SummerReflection

TeamThree2016

LookingBack:
SummarizingmylearningatMSUUrbanSTEMsummercourseworkisachallenge
becauseformethelearningwassobroadcrossingareasofbackgrounddevelopment,
pedagogyandtechnicalskills.Formebreakingdownmylearningintothesecategorieshelps
menotonlyarticulatemylearningbutalsoapplymylearninginameaningfulwayasIbeginto
prepareforschooltostartthisfall.

BackgroundDevelopment
Educationisnotjustaboutplanningbutaboutmomentswhenateacherhastorespond
inamoment.Thesemomentscanbethemostsignificantlearningmomentsforstudents
becauseitaddressestheirquestionsorneeds.Itcanalsobeatimewhenarebeliefsas
teachersandourfundamentalbeliefsdrivetheclassroomcultureandexperiencearemost
transparent.Anyintrinsicbiaswillshow.Ifwedonotembracethegrowthmindsetorifwedo
notbelieveinthestudent,theywillseeit.Assuch,itisimportanttohaveaclearunderstanding
oflearningsothatwecanusethisbackgroundtodevelopintobetterteachersandpeople.
Onesimpleexampleofateacher'sbackgrounddevelopmentthatwasaddressedat
summertrainingistheideaofupcyclingtechnology(Mishra,2009).Inotherwordshowdowe
takenoneducationaltechnologyandexpanditsfunctionformeaningfuluseintheclassroom.A
morecomplexviewofthisistheideaishavingtheteacherunderstandthetypesandreasons
studentsdonotlearn/retainknowledge.Embracingtheideathateventhoughamnesia,
fantasiaandinertiawillalwaysexistdifferentlearningexperienceshelpmitigatetheireffect
(Shulman,1999).Inotherwords,asateacherIcanminimizestudentsstruggletomaintaining
knowledge.ThepedagogysectionwillcoverthetypesandwaysIplantomaximizemy
studentslearningbutthebackgroundthisknowledgegavemeisthatstudentsnotremembering
isnottheirfault.Goodinstructionthatconnectswiththemwillstick.Myteachingcandistrictly
changestudentslearning/retention.Itisanempoweringmomentoflearningaswillasascary
moment.
ThelastmajorbackgroundIlearnedthissummerwasthateveryonehasaperception
lensethataffectstheirlearningandunderstandingoftheworld(Waston,1990).Thislesson
wassopowerfulforme,itwasthetopicIusedtomakemymask.Justbecausewecanseeand
understandtheworlddoesnotmeanwecanseeandunderstandsomeoneelsesworld,evenif
wedidjustexperiencethesameevent.Ourstudents(oranyoneelse)experienceorperceive
eventsinawaythatisjustasuniqueasthem.Thisisattheheartofdifferentiation
(Metropolitan,2008).Italsoexplainswhymisconceptionscancreatesuchabarrierto
developingunderstanding/knowledge(Committee,1997).Asteachers,itisourjobtoidentify
ourstudentsthoughtpatternsthroughassessmentsandthenmodify/reinforceorgrowthem
intothecontentwehopetodeliver(Metropolitan,2008).Thiscanonlybeproperlydone

throughculturallyresponsiveteachingwhereculturesarerecognizedandrespectfully
addressed.Thisresponsivenessisaboutmorethanjustdifferentiationintheclassroom.Itis
aboutteachingtotheindividualandhelpingthemconnecttothelargerworld/society.

Pedagogy
Backgrounddevelopmentwasabouthowtheteacherviewseducationasa
personhowever,pedagogyishowtheteacherpresentsthisinformationtostudents.Itisthe
lessonthatstudentsexperience.Manyofthepedagogyskillswewereexposedtothissummer
arestylesIhavealreadybecomefamiliarwithandtrytouseinmyclassroom.Atruepedagogy
isneverfullydevelopedbecausetakesacareertomaster.SowhilethepedagogyIwas
exposedtothissummerisatypeItry,itstillleadtosignificantlearningandgrowthaswellasa
chanceforselfreflection.
ThemajorpedagogyIgainedthissummerwasnew.TheideaofTPACKwhichserves
asateachertooltothinkcriticallyabouttheirinstructionastheydevelopandrevise(Mishra,
2009).TheideaofTPACKistolookatthecontextofyourteachingandthenfigureoutwhere
thereisoverlapbetweenthetechnology,pedagogy,andcontentknowledge.Thissweetspotis
whereyourinstructionshouldfall.Ifyouareplanningalesson,besuretoevaluateyour
instructiontomaximizelearninginallareas.Ifalessonturnsouttobesubpar,evaluateit
usingtheareasofTPACKtofigureoutwhereitwaslacking.TPACKprovidesaboundaryof
whereyourinstructionshouldoccur.
TPACKwasnottheonlypedagogythatwasreinforcedeverydayduringthesummer
training.Projectandperformancelearningwastherewitheveryquickfireandassignment.The
instructionwasnotaboutinstructorstellinginformationbutaboutlearnersdevelopingandusing
knowledgetocreateandpresentnewinformationisameaningfulway(Mansilla,2008).This
broughtintheuseofdisciplinelearningsinceprojectsandperformanceshavetobesentinto
somecontext.Withoutacontext,learningcanappearmeaninglessorunconnectedtothe
learners.Thisiswhywealsospenttimeonunderstandingunderstanding(Wiggins,n.d.)so
thatwecanputourunderstandingsupfront(Perkins,1994).Myoverallreflectionofthe
pedagogicallearningwastheconcretizationinmymindthatthepurposesforinstructionisto
allowthestudentstouse/develop/build/discoveryandenjoythelearningwithinaTPACK
sweetspotincludingameaningfulcontext.

TechnicalSkills
Ilearnedalotoftechnicalskillsthispastsummer.Noneofthetechnologywaslearned
indepth.Insteadtheexposureanduseoftechnologybymyselfasalearnerempoweredmeto
considerexpandingtechnologyusageinmyclassroom.Forexample,usingFotor.comfor
includingaestheticlearningintotheclassroom(Girod,2001).Thedevelopmentofaweb
presencethroughTwitterandWeeblywasnewtomebutusingitallowedmetolearnits
applicationintheclassroom.Theoptionsforgamificationandflippingmyclassroomarealso
newtomeandexposureopensupanewworldofpossibilitiesformyteachingandmystudents
learningexperiences.

LookingForward:
WhileIfeelmyviewofaSTEMeducatorhasbeenreinforcedandmoreclearlypainted
frommysummerexperiences,takingamomenttothinkabouthowthisexperiencewilltruly
changemeisachallenge.Thinkingyouhavechangedandreallychangingaretwodifferent
things.IcantellyousomeoftheconcreteplansIhavemadeformyselfwithconfidence.First,I
willusemyImagineITtoclearlydevelopengineeringbehaviorinmystudentsasa
socialemotionaladditiontomyinstruction.AbigcomponentofmyImagineITisdevelopinga
rubrictoemphasisewhatunderstandingsIwantfrommystudentsandhowitwillfitintoour
projectbasedclassroom.Additionally,Idonotliketheideaofusingtechnologyjusttouse
technologybutbasedonmysummertrainingIcanadmitIamunderutilizingmyclassroomset
ofcomputers.MakingaesthiclearningpiecesonFotor.comorhavingstudentsmakevideoson
cellphones,youtubeeditor,ormoviemakercanbedonequicklyandwithlittleinstructiononthe
software.Thiswillhopefullyhelpmedrivetheproductivityofmyclassupaswellasprovide
valuabletoolsformystudentstousethroughouttheirlives.
Ialsoliketobelievethatthissummerdeepenmyunderstandingofconstructivist
education.Proofofthiswillonlyoccuraboutpracticeanddeepreflection.IbelievethatIhave
changedmybeliefabouthowstudentsconstructknowledge.Insteadofmyinitialbeliefthat
buildingknowledgeinsidestudentmindsisjustaprocessofstudentsinternalizingknowledgein
theirownwords,Inowseestudentsconstructionofknowledgeincludingtheneedtowreck,
modifyandupdatepreexistingknowledgejustlikearealestatedeveloper.Thiskindof
constructioncanonlyoccurwithinmystudentsifIconnectknowledgewiththestudentsona
personallevelthatmeetsandaddressestheircurrentstate.Ineedtoencompassthestudent's
currentoutlookandwhatinformationtheyneedtorecreatetheworldwithintheirlearning.
However,thebiggestthingIamtakingawayfromthistrainingisthatIloveteaching.I
knewthisbeforebutnowIunderstanditbetter.TeachingisalwayschangingandIalwayshave
somuchtolearnandsomuchtoteach.Oneofthebiggestpartofguidingstudentstomastery
isapassionthattheteacherdemonstratesandignites.Thispassionislikeafirethatneedsto
befueledandatakeawayfromthissummerwassimplyaddingmorefuelonmyteachingfire.

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