Author: Brittany (Page 2 of 9)

In order to discuss some learning theories, I have broken it down into theories and provided some key examples. I also specifically connected it to French Immersion/language learning as this context sometimes creates a few different considerations. The final video by CLILandthings makes me as a French Immersion teacher reflect on these things even more.

Behaviorism:

Although behaviorism tends to be a “old” theory, I think that there is still place for it and many teachers still use it in order to set up expectations and routines. Lots of positive reinforcement is applied to show students what is expected. Comments like I see so and so ready to learn, who else is ready to learn? As well as in French Immersion specifically, many teachers use this approach to promote French speaking in their classroom, this can be done through French tickets or various programs (here are some to name a few) that follow the reward idea of this theory. Follows this approach. In terms of language learning this theory really focuses on imitation and repetition, which is important for vocabulary acquisition but it is not the only teaching practice. This theory tends to be combined with other theories in order for our students to be able to make mistakes and explore language.

This Ted Talk does a really nice job at emphasizing the importance of making mistakes in language learning.

Constructivism

In terms of constructivism, I value that this theory recognizes more of the learning process as it allows students to make their own connections and make meaning. Therefore various answers will be shared when asking students “what did you learn?”. This theory aligns with BC curriculum as it promotes the learner to go beyond their learning and take risks. This leads into the idea of making mistakes which is so important in language learning and within our classrooms. In order for children to feel like they can do this a classroom community needs to be established so that we are respectful to all ideas and mistakes. This is often done through behaviorism approach. 

Constructivism and Experiential learning

Constructivism and experiential learning really focuses on the learning experience and process. In my teaching and past learning experience. I really benefit from this approach as it helps learners make connections and see beyond the concepts. Notably, it opens our learning to our community by participating in field trips or personal projects guided through inquiry.

What theory best describes your belief around how learning takes place?

I am not sure I can select one learning theory as I believe they are all interrelated and various aspects can contribute to learning. I do have a strong belief about the connectivism learning theory, experiential and inquiry. These theories help create a learning environment where we can be curious, creative and learn from each other while we valuing our strengths and interests.

My most memorable experiences where those I got to share my interests (dance performances as I spoke about in earlier posts) and make personal connections and I think for my students it would be the same. They talk about the inquiry projects and field trips we do. It is never about what they failed it is about the experiences. Whether that was an experiential learning field trip or a project, anytime they got to share and be involved was key.

Ultimately this video does a nice job summarizing how we can take elements from each learning theory to benefit our practice and that there is no best practice as everyone learns differently.

I also answered this question in EDCI 335 post during my undergrad and I would have to say that my response is very similar. Any experience I get to perform or do dance and art in any form. This aligns nicely with the pedagogy that High Tech High followed through their use of an exhibition which is resumed nicely in the following video.

Every time I had the opportunity to share my artistry or learning with an audience I felt motivated and inspired. This is still true and I still continue to dance.

Accordingly, I really value this statement from Bates, 2015, chapter 2.1 “All teaching is a mix of art and science. It is an art because any teacher or instructor is faced with numerous and constantly changing variables, which require rapid judgement and decision-making.” 

What made it memorable and worth writing about?

This experience of dance and performing was valuable because I always felt I was working towards a goal. Something that really came to light last dance performance for me was the importance of the process as well. This is talked about a lot in Education and teaching but less so in the arts. Often in dance, you work towards the final product and only showcase that but last year the studio I dance with showcased the learning along the way through a video montage. Thus valuing the journey and process of learning and much like in our classroom through surfaces like digital portfolios I believe this is also important. Yes an exhibition is important but documenting the steps to get there and talking about the successes and failures is even more meaningful. Dance in my experience has been about your learning.

My dance experience ranges from very structured to flexible classes and self-choregraphed dance sessions. I did very structured exam dance classes including RAD and ISTD syllabus work where you had to engage in an examination performance based on the syllabus which is a very similar model to Education and our curriculum and these experiences where also very memorable as I was working towards showing others and performing for them. In my opinion, this is very different from a test because there is no response from an audience. During dance exams or performances you get to see the examiner smiling and the audience engagement. It is really the performance aspect that makes this experience very memorable and the personalization that dance seems to have as no one does one move the exact same way even in a group dance.

Dance for me is a passion, but it is also a learning experience as no dance class is the same and throughout you learn various life skills. This ranges from confidence, independence, goal setting, creativity, teamwork, performance and time management to name a few. This Instagram post addresses many of the benefits I see in performing arts and education.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C19jU2ON_CM/

All in all, performing arts is at the heart of my pedagogy as a teacher now likely because of the positive learning experiences I had. I also value arts as they foster a sense of belonging for children and there are many benefits for inclusion and those of diverse abilities. Dance is a form of expression and this is well explained in the following video.

Introduction

Welcome back! I cannot believe it is term 2 of my Master’s degree in Educational Technology and I am back to teaching grade 1-2 French Immersion in Victoria as well. You can read more about me on my home page or this previous post as it really dives into, my beliefs and pedagogy surrounding dance and art. Furthermore, to expand on the benefits of dance pedagogy, through my recent years of teaching I have really been able to learn new tools and programs that have further developed my teaching skills and helped put the student at the center of their learning. One of the programs I have been learning relates to French Language Learning and is called AIM. This year my plan is to do my first AIM play as it follows an inclusive model, that promotes engagement and aligns with incorporating arts as a tool for learning.

I could elaborate on this model more, but let’s set that aside for a separate blog post and focus on the key questions of learning design.

Why you are interested in learning design?

I am interested in learning design as teaching is constantly changing and I believe that there is no proper way to teach but rather it is important to be flexible and continue your learning to adapt to your classrooms needs and strengths. Ultimately, this week we looked at a film called Most Likely to Succeed Film (2015). This film looked at a School called High Tech High -which as their moto connects the classroom to the world . I always have had a large appreciation for Inquiry and Innovation and this school really puts forward the idea of creativity and life skills related to learning. As a dancer and connecting this back to my belief of the Arts in Education, I value the idea of creativity and producing new things and performing/presenting at an exhibition. Thus, I believe that this model is teaching essential life skills, as stated within the film.  I can honestly say that my little brother and I had very different school experiences. In High School, my brother went to Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry and followed a similar structure to what the film discussed, which has only made him transfer those skills and create super interesting projects to this day. Notably he created this https://twitter.com/psiivictoria/status/1470551620689661954?s=46&t=tzbVmeBGLPTPA8bgS4JNtQ . He learned how to code through Arduino, he designed it and various subject areas were evaluated. He also not only did this within school, now as a graduate from this school, has started his own business, where he is able to use the skills learned at PSII to help him have success in his career.

What experience do you have with learning design and how might you explain your process of designing learning experiences?

Finally the experience I have with learning design is acknowledging that it must be purposeful and intentional. Getting students involved in the process makes learning meaningful for them. I value our curriculum as it provides opportunities to design lessons where students gain these skills and in BC we are lucky that this aligns with our Core Competencies and as reporting is changing it seems that we are moving towards more inquiry models and goal setting experiences. In the Most Likely to Succeed Film (2015), it talked about building student confidence as an example of a skill. It also elaborated on the process of learning and the motivation. These are crucial in the learning design process. In a second language learning environment this is also very crucial as students are encouraged to take risks and learn from each other. If that is not set up or encouraged then how can students do this…

To explain my process of designing learning experiences here is a brief summary:

I believe that learning experiences is not only about a lesson, but also about the environment. I recognize however that I as a teacher have a vision and not everything is able to occur. For me this is not a linear process but rather one that I am constantly thinking about and changing but I do try to consider all of these elements to make for a great learning experience.

• Setting up the space. I am grateful to have my own classroom and be able to move tables and switch it up for my learners. If I had a big budget and was able to design the class, I know I wouldn’t have desks. However, at this time, I only have access to desks and therefore have much like the video, set up my class in a square. I also do group pods as well to promote collaboration.  
• Thinking of the classroom walls, there are many theories but in a French Language Learning environment and in all classrooms, effectively making the classroom with the children has been very beneficial for my learners. We create our sound and word walls (there is limited up on the walls when students arrive). It is purposeful.
• September and even before you know your class, getting to know students within the school hallways. Then when in your class, diving in to your students interests, passions and strengths. I have really found it beneficial to run lunch clubs to get to know the kids even more.
•  Furthermore, thinking of your students alongside the curriculum by making expectations with the students and having a goal for the learning.
• I have really enjoyed using our digital portfolio and connecting with parents this way as well as I hope to have more celebrations of learning exposition type events in the future.
• Finally collaborating as students it is important but also as teachers, reaching out to staff. Sharing resources and using school resources is so important. We can’t always be reinventing the wheel so having activities that are easily modifiable are essential.

As a final example, one activity I and my students enjoy which fosters oral language practice is using an image and some sentence starters to create a story. This can be easily modified as you can select image that are of interest to your students. Last week I did one about volcanos and mountains as this year I have a huge interest in them. This helped motivate my students.