Reflections

I have spent the majority of my time over the week of my spring break thinking through my learning that I have done since joining the Learning and Teaching with Technology master's diploma course. It's been good to give it such a concentrated effort, not only to leave my April a little freer for birthday parties and things such as full-time teaching, but to take serious time to reflect. I have learned a lot, but as the saying goes "The more I learn, the more I know I have to learn." The more I learn, the more I realize how stupid I really am!

I think I have made huge progress in each of the 5 capacities of the program. The learning curve has been steep and many times I have not wanted to travel this road as it has been hard work. I thought I was joining the "T-Lite" program, a precursor to this course which by reputation was much lighter in the workload than we have encountered. Oftentimes, I would think I was much too old for this. I have had to learn a whole new language and way of doing things.

I have changed as a teacher, as an educator. I used to hold myself as the "keeper of the knowledge" that students needed to learn, but I am learning to see myself rather as a facilitator to the children doing their own exploration of learning. I'm still figuring out how to do this effectively, but rather than deciding how to do it on my own, I am trying to let the children be learners with me on this journey.

The technology, which I thought would be foremost in this program, has been a interesting, and sometimes overwhelming, side dish. I have enjoyed dabbling in twitter, diigo, online PLN's, etc., but the main change has been inside me and my pedagogy. I did not expect this. I had thought I would learn lots of technology (read computer) things to do with my class to enhance the lessons I would plan. Instead, I have been forced to examine what I teach and why I teach it. What would be the best way to engage the learners? What research verification do I have to support it?

I have learned to look at myself as a teacher-inquirer. I reflect, reflect and reflect on those reflections! (inside joke) During a classtime, I think nothing of grabbing my camera to record something that is happening. Later I will remember what it is that I thought was noteworthy and think about it. Let me rephrase that...I will REFLECT on it. I have learned how to ask good questions and then follow a plan to discover the answers.

I am not quite so hesitant to put myself and my ideas out there in the global community. People who post on the world wide web aren't some super brains, (well, some of them probably are, but I'm not referring to them!), but just ordinary folk like me who are trying their best to make education a good thing for the children in their care, JUST LIKE ME! So I will continue to offer my ideas, continue to ramble on about my reading groups, my discipline issues, etc., because somewhere out there, someone else is probably going through the same thing, or has gone through it and now has some good ideas for me.

And now...I am taking a break. See you after the weekend!

Tweets about blogs...

So...as I continue to work on my final portfolio, I explored more blogs, tweets, etc. to see what other people are saying about things I'm learning. I came across a tweet from Tom Whitby where he refers people to his blog post "To blog or not to blog". I enjoyed the entry, but more so the comments after. In particular, I resonated with one response from a teacher who is starting to blog reluctantly. What got me was Tom's response to this teacher, which stated in my edited format.... "Never hesitate to offer your professional opinion. You are working day to day with children. You have been educated as to methods and Pedagogy. You are an expert in education with experience. Never doubt your expertise. ... Blog with confidence, but be reflective and flexible. That is what being an educator is about, Relevance...."

So here I am...blogging about my work as a teacher. Blogging to engage in this cycle of reflection and action. I don't think I have too many followers, and that's okay. If someone does stumble upon my blog, they can rest assured that I am just another educator trying to do my best in my situation with my students. And if by chance a parent stumbles on my blog, hopefully they will appreciate my attempts to articulate what I am trying to do in the classroom with his/her child. In fact, I would love to have parents interact with me on this level, as well as the daily, "How was ...insert child's name...'s day?"

And another tweet pointed me to another blog by Maurice Elias (via Edutopia) entitled "What's the Secret to Effective Classroom Management? According to her research (David Brookes in "The Social Animal"), a classroom that is productive, engaging and well-managed is a class where children have a strong positive relationship with their teacher, and vice-versa. When a classroom is based on trust, students are able to pursue goals of higher learning, not just getting the right answer. "Learning is work of the head and work of the heart."

Hmm, that makes me pause. With the classroom management issues I've been having in my room this year, I often find it easiest to slip into my authoritarian mode and make the kids want to obey me because they're too frightened to find out what would happen if they didn't. And yet, that doesn't bring out the best in the students or in myself, even though it feels better for a little while. How can I make sure that the students are doing their best? How can I encourage this trust factor? Is my struggle with reading groups developing this trust? The last few times of doing it, I am starting to feel that way. They are learning to work independently and productively for an extended period of time. Hopefully that's because they are working to please not only me, but also themselves. They are trusting. Another quote I find very relevant for my class .. "Those concerned about classroom management must simultaneously be concerned about student learning. Both thrive only when there are trusting, respectful, caring relationships between students and teachers. When the latter are in place, rules will be effective and the majority of students will be engaged learners."

I love this whole new world that twitter, blogs, PLN's, etc has opened up for me. And what I'm also enjoying is taking these discussions and putting them out there where other people than educator's are, ie facebook. (See previous blog)

till next time.