This module focuses on creating positive and trusting learning communities and safe environments for students advocacy. Strategies for humanizing the experience, balancing all aspects of group learning dynamics, and fostering honest and open communication to push change are all positive aspects of a balanced and safe learning community. I have created a discussion board that will address the Civil Rights Movement and equal rights for all. I will use a slide deck and a rubric for clear and achievable expectations. As a sensitive topic, my plan is to discuss this with respect for all of the stakeholders involved in the process.

• Discussion Post

  • Your initial post is due Friday November 6, 2020 by 11:59pm

  • Your response should be between 300-500 words

  • Cite or use examples from the slide deck to explain thinking

  • Use proper sentence structure and grammar (punctuation, capitalization, academic vocabulary)

• Responses

  • Please reply to two student responses providing feedback and insight

  • Your responses are due by Sunday November 8, 2020 by 11:59pm

  • Be respectful, be responsible, be courteous

  • Proper academic vocabulary is required

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

― Haim G. Ginott, Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers

As I reflect on this lesson, the common factor I return to after each thought is relationships matter. You can design the best lesson, have the greatest resources, and have awesome enrichment activities but if students do not trust you as their leader, then the work can be disconnected and disengaging. Allowing yourself to be open and honest with your students gives them the opportunity and comfort to do the same with you. As I look back, some of my greatest classes offered the opportunity to know them personally and helped us to flourish and work as a team. What I have learned through this lesson is to make sure and create those solid educational relationships that allow teachers to explore student interests, create meaningful lessons accessible to all learning modalities, pursue technology as a means of extending the learning, and to humanize the experience of learning to show students an element of care and respect.

This course has influenced my thinking in the following ways: Students can benefit from blended learning when teachers place care in the care in the preparation of the lesson. Incorporating technology, differentiation in the form of rotations, and individual conferences with students to support their learning pathway. Engagement during distance learning has been one of the main issues teachers have encountered. The more work that was done around social emotional learning helped to create a positive atmosphere in a very difficult and new learning environment. One area of improvement to result from my learning is to plan and offer a blended learning option in our program even after the schools closures have subsided. This option may allow for better attendance, increased enrollment, and a community awareness about how our families choose to learn.

The internet helps my learning on a daily basis. From current events to researching different strategies in teaching and learning, the internet is my main source of news, sports, and research. There are small amounts of time where I can become distracted. The internet has a very mysterious way of flashing information across the screen in the form of advertisements that can sometimes take my focus away from the task at hand. I am pretty good about pivoting back to the work. I think my students might give different responses to the questions I addressed above for one simple fact...We all have different experiences. I try to help students learn the value and etiquette required to have positive experiences on the internet. It can be a very scary realm if no rules and regulations are implemented. I strive to show my students the importance of using the internet with fidelity, caution and respect.

My learning strengthened during this module were in the following areas:

• Domain 1: Mindsets

  • Competency 1: New vision for teaching and learning

  • Standard D: Model a growth-orientation towards learning for self and others

If I model the desire to be a life-long learner, others may take the lead for themselves as a result. How can we ask our students to continually improve and learn if we do not do the same for ourselves.

• Domain 2: Qualities

  • Competency 1: Grit

  • Standard A: Engage in deliberate practice and persevere toward ambitious, long-term educational and professional goals

Taking this course has allowed me to model this for colleagues and also gives me the ability to share my newfound knowledge and understandings with them to increase opportunity. This approach can lead to greater understanding of the work required to provide multiple pathways for learning and advocate for student achievement in multiple manners.

• Domain 4: Technical Skills

  • Competency 2: Instructional Strategies

  • Standard D: Tailor content and instructional strategies to individual learning goals, needs, and interests

The activity shared in this module was in response to some very difficult days in the United States just recently. Locating and discussing resources that can answer difficult questions and present the opportunity for respectful and meaningful dialogue are extremely difficult to achieve at times. I felt this lesson would address both of the issues presented in sharing sensitive topics and information. So far in my career, the activity improves and evolves each time I present it to students. That is the beauty of learning from others.

Creating a discussion topic with this information led to the development of a lesson that is personalized. Students are encouraged to connect current and real life examples that they encounter on a daily basis. There was an opportunity for the students to interact positively with each other, appreciate different perspectives, and receive feedback from peers that is actionable. (iNACOL Domain 1: Mindset, Competency 1:New Vision for Teaching and Learning, Standard C: Create learning environments that are flexible and personalized, dependent on real-time data, direct observation, and interaction with and feedback from students.)

When creating an engaging and quality discussion consider the following areas:

• Discussions must be engaging

• Discussions must be open ended

• There should be clear guidelines and expectations for the discussion forum

• There should be a grading criteria that corresponds with the guidelines provided