Preparing to Become a Teacher - What I Learned in EDUC 5015Q: Teaching, Learning and Development

1. Educational Psychology: Uses methods and knowledge of psychology to study teaching and learning

1.1. Locations of Educational Research: Journal of Writing Research - JoWR http://scholar.google.ca/ http://www.cec.org/ http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

1.2. Principles of Development

1.2.1. Tiering: Adjusting pedagogy and content to student needs according to their stage of development

1.2.1.1. Related to Scaffolding and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development

1.2.2. Piaget and Basic Learning Instinct - Drive to organize - schemas: mental representations and; Drive to adjust - teeter totter analogy

1.3. Constructivism: focuses on student motivations for learning and putting them "in the drivers seat". "... students develop cognitive structures while actively building their knowledge and skills."

1.4. Noam Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device: All children have an innate ability to develop language skills. It is not related to higher order executive functioning.

1.5. Bloom's Taxonomy:

2. New Models: Teaching methods founded in the latest research.

2.1. Reflective Practice - Looking back on what worked last year, what the latest research shows, and what your students individual needs are and planning/adjusting your plans accordingly.

2.1.1. Diagnostic Assessment

2.1.2. Develop Student Profiles: Consider learner types, extra-curricular interests, child's (parents'? goals), and current abilities (diagnostic and formative assessment)

2.1.3. Many types of "aptitude/screening" tests to show where your students are developmentally and otherwise. Some include: Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), Insight...

2.1.4. https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/711/32867973620_1058aec5f1_b.jpg

2.1.4.1. culturally responsive teaching

2.2. Student centred Approach- Teacher acknowledges that students are responsible for their own learning and facilitates that learning according to student needs. This is constructivism.

2.2.1. Universal Design for Learning - creation of content and pedagogy that inerests, motivates and educated all students, so that not only those who are traditionally successful find joy and meaning in school

2.2.1.1. The Myth of Average: Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

2.2.2. Differentiated Instruction - building in opportunities to address individual learning needs in every lesson

2.2.2.1. John Dewey believed in individual plans for every student

2.2.2.2. School systems are not responsible for meeting every need of their students. But when the need directly affects learning, the school must meet the challenge. *****Carnegie Council Task Force (1989)

2.2.2.3. Inclusivity

2.2.2.3.1. Aboriginal Education - decolonizing pedagogy to acknowledge past wrongs but also to make safe space for FNMI peoples and make colonizers productive in their apologies

2.2.2.3.2. Multi-cultural approach: remembering that not all students have the same values and beliefs. Celebrate these differences

2.2.2.3.3. Special Needs: be conscious of students who are on IEPs. They all have abilities and are capable of great learning.

2.2.2.3.4. LGBTQ awareness. Discrimination is not only not conducive to a learning environment, it is ILLEGAL

2.2.2.3.5. Socioeconomic disparity: remember that not all students had the same opportunity I had growing up. Some kids need extra help because of their inherited disadvantage.

2.2.3. Response to Intervention - foundations in Applied Behavioural Analysis with many implications for work with Special Needs students

2.2.3.1. Dynamic Classroom Management - Everston and Weinstein. Classroom and behviour management is essential to instruction.

2.2.4. Developmentally Appropriate Schools - The schools offer learning at levels the students are READY for!

2.3. Inquiry Based Learning

2.3.1. Growth Mindset - Every student can learn. Intelligence is a skill not a trait.

2.3.1.1. The power of believing that you can improve

2.3.2. Science is for everyone, kids included

2.3.3. Ask "How?" and "Why?"

2.3.4. Give general information, ask a specific question, and let students apply the knowledge in their own way

2.4. Backwards Design: beginning with the end in mind. Focus on what tasks or knowledge you want students to be capable of or walk away with before planning a lesson. Keep that end goal in mind so you do not get lost in the weeds while teaching subjects.

3. Old Models: Ideas that were popular in the past but have since fallen in popularity. I will likely encounter many teachers using outdated techniques.

3.1. Here Seth Godin describes how the history of education is linked to the rise of industrial capitalism. Many aspects of this historical form of education are still found in schools today.

3.1.1. Prussian Model: Developed with the intent and understanding that knowledge is deposited into people as they progress, much like a manufactured item passing along a conveyor belt, through their academic career. When complete they will be ready to become productive members of the emerging industrial economy.

3.2. Teacher centred approach - teacher lectures to induce learning. They pick the content and deliver it.

3.3. Behaviourism: That student learning and conduct in the classroom can be negatively or positively reinforced to change it according to the will of the teacher https://funderstanding.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/behaviorism.jpg

3.4. Direct Instruction Schools: learning is segmented, children are empty vessels (like Prussian model)

4. Teaching Strategies

4.1. Behaviour Management

4.1.1. Bump System: Proximity Touch Student’s Name Gesture The Look The Pause Ignore Signal to Begin / Signal for Attention Deal with the problem not the student

4.2. Classroom Environment (Physical Setting

4.2.1. Flex Seating

4.2.2. Moving Beyond Rows: U-Shape, Stations, Tribe Building Spaces

4.2.3. 12 Ways to Upgrade Your Classroom Design | Cult of Pedagogy

4.3. Classroom Culture

4.3.1. Safe Space: All students are welcome. NO BULLYING, teacher should monitor and intercede where necessary Again: TRIBES by Gibbes Multi-culturally sensitive: constant communication with parents regarding expectation. Be aware of perceived biases, learned helplessness and stigma against schooling or authority.

4.3.2. "Play and learning are not incompatible!"

4.3.3. Consider grouping and pairing students according to their learning styles. Make sure you emphasize all learning styles throughout the year.

4.4. Assessment

4.4.1. Assessment Culture: consider student response to assessment feedback. We know that student's emotional responses to feedback dictate how they well move forward.

4.4.2. "If we plant lettuce and the Lettuce does not grow, we don’t blame the lettuce. We look for reasons why It isn’t doing well."

4.4.3. Assessment is to provide TEACHERS with feedback as much as it is for students to self-assess. Students are aware of their abilities. A good assessment is their way of telling us how they are doing with the material and provides meaningful strategies for how to deliver that content.

4.4.4. Standardized testing allows for governmental bodies to assess how students perform in controlled settings and promotes consistent goals for all students across the province, but it does not promote long-term learning (enduring understanding), beneficial learning strategies, are not UDL, inclusive and are frequently over-emphasized leading to teachers "teaching to the test".

4.4.5. Remember backwards design! (And a picture of my dog because she's so cute and covered in mud!) You might end up bogged down in a muddy quagmire of lesson plans if you don't begin with the end goal in mind!