Japanese Teacher Blog

Response to Latenight11’s blog

December 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I read Latenight11’s blog on Learning, Motivation, and Theory.

As I read this blog, I found myself feeling more and more relatable. I agree that when you have a “buddy”, you can be more consistent, and having that other person go through the same/similar journey as you actually helps you stay on task and keep on progressing. 

You also mentioned that when you have purpose, your motivation increase. I agree with you on this as well. I always found going to the gym to exercise very hard because I always had to motivate myself to get there to start working out even though I liked the idea of moving my body. I used to think “maybe I can just do similar things at home” and end up being lazy and not doing it. 

One day I got inspired by one of my friends who competes in lifting. I have known him for a very long time, and seeing him evolve  was very very inspiring, making me think maybe I can do it too. I wanted to be strong like my friend, and that enough was a good motivation for me to start hitting the gym and stay consistent. Even if we don’t go to the same gym, he continue on to motivate me through his progress. If he is working hard to meet his goal, I am going to try hard to meet my goal.

Response to Mara’s post on Experiential Learning

December 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I read Mara’s blog post on Experiential learning. Thank you for the mention as well! Her post included a short video that explains Experiential Learning in only a few minutes, and I really like the way she delivers information. It keeps the reader engaged with different features in her blog post!

I especially resonated on the part “It gives learners opportunities for hands-on learning, which has been linked with increased engagement and memory retention as the learning is linked with memories and feelings (Carlton University, 2020). 

When I look back on my highschool years, to be honest, I don’t remember most of the things I learned when I was sitting in class, but I remember the function of internal organs because we used our body and played it out. Someone acted out as a “food” that goes through the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, and etc. It was way more memorable and enjoyable than just staring at the textbook to learn!

I believe it is beneficial for students if learning happens both indoors and outdoors,  including some sort of hands-on features especially with younger grades, ideas that are relatable, and open, for it to be meaningful and memorable.

Response to Harleen’s post on Inclusion

December 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I read Harleen’s blog post on Interaction. I thought her activity idea with students was great and the TedTalk she shared with us was very powerful. I find myself sometimes getting drowned with technology and screen time through responding to emails and text messages. Especially these days with online courses and working from home, I hear a lot of people, including myself, struggling to separate work/school and their private life. As much as I believe that there are many cool technologies out there and that it is important to incorporate those in classrooms,  it is also very very important to take ourselves outside and do outdoor learning so that we can give ourselves some break and time to rest in our own nature. 

Response to Heidi’s post

December 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I read Heidi’s blog called Learning Design for All .

I found her posts very interesting and eye-opening at the same time.  After looking at Shelly Moore’s evolution of inclusion image that Heidi shared in her blog, I realized I’ve been slightly misunderstanding the idea of “inclusion” this whole time.

I knew in my head that all individuals are unique and they learn differently in their own pace. However after reading her post where she says “there is no such thing as an “average” learner, each person is as complex as the next”, I  realized I have been unconsciously categorizing a lot of them as “typical” or “average” learners and some individuals “unique learners”. 

I found the image of dots very helpful to imagine and understand what inclusion actually means and looks like. Heidi’s blog posts reminded me of the importance of giving options to use the support and modification provided for everyone, instead of limiting those to individuals who “seem” to need it.

Response to Candice’s feedback on Pod#3 Dino Inquiry ILR

November 22, 2020 / / 0 Comments
Hi Candice! 
Thank you for your constructive feedback on our Interactive Learning Resource(ILR) page about Inquiry on Dinosaurs!
I have noticed our ‘Home’ and ‘Overview’ page is exactly the same too. We will have to fix that, thank you for pointing that out. 
 
I also noticed you were wondering how the activity in Module 2 is interactive. 
For Module 2, we will be focusing on dinosaurs’ diets, types of dinosaurs (whether they are herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores), and how they find and get food. We will be using resources such as iPads, books, magazines, and maybe even ask for help from human experts like other teachers, librarian, and grownups in/outside of school to learn about this topic. When students are getting information from grownups in/outside of school, I don’t mean it in a way where students leave school during class hours to get information. It’s more like they will continue to learn when they are at home after school, or visiting/skyping their friends or extended families on the weekend etc with the help of their insights and knowledge. 
 
And then when it’s time for students to show their learning for this lesson, they will be using prompts such as dino figures, small world set-ups, paper, colour pencils – anything students decide to use – to retell their learning to their friends and teacher(s) through story or through presentation. (This part will be the interactive part!)
 
Assessment for this part will be conducted through out their research/learning phase, but also heavily when they are presenting at the end. Teacher can ask questions such as “what kind of dinosaur is this?” (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore), “What do they eat?”, “How do they get food?”, “Do they have sharp or round teeth?”, etc. to see if they have grasped the overall idea for this lesson. 
 
I hope this answers your question, and again, thank you for your feedback! We appreciate it, for these comments and questions lets us know which part we have to make changes to make our ILR be more clear and easier to understand for the viewers! 

Peer Review for Pod #4: Visual Arts

November 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Hello Pod#4!

Well done on your Interactive learning Design on Art of Expression! I love your activity ideas, website layout, the simplicity, and click buttons(hyperlinks)that take me to certain pages without me having to scroll all the way up, look for what I need, then move on to next.

Following are some more of my detailed comments on your ILD! 🙂

Comment on your Activities:

I think your descriptions and rationales were well written and easy to follow. Your activities were very well organized and engaging too! I like how you mentioned how colour wheels can also be used by children with colour blindness. Even if they can’t see colours well, they can still see them in grayscale and recognize how each colour relates to others! I also liked the part where you included teamwork exercise and individual exercise especially because this allows the learning resource to be a hybrid of in-person and online! It allows us to educate ourselves through times like now where we have to limit interactions with others.  Lot’s of variation!

Comment on your Assessment Plan:

I really like how you laid out your assessment plan page. Not only your group included the chart on National Core Arts Standards, but you also added short descriptions on what each section overall means. To be honest, I didn’t quite understand what the chart was trying to say until I read the short description underneath. Those descriptions gave me a really good understanding on what your group is trying to do! 

Comment on your Technology page:

 I think the Technology page is also very well written. I like how your learning resources provide two ways to do your activity – both in person and online. You mentioned in your resources too, but in person/hands-on activities are crucial especially when teaching art. Considering the trendy matter “Covid19”, some may say, “Well, that’s for when things are back to ‘normal'”. However, your group did not fail to provide a solution to this. You suggested ways to conduct activities virtually that are as effective as doing it in person. Nice job!

 Comment on your Inclusion page:

Good idea on having the definition for “Inclusive Design” at the very beginning! I think it helps the readers get their focus back straight especially after going through different pages on the website until they get here. This page introduces ways to include people who are colour blind and deaf, along with the challenges they have. I think the hyperlink to “usabilla” is really helpful because it gave me an idea of what it’s like to not be able to see certain colours. I think having an idea vs having no idea on what it’s like to have those challenges make a huge difference when sharing art or working together to create art.

 

One tiny thing about this section – I am also not a native English speaker, so correct me if I am interpreting this incorrectly, but I was slightly confused by what you meat on this specific sentence “Here is an even worst example that people are blind but still can create art base on multi-sensory development learning.” Did you mean “Here is a better example….?” or did you mean something else?

Also this is a suggestion, but since your group found a really cool site and video on a girl who creates art by feeling things through her body, maybe have the hyperlink to the video on “‘Here‘ is another example…” instead of hyperlinking it on to the title, “Loss Hearing”. I think that will catch more attention, because I almost missed this website page if I didn’t bring my cursor onto the title! 

One last thing, about the overall format about your website – I think if you move the tab (on top of your website) “Descriptions & Rationals” after “overview”, but before “Modules”, I think the viewer will be able to follow your website even better, because Description & Rationals contains information that give better understanding on why your modules/lessons are planned the way they are planned! 🙂

 

Nice work Pod #4!

 

Blog Post #4 ~My experience with interactivity in learning environment~

November 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

What experiences have you had with interactivity in learning environment? How did the interaction (or lack of interaction) affect your learning? Your enjoyment?

Hi everyone!

This is a very interesting topic! I think there are many different ways to “interact” while learning. It could be a physical thing like human interactions or interaction with objects. It could also be an emotional interaction where you feel something and it just stays with you because it was such a memorable experience. It could be a combination of both or with some other factors.

I genuinely enjoy interactions with other people, objects, and resources while learning new things, but I also value my own time (alone time) where I can let those new ideas to sink in, giving me an opportunity to reflect, and finalize my learning. The solo reflection part has been crucial for me, and I think this reflection part is what leads to next whether that be going further into that topic, or connect to something very different.

As an ESL student, interactivity is and has been a very important aspect in learning. Discussion with my peers and doing activities together simply helped me scaffold my understanding on what we were learning. When learning only happens in a one way direction (student just taking in information ) and interactivity is eliminated, it is very easy for me to get lost and get stuck in that mud of confusion.

For me personally, revisiting the topic that I was learning in different ways were one of the most effective ways to own that learning. I have a short story that I’d like to share that may or may not sound kind of nerdy, but here it is.

I was a high school student in Japan, and one day I was on a bus, standing, to go to school. The bus had to make a sudden stop mid way, and everyone on the bus, especially those who were standing lost balance and fell forward. Few days after that incident, I was in my physics class and we were learning about Newton’s law of motion. Newton’s first law of motion: “Every body remains in a state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by a net external force”.

As soon as I heard this and visualized it in my head, I remembered about the incident on the bus from few days ago. I connected so well to this portion of the lecture especially because I experienced it with my own body and it just made sense. This may sound very dramatic but I even felt like I owned Newton’s laws of motion because I never experienced that sense of “understanding” something this clearly, especially with physics. This is just one example of my experience with interactivity.

This may not be for everyone but I think learning experience that connects mind and body, stays longer in general. This experience is from when I was in high school but I still remember it clearly! Ever since this day, I process new materials that I learn by making personal connections or by creating a whole new experience around it to make it memorable.

 

Reference:

GonzĂĄlez, D., & Daennagonzalez. (n.d.). Newton’s Laws of Motion. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://issuu.com/daennagonzalez/docs/newton___s_laws_of_motion

 

Blog Post #3 ~Ensuring all learners’ needs are met ~

November 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Sunset from Mt.Tolmie – Anna Kato

Hi everyone!

It is crazy that we are already half way through the semester, and that we are also almost hitting the end of the year! Honestly, what a year.

Anyways, lets’s look at the topic for Blog Post #3. 

“How will your interactive learning resource specifically ensure that the needs of all learners can be met?”

First of all, let me briefly explain what our group is working on.

We are using Inquiry based approach for our interactive learning resource. Our topic is D i n o s a u r s🩖, and we are targeting grade 1 students.

Subtopics we are covering are as follows:

  • History and Origin of dinosaurs
  • Types of dinosaurs
  • Extinction
  • Dinosaurs and Environment

Inquiry based learning is co-planned by teacher and students. Teacher and students communicate throughout the unit so that they can modify lessons (if necessary) depending on what and how students want to learn about the suggested topics.

Inquiry based approach gives many options for students to explore, deepen their understandings, present, and share and show their learning. Using this approach, learning becomes more visible.

Students will be an expert in their area of focus and will be able to gain ownership of their learning. For those who are not familiar with Inquiry based approach, please check my previous blog  or Candice’s post for these might give you a better understanding on what my group is trying to do!

Everyone learn differently and present their learning different. Some like to take time, some are visual learners, some are very good with technology, some are very good at writing, etc… So, in our interactive learning resource, options are given to students on how they’d like to learn on the topic that we are focusing, and how they’d like to present and share their learning.

Here are some examples on how that may look like depending on the types of learners:

  • For ‘bookworms’📚 –  They are free to use books, brochures, magazines, encyclopedia, or any other resources that are available at the school/classroom/public library, etc.
  • For the (visual and) techy typeđŸ–„ – they are more than welcome to use the school’s technology such as chrome book, PC, and iPad to search up videos, photos, facts, etc. to conduct research.

  • The social type🗣 – These students may go do an “interview” on the school librarian, other teachers, their family members, or really, anyone who is an expert on that field or anyone who can help them further their learning.

Now let’s talk a bit about possible presentation method.

If your students are…

  • Artsy and crafty type 🎹 –  creating a mini museum booth in one section of the classroom so that other students can come take a look at their work and learn from it through them. Creating a story book is also another option.

  • Hands-on/drama type🎭 – Students can (maybe be a dinosaur) act out a play for the class audience. They may use trees (that they found outside), blocks, felts, or even create their own ideal props to share their learning.
    *Teachers, don’t forget to film this for documentation!
  • Video editing, ‘YouTuber-like’ type đŸ“č  – these students are welcome to create a short video (possibly with a grownup’s help with this age group, or with peer’s help) that talks about what they learned or filming their story telling possibly using props such as felts, Dino figures, Dino eggs, etc.

    Example of story telling props – image retrieved from Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt @inquiryteacher on Instagram

Lots of time will be given in class, and possible equipment rentals will be considered for keen learners who doesn’t have resources at home, but would love to work on it more at home.

Reference:

Bathurst-Hunt, Rebecca [@inquiryteacher]. (2020, February 15). Dino vibes coming in! [Instagram photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B8m8lkxBgdt/?igshid=xyjorhhk9eqn

 

Response to Harleen’s Post on Inclusive Learning

October 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Great post on Inclusive Learning, Harleen!

I believe that getting to know your students (what they are good at, their challenges, etc.) is very important, whether it be through intelligence test or even through something else! When I was doing my practicum in an elementary school, I hung out with my students during recess and lunch break so that I get to know them (and some other students from different class) better. When I knew my students better, my lesson planning improved because I can consider their needs, and plan accordingly. For example, when I had a student who struggled in writing and drawing, but had fantastic ideas and computer skills, I let him create his learning “booklet” on google slides whilst other students hand-made their learning booklet. This student used to not participate in any activities that required writing or drawing, but as soon as I gave him this option, he was like a different person.

Harleen also said something that really struck me at the end.

“I would not be teaching students as a whole and gluing them together as one person. But that they are all individual people, who have individual and unique methods to learn.”

I strongly agree to what she said. You as a teacher will want to be open to new ideas, have flexible mind, and be willing to adapt and change if necessary. It is important to provide students with options on how they want to learn and how they want to show their learning if you want to draw out their full learning experience.

 

Blog Post #2 – Inquiry based learning and Elementary Education

October 4, 2020 / / 7 Comments

Hi everyone!

I decided to look deeper into Inquiry based approach for our second blog post!

Mara and I formed a learning pod with Elementary Education in mind, and I’d like to talk a bit about what is Inquiry based learning, how to use this approach, what is so special about it, and some of my personal thoughts on it today.

First of all, let’s go over the definition.

Inquiry – “The dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world” – Alberta Focus on Inquiry, 2004

Inquiry-based learning – “A process where students are involved in their learning, create essential questions,investigate widely, and then build new understandings, meanings, and knowledge. Knowledge is new to the students and maybe used to answer their essential question, to develop a solution, or to support a position or point of view. The knowledge is usually presented to others in some sort of a public manner and may result in some sort of action.” – Alberta Focus on Inquiry, 2004

Inquiry based approach allows students to take a lead/control on their learning, follow their curiosity,  while scaffolded the general process by the instructor (aka classroom teacher).
What does this exactly mean… Let’s look deeper into this.

So how do we start this? 
First, let’s take a look at this image that shows the overall process of this learning approach.

https://www.learningpersonalized.com/interview-with-trevor-mackenzie/

  1. Determine your focus.
    Are we exploring your passion? Delving into curiosity? Aiming for a goal? Or taking on a new challenge? (This is also known as the four pillars of inquiry).
    Example topic: Spider
  2. Come up with an essential question.
    This could come from you or from your learners. Provide provocations such as prompts, videos, books, activities, etc. to motivate students to explore and further their curiosity and passion.

    https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2018/2/13/the-power-of-the-provocation
    Example: How do spiders survive?

  3. Brainstorm questions.

    https://twitter.com/trev_mackenzie/status/974621277313941504/photo/2
    Example: What do spiders eat? Where do they live? How do they protect themselves?

  4. Brainstorm subtopics.
    In this case, give students few kinds of spiders that they could possibly look further into.

  5. Select a subtopic.
    Example: 5 students pick jumping spiders, 4 students pick tarantulas…etc.

  6. Access prior knowledge.
    In small group, brainstorm what they already know about these spiders and record them and share.

  7. Identify wondering.
    What do you wonder..? What do you want to know more about?

  8. Research.
    Provide your learners with a booklet or some kind of medium where they can record their learning. Digital portfolio is also great if you have access to electronics, because photographs and videos can be a powerful tool to capture students’ learning journey!

  9. Make cross curricular connections.
    Example: Apply it to PE, come up with some games using their unique movement

  10. Perform, Reflect, and Revise.
    This is the final stage of the inquiry journey. “Provide opportunities for your students to receive formative feedback throughout this process and equip them with the language and understanding to self-assess their work. Build in time to reflect and revise both before their demonstrations of understanding and after feedback is given” (Inquiry mindset, p.30)  Showcasing students’ learning such as public display is a great way to show their achievements.
    Example: Student groups create an art mural to depict what spiders need/do to survive

 

Now let’s talk about the types of Student inquiry.

There are 4 main ways for the teacher and students’ to start this inquiry process: Structured inquiry, Controlled Inquiry, Guided inquiry, and Free inquiry.
Scaffolding is critical during this process and this is where this type of learning approach can get a bit chaotic and “messy” if not done right. We do not want to throw students in the deep end of the pool without teaching them how to swim first. Here is a good image that explains a bit better of what this means.
https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2018/1/16/what-youll-discover-when-you-read-dive-into-inquiry

So, why Inquiry based approach?
Here are the top 10 reasons why this learning approach is effective.

  1. Nurture student passions & talents
  2. Empower students voice and honour student choice
  3. Increase motivation and engagement
  4. Foster curiosity and love for learning
  5. Teach grit, perseverance, growth mindset and self regulation
  6. Make research meaningful and develop strong research skills (Great skills to practice from young age! Preparing them for future!)
  7. Deepen understanding to go beyond memorizing facts and content (go past and beyond the traditional way  of learning)
  8. Fortify the importance of asking good questions (something that leads to next)
  9. Enable students to take ownership of their learning and to reach their goals
  10. Solve the problems of tomorrow in the classroom of today! (Foster global leader – someone we need in the twnety-first century! “memorization of facts and performance of routine tasks we see in traditional classroom are becoming less important. Curiosity, creativity, initiative, multidisciplinary thinking, and empathy prepare learners for a constantly changing world” (MacKenzie & Bathurst-Hunt, 2018, p.43)
    Our goal is for “students to see learning your room as ideas, problems, and challenges demanding their voices and their expertise”  (MacKenzie & Bathurst-Hunt, 2018, p.10)

 

Personal comment, and how Inquiry based approach is connected to Mara and myself’s learning resources?

Mara and I are considering taking in this approach into our learning resources. We are still in the process of brainstorming and building up, but I think this learning approach is a great way to better meet the needs of our learners, teaching them not only the overall essential learning skills but also allowing multiple ways for them to show their learning in many ways. Especially in elementary age group, I think this learning style accommodates many types of learners, especially those who find traditional way of learning boring, quizzes and tests very intimating, and those who are shy and introverted, not letting them ever that that “they are not smart enough”.  Teachers often times see the side of the students that they didn’t know existed. It really drew me into the idea because when our learners are exploring a topic they are truly interested in and passionate about, engagement increases, work ethic improves, skills that are useful and necessary in life get acquired, and the overall energy towards learning and collaboration amongst learners are fostered. I believe this style of approach allow teachers to assess student understanding better as well because their learning evidence are more clear and accurate.

 

Reference:

Focus on Inquiry: A teacher’s guide to implementing inquiry-based learning. Edmonton: Alberta  Learning, 2004. open.alberta.ca/dataset/032c67af-325c-4039-a0f3-100f44306910/resource/b7585634-fave-4488-a836-af22f1cbab2a/download/29065832004focusoninquiry.pdf.

MacKenzie, T. (2018, January 17). What You’ll Discover When You Read Dive into Inquiry. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2018/1/16/what-youll-discover-when-you-read-dive-into-inquiry

MacKenzie, T. (2018, February 14). The Power of the Provocation. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2018/2/13/the-power-of-the-provocation

Mackenzie, T [@trev_mackenzie].  (2018, March 16.) Day11: Ways to Honour Questions in the Classroom! How amazing is this?! Pre-order #InquiryMindset today & get access to our exclusve content! [Tweet]. Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/trev_mackenzie/status/974621277313941504/photo/2

Trevor MacKenzie Interview: Questions and Inquiry. (2018, August 1). Learning Personalized. https://www.learningpersonalized.com/interview-with-trevor-mackenzie/

MacKenzie, T., & Batburst-Hunt, R. (2018). Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners. Place of publication not identified: Elevate Books Edu.

 

 

 

« Older posts

Attributions

Image Attributions

© 2024 Japanese Teacher Blog

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑