Assignment #1-

In the first week of discussions, I stated that “Knowledge is power,” where people store information that we learn, but knowledge isn’t actually acquired until we apply it to our lives and make it meaningful. Pritchard states in Chapter 2 that, “If truth in one’s beliefs is valuable and knowledge demands truth, then we can assume that knowledge is valuable” (Pritchard, 2014, Chapter 2, Section 2, para. 1). I quickly realized that knowledge is different for everyone because each individual value different things and each of us have our own truths that are shaped by our different experiences and ideas of how the world around us works. Pritchard quotes Plato by saying that, “Knowledge must consist of 3 criteria: justified, true, and believed” (Prichard, 2014, Chapter 3, Section 1, para. 1). If we are to have knowledge, then we must be able to justify what we believe in. Knowledge cannot just be true belief, since one can gain a true belief in bizarre wats that makes it seem as though they didn’t have knowledge. For example, I believe that the Washington Capitals will win the Stanley cup next year, based on them winning the cup this year and how they have kept the same core players for next year. Even if this is true, I didn’t clearly know that this would be the outcome. Epistemic rationality is a part of rationality which involves achieving accurate beliefs about the world. It involves us examining why we believe what we believe. But sometimes “the way things look isn’t always the way things are; appearance can be deceptive” (Pritchard, 2014, Chapter 8, Section 1, para. 1). A great deal of our knowledge is based on how we perceive the world, but if what we perceive is false? Pritchard calls this false knowledge an illusion. Pritchard’s comments in Chapter 16 on objectivity aligns with this ‘false knowledge’ idea, where he says, “no matter how good your reasons are or believing that the world is a certain way, it could still be that it isn’t that way, you could be wrong” (Pritchard, 2014, Chapter 16, Section 1, para. 2). With constructivism, knowledge is not transferrable; instead, it should be constructed socially and through experiences.

While teaching may seem to be the opposite of learning, it is a binary relationship that develops in a search for meaning; the teacher affects the student’s learning. Constructivism is a philosophy of learning, which proposes that by reflecting upon experience we come to understand the world around us. Constructivism began in developmental psychology with Jean Piaget, who’s theory emphasized that “Knowledge does not and cannot have the purpose of producing representations of an independent reality, but instead has an adaptive function” (Fosnot, 2015, Section 1, para. 1). Students must be actively involved in their learning and active involvement in their learning requires prior knowledge. The learner must make sense of experiences by actively constructing meaning. The role of the teacher is to facilitate learning, as good teachers will understand that there are multiple ways to solve a problem and that just lecturing students will not lead to understanding. Lev Vygotsky expanded upon Piaget’s theory by looking at how society or social interactions aided a student’s knowledge and learning. His social constructivism theory differs from Piaget’s trivial constructivism because he believed that “A student’s mind is inherently social in nature and so speech moves from communicative social to inner egocentric” (Fosnot, 2015, Section 3, para. 6). Humans are social beings and throughout our evolution, we have sought to establish communities, societies, and different forms of communication. In addition, Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development theory suggests that “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86). He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers – within the zone of proximal development.

References:

Fosnot, C. T. (2015). Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.

Pritchard, D. (2014). What is this thing called knowledge? London; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

 

Assignment #2-

The purposes of the research cafes are to explore personal teaching contexts and the application of effective constructive strategies. In addition, it is a platform for developing your research skills further and gaining first-hand experience with e-learning strategies of personal interest.

The questions below are designed to prompt an analysis and reflection of your ongoing inquiry into knowledge and constructivist e-learning strategies. It is expected that the long answer questions contain at least a paragraph (about 4-5 sentence) response. Please use this form to complete the self-reflection.

1. When did I facilitate a research café?

Week 11 (Café 17)

2. What was the topic on constructivism I chose to explore?

My topic focuses on learning cycles and the way we teach children with special needs in our class. More specifically, my first resource, Shelley Wright’s Tedx Talk, looked at constructivist teaching strategies, how we have utilized inquiry-based learning, what adaptions we have used for children with special needs in our classrooms, and how we can use different strategies to differentiate learning for our students. In addition, discussions in the café looked at some constructivist assessment practices and how to incorporate feedback and how frequent we should provide feedback. In my second resource, I took a look at how teachers are not getting the proper training when it comes to teaching children with special needs. The inadequate training leaves teachers feeling unprepared and anxious to teach students with special needs. In addition, the lack of funding for these children is a growing concern.

3. What research did I select to study and why?

I chose to research and facilitate a café on the topic of special education because I have a huge passion for teaching children with disabilities. I’m passionate about this topic as I’ve been teaching children with special needs for the past 4 years and I realize the daily impact that teachers and educational assistants have on our students every day. As teachers, we all have a range of students with special needs in our classrooms, as the demand of diagnosis is continually increasing. It is important for us to advocate for all of our students and to incorporate them into our classroom, instead of them getting ‘pulled out’ of the classroom. With constructivism and inquiry-based learning, students of all abilities can find success in learning and inquiring about their passions. It is important to celebrate all the success, no matter how big or small. Lastly, this topic interests me because when working with children with disabilities, you really do realize what is important – their happiness. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if they cannot multiply or not. What’s important is if they are happy when they come into class, if they are passionate about learning, and if they feel safe at school.

4. What 5 things did I learn about constructivist strategies from the body of research I studied, including the Fosnot chapter I read?

• I realized that I too am like Shelley Wright in the sense that I teach/taught some math ideas the way I was taught it. She states, “I directed the show, what we were learning, when we were learning, when the exam was, ‘I was the master of the universe.’ Taught like that cause that’s what I knew and that’s what I taught” (Wright, 2013). In my mindset, there is only one way to teach basic math facts, through repetition and memorizing. But, I realized that this should not be the case, as our goal for them is to learn how to do these facts, not how fast they can recite them.
• I always knew that giving students autonomy over their learning is highly motivating, but after Shelley’s story of 45 days of inquiry, I learned that when students decide what they learn, it doesn’t stay in the walls of the classroom anymore. The aim of education is for them to construct their own knowledge and use it in their real life. I’ve also learned, through sharing stories with my peers this week, that students will often exceed our expectations of them if we give them the opportunity.
• Trent, Artiles, & Englert’s article taught me about literacy for students with mild disabilities. I learned that society puts a great emphasis on being literate, yet there are only vague instructions and descriptions on how to teach students literacy when they are low-functioning or non-verbal
• I learned that Vygotsky (1978), the architect of sociocultural theory, provided 4 principles that might guide the redesign of educational contexts so that learners are initiated into cognitive practices of the broader society and community. The four principles are: apprenticeship in applied settings, access to empowering modes of discourse, guided instruction that leads to self-regulated learning, and learning in cultural historical context.
• Lastly I learned that for people with special needs, social constructivism and developing social competence is far more important than being able to read and write. Trent et. al. states that, “A basic tenet of social constructivism is that development is a social phenomenon, yet most inquiries in general and special education have focused on children’s learning and developmental processes as if the teachers working with them were invisible” (Trent. et. al., 1998).
• I read chapter 10: Mathematics and Matematizing.

5. What 3 new research skills did I develop or hone with this assignment?

In this assignment, it is hard to pick 3 specific research skills that I developed, because I found that in all the stages I took, I learned about that a little more.

• Stage 1- Identifying a research need within the context of constructivism: It was hard choosing one topic and then revising it so that my questions were specific and correlated to the constructivist theory.
• Stage 2- Researching and finding the proper sources: It was definitely difficult to choose my primary resource because of how specific it was (Trent et. al. – Literacy and Constructivism for people with disabilities). I made sure that the resources I found were accessible to my peers and made sure that the primary one was an academic one, while my Tedx Talk video supplemented the major findings/guiding questions from my primary source.
• Stage 3- Creating the Questions/prompts for the week’s discussions: Coming up with questions for the week forced me to really know my text and to take notes on them. In addition to the questions/prompts, I also included a section with my notes on each of the resources. This is an adaption that I am providing them so that they can guide their questions and answers using some of the major quotes and findings.
• Stage 4- Facilitating the discussion and providing timely responses and feedback: I found that I’ve been extremely good with staying ontop of my posts, and found it fun to be the leader of the discussion. I was able to ask questions on a topic that I’m so passionate about, and was able to provide some examples and share some stories with my peers. What made me really happy is having the one discussion about the difference in designations of our students/classroom composition between British Columbia and Ontario.
• Stage 5- Self-reflection: Doing this follow-up assignment allows me to reflect on my participation and overall contributions to not only my own café, but how it connects with everyone else’s. Constructivism is a large topic and it was interesting to one week work on assessment/feedback using constructivist methods, and then spending the next week developing a constructivist math question. At the end of this week, one thing that I gained in this whole process is that we all WANT to use constructivist methods of teaching because it better caters to helping our students become competent individuals.

 

6. What e-learning strategies did I try out with my peers? How did I decide to try these particular e-learning strategies out (eg. research, other sources, personal experience, etc)?

• Some e-learning strategies that I used over the past 3 weeks were: telling a story, incorporating emotion in my posts, using visual interests by posting videos to supplement my post, structuring my questions and following up on them throughout the week so that the dialogue is continuous, and lastly exploring reality-based scenarios.

7. How did my peers help me?

• My peers helped me connect the material we are reading with real-life situations. I found it extremely pleasant to talk to them about how we have used constructivism, what things we can change to make it ‘truly’ constructivist, and also just sharing personal stories. Also, having these cafes really helped me with continuing a conversation because in our weekly posts, sometimes a post wouldn’t be responded to for a few days, whereas I found that there were regular conversations throughout the week in the cafes.

8. What are one- two memorable examples of dialogue from the café? (Share the transcript portion) Why are they memorable?

• The first would be in my cafe where I was talking to Carri-Ann about designations and how they are different in Ontario and BC. She wrote:
  • For example, using your chart, my classroom with 29 students last year contained:

6-G, 3-H, 1-D, 2-Q

How would that affect the class make up?  In Ontario, one student=one student.  I had a “floating” educational assistant, which means that some of the children received breaks outside of the classroom, but no other supports for the children with identified needs.  Would this be different in BC?

I enjoyed this because we then talked about how we are lacking support in terms of EAs and Resource staffing. It also led us to discuss how sometimes people use their diagnosis as an excuse for not being able to do something.

• The second would be a conversation I had with Ram where we talked about how parents or teachers have unrealistic expectations for our students with disabilities. Here is the post:
• The parents and children want this thing called “finishing school” instead of dropping out of school but the process of “finishing school” proves difficult. In Alberta there are options, for example, students can get a High School Certificate instead of a High School Diploma. I do agree that the intent of the High School Certificate or Diploma is to provide a certification or a measure to the prospective employer that the student has met certain requirements, that is, pass certain Math and Science and English courses. But like you said, if the career choice is hairdressing then some Math is important but how important is a Grade 11 Math, maybe a Grade 9 Math is probably enough.
• This post is memorable to me because I taught an ACCESS/Pre-Employment program at a high school last year and I found that parents wanted their child to graduate with a Dogwood degree, and not receive a modified diploma. At the end of most of the conversations I’ve had with parents their goal for their child was for them to work and to be able to access the community via day programs or respite. In this regard, I told them that work experience and learning transportation is far more important than learning algorithms in math, since they’ll never use it.

9. What 3-5 aspects of the research and the e-learning strategies will I now apply to my personal teaching context?

In my own practice, I will make sure that I:

• provide timely feedback that directly relates to their performance and suggestions on things that went well/need to be worked on
• I will ask questions that provoke their thinking and help guide their inquiry by providing resources to them
• teach them how to find resources that are reliable and not just written by anyone
• develop rubrics with my students so that assessment is meaningful and includes them in the process. Also, I will make sure that they are receiving feedback throughout the process of inquiry, and not just at the end, because most of the learning happens during inquiry, not the final product. I’m also interested in continuing developing a digital portfolio with my students, where they are in charge of showing their progress throughout the year, as another form of assessment.
• Make the learning meaningful by relating the topics to things that they’ll encounter/are interested in. Also, this allows me to develop projects that asks them to use multiple subjects combined, such as math, science and writing, etc.

10. What other questions am I curious about? How will I plan to explore these?

• I’m still curious as to why teachers don’t get more training on how to work with students with disabilities in our classrooms. In BC, each classroom is allowed to have 2 high-incidence and as many low-incidence children. Since the number of diagnosis are continually going up, where is the teacher training to support this? Are teachers just expected to learn adaptions and modifications on their own? I plan to attend a teacher-mentoring program in the Fall, where I’m connected with another teacher in the district to develop lessons and share ideas about education and curriculum.
• I’m also still curious about how the “special education diploma,” that I took at UVIC (University of Victoria), differs from other special education programs. I felt that my experience in the program did not gear me to be a special education teacher. I’m wondering what other programs out there gives you hands-on training and perhaps even a practicum to shadow and learn from a mentor. I will look into this after this course is over, and perhaps I can find some pro-d workshops that can better prepare me as I move forward in the special education realm. In addition, I’ve been leading some Autism awareness workshops for the Canucks Autism Network, and perhaps I can lead a session on it at a district Pro-D day next year.

 

Assignment #3-

PART A: Constructivism and Instruction in the Digital Era

Introduction: (tags: #constructivism, #instruction)

Constructivism is the term given to a range of theories about knowledge and learning in which we seek to explain what ‘knowing’ is and how we ‘come to know.’ According to Fosnot, “constructivism is not a theory of teaching, it is a completely different approach to instruction from that which is used in most schools” (Fosnot, 2005). Teachers who base their practice on constructivist principles reject the notion that meaning can be passed onto learners through transmission; instead, constructivism is an approach that gives learners the opportunity for concreate and meaningful experiences, within which they can search for patterns, formulate their own questions and construct their own ideas of how the world around them works.

Constructivism is a great way to support and create learning environments that holds students accountable for their own learning, while teachers facilitate learning through explicit questioning and guided inquiry. A classroom using this model can be seen as a mini-society where a community of learners are engaged in activity, discussion and reflections, either individually, in small groups or in a whole class situation (Fosnot, 2005). Attached to this essay is a lesson plan which attempts to model several constructivist methods and philosophies. The three major principles are that guides the lesson plan are as follows: learning is an active process, learning is unique and individualized to each student, and learning is a social experience.

Introduction of lesson plan: (tags: #functionalmath, #flippedclassroom, #karplusframework)

The plan is designed for classroom face-to-face instruction, but can be modified to be made available online or in a blended form, where the content can be found in our Google Classroom. This lesson is part of a series of lessons designed for my Pre-employment 9/10- Numeracy class, where students are to create a budget for themselves 10 years from now (what job they are in, what car they drive, rent/own a house, food expenses, children, pets, etc.). Since many of my children have disabilities and are on a modified/adapted curriculum, their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals are different than the ones outlined in BC’s new curriculum. The aim of our numeracy class is for students to learn functional math skills, such as: number sequence, addition, subtraction and money math. Together, all of the lessons are meant to teach our students financial literacy and the end result will have the students creating a monthly budget for their future selves. Choosing a place to live while using a realistic budget, is a way to place students in a rich problem-solving situation (Wilson & Cole, 1991). This lesson situates students into real-world scenarios that exposes them to content that is relevant and authentic. The goal of this lesson is to take the three principles of constructivism stated in the introductory paragraph and apply them to this inquiry-based, hands-on assignment.

Students will start with a flipped lesson in which they are to review at home prior to class. They will learn about living arrangements (renting versus buying) and the process for attaining a home. “Flipping is an enhanced approach to course design where students encounter new information and concepts outside of class and spend class time developing their understanding by engaging with and practicing what they learned” (Horner, 2016). The goal of this teaching style is to decrease the time spent in class lecturing, with the primary focus on the students exploring while the teacher facilitates learning. In this model, students are able to arrive to class and start actively engaging in the experiences with the needed background knowledge already provided. In addition, they will be exploring career opportunities that they can see themselves in 10 years. Regardless of where knowledge comes from, whether it is from the instructor or from online sources, it is key that learners are critical of knowledge source (Pritchard, 2014). It is important to help learners become critical thinkers, who can assess all the information available to them and be able to evaluate it so that they can turn it into knowledge.

The lesson framework is modelled after Karplus’ work. In this model, students are not given information at the start of the activity; instead, they are encouraged to explore using their assumptions and understandings. After the initial exploration phase, students will be given information by the teacher using explicit instruction. Finally, students will be given the remainder of time to continue exploring and creating their final budgets in any way they are comfortable representing their findings. During this phase, the teacher will be circulating around the room and checking in on how the students have used the new information to re-apply to their understanding of the concept of budgeting. During class time, the student’s task will be choosing a career and a real home, while factoring in the additional costs (cable, cellphone, internet, hydro, insurance, leisure activities, food, etc.) that they will incur during the month. This also helps provide for learner control (Wilson & Cole, 1991) as they have a choice of job opportunities, living arrangements, extra-curricular activities, pets, children, etc.  In addition to this, they will need to justify their choices and show how they’ve stayed within budget (not spending more than they make), while balancing their needs and wants. Being able to budget and organize finances is a challenging concept for everyone – it is so easy to tap the credit card and overspend each month. This unit will teach the kids to plan ahead and think about their future. In order for this information to become knowledge, it has to be true, the person has to believe it, and they must be able to justify it (Pritchard, 2014). This lesson is designed to help meet all of those criteria.

Learning is an active process: (tags: #activelearning #FreshGrade #onlineportfolios)

The lesson attached fits nicely with the constructivist theory because learners are actively creating their own knowledge; no more stand-and-deliver lecturing method anymore. The construction of knowledge is learner centered – the role of the teacher is decentralizing allowing students opportunities to define their understanding encouraging for construction of knowledge, creating a more holistic approach (Fosnot, 2005). The active experimentation learning mode focuses on actively influencing people and changing situations (Horner, 2016). When students enter this part of the cycle, they integrating themselves into society and situating themselves as an adult living in their community. When students present their budgets, and post it onto their FreshGrade online portfolios, they are deciding to take their place in the online learning portfolio community at large. In other words, students take ownership of their learning and using online portfolios as a mean of assessment and self-reflection.  “A online portfolio is a purposeful collection of examples of learning that provides evidence of someone’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions” (Lin, 2008). This approach is a great assessment approach, where students are the ones posting their learning artifacts in which they can self-evaluate, reflect, and track their progress over the year. In addition, it also offers students the opportunity to learn web page design and to incorporate various media into the assessment process, as they incorporate digital literacy into their learning.

Learning is unique and individualized for each student: (tags: #adaptivelearning, #individualizedlearning)

Each learner’s previous knowledge constructions, beliefs and attitudes are considered in the knowledge construction process. These lessons use student’s prior knowledge that is gained in previously on career choices, addition, subtraction, and money math. It is important for teachers to acknowledge the different environmental factors in each student’s lives (home life, relationships, things that happened prior to class, etc.), and how these factors affect the student’s learning. Exploration and discover is encouraged as students seek knowledge independently and to pursuit their personal goals. The teacher will circulate around the room and provide immediate feedback, ask questions that furthers thinking, and provide explicit support for students who require more direction. Since the instructor is supporting students, mistakes and questions that can arise generate feedback and support understanding (Wilson & Cole, 1991). Students are asked to reflect on their work and through reflection, they will come up with reasons to justify their monthly expenses. Since this project is ongoing, students will have time to make revisions to their budget plans. At the end of the day, using a constructivist approach helps creates an environment where all students are successful regardless of their abilities.

Learning is a social experience: (tags: #vvygotsky, #socialconstuctivism)

Social constructivism was developed by Lev Vygotsky who argued that all cognitive functions orginiate in (and must therefore be explained as products of) social interactions. According to Vygotsky, “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level and, later on, on the individual level; first, between people and then inside the child” (Vygotsky, 1978). Collaborative learning methods require learners to develop teamwork skills and to see individual learning as essentially related to the success of group learning. Although this lesson is an individual activity, students are encouraged to collaborate with their peers and teacher, discuss scenarios with their classmates, and ask questions that will help lead them to finding answers. Due to the immediate physical and visual feedback provided by the act of making present in the lesson, students are able to adjust their individual understandings in an effective manner (Von Glasersfeld, 2008). Through conversations, students are able to share their knowledge and learn from those with more experience. Lastly, when students post their budget plans on their online portfolio, they are extending their learning beyond the classroom. Parents, teachers and the online community will have access to their digital artifacts.

Conclusion:

Constructivism has played an important role in establishing the principle that learning is a constructive activity that students have to carry out. From this point-of-view, the task of the teacher is not to transfer knowledge, but to provide students with opportunities to inquire and seek answers to their questions about the world around them. Situating students in real-world scenarios makes learning meaningful and useful to their life outside of school. As exemplified in the lesson plan attached, constructivist learning comes with three requirements: learning is active, learning is individualized for each student, and that learning is a social construction. Constructivist lessons such as the one attached creates a positive learning environment that builds knowledge for every child, including those with diverse needs.

Part B: Lesson Plan

ETEC 530 Assignment 3: A Constructivist Lesson for Pre-employment-Numeracy 9/10

References:

BC Ministry of Education. (2018). Building Student Success – BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/

Fosnot, C. T. (2005). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

Horner, G. (2016). The photography teacher’s handbook: Practical methods for engaging students in the flipped classroom. New York: Focal Press.

Lin, Q. (2008). Preservice teachers’ learning experiences of constructing e-portfolios online. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 194-200. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/S1096751608000456/1-s2.0-S1096751608000456-main.pdf?_tid=5d8e83af-db05-4942-a9d6-b1d70920eea4&acdnat=1533957899_0feccff7235bf3b0cdcfd087d5ddb23e

Pritchard, D. (2014). What is this thing called knowledge? *3rd Edition; Routledge.

Vygotsky, Lev (1978). Mind in Society. London: Harvard University Press.

Wilson, B., & Cole, P. (1991). A review of cognitive teaching models. Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(4), 47-64.