... a prep payback cover teacher, what the heck is that? That's got to be made up! The truth is, that while the title is, in fact, made up by me, it is a 'thing'.  This is when you cover a different class each period throughout the day while teachers have meetings, or have missed prep time paid back, or even have anticipated missed prep time paid back (prep-forward, if you will). It's usually a pretty interesting day as you get to work with different grades across different subjects.  And, since the teacher is at school, the day is planned and you just sub in and take over with whatever the classroom teacher would have done.  All in all, a pretty sweet deal.  So... my day went like this: grade 2 gym, grade 4 art, grade 1/2 drama & dance, grade 7 French, and grade 2 health & nutrition... What's a gal to do but to enjoy her day and marvel about how she is actually getting paid for this!
Teacher Reflection: Not all days are like this.  These days make the not-so-nice days worth it.

Well now, you can't just let kids boogie down all willy nilly.  (Trust me, I've tried it, realized the mistakes in that method, reflected upon said mistakes, learned from them - I utilized a Growth Mindset, if you will.)  First, you gotta use...
Clever Teacher Move #3: Checking Out the Dynamics of Your Crew

For a bit of diagnostic assessment, I like to start with Freeze Dance.  I direct the students to find a square on the floor, not next to any one else’s square.  That is their square and in fact, I tell them they can even name their square, if they’d like.  So one foot should always be in (or returning to, if jumping) your square.  Then we are ready to begin.

The square on the floor defines each of the student’s personal space for this activity.  You could even have a discussion about this if a class required it.  I can quickly tell who has an understanding of spatial sense and the ability to move and return to their space.  It is always evident who those students are that just don’t have this skill, and in my experience, usually students who don’t stick to their area; they just can’t, rather than they are not paying attention, or they don't want to.  They usually do not have the inhibitory control/self-control and sense of personal space to be successful at this task.  So, don’t worry about it; because most of the class are in their places leaving it much safer for the couple movers/runners to do their thing with less bumping into their friends.  Sorted.  Differentiation.  Unique needs of a few students met whilst still meeting the needs of all students.  Priceless.

Moving and stopping is very hard for some of our young learners.  This skill requires listening skills, plus body control (inhibitory control, self control and spatial sense).  

• Inhibitory control is the capacity to control our impulses and think before we act, or in the words of neuroscientist Adele Diamond, “to resist a strong inclination to do one thing and instead do what is most appropriate.” - See more at: http://childrenwithchallengingbehavior.com/tag/inhibitory-control/_
• Self-control is about being able to regulate yourself. Can you resist distractions? Get a handle on your own emotions? Inhibit your impulses? Delay gratification and plan ahead? - See more at: http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-self-control.html#sthash.JNlLdNeY.dpuf

For the ol' Supply Teacher Bag O' Tricks, here are some games designed to give kids a self-regulation workout: (from: http://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-self-control.html)...

• The Freeze game. Kids dance when the music plays and freeze when it stops. Dance quickly for fast-tempo songs, slowly for slow-tempo songs. And then reverse the cues: Fast music = slow dancing. Slow music = fast dancing.
• Color-matching freeze. In this variant of the freeze game, kids don’t just stop dancing when the music stops. First, they find a colored mat and stand on it. Then, before they freeze, they perform a special dance step. There are several, differently-colored mats on the floor, and each color is linked with a different dance step.
• Conducting an orchestra. Kids play musical instruments (like maracas and bells) whenever an adult waves her baton, increasing their tempo when the baton moves quickly and reducing their tempo when the baton slows down. Then the opposite rules apply (e.g., kids play faster when the baton moves slowly).
• Drum beats. A teacher tells kids to respond to different drum cues with specific body movements. For example, kids might hop when they hear a fast drum beat and crawl when they hear a slow drum beat. After a time, kids are asked to reverse the cues.​

As it turned out, this particular class had no such problems.  
Teacher Reflection: Physical age doesn't so much matter here, as much as past experiences.  Some groups, on the whole will not have had many movement experiences, and may require extra work.  If this is the case, stick to the self-regulation control dancing games.

We were ready to Just Dance! And dance we did... we did some Free Dance to some different styles of music: from classical to hip hop and popular songs. 
​In between songs, I questioned the students about what they were doing, referring to grade-level dance expectations from the curriculum, for example:

• How do you know how to dance/move? ("I move like this to slow music and like this to faster music." Me: "Class, how is Girl dancing?"... "bumpy, smooth, fast, slow"... Boy: "I did this because it was Hip Hop." - He showed some fancy foot work.)
• Teacher Reflection: Some shy or anxious kids get nervous when we use the word dance because they think they can't dance. Not true.  If you can move than you can dance.  And, you can call it moving, if that helps.
• How did you move to the classical version of 'Let it Go'? ("I move intensely to intense music and like this - showed me a choppy hand movement - to music that sounds bumpy.")
• I prompted: "So, would you all say that the music tells you how to move?" Class:"Yes! So, let's dance more!"
• One boy proclaimed: “I was born to dance…. though I didn’t know it until right now!” - Wow, powerful statement! This brings me to a Gratitude Attitude Alert! - I am pleased when I am able to provide meaningful and effective education, unrelated to pen-to-paper.  Sometimes, the kids don't even realize that they are learning.  A little play-based learning can go a long way!
• Teacher Reflection: the students may not have all of the vocabulary, so you may have to fill in some of the words for them.

If I Were a Classroom Teacher...
I would use a 'Creative Movement' Word Wall to display words to help students talk about how they are moving, which likely would turn out to be an Arts word wall as the words are helpful across subjects.

Next, we tried a Jam Fest activity, from a DPA Dance and Movement Workshop, called Cardio Hip Hop with Marissa Murphy, presented for Professional Development by HWOTL a few years back:

• Have students stand around in a circle.
• Play music.
• One by one, students will go into the middle of the circle and do a movement while people around the circle imitate that movement.
• When the leader feels that are ready to move on, they will point to another student to come into the circle.
• Teacher Reflection: Provide an option to pass, with the added option to decide they are ready at a later time, indicated by raising a hand, or whatever, thereby maintaining a safe and positive classroom learning environment where every one feels comfortable.
• The new leader makes the next movement for the group to imitate.  

​
Clever Teacher Move #4: State some safety rules.
Together, create a couple of rules to keep everyone safe. Some kids are super dancers but not everyone is safe to imitate their moves. For example, upright dance moves, no gymnastics, feel free to adapt the move to something you can do, etc.,...

There are countless benefits to dancing, so many, in fact, that I will focus on the ones that can be observed in a one-off, spontaneous dance party that I can conduct as a supply teacher:

• Most students were actively and exuberantly engaged and participating and the few that weren't were hovering near me, so I gathered them around me and we danced together.
• I've already talked about the self-regulation/self-control skills that dance helps to develop and then helps to consolidate these skills.
• DPA - The kids, and I, were sweaty! A super fun way to get in our 20+ minutes of daily physical activity, as dance is highly physical. (Government says we gotta move it!)
• Added bonus of channeling some of their seemingly boundless energy.
• Cross-curricular connections: The same concepts are found in music: Beat & Rhythm, for example.

This is acknowledged not only in our Ontario Curriculum Document and by science, but those who dance, just know these things to be true!

Curriculum Connections:
Our CURRICULUM says...
Dance Elements are: body, space, time, energy, and relationship

In the primary grades, students should be moving creatively every day. Students begin to use personal experience, imagination, and familiar movements to develop a movement vocabulary, to respond to prompts and express ideas, and to communicate their thoughts and feelings in various situations. Through a balance of free exploration and guided exploration, students develop awareness of their bodies and of the many different ways they can move. Through modelling and guided movement explorations, they expand their movement vocabulary to include some of the elements of dance. In particular, students begin to travel through pathways, use gesture to communicate feelings, and explore a range of levels, shapes, and locomotor and non-locomotor movements. Students also develop their ability to move and control their bodies in space and time and begin to create short dance pieces using the elements of dance.
From: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/arts18b09curr.pdf

PHE CANADA gives Five Reasons to Teach Dance, for anyone still unconvinced:

As a teacher it is important to remember that everyone CAN dance! By using an approach that provides an opportunity for guided movement expression, all students can bring their unique abilities to create movement.

• Reason #1: It is part of the curriculum!
• Reason #2: Dance educates students.
• Reason #3: Dance educates the entire Self and provides an ideal vehicle for students to learn physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
• Reason #4: Dance provides  opportunities for cross-curricular and integrated learning.
• Reason #5: Dance education creates balance within the educational program.

And, of course, SCIENCE agrees that dancing is good for us: 

• ​https://www.inverse.com/article/7861-science-explains-why-dancing-is-the-fast-way-to-make-yourself-happier
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/214791-the-benefits-of-dance-for-kids/
• ​http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/documents/publications/phpN0GNFD.pdf

Bonus Clever Supply Teacher Move: Choose a VGB
Last class at the end of the day... tired 6 and 7 year olds... meant to be learning about health and nutrition, but they weren't exactly into it.  It's not that they were against it, but they were just really wiggly and tired and grumpy, and I just couldn't see peace lasting until home time.
​
Oh, Look What I Just Happen to have in my Supply Teacher Bag O' Tricks!... This VGB (very good book), which is a very versatile read-aloud that is good across MANY grades; has enjoyment factor + matches a plethora of curriculum expectations....

The Candy Conspiracy: A Tale of Sweet Victory, by Carrie Snyder (2015)
In Candyville, the Juicy Jelly Worm rules over a land where lollipop trees grow beside rivers of root beer and powdered sugar falls like snow. Every day, he devours his candy throne, jujube crown and cupcake castle. Day in and day out, the children of Candyville must make new ones -- never getting so much as a nibble of nougat for themselves. Finally, one child comes up with an idea to outsmart the self-centered tyrant. The children plant a secret garden, hoping the fruits of their labor, which include sugar snap peas, candy cane beets, sweet potatoes, and watermelon radishes, might appeal to the Juicy Jelly Worm just enough to spark the sweetest trade ever.

We just had a fairly quick read aloud (due to time) and these same wiggly kids managed to sit mostly still in their chairs for the entire story! VGB = Priceless. (Especially if you use your public library! I love my library; Hamilton Public Libraries Rock!)

If I were a classroom teacher...
I would do so much more with this story.  For example, we could do some word work to expand the students' vocabulary and the story lends itself well to using the Prediction Literacy Strategy.

I hope you enjoyed my post and can use some of my ideas in your own teaching. I just love my job!

​Clever Teacher Move #1: Sneaky Transitions...
Me: “As we walk back to the classroom, I want you to think about 2 words: PIG and PARADE.  When we get back, I want you to look inside your brain at the picture those words made and SKETCH it on the paper on your desk, and, go!”
(We discussed the word SKETCH so that they would not be surprised and upset if they are not done after 5 minutes.)

Clever Teacher Move #2: Schema-collecting, sharing & oral communication...
We sat around the perimeter of the carpet with our pictures.  I chose students to tell one thing that they put in their sketches and anyone else who also put that item in their picture raised their own up to share.  (The option was there if students did not wish to share.) We could easily see the things that were the same or similar and the things that were different.  New ideas were also generated and the students were eager to go back to their sketches and add more.  I told them to hang on to those ideas because they were going to use them in a little while.

A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes is one of my favourite books and is a go-to item in my Supply Teacher Bag O’ Tricks!  It takes a silly idea and proceeds to build an argument based on the author’s opinion that a pig parade is a terrible idea. I’ve used this story for pure enjoyment, of course, but most often it leads off to work around opinion/persuasive writing, depending on the grade level.  And, yes, I do use this story for middle school kids, too, because it really does follow a pretty obvious formula that can be easily replicated by the students in their own work.

For this group, due to time limits, during reading we simply counted all of the authors reasons as to why he thought a pig parade is a terrible idea.  We also briefly discussed his explanations for those reasons.

Clever Teacher Move #4: Offer choice...
After reading:
A __________ parade is a _______________ idea because…..
I told the class that they were to complete the words in the sentence and then either use words, pictures, or both to finish the sentence.  In passing, I also suggested that they use interesting words, other than 'good' or 'bad' which provided an enrichment component for some (differentiation on the fly).  Knowing this particular bunch of students, I fully expected many pictures, but I also got many more words than I had expected to get.  I think it is because it was each student’s personal choice.  As the students handed in their masterpieces, I got further elaboration if required, but the pictures did a mighty fine job of depicting what they were meant to - quite the group of artists, I tell you!

​Gratitude Attitude Alert!  
One of the best things about my 10th year of occasional teaching is revisiting lessons.  With reflection, they adapt and change and become even better than before.  And knowing my students allows me to tailor the lessons for each class and/or grade level.

​That’s exactly what happened with this art lesson… On the phone, Dear Classroom Teacher said to me, “Do you remember that flower art lesson from a couple years ago? Do you want to do that with them?” Well, great, I thought.  I love teaching art and making art with children, but the lesson could be bettered.  In the original lesson, I showed them a sample (top right), demonstrated making the flower (as pictured on the left side of the top right photo below), and then the students went off to spend 3 minutes copying my picture and they were done and most of the pictures were the same.

Of course, the luxury of knowing my position days before allows advance preparation, so I went to my library for the DVD, and an Art idea book that had a sunflower picture that we could use as one source of inspiration. I found a handy Crayola resource chart (see above) depicting a couple of other styles of painting flowers.
The students were well into the animated version of Van Gogh's life, and unfortunately, due to time restraints, I had to cut it short so that we had time to explore the paints, as well as make our art.  We discussed Van Gogh's use of colour in regards to how the pictures made us feel and thought about how he felt while he was painting them.  I told them that since Dear Classroom Teacher's instructions were painting flowers that was the only rule (aside from filling the page).  Some of the kids came up to me and asked if they could do a video game flower... sure!... a monster flower? Sure! Field of flowers, potted flowers, single flowers, whatever! 

There was no brown.  Tragedy? Not at all.... they had to make their own by collaborating with the students in their groups, so they did, and we had many different shades of brown.  If we had more time, I would have given only primary colours, plus white and black, so that the students would have been forced (ha ha HA!) into more problem-solving than they did... and many of the students created their own colours in separate plastic cups.  While circulating, I asked them to name their colour creations as an impromptu enrichment activity, or asked them to explain how they came up with their colour.  Of course, a few students will always be finished sooner than I'd like, but most were engaged right up until clean up time!  Done one picture; make another! All good:) And, while I was not yet in the habit of documenting student work, I do have an updated flower picture for my files!


Clever Teacher Move #5: Preparation for Cleaning Up...
The fun of conducting painting art lessons with no sink in the room is Awesome, but luckily, with preparation, the kids were actually able to be fairly neat.  I used Word Work trays to put paint in egg cartons on, plus empty mixing containers, brushes, and even some brush alternatives (anything can be used as a paintbrush!)... We covered the desks with the big paper used earlier in a math lesson and I filled water containers to rinse the brushes out and provided paper towel to wipe excess paint off brushes before dipping in next colour.  And, I had to be a meanie and tell them "no painting on hands or finger painting because we have no sink access" and we simply had a short discussion on why I needed to make that rule... they knew; kids are smart when we give them time to think:)  Finding drying space was also quite a challenge... I so wish I took that picture.... there were paintings drying on every flat surface in the classroom.  It was Art-ly Awesome!

I hope you enjoyed:

• Clever Teacher Moves,
• If I Were a Classroom Teacher... Next Steps and Questioning, and
• Gratitude Attitude Alert!
• the concept of VGB - a Very Good Book (a very versatile read-aloud that is good across ALL grades; has enjoyment factor + matches curriculum expectations),  
• references to a Supply Teacher Bag O' Tricks,  
• the importance of Reflection To Guide Change, and
• a Bonus Clever Supply Teacher Move...

                                              ... And, it's all in a day's work!

I am usually too over-whelmed on Twitter.  I mainly use it professionally, so my connections are either Educators or Local News & Events.  Still – I usually find it all too much all at once.  And by too much, I mean too much relevant information that has the potential to make me a better educator, and a better person, in general.  So, I mark some of it for for later, share some on Facebook,  or save inSpringpad… and then loose it… forever.

Not this time!  This time, I will share my Exploration into Twitter Chat Land.  I have pulled out some examples of Top Tweets (as determined by myself for myself, but also for others in a similar situation).  As well as some of the links to Blogs and other resources.  In a follow-up blog, I may include these to create The Compilation of Mega-Advice for Successful Job Interviews.  Of course, then…

I WILL LAND MY PERFECT FIT TEACHING JOB!I am a Twitter Newbie…. kind of.  I’ve been on it for over a year, but I am more of a passive user – for now –  I think I might try a chat one of these days, like the New Teacher Chat (#ntchat), moderated by Lisa Dabbs ‏@teachingwthsoul.  You can check out the Wiki here.

Also note that I did not notice this wonderful and extremely relevant chat until the end.  I scrolled through and was impressed by the succinct, yet helpful comments and links to informative blogs.

So, for all you other Twitter Chat Newbies out there, here’s what seems to happen…

The moderator will tweet the topic details, like this:
Lisa Dabbs Join me in 15min for New Teacher Chat ‪#ntchat‬ Today, Wed. 7/11 8et/5pt Topic:Tips for Performing Your Best at Your Next Interview‪#edchat‬.

Next, she introduces herself and the chat (just like if it were a f2f convo!):

Welcome, All!!  I’m the founder and moderator of ‪#ntchat‬ Join me for this time of learning and collaboration!!  To join the chat you may want to use Tweetdeck, tweetchat or other client that allows columns. Use the hashtag ‪#ntchat‬ to join the convo!  We are a small, but mighty chat…dedicated to being practitioner focused and supportive to new teachers! ‪ Before we get started…Let’s take a minute to introduce yourselves. Share who you are and where you’re from! Thanks… To be supportive we do a “structured chat” for first 20 min: Q1, Q2, Q3 with A1, A2, A3 to have everyone participate!

And, the chat begins:

QUESTION 1: WHAT’S THE FIRST THING (A NEW TEACHER) SHOULD DO TO PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW? LET’S SHARE IDEAS!Participants contribute to Q1:

A Teacher’s Life Have a clear educational philosophy that you can discuss in a few minutes & a prospective discipline plan for your classroom.

Jerry Blumengarten Prepare a portfolio preferably Digital http://tinyurl.com/4btmvrg Have an ed philosophy, Practice answering questions…Must show how you would differentiate learning but also they look for classroom management skills which are very important …

Karl LS Research the school they are interviewing with-the more specifics you can reference about the school the better.

Blanca E. Duarte Read about the community, visit and observe children at the library, the stores, the park. Know your community and it’s children.

Dave Burgess I think it is very important to be able to speak from a place of passion about why you want to be a teacher.  Also important to show you are a learner.Talk about what you have recently done to grow and a recent relevant book you have read.  One way I got my job (revealed to me later) is because they asked what I had read recently and I knocked it out of the park.

José Popoff The focus needs to be on what you can do for the school not other way around

QUESTION 2: HOW DO YOU PRACTICE FOR THE INTERVIEW TO BE SURE YOU SHARE WHAT’S IMPORTANT?‪Lisa Dabbs Schedule a day of introspection. Think about your career, your goals, and your past experiences. Organize your work samples!

RT @PrincipalDunlop: RT @cybraryman1: A2 Video your practice sessions and you will see/hear things you can work on.

RT @guster4lovers: ‪#ntchat‬ I’d say make yourself a website with as much work/info as possible. it’s how I got my last job

RT PrincipalDunlop: A1: ask a mentor about possible interview questions. Do a mock interview. Painful but so helpful!

Two Teacherz Make Top 5 List of key words that represent most important items; at end of ALL interviews you get floor. Use them!  Be able to express how you can reach, teach ALL learners (differentiated instruction).

QUESTION 3: HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS TO MEMORIZE THE THINGS YOU WANT TO SAY, BUT STAY CONVERSATIONAL? COULD BE TRICKY?Sue Dunlop instead, organized experiences into themes: literacy, numeracy, assessment, classroom management, PLC’s etc Have a framework to organize your thouhgts, especially if you tend to ramble or if you get paralysed… had an art teacher bring in art pieces done by students. Fantastic!

Lisa Dabbs I think it’s important to have some strong talking points prepared. Then feel confident to go with the flow and SMILE!  Know what you want to emphasize but don’t memorize – you’ll have enough on you mind that day!  Stay focused on the interview question. Do not ramble. And it’s okay if you do not know the answer. Be honest!

Melissa Edwards Practice speaking slowly and distinctly without saying “ummm”. Know a few things you want to emphasize but don’t sound rehearsed.

Cheryl Morris Try to give a general principle followed by specific example: “I believe in x. In my classroom it looks like y.”  Bring water so u can pause to think/drink.  ALWAYS ask on the phone beforehand. then bring what they tell you to. if they say nothing, then listen to that.

QUESTION 4: WHAT KINDS OF PRESENTATION ITEMS DO YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO BRING TO THE INTERVIEW?(WE MAY HAVE SHARED THIS, BUT…)‪RT @Miss_Doig: An iPad if you can so that you can refer to examples quickly. Make sure your digital portfolio is well organised.  (I KNEW I was right in proclaiming, “I need one!“

Lisa Dabbs I loved it when new teachers brought in actual artifacts of lessons worked on. Really impressive.  I also had a prospective interviewee, bring in a video she had done of herself teaching a class! It was great to see.

Billy Spicer My experiences on interview committees is that you have to embed your portfolio INTO your responses. I’ve interviewed candidates that created websites, infographic resumes (cool!), & @prezi to use in interviews. You MUST stand out.

Jimmy Casas If I were interviewing for job today I would ask permission 2 teach a class so they could see my skill set in the classroom w/kids.

QUESTION 5: HOW DO YOU DRESS FOR THE INTERVIEW?William Gabriel Suit and Tie. I try to wear a tie that matches the color of the school. Subliminal message. It was what my g-father taught in.

RT @dalehancock: Be confident with humility. Most of all, be yourself. That is who you’ll be your first day on the job.

Lastly, the moderator will close the chat with suggestions on “where to go from here” for follow-up:

Wow! Where did the time go!! A HUGH heart felt Thank You to all of you for stopping by tonight! Be sure to follow some of the new friends you met here, tonight at New Teacher Chat ‪#ntchat‬ to continue the convo!  Archives of New Teacher Chat will be on the wiki soon http://goo.gl/yLYf See you next week for our chat w/@KleinErin on Pinterest.   OK friends…remember we are here for you. If you need a mentor…you need to check out our group! (http://tinyurl.com/8ylavvm)  Be sure to check out & LIKE our New Teacher Chat Facebook page!http://goo.gl/kZCPv  Share it with your FB buddies!  I also have a list of interview questions that I will post to the wiki as soon as @evernote comes back on line!!

There it is, in a nutshell… Do check out the archives because there were many more super contributors.  Always remember:

Faige Meller Be true to yourself. Don’t try to impress. Share who you are and why you want to teach.

The clincher testimonial to convince one of Twitter’s potential…

Mary Bertram Hi! Cant stay for the chat today but just wanted to drop by & say all the weekly ‪#ntchat‬ convos helped me get my first job!

SUPER BONUS LINKS THAT I WILL BE DELVING DEEPER INTO:…and this is why teachers should have blogs - George Couros

10 Tips to Help You Break to the Front of the Interview Pack! - Randee Kallison

#MentoringMonday An Article a Day…Might Just Save Your Teaching Life – Lisa Dabbs

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/07/how-to-ace-your-interview-for-teaching.html

http://www.edulang.com/blog/7-things-you-should-let-go-of-to-become-a-happier-teacher/

10 Mistakes to Avoid In Your “Hire Me” E-mail – Carrie Jackson

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/Task4.html – This is an Educational Philosophy Task that is good for Newbie & Not-So-Newbie teachers alike!)

http://cybraryman.com/teacherinterviews.html

http://cybraryman.com/portfolios.html

http://cybraryman.com/chats.html

 

I have recently come across this article by Marc Prensky, 2009, in which he 'examines ways in which existing technologies and future developments in the digital world could facilitate the development of wisdom and wise decison making.'  http://www.wisdompage.com/Prensky01.html

In other word's, digital technologies are allowing us to think in whole new ways.  Further, the speed in which these technologies are being created and changing keeps us on our toes.  To our students, this is second-nature them.  They do not get the problems that their older teachers and parents may be having with all of this.  Basically, it is change and it is coming at us faster than ever.  Change in Education has always been met with resistance, but, now, instead of the Evolution of Education, we have a Revolution of Education.

To understand some of the resistance, we can look at the purpose, or function, of Education.  But, of course, it depends who you ask, and do we mean, "What should the purpose of education be?" versus, "What is the purpose of our present education system?"

Of course rote and memorization and facts and 'only one right answer' is all very measurable.   But, critical thinking skills and creativity - how on Earth do you quantify that?  You can, however, see the results of this new thinking by looking at what our students are producing; by listening to what they are saying; by looking at the jobs the first of the Digital Natives are doing.  We are beginning to be able to see what the effects on our world are that Digital Technologies are enabling.

"Kids have it too easy, nowadays.  They don't have to find anything.  It makes them lazy.  When I went to school, if I wanted to know something, I had to physically look for the answers in books, such as encyclopedias, maybe even in the library.  Kids, today, just use Google and the answer comes up.  They can just be lazy.  Plus, they can't even add without using calculators!"

Albert Einstein recognized that, "the problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them."

The same person got into a discussion about the state of politics in our city, which is the same in most places, I believe.  Everybody complains about the idiocy of government, but instead of taking the chance to elect an all-new council, only 3 out of 15 were new, and the Mayor was similar in age and beliefs as the last bunch of mayors.  Thus, the grumbling and complaining persists.

Digital Natives are those who grew up with digital technology from birth, whereas Digital Immigrants are those who were already socialized in predigital ways when digital technology arrived on the scene. For more information, see Prensky (2001).

Our students are Digital Natives, myself and many of my colleagues are Digital Immigrants, but many people are just Analogue, I guess.

Games are FUN, and when the mechanics are appropriate, a high level of ENGAGEMENT is born.  Thus, ACHIEVEMENT is sure to follow.  So, why wouldn’t we take some of these aspects and incorporate them into education?  I’m not talking about our students playing video games all day at school (though in small doses and used appropriately, they can be beneficial).

So many students “tune out” at school, or they just go through the motions; doing the bare minimum to get by until they are released into the real world.  The question remains, are we adequately preparing them for their roles when they get there?  Probably not, though I can say with certainty that a lot of great teachers are trying – my Twitter PLN is testiment to that!

What are the elements of video games that make players sit in front of a screen, focused for hours on end, and how can we transfer them into the classroom?

I am totally into the ‘Gamification’ of the stuff that we should do in our lives but aren’t always motivated to do.  Let me give an example… In January, I came across an amazing site called, Daily Challenge from YouMe Health (challenge.meyouhealth.com).  It is a health-focused social game.

Daily Challenge sends players simple tasks for them to complete on a daily basis, and the game encourages them to share their results with their Facebook cronies, who can provide encouragement and (ideally) participate in the game themselves. 
If players do something healthy—such as taking a walk, eating a vegetable-rich salad, or wearing lip balm that provides ample sun protection—they hit a “Done” button and gain points, earn health badges, and progress toward higher levels of the game. 
(It’d be easy to cheat in this game since there’s no mechanism to prove that a challenge has been done, but then players would really only be wasting their time and, potentially, misleading their friends.)  
I have so far completed 50 challenges, and feel a great sense of accomplishment.  Now, I just need a House Cleaning game!

I found myself thinking about the school experience as a game one night, instead of sleeping.  Here is my vision… I call it, “School as a Role-Play Game” and the role is student (a role our youth already play, but now, they are more engaged).  Projects and tests could be quests, and lessons and activities could be the mini-challenges along the way to allow students multiple chances to succeed, thereby keeping them engaged and motivated.  The harder goals will strengthen students’ perseverance.  Collaboration and cooperation would be key for some of the quests.  Along the way, the ‘player’ has the opportunity to train and strengthen different skill sets such as critical thinking, literacy strategies, specific curriculum subjects, problem solving, creativity, etc.  There would be mini-games, as well, which are a chance to earn achievement badges or points.  These would be the various sports teams, clubs, and intra-murals.  Teachers would be like the wise sage character whom students go to for guidance; they also give out the quests; and the rewards/feedback.  They could also interact with Experts out in the world from their physical school.  Ideally, students would form cross-level, multiple strength groups to aid them in reaching the goals, like in Farmville and other such social games, benefiting both the beginners and the experts.

Sounds quite similar to some of the things we already do, doesn’t it?  It’s just kind of tying the bits together, and thinking of it and presenting it to the students as a game.  A variation could be, “Super Teacher”…

Real-Life Example:
Quest to Learn is a New York City public school, a school that uses “game-like learning” as a way to empower and engage students from all walks of life. Quest to Learn (Q2L) is specific in its focus on connecting rigorous student learning to the demands of the 21st century, supporting young people in their learning across digital networks, peer communities, content, careers, and media.

From the Site’s Overview…
Mission critical at Quest is a translation of the underlying form of games into a powerful pedagogical model for its 6-12th graders. Games work as rule-based learning systems, creating worlds in which players actively participate, use strategic thinking to make choices, solve complex problems, seek content knowledge, receive constant feedback, and consider the point of view of others. As is the case with many of the games played by young people today, Quest is designed to enable students to “take on” the identities and behaviors of explorers, mathematicians, historians, writers, and evolutionary biologists as they work through a dynamic, challenge-based curriculum with content-rich questing to learn at its core.

It’s important to note that Quest is not a school whose curriculum is made up of the play of commercial videogames, but rather a school that uses the underlying design principles of games to create highly immersive, game-like learning experiences. Games and other forms of digital media serve another useful purpose at Quest: they serve to model the complexity and promise of “systems.” Understanding and accounting for this complexity is a fundamental literacy of the 21st century.

The brainchild of Quest To Learn is a professional game designer named Katie Salen. Salen, like many people interested in education, has spent a lot of time thinking about whether there is a way to make learning feel simultaneously more relevant to students and more connected to the world beyond school.  And the answer, as she sees it, lies in games.

She believes that going to school can and should be more like playing a game, which is to say it could be made more participatory, more immersive and also, well, fun. Nearly every aspect of life at Quest to Learn is thus designed to be gamelike, even when it doesn’t involve using a computer. Students don’t receive grades but rather achieve levels of expertise, denoted on their report cards as “pre-novice,” “novice,” “apprentice,” “senior” and “master.” They are enlisted to do things like defeat villains and lend a hand to struggling aliens, mostly by working in groups to overcome multifaceted challenges, all created by a collection of behind-the-scenes game designers. The principles are similar to those used in problem-based learning, a more established educational method in which students collaborate to tackle broad, open-ended problems, with a teacher providing guidance though not necessarily a lot of instruction. But at Quest to Learn, the problems have been expertly aerated with fantasy.

Once it has been worked over by game designers, a lesson doesn’t look like a lesson anymore. It is now a quest. And while students at the school are put through the usual rigors of studying pre-algebra, basic physics, ancient civilizations and writing, they do it inside interdisciplinary classes with names like Codeworlds — a hybrid of math and English class — where the quests blend skills from different subject areas. Students have been called upon to balance the budget and brainstorm business ideas for an imaginary community called Creepytown, for example, and to design architectural blueprints for a village of bumbling little creatures called the Troggles. There are elements of the school’s curriculum that look familiar — nightly independent reading assignments, weekly reading-comprehension packets and plenty of work with pencils and paper — and others that don’t. Quest to Learn students record podcasts, film and edit videos, play video games, blog avidly and occasionally receive video messages from aliens.

They also spend significant time building their own games.

Here is a magazine article from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?_r=2&ref=education&pagewanted=all

How very fascinating!  I want to work at that school!  Ideally, we could just open up more of these schools, but, realistically, it is not going to happen.  So, what parts of this can we use in our schools?

My colleague, @HeidiSiwak has written yet another wonderful blog, in which she has posed some of the many questions that we all have as Educators in the 21st Century, 
http://heidisiwak.blogspot.com/2011/03/questions-i-have-lots-of-questions.html.

Since, I have also been grappling with some of these issues myself and have been trying figuring out the best way to Blog about them, so I thought I’d take some of Heidi’s Questions, as she asks them, and pair them with my musings.  (Notice, I did not say answers, because those will only come with collaboration of Educators.  As far as I can tell,  the pace of all this change is causing many of the challenges we face today… it’s happening faster than policies can be created.) 

“How are teachers who aren’t exploring these new ideas going to cope when thistsunami of change hits?  It’s bubbling just below the surface, but is about to explode.  What will they do?” I guess, as teachers, you are either on board or you walk the plank – either by choice or not.  The fact is that Education IS changing and it is changing at a very fast face; a whirlwind of change, if you will!  If we do not embrace technology, then we are not ensuring the success of our students, thus we are not adequately teaching them.

“If a student is following my class online at home, or at the mall or in the car on the way to Florida, do I still mark him or her as absent?”
Yes, as it is a ‘policy-issue’.  But, I suspect you are actually questioning if this is indeed justified, as students can accomplish the exact same thing no matter where they are, and, they can also receive guidance and support from the teacher, wherever they are.  As we remove geographic boundaries, the possibilities for enriching learning are endless.   Since our students need to be well-versed in these technologies, and, at present time, they are required by law to physically be in the school building, then it is imperative that teachers teach them these skills.  It is our job.  It doesn’t matter if we are learning right along with the students.

“If I am learning every day from my students, can you still call me the teacher?”
Erm, you mean warden… just kidding.  I think upon reflection of our new roles we would be better known as Learning Guides or Collaborators, but these types of titles really do not get across the necessity for knowledgeable professionals, i.e., teachers to have these jobs. I am certainly NOT suggesting teachers are no longer necessary.  Perhaps, we just need to change the definition and role description of teacher to more accurately define our new roles.  Research has already shown that when you teach, you consolidate learning, so instead of teacher-at-the-head, both teachers and students learn together.  Sometimes students may teach the teacher; and sometimes the teachers learns first, then will teach the students, who in all likelihood, will pick up the new skill or concept quickly and then discover something beyond the teacher’s knowledge and then teach the teacher.  You see that we have a more collaborative learning process occurring.

Another thing that confounds the issues is that we are in a unique spot in history.  Many of today’s teacher’s are not well-versed in technology, but the newer teachers are, and it will be common-place for future teachers.  I think that because this is a transition stage – we are moving from a relatively slow-moving  Evolution of Education to a fast-paced Revolution of Education.

Since our world is a technological one, we can only:  Embrace It.   Explore It.  Collaborate In It.  And, most importantly, Have Fun With It.  Start small, take baby steps and ask for help.  (It is actually easier to get help online than in real-life, you know!) It’s okay to be fearful, but just do it.  Am infinite number of doors will open up for you and you will be transformed by the wonder of it all!

Bump It Up – Do Better to Be Better!

Future Blog topics (because they are BIG topics)…

• “What kinds of people will emerge once we’ve allowed self-directed learning to take hold? Will we unleash an unprecedented creative force such as the world has never seen?”

• Here’s another question, how do I create a balance between @funtasticteachr, or nicolaschneider.com, and Nikki in real-life??
  

Bump It Up!!!

It doesn’t matter what IT is; just bump it up, do it better, be a BETTER you!!!

I know my board, HWDSB, is all over T-LCPs. What the heck does that mean? Is it the same as SMART goals?  Luckily, in this technological world, a quick Google search found me all of the information I needed to the  billionth degree! So, I used my handy-dandycritical literacy skills to wade through theINFOWHELM, in so  doing, taking responsibility for my own professional development.

First, I found (and committed to memory) that T-LCP means Teaching-Learning Critical Pathways. Before I  wrote it off as ‘just another of those things that they are making us do,’ I decided to take a look at the actual  words to see if I could bring further meaning to the term…

Teaching-Learning recognizes the direct relationship between teaching and learning;

Critical means vital, necessary, analytical, skillful, judgement; and

Pathway indicates that there is an actual, mappable way to get there, i.e., it can be measured.

So, I found myself with an idea of what T-LCPs are all about. It seems we have a new way to think and talk about teaching and learning, and unifying what many teachers are already doing. But what does it look like?

So without any further ado, I present a summary of my research: Teaching-Learning Critical Pathways, in a nutshell…

• PRACTICAL, PRECISE, and highly PERSONALIZED classroom practices = increased ACHIEVEMENT for ALL students (REACH EVERY STUDENT)
• frequent, useful and usable feedback for students (teacher & peer)
• high expectations –> All students CAN learn and all teachers CAN teach to HIGH STANDARDS
• EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
• small, focused and precise steps
• COLLABORATION allows:
  • everyone to be accountable for continuous improvement
  • interdependence of curriculum expectations
  • assessment OF learning(evidence, e.g., “Bump It Up” walls) and FOR learning (to guide instruction)
  • higher-order and CRITICAL THINKING strategies
  • reflection
  • creation of new knowledge and improved teacher practice
  • LEARNING IS SOCIAL… The wisdom of groups helps us to see a bigger picture, ponder questions we have not thought of, and explore possibilities.
  (from, Capacity Building Series, Secretariat, Spec Ed. #6, www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy and a T-LCP podcast that is no longer available, it seems.  Good thing I wrote about it here!)
  
  

Okay, that’s nice, but why?

This T-LCP process allows necessary flexibility in HOW we teach so that students achieve. It seems to tie in nicely with 21st Century Fluencies.

Students are propelled into a world of ever-increasing complexity. We have a moral imperative to prepare them to succeed. Most of them will have jobs that don’t even exist yet!! We need to embrace technology, as well as to teach them problem-solving and critical thinking. They require an education that has a solid foundation on basic numeracy and literacy skills, but also supports deep thinking and action, as well as an education that values and understands the human condition. We need to teach them to be responsible, global and digital citizens.

“We can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

“We must shift our focus from what cannot be controlled; from reasons why  things do not work, to what can be controlled; to the reasons why things do work.”- Dr. Asa Hillard

Thus, T-LCPs allow us to shift our focus from figuring out why students do not succeed/achieve, which are just excuses, to looking at why students DO succeed. Every student CAN succeed, so we must adjust the ‘How’.



And, that’s when the FUN begins!

Engagement – Equity – Achievement

It ALL Matters.

ryflinn said:
March 3, 2011 at 7:33 pm
I enjoyed this post and learned new information. The term 21st century learner is used so loosely that it is hard to figure out a clear definition but I can see how this process could help with the skills I hear associated with this term.

funtasticteachr said:
March 10, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Yes, it is something many boards in Ontario are doing… I think it is good because it is recognizing the “journey”, as well as the End-product. There is a lot of grumbling about it from teachers perceiving it to be extra work, but the good ones are already doing these things anyway.