How do I best move forward as an educator in the 21^st Century?   What should educational balance look like in my classroom this year?

I have used bold text to highlight key words that are guiding my educational journey. I have embedded guiding questions that will help shape my new direction in teaching.  With intentions of transitioning my own career from classroom teacher to teacher-librarian many of my sources and long term planning reflect this shift.

The social emotional and academic needs of my grade three students are complex. Added into the mix is the glaring impact that the pandemic protocols have had on students and parents.

My newly assigned class this year may be the most affected. These students were in kindergarten when the pandemic shut schools down and their grade one year was interrupted with multiple staff and student absences. In a nutshell, they missed critical instruction in their formative years.

How do I meaningfully teach digital literacy to students whose parents do not want their children online at school? Parents have been vocal that they are not happy with the amount of ‘online learning’ that occurred last year. They feel their child spent too much time on screens at school especially in math and reading.

My school district’s slogan is A Natural Place to Learn. Our school is framed by a forest and a healthy creek. Much of my teaching has been inquiry based with provocations from our forest. Salmon, coyotes, bears, eagles, fungus, ferns and an abundance of fabulous living things spark student curiosity in our school community. In what ways can my grade three students share their nature based learning with others digitally? Will I find a way to enhance their understanding of stewardship using technology?

To foster my students’ engagement and excitement I am going to implement a classroom Maker Space. Students will use digital technologies to document student work as authentic assessment, rather than the source of instructional activities. In essence, shifting the use of digital resources from passive to active use.

Recently, I have noticed that children are reluctant to take learning risks and give up when the first challenge arises. I am hoping that the Maker Space will be a safe place to explore and try new skills while enjoying the process rather than focussing on the finished product. I want my students to practice perseverance and feel satisfaction and successful with their efforts.

In Equity and Social Justice in the Library Learning Commons, Brown asks, “How can we support collaborative instruction while keeping student interest at the centre?” and “What structures do we have in place to foster love of reading and develop literacy skills.”  (2017). I will be exploring ways that students can retell and reflect on their reading through both the maker space and digital tools.

Brown has developed a ‘makerculture’ in her library learning commons. She stresses that the community created by the maker space is less about the space, and more about the community created through the activities (2017). 

Curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. These are the key intentions for my classroom maker space.

 

In Beyond Books: Bringing Students Into the Library Through Creative Programming, Alicia Vandenbroek suggests, “As the role of the librarian continues to evolve, it is critical that we focus not only on books, but also on all the other resources we provide.” (2013). Some of her more successful programs include origami, drawing, paper airplanes, and avatar creations. They had sessions for making friendship bracelets and decorating cupcakes.  I would like to try some of these but also include paper circuits, and programming using Spheros.

 

In Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age, Miller and Bass suggest “When we give our students the opportunity to explore and create, we also improve our culture by offering new and exciting experiences.” (2019). A classroom maker space is a new and exciting experience for me as well.

 

British Columbia’s curriculum supports this endeavour in many subject areas but I will focus on the Big Ideas stated for grade three in the Applied Design, Skills and Technology (ADST) area. “Designs grow out of natural curiosity, Skills can be developed through play, and Technologies are tools that extend human capabilities.” Underlying all of the BC’s school curriculum are the Core Competencies which provide a healthy foundation for teaching ‘core’ skills. Critical thinking, reflective thinking, and creative thinking as well as communication and collaboration, are skills that are intentionally taught through all subject areas and will be fundamental in the maker culture process.

Where do I start?

In Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age, Miller and Bass suggest, “Create a place for your readers, creators, gamers, makers, writers, musicians, and all learners.”  (2019). I need to create a functional, accessible area for students to work. I need relevant materials and tools that are organized so that they can be easily used or borrowed (and returned).

 

Our school has a class set of ipads, and a class set of PC laptops. Our school district uses Scholantis and Microsoft Teams for both students and staff and insists we use these platforms so that student information and identity can be protected. Both of these platforms require students to log in with school issued emails, and passwords.

Both Scholantis and Teams can be viewed by classmates, teacher, administration and parents. Students can upload photos and videos to both but only Scholantis has a blog and portfolio. I need to teach my students how to log in and navigate these platforms. It would be wise to survey parents and ask them which platform they prefer.

‘Knowledge is power only when it is shared, and small drips of water over time have more effect than occasional floods. (Dickenson, 2004).

How do I best move forward as an educator in the 21^st Century? What should educational balance look like in my classroom this year? I think I need to make changes thoughtfully and intentionally without overwhelming myself, my students or their parents. It’s time to get started, “…small drips of water at a time.”

 

Resources

BC Ministry of Education. Digital Literacy - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)

Brown, J. (2017). Equity and Social justice in the Library Learning Commons. In Canadian School Libraries Research Archive. 

Dickinson, G. (2004). Budgeting: As Easy as 1-2-3 (Links to an external site.). Library Media Connection, 22(6), 14-17. 

Miller, S., & Bass, W. (2019.  Leading from the Library: Help your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. (Links to an external site.) International Society for Technology in Education.

Vandenbroek, Alicia. (2013). Beyond Books: Bringing Students Into the Library Through Creative Programming. Library Media Connection, 32(2), 42-43.