FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1 ...
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 1: Introduction
The aim of teaching is not to produce learning but to create the conditions for learning, this is the focal point, the quality of learning. [Loris Malaguzzi: L'occhio se salta il muro: Narrativa del possibile"] Parts of this fourweek course: ● Being a teacher: an ambassador to the kingdom of the child ● Thinking about learning what do we know, not know, need to know? ● How good is my classroom? think about and evaluate your own teaching and learning in the context of the conditions in which it takes place ● Continuing to learn in a changing world Each week: 4 lectures, 10 minutes long + a thinkpiece following the lesson (use the strategy I used to think → now I think). Essays: we will evaluate each others’ essays. Quizzes: there will be singlechoice quizzes at the end of every lecture.
How do I know what I think until I hear what I say? the importance of sharing information in order to more clearly define one’s views as the most efficient way of spreading knowledge among a group of stimultaneous learners.
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 2: Being a Teacher What does it mean to be a teacher? The answer may seem obvious but this lecture asks you to think about your own identity and aspirations.
→ QUESTIONS: 1. What does it mean to be a teacher? → To me, being a teacher means being responsible for shaping the mind of the learner, guiding them towards learning (not just putting information in their mind, but making them excited to pursue the discipline which I teach and others in their own time). In case of young students, it also means developing them socially. In case of older students, it means guilding their later development or providing means for realising the need to make changes in their behavior. Being a teacher does not exclude a person from being in the learner group, because it means having to constantly update knowledge and strategies, to use experiences in teaching to expand my skills as a teacher. 2. What have I learned about teaching? → It is a very rewarding but difficult task. It requires much preparation and a very open mind, able to apply different strategies depending on the students’ abilities and willingness to participate in the learning process. 3. What has been my most powerful teaching experience? → Conducting a lesson at an internship at a primary school. There are many different aspects of teaching that have to come together: Planning for teaching and learning: to what extent do you need to plan your actions? Formulating goals Engaging stuednts Planning lessons Organising resources Developing strategies Communicating achievement Learners and learning to what extent do you need to have a deeper understanding of learners? Who are they? What do they know, feel, do? How can I engage my students in a way that is meaningful for them? What are the most effective strategies to promote leanring? What are the major theories of learning? Curriculum: to what extent do you need to understand its nature and what does it even mean? What does the word mean to me?
Are there different understandings of what it means? How does it connect to students? How do I use it to develop learning activities for my students? Assessing for learning: both for and as learning, or at the end of a period of learning? Diagnostic } Formative } reporting/giving feedback Summative } Being a profesional: what does it mean? Ethics Codes of conduct and standards Legal/administrative responsibilities Personal philosophy of teaching Being part of a professional learning community Seeking advice on how to improve your teaching Planning for your future development as a teacher Developing relatinoships:students, families, the wider community, school leaders. I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curiuos. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do. [Gardner, 1999, 180181]
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 3: The World of Childhood As a teacher what do I know about the different worlds that children inhabit? As an ambassador to the kingdom of the child how do I gain a more informed understanding of the world, or worlds, of childhood?
“What did you learn in school today?” the difference between “what you were taught” and “what you learned”. Students aren’t the only people who learn in school, teachers do too. 3 worlds, in which children spend their lives: the academic world, the social world and the cyber world. Teaching is to allow them to make connections between those three worlds “Children and young people live nested lives, so that when classrooms do not function as we want them to, we go to work on improving them. Those classrooms are in schools, so when we decide that those schools are not performing appropriately, we go to work on improving them, as well. But those young people are also situated in families, in neighbourhoods, in peer groups who shape attitudes and aspirations often more powerfully than their parents or teachers” [David Berliner, 2005] These groups shape aspirations and motivations perhaps more powerfully than teachers. → QUESTION: What matters most: family, neighborhood, peers, schools, teachers or policy and political effect? → I think that in my country (Poland) children in their early life learn most at home. Family life is such a key point around which life is centered that the first imperssions of right and wrong, first opinions form in accordance with those of family members closest to the child. Then, as he or she grows up, opinions of peers and observations of the world around them sometimes collide with what the family says, therefore making family influence either something the child agrees or disagrees with, forcing him or her to take a stand. This goes as much towards opinions on ethical or behavioral matters as it does towards learning and aspirations if a child is motivated by their parents to excel at school but their peers advertise the stereotypical “low grades, high social life” lifestyle, he or she will either follow the path the family said is correct or that of their peers, therefore influencing their learning. Therefore, I believe that peers and family are the
strongest influences in a child’s learning process. → Policy and political effect only matters in regards to what the child actually studies, but does not necessarily define what the child learns in the same way that a list of suggested reading for a course does not define what a student will actually read and remember from it. While curriculums set forth by ministries or teachers or schools can give a good idea of what a child probably will learn, he or she may become more interested in the subject and research it or ask about details in their own time, or become completely disinterested in it, neglecting to study and not remembering much of what he or she may have to learn. The parent effect always in the background of children’s learning. The peer effect often viewed as stronger, but it is actually a collision of the two that defines learning. “Entre les murs” a film that illustrates the neighborhood effect. No matter how hard you’d try to taech children, the negative effect of their “lazy” peers made them not focus on it at all. Susan Greenfield did research on the relationship between different learning environments in Oxford, England (2010). She compared the amount of time children spend at home, at school and online. → QUESTION: Put in order of how many hours 1011 year olds spend: medium in school least at home most in the virtual world
(actual values) 900 per year 1,277 per year 1,934 per year
It is important to keep in mind the time children spend in different, potentially learning environments. “We are currently preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQ1ULfQawk] “I believe wholeheartedly taht the open school is there first and foremost to bring young people together and to help them to learn to live in a way that our political society so badly needs” [von Hentig, 1990, p. 47] This means that the social world in which children from different backgrounds and different religious persuasions, with different abilities and disabilities, meet with one another is more significant, according to the author of the quote, than learning the assigned material. → QUESTIONS:
What do I know about learning? → It is an ongoing process both inside and outside the classroom environment that is influenced by many factors, both individual and social ones. What works best for me? → Taking notes, repetition, using different mediums to learn, having the teacher’s individual attention (even just for brief conversations) that helps me refocus. What are my strengths and weaknesses? → Strenghts: a wide variety of learning skills and strategies, interest in many different subject areas. Weaknesses: bouts of lacking motivation, laziness when I feel too confident in my ability to learn a subject. What helps and hinders my learning? → Using different teaching methods, getting myself interested in the subject and having people who share my motivation to learn helps. Doing only the amount of work required and not being fully motivated even for a short period of time hinder my learning. Where and when do I learn best? → At home, usually when alone or if the person also at home is keeping to themselves. Oddly enough, I am the most effective as a learner in the late night/early morniing (25am). Who do I learn best with? → Alone. Alternately, with people who are equally or more passionate and knowledgable about the subject. Alternately, minutes before an exam, when everyone is repeating most important topics lastminute. How am I smart? → I know how much I have to do to be able to pass, regardless whether it is a course or otherwise. I have the capability to learn quickly and efficiently.
HANS ROSLING: 200 COUNTRIES, 200 YEARS, 4 MINUTES THE JOY OF STATS BBC4 In a fourminute presentation Hans Rosling provides an overview of what childhood health and wellbeing mean in different countries of the world, showing the progress over time and the gaps that still remain between different places within and across countries. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo] To what extent does this connect with your own experience? → I did not feel as if this information was new to me. I knew the general patterns in development of different countries across the world, and the speed at which less welldeveloped countries caught up with firstworld ones. It is obvious that there is a direct relationship between physical wellbeing and wealth and the possibility of becoming educated, something visible when observing third versus firstworld countries. → In the former, children are less likely to be fully literate (if literate at all) because it is sometimes impossible for them to participate in classroom learning, which may be caused by a distance barrier or the necessity for the child to work in order to have food to put on the table, or sometimes by a state of war, terror or other danger. Children living in countries more prone to natural disasters are also less likely to have the chance to participate in steady and wellorganised education. → In firstworld countries, education is a more obvious part of life, and while its
level and extent often depends on financial status (private schools are viewed as superior in many countries, college education tends to be expensive even if the schooling itself is provided free of charge), it is available to those commited to it..
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 4: Being a Professional Is teaching a profession? How do we make that judgement? What defines a profession and what professional standards would we expect of ourselves and our colleagues?
“A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards, who are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning, research, education and training at higher level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others” [Australian Councilof Professions, 2004, p.1] Teaching is a personal and emotional engagement: “1. A passion (positive emotional attachment) 2. An investment of time outside of contact hours with students. 3. A focus on the individual needs of students. 4. A responsibility to impart knowledge, attitudes, values 5. Maintaining professional knowledge 6. Engagement with the school community” [Crosswell and Elliot, 2004] What nurtures, and what deters teachers in their profession? According to Southworth (2000), we can talk about ”toxins” and “nutrients” when it comes to professional development. “Toxins”: “Nutrients”: ideas rejected or stolen being valued constant carping criticisms being encouraged being ignored being noticed being judgedand overdirected being trusted not being listened to being listened to being misunderstood being respected → QUESTION: What is true for me? → I think that this list is more or less universal, not only for teachers, but for many
professions. Establishing a good working relationship, regardless of whether it is with students and other teachers, or with representants of the same or similar profession in a different environment, has a similar basis and similar values can deter it from developing or enhance its growth. The dilemma space: “Relative to other professions, teachers still have to wrestle for status and respect, and while they often are expected to be smart and enterpreneurial, they also are expected to be compliant and conforming.” [Barnett, The Future of the Teaching Profession]
There are two dimensions in which we understand the dilemma space. Spending too much time worrying about and prioritising measurable performance causes a loss of innovative thinking. Ignoring assessment is a sign of possible fear, or avoiding feedback - which in turn is a sign of weakness and hinders professional development. Focusing only on innovative methods is a sure way to “extinction”. Combining the ability to assess performance as well as being creative in your learning, both you and students will excel - but make sure not to get stuck in the middle as the “push me - pull me” one, unable to make the choice. “Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day? If only the day was longer we could do all those things that have been left undone. It seems that our teaching leaves a trail of unfinished tasks. When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. As we review a day, a week, a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks we may come to see have responded to the urgent - the winds of other people’s demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration.” [Drawing on Charles Hummel “The Tyranny of the Urgent”] It is a common strategy to use a four-quadrant
method of organising what “needs” to be taught. This matrix can be useful on a long-term basis - but we need to keep in mind that focusing only on the important and urgent matters makes both the teacher and the learner miss out on all other categories. Some say that the most important long-term goals in teaching is what can be found in the important and the not urgent part of the matrix.
The aim of teaching is not to produce learning but to create the conditions for learning, this is the focal point, the quality of learning. [Loris Malaguzzi: L'occhio se salta il muro: Narrativa del possibile"] Parts of this fourweek course: ● Being a teacher: an ambassador to the kingdom of the child ● Thinking about learning what do we know, not know, need to know? ● How good is my classroom? think about and evaluate your own teaching and learning in the context of the conditions in which it takes place ● Continuing to learn in a changing world Each week: 4 lectures, 10 minutes long + a thinkpiece following the lesson (use the strategy I used to think → now I think). Essays: we will evaluate each others’ essays. Quizzes: there will be singlechoice quizzes at the end of every lecture.
How do I know what I think until I hear what I say? the importance of sharing information in order to more clearly define one’s views as the most efficient way of spreading knowledge among a group of stimultaneous learners.
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 2: Being a Teacher What does it mean to be a teacher? The answer may seem obvious but this lecture asks you to think about your own identity and aspirations.
→ QUESTIONS: 1. What does it mean to be a teacher? → To me, being a teacher means being responsible for shaping the mind of the learner, guiding them towards learning (not just putting information in their mind, but making them excited to pursue the discipline which I teach and others in their own time). In case of young students, it also means developing them socially. In case of older students, it means guilding their later development or providing means for realising the need to make changes in their behavior. Being a teacher does not exclude a person from being in the learner group, because it means having to constantly update knowledge and strategies, to use experiences in teaching to expand my skills as a teacher. 2. What have I learned about teaching? → It is a very rewarding but difficult task. It requires much preparation and a very open mind, able to apply different strategies depending on the students’ abilities and willingness to participate in the learning process. 3. What has been my most powerful teaching experience? → Conducting a lesson at an internship at a primary school. There are many different aspects of teaching that have to come together: Planning for teaching and learning: to what extent do you need to plan your actions? Formulating goals Engaging stuednts Planning lessons Organising resources Developing strategies Communicating achievement Learners and learning to what extent do you need to have a deeper understanding of learners? Who are they? What do they know, feel, do? How can I engage my students in a way that is meaningful for them? What are the most effective strategies to promote leanring? What are the major theories of learning? Curriculum: to what extent do you need to understand its nature and what does it even mean? What does the word mean to me?
Are there different understandings of what it means? How does it connect to students? How do I use it to develop learning activities for my students? Assessing for learning: both for and as learning, or at the end of a period of learning? Diagnostic } Formative } reporting/giving feedback Summative } Being a profesional: what does it mean? Ethics Codes of conduct and standards Legal/administrative responsibilities Personal philosophy of teaching Being part of a professional learning community Seeking advice on how to improve your teaching Planning for your future development as a teacher Developing relatinoships:students, families, the wider community, school leaders. I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curiuos. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do. [Gardner, 1999, 180181]
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 3: The World of Childhood As a teacher what do I know about the different worlds that children inhabit? As an ambassador to the kingdom of the child how do I gain a more informed understanding of the world, or worlds, of childhood?
“What did you learn in school today?” the difference between “what you were taught” and “what you learned”. Students aren’t the only people who learn in school, teachers do too. 3 worlds, in which children spend their lives: the academic world, the social world and the cyber world. Teaching is to allow them to make connections between those three worlds “Children and young people live nested lives, so that when classrooms do not function as we want them to, we go to work on improving them. Those classrooms are in schools, so when we decide that those schools are not performing appropriately, we go to work on improving them, as well. But those young people are also situated in families, in neighbourhoods, in peer groups who shape attitudes and aspirations often more powerfully than their parents or teachers” [David Berliner, 2005] These groups shape aspirations and motivations perhaps more powerfully than teachers. → QUESTION: What matters most: family, neighborhood, peers, schools, teachers or policy and political effect? → I think that in my country (Poland) children in their early life learn most at home. Family life is such a key point around which life is centered that the first imperssions of right and wrong, first opinions form in accordance with those of family members closest to the child. Then, as he or she grows up, opinions of peers and observations of the world around them sometimes collide with what the family says, therefore making family influence either something the child agrees or disagrees with, forcing him or her to take a stand. This goes as much towards opinions on ethical or behavioral matters as it does towards learning and aspirations if a child is motivated by their parents to excel at school but their peers advertise the stereotypical “low grades, high social life” lifestyle, he or she will either follow the path the family said is correct or that of their peers, therefore influencing their learning. Therefore, I believe that peers and family are the
strongest influences in a child’s learning process. → Policy and political effect only matters in regards to what the child actually studies, but does not necessarily define what the child learns in the same way that a list of suggested reading for a course does not define what a student will actually read and remember from it. While curriculums set forth by ministries or teachers or schools can give a good idea of what a child probably will learn, he or she may become more interested in the subject and research it or ask about details in their own time, or become completely disinterested in it, neglecting to study and not remembering much of what he or she may have to learn. The parent effect always in the background of children’s learning. The peer effect often viewed as stronger, but it is actually a collision of the two that defines learning. “Entre les murs” a film that illustrates the neighborhood effect. No matter how hard you’d try to taech children, the negative effect of their “lazy” peers made them not focus on it at all. Susan Greenfield did research on the relationship between different learning environments in Oxford, England (2010). She compared the amount of time children spend at home, at school and online. → QUESTION: Put in order of how many hours 1011 year olds spend: medium in school least at home most in the virtual world
(actual values) 900 per year 1,277 per year 1,934 per year
It is important to keep in mind the time children spend in different, potentially learning environments. “We are currently preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQ1ULfQawk] “I believe wholeheartedly taht the open school is there first and foremost to bring young people together and to help them to learn to live in a way that our political society so badly needs” [von Hentig, 1990, p. 47] This means that the social world in which children from different backgrounds and different religious persuasions, with different abilities and disabilities, meet with one another is more significant, according to the author of the quote, than learning the assigned material. → QUESTIONS:
What do I know about learning? → It is an ongoing process both inside and outside the classroom environment that is influenced by many factors, both individual and social ones. What works best for me? → Taking notes, repetition, using different mediums to learn, having the teacher’s individual attention (even just for brief conversations) that helps me refocus. What are my strengths and weaknesses? → Strenghts: a wide variety of learning skills and strategies, interest in many different subject areas. Weaknesses: bouts of lacking motivation, laziness when I feel too confident in my ability to learn a subject. What helps and hinders my learning? → Using different teaching methods, getting myself interested in the subject and having people who share my motivation to learn helps. Doing only the amount of work required and not being fully motivated even for a short period of time hinder my learning. Where and when do I learn best? → At home, usually when alone or if the person also at home is keeping to themselves. Oddly enough, I am the most effective as a learner in the late night/early morniing (25am). Who do I learn best with? → Alone. Alternately, with people who are equally or more passionate and knowledgable about the subject. Alternately, minutes before an exam, when everyone is repeating most important topics lastminute. How am I smart? → I know how much I have to do to be able to pass, regardless whether it is a course or otherwise. I have the capability to learn quickly and efficiently.
HANS ROSLING: 200 COUNTRIES, 200 YEARS, 4 MINUTES THE JOY OF STATS BBC4 In a fourminute presentation Hans Rosling provides an overview of what childhood health and wellbeing mean in different countries of the world, showing the progress over time and the gaps that still remain between different places within and across countries. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo] To what extent does this connect with your own experience? → I did not feel as if this information was new to me. I knew the general patterns in development of different countries across the world, and the speed at which less welldeveloped countries caught up with firstworld ones. It is obvious that there is a direct relationship between physical wellbeing and wealth and the possibility of becoming educated, something visible when observing third versus firstworld countries. → In the former, children are less likely to be fully literate (if literate at all) because it is sometimes impossible for them to participate in classroom learning, which may be caused by a distance barrier or the necessity for the child to work in order to have food to put on the table, or sometimes by a state of war, terror or other danger. Children living in countries more prone to natural disasters are also less likely to have the chance to participate in steady and wellorganised education. → In firstworld countries, education is a more obvious part of life, and while its
level and extent often depends on financial status (private schools are viewed as superior in many countries, college education tends to be expensive even if the schooling itself is provided free of charge), it is available to those commited to it..
FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING 1: INTRODUCTION WEEK 1: Being a Teacher: A Professional Privilege LECTURE 4: Being a Professional Is teaching a profession? How do we make that judgement? What defines a profession and what professional standards would we expect of ourselves and our colleagues?
“A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards, who are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning, research, education and training at higher level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others” [Australian Councilof Professions, 2004, p.1] Teaching is a personal and emotional engagement: “1. A passion (positive emotional attachment) 2. An investment of time outside of contact hours with students. 3. A focus on the individual needs of students. 4. A responsibility to impart knowledge, attitudes, values 5. Maintaining professional knowledge 6. Engagement with the school community” [Crosswell and Elliot, 2004] What nurtures, and what deters teachers in their profession? According to Southworth (2000), we can talk about ”toxins” and “nutrients” when it comes to professional development. “Toxins”: “Nutrients”: ideas rejected or stolen being valued constant carping criticisms being encouraged being ignored being noticed being judgedand overdirected being trusted not being listened to being listened to being misunderstood being respected → QUESTION: What is true for me? → I think that this list is more or less universal, not only for teachers, but for many
professions. Establishing a good working relationship, regardless of whether it is with students and other teachers, or with representants of the same or similar profession in a different environment, has a similar basis and similar values can deter it from developing or enhance its growth. The dilemma space: “Relative to other professions, teachers still have to wrestle for status and respect, and while they often are expected to be smart and enterpreneurial, they also are expected to be compliant and conforming.” [Barnett, The Future of the Teaching Profession]
There are two dimensions in which we understand the dilemma space. Spending too much time worrying about and prioritising measurable performance causes a loss of innovative thinking. Ignoring assessment is a sign of possible fear, or avoiding feedback - which in turn is a sign of weakness and hinders professional development. Focusing only on innovative methods is a sure way to “extinction”. Combining the ability to assess performance as well as being creative in your learning, both you and students will excel - but make sure not to get stuck in the middle as the “push me - pull me” one, unable to make the choice. “Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day? If only the day was longer we could do all those things that have been left undone. It seems that our teaching leaves a trail of unfinished tasks. When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. As we review a day, a week, a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks we may come to see have responded to the urgent - the winds of other people’s demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration.” [Drawing on Charles Hummel “The Tyranny of the Urgent”] It is a common strategy to use a four-quadrant
method of organising what “needs” to be taught. This matrix can be useful on a long-term basis - but we need to keep in mind that focusing only on the important and urgent matters makes both the teacher and the learner miss out on all other categories. Some say that the most important long-term goals in teaching is what can be found in the important and the not urgent part of the matrix.
