators can best teach students.

One of Richardson’s (2006) ‘shifts’ identified as “Big Shift #4: Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture”

(p. 129) resonates with me personally. Although I am somewhat of an auditory learner, I have found over time that I do actually understand more after I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the learning with colleagues. Gone are the days when the teacher was the ‘sage on the stage’ lecturing to large groups of students who sat scripting everything, and welcome are the days that students can engage in their own learning by accessing multiple sources for understanding!

Today’s technology has opened the field of education to one that empowers the learner! As Siemens (2002) indicated, collaborating, having conversations, and making connections are simply starting points to learning and the ideas generated by networks propagate further discovery and understanding. Students become active participants in the design of their own learning and we, as educators, are preparing them to be more involved in their own futures.

I see this with my own practice as a professional developer with new teachers! I even feel guilty for what I made those new teachers 10 years ago endure! I am a MUCH better “collaborator and conversation facilitator” than lecturer! AND, the resources, tools, and strategies I am learning from others in the PLS “Building Collaborative Environments” course is the best example of teaching and learning I’ve witnessed since being a part of my blended doctoral cohort! This has definitely shaped me as an educator and as an educational leader, and I value continuing opening many more windows for future learning, sharing, extending, and probable ‘shifting’ of my own!

References:

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Siemens, G. (2002, Dec. 1). The art of blogging. Elearnspace: Everything elearning. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm

Connectivism – Is it New or Part of a Continuum of Change?

As Group C has so nicely prompted my thinking, I found myself asking the very same questions I was reading…..

1. "Is Connectivism really new or part of a continuum of change?”
2. “Are the changes created by technology advances and the internet that new that we need a new learning theory?” and,

3. “If the changes differ only in degree but not their fundamental nature, do we need a new theory?"

These are great questions, but from my perspective, does it really matter? Isn’t the goal for educators one of connecting with students for their understanding and meaningful application of that understanding to life?

In my opinion, Connectivism is simply the 21^st Century way of making learning even more effective! We no longer need to muddle through the encyclopedias that in the 1960’s and 70’s cost an arm and a leg for our parents! Our children and grandchildren can access information at the touch of a button, AND get more accurate and up-to-date information than any of us had even dreamed of!

Permit me to challenge YOUR thinking, and focus not on whether it’s a theory, but rather on its impact on learning!

Skype is NOT just for Grandmothers!

Although utilizing Skype is a great way to connect with my granddaughter, it is ALSO a great tool to use in the classroom!  Let me share how some teachers in our district are utilizing this wonderful tool!

Ø      Grade level and content teachers have used Skype to chat with various authors. This has provided students with a wonderful experience extending their understanding of authors’ points of view.

Ø      Science and Health teachers have used Skype to chat with doctors and physicians’ assistants from Lehigh Valley Medical Center.

Ø      Grade level and science teachers have chatted with a scientist from NASSAU.

Ø      Students researching their graduation projects have utilized Skype to converse with business partners and senior citizens, among others.

Ø      Students in World Language classes chat with students in various levels, different schools, and even different countries! What better way to learn a language than to speak with a native speaker!

Ø      Students in our East Penn Cyber Learning Program (EPCLP) utilize Skype to access their online teachers and for extra tutoring help.

As I reflect on my use of Skype with other educators and what I’ve seen other educators doing, it amazes me how far we have come! The ability to actually see, to speak with, and to hear a partner “live” via one’s computer not only helps student understand but also helps develop their relationship skills – a vital component of 21^st Century learning!

I know that as I continue professionally developing our teachers, I will continue to utilize Skype. It’s a great way to model a 21^st Century chat and to “connect” with other educators worldwide! I can’t think of a better way to extend learning in the classroom!

Universal Design for Learning and Utilizing Digital Content!

I'm in a session at our Intermediate Unit learning more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how learning has changed in our everyday life.  The session began by asking the group, " What are you doing digitally in your everyday life?" Answers include paying for gas, getting directions, getting cash, finding phone numbers, checking on the weather, getting recipes, paying bills, and even buying and/or listening to music.  WOW, if you're from the Baby Boomer generation, "We've come a long way, Baby!"

The session challenged us to think about our STUDENTS' learning profiles - what motivates them, what their strengths/challenges are, what barriers they have to learning - and moving from a deficit-oriented remediation to a student-centered, resource-oriented and compensatory model. UDL anticipates the needs of diverse learners.

Image retrieved November 10, 2011 from http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/

This concept mirrors Danielson's Framework for Teaching in that the focus is on the learner AND Wiggins' and McTighe's Understanding by Design where the focus is learning/understanding.   Image retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://math.coe.uga.edu/olive/Portugal/Image3.gif

As educators, we need to have access to as many resources as we can so that we not only can provide optimum learning, but so that we can also work smarter, not harder! In otherwords ......, we need to not add more to our plate, but provide more choices on that plate!

For an AWESOME site to share with all of your teachers, whether they're new or veteran, check out this tool kit!

"What 'tools' do you use in your everyday practice? What sites are in your toolbox? How do you provide choices "on your plate" rather than adding more to it?"   

Image retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://ministryhealth.org/HealthConnectionOnline/2011Summer/plate.jpg

Podcasts for the Professional Developer

Image retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/15319336@N07/2060971197/

Are you an educational leader, instructional coach, professional developer, or a university instructor who works with teachers, new teachers, or those who are studying to become teachers? If you are any of the above, have I got a resource for you!

Podcasting, a free service that allows Internet users to pull audio files from Websites, provides educators with an almost endless supply of content. One Podcast site that I recently found is that of Dr. Laura Riffel, otherwise known as the "Behavior Doctor".  Although I first learned of this site through one of our district special education supervisors, I quickly began incorporating the site into my own online "New Teacher Induction" course. Any question a new or veteran teacher may have regarding student behavior is captured in a radio podcast! The tips Dr. Riffel provides are applicable to ALL students, and I think you will find her site a welcome "go to" spot when you have questions from any teachers regarding discipline!

Here's a link to the Podcast I just used with new teachers yesterday entitled, "You Can't Make Me Yogi", a short session to guide teachers for those students who say, "I don't want to and you can't make me"!

Dr. Laura Riffel

Image retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.blogtalkradio.com/behaviordoctor

Flickr Possibilities

Who among us does not want
                or need
             more TIME?





Image Citation: Time. Retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartlepool_museum/5633910355/sizes/s/in/photostream/

I am not an expert on time management nor do I pretend to be one; however, among the myriad of technology tools out there for educators is a recent new find for me -  Flickr! Flickr is described as a Yahoo Photo/Video Sharing Service and according to Wikipedia, hosts more than 6 billion images as of August 2011.

As I searched through the gallery, ideas just started to flow! Talk about saving time and my favorite adage, "work smarter, not harder"! This morning I visited a 6th grade classroom where the teacher provided four project options for her students as a culminating activity to having read the book, The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis.  One of the options was to create a mind map utilizing pictures! I should have thought of this then, but I want everyone to know that I did just follow through with an email to her with the link to Flickr! What a great resource - not only for the teacher, but for her students, too!  Not only will this resource save her TIME, it will provide the students with more options AND 21st Century skills - a win/win

As a professional developer,  I can see endless possibilities for encouraging teacher use of this tool from not only the classroom project perspective, as mentioned above, but also for writing prompts and reflections - just think of the possibilities. 

One site, the Teachers Network, recommended that teachers create their own Flickr class accounts, making it easier to access class work while also providing the option of keeping all work private. This particular site also provided an example of students who were not able to find some images on flickr, but uploaded Google images to their flickr group page, enabling them to collaborate with each other and to embed comments on the images by using either the notes or description features.

I can't wait to begin using this more!

Fundamental Instructional Practices

As we continue to learn more about "what works" and "what doesn't work" in the field of education, one question continues to surface....."What makes a fundamental instructional practice 'fundamental'?" Our district is currently investigating Instructional Rounds , a network approach to  improving teaching and learning. 

Before, during, and after each monthly session (since August), our goal has been to learn as much as we can about what "our beliefs" are as they relate to best practices (fundamental instructional practices). As we journey together to learn more about "rounds", we research, discuss, plan, collaborate, engage each other in conversations about fundamental practices, and then go even more deeply during each subsequent session ......all before we plan to embark on our very first "rounds" (not slated to begin until January).

During our most recent session, we decided to charge each other with scanning our district classrooms for pieces of evidence that relate to practices such as an opening set, providing directions, questioning, lesson tasks, assessments, and closing sets. A resource that was shared with us and provides over 1200 strategies and their definitions is hyperlinked for you to visit. I found it to be a great resource as I began informal visits around the district.

I hope you find this information valuable, and if anyone has additional sites that could serve to provide resources for helping us develop our answer to "What makes a fundamental instructional practice 'fundamental'?", please share!