Hello and Goodbye

In this final blog I would like to emphasize on what we have learned throughout the term and how it can be related to our future as twenty-first-century teachers. Starting from the old story and moving towards the new story means that we have to make sure we don’t fall back into the trap of teaching students the same way we were taught throughout our schooling. We have to be constantly changing and growing as individuals and teachers. Implementing teaching styles like the backwards design model, using integrated curriculum to ignite passion in our students, bringing technology into the classroom to accelerate their learning and acting as agents for change are all examples of practices we have learned throughout this course that we can bring with us into the 21^st century teaching.

Of course there are people out there who will argue that we are just young and full of energy and that’s the only reason we think we can somehow change education for the better all by ourselves. But I just want to clarify now that that is not the goal of my rant. I don’t believe any one person can change the entire education system as a whole but if we (as new teachers) can bring about some change to a system that is clearly falling behind in our ever changing society then maybe there is some positives to be had. Teachers need to stay in the 21^st century and we need to change with society. I believe teachers need to continue to learn from their experiences by reflecting on the positives and negatives of their effectiveness.  As John Dewey wrote, “without reflection there can be no growth” (Drake, Reid, Kolohon, p. 149, 2014). By constantly reflecting we are able to figure out new effective ways of teaching that will help us keep up with these changing times. By reflecting teachers will be able to see (assess) if they are truly teaching and instilling their 21^st century values to their students. If these values that we hold so dearly are not met within our practice then we are simply living contradictions in our classroom. That means we either need to adapt our teaching styles, or adapt our teaching values but it is only through reflecting that we can figure which must be changed.

This video is a great example of current movements in Canada towards the newer 21st century education. As future teachers who are looking to become effective 21st century educators or anyone who is interested in the future of our public education system in Canada, you should check out this video!!!

The last thing I want to discuss in my blog is the massive gap between theory and practice. I have heard first hand from my placement and observation teachers that almost all of the theories learned throughout our undergraduate studies are completely unrelated to the real-world situations they face daily. They give no validity to our theory and simply respond with a simple “it’s unpractical” within the classroom. As a young, hopeful, future educator it is extremely sad to think that after 5 years of post-secondary education I will have to completely re-learn all that I know about my field of expertise once I finally get into a classroom. Is all of this for nothing? Can it really be true? Or does understanding these basic theories give us the knowledge we need to make adjustments and modifications once we finally get into a classroom?

Retrieved from: http://meetville.com/quotes/quote/albert-einstein/109864

I guess my placement and observation teachers are just as wise as Albert Einstein...

I personally like to think that with all I’ve learned about backwards design, integrated curriculum, alternative assessments and 21^st century learning it’s impossible to say these 5 years have been wasted. If nothing else these examples prove one thing and one thing alone. I have learned, I have continued learning and I have developed a hunger to want to learn more. And that my friends, is the ultimate goal of education. Will there still be some things I need to learn down the road when I become a professional? Of course, but that can be said for every profession! So at the end of the day if learning was the only outcome of my education in post-secondary schooling, I think it was worth every second I spent on it. And one day I hope that I can produce that same outcome with my students.

Retrieved From: http://www.shutterstock.com/s/theory/search.html?page=1&inline=189293393

At the beginning, middle, and end of theory and practice, learning resides.




To all of my faithful followers (fellow peers :p) I would like to say exam period is just around the corner so I don't know when my next post will come.

I would like to wish you all the happiest of holidays,

Goodbye! ... for now.


Reference: 

Drake, S., Reid, J., Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment. Engaging 
the 21st-Century Learner, Chapter 6.