My learning, building knowledge through understanding, questioning and reflecting
A journey in growth..
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Fostering innovation in teaching and learning is developed through a combination of factors.
It started with a look into our personal history and journey to become the people we are today, influenced by our culture, family, education and choices and experiences throughout our life.
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Next was a deep look into clearly defining terms of teaching, learning, innovation and creativity through research and feedback that lead to clear definitions.
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click on image to magnify
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MindShift: 7 essential principles of innovative learning
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/01/7-essential-principles-of-innovative-learning/
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The process of learning throughout this course is clearly modeled through; reading to gain knowledge, analyzing to gain understanding, and reflecting responding to gain clarity.
Click on the buttons to read the complete response to the articles
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History of Education:
Schooling, as it exists today, only makes sense if we view it from a historical perspective. The following are responses to articles on the history of education, referring to the terms, teaching, learning, innovation, and creativity.
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The study of the history of education lies in not providing answers but "to challenge the questions and the assumptions that our intellectual forebears have bequeathed"
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Historians believe that knowledge and understanding is built through knowledge forums and collaborative inquiry. It shows the importance of being a critical thinker, not to be passive learners and accept information as presented. Historians, as well as students need to compare and contrast, think of alternatives, explore conflicting forces.
Learning becomes active and innovative as pieces of a puzzle are put together to make sense of information. Basted on evidence, students must use higher order thinking skills to analyze and develop critical thinking skills. They need to select and evaluate information from the past and incorporate the meanings to create an explanation.
A critical community yields knowledge that is closer to truth than individual understanding. How can we start this historical way of thinking and develop curiosity and inquiry at a younger age? In answer, by being innovative except if we want to make a change it needs to be easy for teachers.
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It may just be lead to more questions
The big question is, what about the facts? What about some kind of foundation? Should “thinking like an historian” follow the facts, or vice versa? Can different approaches be taught simultaneously?
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* What is the best approach to discussing historical events with younger students that will teach them the importance of the event but not overwhelm them with thoughts of 'how things were/should be?'
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*Canadian Mysteries website, why the website does not offer opportunities to “do history” to the grade school children? Or is the process of allowing/facilitating middle school students to do history attainable – but only with proper instructional and teaching approaches?
* it is younger learners who are able to acquire the factual base knowledge that is instrumental to solving historical problems more easily than older learners.
Staying strong in our reluctance to administer as many standardized tests as the US and the fact that we have a highly multicultural and multilingual population of students, especially in urban areas.
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With an increase in immigration in Canada, is it more important to have curriculum focus on Canadian history content, a worldview of history, or a focus on the cultural view of the actual audience?
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Philosophy of Education
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I wonder if there is a greater need for a transformation of moral education. Have positive changes been made in the value of moral education since the article was written in 1987. Am I naive to think that we do a better job of moral education in Canada? While I have little background in the conceptions of moral education, it is part of who I am and my belief systems, is this enough to teach students effectively? A large part of teaching moral education lies in modeling, how can a teacher be responsible for moral education if it is not part of who they are?
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Care theory is based on the ethic of caring and listening attentively. The goal is to simply understand the needs of the cared for and meet their needs or suggest a different goal through values, resources and competence.
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Philosophy plays a large role in who we are as educators and on the demands we impose on our students. What influences do the education system have on teacher's philosophies compared to their experiences? Are they easy to change or do they make up who we are? According to Falkenberg, it takes disciplined action to change our inner life and how teachers respond to behaviours. Will philosophy of education research be enough to motivate teachers to shift their philosophy?
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Learning to be aware of inner life requires disciplined noticing in order to change acknowledging that mindfulness would be a difficult journey for teachers, both conceptually as well as realistically.
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To look into further...
Chomsky is a strong advocate for constructive creativity, creative autonomy, self-directed learning, intellectual freedom (with related responsibilities resulting from that freedom), and resourcefulness.
Foucault has a lot to say about education, the prison system and other societal institutions designed for social control and dehumanization.
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Philosophy of Practice:
click to view philosophy
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click to view 811 blog
Reflection leads to the practice of teaching to be continually improving. It takes time and a commitment but results in improved practice. There are so many facets of education that make up a teacher. My blogs tend to jump topics which clearly shows all that needs to be taken into account as a teacher.
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Feedback throughout the learning process
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It's okay not to understand the first time, assessment for learning and assessment of learning. It is the process as well as the final product.
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Questions in a trusting and respectful environment can lead to deeper understanding. The purpose should be to guide and analyze and reflect rather than acceptance
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Along with a clear understanding of defined terms, is having a strong foundation articulated by a philosophy that embraces a teachers values and beliefs.
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Reflecting on and interpreting ideas, understanding inference, what is said and not said from the readings, who is saying what and why now and from an historical or philosophical frame of reference … these are all questions that students need time to digest, mull over, critically think and write about, and share with others through meaningful discourse. (Johanne)
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This course has exposed me to learn in this area. Through others' deep reflections and constructive feedback from Johanne Myles I gained an understanding of clarifying my ideas, asking questions, thinking critically.
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Thank you to both my classmates and instructor.
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Cindy
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References:
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Cuban, L. (2001). Can historians help school reformers? Curriculum Inquiry, 31(4), 453–467. doi: 10.1111/1467-873X.t01-1-00207
Kliebard, H. M. (1995). Why history of education? Journal of Educational Research, 88(4), 194-199. Lagemann, E. C. (1989). The plural worlds of educational research. History of Education Quarterly, 29(2),
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Sandwell, R. (2005). The great unsolved mysteries of Canadian history: Using a web based archives to teach history. Canadian Social Studeies, 39(2).
http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/css/Css_39_2/ARSandwell_unsolved_mysteries.htm
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Seixas, p. (1993). The community of inquiry as a basis for knowledge and learning: The case of history. American Educational Research Jouran, 30(2), 305-324. doi:10.2307/1163237
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Falkenberg, T. (2012). Teaching as contemplative professional practice. Paideusis, 20(2), 25 – 35.
Ruitenberg, C. (2009). Introduction: The question of method in philosophy of education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 43(3), 315–323. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9752.2009.00712.x
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Martin, J.r. (1987). Transforming moral education. Joural of Moral Education, 16(3), 204-213. 10.1080/0305724870160305
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Noddings, N. (2010). Moral education in an age of globalization. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42(4), 390–396. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-5812.2008.00487.x
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Classmate blogs: I used Jared's idea to include classmates blogs as I don't want to lose them. As I have time I would like to explore the wealth of information and reflections shared.
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http://innovationinteachingblog.weebly.com innovationsinteaching.weebly.com http://akmspme811.blogspot.ca/ https://seangiesbrecht.com/category/pme-811-reflection/ https://innovations2knowledge.wordpress.com/ http://darlafaye.weebly.com/pme-811 www.ryandt.com/wp http://cindycharland.wixsite.com/mysite-1 http://queensleah.weebly.com/ www.keepitreal974.wordpress.com https://jmjpmeblog.wordpress.com/ http://kelaidiscope.weebly.com/blog http://jl-pme811.weebly.com/ http://alyssabaldin.weebly.com/ http://mastersofinquiry.blogspot.ca/ http://tammyjinkerson.blogspot.ca https://cthalheimergoal.wordpress.com/ http://candicebrownpme.weebly.com http://fatmapathan.wixsite.com/pathansperspective http://danaspendloveblog.weebly.com http://sherryandedgar.weebly.com/blog/http://patrickjj.weebly.com/
http://jbouleypme.weebly.com/pme-811
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