Week 2 Readings and Reflection
In addition to reading the Steve Aoki article "Teaching as In-dwelling Between Two Curriculum Worlds," I also watched the two videos on educational research, food and environmental research.
The nature
and reality of education is that it is an ever-evolving entity; constantly
shifting and changing. It is necessary, therefore, that the curriculum set out by
Ministry of Education and administrators which is designed to provide structure
should also be ever-evolving. Aoki’s article highlights the dichotomy between
the two worlds of curriculum, that of “curriculum-as-plan” (p. 28), a pre-set
notion of what should be taught, and the “curriculum-as-lived-experiences” (p.
28), the reality of the situation is for those on the ground and dealing with
students on a consistent basis. The two video links on sustainable education
through school gardens highlight the ways that educational research is effective
in connecting what required to be taught from school officials, and the reality
of the world and circumstances that students live in. Identifying what is
needed among students and then using project-based learning is a concept that
is a bit frightening for the teacher who feels that content is meant to be
delivered, as it demands an acceptance of dwelling within the unknown and
making space for chaos. Steven Ritz identified a need amongst his students, and
took a chance in trying to figure out how he could deal with issues of poverty,
obesity, and a lack of engagement. In doing so, he embarked on educational
research that was aimed at improving the lives of his students.
As
teachers, we know that our purpose and focus is primarily on our students, and
that the curriculum should be tailored to the needs of those we encounter
daily, and therefore it is important to use educational research to extend the
boundaries of what is possible or ingrained within a document which provides
‘ideas’ or ‘content’ on what and how to teach, but does not consider the
“living experiences” and needs of those who are at the other end of the
document. In exploring these examples of bringing the classroom content into
the world of practical life experience, I thought of a colleague’s decision to
teach secondary math concepts using chess. Students learned the game, applied
mathematical concepts to deepen their understanding, and then set to work on
creating their own chess board and pieces out of wood so they could teach chess
to family and friends. In doing so, many layers of understanding, learning and
teaching were employed to connect and extend the basic mathematical content. In
a 21st century world where content is easily accessible via the
internet, it is increasingly necessary to engage students in learning that
extends their knowledge of the intricacies within nature that provide the basis
and grounding for life. In doing so, teachers provide students with the agency
to transform their own lives and the lives of those around them.
School garden boxes designed and managed by students and teachers as part of 'Planet Club'
Your colleagues math lesson sounds very exciting - I'm sure I never had such an interesting maths lesson when I was at school!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about teachers needing to put their students' needs first and understand that curriculum and teaching is ever changing. My concern, for teachers, is the constant change is waring and sometimes can be disheartening. In the UK there is a teacher shortage as more and more teachers leave the profession (the average life span of a UK teacher is 5 years) and fewer graduates take up the opportunity to teach in school. I am very interested in finding the sweet spot. The ability to introduce innovative changes, as Steven Ritz has, whilst also maintaining a level of continuity so teachers are not overwhelmed. But does this sweet spot exist? And can educational research assist in finding it or will teachers always see it as just another 'change'?
Very interesting to think about that 'sweet spot' that is challenging for teachers (and students, and parents), but not too stressful. The challenge of a rapidly-changing society and environment doesn't always give us much time to find that sweet spot.
ReplyDeleteAs an accountant who is aspiring to be more creative, I really appreciate the creative approaches presented in your blog (both in your own experience and the videos), such that a teacher takes a policy and adds meaning and life to the teaching practice. It not only reaffirms that policy is just part of the equation, but the essential role of teachers take on as potential problem solvers - when there is a educational plan that may be short-sighted or not conducive to lived-experiences, the teacher may choose to find the way to bridge the gap (in the zone of between). However, to Katy's point I fear the zone of between is much narrower than feasible. The financial squeeze imposed on the education system seems to force teachers to do more with less. I'd wish to explore how financial pressures (budget) affect curriculum-as-plan, and ultimately the gap for teachers to get creative in.
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