One Step at a Time

It has been merely two weeks since I began teaching at group of students from Champlain College - St. Lambert. These are not your ordinary run of mill 18 year old students but rather, an eclectic group of adults ranging in ages from their mid twenties through to fifty-four years old. These are students who have lived life, experienced the twists and turns afforded by living that much longer than eighteen year olds, and are serious about learning.

I want to take the opportunity to not only help this group of students succeed in the program and launch their careers or further their studies, but I am convinced they can become 21st century learners. This is a real challenge. Most of my students are not computer savvy, some are comfortable using the computer, some reluctant, others skeptical, a few excited, and then there are the curious. You may be wondering, just what is it I am aiming to achieve. Here it is.
As educators we are focusing almost entirely on upgrading the skills of elementary and secondary level students. There are a plethora of books and articles all supporting and substantiating the need and providing resources in infinite abundance.
What about college level students who are almost entering the job market, who contribute to the economy, our society soon after graduation?
So, I have asked my students to join me in this journey to share in my curiousity to learn. As I have told my students, I am not an expert in digital literacy. I learn along the way, what feeds and fuels me is my drive to learn, to enhance the learning of my students. I also question how we are teaching and assessing students at the college level.
Education needs to change not just for elementary and secondary students, but at college and university level as well.
Join me in this journey of sharing 21st Century Learning.

Taking a Critical Look at College Teaching and Learning

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com


For the past few years, the emphasis, time and energy has been focused almost entirely on upgrading the teaching that goes on in elementary, middle and secondary schools. What about how we teach our college and university students? Does it matter that we are sending out students into the work force with inadequate skills; particularly in those areas we need it most. The majority of college students definitely use computers with great facility, they are digital natives - but take a closer look and what we begin to note the limited the range of how they use computers. They use texting instead of email, often in lieu of personal communication, youtube and music videos reign supreme. The bigger, more fundamental question is what are college and university teachers doing to inspire, support and make use of digital tools in their classrooms. Recently, I was teaching at a local college and what became evident is this: college teachers are not using digital tools in their teaching. They still give students the same kind of work to complete, essays and research papers with little consideration for differentiated instruction and digital literacy. It is time that we begin focusing on what and how we are teaching students not only at the elementary and secondary levels, but college and university as well. In my classes, I have students watch some of the most inspiring speakers and presenters from Tedtalks. I want to facilitate excellence, creativity, problem solving and helping students find their own passion and mission in life.
This is one video my students watch, blog on in our class forum and a question I ask throughout my teaching - am I opening more doors than closing?

The Power of Global Connectivity

Talking With Each Other, Talking with Students, the voices of many has pushed us towards a collective responsibility and that is a good thing. We are finally listening to each other on a grand scale and it is making an impact. Margaret Wheatley, wrote in her book, Turning to One Another (2002) "...all change, even very large and powerful change, begins when a few people start talking with one another about something they care about, ...(they) we rediscover a sense of unity. We remember we are part of a greater whole. And as an added joy, we also discover our collective wisdom. We suddenly see how wise we can be together.”
That sense of together has taken on a whole new meaning now, where together can mean millions of readers. The power of influence has stopped educators in their tracks, forcing us all to reconsider, reevaluate what the purpose of education is in the 21st century, what remains meaningful to continue learning and what does this generation need, now, based on today's world, not what was. Change is something we are having to reconcile with much greater honesty than ever before. There is no option but to meet change in education head on and look for meaningful alternatives, perhaps never created before.

Salon Evening in Korling's Kitchen - What is Education?

The perfect set up for a Salon evening begins with an ideal location.  Imagine a group of nine people sitting cozily in a small living room, in this case, in Stockholm, surrounded by stacks of books, the smell of soup simmering on the kitchen stove and an open view of the waterfront. We were fortunate to be invited by Anne Marie Korling as guests to share an evening of conversation focused on education, home made soup and good company.
Spending a few hours discussing everything from what makes a good school, great, what should schools teach, how should we teach and how the design and structure of school buildings limit the imagination of what is possible. Imagine we said, if schools did not have buildings, if learning was not restricted in time and place.

A great school is a place of authentic learning, where students and teachers alike, are in a process of constant growth, change and risk taking. For what is learning if it does not involve more failure and few successes. We need to help our students tolerate being uncomfortable, for it is often in that state of discomfort where true learning happens. Who ever said learning should be easy?

Our discussion centered on what is worth teaching and how curriculum both liberates and constricts what children are asked to learn. The buildings we use as schools were built to meet the needs of a different time period, in the post industrial age, where teachers reigned supreme as the holders and receptors of knowledge. How different a time we live and learn in now,  except schools have not moved with the changed times. Learning today through technology is not restricted to what certain people know, information is readily available to anyone who asks the question. Perhaps we need to teach our students to ask more questions.

The power of Anne Marie’s insights on learning came during an unexpected moment when discussing  ‘just what was the apple of Eden?  What did it taste and look like? Her words made the apple appear before each of us, feeling its texture, crispness and colors. Imagine biting into the apple for the first time. Anne-Marie had the capacity to make  the ordinary, remarkable.
As educators we too need students to look more closely, to use their macro lens to see, to pause, reflect and discover the remarkable in life.
also contributed by Marta Guevara, Think Global School teacher

What Really Matters

What really matters is taking time to get to know our students before we try and teach them, before ever handing out textbooks or assignments. It makes a difference and is anything but a waste of time. Too often, teachers are preoccupied with time and being what is considered ‘productive’. When did teachers become so focused on packing in every teaching moment with content? Why do teachers separate the content they teach from the relationships they develop? Why do primary school teachers know the importance of getting acquainted first with their students and then begin the process of teaching and learning?

These questions come to mind because Think Global School, the first international, mobile, travelling school is doing just the opposite and I can see and feel the difference.

Taking the time to get to know who each of our students are, what is important to them, excites them, and what their hopes are, sets the stage for learning. Developing this initial rapport is critical for relationship building and can happen in several ways, one is by playing. High Schools have lost the art of play as a way of learning. TGS is bringing it back. Playing a pick up game of street hockey, cards, sharing and downloading music provided teachers and students a forum to be themselves, for teachers to observe and students to relax into learning.

While teachers and students were playing, I was fortunate to spend time with each student, affording the possibility for students to share significant stories and moments with me and most importantly, to be engaged with them. Each student had brought along photos about themselves, their communities, and their favorite activities, sharing this in their own unique styles. Some presented a video while others had photos or a power point. Each took pride in sharing who they are. While one student lived in a busy city and had travelled the world, another came from a small rural village in Africa where open spaces and simple pleasures were her norm. What really mattered was how much I learnt about their individual uniqueness. This is the heart of what teaching is all about. How can we guide students to become their best possible selves without knowing who they are?

Two ingredients kindergarten teachers know best we can learn from: Observation and connection. These are powerful ingredients for teaching effectively. We cannot teach students we do not know. TGS launched school with playing and connection: powerful ingredients for learning.What are you doing in your school?