Actively Learn

Actively Learn

There are many resources available for educators floating around the net, but the volume can be overwhelming for those interested in implementing the use of technology in the classroom. Shifting through the apps, programs and websites to find activities and curriculum for students that will transform the learning environment can take a tremendous amount of time - time that a busy teacher can't spare.  Yet finding and curating these resources is essential if educators plan to turn the digital learning environment to one of transformation and redefinition.

I recently learned of a new website called Actively Learn.  This site provides a platform for creating rich, critical thinking and cross-curricular activities that can be shared out easily with students.  The real beauty of this site is that, for once, the key to a successful lesson lies in the teacher’s ability to create meaningful discussion questions or connections rather than in the bells and whistles the tech provides.  And….the site is easy to set up and use. 

I was impressed with the amount of materials available on the website, albeit not all are free. They range from grade 2 to grade 12 reading level and include Shakespearean Plays, Poetry Collections, Myths, Current Events, Social Studies, Science and Healthy Living.  Documents scanned as PDFs can be uploaded and URLs to articles on the web can be posted.

Adding Discussion and Comprehension Questions

Educators can easily turn each article or text into a critical thinking activity.  As the students read through the text, they come across short answer and multiple choice questions, notes and links to other media that have been personalized by the teacher. They cannot continue reading the text until the activities are complete. One of my favourite features is the ability to match documents and direct students to other media so that they can compare, contrast and make connections to what they are reading.  It takes the learning experience into a category far beyond that of worksheets and computer-generated quizzes.  There is a grading component that will show individual student and class progress on the assignment.


Another great feature is the ability of students to add comments to the text as they read.  Students can share comments with their classmates or keep them private for the teacher.  I see this is an excellent way to encourage students who are reluctant to ask for clarification or share ideas and give them an opportunity to participate more actively in the process.  Another positive for me is that rather than providing handouts, the students are functioning and learning the paperless environment.

When teaching, I try to focus on skills such as making connections, inferencing and critical thinking.  So how do I plan to use Actively Learn?  Some early uses could be:

• personalizing learning - students can have different articles and activities personalized on an topic

• literature circles - students can add their discussion questions, vocabulary, comprehension and connections to the document itself prior to meeting in groups.  Students can preview the activities, share their thinking and then meet in the literature circle groups for extension and other activities

• poetry unit - pointing out connections to students, comprehension checks, short answer questions all while sharing with the classroom

• students who leave school on extended vacations. They would be able to continue interacting with their peers and would be able to take family visits without missing learning opportunities.

Will students be engaged?  I believe so. 

NextLesson - A Recommended Resource for 21st Century Learning

Current trends in education support the development of collaboration, critical thinking, inquiry and acquisition of 21st century skills.  While there is huge cache of lessons, materials, poster and memes available, in many cases, educators may find it difficult to imagine what this would look like in the classroom.  The challenge for educators is weaning themselves away from the textbooks and worksheets and substitute quality activities to their students without a great expenditure of time and frustration. 

NextLesson (http://www.nextlesson.org/) is a great resource for educators committed to trying these new approaches - whether they are early adapters or newly on board.  NextLesson is a resource that supports teachers trying to engage students.  Website based, NextLesson provides a vast database of projects, lessons and performance tasks, all of which is searchable by subject, grade level and 21st century skills.  (I like being able to search using criteria such as collaboration or self-monitoring.)

A few years ago I had the very great pleasure of attending a Keynote Speech given by Dan Meyers, a noted mathematics educator.  His advice was to encourage inquiry, collaboration and critical thinking through math instruction and activity.  I was thrilled to find many of the lessons available on NextLesson are adapted from Meyer’s 3 Act Math activities - providing the inquiry questions, resources and guidance for the activity. 

NextLesson’s newest offering are their Performance Tasks & 21st Century Math.  The idea is to provide real life scenarios with real data and real challenges.  The lessons are ready to go and require little or no preparation on the part of the teacher.  A good example is the Spoonful of Sugar series for Grade 6 Math.  Students are given the assignment from the point of view of a nutritionist interested in raising awareness of the sugar consumption in children.  Students do the math - complete charts, compare rates and rations and graph the result.  They are challenged to apply critical thinking to analyze the results,  They are given a final challenge that involves research and critical thinking, exposed to a glossary that includes diabetes and given job background information on nutritionists including salary, training and job outlook - a nice comeback for that “Why do we need to learn this?” question.   I like that many of these performance tasks involve students in cross curricular activities.  Some even require that students have read a book….a great way to connect literacy and numeracy  

Another great resource is the lesson The Box Project:  What can you make with a cardboard box?   As someone whose students participate in the Cardboard Challenge, Genius Hour and other design activities, this introduction to project based learning is a great jumping off point for inspiring students to use boxes for something completely different.  This lesson includes a supply list, step by step guides, resources, planning and reflecting sheets and more.  These can be adapted to any other theme including projects for Genius Hour.  

The downside of NextLesson is that while many of the resources are free, to get full access there is a monthly fee.  Despite that, there are many free options available - using data from the Android App Store, Minecraft, CSI Investigations, NBA, NFL and the Cost of Smoking.  Why do we need a resource like this?  It is because educators are being asked to re-create the classroom, often with little or no support.   This is the replacement for the binder handed to you by an experienced teacher and well worth checking out.  I strongly urge every educator to check out the website and try a performance task with your class.

A Look at Science eTextbooks - Engaging and Inspiring Students

One of the biggest challenges of teaching with iPads, for me at least, is churning through what often seems like an endless sea of quality apps.  There has been an explosion of resources made available for parents and educators alike.  Trying to choose which app to use can be one of the biggest challenges for those educators thinking of using the iPads with students for the first time.  (In fact, this is why I advocate choosing two or three apps and using them almost exclusively in the beginning).  Often overlooked when searching for resources and ideas are some of the most visually stunning eTextbooks and eBooks.  I thought it was about time these resources got a look (and yes, I do know I have added another level of resources to the mix).  Here are some of my favourite eTextbooks for teaching and learning Science.

Senses and Natural History: Origins are two examples of the visually stunning, interactive and informative eTextbooks that are sure to revolutionize the type of textbooks educators will soon choose to use.  Published by Imaxina, an educational organization from Spain, and written by science specialist and educators, both Senses and Natural History: Origins are suitable for students ages 12 and older.  The texts use interactive media and amazing imagery.  My favourite image was the enlarged pop-up picture of the octopus tentacles.  The texts are engaging, contain the information students need and are visually complex.  The Science textbooks I have been using with my Grade 6 and 7 students for the past decade are wordy and difficult to use in any way other then…. read for information, answer the comprehension questions and fill out the worksheets.  Science should be exciting and these eTextbooks present the material in an interesting and informative way.  I was engaged and I am pretty sure they will engage my students.  I can see using them in any Science classroom and believe them to be a valuable resource for educators

Another amazing series of eBooks are the Life on Earth series of 7 eBooks by E. O. Wilson, a noted Biologist and University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard.  Developed in partnership with Apple, they are free and can be used in conjunction with a free iTunes U course.  The course and books cover several topics.

I had the privilege of hearing E O. Wilson speak about these books in July and was amazed and inspired by the amount of detail and work that went into them.  Added to the interactive media are some pretty detailed scientific animations that so clearly demonstrate the scientific concepts that even I can understand them.  The visuals are stunning, the text is written by one of the leading experts in the field of Biology and…it is a free resource that is far superior to any I have seen in my classroom. While the text is more suitable for older students (and is designed to provide the full high school Biology curriculum), the images will engage younger students and provide a starting point for discussion, questioning and scientific inquiry, exploration and discovery. 

Thinking Like a Scientist:  Students as Mobile Researchers by Julie Hearn (a Maple Ridge, BC Grade 6/7 Teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator) is not an eTextbook for students but rather a guide for teachers on how-to introduce inquiry into the curriculum.  These ideas can be adapted for all grade levels and give examples of ways to use iPads to capture and share the learning experience.  This eBook is free, as are many others, and well worth the read.  Check out the Apple Bookstore for other great examples.

5 QR Code Activities that Work in Every Classroom

Background Information
 
QR codes are easy to generate and read with free apps and on-line sites.  You can create them for any purpose and they can be scattered around the classroom or school for a scavenger hunt.

Lesson Support

iPads and/or iPods can be used as QR code readers and the apps can be downloaded for free from iTunes or Android and will need to be installed on all the devices. The Gallery contains five QR Codes you can use for a Primary (Kindergarten/Grade 1) Photo Hunt.  You can create your own activities using this QR Scavenger Hunt Generator where you can enter questions for a quiz or hunt.  This link will take you to a site that allows data to be input to create a variety of QR codes.

Guiding Questions

What images did you choose and why?
How do your photos meet the criteria?
Is it possible to find other images that can also meet the criteria?

Curriculum Connections

This activity will facilitate connecting Fine Arts to other curriculum areas, provide alternate assessment ideas, promote critical thinking and inquiry based learning.

My new book:  5 QR Code Activities that Work in Every Classroom

What Are the Really Important Lessons I Learned as a Teacher?

I left the classroom under some really harsh circumstances.  The British Columbia teachers’ strike/lockout closed down the schools suddenly and the last two weeks of school just didn’t happen.  I didn’t get to say a proper good-bye to my students.  Instead, I spent my last two weeks on the picket line.

I want to say good-bye to all the wonderful students I have taught.  And there have been so many.  Grade 7 is considered to be a tough grade to teach.  Grade 7 educators deal with raging hormones, anxiety over the future, crushes, bullying, supporting students through more challenging curriculum, overnight trips to camp and more.  I loved (almost) every minute of it.  I had so many adventures with my students.  More importantly, I learned a lot from them.

Coaching basketball is just one example.  I am not a fan, I don’t understand the game or the rules and I have no skills.  That didn’t stop me from trying.  It took three years before I even understood the purpose of the pick.  My students were so understanding and supportive and they taught me that not knowing something is no reason for not trying.  Take a chance and do your best.  You never know what might happen.

They taught me what culture means.  While the Grade 7 Social Studies curriculum is all about ancient civilization and culture, until you experience significant cultural differences for yourself, iI don’t think you really “get it”..  I was lucky to be immersed in the South Asian culture for over a decade.  I was introduced to butter chicken, saris, Bollywood, Bhangra, Punjabi, the Ghardwara and more.  My students inspired me to travel to India and what I experiences there will enrich my life forever.

They taught me about courage.  I was honoured to be part of groups of inner students heading for camp.  Many had never been away from home and virtually none had ever gone camping.  They hiked, the canoed, they climbed cliffs and braved the high ropes despite their fears, walking away from each adventure with cheers of triumph and a grin on their faces that was infectious.  They vowed that these experiences would inspire them in the future.

I learned not to fear failure.  This is something you tell students over and over again, but it took years for me to learn that lesson myself.  My first leap into the unknown happened over 10 years ago, when I shifted my teaching  practice to focusing on project-based learning.  Believing that I would find away through the challenges meant I needed to evaluate each step forward and each step back.  I became a risk-taker and I loved the freedom that gave me to be a creative and more fulfilled person.

They showed me that quality learning experiences are essential.  I struggled for years against poor funding, poor resources and poor opportunities for these exceptional people who needed these types of opportunities.  Now, I will take these lessons I learned and try to create a learning environment where all of these experiences are celebrated.  Yes….I am opening my own learning commons, a place for learners, creators, makers and risk-takers of all ages can find the resources they need.  I plan to teach only own terms and try to make a difference in the only way I know how.  That is something I learned was important from my students as well.

I am just so confused - Reflections on the Lockout

This has been such a WTF day.  BCPSEA has imposed a partial lockout on British Columbia teachers effective Monday the 26th.  They have instructed us, in a letter sent to the BCTF yesterday, to refrain from working with students at recess and lunch (which are our break times) and to not be physically present at our work-site 45 minutes before and after the commencement of our day. To clarify what is happening in phase 1, teachers refused to do supervision, accept emails from administration and hold formal meetings.  Teachers continued to provide supervision when there were safety concerns and meet with administration to discuss all aspects of their job, students, field trips, etc. IN PERSON.  That certainly doesn’t come close to a 10% reduction in work, so let’s just think about this. 

BCPSEA explains their strategy thusly:

9. Why were teachers instructed not to report to work more than 45 minutes in advance
of the start of the instructional day or to stay more than 45 minutes past the end of
the instructional day?

By restricting the length of time teachers are to spend at the work site, we are emphasizing
the reduction of their usual work day and duties. The accepted teacher work day is just over
nine (9) hours per day, which is now reduced in both length and required duties. The
resulting 10% loss of pay is directly related to this lockout from usual required work and time
at the work site.

A couple of hmms in here for me - First, the admittance that a teacher’s work day does in fact extend over a nine hour period on average (finally) and that because we are not doing that usual workday - we get a 10% reduction in wages.  The second is how can we be docked pay for not working through our breaks?  That doesn't make sense.  It could be that teachers are now responsible for 10% less duties and responsibilities   Or are they?

5. Are teachers locked out from any part of the student instructional day?

No. Teachers are still required to complete all usual instructional duties and school day
services to students. Refusal to complete any such duties may constitute an expansion of their strike and result in a further loss of pay.

OKAY - we have to carry out all our duties or risk a further wage loss - thought we are already losing 10%.  But extracurricular and voluntary activities are impacted by that 45 minutes restriction and that accounts for the reduced work day, right?  WRONG.

3. Are teachers locked out or “banned” from participating in extracurricular activities
such as graduation ceremonies, awards ceremonies, sports events, and year-end
celebrations?

No. Teachers are free to participate in all extracurricular activities, including on school
property. There is nothing in the lockout that prevents BCTF members from continuing to
participate in such activities as graduation, sports, and awards events. If teachers choose
not to participate in such activities, they do so as a result of their own decision.

This is where it gets beyond confusing - If we can’t stay past 45 minutes, how do we participate?  If we don’t participate, that is because we decided not to.  If we don’t honour BCPSEA’s direction to not attend our workplace outside of the 45 minutes before and after the commencement of our work, what happens?   Fines, discipline, termination?  Our fearless leaders in action…….This has confirmed for me without a doubt that they have NO IDEA what our job is.

The Day the Learning Died

A terrible thing happened a few weeks ago and it has taken me awhile to sort out how I feel.  As part of cost-cutting measures made necessary by budgetary constraints to the school district, ten helping teachers lost their positions, five of them from the IML (Information Media Literacy) department. This means the complete elimination of this department, and a move away from supporting teachers and teacher-librarians as they attempt to update their practice, embrace inquiry learning and use technology effectively and purposefully in their classrooms.  I don't get it.

In the past year alone, our school district has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars providing technology, resources, professional development and support to teachers, students and schools working towards innovative and effective learning.  More money has gone towards the creation of learning commons in many of our school.  At the heart of this movement are +Kevin Amboe, +Shelagh Lim, +Orwell Kowalyshyn, +Lisa Domeier and Sarah Guilmant-Smith. They are the public face of educational reform......and they walk the walk.   Surrey is the proud owner of a Twitter hashtag and iTunes U account that is widely respected throughout North America.  Surrey teachers publish and share and innovate and collaborate and on and on and on.  This team of educators are our cheerleaders, mentors and the ones that push us onto the public stage.  They make us better than we are.  We cannot afford to lose the good ones.

It has taken over ten years for us early adapters to see shifts in the educational landscape to the point that 21st century learning is becoming widespread and necessary.  Even the new BC Ed curriculum stresses the obvious:

One of the core tenets of the BC Education Plan is that there will be increased emphasis on the teaching of 21st century competencies like creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy, emotional literacy, interpersonal skills, and collaboration. Many people want assurance though, that this doesn’t come at the expense of foundational skills.

And now, what?  There is evidence that professional development makes an incredible difference to the effectiveness of teachers. The loss of these helping teachers is going to mean, at best, a significant slowdown in the acquisition of essential skills by students and teachers alike.  One of my biggest fears hinges on knowing that without significant changes in teacher pedagogy, tech integration is ineffective.  I fear that three years from now, someone in charge will look at the expensive technology deployed in 2013 - 2014, realize it had little impact on student achievement and decide tech integration wasn't worth it after all.  They will embrace instead the standardized test.  They will ignore what I know is true - that tech integration needs creative teaching, risk-taking and courage to work.  That students can be engaged and connected and achieve and create and learn.  That all students can be included.  That knowledge is at every students' fingertips.  That... as Albert Einstein reminds us......creativity is intelligence having fun.  That hurts my spirit.

 

Around and Around We Go

I am so dismayed by the events taking place in the education sector in British Columbia.  For those people who haven't noticed, once again the BCTF and the provincial government are poised to agree to disagree and the result is walkouts and lockouts. It is a no-win situation for everyone affected - teachers, parents, students.

There are a lot of issues worth discussing - class size and composition, the recent court win by the BCTF that is once more under appeal, the downloading of capital costs and seismic upgradings to the districts, the loss of librarian and counselling positions, new curriculum changes, questions around assessment, how to meet the needs of the increasing number of special needs students, how to fund field trips and presenters when we can't ask parents for money...............and more.

I have heard parents commenting on how dirty the schools have become and how overwhelmed the teachers seem to be.  And I have had parents tell me how lazy teachers are.  There is a chasm between the stakeholders that I don't believe can be breached. Instead of focusing on what really matters, there is finger-pointing and name-calling.  It is bewildering to me.

One thing I do not understand is where is the press?  Where are the journalists and where is the "respected" media willing to sift through the rhetoric and actually report the facts.  I recently saw a news item on the cancellation of Vancouver School Board's string program - a video of children with their instruments trying hard to convince the public they should still support funding their program.  The fact is that many, many programs have already been cut.  Library programs, learning support programs, counselling programs, early literacy programs - the list goes on and on.  Where is the public discussion?  If we, as a society, are fine with these cuts, why would we care about a strings program? 

Immigration and refugee policy is set by government, but it is teachers who deal with the lack of prior schooling and the trauma.  It is teachers who teach the children English and social skills.  Who funds this support because there is very little of it? And the impact on our most at-risk students is significant.  (To learn more, read this article about the impact of privatization on low-income students.)

The truth is that the only programs that have not been cut are ones guaranteed in the teacher contract... AND that is why teachers continue to fight for reduced class sizes and library, counselling and learning support.  These guarantees became part of the teacher's contract in the 1990s when teachers agreed to zero wage increases in exchange for better student support.

I heard about people circulating an email about the BCTF in which they mock the practice of thanking our First Nations for the use of their traditional lands.  Why is this the most important part of the conversation?  Why ridicule anyone for being polite and respectful, irregardless of your own beliefs.  This is the crux of the problem.  We focus on the superficial issues and miss out on what really matters - the educational experience of our children.

I think that the government needs to be honest with the public and admit that they can't or won't continue to fund public education at the level to which we expect.  Their proposal of a two-tier wage for new hires, no significant raise, a threatened sanction for not doing recess supervision and their avowal that they cannot afford classroom compositions that are manageable, all suggest the government is looking to pinch their pennies to limit the education costs.  That is a no-brainer.  They have their position and they are committed to it, but I suspect they know there would be limited public support if they had a frank and honest dialogue with the public over their endgame (I suspect privatization and teachers replaced by untrained staff).

I believe in sustainability and I think that if we can no longer afford public education in its' present form, then we should start to have public discourse on what needs to change.  (Read the about the government's position on the affordability of teacher's demands.)  Do we need to change our funding priorities, change our curriculum, charge a fee to parents, change the way we deliver education?  (To learn more about how educational funding is siphoned off read this article by +David Truss) These discussions need to be help publicly not behind closed doors in Victoria.

I think they need to acknowledge the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources available and admit that they are still entitled to be respected.  There is a lack of support for the needs of  the teaching profession that need to be addressed.  Why send your child to school all day to a teacher you rage against and disparage at home?  Teachers are a pivotal part of any child's journey.  Recent studies carried out in the United States show that there is a significant disparity between the salaries of teachers from the U.S. and teachers from countries where students are ranked by PISA as high-performing.  Canada and British Columbia possess one of these high-performing educational systems. Higher wages ensure that candidates for teacher training and positions are plentiful and that only the "best" candidates are chosen.  Countries with lower wages, such as the United States, have difficulty attracting effective candidates.  In many places, if ineffective and incompetent teachers were fired there would be no possibility of replacing them due to the low wages and difficult working conditions.  Strong candidates can find other work.  The morale of the story.......you get what you pay for.

I think the public feels free to criticize teachers because they believe the school system is the same as it was when they were working their way through it.  It isn't. It really, really isn't. Teachers work in an environment where their only audience is children.  I think parents should actively volunteer in their child's class.  Maybe Premiers and Education Ministers should too.

I think that the stress of doing the job, fundraising, defending, planning and fighting over resources is driving teachers away from the classroom.

I think that is sad.

Do It For the Kids

Over the last few years I have heard teachers and stakeholders in the educational system state repeatedly state that despite criticism, despite opposing viewpoints, despite cutbacks, despite politics and despite evidence to the contrary, they are doing it for the kids. 

What are we in fact doing for them?  Are we updating our pedagogy?  Are we acknowledging that students no longer need the same educational experiences that we ourselves had?  Have we replaced out-of-date resources?  Have we ensured that we are nurturing 21st century learners - learners who use technology to create content and develop their critical thinking skills?

The BCTF and the provincial government have gone back and forth over the need to reinstate the specialist teaching positions lost in the past decade. I would argue that simply refilling those positions is not enough.  We need to look at what programs are working in what districts and direct resources to try and replicate those successes where there is need.  It is not enough to declare that students should bring their own device to school, when infrastructure is not consistently in place that can support it.  And we need tech facilitators (IML specialists) in schools.....educators who can support both teachers and students as the curriculum shifts to inquiry based learning and tech supported learning.

It concerns me that the decision makers are political creatures. They may have students' best interests at heart but they are also politically minded and ambitious. Teachers are the stake-holders who are most supported and most reviled in this process and part of the problem is that most of what we do is seen only by children. 

Private schools such as York House and St. George's get this. They support teachers with equipment, facilitators and infrastructure. This is what makes private schools so desirable to parents and such an enriched experience for their students. Teachers at these schools blog, tweet and email. They communicate. They make their programs transparent and are supported in this process. Parents are involved. Alumni fundraise and mentor their successors.  They are a learning community.

If we really are doing this for the kids, all the stakeholders in the education community need to do the same. Parents, politicians, teachers, alumni, district staff all need to take a good look at the system and shift it towards something that can work at least until the 23rd century.