EDPB530 FINISHED ON DEC 10TH. HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!

POWER QUESTS: POWERFUL PEDAGOGY

Up to 300 XP

Power (Pedagogy):

Powers are what make a hero into a superhero. Weak powers lead to a weak superhero; while potent powers enhance the likelihood of success. As a beginning teacher, you will observe and probably attempt to utilize weak pedagogy and powerful pedagogy. What your student’s get out of it is what reveals the true power of the pedagogy.

What are the concepts, ideas, and systems you will choose for experimentation and possible inclusion into your Credo and your practice? Remember that powerful concepts lead to powerful strategies which lead to powerful results.

Example: Growth Mindset is a very powerful concept which has the potential to shift ones whole Credo. See video above.

CONTEXT FROM AVI Click to expand

As a beginning teacher, I found that I naturally chose to teach in the manner in which I had been taught. I was trained as a Junior High English teacher, but my first job, as you will probably find your first job to be, was not in my area of expertise or training. When I found myself teaching Math to Elementary students, my uncertainty led me to teach in a very traditional manner: Teach a concept to the whole class, have the class practice using the concept, and test for understanding.

This pedagogy, which is still in almost ubiquitous use, did not work for most of the students. I found that, as I taught a skill to the class, I was moving at a pace that was too slow for some (who picked up the concept quite quickly or had previous knowledge) and too fast for others (who were lost during my introduction and were never quite able to catch up). I found I was teaching at a good pace for about a third of the students.

Confounding the situation further, was the fact that many students simply did not learn best in the pseudo-visual (overhead projector) and auditory manner in which I was teaching. I was unable to reach most of my students during the lesson, and was relying on the practice time to move around and try to fill the gaps. While waiting for me to help them, some students simply received help from other students. Students helping students was my saviour, and it was here that I realized I might be able to completely skip the first step: stop teaching the whole class! This move away from me teaching the whole class specific concepts is something with-which I have been experimenting for a couple of decades now, and it has yielded tremendous results.

Also, I used my observations, conversations with other teachers, books and resources to find more powerful pedagogies. An example of this was our teacher librarian's recommendation of a set of videos by Marilyn Burns, showing how to work with young children in developing math skills and helping them to build confidence. One of the strategies I implemented was a stations approach to math, where students engaged in activities at stations designed to help them "construct" meaning in a particular concept in various ways. One of the stations was with me, where I used manipulatives to demonstrate concepts to a few students at a time. Almost all of the stations had a game-like quality of open-ended challenges that fully engaged the students and therefore managed the classroom nicely.

Although the workload increased, for elementary stations take much more preparation than teaching the whole class and handing out worksheets, I found I enjoyed the process and the results so much that I looked forward to class time. The stories I told to my wife when I came home were not about students who "just didn't get it", but were about being surrounded by "aha" moments, excitement for learning, and surprisingly good behaviour.

My teaching career can be described as a continuous evolution of experimentation, reflection, conversation, and hard work with one goal in mind: student success. To me, powerful teaching is about powerful pedagogy, but it is also about understanding student needs, developing strong relationships, and being willing to have high expectations. I found that as long as students knew that I truly cared about them as human beings, and that I could be trusted to provide opportunities that mattered, they were willing to push themselves to struggle and figure things out, and needed me less and less in the process. And so, I feel that our first Quest for Power will begin with a concept that continues to develop traction: The need for student struggle and the "Growth Mindset".

What to focus on

From Avi

Educators have many challenges to traverse in providing powerful, positive learning experiences for their students. It sometimes seems a hopeless endeavour to keep up with new concepts and pedagogies. In this education program, you will be introduced to many concepts and ideas around powerful pedagogy.

You will sometimes feel there are too many concepts; too much research; too many things to try or think about. It is natural to feel overwhelmed. It is important, however, to "take it all in" and allow your developing Credo to filter out what will not work for you (for now).

If you were to ask me which areas might be most useful to a new teacher, it would be the quests that help shift our paradigms about education: "Paradigm Shifting Power Quests". I would then have a look at some of the more detailed, Power Quests that help develop a deeper understanding of some of what might help develop our practice: PBL, Inquiry, Assessment as/for Learning, Engagement,... (Please note that there are sooooo many concepts and approaches that are not mentioned here. I endeavour to continue to add topics.)

Quest Processing and Submission

NOTE: Below you will find the content of or possibilities for the individual Quests.

Submission reminder: Use the SELF-DIRECTED REPEATING QUEST to submit.

Please remember to NOT submit any work which does not conform to these givens:

All instructions followed carefully and completely.
Time on Task: Engagement in the quest is substantial enough to warrant the XP for the quest. A 60 XP quest has what looks like approximately 60 - 70 minutes of work completed.
Engagement is thoughtful and meaningful: Obvious attempts have been made to engage in the content of the quest in a way that is meaningful to the person completing the quest. View Exemplars which demonstrate this Given (Critical Reflection Exemplars are a good starting point)
Undergraduate Level Engagement: Evidence of fairly deep handling of the topic; references made to assigned reading|viewing; connections made between assigned reading|viewing and other referenced material; concepts fully explained; opinions fully backed up… View Exemplars which demonstrate this Given (Critical Reflection Exemplars are a good starting point)
It is the responsibility of the student to note when a quest has been returned or when there is an instructor comment on a quest.

Quests

Paradigm Shifting Power Quests

Paradigm Shifting Power Quests

These quests help us gain perspective on the education of the past by painting a picture of the potential future (or present in some classrooms).

Authentic Learning - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 22. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Deeper Learning, Challenge and Struggle: Three Quests
Growth Mindset - Two Quests
Personalizing Learning - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 26. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Rethinking How Schools Work - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 8. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Rethinking the Role of Teachers - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 28. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report

Quests of Various Topics

Assessment You already have a course at VIU which deals with Assessment. I am of the opinion that, like classroom management, you cannot ignore the power of assessment on learning.
- 1. First, watch this short video illustrating what not to do: https://youtu.be/0fn_vAhu_Lw
  2. First Quest: Allow yourself to spend some time viewing and reading these five posts on assessment: http://www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-introduction
  3. Second Quest: See what the experts are saying: https://www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-experts
BC Education Plan - Have a read through the BC Education Plan and consider the following additional questions in your processing of this quest: Compare what you see out in the real world with the plan's goals. What do you think of the plan? What do you find positive about the plan? Do you see any problems with the plan? Discuss technology integration with respect to the plan?
Blended Learning Blended Learning is set to become more mainstream in the next couple of years. Several school districts are moving toward this mix of online and face-to-face engagement as a means of lowering overhead and improving the learning experience. Not everybody likes online or blended learning, but it is important that you have some experience and understanding of it before you enter your teaching career. Regardless of the career path you have in your mind, you really have no way of knowing where your career will take you. So... be prepared. After this course, you can now state that you have experienced a Blended Course. For this quest: Visit Edutopia's Blended Learning Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post. View or read the piece you selected and consider your practice and what you have observed around you.
C.E.A. Shifting Minds 3.0 http://www.c21canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/C21-ShiftingMinds-3.pdf (Core content in this document begins on Page 9 and ends on Page 17)
Collaborative Learning Approaches - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 12. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Education Trends - The number of trends we are seeing in education is staggering. This is your opportunity to survey trends using Edutopia as a starting place. Feel free to utilize any other resources, including your personal experience, to respond to this quest. Visit Edutopia's Education Trends Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post.
Engagement - A set of Three Quests
Flipped Learning - Visit Edutopia's Flipped Classroom Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post.
FLOW

- - Flow Video Part 1
  - Flow Video Part 2

Gamification and Game-Based Learning. (Three Quests) There is a substantial difference between Game-Based Learning (GBL) and Gamification.
- 1. - Games & Gamification - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 38. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
    - Game-Based Learning uses games to augment learning or build skills. Visit Edutopia's Game-Based Learning Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post. View or read the piece you selected.
    - Gamification: A Gamified Learning Environment uses gaming principles embedded into a course or unit or lesson. EDPB 530-531 is an example of a Gamified Learning Environment, where we use XP, quests, a narrative, points, badges, rewards... Principles normally associated with games. Visit Edutopia's Gamification Search Page and select one article, video, or blog post. View or read the piece you selected.
Habits of Mind - A set of three quests.
Inquiry - Three Quests
Integrated Studies - A note from Avi: It seems to me that classrooms begin to lose the sense of thematic or integrated learning quite early in a student's career. I have seen many Grade Four classes that deal with academic subjects quite separately. I think we all know that we learn best "in context", and that the more natural and meaningful a learning situation is... the better for the learner. Many topics naturally lend themselves to integration between subjects, providing roots for information and useful transfer of skills and knowledge. Yet, our monolithic system makes the natural integration of subjects harder and harder as students progress through the system. In high school, at the very time when students are ready to make large, deep connections between the various subject areas, to make the learning more relevant, we separate the subjects further. OK. Rant over. Let's see what you think. Visit Edutopia's Integrated Studies Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post.
Maker Movement - From Avi: Two years ago, Martin H, a teacher in the Comox Valley, decided to take the Maker Movement to a new level. September came rolling around and his Grade Six students arrived to an almost completely empty classroom. There were no desks, no tables, no chairs. The students proceeded to build what they needed. Sounds simple enough, but there was a lot of planning and coordinating and partnering that had to happen for this one brilliant moment to cascade into one of the most powerful, enriching, and rewarding years some of these students will ever have. Some educators are finding that "making" provides all of the context they need to integrate many of their subjects. One does not have to go to the degree that Martin went to experience the joys of "making". Visit Edutopia's Maker Education Dashboard and select one article, video, or blog post.
PBL (Project/Problem-Based Learning): Three Quests
Rise of STEAM learning - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 18. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Shift from students as consumers to creators - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 14. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report
Teaching Complex Thinking - NMC Report Quest: Click here for the Horizon report. Go to Page 32. Have a read through the two pages in the Horizon Report

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