Did I mention how much I love check lists? Check out the EDpuzzle that I created for my ELD class!
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This is why I like checklists...you find things that you may have forgotten to do!
Rather than meditating on all of the ways that I cannot defeat the giants, I need to begin strategizing how to use the talents that I have that can defeat the giants. I cannot get my advantages and disadvantages confused with each other.
In thinking about my future position as a teacher, I know that no matter what it is, it is going to be a "giant." Maybe it is going to be a giant because it is new and unfamiliar. I often think about what a disadvantage it is that I do not have 10 years of teaching experience behind me to make the "giant" seem a little bit smaller. However, like Malcolm Gladwell says, "we have, I think, a very rigid and limited definition of what an advantage is. We think of things as helpful that actually aren't and think of other things as unhelpful that in reality leave us stronger and wiser" (19). Perhaps, my seemingly disadvantage of being new to the teaching profession is actually an advantage. Likewise, perhaps the advantage of having 10-20 years of experience is actually a disadvantage. I think it would be unfair to have such a limited definition of what advantages and disadvantages look like until you see the two in action. The perspective that this book advocates for is exactly what teachers need in order to overcome the various giants that we will be faced with in our professional careers. We need to face them with creativity, resolve, humility, confidence, and passion. These are the attributes of self that will allow us to claim victory over our giants. We need to figure out what our "slinger" is so that we can overcome our "Goliaths." In almost every mission statement that I have read for High Schools, there is always something that revolves around preparing students for life after high school. With that, it is important for schools to not only determine which curriculums are going to accomplish that task, but how they are going additionally teach things such as: generosity, politeness, integrity, effort, courage, resilience, gratitude, faith, and kindness.
In filming a teacher with a set of disengaged students, observers began to study as to why the students were disconnected from the content. What they gathered from their observations was that "there is no value in what she is doing" (106). Gladwell brings up a convicting statement in reflecting upon that case study. It gives me, as an educator, an opportunity to examine my own teaching? Is there value in it? In order to truly prepare my students for life after High School, I do not have a choice but to bring value in to my teaching. Only then will students be ready to succeed in their career or college choices in order to actively participate in a global society. By making my lessons value, I am making their learning value and hopefully that translates into a valuable lifestyle for each of my students. In saying all of this, I have to daily ask myself, how am I going to implement valuable lessons? We learn so many strategies on how to make lessons accessible to increase student understanding, but how do I move into that beyond point in my lessons where students are consistently connecting their learning to their personal life or to the outside world, conceptualizing the content. In fostering and cultivating the umbrella of critical thinking, there are a variety of skills that benefit as well. Critical thinking gives students an opportunity to develop skilled reading, writing, listening, and speaking, skilled problem-solving, skilled relationship building, skilled questioning, and skilled emotional literacy. These are all things that will truly prepare students to be self-sustained in the competitive world post-High School. These are the things that count. These are the things that make teaching valuable. In continuing on in Malcolm Gladwell's book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, he asserts that we often get confused between advantages and disadvantages. He illustrates this idea by acknowledging a difficult educational situation at Shepaug Valley Middle School regarding ever decreasing class sizes. Gladwell remarks that we tend to have this perception that smaller class sizes translates into greater student understanding, content engagement, and overall academic success. However, he offers up data that contradicts this preconceived notion. The research actually proves that the difference in academic performance between students in a larger class sized environment and students in a smaller class sized environment is not all that different. He uses this example to prove his idea that advantages are not always what we think they are. He even goes on to say that a smaller classroom size may actually be detrimental to learning. Although I may disagree with certain pieces of his example, I do agree with the idea that he was trying to communicate through this example. There are certain things that we deem as an advantage, that may not actually be an advantage. Whether it is rooted in pattern, or tradition, or habit, we tend to have certain perspectives about things that will and will not work. In turn, this gives teachers an inability to try new things because they have a certain idea about the strategies and supports they have used for years will work in the classroom. For me, I connect this to how teachers may view integrating technology into the classroom. Many teachers look at hard copy texts and see that there are so many advantages for students to have the book in front of them rather than on a computer screen. With book in hand, they can turn the pages and put sticky notes in them and more effectively annotate the text. To them, this is an advantage. Perhaps this is a limiting view of what an advantage is. I think that we should not fear e-books or online pdf texts because we only see the disadvantages. This part of the book has inspired me to look at different perspectives that I have as to what constitutes as an advantage and a disadvantage. Gladwell encourages his readers to think outside the box and begin to search for new meaning and understanding of "advantages." David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book David and Goliath, he discusses our misconception of what a “giant” is. Often, we tend to describe giants as things that are stronger, bigger, and more powerful than we are. We pale in comparison. However, Gladwell asserts that this is simply the wrong perspective. He alludes to one of the most famous stories in the Bible, the conflict between David in Goliath. Put into a seemingly hopeless situation, the physically weak shepherd boy, David is given the daunting task of representing his people in a battle against Goliath, a giant artillery soldier. In the eyes of everyone watching that day, David did not have a chance at victory. However, David was able to see something that the rest of his audience did not have the vision for. It was his faith in the strength of his God and the hope that he had in His victory that guided him to volunteer for battle. Gladwell points out that David refused to fight in the way that Saul desired him to. In this case, it was not possible to beat Goliath at his own game. David was simply not built that way, his physical stature was ill-equipped for face to face combat. However, he was skilled as a “slinger,” being able to use his aim in order to sling rocks to target Goliath's weak spots. David was able to change his perspective about the giant that he was facing. He was able to see Goliath, not as an impenetrable enemy, but as one one with weaknesses and downfalls like everyone else. With that, David strategically decided to highlight those weaknesses as he capitalized on his personal strengths. This, in turn, ended with Goliath’s ultimate defeat. The author of this text, compares this story to how we perceive our own giants. We just have the wrong perspective of them. So often, we see a giant and we try to outplay and outlast it. However, we need to use our own talents, skills, and critical thinking to find a loophole. This is a story that I can connect to my own teaching. I am responsible for teaching a seemingly impossible class. I have 48 English Language Learners from 10 different countries. They are levels 1 - 3 meaning there are reading levels ranging from about Kindergarten to just below High School. Many of them have language processing disorders, making the task of learning English nearly impossible. Furthermore, many of them have little to no educational background, making my classroom their first true, educational experience. And to add insult to serious injury, there are only 11 girls, the rest are boys. Phew. It truly is exhausting if I think about it for too long. In looking at this class on paper I would think to myself, “how in the world am I going to be able to effectively teach this class?” I kept thinking about all of the ways I was ill-equipped for the position. I had never taught an English Language Learner before, let alone 48 of them. I was familiar with different strategies, but had never truly implemented them before. To top it off, the amount of languages that I know other than English is at 0, so communicating with the students was going to be nearly impossible. However, instead of looking at this metaphorical giant of a class that was in front of me, I started to look at my own strengths. I did not have the professional background to teach this class, but what I was really good at was building relationships. Establishing connections with students, no matter what the background, has been something that I always excelled in. Therefore, I used that to my advantage in getting students to trust me and respect me as their teacher. They needed to know that I was for them, that I was there to support them in whatever they needed to do to accomplish the task of learning English. I started by being intentional about making five personal connections a day with the students. Whether that manifested itself through compliments or asking about their weekends or talking endlessly about soccer, I was purposeful about making connections. Slowly but surely, the class began to look less and less “giant-like.” It became more manageable and accessible to me as a teacher. In turn, the class and content became more accessible for the students. Eventually, I was able to develop those skills of teaching to EL students and the more seat time I was provided, the more comfortable I felt in my professional abilities to teach that class. However, it was the building of relationships that truly became the catalyst to this victory. I truly loved Gladwells comparison to this story, and I look forward to see where he continues to take this book. It appears that, in teaching, there is always going to be some sort of metaphorical giant. It is important for me to know how to effectively equip myself in order to tackle those giants in a way that promotes both personal and professional growth.
This book proved to be exceptionally applicable to me as I step into my professional career as an educator. In being introduced to the Twitter platform, I was introduced to all of these incredible teachers with millions of followers, simply because they were good at their job and were able to show the work to prove it. With that, it proves that there is power available to the amateur. In agreement with that distribution of power, C.S. Lewis states that “the fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago he has forgotten.” There is power, beauty, and creativity in the process of being an amateur.
I have heard it called before “the professionals blindside.” Professionals are far removed from the grind, from the struggle of getting to where they are. Often, experts find that it has been years since the last time they struggled in their professional careers. Therein lies the advantage of the amateur. Austin Kleon agrees that just by making a commitment to learning in front of others, people will naturally be drawn to follow your work. He strongly believes that it is important to “wear your amateurism on your sleeve” (19). It is essential to let others be a part of the journey. In regards to my own journey, this book has proven to be truly enlightening. I never thought that it truly mattered whether or not my “work” was seen by others. However, it is not necessarily about either being seen or not being seen, but about sharing what you are doing with others. In being introduced to Twitter as a way to collaborate, network, and make contacts, I have seen the fruit of being able to connect with educators from all around the globe. However, I have been doing a lot of begging, borrowing, and stealing if you will. I have not been equally submitting my own work out into the world. The reason being is that I was skeptical it could ever truly reach someone. This is the exact perspective that this book attempts to fight against. There is power in being an amateur. It speaks volumes to be a part of the creating, making, and inventing process. Through letting others be part of the beginning stages of growth I can be sure that they are in for the long haul of my learning. I truly enjoyed Austin Kleon's text and I felt truly inspired to begin showing my work. Chapter 7Quote: "They are homo sapiens, homo faber, and homo ludens--or humans who know, humans who make (things), and humans who play" (90). I just love that this is the formula to coming up with solutions to problems. We not only need people who know, make things, and play, but we also need to BE people who know, make things, and play. Both Thomas and Brown have made it extremely clear that it is essential we know how to be these things and advocate for others to be these things so as to truly make an impact on this earth. Question: How come every school hasn't adopted the three dimensions of learning: knowing, making, and playing? Connection: I think there is a major connection between the three dimensions of learning and this class. This is essentially what we have experiences. We went from knowing about certain thing in technology, to making certain things (blog, twitter account, etc) to playing with these different things (pinning ideas, twitter chats, etc.) Epiphany: My Aha! was in response to the following quote "It is always about finding the next challenge or becoming more fully immersed in the state of play" (99). It seems to me that this is how learning should be. Once my students have finished a task or completed an assignment, I want them to ask a new question. This constant process of asking, discovering, and asking again is essential to the learning process. This was the first time where the concept of "play" really made sense to me in the context of learning. Chapter 8Quote: "her team constructed a new typology of practices to describe the way young people participate with new media: hanging out, messing around and geeking out" (100). The reason I picked this quote will be answered in the following sections. Question: How can I apply these "typology of practices" in my own classroom? Connection: I can easily connect this quote to our classroom. These three "typology of practices" are the names of each of our badges that we have to complete in order to finish this course. Therefore, there is a direct connection between this book and the class that my colleagues and I are currently in. It truly is the process that we are going through as we progress through this class. From simply "hanging out" to "geeking out" we truly have stepped into this new culture of learning through this class. Epiphany: My Aha moment came after the above quote. It finally made sense how all of our badges were titled. I waited throughout the whole book for that to show up and it finally did! So, eureka! Chapter 9Quote: "And where imaginations play, learning happens" (118).
I just think this was a good summarizing sentence to this whole book. Where imaginations play, learning happens. When I think about it, the majority of what I learned in life I learned outside of the classroom. The reason for this was because I was given the opportunity to play and pursue what I was interested in and passionate about. What needs to happen is for the learning that happens outside the classroom to happen inside the classroom so as to impact what happens outside the classroom. Question: What now? I know it sounds like a lame question, but the question for myself that I had at the end of this book was "what now?" What am I going to do now with all of this new information? How am I going to respond? Connection: I think I can connect the above quote to this class. Although it was an assignment for us to go onto things such as Twitter and Pinterest. It truly became a space for me to "play" and learn about different things. Without too much structure, I was able to get the most out of these two platforms in a way that has truly benefited my approach to teaching. Epiphany: My Aha! moment was in response to the quote "Imagine an environment where participants are constantly measuring and evaluating their own performances, even if that requires them to build new tools to do it" (106). I think this just kind of reminded me of the 'failure is not an option' philosophy. There are absolutely no barriers to learning, only new opportunities to learn how to break barriers. I want to have this perspective with my students. If they do not know the answer, ask questions and find it. If they cannot figure out a problem, use their imagination. I want them to be creative by all means possible. Chapter 4Quote: "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him as long as the fish supply holds out. But create a collective, and every man will learn how to feed himself for a lifetime" (53). I think this quote really communicates the overall purpose of this chapter. I like the extension of the famous adage. Although it is a success to have one man know how to feed himself the rest of his life. It is even more of a success to teach every man to feed himself for life. The overall goal of the "collective" is to make sure that each person benefits. Question: What are some specific strategies to establish the "collective" in the classroom? Connection: I think the way that I connect the collective to this class is through our participation on Twitter. The text says that rather than learning in order to belong, "people belong in order to learn" (52). We belong to the social media platform of Twitter in order to learn, not the other way around. By intentionally investing in establishing connections, we can grow, develop, and refine our teaching strategies. This is how the collective operates. Epiphany: I think my one "Aha!" moment came from starting to brainstorm ways that I can establish the "collective" in my own classroom. The text says the collective is established by creating a space for one's own thoughts, ideas, and knowledge to be thrown "to the general mix" (52). I want to create a classroom environment where we are learning by taking pieces from each of my students and their prior knowledge. Chapter 5Quote: "Institutional backing is no longer a warrant for credibility" (65). I appreciate this quote because it advocates for student voice. My students do not need an institutional backing in order to be taken seriously. They play an important role in getting information out into the world. Question: Through this new culture of learning, how do we assess learning? Connection: My connection is similar to the quote mentioned above. I connected that quote to the Twitter world. One thing that I have found is that people really do not need an institutional backing in order to establish credibility. The majority of the English teachers that I follow on Twitter are just your average people who just happen to love their job and be really good at it. They do not have any additional professional credentials in order to have really good ideas. Epiphany: I think my Aha! moment came through the point that students panic because the are "being asked to expose in public what had been until that moment a very private activity" (58). When students are sitting passively while the teacher speaks, there is no opportunity for them to own the information that they are learning. Students are not provided with a since of ownership if they are just sitting in isolation. This is why students are so panicked when they are called on. I think it is important for the students to digest the information before they share out to the class so that they have the opportunity to process and gather their thoughts. The information should be made public not private. Chapter 6Quote: "the new culture of learning is about the kind of tension that develops when students with an interest or passion that they want to explore are faced with a set of constraints that allow them to act only within given boundaries" (81).
I think that this is something that I want to strive for in my classroom. In ELD, it seems that there has to be a whole lot of structure as the students learn the English language. However, I want to be more creative in allowing my students to be able to explore something they are passionate about within specific boundaries so the outcome is that they have fun and take a step towards learning English. Question: How can I change the way my students ask questions? Connection: In one of our classes we have to complete an Action Research Plan. Although we all had to complete the same sort of research, I believe that Action Research is an awesome opportunity for us as teachers to explore the things that we are curious and passionate about. In Action Research we identify a problem, ask questions, and then answer those questions through our own research. Epiphany: My Aha! moment happened on page 79 after the piano example. The author writes that "in today's classroom, the teacher will see two students 'doing it wrong.' In the new culture of learning, the teacher will see a budding rock star and a jazz musician." I think that rubrics and specific directions are important so that students are aware of the expectations. However, I think it is also important to leave room for flexibility to allow creativity to run wild. How are my students going to learn anything about themselves if they are constantly trying to do what I want them to do? Chapter 1Quote: "Sam has learned a lot [. . . ] But what he has learned most of all is how to learn from others" (23). It seems to me that this small quote is the foundation of this book. It is a reminder that learning happens collaboratively through individual determination. Sam was able to learn through online collaboration, but only through his own motivation to do so. Question: How do we merge this new culture with things such as sports (or other non-online community activities)? I think I just want to see more examples of individual's who collaborate online, but the "taking action" part of it is outside of the computer screen. Connection: In reflecting on this first chapter, I am reminded of an experience I had last week in Clinical Practice II. Teaching ELD requires extreme intentionality. Recently, I was going through how to make words plural with my students. You know, the simple of rules of just add "s" unless it ends in "sh" or "ch" then you write "es" or if it ends in "y" then you add "ies" but only sometimes because you have to take into consideration noncount nouns as well. Phew! The English language is difficult. Then, we came to the word "turkey." It ends in "y", but you do not put "ies" like the the rule says. At this point, I just said, "you know what class, English is hard and rules are hard, there are some words you are just going to have to memorize." Then, our new student, who just came here from the Jordan, raised her hand and said "I think I know the rule on that one." She proceeded to teach me that if the letter before the "y" is a vowel then you just add "s". We were so blown away, that we let this particular student teach the class the rest of that lesson. It was because of that student that the lesson was more full, more complete. This reminds me of the different experiences I read about in Chapter 1 about learning through collaboration. Because of our willingness to lean on our students to promote learning, every student took another step toward learning English. Epiphany: The "Aha!" moment that I had was that there is a big difference between being taught and learning. To go even further, there is a big difference between learning and learning how to learn. I am responsible for giving my students the opportunity to do both. Chapter 2Quote: "the point is to embrace what we don't know come up with better questions about it, and continue asking those questions in order to learn more and more, both incrementally and exponentially" (38). It is important that we begin asking better questions. To often we spend our teaching time asking "what" and "who" rather than "how" and "why." In order to make anything count, we have to be asking the more important questions. Question: What could a learning-based approach look like in a class such as ELD? Connection: The reference to the exchange student having to adapt to the culture really resonated with me. In my class, all of my students are fresh from another country. They are going through an intense process of adapting to the culture and on top of that, they have to learn my content. This book made me think about ways that I could meet my students where they are at not only academically, but emotionally and relationally in their transition to American culture. I am beginning to brainstorm ways that I can break the barriers of the traditional classroom and make it a space where they create their own learning. Epiphany: My "Aha!" moment is that learning includes so much more than just "getting it." Rather than proving that they have received the information that the teacher spewed out to them, students should be empowered to take responsibility of their own learning. It isn't about receiving information, but transcending it. Chapter 3Quote: "The challenge is to find a way to marry structure and freedom to create something altogether new" (49). This quote really stood out to me. Sometimes the idea of giving up the reigns of the classroom can give teachers anxiety. However, it is not about "throwing in the towel" and letting the students do what they want. It is about unleashing and empowering them to create and discover, but with clear and corrective structure. This quote is a balance that I am so curious to explore that it leads me to this question . . . Question: How do we effectively balance creativity and structure? Connection: The authors make a connection to the Harry Potter series and how it advocated for this new culture of learning. Through the reading of these texts, readers were given the opportunity to explore new possibilities through the creation of this fantasy world. When given a new, creative platform, learning thrived. This reminded me of a class that I took in college. It was a film course that revolved around the magical world of Disney. Although we were discussing complex texts, we were able to engage in higher level thinking because of the creative platform that Disney provided for us. My colleagues and I would have meetings after class, extending our discussion time. In connecting this further to this semester of clinical practice, I have been able to brainstorm with my CT new ways to get the creative juices flowing our classroom. In seeing both of these examples, we are motivated to make our classroom a space where students are experiencing both structure and creativity. Epiphany: This epiphany is small, but mighty! Through this text, I am realizing that this new culture of learning does not require that we play "catch up" but rather that we learn how to adjust and adapt to change. With the countless waves of information accessible to us every minute of the day, it seems that it would be impossible to ever truly "catch up" with the culture. Rather, we need to adapt to the changing culture. It is not about memorization, recall, or "getting it" but rather embracing and transcending this new culture of learning. Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?
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AuthorMiss Craig Archives
May 2016
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