Saturday 31 October 2015

#sparKtalK5 Solutions Sought

What-so-what-now-what...Indeed. After an especially productive pro-d session with my Principal, Sean McCartney, I reflected on the amazingly positive impact a collaborative partner can have on my own attempts to problem solve. Unfortunately, he's a busy guy and not always available. My program is a pilot: a multi age group of learners (7-13 years) in the annex of an elementary school, focusing on inquiry and hands-on learning opportunities in a highly personalized learning environment, sees me with a "schedule" that is different than that of the school we are situated at. As a result, we are almost always on our own; we have recess breaks on our own and lunch on our own and the peer group is very small. My school-based peer group is even smaller.

Following my pro-d morning where Sean and I tackled Learning Plans and reporting options, I am all the more aware of my lack of readily available collaborative opportunities. Unfortunately, I've got more than my fair share of new-program-problems to solve and am feeling a little desperate for collaboration opportunities. I've been sharing out through my #sparKtalK vlog posts trying to build a network with which to collaborate, but the momentum continues to be...non-existent. I am pushing through however, and am committed to my vlog through to the end of June with the hope that things pick up. As well, I will continue to pursue interactions with my PLN on Twitter and consult with professional and community contacts as that network continues to grow.

This week's "What"...Technology and limited resources. Have a watch (it's brief! honest!!) and please comment, questions, critique, chat, collaborate, or contribute in any way shape or form in the space below, via Twitter (@spedlearner) or via email: tross@sd61learn.

Stuck on the other side of the world.

Anxiety is a b*%#ch. Seriously. Many of us get anxious, but to have an anxiety disorder, to love and support someone with an anxiety disorder, is utterly exhausting (on both sides).

A few days ago our eldest son embarked on the trip of a lifetime. At 22 years of age, he has a trip to Cuba with classmates, a 3 week adventure in the UK with his brother, and 3 and a half months away from home on a ski leadership training course under his belt. Each one brought with it a unique set of anxiety symptoms. Each demanded support from us as parents that was far reaching and exhausting, but which we were more than willing to attempt to provide. And each experience has helped to further hone and develop our son's own skills and strategies for dealing with his anxiety.

The morning of his departure was met with a racing heart; I could feel it pounding through his chest as I hugged him; words of "I can't do this" spilled out of his mouth. For the first time ever, I suggested he take an Attivan. I felt terrible about offering it ("here, have some drugs"), but it was 4 a.m. and the time for departing was nearly upon us. It was impulsive on my part, but much to my surprise, yielded very positive results. The bulk of his travel day was manageable and he arrived to his destination with very few anxiety based obstacles.

He had the luck of being able to travel from Munich to the ski resort in Austria with his ski coach, but once he settled into his own room, he found himself stuck there. These last 72 hours have been filled with numerous video chats and phone calls to home. Requests to come home, tears, irrational fears and what-if's pour from his lips. Feeling as though we are in an entirely different universe, we try to talk him through these intense anxiety attacks--"breathe with me, come on you can do this...in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4...let's slow it down, nice and slow...in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4...slower now, there you go...you got this....keep breathing"--and on it goes.

Once out of that place of sheer panic, we work on perspective, replacing "what-if-negative-statements" with "what-if-positive-statements", reminding him of other times he has felt this way, when things felt unfamiliar and new, times which ended up leading him to some of the best experiences of his life. We remind him to see the familiar: "It's there if you are looking for it!"

There is only so much we can do from so far away. My heart aches for my boy--I am both so proud of him for continuing to try to overcome this debilitating anxiety and so pained for what he must endure as part of his experience. It is hard as a parent to see that this thing that was an obstacle and so misunderstood in my child as a toddler-school aged-and then young adult, is not really going away. While the panic and tears are no longer about the innocent and simple aspects of childhood: costumes of Halloween or a first job interview, they still show up for other, more adult based, events: world travel, finances, and, well, for all the other job interviews!

My husband and I recognize and acknowledge that our son has made great strides and we know he will continue to. As a teacher, I can always recognize which of my students would have been my own kid and it moves me in my connection with them. The qualities of a relationship with any young person struggling with anxiety: respect, compassion, understanding and empathy. I celebrate the baby steps, those almost undetectable signs of progress, as they happen. And it's okay if you could do it yesterday and you can't today. One day, all today's obstacles will, in hindsight, seem to be the easy stuff. It's the supported persistence, trusting your supports, and the ongoing honing, development and practicing of strategies and skills for kicking anxiety's butt that continues to be the hard part.

Tomorrow the ski week intensive starts, and I know with another good-night's sleep, the arrival of familiar faces, the addition of structure and regular, intensive physical exercise to his day, he is going to rise out of this. That's how I'm envisioning it at least. Breathe-in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4.

Monday 26 October 2015

#sparKtalK5 Vlog: The Big Reveal

Ah, delayed reflection reaps the greatest reward, at least for me through this week's vlog post. I struggled with what to do with my learners’ apparent lack of ability in the area of making connections earlier this week. Of course, I was quick to interpret this as a problem of theirs that I would need to support them with. However, after taping my reflection, walking home from school, I considered this whole connecting thing further. What did I do wrong? Why, after watching a video they all seemed completely intrigued by, was it so difficult to draw out some connections? What role did I play in this struggle?

Watch this week’s vlog post, beginning with my embarrassingly early and quick resolve as I explain my “what”, followed by a later reflective post sharing my own more significant learning. The big reveal. Here it is!




Thanks for watching! As usual, I’d love to hear back from you! Questions, comments,  criticisms, cheers, or chit chat—all feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Saturday 17 October 2015

#sparKtalK5 Vlog - Make Me a Maker

So, hands-on-collaborate-create-make-and-maybe-even-bake, seems like one big undertaking to me. I've done some reading, some viewing, and some consulting to try to figure out this whole maker movement thing. Inspired last year by Sylvia Martinez's visit to our #tiegrad cohort (thank you to Alec Couros for setting that up), I made sure this year's class supplies included a MakeyMakey and a Raspberry Pi. I know very little about either, but it seems like a good starting point. We are barebones in terms of our SPARK Maker Space otherwise. Please view this week's #sparKtalK5 vlog to hear my what-so-what-now-what explanation!

Comments, criticisms, questions, contributions, and any other forms of collaborative efforts are GREATLY appreciated! Please add your two cents worth below.

Saturday 10 October 2015

#sparKtalK5 Vlog If you build it, they don't necessarily come

Thanks for tuning in to this week's #sparKtalK5 vlog post. In attempting to reflect and collaborate, I'm learning it isn't enough to just share out a vlog each week. If I really want to build, nurture, and maintain meaningful professional and learning relationships in my PLN, I have to continue to connect in a variety of ways with my peers. I've been seeking collaborators to share in my journey, and a few show up here and there via blog comments, but I'm realizing it's only one means of generating discussion. Here's my #sparKtalK5 vlog on the topic:


Feeling more hopeful, I'll leave it at that for this week. So appreciative of the interactions that come my way. Leave a comment below! I promise I'll reply!...Keeping it real (and brief) via #sparKtalK5 .

Sunday 4 October 2015

sparKtalK5 Vlog - Flexibility on the Spot

This week, the learners I worked with pushed me to be more flexible. It really got me wondering if there are times/situations where we can't really afford the flexibility our learners need. I want to believe no, but I also know that logistically, I'm one person, trying to support a number of different learners at very different places in their learning. Please comment and share with me how you handle student tangents in learning, learners moving in a different direction, and other opportunities for practicing flexibility.
In the example I share, my goal was have learners create an artistic image that uses line and colour to communicate the mood and theme of fall. Pre-activity, we all looked at the same work sample, discussed the connection to our Autumn theme, and the creative process we would be exploring. Sharing the experience, we all sat around one big table together, and a natural evolution of creation occurred;  learners began to make suggestions to each other (leaf drawing strategies, ways to add texture through rubbing, and how to shade the leaf as opposed to "colouring" it, for example). One learner went in a completely different direction (see photo above).
I'm working really hard to support and respect learner differences (be that in their understanding of directions, their own desire to do something different, or simply where they are "at" in their learning) and a big part of that is being flexible. Reflecting also allows me to consider what my role might have been, if any, in influencing the learner's diverted path.

I am feeling a little lonely in my program and my attempts to pursue personalized learning and inquiry in a multi-age (7-13 years) environment. Any comments, questions, advice, constructive criticism, feedback, or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!! (Does that sound too desperate??)
Thanks for watching and please subscribe!

Sunday 27 September 2015

#sparKtalK5 Tackling Overwhelm

An sparKtalK5 vlog post to share; I wish it was an update on Learning Plans, but alas, it is not. Just tackling my looming overwhelm this week. Really appreciate the support I've been getting both via this blog and via text/email from friends who are teachers. Please keep it coming as it really does help!

And, just to be clear, the tears were indeed my own and I did, in fact, recover before students arrived. Boo-hoo-ing at work is really not something that happens for me, so this was a big deal. Onward!

Monday 21 September 2015

sparKtalK5

Incidental learning embraced me these last couple of weeks. At times, it's squeezed me so hard, it's taken my breath away. Or maybe that has just been my anxiety creeping in. This new venture has me overwhelmed.

First things first: my vlog has required a name change. I may have mentioned that certain tech doesn't like formatting the "<" symbol. I have learned that there are ways around this, but to keep it simple, I'm just going to re-brand. It's still early, right? So, out with the old ("talk<5") and in with the new... new name, new hashtag, but same location:
#sparKtalK5

I hope my vlog posts will spark your interest, start conversation, and help me to build a community of connected learners. I'm jumping in the deep end this fall, definitely feeling in WAY over my head, as I try to navigate, support, and nurture a personalized learning environment with the learners in my (new-to-me) multi-age classroom. All ideas, suggestions, questions, comments, feedback, and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

I have so many questions and it's been challenging to even prioritize them--how to set up our space, how to connect learners in 5 different grades to the curriculum, how to assess and track learning, and how to use the GAFE tools available to me. Then there's FreshGrade and Khan Academy. Our days have been full of hands-on, interactive and collaborative learning activities as we try to establish ourselves as a community of learners, build trust, and get to know one another. However, I know we need to start dipping our toes in to the pool of inquiry and personalization.  Where to even start??

Here is this weekend's post (video'd a week ago) outlining my "what-so what-now what" for the week.

Monday 14 September 2015

sparKtalK5 Vlog Intro

   
 So, there's this Master's project I'm working on and it's kind of timely because I just started a brand-new position in my school district. First things first: the position. I'm teaching in an alternative education program that brings together students in grades 3-8 who are looking for an alternative to the regular school format. It's meant to be a flexible learning environment where learners can focus on passion driven curriculum that encompasses an inquiry approach. 
     Coming from a SpEd background, I'm diving in to this having very limited exposure to inquiry learning, multi-age groupings, and personalized learning, never mind the fact that I haven't had my own full group of kids--a "class" as it's commonly known--in a very long time. I'm feeling like I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm calling on my personal learning network and professional peers to please support me and allow me access to your expertise, ideas and experiences as I move through this educational journey.
     I'm going to be posting (at the very least) weekly vlog posts to share out my "What" (as in what's been going on), "So What" (what I need, what I want, what I don't know, what I need help with, etc), and "Now What" (my action plan if I've been able to formulate one, but the "now what" may need to come through the collaborative cycle). What I need from others is your comments, your thoughts, your ideas, your experiences, your questions, your sharing, your suggestions, your CONTRIBUTIONS to my blog. I want to engage with you and learn with you/from you. Please tune in, follow the #talk<5 on Twitter (and me, @spedlearner) while I bravely soldier ahead in what feels like a very scary venture.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

"I'm All Over the Map" - My Summary of Learning for EDCI 569: In Pursuit of Joyful Discomfort

         As our EDCI 569 course, The Distributed, Blended, & Open Classroom, comes to an end and I looked back as I attempted to summarize my learning, I was (yet again) overwhelmed. With each guest speaker and every key word that surfaced, it seemed as though I could make endless connections. Overwhelm was a theme for me throughout this course. Trying to sort the various half-thoughts and bits of pieces floating through my brain was beyond challenging, but somehow, I managed. I have to thank Alec Couros for providing us with such an amazingly rich experience and my cohort for always somehow being able to bump me back onto the "right" path, or at least the path that made the writing, creating and sharing just that much easier.
         I chose to use Prezi as my tool of choice for this Summary of Learning.  It's my first go at Prezi; I felt I needed to use it as I was beginning to feel almost hypocritical for the number of times I have nudged students and my own children towards it. I've frequently seen it used to create impressive visual presentations, so I figured that was a plus as well.           This particular template, implying a world-map of sorts, was particularly fitting for me because I have felt like my thinking has been, indeed, all over the map.  I've reached the point that I have to stop editing--enough is enough--because each time I look at it, I make another connection or realize something else I have learned.  I don't expect anyone to click on every link or view every video; linger where you like, and zoom on through where you need to (just click on the link).

         My Summary of Learning Prezi



A post-script addition:
Here is the video I created as something to include in my prezi; it was the 11th hour and just when I thought I had finished, Youtube indicated there was an error. I thought I had lost it, so I abandoned it altogether, only to discover it in my youtube account this morning. Go figure!



Monday 6 April 2015

#tieyoga #LearningProject Summarized


         A vlog post to summarize my #tieyoga #LearningProject for #EDCI569. I had many insightful moments in my yoga practice these last few months and benefitted from increased flexibility that extended beyond my hamstrings and hips. The learning connections were, for me, overwhelming at times, as I realized the potential impact community can have on a learner.  

         On a positive note, I succeeded in uploading iMovie from my iPad to Youtube this time around. My first vlogging attempt saw me having to jump from iMovie over to Explain Everything due to (my own) learning obstacles. I'm proud of my willingness to tackle iMovie again and gave a little mental shout-out to myself after successfully uploading it to Youtube.  Sometimes we are so deeply immersed in a perceived challenge that we are unable to see the simple solution, as was the case for me with that first vlogging effort!

         I'm still working on saying less with more, so apologies for the length of the video. It's a skill that is far reaching for me and my progress is, apparently, slow, but I hope to get there sooner than later.  In the meantime, thanks for your patience and ongoing encouragement. 




Sunday 5 April 2015

Measuring Up My #tieyoga Practice Sites

         I've attempted a "different" way of blogging this go around. Thanks to Christopher Lister for being the first in our #tiegrad cohort to post using Thinglink; overall I'm happy with my experience using this new-to-me tool. I worked very hard to try to find a way to embed my soundcloud audio clips so that if you clicked on one it would just play, rather than take you to the soundcloud site. Needless to say I was not successful with this. If this is indeed achievable, and someone does know how to make that work, I'd love to hear from you!

         Otherwise, these Piktochart visuals offer up a summary of my assessment of my various online yoga resources. Please don't feel the need to listen to every single link (unless you're considering taking up yoga online!), but pick and choose to get the gist of what I liked or didn't like about my online yoga sites.



Namaste

Friday 3 April 2015

Rediscovering Grace Under Pressure, with thanks to Dave Cormier

         What? No curriculum?  When Dave Cormier explained to our #tiegrad cohort that he teaches his university course(s) without a true curriculum my initial reaction was, “You can do that?!” In the days that followed the Cormier Session, I kept revisiting this detail. How does it work? How could it work? How would students react? What would their parents say? How would my peers respond? ¡Ay! Caramba!
         This particular blog post has been overwhelming for me to tackle, as there have been so many aspects and significant moments of the Cormier Session that resonated with me.  I've actually had to force myself to keep coming back to this post, as the overwhelm gradually began to evolve into avoidance. There were big ideas shared in this session, and by big, I’m talking transformative big, mover-shaker big, B-I-G Big.  Finally, after an encouraging post by Melody Watson and brief exchanges with Trevor MacKenzie, I decided my strategy would be to hang on to just one of Dave’s many inspiring comments, process it, reflect on it, and elaborate on my very many mullings and musings.
         Since our session, my thoughts have turned to the many times over the years that, as a parent, I would exclaim to my husband, “Don’t these teachers ever TALK to each other?!!”, as I watched one of our four kids crumple under the stress of multiple project and papers all with (fairly inflexible) due dates.  To make matters all the more frustrating, these projects and papers usually had widespread potential for overlap.  From the teacher perspective, I wonder why we are so reluctant, as a collective group, to encourage students to reuse, resubmit, or “double-dip” their efforts for different courses.  As an example, in his grade 11 year my own son had to write several  Social Studies papers, create a major project for his Integrated Studies course, and write multiple English essays.  This would seem a fantastic opportunity for the 3 teachers at the helm to work together, offer up one (or several) shared project(s) for the learners that could support meeting learning outcomes in all three courses. Why don’t we model working smarter, not harder and support, heck, require kids to do the same?
         As kids move through the different levels of school—elementary, middle/junior, and secondary—the lines between subject areas become more fast and firm;  the opportunities to develop their creative talents and their problem solving and communication skills become more prescribed (possibly even less valued if we consider shifts away from “play” and “making”).  There can be a lot of hoop jumping for kids in the middle and secondary years and they know this. What is the value of curriculum if we can’t deliver it without redundancy?  Recently, for example, I have been witness to a Gifted learner (not that that should even matter), basically avoiding or, perhaps refusing, to submit his Math homework packages, yet completing each unit test with sound results (90-95%-ish). Typically he would complete the homework packages just enough to “get it” and then cease working on them.  His teacher demanded that he go back and complete all of the packages, work that counts for “completion” marks only. Why?  The response:  “I can’t give him special treatment.”  This mentality has to change. Each learner is an individual, with distinct needs and strengths, unique circumstances, and a very personal learning profile. 
         We shouldn't be treating all students in any given class the same. Dave Cormier said, “What you can assess is how hard they are working and how far they have come.” A highly capable student, such as the gifted learner in the example above, would be considered to have made minimal effort and, quite possibly, demonstrated minimal growth, even though he has mastered the concepts and skills. Another student in the same class, for whom Math is very challenging, may have demonstrated significant learning and effort. Wouldn't it be awesome to offer all learners the opportunity to access learning at their instructional level so working hard was an authentic process and subsequent growth was inevitable?  
         I often tell my own children the rules in our family are potentially different for each of them. For example, a curfew of 11 pm may be needed for the one who never texts to tell us where he is or frequently misses the last bus home, while another may not need a curfew at all as a result of his “by the book” approach to most aspects of his life. The idea of integrating coursework and even subject areas in middle and high school is, of course, daunting to many educators who have never done it this way. Cormier encourages us to create opportunities for students to be creative, learners who can deal with an uncertain world and a capricious life. Why would we ask them to show us (in a homework package, for example) what they've already demonstrated (in a unit test)?  
       In her blog post on the Cormier Session, Melody Watson says, “Life is messy and full of uncertainty. Learning needs to be messy too…I think we need to get more comfortable with letting kids struggle.”  I would take this a step further to say that, as educators, we need to be personally modelling this willingness to get our hands dirty, make mistakes, and struggle to our learners.  GeorgeCouros, in his recent blog post, 3 Important Shifts in Education, says: “Listening to students is not enough; we must bring them into the change process”. Along these lines, Dave Cormier, shared his curriculum-free syllabus with us; in looking at this document, I am reminded of the importance and value in inviting encouraging, or requiring students to participate in their learning plan, to support their excitement, curiosity, interest and desire to learn. In thinking about a curriculum free approach, I have to tell myself, “You don’t need to throw out the entire curriculum today, but find a spot where you can break down the walls a little bit,” which helps the subtle anxiety to dissipate.
         In my years as a rower, one of my coaches relied on idiomatic language and cliches to carry many of his inspirational pre-race chats with our crew.  He regularly referred to the dangers of “reckless abandon”—so much energy spent and so little to show for it—and emphasized the importance of being able to go all out with control; he used the term, “grace under pressure”.  In my #tieyoga videos, one yogi refers to this same idea as “joyful discomfort”.  I often think of these phrases in the context of education and shifting teaching practices. We need to be able to support learners to be able to experience the messiness of learning, the pressure or discomfort of it, with support garnered from elements of structure and guidance, ultimately yielding the "grace" or joy we want for all learners, ourselves included.  Similar to my rowing experiences, part of mastering “grace under pressure” requires occasionally embracing “reckless abandon”. To be able to push ourselves and our boundaries as learners (teacher-learner or student-learner), we need to know where the edge is and occasionally fall off of it. If we want learners to find their “flow”, the sweet spot or spark, they need to know where their near misses take them. Confidence in our abilities is gained through these experiences and in knowing there are some parameters that will help us make our way back on course.
         My Cormier Session take-away is something that I actually already knew, but didn't fully recognize as relevant to education.  Dave reminded me to be brave and bold, the importance of letting go. I learned as an elite athlete that If I'm not able to let go, I won't ever reach my maximum potential; further, as we grow, our maximum potential continues to change and expand. Our #tiegrad session with Dave made me realize that "grace under pressure" holds true, regardless of the context. Even if it’s what feels like the smallest change to my practice, I need to keep pushing.  A prescribed curriculum leaves little room for getting messy, be it gracefully or recklessly. Ticking the boxes and jumping through hoops seems to be producing learners (and, perhaps, teachers) who are uncomfortable taking risks and who just want to be told what to do, if they haven’t already checked out altogether. The Cormier Session helped me to extend an aspect of my own value system to my approach to learning and teaching; I want to walk the talk, toe the line, and approach each day as an educator seeking joyful discomfort and exuding grace under pressure. I hope, through sharing my process and allowing peers and learners to observe me in the occasional state of reckless abandon, I can inspire others to do the same.

Sunday 29 March 2015

The #tiefit perspective

         I've really enjoyed my participation in the #tiefit group this winter. As many of you are aware (because I say it every time I share on this topic), it's #notmylearningproject, but my activity in the group has enabled me to make so many valuable connections in my real #learningproject, #tieyoga.
         One of the things I really enjoyed about getting out and getting active as part of this group was just having the time outdoors; forcing myself out had such a positive impact on my energy and my emotional well being. I frequently paused on my walks to take pictures of the many views I enjoyed, along with the occasional selfie, knowing that building my image library would be considered resourceful by some (including this digital citizen right here).
         Today as I was looking through the photos, I wondered how I might use them, and decided to throw together a little video. I've used Youtube's video editor several times now, and I keep going back to it. After playing on Vimeo a bit, trying iMovie and having had experience with iMovie Trailer, I find myself defaulting to #videoeditor. I've also experimented with Explain Everything with success--and I can see that I have so much left to learn with Explain Everything, having barely scratched the surface. For today's purpose and my looming deadlines, however, Youtube's video editor is the answer. I appreciate its simplicity and accessibility. Some would argue it's too simple, with limited options around sound editing and image editing, but sometimes less is better. I already spend far too long on my blog posts and I could spend days editing photos and videos; the limitations, as it turns out, are a good thing.
         I realize the video falls to this side of corny, but the message is authentic--I appreciated stopping to smell the roses these last three months; I am the first to say I don't do it nearly enough. I could have also created a video to evidence the many impressive neighbourly connections I made on my walks--it seemed I regularly bumped into old friends, long lost soccer parents, and my kids' friends. Extending beyond the familiar faces, however, I became very cognizant of the benefit of just connecting with people--saying hello to fellow dog owners, commenting to a passerby about the beautiful day, or laughing about a seal popping up and back under the water. No matter what my emotional or physical state of affairs was when I stepped out the door, I never returned home cranky.
         Ultimately, #tiefit has energized me these last many weeks and made me easier to live with. I am looking forward to continued steps and benefits in the months to come. I hope you enjoy my little video.  Step on #tiefit peeps!

Bending Gender, Ramblings Inspired by Audrey Watters

         Last class I entered our EDCI 569 online session a little late, having just returned home from our 3 day surf trip to Ucluelet & Tofino. We had the privilege of a session with guest speaker, Audrey Watters, who spoke to gender inequality in the world of tech. As I was late, it was hard to bring myself up to speed in the moment, to be able to really catch the scope of what was being discussed. What I did hear got me thinking, though, and while in many ways we have “come a long way, baby”, it still can seem very much “a man’s world”.
         It was interesting to listen to the discussion, as it evolved, particularly as it moved into the idea of gender identity, briefly touching on nature vs nurture. Living with 5 men, it may surprise people to learn that I rarely feel outnumbered.  While I can claim to know boys and know them well, I would also say that 75% of the male energy in my household is surprisingly soft and sensitive--not so stereotypically boy. Our boys have been (& continue to be) raised similarly and while our home has been filled with numerous trucks and diggers and many things-blue (literally) over the years, we have very much embraced each child as an individual, celebrating whatever interests and talents emerged. 
         As a stay at home mom, my boys identified with me. They helped me bake, they wore aprons, played house, tried to make their hair go into “ponies” and pushed their bangs back with “clips”. My two eldest went through a stage where they regularly put on my maternity tops and wore them as dresses, adorning themselves with many pieces of old costume jewelry supplied by Grandma. We never discouraged any of this; in fact, both my husband and I thought it was pretty adorable.  Unfortunately, I learned that not everyone felt as we did. At a family dinner, one of my boys’ uncles made loud exclamations aimed at our eldest, about 4 at the time, who arrived sporting one of my hairbands in his hair. When I think back on this it still perplexes me--it was hard for me to see a family member poke fun at my son and ask him if he wanted to be a girl. Unfortunately, this was not the last time we were on the receiving end of such gender-biased statements. 
         Our boys went on to try their hands at many different activities, ranging from the boy-acceptable soccer and lacrosse to the less acceptable activities of Irish dance for one and 8 years of ballet and modern dance for another. Along the way, we were met with many raised eyebrows and comments cloaked in sardonic humour. However, for every comment that held muddy, negative undertones, there were many more that landed in the sunny fields of positivity. These boys are now young men, ranging in age from 15-21 and they are very confident in who they are and truly accepting and supportive of all aspects of individual identity and self-expression in others. As a family, we not only survived hurtful words and scowls of judgement, we flourished in hope, tolerance and understanding.  In my opinion, issues centered on gender biases, in North America at least, are as much about values, as it is about individual interests, skills, abilities, strengths, and wiring.
         Boys and girls, men and women, males and females, and everything in between: we are mostly different, as well as very much the same.  Gender, we are learning, is not, never has been, and never will be, a simple thing. As far as we have come in the way of equal opportunities and blurring the lines of sexual stereotypes, we continue to live with an imbalance of power between the sexes.  That imbalance of power continues to shift and change, just as our world, in so many respects, also continues to evolve, and manifest or resurface in new, and sometimes surprising, ways. I regularly find myself continuing to believe we have come so far, only to be disappointed by various news events that pop up in my Twitter feed.  Just this week I stumbled upon a link to a Global news video where meteorologist, Kristi Gordon, personally shared messages she had received (both electronically and through the mail) criticizing her appearance and her choice in clothing. If that's not bad enough, the "hate mail" somehow takes hurtful to a whole new level in that the writers are attacking a woman who is visibly pregnant. We don't know the gender of the "haters", and I don't think it is fair to assume them to be one sex or the other, and perhaps this point adds another layer to the complexity of gender issues; while there may be a highly visible imbalance of power that still exists between men and women today, the passing of judgement, the inequitable opportunities and voicing of sexually biased criticism is certainly not limited to one sex over the other. Further, actions rooted in gender inequity are no longer limited to a simple division between men and women. We have learned that gender is not strictly blue or pink, but in fact reaches across many hues, none of which comes with a set standard of behaviours or interests. 
         Social media, with its capability for immediacy and anonymity, allows those people who are inclined to cowardly throw their darts of criticism and judgement. On the flip side, however, it also provides a platform for empowering the victims/targets of such unfounded criticism, such as Kristi Gordon, and their many supporters, to speak out against the ignorance and narrow mindedness that keep resurfacing through our many decades of progress.
         I would love to believe that we are close to resolving issues in gender bias and imbalances in power, but I don't know if that moment will ever fully arrive. Continuing to strive towards the ideal of recognizing each individual as unique with his/her own set of skills and strengths, and practicing tolerance and acceptance as a society certainly helps us move in the right direction. Navigating gender, however, is not always a route that is easily mapped out, and as our world maintains its speedy rate of change, we never know what challenges we may be facing around the corner. Advances in technology have connected us on a global level and we now have greater insight into the sexual discrepancies that exist both locally and in the various nooks and crannies around the world. It’s crucial that we continue to scrutinize and speak out against such imbalances in power, whether founded in a web-based and anonymous context or a real-world, real-time face to face one. 
         We have come a long way, indeed; I'm not sure if it's entirely a man's world, but it's certainly a muddy one with a lot of room for improvement. Thanks Audrey Watters for inspiring some heavy thinking and reflecting in my old brain.

Saturday 28 March 2015

Why So Stressed?

         

         A couple of weeks ago, as our EDCI 569 class came to a close, our instructor Alec Courosa commented on our low energy and wondered aloud why we were all so stressed.  An awkward silence ensued.
6 a.m. picket shift Jun 2014
         As a cohort-we have all seen the stress levels of our group rise and fall over the course of this winter. Between us there have been births, deaths, floods, financial hardship (helllloooo Teacher Strike of 2014), injuries, illness, full time work, full time parenting, full time domestic drudgery, to name just a few of our sources of stress! When Alec asked, "What's everyone so stressed about?" after our session with Audrey, I was intrigued by the silence. I found it a little bit funny that none of us really jumped at the chance to explain our stress in any sort of specific detail. We might expect similar silence amongst our tenth graders, but it was a little surprising within the safety net of our cohort!I could almost hear us all responding simultaneously in our heads, "What's everyone so stressed about?...everything!". It's been a long, tough winter.
         Even though we didn't delve into our own personal sources of stress when Alec asked, we can all pat ourselves on the back in acknowledgement of our adoption of some very good coping strategies over the last year and a half. We have reached out to each other through one off messages, spontaneously arranged small group meetings, and scheduled gatherings of study groups via platforms such as Twitter, Google+, GHO's, Bluejeans, and Facetime, as well as face-to-face when our lives and geography allowed it. We are a strong network of support for each other and it has made all the difference. Whether it comes as a cheer or a taunt, the realization that worries are shared or far removed from one another, we have been there for each other. Our sense of community is unshakable.  Individually, or as a (virtual) group, we have practiced meditation strategies, structured breathing exercises, and physical exercise to manage our stress. We name it, calling it what it is: stress, anxiety, overwhelm and we do our best to move on from there.  Our instructors, while not quite in the thick of it, demonstrate their support through their quick responses, words of encouragement,directing (or redirecting) to resources, and the offering of a different perspective, option or alternative, as they are able to.
         Reflecting on this, I wondered how we monitor the waves of stress within the walls of our own school communities, be it the stress of our students or of our colleagues (or both).  I often consider how amazing it would be to be part of a staff that was made up of our #tiegrad cohort members; I consider what I can do from my end to nurture this same level of trust, openness, and support that we have established with one another, in my own school environment to positively impact my own relationships with staff members. Further, I would like to know how we can extend what we have developed in our virtual classroom to our own students. 

  • What do you see as integral to establishing healthy school culture at the staff or student level? And how do you go about it?
  • How do you monitor your own students' stress levels? And how do you respond?

         As educators, I feel many of us pay significant attention to the importance of knowing our students and building relationships with them, but I think we often overlook the importance of our relationships with our peers within our schools and how healthy relationships at the staff level might just trickle down to encourage healthy relationships between students, ultimately impacting whole school culture. I have reflected frequently this semester, especially in my readings for my lit review, on the idea that what we do at the staff level impacts the social tone, interactions and learning of our students.Working so closely with so many students burdened with mental health challenges, I recognize that many of them fall through the cracks. 

  • What can we do better or differently to acknowledge and support the quiet, introverted learner who is not easily recognized as a ball of stress and worry?
         I recently read and tweeted out a link to this article, Anxiety in Kids: How to Turn it Around and Protect Them For Life, by heysigmund, that recommended adults respond to kids who are struggling through anxiety with these strategies:

  1. Don't talk them out of it--basically acknowledge it.
  2. Normalise it.
  3. Explain why anxiety feels like it does.
  4. Explain how common anxiety is in kids and adults.
  5. Give it a name.
  6. Now get them into a position.
  7. And breathe.
  8. Practice mindfulness.

         The actual article explains and elaborates on the various strategies; I was struck, quite frankly, with our #tiegrad group's grasp on our own anxiety, both within ourselves and in our responses to each other. As I lamented one day to a small group of my #tiegrad peeps about my state of overwhelm, Melody Watson reminded me to break down the task at hand, which enabled me to gain the perspective I needed to move forward. She basically "got me into a position"; it may not have focused on breath, as the article describes, but the effect was the same and it was what I needed. My husband commented afterwards that he has heard me give the same advice to our children when they are "stuck", no longer moving forward, in their own school work. His comment hung in my head for a bit and I realized the significance of it. As educated adults, our brains know, theoretically, what to do to deal with stress; we are well-versed in stress and the impact anxiety has on our learners, yet my own innate stress-based response impeded my ability to access the good strategies to deal with it. What I did do, however, was share the fact that I was overwhelmed. Unlike many of us, our young learners often aren't able to effectively communicate their feelings of stress or anxiety, so I ask again: 
  • What can we do better or differently to acknowledge and support the quiet, introverted learner who is not easily recognized as a ball of stress and worry?
         For us in #tiegrad, we can be thankful for each other, thankful for the safe PLC that has been established over time through so many meaningful opportunities to share, goof up, recover and learn. For me, personally, I am grateful for Melody Watson and, oh, so very appreciative of my #tiegrad PLC.

Thursday 19 March 2015

A remix of Chapter 17: Action Research (Creswell)


         I decided to summarize Chapter 17, “Action Research”, in John W. Creswell’s book, Educational Research, because I knew it would help me to get a firmer grasp on the content as well as act as a quick reference for me down the road, should I need it. 
Action Research can be defined as a systematic method for collecting data in an educational environment, that is either quantitative, qualitative, or both. This research method's outcome provides information and enables improvements in learning, teaching, and/or the learning environment.
          Action research is used when there is an identified concern or targeted issue that needs to be improved, resolved or changed. Action research encourages educators to act on a problem by providing an opportunity to actively learn more about the issue and work towards a resolution of change or improvement.


3 stages of development of action research

  •        identification of a process
  •        involve participants
  •        the group assumes responsibility for making change for resolving an issue

       This chapter explains that, historically, group discussions were identified as a possible way to improve social conditions by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1930's & 40's.  There were four steps in the group process:  planning, acting, observing, and reflecting.  Action research as a process slowed in the 1950's, but re-emerged in the 1970's and is now recognized as a significant factor in educational reform, professional development, and shifting practice.


Criticism

·              Critics of Action Research cite its informal approach as a negative and criticizes the fact that it is conducted by people who are not academic researchers using a less-than scientific approach. Another criticism lies in the fact that results are not typically shared with scholarly journals in education,  but instead shared informally on online journals, web sites, or within a specific local group (district, community, or school-based).

 

There are two distinct types of Action Research: practical and participatory.

·                Practical Action Research is the one I immediately think of when I visualize what Action Research is. It focuses on the practices within a localized area (school or classroom), targets shifts in practice for teachers and learning for students, and uses a collaborative inquiry approach.  The purpose is to establish a plan of action and implement it and sees the teacher move into a role of teacher-researcher. The challenge is finding time for teachers to engage in practical action research; as teachers, our days are full and there is little time available for meaningful collaborative planning and reflection. Funding and administrative support are integral to successful Practical Action Research. 
·                Participatory Action Research is focused on social and/or community issues outside of education and has social change as its goal.  PAR is usually used in the context of improving an organization, municipality or community, a neighborhood or the lives of families.  PAR can be applied to individuals/groups within the field of education, but its purpose would be to empower the individuals within the system or organization as related to education.
Principles of Action Research

Participatory Action Research or PAR
Teachers-as-researchers have autonomy

A social process that focuses on the relationship between an individual and other individuals
Teachers-as-researchers are committed to Professional Development
The inquiry is based in participation, meaning I would participate in the study and be one of the researchers.
Teachers-as-researchers are reflective both individually and as part of a team
PAR is practical and collaborative in its approach
Reflective practice is based in a systematic approach
PAR is emancipatory: it helps remove limitations within an organization/group that impede personal growth & self-determination
Teachers-as-researchers choose a problem, determine a method of data collection, participate in data analysis & interpretation, and build/implement an action plan.
A goal of PAR is to empower people to remove constraints that result from public perception derived from social media
PAR is characterized by a reflexive practice that works towards bringing about a change in practice

Potential ethical issues
         Being so close to the participants in an action research study can lead to potential ethical challenges where people may feel obligated to participate or results might be skewed due to personal biases. Some participants may be led to believe the study is more significant in terms of importance than it actually is, simply based on the consent form, for example or they may feel they aren't able to opt out midway through a study because of personal relationships.  It’s crucial to keep the research process as transparent as possible to help avoid conflicts of interest and the influence of a subjective voice. The chapter recommends, “continually (renegotiating) the purpose of the study, to consider how the results will be used, and to involve participants in as many phases of the process of research as possible” (p. 588)

 

The steps of action research:

  •      Determine of action research is the best fit for gaining insight to and resolving a given problem
  •      Identify a problem to study
  •      Locate resources to help address the problem
  •      Identify information you will need
  •      Implement the data collection
  •      Analyze the data
  •      Develop a plan for action
  •      Implement the plan and reflect


Criteria for evaluating an action research report

Does the research process:
  •       Focus on an issue in practice or an issue in the local community?      
  •     Select multiple sources of data?
  •        Allow for collaboration with others?
  •        Show respect for all collaborators, making them equal partners in the research process?
  •        Result in a plan of action for trying to resolve the problem?
  •        See the practitioner reflect on his or her own development and learning?
  •        Improve the learning environment, conditions, or experience for learners or participants?
  •       Develop a plan with recommendations changes in practice?
  •       Share research results out in a way that is user friendly and easily understood?


My thoughts on Action Research as presented in Chapter 17…

         I found the chapter to be very clear and feel that I have a pretty good understanding on the process of Action Research.  I can see that there is potential for the waters to get muddied by personal relationships in a Participatory Action Research study and it would be extremely important to be clear, concise and open throughout the process. By regularly revisiting the purpose and process, providing regular opportunities for communication and collaboration, and maintaining transparency one could avoid difficult situations and ethical complications. 

         I was able to draw connections between the Collaborative Inquiry approach and aspects of Action Research and I am intrigued about the possibility of Action Research as school based professional development. While I am excited about some of the possibilities and ways Action Research could be incorporated into addressing inquiry problems and supporting educational reform and shifts in teacher practice, I'm not leaning towards using it as the basis of my final project.  It’s percolating in the back of my mind for sure, however, and I’m wondering what it could look like in other contexts. 


References:

 Creswell, John W. "Action Research." Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 576-95. Print.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Expectation vs Reality or Product vs Process: My #tieyoga update


       A while back I made a Haiku Deck to document my #learningproject progress (or lack thereof) and changes to my plan in my #tieyoga practice.  Often in learning and teaching, we need to assess and reassess our progress  as we move through any given lesson, task, or project. I'm taking a bit of time today to reflect on this particular reassessment of my #tieyoga plan..
       The idea of dropping into a community or studio class once weekly is a great one. It allows me to access an environment that is more conducive to true yoga practice and mindfulness and provides access to the ever important yoga instructor, an expert, to monitor my postures and make corrections as necessary. This strategy has been difficult to implement due to the limitations of time in my life, largely due to my responsibilities as a mother, daughter, student, dog-owner, and full time teacher.
       Five at-home sessions each week is my ideal goal; it's a goal that will see observable results over a relatively short amount of time. Some weeks this has been achievable and other weeks it has not, for exactly the reasons noted above.

       I chose to focus on five key postures that directed my yoga attention to my "problem areas". Plagued by runner's hips and hamstrings (ie. tight), I included hip opening and hamstring stretching postures and feel that I've been successful in increasing my flexibility in these specific areas. I also wanted to target back bends because they are incorporated into many of the postures I am in awe of, such as standing bow and floor bow. Seeing a master yogi perform these postures is a beautiful thing and I wanted to feel the exhilaration of seeing the wall behind me during camel pose. In reality, however, I'm a little bit fearful. I would appreciate some help and guidance through the back bending postures and find them difficult to do at home on my own. Maybe I'm just not ready or maybe it's something that will be more achievable when I can actually practice 5 or more times per week. The other obstacle to my overall achievement of this goal has been the fact that I don't always know what is specifically covered in the yoga video I use (until I use it) and, while I have repeated my use of some videos, I have tried to really explore the different videos available to figure out what I like and don't like. This has been helpful in gaining insight to what's available, but it has slowed the general progress of my identified targeted areas.
       My expectation was to record my #tieyoga practice in my "Accountability Log". This is where expectation and reality actually met! I have been consistently committed to keeping a log of my practice, including time of day, video used, length of practice session, how I felt and goal(s) for next time.
       At times the fact that I have not been achieving my #tieyoga goals has caused me great stress, but I always go back to this script: My learning process is more important than my learning outcome. And, I have learned a lot. I've learned that life has limitations and distractions that are out of my control. I've learned that it's okay to change the game plan, adjust the route, or switch topics completely. I've learned what helps my practice and what doesn't. I've learned that I can do yoga at home, and I can do it enough that I actually notice the benefits. I've learned to have a sense of humour when the dog comes over and licks my face when I am in downward dog or when my kids are being so lovingly loud and fiercely physical with each other that I can't even hear the yogi's serene, rhythmic voice reminding me to breathe.  I've learned that I can reorganize my priorities to a great degree and that it's okay to sometimes just let things go--for awhile--even things I never thought I could, like social engagements and putting clean laundry away.  I've learned that logs and reflections do work and that my #tieyoga community is just me and, at the end of the day, that can be hard. Not impossible. But hard. 
       So, what does this all mean? How can I transfer this learning and insight to my own practice as a teacher? How can I use this information to enable me to better support my learners?  I can follow my own advice: My learning process is more important than my learning outcome and ask students, "But what have you learned? How has this decision or that mistake enlightened you? Explain your thinking."
Merriam-Webster's definition of "process"
       The learning process is what shapes us as learners and what influences our decision-making and skill development as we participate in future learning tasks.  The end, of course, can matter greatly, and as many of us have seen firsthand both in our classrooms and in our #learningprojects, it may or may not be reached by all learners. However, my #tieyoga #learningproject has stressed the importance of the journey for me and that's what I hope I can take to my students; I want them to understand that growth is not only possible, but likely, as an outcome, regardless of reaching a destination. Get on board, keep trekking on your path (as twisted and switchback as it can sometimes seem) and make the most of your journey.