This week I have spent a few hours reading the work of fellow SMU M.Ed. leaners' Review of Literature (ROL) and Action Research (AR) papers. These represent, for most of us, nearly a year's worth of research and writing. Wow! What a journey we have all been blessed to travel!
What I have learned from both my own ROL/AR experience and after reading the work of others is that to be in the teaching profession is to be among people who care deeply, work passionately, and never quit learning. How many professions out there is it expected that you continue to learn ALL the time? How many professions out there give one an opportunity to literally change kids' lives on a daily basis? How many professions out there allow one to be the coach to dreamers, inventors, scientist, writers, artists, mathematicians, linguist refiners? Not too many. In how many professions is it truly valued to be a teammate over a competitor? In how many professions is it best practice to share your work with your colleagues in an effort to help one another be the best each can possibly be? Not too many. But in education we have this unique built-in sense of camaraderie, because at the end of the day if we are all our best teacher selves, students are the winners. Our schools become better places. The students who will be tomorrow's leaders will be better at leading because we were good at sharing and spurring one another on. I consider it a great privilege to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the SMU M.Ed. program. Not because I loved having little to no spare-time for actual hobbies, or because I enjoyed stressing over writing deadlines...but because I got to learn from so many amazing teachers. Real-live, unpublished, un-medaled, honest-to-goodness, awesome teachers. Most of them won't be publishing a book or winning a Nobel Prize, not because they couldn't, but because they are too concerned with the academic outcomes and well-being of their students to spend time seeking such things for themselves. While I spent time reading the work of teachers who don't teach for accolades or simply to get a pay-check, but teachers who are clearly passionate about being great at meeting kids where they are and helping them grow intellectually, behaviorally, and emotionally, I considered it an honor to be part of such a community. The teachers I had in high school changed my life because they helped me through some tough teenage years. To them I am incredibly grateful. Without them I am not sure I would be a part of this honored profession. Now I can also say teachers, as peers, have changed my life because they have inspired me to never stop learning. To never stop striving to implement better instructional practices. To never stop pushing myself as a learner...the next generation just might be depending on it.
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In just over 4 weeks I will be wrapping-up my M.Ed in Teaching and Learning at Saint Mary's University. Two weeks after that I will be ending my role as an online teaching at Landry Academy. As I face both of these journeys coming to an end I am left with the obvious question of, what next? But I as I consider the possible responses to that question I also need to consider what my calling as teacher should look like in the next chapter of my life. If you are unfamiliar with this word "calling" it is a term frequently used in Christian circles to describe what one feels God has both gifted them in and asked to do vocationally. Dictionary.com offers these words to define calling: 2) vocation, profession, or trade: What is your calling? 3) a call or summons: He had a calling to join the church. 4) a strong impulse or inclination: She did it in response to an inner calling. As you can see this term "calling" is closely related to both what one does and the feeling of being called to be and do something specifically designed for the person called. For me I believe my calling began in elementary school. It was there that I decided I would be a teacher. Was it because I had amazing teachers, loved school and adored a lot of moments of my academic experiences. Maybe? Or was it that there was a design imprinted on my life from the creator of the world that would guide me to be passionate about education and the relational ministry that can happen in the classroom? (Sounds a lot like the nature versus nurture question.) I am guessing it is a good combo of both. But why ask these question now? Why walk down this introspective path after 10 years in the education world, after 10 years of trying to see my calling through? I believe re-visiting my calling to teach is important now because as I get older I feel like I waver more and more in knowing exactly what I am called to. In many ways the early years of adult-life are so much easier. Fewer mistakes have been made, less bills have to be paid, the idea that "I can do anything I want" seems like an actual reality, and the zest of life has not been squished by the weight of the pressures that come with sticking with a plan, following through with the hard relationships and the questioning of whether in 10 years I have had the affect that I was hoping for. (Perhaps this is where mid-life crises begins?) To recall my calling is to bring myself back to an understanding and belief that my training in and passion for education are leading me somewhere...but where? I am not sure? But here is what I am sure of: I have been given some gifts that I can not keep to myself. I have been given the gift of a teacher's heart. I have been given the gift of a bachelor's degree. I have been given the gift of a master's degree. I have been given the gift of a faithful husband. I have been given the gift of three little ones made from my blood and born from my body. I have been given the gift of some amazing teaching experiences. I have been given the gift of rich and life-giving relationships with students and colleagues. I have been given the gift of hard-times. I have been given the gift of these promises from my creator: I will never leave your or forsake you. I am with you always. I know the plans of I have for you. So as I reconsider my calling to be a teacher I can see where this calling has lead me already--to people and places that have changed my life. My experiences have made me even more passionate about providing high quality education to students. And further, given me a desire to help other teachers discuss and share their passion and pedagogy practices used to fulfill their calling as a teacher. As I ponder the words I have just written I can see that my calling is what it has always been, to teach: when I see the gifts this calling has given me I can not help but be overjoyed and encouraged. I can see that my experiences were intentionally designed to give me a certain perspective and that with that perspective I can continue to live into my calling. From that perspective I can see that I am called to reach out and share my gifts with those around me. What that looks like exactly, I am not sure. But I will rest in the waiting (I will try to anyway: I am pretty good at resting...waiting, not so much!). And I will hold fast to the gift of the promise that there is a design placed on my life. When I wonder and waver and question what I am called to, I need only to return to this post and be reminded that He who is faithful will equip and provide for me to fulfill my calling. Self-reflection has lead me here and now the journey will continue.... (source of image: http://www.jathangood.com/hallways/)
As we wrap up our last round of Action Research (AR) for my master's class I was really hoping I could veer down a direction that focussed more on personal growth and less on implementing a strategy in my classroom. The reason being that I just don't know that with 5 weeks of class any thing that I choose to implement will have much impact. And to be honest, I think I am just tired and ready to coast into the finish line, rather than sprinting there.
But as I should have guessed my proposed alternate AR was not fitting to the standards and I was encouraged to examine a way to use what I had been researching for my ROL, discussion boards, in some way so that I could stick to the standards and aims of the M.Ed. program. As I talked this through with my instructor I was able to come to an option that I had not considered. Oh, the power of verbal processing. (I am so much a verbal processor when it comes to making plans. Take some time today to appreciate a colleague with whom you cross past frequently and are able to bounce ideas off from--they are invaluable!) What she helped me to see was that I could take the concept I was working with and narrow it down to something incredibly manageable and to a timeline that would allow for a quick turn around from implementation to data collection and analysis. I think that is the biggest struggle for me when I approach an AR process, I just don't know how to break it down small enough to make it manageable and helpful to adjusting my teaching practices quickly. But I am hopeful the coming process will accomplish these. So, over the last 24 hours I went from having no idea how I was going to tackle this last AR cycle to having a new AR plan and nearly all the materials I needed to go with it (thanks to 3 hours alone at Caribou): a plan, checklists, rubrics, and 4 data collection tools. And a timeline that is friendly to my life and the progress of the students in my class. The best part is that it works perfectly into my lessons for the next two weeks, and instead of feeling like I am adding something to things we are already doing I actually feel like I am enhancing what we were already going to be doing.
Here is my plan and I am looking forward to seeing the results: Writing a Quality Thesis Statement & Helping Other Writers Create a Quality Thesis Statement I haven't spent a lot of time reflecting on leadership this semester. This is largely due to the fact that I honestly don't feel like I have a position in which to be a leader (when it comes to academic realms, at least). And when one doesn't feel like they are even being seen it is hard to find material to focus on in regards to reflections on leadership.
However, I heard something very interesting at a women's conference that has stuck with me for the last two months. There is an amazing author and speaker from Australia, Christine Cain(seriously, her story and passion will blow you away), who was one of the speakers at a conference I attended in February. In her talk she said the following, There is always a place to serve. There may not always be a position [title or job opening] but there is always a place. Her point being that when we look around for places to lead or serve we often look for an empty position, a job (or volunteer) opening. And if there isn't one we assume that there is not place for us to server or lead. Her challenge was to stop that way of thinking and recognize that there is always someone in need of our service, love or leading. There is a gap that is in need of filling in nearly any church, organization or neighborhood. Instead of waiting for a predefined position to move us toward serving and leading, we should take time to look around and see if there are places to lead and serve that are not a part of holding a particular position or title attached. We should look at the the people around us and the contexts we are set in and find the places of need that are already present and calling for our attention. I found this very encouraging for the stage of life I am in. I spend most of my "working time" volunteering in my community and church and being the CEO of my home. I hold no predefined positions of great value in the context of the working world. But in my life, I can see that I am leading in a lot of "places" that are not defined as positions nor have titles attached to them. Somehow in two years I have managed to become the "leader" of an annual women's conference, three community small groups, a book club, and planner of neighborhood events, like Easter Egg hunts and bonfires. Not things that will go on a resume if I ever find a way back into the education world. But I am encouraged because I am beginning to see that leadership is needed in those non-working, non-corporate places as well. However, in such places there is little feedback as to if I am actually a good leader or just good at getting people gather together for some common purpose. As I have pondered her words I have begun to see that my greatest challenge in looking toward the future is that I just want to know what kind of leader I am. But I have never held a defined leadership position so I don't really know how to answer that, or what others would answer if they were asked to describe my as a leader. In addition, if someone would point out my traits (both negative and positive) as a leader I would have hard time believing them because I know they have never seen me actually lead (in the defined position kind of way). The reason I am pondering this is because the paths for my future may be leading to a leadership position that would require the highest quality of leadership skills. And I hesitate to even consider the position because I truly don't know if I want to move away from the "volunteer" leadership role to the actual leadership role and all the pressure and criticism that could come with it. How does one know when their time has come to step up and lead? How does one know if they have what it takes to be that leader who has what it takes to fulfill the needs of a demanding position? I think it takes a lot of faith and trust and knowing that the old adage, "you never know until you try" gets truer and truer as life brings bigger and more challenging dreams, goals, and leadership opportunities. I think it also requires me to keep believing that,There is always a place to serve. There may not always be a position [title or job opening] but there is always a place. That regardless of my position or title (or whether I have one or not) I can grow in my ability to lead by looking for places to serve. If you missed mast last post, The Race is On..., take a minute to go back and check it out. I think it may be encouraging to you as you face the end of this winter season and the beginning of wrapping up these months of schooling.
This week I have spent much of my time pondering what are the biggest differences in educating students online versus in face-to-face(f2f) classrooms. In theory, a teacher is trying to accomplish the same aims, in terms of content, whether the instruction takes place in a virtual learning environment (VLE) or in a f2f classroom. However, the strategies and techniques for creating community, establishing norms, reinforcing classroom policies and procedures, and facilitating discussions and interactions take on completely new forms (and likely require more involvement on the teachers part) than in the f2f classroom. While wrapping up my reading for my third ROL annotated bibliography (again looking at online learning, but specifically online discussion boards) I came to the idea that perhaps a giant Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting online education and f2f instruction would be an appealing avenue for presenting my ideas later this Spring. I think I have plenty of information to accomplish this, but I am not jumping on it yet because I fear I have too much information and am worried that all my work will not show well the differences and similarities between the two. This is because even as I begin to explain or try to define the difference I have experienced, I struggle to communicate how even though the aim of the content is similar and that there are tools available to implement many of the IDEA concepts, I just can't seem to make it clear to myself or others why teaching online seems so much more challenging and less rewarding than f2f instruction. Perhaps it is simply my own personal bias toward online education? Perhaps it is my particular VLE and the polices of the school (that hinder my ability to implement good instructional tools)? Or a combination of the two. Yet, it is not that part of it that has me so frustrated. It is that I feel I am unable to clearly communicate exactly my perceptions of online education (even after doing loads of research and being an online teacher). And if I have such a hard time with coming to a conclusion on how/if online education is effective, do others not also struggle to determine if online learning is actually a good thing? How much time do other teachers in the online world of education take to reflect on whether how they teach is effective? Maybe the rub lies in that as an online educator I have no one to ask these questions to? I have no relational-colleagial support network to bounce ideas of from or to seek out answers to questions I have about best practice and adapting f2f teaching to my VLE. Then I wonder, what are f2f teachers perceptions of online education at the middle and high school level? Are there even perceptions out there? If so, what are teachers in f2f classrooms saying about the online education alternatives available to students (prior to college)? I must start this entry with an apology for my absence of posts in the last few weeks. My life has been full to the brim with some very positive stressors (action research write-up{completed!}, job applications, women's conference leading, and fulfilling my commitment to run steady {metaphorically and actually} this year of my life. (Steady On, by Steffany Gretzinger, has been my mantra for the last 6 weeks.)
And as I sit here, what should come to mind but the lyrics to Swayer Brown's, The Race is On. Now, I have no heartache to be pondering, but I think I am beginning to realize that even though life has been full the race to the end of this master's program is just beginning. The final leg of this 18 month degree is laying out before me and I can hear the bass of this song in my head making my heart start to beat faster, and harder, reminding me that it is time to pick up the pace and finish the race strong. I have jumped the hurdle of getting that dreaded AR-write up completed (in the rough draft sense) and have begun to internalize how I would like to go about presenting in April. In fact, I think I spend more time pondering how I will get my message across in that 45 minutes than I do pondering how to get all the other work of the next few weeks completed. I think that is the teacher in me shining through--I know the writing and the research are important but I value more highly that those who come to my presentation walk away with the understandings that I feel are most important to the content being presented. What about you? What are you focussing on to pull you through and stay motived for the next couple months? What do you lose sleep over when you think about the culminating product of your learning at Spring conference? If you had to chose a theme song for the next few weeks what would it be? My goal is to remain steady and focussed, while also keeping life balanced. I have run a lot of races in my life (some 5km, others 26.2 miles) and I know that just because the end is coming doesn't mean that I will be strong just because I want to be. The end is so HARD EVERY SINGLE TIME (no matter the distance). Instead, it takes focus, determination and cheerleaders. So, calling all cheerleaders to the front lines:) How can we help each other finish strong? And I wonder, who do I need to invite into the race to help me stick to this and come out a better, stronger, and wiser person in May? I think one answer to this is that I have invited other educators outside of the program to revise my papers for me (I have bribed them with Starbucks gift cards, but they are coming along side me nonetheless). How about you? What are you going to be intentional about in regards to finishing strong? This blog entry may seem to come out of the blue, but it stems from discussions I have heard happening in our community. Although I haven't been able to add much to these discussions, I have taken sometime to reflect and ponder just what I think about a Christian high school being established in our community because I really needed to wrestle with idea to find some clarity before entering the discussion.
The reading of this week’s articles for my M.Ed. program couldn’t have been timed better! I guess sometimes maybe God is with me in my procrastinating:)
Today I received an email questioning my use of the categories on my writing rubric for the categories in the grade book. To clarify, the categories in my grade book are as follows: Ideas => 30%, Organization => 30%, Conventions => 25%, Peer-revising & Editing Participation => 10%, and Presentation =>5%. Then I started my reading for this week and the two events found me graveling in the questioning of my colleague and the use of rubrics in the classroom. What came of that is below: According to the critique of my categories, parents would much rather see categories that are more “tangible” (even though not one parent has contacted me with this concern). Here was the specific suggestion: I think parents will want to see tangible outcomes like final papers: 30%, drafts, note-cards, outlines: 20%, etc. It wasn’t an argument against rubrics (because, in fact, it is required that I return each paper with a rubric), but more the questioning of why I would use those categories for the grading categories—because parents might not understand what the categories mean tangibly. But I think this points at the problem—the purpose of rubrics is lost when the rubric isn’t used throughout a course--as tool for instruction, as well as the determinate for the final grade. Often this happens because, as Erickson points out in, Why use a rubric when a checklist will do, “When rubrics were developed, it was not for the purpose of giving a grade but for assisting in student learning by providing descriptive feedback”. So that is how a lot of teachers use them—to give feedback. But then they let it stop there. As a result, the actual grade book operates more like a checklist, which Erickson points out should only be used when introducing skills—not when students are showing mastery or overall understanding of concepts covered. Sadly, in this way the grade book can often times turn in to a checklist evaluation on whether a student can turn in work on time (rather than an indication of achievement toward the content objectives). The perception seems to be that evidence of the student’s learning is important during the process but the final grade needs to be numbers added together to equal a number or letter that can be compared to another number or letter. As a result, learning through feedback ceases at the close of a quarter or a semester. I find this frustrating and concerning because it could potentially cancel out many of the positive aspects of using rubrics in the first place--mainly, students being able reflect on and evaluate their own growth over time(Instead they are lurched back into the ranking game when final grades are posted.). A second potential causality of focusing final grades on what are listed above as “tangible” evidences (or those things that can be evaluated in list format) is that it could devalue the learning that takes place in the act of using rubrics as tools during the learning process. Ross Brewer, Ph. D., writes, “Important research shows that teaching students to be strong self-assessors and peer-assessors are among the most effective educational interventions that teachers can take. If students know what is expected and how to assess their effort as they complete their work, they will perform at much higher levels than students who do not have this knowledge.” If the teaching of self-assessment and peer-advising is a valuable part of the learning process but plays no role in the final grade, I don’t think it will take long for students to realize the disconnect and lose motivation to continue working hard at self-assessment and peer-revising. If they can be a part of the process along the way and use the categories of the rubric to self-assess, shouldn’t their input and those same categories be what is sent home on the final report card? I realize that meeting this expectation is easier to do in theory than in reality (I will be the first to admit I live closer to the idealist end of the spectrum.). Grading systems are set up and a lot of parents rely on the knowledge of the system to understand the performance level of their student. However, I do not think that is an unsurpassable obstacle. Often times parents’ understanding and expectations can be managed through educating and explaining the objectives and goals of moving toward alternative grading categories or grading scales. Because in the end, shouldn’t it be about what helps kids learn and grow best, not complying to a recognizable system simply because it is recognizable? Over the course of the last six months I have been examining the history and practices of online education. Were I not an online teacher nor in a master's program, I highly doubt I would have ventured down this research path. But since I have found myself on a journey that requires me to both teach and learn online, the topic could be not be more pertinent than now. What I have taken away from all the research and my personal experiences is that online instruction is much more time consuming than most people would imagine and that there is a greater need to for relationships to be built in online classrooms than most people would expect. In addition, I have learned that Spiderman's famous quote, "with great power comes great responsibility" can take on a new meaning when one considers the "power" the tools of technology and training in best practices of learning and instruction. I feel I have been put in a place of great responsibility because I have the "power" of knowledge and the tools of technology, but just as Spiderman faced opposition, I too face a lot of obstacles in utilizing this power and channeling it into creating the best possible virtual learning environment. But when I face opposition that questions some of my practices I keep in mind some of the articles I have read during my review of literature reading and writing process. One such article was, "Empowering knowledge-building pedagogy in online environments: Creating digital moments to transform practice (Barber, Taylor & Buchanan 2014)--see file below. The following quote sums up the heart of the author and the goal of implement “Digital Moments” in an online learning community: “Working and living in the digital landscape requires that we do more than just build knowledge that is measured, assessed and framed by what we currently know. It requires us to step into worlds as yet unknown; to create new knowledge, and to use that knowledge to begin to address some of the complex social problems that exist” (p. 136). Barber, Taylor and Buchanan’s philosophy on the important aspect of online pedagogy align with the views I have, in that they put a very high emphasis on the creating of safety, trust and positive emotional connections among students and between students and the instructor. They point out the importance of narratives, and know one another’s narrative: it creates bonds and allows students to be more engaged and invested in the classroom. The emphasis of this article is on “Digital Moments” (which were never clearly defined in the article) that I gathered to be activities and assignments that draw students in to the lesson by including them in an activity each week that allows them to share something about themselves: ice breakers and community building activities. They argue that without these activities as foundations to the class the content may not be absorbed and students may likely lose interest more quickly. These activities get the students onboard and involved from the start, and then keep them involved because of the connections they make with one another. Another resource that empowered me to seek after creating a healthy online learning environment was Hockly and Clandfield"s book, Teaching online: Tools and techniques, options and opportunities (2010). This book of just over one-hundred pages is chalked full of ideas, resources and explanations of how to effectively implement both into an online or blended course. The authors, Hockly and Clandfield (2010), walk the reader through the process of how to set up an online course. They heavily emphasize the creating of an online learning community with a positive dynamic. Thus, many of the activities and resources offered adhere to these two aims. Much of the focus is on language learning but the activities easily lend themselves to modification. Regardless of the topic at hand, most of the activities can be used as warm-up activities that draw the learners together as a community. Most often the activities have a dual purpose: to practice a skill or learn about an online tool, plus, encouraging interaction among members of the class. This book remained on my desk throughout the semester. I was able to read through all of the activities and label the week I plan to use them in my research writing class. I made a plan of when to use each activity on a document to be able to easily keep on track with my plan for usage, as well as for posting to my VLE (virtual learning environment). I was very excited to start the year with at least one, if not two, learning activities ready for each week of the course. This source is well worth the paper back purchase. From these sources, and others, I determined to research if the inclusion of community building activities in my online classroom would build relationships among students. I was also looking to determine if students making connections with one another would aid in them completing work throughout the course. Now that the semester has come to a close I am ready to go back through my surveys, the students' grades and the tracking of student participation to determine if the efforts I put forth in community building had a positive effect on the students' experiences and learning. We'll see what the data says...
One of the hot topics in education as of late is the seemingly inevitable establishment of "performance-based" pay. In my preparation for this post I came across a well put-together article that shows a balanced view of this topic: Pay for Performance: What are the Issues? (written by Ellen R. Delisio). I then compared what I had read to my current situation (a situation I have been frustrated with for the entire semester).
Here is what I see as a challenge in creating a perfomance-based incentive program in education--sometimes the silliest "performances" are measured and then the entire system can become a joke rather than a catalyst to move teachers toward better teaching practices. Let me give you some examples from my experience, because I think the point will be quickly seen through them. In my current teaching situation I am a part of what is called the "Earning Excellence: Incentive Program for Teachers". I have no choice about my involvement in the program, even though the name would likely lend one to think of it in that way. All teachers are given a list of activities that must be done to earn points toward a letter grade in their grade book. (Yes, each week I get an email giving me a letter grade for my progress as a teacher.) Which, if it were based on actual teacher performance in the classroom, and was included with some thought-provoking comments or helpful advise, I think I would be all about it. Rather, the weekly grades are based on whether a teacher attends the faculty meeting and answers a one question quiz following the meeting. Often times, the question is simply, Did you attend the meeting today? Which seems hardly worth my time, incredibly impersonal and shining as a hoop to jump through, not an incentive for becoming a better teacher. Other ways to earn points in this program include posting all assignments a week prior to the upcoming class (and a few other deadline related postings), turning in receipts for stipends, and then simply being present in your classroom at the of your class (No evaluation of what is being taught is done. The department head simply signs in to class, unannounced, checks to see that you are having class and signs out.). Because these point earning performances seem so far removed from my actual instruction, I have a hard time taking the entire program seriously. Instead, I feel like I am in middle school and having to do busy work to avoid getting a letter sent home with a horrifying letter grade displaying my worth as a student. To be fair, self and advisor evaluations are a part of the incentive program (that earns you $25 at Amazon and your name entered into a drawing for more gifts cards), but they only make up a small portion of the points and a grade is not given out for them, simply, "A" if you do it, and "F" if you don't. Delisio, in her article points out that some of the issues with teacher merit pay are, making the evaluation objective, the process worthwhile and the incentives based on actual performance. But coming up with a system that meets all these requirements takes time and money, both commodities that most administrators and school districts don't have. And in the end, will it all be worth it, or will teachers find themselves feeling like students being handed a report card each grading period -- feeling less professional, rather than more professional? That is definitely what I am experiencing. Granted, the system that has been designed to be an incentive is clearly flawed, but is it really reasonable to believe there will be a system that will not be flawed? What if the culture simply saw us as professionals because we are professionals. We have earned our professional title through degrees, and continued education standards already required by the licensers in our states. Is it really necessary to stack more on top of this to encourage teachers to "perform" at a higher level? I don't think so. I think what would make the biggest difference in teacher motivation would be if our profession wasn't the spotlight for political and government debate. If teachers were seen as professional enough to govern the systems that are used to both educate students and teachers. And if the stigma of the teaching profession was one of honor and gratitude. If we got paid more, great! But I think most of us would agree that appreciation for and recognition of our value in the society would likely have a greater return than investing time and money in an evaluation system that will no doubt have flaws and blind-spots. |
Jaclyn LoweenEDUCATION Links to all the, Go and See Study, sessions.
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