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| Source: http://timemanagementninja.com/ 2012/07/how-to-tie-up-the-loose- ends-of-your-productivity/ |
As I look back on the past
few weeks I realize that time has flown by in EDUC 4P19. It’s not even November
and already I have read an entire book about integrating curriculum via
backwards design! I have learned about the new story, and how it differs from
the old. I have studied the backwards design process and critically analyzed
many of its intricacies. I’ve even come to recognize the
implications of the grading culture on teacher practice and well-being. However, as I
read through my previous blogs, I realize I’ve left some ends untied…
Did anything I
read resonate with my opinion that the “Be” should be left up to the
students to decide?
I don’t think so... I don’t
really know when or how I came up with that idea. I’ve never even thought about "who" should determine "what" in curriculum design before this class – I always
just assumed the ministry would take care of it all. I think that the opinion
developed because this class has given me an opportunity to critically assess
the education system in its current and potential states. In so many classes I am asked to scrutinize and analyze, and to create new ideas, to revolutionize
education, but so often too are these ideas penalized for sake of not being
what the instructor believes in, or not what the instructor is “looking for” in
a particular answer. This class, in its fundamental design, allows for free
self-exploration and expression. The holistic grading approach, allows me to
consider ideas such at that above without fear of hostility. Therefore, I guess
all of my readings kind of lead me to developing the idea. I ask why not
leave it to the kids to decide? If integrated education via backwards design means
students’ daily learning is based on specific knowing and doing outcomes from the curriculum, I guess its just a personal belief of mine that since
“Be” items aren’t explicitly stated in the curriculum that students should have
the freedom to choose who they will become throughout the learning process. Furthermore,
in life, I don’t believe anyone has the right to determine the “Be” for anyone
but him or her self.
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| Source: http://activemartialartsgonzales.com/blog/ |
Why
do I think the idea of completing work that associates to real-life situations
connects to the “Do” and the “Be” we have been discussing in the curriculum, or
to project-based learning?
Project-based
learning allows students to “Do” and “Be” in order to create the “Know” for
themselves. In traditional education, or old story education, students were
seen as empty vessels ready to be filled with knowledge and little effort was
required on their part in gaining it. Now however, students are viewed
as more than a mind in a body, and it is recognized that their entire human
form must be involved in learning for it to be most rewarding. Therefore,
students must “Do” and “Be” via exploration or project-based learning in order
to truly gain any form of “Know”-ing. Further, real-life relevance embeds
student learning in relatable situations, fostering higher-level thinking and
learning. This learning is remembered better and longer than surface learning.
How
might the competitive aspect of traditional schooling be diminished through
project-based or inquiry-based learning approaches?
Project-based
and inquiry-based learning approaches have been depict in this course and this
blog as the centre of backward design curricula. The backward design process is
also rooted in continual feedback being given to students and holistic grading
approaches being used. Therefore, by continually dialoguing with students
regarding their exploratory learning (in project-based and inquiry-based
activities), grading can be more easily based on individual improvement and effort and
less on individual achievement. This shift of attention reduces the competitive
aspect of traditional schooling as it asks children to foster a growth mindset,
praising and rewarding their effort not their IQ, thus diminishing competition
between individuals.
Looking at my previous posts
and the loose ends I just discussed, holistically, I think I have really allowed
myself to wrestle with the course content and bring everything I’ve learned together.
I have been critical of the ideas we have discussed in class, and after deep
analysis have been able to recognize the benefits and drawbacks of the subject
matter. Simultaneously, I've personalized the information being presented to
me (by interpreting it within my own experiences and values) through this blog.
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| Source: http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images- frustration-d-human-one-missing-puzzle- piece-image34918314 |
However, as I work to develop my group curriculum, I have never felt as though my
devotion to learning has been challenged so strongly. Even as we began the
preliminary steps of the backward design process I found myself uncomfortable, and not knowing where to go, or what to do
next. I had studied the process in depth, and knew the benefits an integrative
curriculum presented, yet I was uneasy and anxious when asked to convert theory
to practice.
As we have discussed as a
blog group before, so often in teacher education we spend hours of our class
time studying theory, but too in often do we actually practice what we’ve
preached. As I’ve said before, this is the first class I have encountered that
has asked me to put my learning into action, and while I thought it would be
exciting and fun, it’s honestly been quite frustrating to start.
I’m starting to really consider
that maybe this is the point 4P19 seeks to convey: that frustration and
struggle produce grander, longer-lasting learners; gritty learners. But, I’ve
never had to navigate myself through an uncharted educational path like this
before so I’m wondering how, in this success for all design of 4P19, I’m set up
for success in this situation. I’m not using that as an excuse to give up, oh
no! I offer this statement as a
declaration. A declaration that I, and all other prospective teachers in
this class, need to be dedicated to, as Angela Lee Duckworth (2013) said in her TEDTalk: The key to success? Grit, "[being] gritty about getting our kids grittier!"
References
Duckworth, A. L. [TED]. (2013, May 9). Angela
Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit [Video
file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8
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