Here is a link to my Prezi of how different education will be in the future and what the learning environment and teachers are going to be like in the 21st century.
CBS This Morning. (Jun5, 2015). AltSchool Provides Personalization and Technology. [Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyV7zQbnX7E
Kapp, K.M. (Feb. 3, 2016). 5 Learning Tech Trends to Watch in the Next 5 Years. Retrieved from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Learning-Technologies-Blog/2016/02/5-Learning-Tech-Trends-to-Watch-in-the-Next-5-Years
Kunnen, E. (Aug. 3, 2015). Emerging Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Enable Active Learning. Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/8/emerging-technologies-to-enhance-teaching-and-enable-active-learning.
Palmer, T. (June 20, 2015). 15 Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher
Poh, M. (n.d.). 8 Technologies that will Shape Future Classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/future-classroom-technologies/
Can you even imagine a morning without your cell phone? Me neither, otherwise I would not have an alarm to wake me up. Technology, especially mobile devices, became a big part of our lives: ordering food, access the internet, chat to family around the world, get driving directions, learn a new language...all without even leaving your couch.
Mobile Learning is a very popular term used in education in the 21st century. It is a form of education or training conducted by portable personal devices such as tablets, smartphones etc. It is a fact that children are being exposed to mobile devices at a much younger age these days; thus it is inevitable that education is changing and adapting to everyday life.
Why should a teacher be prepared to allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives?
I was one of those teachers in denial once...why should I give my students more screen time in class if they will probably go sit at home in front of a screen anyway? What about nature? Kicking a ball outside? Isn't technology going to distract them from work?
Then I got over it and thought about the positive effects technology and mobile devices in the classroom can have:
Reach learning differences: every student learn in a different way and it is our job as teachers to help all students and differentiate. Technology can help students learn through most senses (audio, visual) and movement.
Gamification: kids love games! So why not incorporate it into your classroom? Having students play while learning at the same time will enhance motivation for learning.
Collaboration & Engagement: using mobile devices will make it easy for students to work together on a project. Kids love technology overall so they will definitely be more engaged when doing an activity using a mobile device. It is a big part of student's interests these days so use it to your advantage.
Inclusion: even if students do not have any technology at their homes, learning about it and how to use it is crucial in today's work environment. Giving everyone a chance to learn it at school will help them move forward and grow with technology.
Concerns?
The biggest [concern about mobile learning] is that they
distract from schoolwork. Then again,
distractions are as old as the ages — we’ve
just progressed from daydreaming and
passing notes. (Robledo:1)
Distractions. One thing a teacher can never escape from; so why make it a part of the classroom? Remember the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer? If technology and games are distracting students, it is one of their interests; and what better way to motivate engagement than to incorporate their interests into your lesson!
But don't take my word for it, let's look at some research:
Vocabulary growth: PBS Kids (together with US Department of Education) reported that kids (ages 3-7) who played Martha Speaks mobile app improved their vocabulary up to 31%.
Grade improvement & motivation: Abilene Christian University reported math students who used Statistics 1 (an iOS app) improved their grades. They were also much more motivated to finish lessons on mobile devices than the usual textbooks and workbooks.
Improved learning experiences: 35% of 8th graders said they were more interested in the lessons/ activities using a tablet. The students also exceeded the teacher's academic expectations when using mobile devices.
More student engagement: 54% of students in a 5th and 8th grade study self-reported that they were more involved in the lessons using technology. 55% said they wish more teachers used educational games/ simulations to teach.
As I researched this approach especially in a teacher's point of view I realized the biggest reason for technology integration in classroom resulting in chaos or failure is the lack of knowledge and training for teachers.
Some guidelines that is noteworthy for teachers
Another challenge would be to bridge the digital gap. Having taught in a public school in South Africa, in a school with little technology integration, I realized that a lot of schools and teachers take the socio-economic status of South Africans for granted. I did not realize the students' interest for technology and mobile devices until I actually sat down and had a chat with them in small groups. I learned that every single student (in a class of 35) had some kind of mobile device at their house which they use every day. It is part of their life so why not make it part of their education.
So, get to know your students and get them involved.
First, ask yourself what you want to achieve by incorporating mobile devices in your curriculum.
Survey your students on what devices they have at home and how they use it.
Encourage students to make suggestions about what apps work for them.
Some examples of Mobile activities for my future 2nd grade classroom
Enhanced field trips: This is something that has always bothered me. How can I make a field trip more interesting for learning purposes? With mobile devices kids can take photos of what they see and bring it to the classroom for discussion, projects etc.
Feedback & self-reflection: I would definitely want to use online apps for student feedback and self-reflection. For example if I had a group project, the groups can post their projects online and students can comment on other's work and discuss it.
Global student connections: Students can connect with other students around the world through Skype or other apps. I was thinking a fun geography game would be to Skype with other students and asking only yes or no questions. Based on their answers, students need to guess where in the world their co-student is. You can also use this idea for feedback or collaboration on projects.
References Chaffe, S. (March 5, 2016). Getting Mobile Learning Right: 6 Best Practices. Retrieved on June 26, 2017 from https://elearningindustry.com/getting-mobile-learning-right-6-best-practices Crocket, L.W. (April 3, 2015). The Teacher's Guide to Choosing the Best Digital Content. Retrieved on June 26, 2017 from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/the-teachers-guide-to-the-best-digital-content Lynch, M. (Jan. 4, 2015). Do Tablets in the Classroom Really Help Children Learn? Retrieved on June 26, 2017 from http://gizmodo.com/do-tablets-in-the-classroom-really-help-children-learn-1694963939 Robledo, S.J. (n.d.). Mobile Devices for Learning: What You Need to Know. Edutopia. Retrieved on June 26, 2017 from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/guides/edutopia-mobile-learning-guide.pdf Sir Ken Robinson. (Oct. 14, 2010). RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms. [Video] Retrieved on June 25, 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=share
I have been teaching in Korea for 4 years and I have never really been evaluated. I have heard of teacher evaluations, but never really had the experience or reason to check it out before. The closest I got, was at my previous school. This procedure went as follows:
The principal & head teacher observed one lesson (The date and time previously scheduled with you).
The teacher fills out a self evaluation form.
Post-observation meeting: The principal, head teacher and the teacher discuss your self evaluation form and most importantly talk about the pros and cons of the lesson and changes you can make for better teaching.
Although I enjoyed reflecting on my own teaching, the lesson was not as natural as it would have been. The students (3 years old) were also very shy and their focus were drawn away from the lesson and towards the two new teachers sitting at the back of the class.
So, how do we effectively evaluate teachers?
According to Danielson and McGreal (2000), during the process of developing a good teacher evaluation
system two fundamental questions should be answered:
(a) What do we believe good teaching looks like?, and
(b) What are the processes and procedures that will best fit what the school district
wants the educational system to accomplish?
There are many systems being used to evaluate teachers. I will look at two of them: the IQMS (Integrated Quality Management System) and the Danielson's framework.
IQMS (Integrated Quality Management System)
I chose to look at this one, because it is used in South Africa (where I am from). It consists of 3 programmes:
Developmental Appraisal (DA): to appraise
individual educators in a transparent manner with a view to determining areas
of strength and weakness, and to draw up programmes for individual development.
Performance Measurement (PM): to evaluate individual
teachers for salary progression, grade progression, affirmation of appointments
and rewards and incentives.
Whole School Evaluation (WSE): is to evaluate individual
teachers for salary progression, grade progression, affirmation of appointments
and rewards and incentives.
The purpose of this system (according the the Department of Basic Education in South Africa) is
to determine competence;
to assess strengths and areas
for development;
to identify specific needs of
educators, colleges and the FET Directorate for support and development;
to provide support for
continued growth;
to promote accountability;
to monitor an institution’s
overall effectiveness; and
to evaluate an educator’s
performance.
There are certain steps in order to implement this system (see the picture above). The role of the teacher in this system is as follows:
Must
undertake self-evaluation of his/her performance.
Identifies
his/her personal support group – Development Support Group (DSG).
Develops
a Personal Growth Plan (PGP) and finalizes it together with the DSG.
Must
co-operate with the DSG.
Attends
INSET and other programmes in terms of areas identified for development.
Engages
in feedback and discussion.
At first glance it looks like a good system that supports the teachers in professional development and teacher effectiveness; however there is still a big problem in South Africa's education system in teacher effectiveness. A study done by the Center for Development and Enterprise (2000) about teacher evaluation in South Africa (regarding public schools) states that the biggest problems with this system is that the concept of PGP's are great, but that the teachers do not have the time to "complete them with adequate thought and reflection" and they do not have the "skills needed to express their development needs". Another finding was that the evaluators for classroom observations was not "trained to identify evidence in support of their rating decisions,
with the emphasis on corrective action, development and improvement" and it became a negative, judgmental process. Thus the lack of capacity
in public schools had reduced the IQMS to largely a compliance exercise with limited or no
professional development.
Danielson's Framework
When I first read this evaluation system framework, I liked the outline and it matched my idea of how a teacher should be evaluated and on what grounds. It has 4 domains:
Planning and Preparation
Classroom Environment
Instruction
Professional responsibilities
Although schools can choose how it is implemented, its main purpose and value is being "the foundation for professional
conversations among practitioners as they seek to enhance their skill in
the complex task of teaching". On their website they point out a very important factor for schools who want to use this model: training. This is the key component of every evaluation system: knowing how to implement it the best way possible: for teaching effectiveness and advancement.
I would have liked this framework when I was evaluated by my previous school with a pre-observation meeting (explaining the criteria and talking about my lesson plan for the observation). I believe if this is communicated beforehand, the post-observation meeting would have been more specific and more areas of my teaching (that needed some more attention) would have been observed.
How should I be judged on as a teacher?
As I am getting ready for my clinical practice in South Africa (at my alma mater), I have been thinking what I would want my mentor to judge me on. Firstly, I would want to know what my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher are, so that I can build on my strengths (regarding my teacher personality) and learn to control and improve my weaknesses. I also would like my mentor to be very honest and give me tools and insight to all componenets of teaching.
Researching the 2 evaluating systems above gave me some guidance as to what the criteria would be; and the Danielson's framework comes very close! It reflects a lot of the aspects of Module 4 which connects to what I believe makes a great teacher: classroom culture, high expectations, norms and procedures, managing challenging behaviour and behaviour in general etc. I would appreciate such specific feedback on all the componenets that makes up teaching. Self reflection on my teaching is also something I have been doing for the past 1.5 years of being a preschool teacher. I learned a lot from my students (asking them what type of lessons they like...yes even 3-year olds know what they like and dislike!) and I will definitely continue doing that; however as the critique on the IQMS states, I need more guidance and support from others and I am looking forward to see what it takes to be a great teacher!
References
Danielson, C. & McGreal, T.L. (2000). Teacher evaluation: To enhance professional practice.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Department Basic Education. (n.d.). Your Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) Q&A. Retrieved from http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JJr4X%2BgtLX0%3D&tabid=447
The Danielson Group. (n.d.). The Framework. Retrieved from https://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/
When introducing a new topic, idea or skill, I often ask myself:
How am I going to get my students there?
How am I going to prepare and guide my students to master this topic, idea or skill?
In order to do this, usually the first step I take in my class is testing my students' prior knowledge through pre-assessment strategies. In Module 5 in this programme, I developed a Poetry Reading unit for a Grade 2 ELA standard (RL.2.4). Students should be able to describe and analyse poetry through identifying elements like rhyme, rhythm, alliteration etc.
How will I introduce a poetry unit to my class?
I enjoy surveys, because it is a good way to assess a student's interest in a topic. For this unit, I will first do an opinion survey on poetry (created through the Kahoot app). This will be done in class (on iPads or computers). This app is very fun and interactive and shows the amount of kids answering a certain question. The students will be able to see how many students had the same answers and will create a safe and confident atmosphere to let students know that some students in class might feel the same way and by sticking together, we can get through this unit easily. Through this I can also calculate a general opinion in the class. Poetry can be quite challenging or stereotyped as boring among kids, so this survey will let me know if most students like poetry or think it is difficult.
After the survey and showing the results, we will have a discussion on the general opinion towards poetry and students can discuss the reasons for this opinion. I created this survey also to let students think about the similarities between poetry and the songs they hear on the radio or on TV. This will show them that there are many forms of poetry and that although they might not read poetry, they listen to it every day. This will create a possible interest in this unit to show that it will be fun and interacting.
Pre-assessment quiz
I decided to include a quiz to assess the following prior knowledge of the students:
Rhyme, alliteration, repetition and rhythm.
Explain the meaning of a poem.
Use context clues to know the meaning of vocabulary words.
Describe and explain the tone of a poem.
Give and explain their personal response of a poem.
Showing higher thinking to understand a poem.
This will be done after the survey. They will all watch a video display of the poem "The Crocodile's Toothache" by Shel Silverstein. Then while having a copy of the poem in front of them, they will answer the quiz questions.
Differentiation strategies
Based on the results of the quiz and survey, I will create differentiation strategies to help all students reach the objectives for the unit. This is very important, because all students have different learning styles, ways of thinking and levels of understanding. In order to guide every single student, I would have to adapt my lessons and assessments accordingly.
Here is a link to my mind map explaining innovative differentiation strategies for 3 groups of students with different levels.
Monitoring progress
It is important to check for understanding throughout lessons and the unit as a whole. The pre-assessment was the starting point of that, but throughout the unit, I should assess student progress. I enjoy using exit tickets and self reflection. They are great ways to monitor understanding. The students will also continually work on a poetry portfolio which will help me see their progress towards their final project of the unit.
I remember sitting in my school's gym, my student number taped on it (yes, I am only a number now) and ready to write my National Senior Certificate Grade 12 exam: the final step towards university acceptance. Was it stressful? Yes. Did it ruin my life? No, but I had excellent teachers who did not teach to the test; they helped me understand the work and not just memorize facts like a parrot.
There are a lot of criticism towards High-Stakes Testing (HST) (and I am usually the one criticizing it). Luckily I did not have a lot of experience in HST. It is quite a widely used assessment in America and South Korea and talking to a lot of friends from these places, I can see how it can negatively effect students, teachers and schools. So, in this blog I will look more closely to HST and how it was/ are used in the 2 countries I had the pleasure of staying in: South Africa (my home) and South Korea (my current home-away-from-home).
What is High Stakes Testing (HST)?
A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability—i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers. In general, “high stakes” means that test scores are used to determine punishments (such as sanctions, penalties, funding reductions, negative publicity), accolades (awards, public celebration, positive publicity), advancement (grade promotion or graduation for students), or compensation (salary increases or bonuses for administrators and teachers). (High-stakes Test 2014).
HST in South Korea
I have been working as a teacher (ESL at a hagwon and Preschool at an International Kindergarten) for almost 4 years in Geoje, South Korea, and my first thought of the education system in Korea was empathy. I worked at a hagwon (private English academy) and had kids come for extra English lessons from 2:30-7:30pm. When I asked them what they will do after class, everyone's answers were related to more academies (most of them don't return home until 11pm and then they still have to do homework). So, it is not surprising that the suicide rate among teenagers (ages 10-19) are growing each year. To get a better understanding of the normal (education day) for Korean kids, watch the following video:
Academic expectations from teachers, schools and parents are extremely high in South Korea. In the OECD (2014:22) report parents' expectations are divided into 2 aspects: 1) Parents expect the child to work as managers or professionals at age 30 and 2) Parents expects child to complete a university degree. The latter is very high compared to other countries while the first is quite leveled with other countries.
From a young age, students are working towards getting into the 3 top, prestigious universities in South Korea, a.k.a SKY: Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei. Acceptance to one of the SKY universities will determine social status for most of their lives and will secure a highly-paid job in one of the chaebols (family-owned business conglomerates) (Calonge, David S, 2015). To get into these universities, you have to get a certain score on the 8 hour CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test). Due to this idea and pressure on students to achieve this status from all 3 entities (teachers, schools and parents) and also the competitiveness between students, it is not surprising that Korean education is a stressful one.
Students begin preparing for the CSAT in elementary school; they take several extra classes after school to learn subjects like Hanja (chinese characters), math, English etc. Lee Myung-bak’s administration (the former president of South Korea) implemented a policy in which 70% of the questions on this test are from lectures on EBS, an educational channel. As a result, high-school curriculum has been replaced with EBS lectures and EBS textbooks. The teachers have minimized their instruction of the regular curriculum, and are instead “teaching to the test” (The Korea Herald 2014).
HST in South Africa
To understand the reasons and implications of HST on students and teachers in South Africa, you need to know a bit more about the educational context and history thereof. For a previous Module for the Teach-Now Program, I made a video showing just this. Have a look:
According to a study made by Sarah Howie (2012), South Africa is quite new to HST. It can be traced back to the arrival of a new leader in 1994, Nelson Mandela, and with this new focus against apartheid, came a new educational system; one with equal rights to education. Systemic assessments (a.k.a National Assessments) were developed for Grades 3, 6 and 9 in language, mathematics and science. These tests aimed to measure the effectiveness of the education system and "provides and implements a national framework for the evaluation of the education system as well as to develop benchmarks from which performance can be interpreted".
I made contact with my teacher mentor in South Africa, through email (as I will go to South Africa in 1 month!) and asked her about HST at her school. They previously did the ANA (Annual National Assessment) which was implemented since 2011 and focused on "providing system-wide information on learner performance for both formative and summative purposes" (Graven & Venkat 2014). They stopped these tests due to a lack of reflection on students' real performance. Teachers were too focused on teaching to the test that it took the importance of student learning away. Teachers were also caught giving students the answers just so they can have high scores (especially in poorer areas).
According to a study by Graven & Venkat (2014), the biggest concern regarding the poor performance of standardized tests or HST's (like the ANA's and even the National Senior Certificate Exam at the end of Grade 12) are the language in which they are assessed. South Africa has 11 official languages and since the end of Apartheid in 1994, the new education law states that everyone has the right to education in their home language. Although an excellent idea, it was a huge project that would take a lot of years and effort to implement. Internationally, a lot of organizations helped with projects like to provide literature in indigenous languages (isiXhosa, isiZulu etc.). Nevertheless, projects like these have not changed the education problem in South Africa yet. Standardized tests are given in English or Afrikaans (in very few cases, isiXhosa). For most students, this would be their second or third language. Upon reflection, teachers stressed this concern in that reading was a big part of the tests (especially in math for problem solving) and the language used in the tests were too difficult and new to the students.
Also regarding the ANA's the time it took for younger students to take the test affected their scores. One teacher explained that the 3rd graders got so agitated and could not sit still for that long period of time. The anxiety connected to taking these tests were also a contributing factor to poor performance. Here are a few comments from teachers:
Anxiety was a big factor. Children were nervous. Learners’ behavior was different as when writing internal tests/exams. I did not like the fact that we did not facilitate our own classes. Children were confused.
Especially foundation phase learners. Foundation phase learners need their own educators,. I neglected my own assessment for third term…Learners had ‘exam fear’! Poor learners!
We were placed in classes we did not teach. (For example I went to Grade 4). A problem with this is some learners become nervous with a new teacher in their class. (Gravin & Venkat 2014).
Currently at my mentor's school, they only use the systemic tests for Grades 3, 6 and 9. These tests are written during school time and assessors (outside the school) are appointed by the WCED (Western Cape Education Department). At their school the results are used to determine problem areas and to see where dysfunctions might be. The school's approach to these tests are much more student centered and focused on learning than just getting a good score. However, not all schools have this approach. At some schools, teachers are still only focused on teaching only to the test and seems to move away from a student centered approach.
Another HST students take is the National Senior Certificate Exam in Grade 12 (that big test at the end of school that gives you university clearance or not). Unfortunately I was in a year group reporters called the proefkonyne (guinea pigs). Our curriculum was renewed and molded so many times. I especially remember grade 9 where we wrote standardized tests but did not even cover most of that work in class. I can't even tell you what I did that year...it's all a blur. In 2010 it was renewed again...
In 2008, 554 664 Grade 12 students wrote the first National Senior Certificate examination based on the new curriculum that had been introduced in Grade 10 in 2006 and therefore the class of 2010 is the third cohort that have written this examination with the results due in January 2011 with an increase of 10.4% enrolled for examinations (642 154 pupils) compared to 2009 (DoE, 2010). When the pass rate of 62% was announced for the 2008 examinations there was widespread criticism (Reyneke, Meyer and Nel, 2010, p.277). In 2009, the pass rate was 60.7%, the lowest in 10 years but based on a different and new curriculum and the examinations that were intended to uphold standards and require increased cognitive demands. (Howie 2012).
The reasons given for the poor performance was the following:
lack of resources, lack of student discipline, lack of student commitment, lack of educator discipline, commitment and morale, ineffective policies at school level: weak organisational structures and undeveloped managerial skills, teacher union disturbances and problems in implementing collective agreements, problems in implementing government policies, poor organisational structures and inadequate parental involvement. (Howie 2012).
HST: good or bad?
Personally, I am not a big fan of high-stakes testing due to it having such a negative effect on students and schools, especially in South Africa. However, I can see that it can be beneficial in the following sense:
- It can help teachers create a specific learning plan for each student.
- Test results are almost always publicly available.
- High stakes testing improves a child’s test-taking abilities.
- It emphasizes specific subjects that are universally needed.
Looking at the two countries' experience with HST can have both positive and negative effects as a whole. Although Korean students scored so high on the PISA tests, the stress and pressure put on them from a young age is not beneficial to give them a "happy" life. In South Africa again, you can see that when implemented with a good approach, it can be successful in some way, but again if you look at the negative impact from the ANA's and the poor pass rate, South Africa did not have a good experience of HST yet. In regards to my home country, South Africa, I do not think the education system is at a (mature enough) level to implement HST effectively, yet; and South Korea, they proved they can implement HST effectively in looking at the good results; however, the emotional strain and pressure put on students is making life in general hard for them and impacting their health negatively.
In regards to the effect tests can have on students, for me, it really depends on how HST is implemented. If a school/district can take a student centered approach and its main focus is still to provide the student with the best learning possible, while assessing with HST, I say: go ahead. If it is going to be about the scores and how high schools can get them (no matter the method used to do this) and taking the learning experience away from the student...just walk away.
Graven, Mellony & Venkat, Hamsa. (2014). Primary
Teachers' Experiences Relating to the Administration Processes of High-stakes
Testing: The Case of Mathematics Annual National Assessments, African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science
and Technology Education. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10288457.2014.965406
