“Creatively adapting to change on our path to life-long
learning”
Identifying reoccurring themes that
occurred throughout my research, as well as important terms I felt embodied the
concept of “21st Century Learning” helped build the foundation for my motto.
This compilation of terms were combined to create an image using the online
program Tagxedo. From there I pinpointed the terms
I felt were the most important and proceeded to develop my motto.
I chose this motto because I believe
one of the key skills a person needs in order to successfully adjust to the 21st
Century Learning is the ability to adapt to change. The concept of change is an
idea that I encountered several times throughout my research. Adapting to
change is also one of the key components identified in the Partnership for 21st
Century Skills Framework (2009). Simply adapting to change isn’t enough,
however, we must do it in a way that is creative, innovative and in a way that
prepares students to be learners for life.
Several resources influenced the direction I took with my motto. One
resource I found that I would like to share is a PowerPoint by Kim Cofino. I
believe this presentation does an exemplary job at defining precisely what a 21st
Century Learner looks like.
The 21st Century Learner from Kim Cofino
Addition resources that contributed include:
Technology
Integration For The New 21st Century Learner by
Nancye Blair
Teach Like A Pirate
by Dave Burgess
How
Do You Define 21st-century learning?
By Education Week
P21
Framework Definitions by Partnership for 21st
Century Skills
21st-CenturyLearner
by Mark Stevens
A New Culture of Learning
by Thomas, D., & Seely Brown, J.
How do I adapt
to change in my environment?
“Enjoying success requires the ability
to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get
the most from your talent” –Nolan Ryan
Being able to adapt to change within your
environment is an essential skill to master according to the P21 Framework
(2009). Over the past few
years as a result of the shift in our education school systems, I’ve had
several different situations in which I’ve needed to respond/adapt to change. One big change deals with the increased
need to include digital tools or program within the classroom. Due to this sudden change I’ve had to
learn several tools and programs all at once. While overwhelming at first, I’ve
learned several strategies that I can use to cope with this demand. One strategy is to allow myself time to
just play with the technology.
Experience it for myself.
In addition to my own experiences, I know that I can also find useful
information about certain programs on the web. One website that I found, in
which I frequent a lot this year is called Atomic Learning. Atomic Learning is
an online training resource that offers thousands of tutorials on current
technology tools and programs that could be used within the classroom. I’ve used this site over a dozen times
to help figure out how to use programs such as Prezi and notebook, as well as
how to perform specific tasks using my Smart Board. Although I am not fond of
the time it takes to learn all these programs, I do it because I know it will
benefit my students in the long run.
I know that by learning these tools I will be better able to “engage
students with real world data, tools and experts they will encounter in
college, on the job, and in life . . .” (P21, 2009). Simply learning about
different technology tools/programs is not enough however, I must also figure
out how to creatively use those tools to help facilitate my students
learning. Due to my limited
experience, I rely heavily on research I conduct online. In addition to research, which is
primarily one sided (me looking for the data), I am now beginning to engage
with my PLN more. I am using
technology tools such as blogging and twitter and expanding my Professional
Network to include people whom of which I’ve never met before. While this in itself doesn’t sound too
impressive to most, it’s a big step for me.
In addition to the strategies I noted
above, some other useful strategies I use to adapt to change include:
-Taking a step
back and re-evaluating the situation
Being
able to pause and reflect upon the positives or negatives of something is an
act of critical thinking. Although
I might not agree with the change at first, taking a step back and looking at
it through an objective point of view will allow for me to see the positives
and help me understand why the change is happening.
-Be open to new
ideas
Change
is inevitable. In order for things
to get better in most situations, is for something to change. Throughout my 4 years of teaching I
have seen so many changes happen that I’ve lost count. Being open to changes means that I am
admitting I don’t know everything about every subject. By accepting of change I will not only
make my life easier and less stressful, I am bettering my teaching skills and my
students learning as well.
-Embrace your
mistakes
We
all make mistakes! Once we accept
that, it becomes possible to learn and make educated decisions on what we would
do differently next time. By understanding that I’ve made a mistake in the way
that I’m teaching, I begin the process of changing/modifying it. By admitting and embracing mistakes I
am being understanding that not all lessons work, not all students *get it the
way I’ve originally taught it, or that they all get it in just one try. If something fails, perhaps it’s time
to take a step back and approach it from a different situation. Change is not bad! Sometimes it’s the
BEST thing I could do for my students!
-Talk about
it-collaborate
As
much as I would like to say I know all the answers, I know that I don’t. During change it’s important to be able
to converse about it if needed. By doing so I will be able to understand the
reasons behind the change more, and get the support I need to follow through
with the change. We learn so much
from our colleagues and others in our PLN, it’s important that we collaborate
as much as necessary.
Resources that help with adapting to
change:
-Knowing
the 21st Century Frame work-this site is
perfect for understand the expectations we as teacher’s are held to in order to
get our students prepared for life.
-Classroom 2.0 -This is an
online professional learning network that is focused on technology. There are thousands of blog/forum posts
from teachers all over the world talking about how they use certain programs in
the classroom. What tools work
best? What programs are perfect
for certain grade levels? It also
provides hundreds of lesson plans that help integrate several of these
programs.
-The Educator’s PLN - An online
professional learning network site.
By joining this site you are able to get insight from teachers around
the world are struggling with, rejoicing in and the like. This site is full of educators just
like us, going through the same things we’re going through.
How do I support
my students in adapting to change?
Since change is an inevitable within
the classroom, it’s important for my students to be able to deal with it as
well. Some of these ways are
similar to what I do to adapt to change.
One way in which I help my students adapt to change, such as a new
technology tool or program, is to build time within my lessons for them to
experience it first hand. I do
this by giving them about 10 minutes to play around with it. I make sure to put a timer in the front
of the room so students (and myself!) know how much time they actually
have. Doing this also assures that
I’m not shorting them on time-or giving too much. When I allow this type of play to happen I am embracing and
building upon their natural curiosities.
Doing this before a project deems not only helpful for me, but also for
them, as they are able to figure out a lot of things (meaning less instructions
for me to give) and they often figure out more things than I and therefore are
actually able to teach ME about something I hadn’t know.
In addition to this I am providing
students with a safe environment to experiment and test the tool before we use
it. I found in the past that when I hadn’t allowed for this type of *play* to
happen, more student were confused and tended to be off task. They were also less inclined to take
risks and figure out how the program actually worked. Once I started building in time for exploration of the
program before I taught it, I began noticing a larger percentage of students
were able to get started right away on an assignment. I also noticed I didn’t
need to spend as much time on directions, nor did I have to repeat them as
often. Students were on task and
engaged with the assignment. I also discovered that students were more
willing to take risks and get creative with their projects. Students were
beginning to have fun with not only the exploration of the tool, but the
process in which they would go through in order to complete the
assignment. They were engaged and as a result begun to produce a better
quality of work.
One area that I believe I could work on
with my students is creativity.
Often I find myself so stuck on the standards, that I miss out on all
the opportunities and projects that would allow students to be creative while
still learning. I find that those
types of projects panic me. I am often
so worried that these types of projects will take too long. But after what I’ve learned about this
type of learning (project-based) I’ve learned that by allowing my students to
be able to partake in these projects students will be able to learn at a higher
level, and often get more meaning out of the project. I would very much like to begin using this type of mindset
within the classroom. It’s time to be less afraid and take risks. I can support this change in the way I
teach, by allowing tutoring time on the project after school as well as
allowing for extra time for the first few projects. By explaining to my students why I am changing the way I
teach, will also prove to be beneficial.
By showing my support I know that students as well as myself will be
able to adapt easier and be more open to what is in store for us!
References
21st
Century Schools
Blair,
N. (2012, January/February). Technology integration for the new 21st
century learner. Principal. Retrieved
from http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/Blair_JF12.pdf
Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate. San Deigo, CA: Dave
Burgess Consulting, Inc.
How
do you define 21st-century learning?. (2010, October 11). Education Week. 04(01), 32. Retrieved
from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01panel.h04.html
P21
Framework Definitions. (2009). Partnership
for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf
Stevens,
M. (2011, Summer). 21st-century learner. NEA Today Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/46989.htm
Thomas,
D., & Seely Brown, J. (2011). A
new culture of learning cultivating the imagination for a world of constant
change.
Websites
http://www.wikihow.com/Add-a-PowerPoint-to-Blogger
Classroom 2.0 http://www.classroom20.com/
The Educator’s
PLN http://edupln.ning.com/
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