I was thinking of a topic to bring to my blog, and kept coming back to 21st Century Skills. I think that's a big buzzword right now, and teachers are encouraged to focus on those more and more. We now know how important these skills are in the modern world, and still we realize how distant the majority of institutions are from embracing this change in focus. A slow revolution has started to brew, with a rising number of teachers and schools everywhere trying to figure out what is the best way to encourage these skills.

Traditional education was built around the idea of conformity; every child would get the same education, the same opportunities, display their learning the same way, and hopefully get out of the system with the same basic skills. But there are a couple of issues with this thinking.

One, people are not all the same. We learn differently, have different interests, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. Trying to fit everyone through the same mold ends up grinding all that is best and unique about every one of our learners until they start to question their essence, until they permanently conform or give up completely.  Some still think, what is so bad about conforming to a specific mold, anyway?

This brings me to the second issue with traditional education: it is meant to control and oppress, to create perfect workers instead of independent thinkers. I could talk about this for hours -- maybe I'll go on and on in another blog!

By squashing critical thinking, students start to conform to an expectation that should no longer be the focus. The traditional system encourages fear of failure, less risk-taking, and a sense that the only way to succeed is to play by the rules. Successful students finish grade 12 with high marks, but without the ability to bounce back if life takes an unexpected turn. Globalism and technology had a profound impact on our society, and change is necessary in order to develop adaptable lifelong learners.

In short, a focus on content above all creates someone who is great at that content, but no longer an individual.  All the important attributes they had as young children get squished away.

Will it really matter in 15 years if the child was able to memorize word by word a certain portion of a book? No. But it will matter if the child has learned to think for herself; to have confidence in her abilities to solve problems; to be a creative thinker, regardless of the scenario.

But if these skills are so important, how do we change things in our own classrooms? How to get from a heavy content to a point where 21st Century skills start to develop?

Turns out that creativity is something that can be encouraged and developed; children are born creative and willing to take risks. For us as educators to bring back that sense of wonder and creativity in our students, the best way is to encourage their curiosity. When content is given less of a focus, and curiosity is allowed space in the classroom, we end up seeing other skills appear.

But how can we encourage something like curiosity? How can we encourage students to think about different possibilities instead of trying to please us and give us the "right" answer?

I've come up with some ideas that can encourage this to happen, and these are very useful for a face-to-face and blended models; some of the ideas can also be adapted to online learning.

1. Create a double-entry journal between you and the students, where you can start a dialogue with them regarding your subject. No judgment! Welcome and honour all ideas, even the negative ones. This will help you quickly build trust, which is necessary when encouraging curiosity and risk-taking.

2. Bring make-believe into classroom. A good way to bring the drier bits of your content to a better light is to include them in some sort of make-believe. For instance, I had success teaching mitosis and meiosis by moving all chairs out of the way and getting the students to become a part of the cell, with students lassoing other students to divide the DNA equally. Afterwards, still on the circle, they were encouraged to describe what had happened, and participation was very high.

3. No words (or very few words) on slideshows. On slideshows, I have usually pictures and one or two words to provide focus and spark conversation. The students are encouraged to describe what they see, and I often get them out of their chairs and around me. This brings me to...

4. Get them out of their seats, asking questions. The division between you as expert and the student as learner should not exist anymore; you are their coach in this road to learning, and as such, you should encourage the students to huddle together around you. Being closer to other students also takes the spotlight from them and gives them better confidence to venture and shout out ideas. Debates should always be done out of their seats.

5. Mix it up. Whenever possible, bring lessons where they can build, reenact, experience or create in an open-ended way, such as models, crafts, building sets, posters, plays, music, reenactments, etc. This can be done for every single subject out there.

6. Remember there is no right or wrong for creative activities. Every answer shouted is a good answer; if nothing else, it took courage to bring it up, and that should be encouraged. Find what is good about the answer and respond accordingly. "Well, yes, I like your thinking, rats could be marsupials, after all they look just like possums. Anyone else has a different idea?"

7. Finally, every day, try to bring an interesting question about your subject, and don't give any answers until the next day. I like bringing an experiment or a slide and asking students to explain what is going on, taking their best guess. The first couple of times, students were concerned about voicing their opinions, but after that, they realized how there was no judgment, and those last few minutes of class became a bubbly, crazy time where all of them participated with ideas and suppositions, building upon each others' thoughts and conceptions. This was a perfect example of controlled chaos, something we can talk about later in more detail. THIS is  the most important way to foster curiosity -- open-ended questions force students to allow for multiple answers and to be creative. Knowing the answer won't be given today also keeps the conversation bubbling.

If you have more ideas, please comment below. I have used these successfully in my classroom when teaching Science, and I really think these can be used when teaching any subject!

Boy. I do talk a lot!

Lindsey, Helene and I just finished a big project for class. We really got into the research regarding the differences between online learning, face-to-face and blended learning. All the different angles regarding learning were fun to discuss, and I particularly loved Lindsey's idea of looking at learning from a learner's perspective. This made it so much easier, and really shaped our presentation.

Technically, I was particularly interested on learning Powtoon as a tool for presentations. Back when I was doing the Education program, I wanted very much to use it, but soon I realized that It was not as easy to produce something the way I had envisioned... this time, I really stuck my heels down and went for it. Perseverance really pays off when it comes to learning new tools, and I am happy I did that. Now I want to prepare other presentations on different topics. I think my next one will be assessment.

My favourite thing was writing the script and thinking of the timing, and what scenes I would bring to make the story come to life. Coming from a background in illustration and creative editing, I found that I enjoyed writing the flow of the story very much, but interestingly enough, my editing could have been done much better. I've heard the quote "I wrote a long letter because I did not have time to make it short" which originally I thought was attributed to Mark Twain... but it seems he was quoting Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). I could say that the repetition and different ways to say the same thing were intentional and not for lack of more time to edit, but I think my brain was just too fried to make it sound interesting as well as short.  

I had a great time with my grade 9 students as well, who were more than happy to make a little skit for me to include in the presentation. Although they all said they would not like to be doing an online course strictly from home at the moment -- they said they would lack the motivation and discipline to finish the course without meeting the teacher regularly. I thought that was interesting and it also made sense given their young age and the fact that they are used to this structure and thrive in it. The unknown can make us nervous in the beginning. 

You can watch the presentation below, or click here to watch on Youtube. Feel free to comment on it. The voice over text has been pasted directly below.

​Does learning take place differently in online and blended learning environments?

As educators, one of the things that most concerns us is the learning process. We want to do the best for our students and ensure they assimilate the subject. We want to make sure we are using the right learning theories, (at the right time)… and that we keep current with the latest ideas in this digital age. …So, instead of simply looking at differences between online, blended and face to face environments, and trying to figure out which one would be better for teaching one subject or another, let’s first look at learning with a focus on the most important piece of the learning puzzle: (money?) No no... (content?) Nope... The learner.

The first question to ask ourselves, is, who is our learner?

Is he on elementary school, on secondary school, or is he a more mature learner?

Is she a kinesthetic learner? Tactile? Visual? Does she learn better reading by herself, watching a video or listening to an audio tape?

Is this a student who needs someone looking over their shoulders, or is this a self-motivated learner?
It is very likely that you have a combination of these students in your classroom, virtual or otherwise.

The next question to ask ourselves is, what is the student learning?

Is this a chapter that requires memorization? Is the student required to do a lab, or maybe perfect a manual skill? Is this a class where technology is an absolute requirement for project completion, or can the student demonstrate his learning through more traditional means? And perhaps most importantly, is the student gathering 21st Century skills and tools that will stick with him long after school is over?

We should also consider the student’s psyche when determining what delivery method would be most successful.

So, why the student has selected online or blended learning versus brick and mortar?
Many students require a certain flexibility to their learning. Some students suffer from anxiety regarding presentations, group work and even going to school, for a variety of reasons. Some have illnesses that stop them from getting out of their homes. Some students require individual learning plans with specific adaptations for their success. Sometimes, a student and a teacher will not be compatible due to a variety of reasons. In these cases, the flexibility of an online course can be very beneficial.

For other students, a face-to-face component is required. These are students who perhaps thrive in social opportunities, or who require a more immediate academic support and feedback. A student who is not self-motivated may find a purely online module insufficient to encourage learning, and may require a face-to-face approach.

A blended learning course offers the anytime, anywhere approach of an online course, but with the checkpoints and face-to-face meetings with the teacher, and can be very useful for students who need the flexibility of learning at their own time, while still having the human connection of a face-to-face check point.

This brings us to where this particular student will be most successful in their learning. While brick and mortar is limited to a geographic location and a predetermined time, the time for online learning is defined by the learner, on the learner’s terms. Students who are travelling or living abroad may need a way to remain connected to their classroom; Students who are working already, or who practice sports or otherwise need to work on odd hours on their coursework, respond better to the more unstructured option offered by online learning.

Let’s look at some of the differences in regards to delivery methods:

As far as course design, it’s a tie. “Doing it right” means that the material is delivered with the learner and the learning in focus, and that adequate support is provided, as well as accounting for differentiation. A constructivist and connectivist approach is particularly important when working with students online.

Relationship between teacher and students. On a face to face, teachers can be pretty traditional, and still learning can occur. On an online-only environment, for actual learning to occur, the teacher has to become more of a guide and allow students to make decisions. Simply putting a traditional coursework online and expecting learning to occur is not very successful. While on a face-to-face setting, confident students tend to dominate the classroom, students who are shy or anxious have an easier time asking the teacher online.

Hands on learning – Labs online have to be pretty creative, and are mostly demonstrations and virtual labs.

Inquiry process: It can be more challenging to set up a successful inquiry unit online. Delivery should be done in chunks, with clear goals and expectations. The results, however, can be quite amazing, with deep learning that will last for a lifetime.

Behavior issues: While teaching face to face can sometimes feel like swatting a barrel of monkeys, online needs minimal classroom management.

Oral presentations: These are much easier for students who attend online courses. The flexibility in methods of delivery can make students suffering from anxiety or stage fright feel finally at ease.
 
Collaboration: With the increasing improvements of online communication, this has become easier every year. Now, students can collaborate with other students from across the globe to produce creative displays of their learning, and sharing these online to their peers is a great motivator. Nowadays, young people are used to collaborating and sharing online, and it’s easy for us to tap into this naturally. So, the student role in an online setting is very different from the student role in traditional classrooms.

(Student: Traditionally passive learner - > active participant and creator of knowledge)

So, to answer the original question, does learning happen differently in an online and blended environment? The answer is, it depends on a variety of factors; the student, the teacher and the method by which the material is presented. Technology can be a very attractive and powerful tool, but it must be used creatively in order to be successful, under a student-centered umbrella.
​
In an ideal world, great and long-lasting learning can happen in a classroom just as often as through an online course. To quote Stephen Downes, “We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves.” If we create our own education, then we must consider that we are merely guides towards our students’ road to discovery. The key is finding ways to engage each and every different style of learner with the material, no matter if you meet every day, every week or if you never meet at all. Regardless of the location of your classroom, there is simply no denying the amazing opportunities for deep learning, collaboration and growth that technology brings. The interest and comfort with technology has been growing every year, and learning different tools to reach our students can only strengthen their learning process.

I have been extremely busy these past few weeks. This is my first year teaching; since I graduated from the Bachelor of Education in January, and I already have had a variety of experiences. I started off as a TOC in January, and by March, had secured a temporary position with Woodlands Secondary in Nanaimo, and stayed until the end of the year. This full-time position was a very exciting mixture of opposites; on one side, I had two foods classes, where we got to experiment with neat recipes and have a fun, relaxing time -- very much like Arts in a way. The other two blocks were Information Technology blocks, and I was able to expand upon the tutorial series I started back on my Practicum.

This tutorial series was a logical thing for me; I wanted to make sure that students who missed class were able to finish their work without being left behind, and I wanted to allow for students who were ahead to simply go forward and work on a new tutorial. So, I put these tutorials online, and everything was working hunky dory, with me just going from student to student when necessary. They all worked at their own pace; they were happy, and I was happy. It was a very relaxing class to run, and I allowed for so much customization of the results, the students really enjoyed it. I caught one student asking another, the following semester, "What's your favourite teacher?" and the student answered, "Mrs. J!" and he started describing how I had been so cool and had allowed for him to make a composition with dragons and swords on Photoshop, and how I let them have their own pace.

Only when I started course 502 from my masters, I realized that what I had been doing for the past couple of years was basically blended learning. It's interesting how you can do something and not realize that the thing has a name.

I feel that way about many things in regards to Education. There was this paper we were supposed to write during the Education program, and it was an action-based project in which we had to observe students and take conclusions. By the end of it, I thought I had figured out some things all by myself, such as that when content is given less weight, it allows for other, more important qualities and strengths to emerge -- I thought it was interesting how all of the qualities I thought of started with a C --  and how these were the qualities we should be focusing on. As it turns out, these things I thought I had come up with had a name: 21st Century skills. Not being a part of the education community and living a very different life before I started this path, I have no knowledge of the buzzwords and the truths that so many Educators take for granted, and I find that most of my 'knowledge' is still based on what feels right, what looks right and what works.

I would like to read more and have time to learn all the theory. I feel there is so much I don't know by heart yet. Although I am very new, I can at least take comfort that some of the things that I believe in are considered right by people who are way more knowledgeable than me, if that makes sense. Einstein said once that "Imagination is more important than knowledge, for knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand". So maybe the fact that I think of how things should be without knowing what is the proper way, makes me a decent educator. Sometimes, just like the Road Runner, not knowing the way things are done can be a good thing. If you don't know the limits, then the laws of Physics don't apply... and it's harder to fall.