Teachers as Agents of Change/Activators

As a child of an elementary school teacher; who has taught special education, home room, physical education and coached many teams and led many clubs, I knew that there is much more to being a teacher than just teaching the mandatory curriculum in your classroom. If teachers want to make a positive difference and be agents of change for their students, they need to be leaders and actively involved within their school and the surrounding community.   

From the perspective of a student, I remember the teachers that got "involved" the most. The teachers who coached teams, ran the musical, chaperoned a club, or ran a community outreach program, those were the teachers you remember the most. The teachers who were passionate and loved what they were teaching, either made you love it almost as much, or at least respect their love for it enough to try your best at it. The teachers who took an interest in you as a student; who asked you how your day was going or how your hockey game went the night before. Those were the teachers who made a positive impact on their students, by showing that the cared and by being leaders and role models for their students. That's the kind of teacher I want to be.   

According to Dr. Coral Mitchell, teachers who are seen as leaders, agents of change or activators, build learning capacity, as well as, identify and address challenges. They also are willing to take risks and introduce innovations within their school and classroom. Teachers who are leaders negotiate understanding, practices and expectations with their students and establish priorities, plan and organize. But mainly they move the work of teaching and learning forward (2011). 

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This concept is taken one step farther by Michael Fullan, who believes that the 21st century teacher needs to be an agent of positive change and help their students find passion, purpose and spark their interest to help them become life-long learners (Drake et al., 165). For John Hattie, it is the responsibility of the teacher to be an expert in their field (Drake et al., 165). Dr. Hattie believes the fundamental role of a teachers is to help students exceed their own expectations and potential. This concept of "teachers as experts" means they have a deep understanding of their subject matter, which allows them to facilitate both surface and deep learning outcomes, as well as, give constructive feedback and continuously evaluate their impact on students' learning (Drake et al., 165). In his meta-analysis of 1000 research studies, john Hattie establishes that teachers and students are learning partners (Fullan, 2013).  In comparing instructional practices he discovered in his research that, "teacher as an activator" has an effect size of .60, which is good by his standards (Fullan, 2013).  In practice, Dr Hattie said "teacher as an activator" would look like; reciprocal teaching, feedback, teacher/student self-verbalization, meta-cognition, goal challenging and frequent checks on the effect of their teaching (Fullan, 2013). This is explained in this short video below, where he simplifies his theory on teachers as experts and agents of change. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XWMAteuaks

If you want to learn more about how to implement this concept of a teacher as an activator, watch this video by Michael Fullan, which shows how teachers become activators and agents of change through the integration of technology and the "flipped classroom", which also allows students to become partners in learning and the use of technology fuels communication and collaboration amongst all participants (teachers and students). Other activating strategies for the classroom can be found here, using some of these ideas can help you to get your students involved in their own learning and help you to become an activator in your classroom. 

References 

Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., Kolohon, W. (2013). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21^st-century learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Fullan, M. (2013). The new pedagogy: Students and teachers as learning partners. Learning Landscape, 6, 23-29.

Mitchell, C., & Sackney, L. (2011). Building and leading within learning ecologies. In T. Townsend & J. MacBeath (Eds.), International Handbook of Leadership for Learning (pp. 975-990). London, UK: Springer.

Learning Preference vs. Learning Style 

Students may have a preferred way of learning, but do they really learn better one way over another?  

The answer is unclear. Depending on whom you ask learning styles relate to the way in which different individuals learn. As many researchers have focused on different aspects of learning styles, a wide range of interpretations and definitions have been produced (Boneva & Mohova. 2011). One popular approach to thinking about learning styles is VARK, which suggests that there are three kinds of learning styles: auditory learners, visual learners, and kinesthetic/tactile learners (Drake et al., 2014), as shown in the image below.

http://studentblogs.le.ac.uk/management/files/2012/10/Learning-Styles-1.jpg

In comparison, many professionals believe that according to research, although students may have a preferred way to learn within the classroom, they can, and do learn through all learning methods. Most of the research and results on learning styles focus on students’ preferred channel of perception (or learning). Although it is clear that learners may use different channels at different times, depending on the nature of the task to be performed, it is possible to allocate learners to one of the following groups based solely on their (generally) preferred channel of perception (Boneva & Mohova. 2011).

https://reachmilitaryfamilies.umn.edu/sites/default/files/learning_modules/files/1/learning%20styles.jpg

Do you remember being a student and taking a quiz such as this one, to determine which learning style you were and then giving your answers to your teacher. And your teacher said it was to get to know you better as a student and see which ways you learn best. Did this really help you in the class? Did the teacher use this information to change their teaching style? Probably not.

Although the belief in learning styles is so widespread and is considered to be common sense within the education system, there is no evidence that these learning styles make a difference to children’s learning. However, few people ever challenge this belief, which has been deeply ingrained in our educational system. Teachers are routinely told that in order to be effective educators, they must identify and cater to students' learning styles. It is estimated that around 90% of students believe that they have a specific learning style but research suggests that learning styles don't actually exist. And that students are only reflecting their preferred learning styles when they take quizzes that determine their “best learning style”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYyVWBJn59g

If you want more information on learning styles check out this Ted Talk by Dr. Tesia Marshik, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Whose presentation focuses on debunking the myth of learning styles through research and examining the problematic nature of this belief and why, despite the lack of research, educators consider learning styles "common sense". Many people may not agree with this analysis of learning styles, however it is always important to consider opposing views when examining educational theories and concepts. But let me know what you think in the comments below!

References

Boneva, D., & Mihova, E.(2011). Learning Styles and Learning Preferences: Module 8. Bulgaria: Dyslexia Association.

Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., Kolohon, W. (2014).  Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner.  Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Curriculum: A Constructivist Approach

Project Based Learning

Thinking back on my experience as a student, as well as our assessment assignments, it is evident that students value a constructivist approach to learning in the classroom. Personally, I loved doing independent studies and final projects in my high school classes. Those assignments were the ones I enjoyed the most, I had the chance to be creative and pick a research topic that I enjoyed or connected with. I found that I learned the most through those projects; I was able to discover knowledge at my own pace and it wasn’t simply memorizing and regurgitating information on a test.  I was interested and passionate about what I was learning so the information and knowledge I gained stayed with me. This kind of project-led, self guided, and hands-on approach to learning is a constructivist approach to teaching.

https://info.examtime.com/files/2015/03/project-based-learning-diagram.jpg

Project based learning is a comprehensive approach to education where students learn while doing (Drake et al., 2014). Students use a “driving question” that sparks their interest to create the jumping point for a year long project that incorporates 21^st century skills such as research, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, organization and communication (Drake et al., 2014).   Project based learning can be an individual or group activity that results in a product, presentation, or performance/demonstration. This kind of learning constructs meaning and stimulates engagement in students. These projects help students demonstrate their intellectual capacities, their creativity, their energy and willpower, as well as, certain social and moral qualities (such as cooperation, team spirit, and honesty, etc.), which they will need in their future education and/or careers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8

Project based learning was just being introduced in my high school during my post-secondary education. In my experience teachers combined project-based learning with traditional learning (oral, written and practical tests) to give all students opportunities and prepare them for their futures in post-secondary education or in the workforce.  I found this way of learning to be quite effective as a student and I think it would be the best way to assess my students as a teacher. I will have the choice of how I present the mandatory curriculum to my students. Therefore, creating a balance between the two learning theories would offer students possibilities to prove what they know (ie. a set of knowledge), as well as what they can do (ie. a set of talents, skills, and abilities).

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As a student working toward becoming a teacher I know how important it is to get my students engaged in what they are learning. When students are given an opportunity to choose how or what they are learning, or when they have the chance to be creative and experience hands on learning they are much more likely to be engaged in the classroom and experience deep learning. By not only following the traditional model of teaching, and by using a constructivist approach to curriculum in my classroom, I hope to become a teacher that can share my passion for languages and cultures with my students through project-based learning. Hopefully my passion for my teachable subjects and my approach to teaching will help my future students grow as learners and get them engaged and interested in what they are learning.

References

Buck Institute for Education. (December 9, 2010). Project Based Learning: Explained. Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8

Catapano, S., & Gray, J. (2015). Saturday School: Implementing Project-Based Learning in an Urban School. Penn GSE Perspectives On Urban Education, 12(1),

Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., Kolohon, W. (2014).  Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner.  Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Patton, A. (February 2012). Work that Matters: The teacher’s guide to project-based learning.  Retrieved from: http://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/Teacher's%20Guide%20to%20Project-based%20Learning.pdf