Diversity in the Classroom

For my final blog I would like to review what I have learned this semester and how my perception has changed towards teaching and how I will view my teaching techniques in the future. In connection with EDUC 8P19, another course that I am taking right now (which focuses on classroom management) I find my perception changing on how I view myself as a future teacher. Practices and theories are becoming more relevant to the specific classroom setting. Upon doing my placement for EDUC 8P19 I found myself making a lot of connections to the theories learned in both EDUC 8P19 and EDUC 4P19. What struck me most was the amount of diversity within the classroom, not only in my placement but in my education classes was the importance of understanding your students and their different stories. 

http://amsetze.wikispaces.com/file/view/embracing_diversity.jpg/105880733/embracing_diversity.jpg

During genius hour, my group chose to focus on the idea of knowing your students stories, and their cultural diversity that contributes to the overall shared classroom culture.  For our project we created a “Humans of Education” blog which is based on the Humans of New York blog. Our blog displays a variety of pictures with students personal experiences in which each student gives a brief testimony about their own story. Each story described by the various students we interviewed highlights their own experience in the classroom with diversity and how their story affected their education. At the beginning of the semester Professor Drake discussed the importance of story and understanding how stories are developed and how they are continually changing. Through the genius hour project I learned in more depth the importance of story in the classroom.

Humans of Education Blog

Furthermore, through placement I also learned the importance of diversity and story within the classroom. I really enjoyed this because it opened my eyes to actually see how diverse the classroom environment is. It is one thing to read about diversity and another to experience it. The high school that I was in was located in a low to middle income area in which the students were not only ethnically diverse, but also economically diverse. Some students within each of the classrooms also have learning and behavioural issues which effects their educational story. One teacher expressed to me that she was dependent on doing vertical scans in order to understand what the students had learned prior to them entering her classroom in order to set up expectations. Once that was understood, the teacher created an individual classroom culture in which the students would understand the learning expectations based on their level of prior education. It would allow for them to bring in their own cultural stories to interpret their new classroom curriculum. Being in this classroom allowed me to understand how theory relates to practice and was very eye opening as to how crucial cultural diversity and stories are to the classroom learning environment. 

Lastly, I wanted to discuss how my own story has changed as a result of this course. Understanding my own story towards education and further challenging notions of 21st century skills has added to how I view myself as a teacher. Before entering this class I was unaware of the concept of 21st century skills but was pleased to find out that I am a product of these teaching methods. Therefore, incorporating and being aware of these skills and understanding the importance of technology in the classroom has given me the confidence to want to create a classroom environment and culture in which technology is able to bring students together regardless of their different stories. But lastly, I also want to use technology to embrace different stories and ethnicity which will allow for my students to be proud of their own story and to use this to further their own education.

Below this video discusses how teachers can become culturally diverse educators in order to understand and capitalize on the backgrounds of their students:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV36efjBKRU

21st Century Skills, Learning and Teaching

21st Century Skills, Learning and Teaching

A concept that we have been discussing in class this semester is the idea of 21st century learning. Before this class, I had never even heard of the concept of 21st century learning, which is kind of weird to me because aren’t I a product of this 21st century learning system? Well maybe not…. 

So how do we as students, having grown up in the 21st century educational system, and yet have not engaged in this new pedagogy of learning adjust to becoming teachings employing these methods of 21st century learning? 

Lets start with some basics. You might be asking your self what are some skills that a 21st century learner has?

Well some 21st century learning skills include:

- inquiry and research

- critical thinking

- problem solving

- organization

- collaboration

- communication

 (Drake, Kolohon, & Reid, 3-4).

So as students how can we effectively participate in 21st century learning?

Here’s some tips:

1) Participate in class.

- Even if you don’t understand in the material, make the effort to understand! Try and engage with your classmates in order to figure out what’s what.

2) Become self-motivated.

- Yes, we all have those classes that are boring or we only take because they fulfill a context credit. But try and find the positives of this class, or the positives of the classes that you do love. It will make the learning and comprehending portion of the class that much easier! 

3) Think about what you’re learning in a more holistic manner.

- For example, think about what you’re learning in class, and how it relates to the broader spectrum of life, your career and even broader themes in the course. Not only will it provide you with a better understanding of the course material but will also give you a better insight into how your education is applicable to real world situations.

4) Embrace technology.

- At this point we all have cell phones, computers, ipads, facebook and all of those fun and countless other forms of social media. So why not embrace the fact that you get to use your computer to find resources and youtube clips etc! Instead of complaining about research (which yes is painful) embrace the fact that we have SO much available at our fingertips than our parents would have ever done!

5) Be Cognitive of your learning habits or as we all know it “Metacognitive”.

- Understanding how you learn and being reflective of what you’ve learn can prove to be SO incredibly useful. It will not only allow you to understand how you learn, but help you in the future to learn better and embrace your learning methods

- Incorporating past knowledge and being aware of what you’ve learned and being cognitive of that in order to connect what you are presently learning will allow for a much better understanding of your subject material

- After all, it was our educational god, John Dewey, who suggested that the reflective practitioner is the one who is able to learn more effectively (Drake, Kolohon, & Reid, 147). 

Okay. So now we all kind of have this idea of how to embrace being a 21st century learner, but how exactly do we transfer this knowledge and adapt to becoming a 21st century teacher, who not only employs 21st century skills but capitalizes on 21st century learning methods for students?

As teachers we must be able to foster an environment that promotes not only intrinsic motivation, meaning that our students want to learn without reward, but also promote passion based learning. Once our students become passionate about learning, making it personal, then students will be able to fully capitalize on their own learning. Through employing 21st century skills we as teachers will be able to foster this positive learning environment. By being engaging as teachers and providing a variety of methods of learning, such as learning through technology via Skype sessions with professionals and other worldly connections students will become interested in the material. Being passionate as teachers about the subjects we are teaching will also help to further engage our students as well. Lastly, capitalize on group work and collaboration! Get your class to look at the bigger picture. Working through nonprofit organizations and social justice will allow for a more meaningful educational process for your students. 

SO, to you, future teachers of the 21st century skills, I pose this thought.

Be the one to engage, to challenge your notions of learning and to be the progress motivators and explorers of new ways and methods of learning. With technology and the world at our finger tips, find the best way that you as a teacher can capitalize on these amazing inventions. Your students will learn from you but be able to teach you as well. Keep and open mind and embrace modernity. Because in the great words of Emma Watson, if not now, when? and if not me, then who?

Also, if you want some more information on how to embrace 21st century learning check out this awesome video!

Drake, S. M., Kolohon, M., & Reid, J. L. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-Century Learner. Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.