21st Century Literacies: Initial Thoughts

Although this is a continuation of my previous blog, I thought I would provide a little bit of information about myself to ease my way back into it. I am currently a 4^th year student at Brock University, taking part in the Concurrent Education Child and Youth Studies program with a kindergarten to grade six teachable area. After I complete my degree in teaching, I would love to specialize in children with learning disabilities. For now, I am just excited to learn about interesting and innovative ways to teach children in the 21^st century.

I had previously heard about 21^st century literacy, but was never sure of what it entailed. Thus far, I better understand that literacy is not just reading and writing, it is so much more than that. Literacy provides meaning into different contexts. To me, this definition appears to be slightly vague. However, when I consider what literacy means to me I realize that it most likely means something different to others. Taking the perspective of a future educator, I believe that it is my responsibility to teach my students by being conscious of the different literacies that should be acquired in today’s society. I could incorporate this into group work, classroom lessons or encouraging communication skills in a stimulating environment.

I would love to see my classroom being as interactive as possible, promoting group work and giving options for the children to make their own assumptions and decisions based on critiquing skills. It would be extremely important to provide opportunities for critical analysis skills to be developed, by encouraging children to question, and stimulate their own learning based on their interests. Although these characteristics may have been encouraged when I was in elementary school, I do not recall classrooms being so highly interactive and critical. I think that unfortunately my educational experience may have suffered slightly because even now I sometimes struggle with critical analysis.

What I find most interesting about 21^st century literacies are the links that can be drawn between the many different forms of literacies. A single lesson can draw from multiple literacies at once, creating an environment of critically engaged students. For instance, I considered the example of a child bringing in food to school that could be donated to families in need. In order to buy this food to donate, they need financial skills, moral skills and perhaps global literacy. Other forms of literacy could be incorporated into this example as well. Children could learn for themselves the good that comes as a result of helping others.

I am excited to learn more about 21^st century skills and more importantly how I can use these to my advantage in the classroom. I hope to learn how to effectively adapt based on the needs of my students and provide meaningful lessons and incorporate many of the different types of literacy. The benefits are limitless in my opinion. Children will be able to learn from each other, communicate effectively, and be able to critically engage with the world in which they live in.

https://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/techintegration/iowa-core-21st-century-skills-technology-literacy/

Overall I recognize how vital it is how be open to new ideas due to the fact that literacies are constantly changing and expanding. As 21^st century literacy skills become more dynamic, I as an educator will need to constantly remind myself to reflect on my own learning to provide direction for my students’ learning in the future. I strive to assess my learning as I become more engaged in my teaching, particularly in the 21^st century literacy course I am currently taking by connecting with past material and re-reading blogs as I complete the course. 

The 21st Century Teacher

The 21^st century teacher... this is a seemingly simple phrase that in fact represents the most innovative and complicated idea of education. These days, teaching means so much more than pouring knowledge into students’ heads. An incredible amount of additional skills and qualifications are imperative to making classrooms successful and education meaningful. In addition to fulfilling curriculum expectations, educators need to incorporate skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, project-based learning and more (Palmer, 2015). An overarching theme of technological advances is also included. Being a 21^st century teacher seems like an impossible task… so how can we ensure that we are successfully navigating this journey as educators?

I love that this video describes a few of the many necessary skills that an educator must include in a 21^st century classroom. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwJIhZcAd0I

Being a 21^st century teacher is not without challenges (Rotherham & Willingham, 2009). Many adjustments need to be made to the current education system; including teacher education and curriculum reforms, and this will take time. Currently, I think that our university education is catering towards introducing student-centered learning skills, however I believe that the program needs to be developed to further implement these ideas. For example, my placement classes (8P15 and 8P17) have done a phenomenal job of introducing new methods of teaching. In order to be a ‘cutting-edge’ representation of a 21^st century teacher, I need to incorporate all these ideas that I’ve learned into my classroom dynamics. I wish for my classroom to positively reflect my teaching philosophy. For instance, I think community involvement is important, and therefore desire for my students to learn about how to be good citizens and be of assistance in the community. Additionally, I want to create a highly interactive learning environment, where students can be seen collaborating with others and a love of learning is instilled in children.

It will be a difficult but rewarding journey to becoming a 21^st century teacher. This chart provides a great example of how truly dynamic an educator must be. It takes an incredible amount of ability to integrate ideas such as inquiry-based learning and student community involvement into the classroom. I strive to be a role model for not only my students but also other teachers. Expert teachers may have more difficulty becoming a 21^st century teacher because they are accustomed to their regular teaching style that may be considered outdated. The image below showcases just a few of the many complex ideas that are associated with the 21^st century teacher characteristics.

http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/259-21st-century-educator-skills

I have faith in this student-centered innovative approach and some school boards have already shared this faith as well. The Peel District School Board dedicates a page to sharing their beliefs about 21^st century teaching and the technological components. I love this because it is a strategic way for parents and community members to be involved in schools as well.

The 21^st century teacher ultimately will develop overtime as new knowledge is discovered and in turn alter their teaching methods. To me, this is an expected process for the life of a teacher. Our education should not stop when we graduate, but rather continue throughout our career. Overall I think that the ability to adapt based on new information is a vital skill that teachers should possess. If we expect our students to have the initiative to learn, we should have the same expectations for ourselves. Now is the time to establish what characteristics of the classroom and of ourselves as teachers we have already established, and the skills we wish to strive for. I cannot wait to see how my knowledge as a 21^st century teacher can make a difference in the world of education!

References

M MacMeekin (2013, April 3) More on being a 21^st century educator: Morphing into a 21^st century teacher. Retreived from: https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/more-on-being-a-21st-century-educator/

Ministry of Education. (2015). Vision for 21^st century teaching and learning. Mississauga, ON. Peel District School Board.

Rotherham, A. J., & Willingham, D. (2009). 21^st century skills: The challenges ahead. Educational Leadership 67 (1), pages 16-21.

T Palmer (2015, June 6). 15 characteristics of a 21^st century teacher. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher

How Well Do You Know Your Students?

            As a teacher, it is your responsibility to get to know your students… but how well do you truly know them? I don't think this simply means knowing how many students are in your class and knowing their names. Getting to know your students looks deeper, into actually understanding the individual characteristics of each student.

Every teacher will mostly likely use a slightly different technique to get to know his or her students, however there is some overlap. For instance, every teacher will need to establish some classroom management skills, and make it clear that they are there to be a teacher but also to be there for the students and help them along their educational journey (McDonald, 2012). I think an implication that sometimes arises is that there is a fine line between being professional, and being a student’s friend. The teacher-student bond is very important, however it needs to consistently be established in a particular way. I often wonder how I can maintain a positive relationship with my student while continually acting in an appropriate way?

As a leader in education, there are many ways to establish a good relationship with students and getting to know who they are. I find that getting to know vital characteristics of each student will ultimately create a better teacher and a more positive learning environment for all. As teacher’s, we are going to be there for our student’s by listening to them, giving them choices and sometimes simply being there for them (“Tell Me About”, 2012).

I found some great activities that can be used to better know your students. For instance, the picture below is an effective opening activity for one of the first few days of school. Questions such as ‘what would you like to learn this year’ and ‘what is your favorite subject’ allow a teacher to adjust the classroom dynamics to cater towards individual needs. Additionally, this questionnaire asked questions such as ‘what is your favorite food’ and ‘what did you do this summer’ to invite open discussion and a fun element to invite children to positively participate in this activity.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Getting-to-Know-You-learn-about-each-student-in-your-class-246790

One idea that I remember doing in elementary school was creating a poster board all about myself. There were sections on family, school, extracurricular and more that provided a well-rounded view of each student.  This made the task of getting to know students a fun interactive way to learn. Not only is the student able to share their lives, which should be interesting to them, but also the work can be displayed around the classroom.

In my classroom, I would most likely use this as a technique to get to know my students as well. I think that this can be used as an autobiographical assignment where students could potentially do a presentation as well. This allows for the time of getting to know my students and also be utilized as an opportunity to evaluate skills is areas such as writing, presentation skills and other areas. This ‘teachable moment’ can be an invaluable experience for both the student and the teacher.

There are so many online resources for teacher’s to share their ideas. I found some great icebreakers and activities that can be used to better understand your students here and  here. I love that we can communicate and share ideas as future educators to come up with ways to get to know our students that we may not have otherwise encountered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1FC1ZPN7cw

I found that this video effectively sums up what it means to be a teacher, and how vital your role is in a student’s life. How can you make a difference in a students life if you do not know what is going on in it? In the future, I will actively attempt to keep up-to-date with what is going on in my children’s lives. It is important to be understanding of whatever is happening with them. I strive to be the teacher that student’s can trust to come to with their problems and offer sound advice to them as well. What will you do in order to be an active member of your students’ lives?  

References

McDonald, A. (2012). The secret weapon: Getting to know your students. Education World. Retrieved from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald013.shtml

(2012). Tell me about: How to get to know your students. For Each To Excel, 69 (5). Retrieved   from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb12/vol69/num05/How-You-Get-to-Know-Your-Students.aspx   

(2013, March 22). Know your students. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1FC1ZPN7cw

(2015). Getting to know your students. Teacher Vision. Retrieved from:            https://www.teachervision.com/students/resource/2878.html

(2015). Top 5 ways to get to know your students. Scholastic. Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/top-5-ways-get-know-your-students