Final Blog Synthesis....

Well I never thought of myself as being very “creative” or somebody who thinks in that creative frame of find.  I remember my solo European backpacking trip two Summers ago and being in cities like Madrid (Spain) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands).  As I flicked through my “Lonely Planet” book pages of each city I was visiting, the text would recommend visiting various museums made famous because of its architecture, design, paintings etc.  Oh, I made sure I visited these places but to be honest, I did so not really fully appreciating what was in front of me.  Why? Well like I said earlier, because I didn’t think I had that creative frame of mind.  What I didn’t realize was that I had never really LEARNED about HOW to appreciate such things…..before taking this class of course!

 

So as I look back at all of our project creations, discussions and readings over this last semester, I do so with much appreciation for how much my mind has been opened to such “beauty” and appreciation of what is around us.  The imaginative bridges we have had to create and blog about have opened my mind up to seeing how so much around us can be connected with my personal teaching profession and work.

 

Firstly, our photography module challenged me individually to choose one of my own photos to consider as “compelling”.  Never did I ever think that what I was shooting in my camera would mean so much more that just the images we saw on the screen!  I think we can view our students in the same light.  A snapshot of who they are can not be judged on the one day that they enter our class and the one thing about them we know.  More so we need to make a connection and look into the other parts of that human being to inspire the potential they have to give to this world.

 

I never knew how manipulative film and television really was until our study of this field in module 2.  Are we also manipulative as teachers? My answer is…I think so! But the key is to be manipulative in a positive way so that we can help mold our students into productive members of society who will eventually make their own decisions about life and learning with an educated frame of mind.

 

My most enjoyable units of study came in the architecture and design, and music modules.  I learned so very much about these two elements of the world we live in - not only as an average individual, but also as a teacher in regards to using such features to stimulate increased learning in my classroom.  I surprised myself at how much I personally delved into the meaning of the song “Not Ready to Make Nice” by The Dixie Chicks in our music module, and feel like I will be looking for the “hooks” in many songs that I listen to in the future J.  Additionally, if I am blessed to have the opportunity to build or buy a home or apartment in the future, my readings by Susan Susanka in this subject will definitely influence my thoughts in making the space fit ME!

 

Finally, I never thought a fashion show on tv would ever have a connection with my teaching profession.  But sure enough, Professor Wong has uncovered such a show to do so.  Wow! Not only was this unit of study and project fun to watch but also a lot of fun to create.  It makes me wonder how and what other reality tv shows have to offer for ourselves and our students in regards to teaching and learning?!

 

I am so very grateful for all the thoughtful insights and comments that many of my peers have given to me this semester through our course discussions on facebook, you tube, and blogs.  They have all shown how talented and creative they are in their own respective project pieces of work.  But for once in my life, I don’t have to feel like the sports “jock” I always thought I was….and instead be the jock that also can understand how the nature and design of compelling experiences makes for not only being a better teacher, but also a better learner! 

Crossing the Bridge....

Well I know we were required to make connections and "bridges" with our course learnings to our special professions in this blog.  As I reflect over the the semester and everything we covered, I can honestly write about how this has definitely been my favorite online graduate school course I have taken. I feel this way because it opened up my mind to learning so many different aspects of "life" and how it can relate to my teaching.  Thus, how I can become a better teacher and person.  WOW! I have also surprised myself in my abilities to use technology and produce video projects.  I know that there's no stopping me now in that regard and hopefully everything else I have learned too.....! :)

Impressed!

Wow - after viewing some of my classmates module 5 projects on you tube, I can definitely express how impressed I am with the various pieces of creative work everybody has done.  The best thing is that I have also been able to learn from the projects so I can possibly utilize some of the improved methods of teaching in my very own classroom.  How technology has enhanced our creation of such projects just profounds me and I hope that I can also share and encourage this utilization with my students as well!

If the Shoe Fits....

I had a brand new ESL student come into my class today and he is undoubtably a much lower level in English proficiency than his classmates. I talked with the assistant principal about what to do with him from now until the end of the school year and she has told me that I will almost have to create a new curriculum for him as a beginning ESL student. We then got talking about other students in my class who are of lower levels than the rest so began a conversation about needing to adjust homework expectations for various students.  Hence, the shoe definitely does not fit everybody but I guess that would make teaching quite boring wouldn't it??!!!.....

A Different Mirror....

Today was my first day as the new "long term substitute" in the Middle School English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. I will be teaching until the end of the school year now and fortunately I do know all of the students from previously teaching at the school.  

Of course, this is a different subject area now (I used to teach health and P.E.) but I think one of my biggest goals was making sure that the students are aware that I am going to be doing some things differently and some things the same as their former teacher (who left on good terms for another teaching opportunity at a university level in Japan).  I think acknowledging this from the beginning is very important so students realize that change is definitely going to be "different".  I can only try my best to make it a change for the BETTER!....

Lesson Planning...

After reading and commenting on a fellow classmates' blog about PACE in teaching, I am in reflection about lesson planning.  This spring break I have been in the classroom a couple of times preparing some lesson plans for the upcoming 4th quarter.  In planning, we teachers certainly "guestimate" how much time an activity is going to take - but we don't really know do we?!  Of course, I always plan more than less but how can we put a time limit on a particular unit of study.  I don't know about anybody else, but I always seem to feel rushed at the end of the school year trying to finish up a text book or unit.  Am I really doing justice to the subject area if I am doing that? What do I compromise in my classroom and take out of study if need be? 

The Truth Hurts.....

I really liked what Dr. Wong said in our Module 5 introduction online about teachers being like fashion designers in the classroom with goals to have students "try things on" - what an interesting and cool connection! As I watched an episode of "What Not to Wear" on TV, I guess Stacy and Clinton are educators as well in their profession.  They are definitely honest to their "subjects" but as they say - THE TRUTH HURTS.  I think one challenge we have in the classroom is giving constructive criticism to students without making them feel discouraged.  Age is definitely a factor, as younger students have a harder time taking in criticism.  However at the same time, older students may just hide their true feelings better....

Different Perspectives....

I have started to work on my work of art series and thinking about how I would like to create the storyboard for my project.  In doing so, I know I will be doing some interviews to gain different perspectives about my theme from different people.  As we all know in the classroom, a teacher's particular teaching style works for some students more than others.  In my work of art project, I am focusing on a particular yoga class that I find "compelling" by the way the instructor leads the practice.  Obviously, attending this class is by choice.  However, sitting in a class with a teacher that you feel does not stimulate you is not by choice at school.  So how then can we as teachers acknowledge this with our students?  

Reconnecting...

There have been a number of songs in this module (4) that I have studied that use a similar musical score or sequence at the beginning and end.  I guess it is sort of like a reconnecting or review and I know that I do this a lot in my teaching.  In the classroom, we try to lead our students in finding the connection back to the essential questions of the lesson.  I wonder if musicians do this on purpose a lot of the time like we do as teachers?

The "HOOK" in students?!

One of my Module 4 group members posed a question to us all the other day on Facebook asking if she thought a song could possibly be absent from a hook and still be catchy.  I answered by saying that I think there is a hook of some sort in every song and it may just not be as obvious. I have learned (through our course readings) that the hook can be found in many elements of a song (i.e. rhythm, melody, instruments) and not just the lyrics like I had previously thought. With a very unique "imaginative bridge" I think that there is also a hook in each and every one of our students - that something that makes them special, and like a song it is not always obvious! I continue to strive to find and bring out this hook in every one of my students!

MUSIC and STUDYING...

I wanted to use my older sister as an example for my post this week.  Growing up, I remember that my parents would be on her about turning her music off while studying.  She argued that it "helped" her study.  At the time, I thought that was a lame excuse to keep her music on, but while home last week in Australia, we talked about it as I was explaining to her my module 4 theme in this course.  I guess the music really did help her focus and study as opposed to my study habits which required absolute zero noise in the room and house!  So, I wonder what would test results be like if students had the choice to study with music on?

Using a "HOOK" in the classroom

While reading all about the use of a "hook" in music and specifically a song, I easily connected this element into my classroom teaching experiences.  What can we do as educators to "hook" our students into our units of study every time they enter our classroom?  I empathize with them knowing that some subjects I teach do not interest all of them. So.....what is it that I can do to stimulate interest into their learning? I think the key is finding a CONNECTION with them somehow in the unit - something that they can relate to.  Of course, every student has different interests so being able to relate a subject to an individual shows how much one cares about their learning.   

Works of Art

While I contemplate my "work of art" proposal for our CEP 882 course, I am really thinking hard about what a "work of art" can be.  I find it interesting that I associated ART to be painting, writing, music, the crafts etc.  Then I read the syllabus again and noted how our professor encouraged to produce something that I had knowledge of or great interest in.  Well, the answer to this is definitely SPORTS for me and then I had a flashback thought of how I once watched one of my top swimming students train in the pool one afternoon.  I told him his (butterfly) stroke was like "poetry in motion".  I laughed knowing that this reiterated the fact that I can be "artistic" even as a "jock"..haha!

Patterns in the Classroom

In a recent review of a peer group members' module 3 project picture, I noticed how the different patterns of tiles and kitchen countertops used in his featured architecture made the space look somehow "off balance".  It made me think further about this word "patterns" in the classroom.  Patterns of behavior came first to mind for me.  As teachers, we can be observant in our classrooms with identifying students who are "off" in their patterns of behavior.  Perhaps, something has happened at home, with family, with friends??  It is important to take note of such occurrences and know that its effect can be significant to an individual's learning.  

Light to Walk Towards...

After some very interesting reading from Sarah Susanka's notes about home architecture being designed to fit the individual, I noted the theory she uses when talking about a "light to walk towards".  Certainly in a classroom setting, these details about home architecture can be applied to the individual teacher.  However, unlike the success that large clear windows and doors have in a a house to welcome natural light, I have found that such structures can be distracting at times for my students inside the classroom simply by exterior elements such as other children walking past looking in.  I do welcome these clear windows and doors, but make sure that curtains or posters are placed inside so the distractions are kept to a minimum, without compromising the wonderful positive stimulant that natural light can provide in students' feelings and attitudes towards engagement and learning.  

The Sound of Music...!

"The MOVIES are alive...with the sound of MUSIC" - As I watch many of my classmates' module 2 movie project on facebook, I am firstly so impressed with their creations! Secondly, I have noticed how much of a significant role sounds and music play in their movies for creating a 'compelling' experience.  Similarly, I believe music can be used very effectively at school and in our teaching.  I specifically recall how I used music to help set the tone I wanted in my lower school physical education classes. Children that age are so easily influenced in their enthusiasm and energy with music and sounds.  Hence, I would play up-beat music at the start of class and slower relaxing music towards the end of the class to help settle and calm the students down for an easier transition back to the classroom for learning.   

Brilliant Colors!!!

  While watching the tv commercials that we needed to study in Module 2, I realized how much COLOR played into effect when viewing something.  The red "Doritos" chip bag was especially eye-catching and effective in the commercials since the creators did not put anything else of the same red color in entire commercial sequence - BRILLIANT!  In a classroom setting, colors also play a very important role in creating an appealing sense of learning to take place.  Most lower school classrooms are bright and aesthetically pleasing so the young students is stimulated to think and wonder with the variety of pictures and words posted around.  This is also the case for older students in the classroom, however I think their colors are more subdued to a point using tones and colors that reflect 'calm' so that higher order thinking can be inspired.  I wonder if a positive outcome of learning would also take place if Universities began giving professors the same ownership with rooms so they could 'decorate' their classroom learning environments?!

Where there is HOPE...

I had an "imaginative bridge" thought when reading the article "In defense of the year's worst movie" by Roger Ebert (2006).  He talks about HOPE in the storyline of the 2004 award winning movie "Crash" and how the characters are better people because of what happens to them in the movie.  Certainly as teachers (educators) we strive to provide this hope on a daily basis through a variety of means including student praise and encouragement for good work.  At the school I work at, we encompass a character education curriculum throughout the year focusing on a different character virtue each month such as honesty, respect and love.  Through story telling, advisory discussions and student-led assembly presentations, we teach such virtues with the hope that instilling these moral values to the children will help guide them into making good decisions in their lives for the future to come.

"Storytelling is Interactive"

As we move into the NDCE through film and televison, one of our assigned readings by Katalina Groh was on "The film-maker as storyteller".  I felt some real connections with education and teaching strategies while reading this article.  Groh talks about storytelling being interactive and I think this is very significant in drawing the students into whatever subject you are teaching in the classroom.  The story could be fictional or non-fictional for stimulating the learning (however I think it may depend on the age group as well for effectiveness!).  Like Groh also says, observing the reactions and responses of the audience (students) to such storytelling ultimately allows the storyteller (teacher) to customize the story and further enhance the desire to learn.  

Spacing...

This week I have made comments to a number of my classmates' "works of art" regarding the "spacing" they have used in their photography.  Many used elements of nature such as trees to frame their shots.  In the second grade classroom I have substituted all week in, we begin each day with "morning business" in the back room.  There are no desks in the back room and students are asked to sit on the ground as we cover the daily schedule.  "Imaginatively" I used people and spacing to frame their focus and learning.  I moved students to sit in different spaces on the floor if I felt they would focus more effectively and thus, help to run "morning business" more efficiently without increased talking or disruptions.  

Balance....

Through our photography work and readings in module 1, I have been intrigued with the ideas of how balance and composition play a large role in creating a compelling photograph. As I was reading through the lesson plan created by the second grade teacher I would take the place of today, I considered an "imaginative bridge" between such balance in a photograph to balance in a classroom. I noticed at the end of the day how all of the assigned group work activities in class were chosen so there was a suitable balance in regards to gender, personality and ability. This certainly played quite an influential role in how the learning activity was experienced by each individual student. For example, the math lesson today required the students to measure out standing long jump distances in groups of four. Most of the groups had an equal number of boys and girls and similar levels of physical coordination and thus, resulting distances. This allowed the students to feel comfortable participating in the activity, without the feeling of extreme failure or success amongst their peers.

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