Education Program – Kathryn Berry e-Portfolio

On November 6, 2020, I had the honour of attending and participating in one of the most interesting and captivating conferences I have witnessed. I speak, of course, about the EdcampUVic, 2020. Prior to beginning the conference, I had no idea what shape it would take. In lecture, our professor let us know that these conferences take on more of a discussion-type of theme. I was intrigued. Teachers and teacher candidates would be running the show? And we would all be answering the many questions bubbling in our minds? How could we possibly find out the answers that (seemingly) only experts would have?!

I had the pleasure of attending the “How to Use Group Work in the Classroom in an Effective Way” group. Luckily for us, many people joined our breakout room. At one point, it was the most populated breakout room. I took on the (sometimes shared) role as recorder, taking notes for the topic on the provided Google Doc. I really enjoy having a more active role in the group conversations, and note-taking keeps me focused and on-task. I was able to multitask, as I was leading some of the discussions in the group. It was wonderful hearing the opinions and perspectives from (new to me) peers.

We posed questions, commented on our thoughts and responses, then looked forward to new, related questions about group work. I really appreciated the level of discussion and engagement with the topic. Some of our prompting questions included:

Question 1: Issues with group work from your past/experiences?
Question 2: Is group work something you are interested in doing in your teaching?
Question 3: What do you do when you are in a group and you have someone that claims they want to do something but is not actually interested in working?
Question 4: Do you prefer students choose groups or are assigned groups?
Question 5: Giving students the option of group work/individual work? – and should any of it be mandatory?

Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of response to these important, thought-provoking inquiries. Our discussion group came to the conclusion that all these answers to the above questions are situation-specific. We all agreed on the merits and drawbacks of group work (for example, the lack of inclusivity when students create their own groups, but the ability to have autonomy in their learning). We all agreed that we have had both positive and negative experiences for ourselves in group work. We all agreed, most importantly, that group work (like most things in life) should be approached in moderation. It is a great tool, and definitely an approach that should be introduced early in life, but it is to be used strategically. Independence and autonomy are also important to learners, and striking a balance of group vs. individual work is the key in promoting a healthy learning environment.

Unfortunately, there was little on-topic discussion in the “Diversification in the Classroom to Reach All Learners” group. Sometimes that would happen, as less and less people stayed online after 1pm. Despite the hiccups in the other breakout groups, I found the experience in my group work breakout room thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening.

It turns out that, as future educators, we have the power to answer many of our own questions within the confines of our peers. That’s right. Our peers were the ones answering our burning questions. It was a fascinating and quite liberating experience. We have the power to move forward and become the teachers we always dreamed we would be. Sure, there is certainly more to learn in the Education Program before any of us can become certified teachers, but it is comforting to know that we are on our way. Together.

What are learning progressions? Why are they important? What did you learn from today’s learning activity?

Learning progressions are the continuum of learning of skills/content that are age appropriate, which are built upon towards more complex goals.

Learning progressions are a way of scaffolding a skill/learning outcome for learners, and for teachers to plan how to teach the specific skill/learning outcome. I found a quote from my readings that really helped to clarify what learning progressions are: “Although standards and curricula are often prioritized in educational documentation, it is the progress toward the standards and meeting curricular goals that is important. This “progress” can be seen as a roadmap which supports instructional planning” (Kim and Care, 2018).

Have you ever tried to write a lengthy essay without an outline? How about trying to find a new address without the help of a map or GPS? Trying to teach a complicated set of curricula without a roadmap to guide you is far more difficult than is necessary. Learning progressions allow the teacher to plan, guide, and reflect on their teaching of a new skill/concept.

How are learning progressions formed? “Typically, learning progressions are constructed on the basis of some sort of backward analysis. An educator first identifies a significant curricular aim and then asks, “What does a student need to know or be able to do to master this aim?”” (Ascd, n.d.). In other words, it is a sort of backwards chaining/scaffolding method. Conveniently, this is something I used to use and develop daily as a behaviour interventionist. It also reminds me of the acronym S.M.A.R.T. goals: you want to make sure the skill is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and done in a specified amount of time.

We completed a really interesting activity in class on October 30, 2020, wherein our groups had the task of creating a simple learning progression. It was difficult to do in such a short time, and even more difficult because we had to first decide on what skill/concept to progress towards. My team chose the skill of floor hockey, something I have always enjoyed, but honestly never excelled at myself. My group began by asking the question: “what are the basic skills you’d want to teach? At what age should teaching begin?” – and off we went. We decided to theoretically begin teaching the set of skills for floor hockey in Kindergarten, and progress through to grade 9 level. It was fascinating breaking up something as complex as floor hockey into the basic skills of the sport, and sportsmanship itself. We learned a lot about how we view sports in general, and realized that much of what we planned to teach would be transferable to other school-led sports activities. We also learned that there would have to be a significant level of flexibility for both the teachers and the students learning this skill. Some learners will naturally excel at sports, while others (like myself) may struggle. The key here is to have peer-support and comradery taught at the early stages, along with good sportsmanship and a basic understanding of the game itself.

All in all, we found this exercise especially enlightening… we all agreed that we could have used more time for discussions and theoretical planning, but we quickly understood that that was the lesson. Learning does take patience and time.

References:

Ascd. (n.d.). All About Accountability / The Lowdown on Learning Progressions. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr07/vol64/num07/The-Lowdown-on-Learning-Progressions.aspx

Kim, H., & Care, E. (2018, March 27). Learning progressions: Pathways for 21st century teaching and learning. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/03/27/learning-progressions-pathways-for-21st-century-teaching-and-learning/amp/

Kurt, S. (2020, August 18). Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://educationaltechnology.net/vygotskys-zone-of-proximal-development-and-scaffolding/

Learning Progression Definition. (2013, August 29). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.edglossary.org/learning-progression/

Learning to Teach by Learning to Learn

Tag: Education Program

EdCamp UVic

Learning Progressions