Teachers as
Designers
A pen is all I had
in front of me. No paper. No books. We were, after-all, instructed not to
bring any books with us to the first class. Instructions that were
repeated in a reassuring way when I sat down and asked what we would need?
"Nothing" the simple reply. Nothing was exactly what sat in front of
most of the other students in the room. Yet I put a pen where a paper or book
should be, surely we would need that, I reasoned. The box of what I assumed
were handouts sat clearly in front of our instructor, we would get those soon I
anticipated. Except it wasn't soon. As the introductions and the name-game fed
into a lecture and the lecture led to a power-point presentation my
anticipation plunged into a ripple of uneasiness. "When are we going to
get those hand-outs?" I pined.
Our first break came and the chance to stretch my legs eased my desire
to put ink to paper, any paper. Together again we learned that there are
multiple meanings of 'Digital learning' but it is best stated as "any
instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen the
student learning experience.”
Finally the
hand-outs came. Yes! Paper to write on. The next bit of knowledge handed to us;
there is a difference between planning and designing. Explained to us in two
different news stories that we read and then discussed. When it comes to the
classroom, planning is effective and necessary but it is not design. Design is
the distillation scientific formulas and artistic expression, giving purpose and
reason to classroom action. ”As a cognitive mode, design depends on “principles
rather than theories and heuristics of practice rather than explanations” Laurillard,
2012, p. 1
A Teacher as a
designer will build a bridge from their Content, Pedagogical, &
Technological knowledge so that effective classroom practice will enhance the
learning of their students. To be designers, Teachers must identify design
problems, learn to consider and invent possibilities as well as recognize and
embrace constraints. They must also integrate design principles, processes,
patterns, and peripherals.
Thinking
of myself as a designer I believe it will impact my practice in that I will
give more thought to what I am trying to accomplish. I should take the time to
ask myself what is my reason for this lesson. What is the purpose of this
lesson? Is this something to fill the day or am I enhancing the experience for
my students as I guide them to discover knowledge.
Just as the design
of the name game we played at the beginning of class taught us that there are
different methods of memorization, the design of not having anything in front
of me for the first hour of class taught me that I can be an auditory learner
and that I should put more value into verbal conversation. We are surrounded by
so much noise, not just auditory noise, but visual and tactile noise that just
to sit and not be surrounded by stuff and have an active role in conversation
was refreshing.
I’ll conclude
with my final thoughts: A good plan will accomplish a task, a good design will
enhance the experience. There is nothing wrong with completing a task or a list
of tasks, as that lends to building confidence, but an enhanced experience that
guides you to a discover-able knowledge can open your mind to a hunger to
discover more.
may edit more later, wanted to get this on here before 5PM
ReplyDeleteHi Jim! I also had a bit of anxiety when we weren't putting pen to paper in the beginning of the class. It makes me wonder if I can tend to hide behind the process rather than just getting to know others. I look forward to reading more of your blog entries. I wonder if you could put in examples from your class next time?
ReplyDeleteHey Jim!
ReplyDeleteAfter Dr. Norton gave your post a rave review in class, I immediately logged on to read it. I, like others, felt some compulsion to hold a pen and to take notes in our first class. At one point I had to check to see that: A) was there really nothing worth putting down on paper, or B) was I just feeling that compulsion because that's what my brain told me that people in class do? Ultimately I relaxed about it, because I realized that, at least for me, the first class could be mostly about listening, something that I feel we do so little in today's, as you called it "noise". It was nice to just listen for a change. I think that I might have taught me to think about unlearning what years of school have "trained" me to do. I think that might be a good simile for what this course will be about. We've got to untrain our minds about what school is and consider what it can be. It can be so much more if we just put down our pens and think!
Hello! Jim, you are a fantastic writer - makes me want to come check your blog often to see what else is here! I very much relate to your feelings about our first class. I had no idea what to expect - what notes should I take, what should I have prepared for. But I ended up just loving just the discussion we had. I am very much not an auditory learner, but having a conversation makes things easier to comprehend than just listening (I usually zone out very quickly when not involved...)
ReplyDeleteThis applies to our classrooms, as you pointed out. We can plan out a list of things to teach to our students and make sure they are given all of the information, but if they aren't engaged and actually experiencing things, they probably aren't learning and aren't building that desire to learn more.
Well, blog lesson learned... ugh! Make sure you CLICK PUBLISH before leaving a blog. Just lost my entire post.
ReplyDeleteJim, I love the creative nature of your post... from the cool background to your well-written post with a wonderful "hook", I wanted to keep reading. I also referred to teaching as both having an aspect of science and art to it. But I love how you stated it,
"Design is the distillation scientific formulas and artistic expression, giving purpose and reason to classroom action." Design is much more than planning. I too have a set of questions or principles that have guided my teaching practice, so I can relate to the questions that you mentioned asking yourself as a designer: What is my reason for this lesson? What is the purpose of this lesson? Is this something to fill the day or am I enhancing the experience for my students as I guide them to discover knowledge." Why would students even want to pay attention in the first place if they do not know why they are supposed to be learning what it is that they are being taught nor see the relevance to their lives. Your final thoughts/statements were fabulous and ones I will have to share with my staff. "A good plan will accomplish a task, a good design will enhance the experience. An enhanced experience that guides you to a discover-able knowledge can open your mind to a hunger to discover more." This reminds me of the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This reminds me of the "Tell me, Show me, Let me" instructional approach and how it fits into design and even this course. They all have a place when designing instruction, as interactive learning is more effective than just "sit and get" teaching. The "Tell me" portion of class delivery is very minimal, as is the "Show me" portion of showing us tools in action during our Wednesday night class. However, the "Let me", hands-on learning make up the majority such as class conversations; creating a blog, posting reflective journal entries, and commenting on others' blogs; and creating the Burma Shaves with a partner last week. I'm curious, what does your job entail as an IT Specialist? Do you work with teachers, students, in a school, or out of an administrative department in Fairfax?
My job functions are three fold: I am the help desk guy, if any of our classroom computers/printers/smartboards get funky, I'm the first guy called, plus various maintenance of classroom devices. Next I run all the A/V equipment for special events from our graduations to our annual fashion show. Lastly I have each class come to our tech lab for 30 minutes a week, from 2nd grade to 12th. I also am teaching, starting our 2nd year, a 3D design and printing class, it's really fun! We are a special ed school so I work with teachers and students to help with their accommodations.
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