Never Pass On Your Passion

            To me having a passion is having the ability to have a strong feeling of longing, learning, and extreme interest in a topic. I believe that everyone has a passion but have I have found hard is realizing what that passion is. What I think has deterred me from finding my passion is the way I was educated. Throughout schooling when I was young I was told what to learn and how to learn, and the things that I was learning in school I wasn’t interested in. I was stuck in the bounds of school walls and only taught what is in the curriculum. So you may be questioning what is my passion? It may sound cliché for a teacher candidate, but my passion is working with kids. Whenever I am with children and young people I am at my happiest, I get enthusiastic and feel like I am at my best creatively. How did I find my passion? Since my schooling didn’t give me the opportunity to work with kids, I found it on my own exploring the world that is available to me. I started falling in love with working with kids after volunteering at overnight camp. To this day these were the best days of my life, Camp Quin-Mo-Lac has taught me so much about working with kids and working in the boundless environment.

Retrieved from:https://www.pinterest.com/jmorgan1811/word-art/

            No need to worry, there is room for passion within your classroom! This can be done through examples such as Genius Hour. Genius Hour is one hour dedicated (a day or a week) to whatever you’re your students find interesting. Each student have the opportunity to choose their own topic that do not have any relation to what they are learning in class; and they get to create a project any way they choose to that they can share with the world. Students are given no guidelines or timelines, but instead are given freedom to do anything they want to. Teachers are only there to help facilitate and give feedback to students. Working with their passions students is able to enjoy what they are doing, but they also come across hardships while creating their projects. Even with these hardships that they come across while creating because they are doing something that they love to do make it worth doing it.

            An amazing example of a young person learning and working with their passion is Nathan Farbish. Nathan did a TED Talk with Cheery Creed Education where he talked about his passion of 3D printers. He describes passion as the thing that drive us to work, and “passion makes work not even feel like work”, “it is something we can loose ourselves in” in other words is that you do work because you love it and it makes you happy and excited to do it. I love his definition of passion because it really expresses how passion has a great power over what we do.  He found his passion because owning his own 3D printer was something that he has always wanted to do but it had kept on breaking down. This lead Nathan to learn how to fix and program his printer, he enjoyed it so much because of the want and longing he has had for owning this printer. After watching Nathan’s TED Talk you could really see his passion for learning about technology and programming. His passion has lead him to so many different opportunities such as going to a talk about the Programming program called Scratch at MIT and teaching his own tech teacher about programming. Like Nathan, students in our classrooms should have the opportunity early on to explore their passions which can lead them to other opportunities out in the community, where they can further their passion.

Nathan ends his talk asking the audience what are their passions? I would like to further this question and ask teachers, what are your student’s passions?

Looking Into The Mind of Mental Health Literacy

       Mental heath has created great conversation over the last few years, as it should, there have been many initiatives to lower stigma, and initiatives to provide treatment. According to the Canadian Mental HealthAssociation 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder. While, only 1 out of 5 children who are in need of mental health services receives them. Since school is one of the places that children and young people spend most of their time, how can educators attempt to help in promoting positive mental health? Mental health is linked to the Ontario Curriculum and school boards such as the Toronto District School Board has created Children and Youth: Mental Health and Wellbeing (2013) which is a two year strategy plan to help promote positive mental health strategies, identify, and intervene with and mental illnesses.

            In my 21^st Century Critical Literacies class a few weeks ago we had Dr. M. A. Castrodeale come in and talk to us about critical literacy, mental health literacy and ableims. He brought up this quote from the Personal Skills section of the Ontario Curriculum:

“Through the development of self-awareness and self-monitoring skills, students build a sense of “being” and an understanding of their own identity. They learn to understand their capabilities and strengths and to take responsibility for their learning and their actions. Through the acquisition of adaptive, coping, and management skills, students develop their capacity to self-regulate, respond to difficulties, and develop greater control over their lives. All of these skills build resilience – the ability to protect and maintain one’s mental health and emotional well-being while responding to the stresses and challenges of life.”

YES, this section does address promoting positive mental health for young students, BUT it also, places blame on the students, labels them, tells them if they cannot be “resilient” than they may not be able to succeed academically. Much like the TDSB Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy it focuses on curing problems with mental health. So my question is how can we change out school system to have a safe place where student with mental health needs can achieve academically and mentally, rather than trying to fix them to fit the system? This is a huge question, and to be honest I don’t even know where to start to answer it. It could be a large problem where the whole system needs to be changed through maybe boards can help create change, or even schools. Though as a teacher these are some things that B. Vanstone suggests that can be done in the classroom. For anxiety: allow flexibility in the classroom, encourage accountability and follow through, and provide choice in assignments. For depression: encourage positive speech, encourage group work, and get student up and moving. As a future teacher I believe the most important part about mental health in the classroom is accepting their all students for who they are and trying your best to help them learn in ways that suit their needs.

Opportunity of 21st Century Literacies

          To the new learners and educators arriving at my blog, welcome! I am Robyn and an aspiring teacher candidate at Brock University. Some of my interests other than working with and learning about young people are reading, swimming and eating as much dim-sum as humanly possible. In this blog I have created I often focus on topics of education that I learn within my classes that interest me. The next few post will be for my 21st Century Literacy's class, in which I will be discussing what I found interesting in class and hopefully new ways of implementing these ideas into practice. 

Brandy Agerbek (October 21, 2005). Retrieved from:
http://www.loosetooth.com/Viscom/gf/21c_literacy.htm

            Just a week ago when I thought of the word ‘literacy’ I usually pictured the basics of just reading and writing. In elementary and highschool when we were tested on our literacy skills I remember being tested on my ability to read and write, if I was able to do this I am deemed ‘literate’. During my first 21^st Century Literacies lecture this semester we were introduced to a vast amount of literacies such as critical literacy, media literacy, moral literacy, and multicultural literacy. So what does it mean to introduce all of these new literacies into classrooms? I believe that it means that it gives students more opportunities to advance in variety of subjects and areas of learning. Though reading and writing is ultimately very important, as times are changing we are learning that it is also important different types of literacies. A good example of this is the addition to media literacy, this is extremely important in schools today. Due to so many outlets of learning are now online we must teach students to properly access online material. From my own experience in classrooms recently I have seem technological literacy in action, where grade two/ three students are learning how to work on Google Docs (which is something I only learned last year). Therefore, as we are learning more about education and society around us it is important to educate students so they can keep up with what is going on in the world today.

            As I mentioned above I believe that these new literacties give students opportunity. Opportunity to advance in a specific learning area. Opportunity to widen their abilities and skills. Opportunity to find their passion for learning. Through introducing environmental literacy, multicultural literacy, and financial literacy students are not only able to learn necessary skills that are needed to be successful in society but also find interest in them and begin to create new ideas and solutions for them. This introduces the idea of critical literacy, where there is no right answer and there are multiple different ways of looking at the world. I believe that each new literacy can be looked at critically, can be transformed and further put into action by students. Through the implementation of 21^st century literacies students are able to strive among different contexts.

Small hands big ideas: Do you ever truly miss an opportunity (Aug 16, 2011). Retrieved from: http://smallhandsbigideas.com/business/do-you-ever-truly-miss-an-opportunity/

Welcome to the Real World

          It may just be me but I am terrified of the real world. Thinking about leaving school where I always know what is expected for me and knowing my schedule for the next couple of months, everything just seems so easy. Maybe I am scared to leave the education system because I feel like have never been prepared for actual real world problems. Problems like budgeting or finding passion outside of school.  Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2015) note the importance of integrating these real world problems into your classroom.  These problems can vary from budgeting your life in math class to trying to solve nation wide problems such as world peace...

World health organization. (Nov 3, 2015). Retrieved from Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization

            This is exactly what John Hunter does. Mr. Hunter is a 4^th grade teacher who has created the “World Peace Game”. This game is four big pieces of plexiglass above and below each other, which represents different parts of the atmosphere (sky, ground, underwater, ect). There are four different counties around the board, where some are rich and some are poor with different assets, each country has a cabinet. Each country int he game is represented by a different group of students, where one is the prime minister and the other students make up the rest of the cabinet. There is also a “weather goddess” in the game, who spontaniously decides weather and stock market changes. With this there is also a 13 page crisis document that had 50 interlocking world problems that are social, economic and military issues, such as war, oil spills, famine, endangered species, and global warming. All 50 of these problems need to be solved and every county has to end with more money compared to the start before winning the game for everyone to win the game. This game has become so influential they have created a movie about it called World Peace and Other Fourth-Grade Achievements, here is the trailer. 

Rosalia Films. (Sept 7, 2010). World peace and other fourth-grade achievements extended trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCq8V2EhYs0

          It is extraordinary to think that 4^th graders can be solving real world problems that can’t even seem to be solved to this day. This is a great example of inquiry based learning, in this kind of learning students find creative ways to problems solve and make sense of their own world around them to solve complex problems (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2015). Mr. Hunter’s purpose for these games was to get his students ready for anything that they have to face outside of his class and to help solve the problems that past generations have made. He also wanted to give his students problems that they would challenge them but questions that intrigue them, though these two points conflicts it makes students want to further learn. This is exactly what inquiry based learning should do in the classroom, it gives students ownership over their work, and it is thought as 'play' instead of work (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2015). Mr. Hunters grade 4 classes is encouraged to use long term, collective and critical thinking. I believe that Mr. Hunter is pushing is students to not fear any problems that come their ways, and encouraging them to go out into the real world and follow their passion!

Educator John Hunter talks with chapter 16 about the world peace game. (July 11, 2013). Retrieved from Nashville Scene website:http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/educator-john-hunter-talks-with-chapter-16-about-the-world-peace-game/Content?oid=3458069

            To my audience of future teachers and teachers, this inquiry based learning is tangible for every classroom, and gives everyone of us the opportunity to help our students learn how to solve these real world problems. This way every student can be ready for the real world with open arms!

References 

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Hunter J. (2011, March). John hunter: Teaching with the world peace game [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game?language=en

Say Yes to Assess (Yourself)

         I remember being in elementary school and dreading having to assess my peers in the classroom. I would think, “What happens if I say something too harsh? Are my peers even going to read these? What happens if they know it’s me writing this?” I don’t know if these were common issues among students but I remember it making me anxious in the classroom. Then when it came to the even worse self-assessment where I used to think, “I don’t know how I did? Isn’t this my teacher’s job to tell me? I’ll just say I did average, so it doesn’t look like I think too highly of myself. “ It was extremely hard to sit and think hard about how I really did on an assignment in school, it could have because I really didn’t know how well I did, or it could be because I didn’t want to take the time and think about it.

Self and peer assessment in golf coaching. (2015, August 30). Retrieved from PGA of Europe website: http://www.pgae.com/ask/self-and-peer-assessment-in-golf-coaching/

            After doing some research I could maybe see where my problems streamed. Alias, Masek and Md Salleh (2015) note that students have to understand the process of assessment, which includes what the ‘look for’s’ are and the different levels within assessment. This can be done through co-creating rubrics along side the teacher so students therefore they know exactly what to assess themselves and their peers on. Peer based learning is usually used in the classroom for projects and presentations. Students can be taught to give positive professional feedback to their peers. On the other hand self-assessment is used for students to evaluate their own work. This can be extremely hard for student! It involves skills to evaluate, reflect, metacognition, and goal setting (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). Kearney and Perkins (2014) look at the idea of how both self and peer assessment a process which connects the two called authentic self and peer assessment for learning (ASPAL). First students must co-create marking criteria to engage students in the learning process. Next, students are taught how to mark effectively based on the criteria they have created. Teachers give out anonymous assignments for students to practice their feedback on, and then students further their learning by marking their own assignments. Throughout this process the students are marked on how effectively they are able to use the criteria they have created to mark their peers work and their own work and this cumulates to a mark, and their final mark on their assignments come from this mark and the teachers mark. Using the ASPAL assessment process, it gives students agency in their and their peer’s assignments.

Kearney, S. P., & Perkins, T. (2014). Engaging students through assessment: The success and limitations of the ASPAL (authentic self and peer assessment for learning) model. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 11(3), 1-14.

            In classes we learn about the positives of self-assessment, but I was wondering is it actually that easy to accomplish?  I turned to an NPR podcast titled “Americans Flunk Self-Assessment” for answers (you can probably figure the answer I found just from the title alone). The host Andrea Seabrooke asked “how good are people at self-assessment?’ They found that people usually think that they are really good at self-assessments and put a lot of time into them. While doing these assessments people usually believe that they are well above average and are every defensive when trying to explain why they are so great at their jobs. Does this mean that we are unable to use of higher order thinking to evaluate and reflect on our own work? Seabrooke emphasizes the importance of peer and supervisor/ teacher assessment because they are a more accurate description of an individuals work. This may be a societal problem though! In a recent research they found that Canadian and Japanese students who were given a set time to finish a puzzle, the Canadain students who could not finish the puzzle within the set time gave up and did not continue. While, the Japanese students continued the puzzle even though time was up. Maybe as future educators we should be teaching our students to find the weaknesses and improve on them, rather than celebrating the good within them.

References

Alias, M., Masek, A., & Md Salleh, H. H. (2015). Self, peer and teacher assessments in problem based learning: Are they in agreements? Porcedia- Social and Behavioural Science, 204, 309-317.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Kearney, S. P., & Perkins, T. (2014). Engaging students through assessment: The success and limitations of the ASPAL (authentic self and peer assessment for learning) model. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 11(3), 1-14.

The Power of Education: The Story of Malala

           Malala Yousafzai has been breaking out in the education field in the past couple of years. Malala is a seventeen-year-old girl who believes in the power of education for all, and personally I believe she is a great example of social reconstruction and social justice in and out of the classroom. For those who may not know the story of Malala Yousafzai, I'll give you a short synopsis of how she become a huge influence for education. Malala was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. During this time and even currently, the Taliban is against the education of women and have issued the attack of multiple girl schools in Pakistan. Because of the restrictions placed on Pakistani citizens by the Taliban,  young girls have an extremely hard time receiving an education. Malala attended a school that her father had founded, where she learned and had a sense that not only boys but girls as well should have the right to an education. In 2009 she had started writing an anonymous blog for BBC expressing her views on education and life under the threat of the Taliban, and shortly after she was featured in a New York Times documentary. With her growing influence in the public, the Taliban had decided to organize her assassination. On October 9, 2012, a gunman who was a part of the Taliban entered the school bus she was on and shot Malala, leaving her in critical condition. She was released from hospital care about 4 months later and continued her journey of trying to provide education for girls with an even stronger force. In October 2014 she had become the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Price, at the young age of 17.

 ABC News. (2013, July 12). Girl shot in the head by taliban, speaks at un: Malala Yousafzai united nations speech.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRh_30C8l6Y

            By breaking through the barriers that were placed on her society by the Taliban, she has created major opportunities for many young girls and boys in third world countries who may not have access to formal education. This is exactly how Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) describe social reconstruction, as a change in society by pushing limits that help create a positive change. Through technology and the use of bloggging she was able to get her “new story” heard. This is what Freire (1970) described as a transformative model where Malala is able to connect her personal story of living under that Taliban’s strict rules and guidelines to help motivate people to help her in bringing change to the Pakistani culture. Malala is just the type of role model that is necessary to show children that anything can be possible when it comes to education. She is excellent proof of the limitless opportunities that can arise from education, and for standing up for what you believe in. 

             She is a great example of a growth mindset that Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) talk about where students accept challenges put in front of them, they take every opportunity to learn and they continue to succeed. Malala had many challenges put in front of her, from not being able to attend school because of her gender to being shot for speaking out about her right to education. All of these situations could have made her stop her pursuit for education but instead she persevered for not only her own education but education for girls everywhere. In the video above Malala was invited to speak that the United Nations in 2013, she says "If we want to achieve our goal let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge, and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness."(Malala Yousafzai speaking at United Nations, 2013)

            Technology has created a huge impact in schools within the 21^st century; it has helped young people share their ideas of views of the world. Alike, technology played a huge role in Malala’s story, to spread her story and to create awareness so the social injustice. She was able to do this through her BBC anonymous blog of her own personal stories of the Taliban affecting her school and family. She was able to use technology to not only benefit her own learning but also benefit the learning of all who do not have access to technology or even education. She has now created her own Malala Fund website where she is able to share her story, create awareness, and gather funds to further help young women and children get and education.

References

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Towards a new story of curriculum, instruction and assessment. In Interweaving      curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner (pp. 1-27). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford. 

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.