For my masters course, we were tasked with attempting to learn a new skill by developing a digital network of assistance. This Networked Learning Project or NLP, is designed to show the power of networking through digital platforms. I selected to learn basic bass guitar, and focused on some iconic (but easy) basslines to work on over the next few weeks. Recently, I have been listening to the podcast Screw It, We’re Just Gonna Talk About The Beatles that sees a group of friends sharing their personal opinions on why The Beatles are so great. Ultimately, this led me to the bassline of Come Together. Iconic, unique, and for this lay person, it seems fun to play. I scoured YouTube for a video that seemed straightforward, and confirmed that it would be possible to learn in 4 weeks, and found The Beatles - ‘Come Together’ Full Song Tutorial for Bass by Stuart Clayton. Clayton does a great job teaching, but some of the jargon and music theory did intimidate, and I felt over my head and thought about my struggle with the guitar in my early 20s. While my brain may have been more conditioned to pick up the fine motor skills and mental coordination of learning the guitar at that time, my maturity certainly wasn't. These preconceived ideas remind me of How People Learn (Bransford, et al) and that the same consideration of context we consider in our student's learning experiences should be considered in our own. I can only hope my years of experience as an educator, a more refined focus, and all of these networked resources, can overcome the deficiencies of age. I am eager to pursue this, and hope that overcoming small hurdles will motivate me to continue well into the future.
References: Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368 Clayton, S. (2020, April 1). The Beatles - 'Come Together' Full Song Tutorial for Bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF8pyvUamlc Hines, W. (Host). (2017-2021). Screw It, We Are Just Going To Talk About The Beatles [Audio Podcast]. https://beatlestalk.libsyn.com/page/1/size/25
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One of the most valuable exercises we as educators can do is to reflect on what is and is not working. While this likely happens in your classroom, with your lesson plans, and through interaction with students, we may not take the time to consider our Professional Learning Network(PLN). Professional Learning Networks are the groups of people you interact with to hone your professional skills. It is easy to isolate yourself from your colleagues during a busy day, but working together is the first step in crafting a vibrant PLN. I am thankful that my PLN has allowed me to work closely with many of my inspired colleagues. However, as technology has grown, PLNs have shifted from office interaction, to digital interaction through a variety of communication platforms. These new digital PLNs allow for fresh perspectives, new ideas, and diversity that was previously impossible.
In the TED Talk, The secret to great opportunities? The person you haven't met, Tanya Menon warns us to “find our filters”. She suggests avoiding preconceived ideas we have about other people that might lead to us shutting them out. This same perspective can be applied to concerns about social media and technology. As platforms for immediate human interaction continue to proliferate to more people, the shift to digital PLNs grows. While I have made inroads, my digital PLN has always been slowed by my hesitancy to adopt social media platforms and forge online communities. Despite my willingness to talk in person, I tend to be hesitant to engage in online discussions. The benefits of these PLNs come from both giving and taking. As mentioned above, the best of us reflect and make change, and the world is becoming more digitized by the day, so my goal is to openly embrace this new digitized world. References: Menon, T. (2017,March). The secret to great opportunities? The person you haven't met yet [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/tanya_menon_the_secret_to_great_opportunities_the_person_you_haven_t_met_yet As the world races towards technology integration, so does the classroom. Despite the excitement for technology, it is a challenge to incorporate it into the classroom in a meaningful way. The "TPACK" framework helps illustrate the importance for teachers to blend technology with content and pedagogical knowledge. The analysis of the intersections of these three elements, both paired and together as a triad, allows us to find the "sweet spot" where technology bolsters the content and pedagogy of a lesson. (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) My Cooking with TPACK video above illustrates what might happen when we fail to consider all of these elements. I have the content related and pedagogical means to perform the task, but without input on the technology, I am left with a tool that is not ideal. With adaptability, educators are still able to present the material with the limited tools they are provided. However, with the proper union of pedagogy, content, and technology, the final product has the potential to be presented in a more clear and precise manner.
Despite the potential of the “TPACK” framework, we must, as Bransford, et al (2000) states, consider the context of our students, or what prior knowledge they bring to the class. Additionally, we must consider the inherent “politics” of technology (Winner, 1980). Our students come to our classroom with a variety of skill sets that often speak to their level of privilege more than their knowledge, and if we assess them without that understanding, they may appear deficient. Through understanding of context, technology, pedagogy, and content, we can do our best to ensure that, given their context, all of our students have the means to meet their potential. References: Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368 Candace R. (2013, April 26). TPACK in 2 minutes. [Video]. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FagVSQlZELY McGregor, D (2021, September 13). Cooking with TPACK - CEP 810. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/OBgSF0mW5H0 Mishra, P. (2018). Revised version of TPACK image [Image]. https://punyamishra.com/2018/09/10/the-tpack-diagram-gets-an-upgrade/ Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Tehnological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054 Winner, L. (1980) DO Artifacts Have Politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136. http://jstor.org/stable/20024652 As I read How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (2000), I couldn't help to think that despite the date of publication many of these conversations about learning, understanding, and transfer, don't seem to be happening in public schools that I have visited. Based on conversation with educators from other local districts, I am happy to work for a district that has seemingly more respect for their educators and does give flexibility and academic freedom in the lesson crafting process, but beyond some short PD conversations, the value of formative assessment, low stakes assignments, student context, and promoting student agency has not been connected to teaching methods.
In my essay, I reflected on how my colleagues and I subconsciously took many of the skills from this book into consideration when designing our English 12 course. I was not aware of How People Learn, but throughout our experiences, we recognized the value of diverse perspectives, student choice, and thematic connections to the real world have had on student buy-in and understanding. Designing the course as a constant “work in progress” is stressful, but the same things that inspire our students, inspire educators. With respect, motivation, and positive collaboration, we have found that finding new material each year is a pleasure, and our excitement bleeds into the classroom and provides another spark of motivation for our students. The course isn’t perfect, but now I have more tools to continue to motivate our students, allow them to see connections to the outside world, and transfer the skills from our class outside of the classroom. However, if these concepts were developed and refined in not just one course, but entirely in a collaborative K-12 curriculum, we would see greater student agency, motivation, and with it, transfer. Reference: Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368 Image Credit: Spencer, J. (2020) Student Agency [Digital] spencerauthor.com. https://spencerauthor.com/choice-menus/
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David McGregorI am an English teacher and cat lover from Genesee County, Michigan who is eager to learn new things. Archives
August 2022
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