Inquiry II Seminar

This looks like a really interesting topic. I took a workshop on project-based learning last term and had a blast – it seems like something that could be really useful for students.

Folks, this is a topic that I have been mulling over since beginning this program at UBC. What an interesting inquiry proposal!

Community-based and experiential learning are such effective and organic ways to go about education. Connecting students to the greater community or involving them in specific projects facilitates academic learning but also reminds us all that we valuable members of our community and participation in local initiatives, politics, and local issues contributes to a vibrant and caring neighborhood or city. I am a strong believer that this is immensely beneficial for students from elementary school through to post-secondary. I also think that this type of learning becomes quite valuable, sought-after, and in many ways necessary at the university level, so engaging high school students in this type of process is inspired.

I am very much looking forward to hearing your findings.

Hi all,

As I mentioned in speaking to you as a group, this is a rich topic. It seems best to provide individual feedback to the proposed projects.

Kiran, you’ve articulated your question as follows: “How can the use of literature in the classroom inspire students to become involved in humanitarian work?” Your group has been discussing the “human” in humanities, and it is easy to argue that compassion and social justice can be taught through a range of literary texts. Beyond this general argument, it might be interesting to identify non-fiction texts that document humanitarian work in action. For example, in spite of the criticism it has received for being perhaps more fiction than non-fiction, and its tendency toward pro-American propaganda, Mortenson and Relin’s _Three Cups of Tea_ is a compelling read and an example of the sort of literature that might be introduced to provide students with a sense of possible projects.

Of course it would important, always, to interrogate with students the way in which these projects are enacted, how they are motivated, whether they are sustainable, the troubles of foisting western views on other cultures, etc. Kamara’s _Bite of the Mango_ is one non-fiction book that gives a sense of the complexity of humanitarian work and takes up some of the above issues. I look forward to speaking to you more about that later today.

Teresa

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References

Kamara, M., & McClelland, S. (2010). Bite of the Mango. Bloomsbury Paperbacks.

Mortenson, G., & Relin, D. O. (2006). Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations–One School at a Time. Viking Press.

Clayton, you’ve articulated your project topic as follows: “What are strategies for designing effective project-based learning environments? How can teachers support students in self-directed projects?” Yesterday we had a good conversation about ways of narrowing this focus. In particular, I raised the challenge we face with special needs learners, who often benefit from alternative, student-centred approaches, but who sometimes have difficulty with “executive functions,” such as organizing themselves in their work, that are necessary for success in independent student-directed learning.

We agreed that focusing on the merits of problem-based learning for particular learner groups, such as “Gifted-LD” may be an interesting approach, particularly given your upcoming practicum setting. I propose you see what searches such as “problem-based learning and gifted learners” or “problem-based learning and gifted learning disabled learners” turn up. At first glance I can see there are some promising entries, most of which directly reference PBL.

I look forward to speaking more today.

Teresa

References

Baum, S. M., Cooper, C. R., & Neu, T. W. (2001). Dual differentiation: An approach for meeting the curricular needs of gifted students with learning disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 38(5), 477-490.

Nielsen, M. E. (2002). Gifted students with learning disabilities: Recommendations for identification and programming. Exceptionality, 10(2), 93-111.

Van Tassel-Baska, J., Zuo, L., Avery, L. D., & Little, C. A. (2002). A curriculum study of gifted-student learning in the language arts. Gifted Child Quarterly, 46(1), 30-44.

Allison, you’ve articulated your question as follows, “How can literature circles be used to build positive community both in and outside of the classroom?”

This is a great topic and there is a wealth of literature you may consult. As you’ve likely discovered, Daniels (2002; 1994) has written the key texts on literature circles generally. Along the lines of your topic, he writes, “from a group dynamics point of view, literature circles are a very well-structured activity, one that we would expect not only to be successful in accomplishing its goal — which is the clear and deep understanding of a book — but also to contribute to the general cohesiveness and productivity of the wider classroom community (p. 36). Drawing the community outside the classroom into this equation might entail selection of local texts, or texts that deal with issues of import to community members. In this respect your topic has much in common with Kiran’s and you might find it fruitful to collaborate in thinking through some of the issues.

We’ll talk more about this, I’m sure, later today.

Teresa

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References

Daniels, H. (2002). Literature circles: Voice and choice in book clubs and reading groups. Stenhouse Pub.

Daniels, H. (1994). Literature circles: Voice and choice in the student-centered classroom. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Natalia, you’ve articulated your problem as follows: “What are the different perspectives with regard to student-based learning? Why are teachers resistent in breaking away from the traditional teacher-centered model of education and what are the effects of this hostility?” This is a very difficult and complex question with no easy answers. I suppose the key issue is enculturation into a particular model of learning that motivates educators to maintain the status quo. In “A Vision of Students Today,” Wesch (2007) ponders a similar issue to the one you raise at the postsecondary level: why are we still bound by a 19th century model of learning, particularly in light of significant advances in technologies for knowledge mobilization? You’ll find a video in which he discusses this issue on YouTube (see the references); you’ll also find several articles by Wesch if you do a search for his name using the UBC Library “Summon” search or Google Scholar. Wesch is not the only scholar writing in this area, but what he does do rather effectively is point to how critical it is to rethink instructional methodology in the present moment. This is not to say it was not important before — it is merely to say the situation appears to have become even more critical as knowledge structures and modes of access change.

Let’s discuss this further in our meeting today.

Teresa

References

Wesch, M. (2008). Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance. Education Canada, 48(2), 4-7.

Wesch, M. (2007). A vision of students today. YouTube Video. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

Dayonne, you’ve articulated your question as follows: “What are the challenges and benefits of involving language arts students in service-learning projects?” Understandably, this topic is closely aligned with the work of Kiran, Clayton, and Allison. Kiran is exploring benefits of service-learning, for example. When I spoke to Clayton yesterday, he was considering the challenge of problem-based learning for special needs students who have troubles in the area of “executive function” (that is, organizational skills that would enable them to pursue independent study in an effective manner). A key question that arises, then, is how best to organize PBL settings, which are key in service projects, to support learners who are used to extensive direction. You might find it useful, therefore, to pursue some of the literature I’ve mentioned in my response to Clayton.

Other issues are pragmatic, as we discussed before: the legalities of projects that take students off school grounds, and these are highly specific to context. One approach would be to narrow your topic by selecting a particular school district as a case study and then to examine the challenges in that setting. Right now the topic is fairly broad, so its difficult to provide useful references. I’ll be interested to see how you’ve narrowed your scope later today and at that time I hope to provide more specific ideas.

Teresa

Dayonne (and team),

The BC School Trustees Association website lists all of the policies for each school district. Richmond (SD38) is included. I’ll take a look at the Vancouver (SD 39) policies to see if there’s anything useful regarding consent issues and learning taking place outside the classroom.

https://dsweb.bcsta.org/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-9637

I am looking forward to your presentation!
I think most of us can connect with having the knowledge that student involvement in these ways will aid their motivation but not knowing how to begin to implement this idea. Rather than trying to change the entire education system over ten weeks, how can we make a start in providing meaningful education in our borrowed classrooms and later in our own?
How do we make these goals actually achievable?

Hi all,

I find your guiding questions very relevant to reading literature. I do believe that through literature, we engage in learning about perspectives and ideas about the world we live in, morality, and human behaviour. However, I am very interested in learning simple yet effective ways to take that learning beyond the classroom.

For my enhanced practicum, I have been placed with the non-profit organization, Vancouver Biennale. They install public art throughout the city of Vancouver. Many teachers have used that art and made connections to teaching their subject areas, be it Math or Science or English. Often, the teachers then engage students in activities centering around the art work that takes learning from the classroom into the public community. Browse their website to see what kinds of interesting things educators are up to! http://www.vancouverbiennale.com

Also, I am going to be teaching The Kite Runner in the long practicum. This will give me a wonderful opportunity to explore current social justice issues with the students. However, I am curious to know how I can better tie my lessons into motivating students and myself to do more with our learning. It sounds idyllic and a challenge to execute, but I do believe that a little goes a long way.

I look forward to your findings! All the best, teacher candidates! 🙂

Hello all,

I promised I’d forward two more resources.

1. The first had to do with Natalia’s project. I alluded to a Scandinavian study of school-leaving exams (Hansson, 1992). Margaret Mackey takes up this study in her contribution to the book Kedrick, Carl and I just edited (James, Dobson & Leggo, 2012). I can’t indent the quotation in this comment, so I’ve included it below demarcated by the asterisks:

*Inertia is a systemic issue in large educational organizations, not just in Canada. Gunnar Hansson, reporting on a Swedish study of close to a century’s worth of student examination papers in literature, suggests that the lag-time may run to decades. Writes Hansson, “It takes a long time — 20, 30 or even 40 years — for a new approach in literary research to find its way into school teaching and to gain a dominant position there” (1992, p. 147) (Mackey, 2012)*

I can provide a draft copy of Margaret Mackey’s article on request if you’d like. You’ll find the Swedish study by Hansson through the UBC Library.

2. The second resource has to do with the notion of “enabling constraints.” This notion is discussed by Davis, Sumara and Luce-Kapler (2000/2007) in their book, _Engaging Minds_. If you get the book on Google Books and search inside for the term “enabling constraints” you’ll find the relevant entries; however, not all pages are viewable. A search reveals that the same notion is also discussed in an accessible article by Davis, Sumara and Simmt (2003), interestingly with tracts of writing that are virtually identical to those in the monograph publication with a different set of authors (a bit of a sketchy thing to do in academic publishing, but there you have it). So I suggest you get the accessible version (2003). In that article they apply the concept to graduate education, but you’ll see it is relevant to education at all levels. Drawing on complexity theory, the research team describes “enabling constraints” as “The rule structures that enable complex systems maintain a delicate balance between sufficient randomness to allow for flexible and varied response and sufficient organization to channel such responses into coherent collective activity. Such situations are matters of neither ‘everyone does the same thing’ nor ‘everyone does their own thing,’ but of everyone participating in a joint project (Davis, Sumara and Simmt, 224-225).

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References

Davis, B., Sumara, D. J., & Simmt, E. (2003). Complexity and collectivity: On the emergence of a few ideas. In Proceedings of the 2003 Complexity Science and Educational Research Conference October (pp. 16-18). Available: http://www.complexityandeducation.ualberta.ca/conferences/2003/Documents/CSER_Davis.pdf

Davis, B., Sumara, D. J., & Luce-Kapler, R. (2007). Engaging minds: Changing teaching in complex times. Routledge.

Davis, B., Sumara, D. J., & Luce-Kapler, R. (2000). Engaging minds: Learning and teaching in a complex world. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Hansson, Gunnar. (1992). Readers responding: And then? Research in the Teaching of English 26(2), 135-148.

James, K., Dobson, T.M., Leggo, C., Eds. (2012). English in Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Creative and Critical Advice from Canada’s Teacher Educators. Toronto: Pearson.

Mackey, M. (2012). Mixing Media. In James, K., Dobson, T.M., Leggo, C., Eds. English in Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Creative and Critical Advice from Canada’s Teacher Educators. Toronto: Pearson.

Dayonne,

I said I’d forward a book reference. Here it is:

Sumara, D. J. (2002). Why reading literature in school still matters: Imagination, interpretation, insight. Lawrence Erlbaum.

If you do a search for “why teach literature” through the UBC Library or Google Scholar you’ll find many other references as well.

Best,

Teresa

Clayton,

I said I’d forward an article reference (Dobson & Vratulis, 2009). This article discusses the collaborative wiki project about which we spoke on Wednesday. There is a brief review of distinctions that have been made between collaboration and cooperation, as well as some thoughts about the merits of activities that encourage students to move out of learning models that privilege the individual, notions of individual ownership of information, authority and authorship.

Best,

Teresa

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References

Dobson, T.M., & Vratulis, V. (2009). Interrupting Processes of Inquiry: Teaching and Learning with Social Media in Higher Education. Digital Studies/Le champ numérique, 1(2). Available: http://www.digitalstudies.org/ojs/index.php/digital_studies/article/view/170/213

Hi Clayton,

Here is another article that speaks to a collaborative wiki project.

Gibbons, S. (2010). Collaborating like Never Before: Reading and Writing through a Wiki. English Journal, 99, 35-39.

Natalia

Hello all,

I have been meaning to comment on this group’s prospectus for ages, and now that I’ve had a chance to chat with Allison and Natalia about the details of their projects, I feel I have something useful to add (besides saying how much I’m looking forward to hearing what you find out!).

I love the idea of student-focused classrooms that have, as part of their curricula, some emphasis on the importance of an individual’s links with their community. I think, too, that bringing the idea of a person’s civic responsibility into the classroom can also engender in students an understanding of responsibility more generally (about things like, you know, for their own learning).

I have a resource to share. Full disclosure: I haven’t the whole thing, but I’ve thumbed through the below text and it looked like a good read. I think it might be useful for you.

Shor, Ira. Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1992. (Available at the Ed. Library: http://webcat1.library.ubc.ca/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=885392)

Best of luck!

Shannon