Module 4: Foundations and Principles in the Context of Practice

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My Electronic Journal

The professional community I have decided to engage with is @hackmylearning.  Earlier this year a colleague exposed me to the books in the Hack Learning series.  The series includes books on a variety of different topics from from project based learning to assessment and much more.  One of the advantages to the ideas in these books is that they present practical progressive ideas that teachers can implement within just about any setting.  


This particular community is attractive and applicable to my professional practice because presents "hack" ideas that can be implemented in the classroom.  The word "hack" in this series suggests that there are solutions to problems that others may not necessarily see. My personal definition of a hack is something that can improve the quality or efficiency of an activity without necessarily working harder.  

This absolutely applies to my professional practice because often making changes in planning, instruction, and assessment in the classroom can often seem overwhelming.  Based on new understandings of curricular designs I think it is important to understand what my goals are as a teacher and how those goal mesh with the universal outcomes within a curriculum.  With a hacking mentality, I think I can accomplish both personal growth in my teaching practice as well as understanding how the application of different teaching philosophies has an impact on students.  

Methods of Interaction/Communication:

Twitter


@hackmylearning


https://twitter.com/hackmylearning

@markbarnes19

https://twitter.com/markbarnes19


Twitter Chats


Podcast
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1108798694


What type of curricular design commonly guides planning, instruction and evaluation?


This professional community largely reflects a learner centred philosophy in education.  

Below will be some examples of how some of their hacks connect to planning, instruction, and assessment of student learning.   

Example 1: Accurate Assessment of Learning

From the podcast:

In this episode of the hack learning podcast, Mark Barnes discusses a situation where a student was punished for not printing an assignment.  While this situation on the surface does not necessary reflect principles of curriculum design, it does represent how educators interact with their students in schools and how those interactions can be learner-centred.

Barnes goes on to discuss a section from the book Hacking School Culture that presents a curricular design that cultivates compassion.  This is where teachers observe learners and discuss with them about what they are learning and the challenges during the process.  This represents a humanistic design of curriculum that is tailored to each individual student. This could be about traditional curricular outcomes, but it also could be about other interactions that could foster larger discussions about situations in the real world.

The alternative approach to punishing a student for not printing an assignment could be to have a conversation about why it was not possible or to discuss potential alternatives in this technological world.  In a learner-centred style of responding to a problem teachers are able to have compassion to meet students where their needs are as well as find ways to provide support when necessary.


Example 2: High Impact Takeaways



COOPER, R. M. (2017). HACKING PROJECT BASED LEARNING: 10 easy steps to pbl and inquiry in the classroom. S.l.: TIMES 10 PUBLICATIONS.

Hack 3 in the book Hacking Project Based Learning presents ideas about constructing high impact takeaways.  High impact takeaways is the content that not only is essential for students to learn but provides opportunities to move beyond the initial learning experience.  

Project based learning relates to learner-centred curriculum because teachers are facilitating instruction as well as encouraging internal motivation that can move beyond the classroom.  Finding the high impact takeaways within a curriculum promotes more opportunities for students to engage and explore their understandings.

All parts of curriculum must be planned for, taught, and assessed to some degree, however, prioritizing these high impact takeaways from the curriculum can work to promote inquiry in the classroom, collaboration skills, and the creativity that all students possess.

More examples to come...

Engagement with Community

@hacklearning hosts twitter chats about a variety of topics on Sunday mornings.  The format is simple and straightforward but gives people the opportunity to share their perspectives.  This particular chat was about preparing for the upcoming school year, and through the process of this course it has been something I have been thinking about as well.


The response I shared included some of the questions we created in our Curricular Design Planning chart (see previous posts).  I thought it would be valuable to share some of the questions I would be considering to support a learner-centred philosophy. Every action I take in the classroom has the potential to stem from these questions.  Although the answers to these questions are fluid and adaptable, having answers about planning, instruction, and assessment of student learning sets the initial direction for learning.

I consider using those questions to create a path for learning a hack because it means I can be better prepared to respond to students needs.  All I need to do is reflect on some common quotes about planning to know that this will save time and energy in the long run.

  • Failing to plan is planning to fail
  • Every minute spent planning saves __ minutes in the long run ( __ insert what you think would be appropriate)







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