Nature of modern learning

What is the nature of the modern world? I don't think a blog post could do the answer to that question justice, but here is a glimpse into current research that illustrates new learning principles connected with the modern world and the demands that students are facing as they leave their high school or university.

The principles of Connectivism written by Goerge Seimens is called a learning theory for the Digital Age. It seeks to explain complex learning in a rapidly changing social and modern world. Essentially, learning is a process associated more often occurring through connections in a network.

The principles of Connectivism are as follows:


1) Learning and knowledge rest in the diversity of opinions.
2) Learning is a process of connecting sources of information.
3) Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
4) Capacity to know more is more important and critical then what is currently known.
5) Nurturing and maintaining connection is needed to facilitate connected learning.
6) Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts, is a core skill.
7) Currency (accurate and up to date knowledge) is the intent of all Connectivist learning activities.
8) Decision making is itself a learning process.

The principle that caught my attention was the fourth. We can definitely see the shift from the world we knew a few decades ago to the present. Memorization was the key to success. Now, there is too much information to memorize, all you need to know now is how to locate it.

References:

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Lulu. com. Chicago

Walling, D. R. (2014). Designing learning for tablet classrooms: Innovations in instruction. New York, NY: Springer.

The answer is always, "our students".

Anyone that has ever been in my classroom knows that I love to teach. This statement is not just a euphemism or expression. My passion is profoundly set within my soul and I believe that I was placed on this earth, to live my life as a teacher. I do so with great zeal and profound pride in our profession. I scarcely gain as great a pleasure from anything else professionally, than being connected to, and a support to teachers and students.

Completing my 15th year in education and my 3rd as a district instructional coach has opened my eyes to a lot. I realize now that during my time in the classroom my principal shielded me from many things that could have distracted me from what was important, namely, focusing on my students. Now that my circle of involvement has been expanded to a district level, I now see some of the issues that cause disruptions and changes within the system leading to frustration and anxiety which detract from a teachers focus. I now recognize people and mindsets that prevent progress for one reason or another. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons, and in other instances there is no reason, only a lack of commitment to students. This lack of commitment to students is a great cause of concern to me primarily because of the negative impact on students as well as teachers.

I have witnessed teachers get shut down, and shut out. I have observed the life and passion of once strong teachers slowly bleed out of them. When a teacher begins to question why they persist and lose sight of the answer staring right in front of them, I am frightened. The answer should always be, students. However, there seems to be a clandestine force which seeks to subvert the good work that teachers do which has an immeasurable, incalculable, and invaluable impact on the future of our entire community.

My son, who is only seven, wants to be a teacher. Who knows if that will change, I am greatly saddened by momentary thoughts which hope it does change. I hope that when the time comes I will be able to guide him and even protect him, but we all know that no matter how much advise you give someone, they have to walk their own path. He will face adversity and painful trials. All I can do as his father is to prepare him with tools to overcome the challenges he will surely face. Will education be any better than it is now? Will school climate and practices be more effective when he is ready to accept his own classroom? I will continue to work and make it so.

I want to continue to be a source of hope and encouragement to others. I have been asked, "how can you be an optimist and an educator?" to which I proudly reply, how can I not be both? To be a teacher, is to see the very best in people even though they do not realize it is even there. Then, you create moments where they have opportunities to discover what you saw, and eventually see it as well. To be a teacher means that you hope, and to hope means that you have faith. I have faith that we are beings created by, for, and to love. Love is the greatest source of hope.

Let us never forget that all the love we will ever need to sustain our hope is sitting in our classrooms right now. 

Growth Mindset or Die

I have never been in a position where having a growth mindset was as critical to survival as the one I am currently in. Yes, to a great extent, having a growth mindset as a classroom teachers is important, but sadly, you can survive without one. As a supporter of innovation in the classroom, learning new things and staying on top of trends and innovations is essential to provide the necessary support to teachers and students. Part of my job is to learn. I am very greatly for that opportunity, and I take full advantage of it.

There is one tool that I have been putting off learning more about. Autocrat works with Google Forms to email a PDF document to a recipient with all the input formatted as you like via automatically generated email. I can wait no longer, since a principal has requested my assistance to create an autocrat job.

Thank God for 8th hour learning!

I will let you know how it goes.

The 1000 mile journey begins with 1 step

The Doctor of Education Gown

I am trying to reassure myself that there is no reason to be apprehensive or anxious about the next step that I will be taking in about three weeks. In my program coursework is quarterly, which means that I have one more week until this current quarter is at an end. I have worked diligently in so many things, and now to arrive at the moment when its time to make an original contribution to the world of academia is daunting to me.

I would have this advise for anyone considering taking a similar step:

1) Have a really good reason and a plan to begin and finish a doctoral program. Knowing the program is half the key to success, learning about your topic is the other.
2) Make sure you have the support of your spouse, and supervisor. You will need their support more than you can imagine.
3) Have an idea of what you want to study and start doing research on that topic early.
4) Time is always against you. If you are not good at managing your time, think hard about making a commitment that is fraught with deadlines.
5) Earning your doctorate is a lonely business. Less than 2% of the population in the United States have earned a doctorate, and less than 0.8% of the world's population have earned a doctorate. If you know someone who has gone through the process keep in touch with them! Also, try to meet and connect with those who you meet in your program.
6) If you have thoughts about quitting or if you will not be able to finish, you are in good company. I refer you to #1, and hopefully it will remind you of why you started and renew your resolve.
7) Believe in yourself and remember that the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.