My innovative learning journey has been an eye opening experience. I have been teaching for 4 years and with each year of experience I gain I am adding new tools to my belt. Starting this program I had no idea what I new tools I would gain, but so far I am adding a whole new way of looking at how I teach. I am learning how to think outside the box and teach my lessons based on how my students are understanding them and not based on the fact that we have to finish the lesson to keep up the pace and finish according to our pacing guide. I find it especially difficult to slow down during math. I have to stay on pace or I will "fall behind" and the students will not be ready for the upcoming test. I have found my self teaching to the test to make sure they have a passing score on their math test. This course has pushed my thinking and has assured me that I can slow down and have the students learning process and questions to guide my teaching not so much keeping up with the pacing guide.
After reading Dervin's "Sense making The Mind's Eye", a second time it became a bit clearer. I was able to relate to two quotes from Dervin's article first, "that human use of information and information systems needs to be studied from the perspective of the actor, not from the perspective of the observer"; second, "the approach attempts to provide a vehicle for giving voices to users and potential users of systems so that the systems can be responsive to them" These two struck me because I can relate them to my students. My students are the seekers, the curriculum is the gap, and the use is me, the teacher. I have to develop my lessons with my students perspectives in mind, not my own. I usually prepare my lessons by looking at the teacher edition and taking a look at the standards and where they have to be at the end of the lesson. I am now finding myself questioning why I am doing that. I am starting to understand that as the teacher I should facilitate my student's learning and have their questions guide my teaching. I need to provide the best learning environment and let them problem solve as a team. Let them know that if they don't get it right the first time it's ok, making mistakes is part of learning. "By using powerful visual images to impact the way people learn, you can increase the probability that the learner will learn. By positioning him or her in the learning zone, a place that takes into account where the learner is and what we know about learning, you will have created an environment that supports the individual's ability to learn" (Baggio p.9). If I can connect Dervin and Baggio I would have to say that Dervin talks about taking the seekers' perspective and ask questions about how they would like to be helped; Baggio talks about providing the best learning environment and useful visuals for the seeker so that they can increase their probability to learn. Overall my learning experience in this program has forced me to take a close look at my teaching and have the courage to change my teaching if it's not working for my students. It's giving me so many tools already and can't wait to keep learning even more to help my students succeed.
1 Comment
Teresa Barron
2/25/2018 10:15:57 pm
Cindy, I can relate to so many of the comments you made in your blog. I feel like for many years (at Markham) we were told how to teach and were required to teach the curriculum we were given with absolute fidelity. Yet, now I think we are beginning to be able to incorporate our own skills and strategies a bit more. I also agree with you when you state how much you have learned from this program; i think we have all learned a great deal so far and have had our individual, eye-opening moments! So excited for what lies ahead!
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May 2018
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