REFLECTED GROWTH- CINDY KOHN
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Reflections

Creating Significant Learning Environments

12/20/2018

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These last five weeks have been hard and very challenging.  I can say that I have learned so much about myself and LOVED pretty every moment in this class.  People might question these two statements because I am tired and feel like I am running ragged (it did not help to have the flu virus and the stomach bug.)  As a teacher, I do not always know why I do certain things.  I know I have not ever made the best choices, but I always learn from my mistake (growth mindset!)  I also realized that my parents have played a big part in my learning. (This is close to my heart since eleven years ago both of my parents passed away.)

Thomas and Brown’s (2011) book on “A New Culture of Learning” confirmed to me why my makerspace innovation plan is important to continue in my classroom and add it to the whole school.  This area has given the students to engage with their projects.  The book said that “change motivates and challenges.”  I know that changing different ways that I do things gives me a chance to grow and challenges me!  As I think about my new culture of learning, I realize that it helps to have a growth mindset so there I can learn as I am challenged.

When I did my learning philosophy, I did not realize how personal it was going to be to me.  My parents and teachers started me on a road of constructivism theory, and then classroom behavior happened.  I know that the series of events took me out of the behaviorist theory.  I am glad that my classroom environment has changed this year with all of the rotations (see both learning philosophy and the new culture of learning.)

With all of the environment, philosophy, and growth mindset, I have been looking for the end in mind and teaching the students for LIFE (not just a daily task.)  Whether I am developing a lesson plan with the 3-column table (BHAG) or the UbD template, I am able to connect students to talents, interests, or life in general.  I know that with these two lesson plans, I can see the big picture for the students.

Fink’s Taxonomy (2003)- Six Aspects of Learning (3-Column Table with Big Hairy Audacious Goal)
1. Foundational Knowledge- Understanding and remembering information and ideas
2.    Application- Developing critical, creative, or practical thinking skills
3. Integration- Making connections between information, ideas, perspectives, people or realms of life
4.   Human Dimension- learning about oneself or others
5.   Caring- Developing new feelings, interests, or values
6.   Learning How to Learn- Becoming a better student, inquiring about a subject, becoming self-directing learners

Wiggins and McTighe’s (2005) has an acronym WHERETO that highlights the key elements and considerations in instructional planning (pp. 197-198).
W- Ensure that students understand WHERE the unit is headed, and WHY.
H- HOOK students in the beginning and HOLD their attention throughout.
E- EQUIP students with necessary experiences, tools, knowledge, and know-how to meet performance goals.
R- Provide students with numerous opportunities to RETHINK big ideas, REFLECT on progress, and REVISE their work.
E2- Build on opportunities for students to EVALUATE progress and self-assess.
T- Be TAILORED to reflect individual talents, interests, styles, and needs.
O- Be ORGANIZED to optimize deep understanding as opposed to superficial coverage.

The things I have learned these last five weeks will be with me for years and years.  I am glad to have the books so I can reference them frequently.


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​References

Brown, J. S. & Thomas, D. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY. CreateSpace.

Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005).  Understanding by design.  Alexandria, VA:   Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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Growth is for ME!

12/19/2018

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In the start of my masters, in July, I really have to dive into what growth mindset incorporated.  In my paper, I designed a week-long lesson plan for the first week of school where I taught my students Carol Dweck's (2010 Mindset website) four steps to changing your mindset.
•Step 1- Learning to listen to the fixed mindset "voice." 
•Step 2- Recognize that they have a choice in their growth mindset. 
•Step 3- Talk back to Fanny (fixed mindset) with a growth mindset voice. 
•Step 4- Taking the growth mindset to action.  

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In my district, we are asked to set aside the first five days at the beginning of the year to teach the expectations and have a community building.  Adding this growth mindset lesson plan started the year off with a bang!  It was amazing how I could see the children connecting to books that I read.  On the second day, we read Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by Deak, and I saw that this one little boy (we will call him Tim) cringe when I told them that as they would learn things this year, their brain might hurt (like muscle does when you exercise.)  At that time, I knew he had a “fixed mindset” because Tim feels like he needs to quit when he cannot do things in class.  We have had some successes with him, and I reflected on this a couple of months ago. 
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I have connected in growth mindset with quite a few things.  I voiced with my colleagues about rewards and praise.  Alphie Kohn (not related to me) talks about that praise or being rewarded by doing is more about controlling than encouraging.  It is having the child get something with strings attached.  The students need our unconditional support by commending their effort.  In my makerspace area, I feel like I can give them praise for their effort that they put into their projects.  I know that this is why I would like the whole school to be able to push themselves to explore different things too.  I have not given rewards to certain students this year.  Instead, I give gifts to the whole class for their effort in working on their projects.  I have given a snowflake ornament to each of my students (in all my years of teaching.)  I read this poem (by a Pinterested Parent) to them:
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Children are like snowflakes.
They are pure.
They are beautiful.
They are unique
&
They each soar at their own pace.
Don’t try to compare them.


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I want the students to realize that they do not have to compare each other to themselves.  They need to know that all people have their own way to grow.  I have put the students in groups that are more level, so I can differentiate the instruction and challenge the students that are ready for things at the next grade level.  I have decided that I need to be challenged so I do not become bored.  Being in graduate school has allowed me to learn so much, even though I am very busy with the assignments and readings.  I have said this before, but I love learning, and I am growing as a teacher and as a person.

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Mistakes have become my friend.  I used to hate to make a mistake, but I have realized that it is a way for me to learn.  During math meetings, we tend to have many errors (see blog post.)  This makes the class a great atmosphere where we can use the mistakes to be a learning opportunity.  If the students do not make a mistake, I make one!
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Growth mindset…YET…mistakes…Again, I am so glad that I started with this the first week of school.  The district that I teach in wants to be a growth mindset district.  I am not sure all the teacher and administration know what it incorporates.  I am planning to share my plan with someone in the district.
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References:

Andreae, G., & Parker-Rees, G. (2001). Giraffes can't dance. New York: Orchard Books.

Deak, J. M., & Ackerley, S. (2010). Your fantastic elastic brain: Stretch it, shape it. Belvedere,
California: Little Pickle.

Diesen, D. (2014). The pout-pout fish goes to school. London: Macmillan Children's
Publishing Group.

Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset- the new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books.

Dweck, C. (2010). How can you change your mindset from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?
Mindset. http://mindsetonline.com/changeyourmindset/firststeps/index.html

Monae, J. (2014, September 10). Power of yet. On Sesame Street. New York: Sesame Workshop.
https://youtu.be/XLeUvZvuvAs

Reed, C. (2016). Growth mindset: the power of yet. Retrieved from
https://brownbagteacher.com/growth-mindset/

Smith, K. (2017, August 19). Developing a growth mindset in young learners. A Day in First
Grade. adayinfirstgrade.com/2017/08/developing-a-growth-mindset-in-young-learners.html

Yamada, K. (2016). What do you do with a problem? China: Compendium, Inc.
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Understanding by Design (UbD)

12/16/2018

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These last two weeks have been eye-opening to me.  I have not been asked to write a comprehensive lesson plan since my education classes in college (and that is almost twenty years ago.)  My first thought about Understanding by Design (UbD- Wiggins and McTighe) and 3-column table (based on Fink’s “A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning”) is that it looks at the whole picture and then thinks about the details.  A couple of years ago, I went to a class monthly in which the presenter had us look at the math concepts and then they showed us some of the lessons that we were going to teach.  This really helped me think about the end in mind as I prepared my lessons.

This week I made the UbD model with the learners in mind.  It was a good thing that I had already made the 3-column table and thought about different knowledge and the goals for this overall project.  I was able to think about the reasons that I added the various activities for designing a disaster proof structure.  Wiggins and McTighe’s (2005) has an acronym WHERETO that highlights the key elements and considerations in instructional planning (pp. 197-198).
W- Ensure that students understand WHERE the unit is headed, and WHY.
H- HOOK students in the beginning and HOLD their attention throughout.
E- EQUIP students with necessary experiences, tools, knowledge, and know-how to meet performance goals.
R- Provide students with numerous opportunities to RETHINK big ideas, REFLECT on progress, and REVISE their work.
E2- Build on opportunities for students to EVALUATE progress and self-assess.
T- Be TAILORED to reflect individual talents, interests, styles, and needs.
O- Be ORGANIZED to optimize deep understanding as opposed to superficial coverage.

And now my UbD Model…

As I reflect over these two backward design models, I see positive things for both of them.  Both of these designs have a useful checklist in which I, as a teacher or a facilitator, can make sure I am getting “those big ideas from work and that transfer of learning based on those ideas is accomplished” (Wiggins & McTighe, p. 222.)  I like the W and H of Wiggins and McTighte’s (2005) acronym WHERETO because that is where I can get the students hooked on a project and in the past, that has been my favorite part of teaching.  But this is not where I want my students to be thinking about while they are creating the project, like in my Makerspace innovation plan or this design process of building a disaster-proof structure.  Building  3-column table (based on Fink’s “A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning”) has made me realize that even first graders should be able to see the whole picture.  When I start my club in January, I am going to show them the 3-column table the first time we meet.  I would like to think that I could use the 3-column table in teaching the scientific method (during the first six weeks of the school year) and other topics.  I might even start putting the ideas of Fink’s books on my objective/ goal board in my room.  The possibilities are endless for my classroom environment…
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I have never had the pleasure to write math or science curriculum in my district.  (Last year, they asked for volunteers, but I know I was not ready to help them write it at that time.)  If they ask again, I will volunteer!

​References:
Fink, L. (2003).  A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005).  Understanding by design.  Alexandria, VA:   Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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Design Thinking- Can it work?

12/9/2018

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Over the last couple of weeks, I have thought about how I run my classroom.  I have changed so much in the learning environment with my first graders.

First Change- Make a Makerspace area

This allowed me to start to develop an innovation plan for the school to have a Makerspace room or area.  One of the areas in this innovation plan is engineering design process.  I was introduced to this way of thinking during one of the classes at CAST (Science conference.)  As I was reading about Fink's 3-column table, I kept thinking about how this design process could work in my Makerspace club.  For the first round of clubs (started in October,) I had students just design what they want to create by putting an end product on paper.  They have worked hard on finishing their product.  
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Retrieved from ​https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess
In January, we will be starting the second round of clubs and I have decided that there should be a purpose for the makerspace projects.  This brings me to my Big Hairy Audacious Goal for this assignment.
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BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – Overarching Course Goal
Learners will demonstrate understanding of the Design Thinking Process as they design a disaster proof structure. 


And now for my first 3 column table...

I look forward in the products of the students.  Here is the wind tent that I created at CAST.  The references has some of the books that will be used with the research.

References

Beaty, A. (2017). Rosie revere’s big project book for bold engineers.  New York: Abrams.

Bridwell, N. (2002).
Clifford and the big storm. CNIB.


Engineering Design Process. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess


Fink, L. D. (2003).
A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Creating
significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Goin, M. B. (2009).
Storms. National Geographic.


Harapnuik, D. (2016, June 16). Mapping your learner’s journey. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6420


Ippen, C., & Ippen, E. (2017).
Once I was very very scared. Piplo Productions.


Villa, A. (2013).
Flood. Capstone Young Readers.


​Wiesner, D., & Kovner, P. (2008).
Hurricane. Houghton Mifflin.
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Learning is My Life!

12/2/2018

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My Learning Philosophy

​Throughout my life, there have been many rich learning opportunities for me.   From trips to my grandparent’s farm or a museum or traveling across the country, I count myself very blessed.  Earlier this year, I incorporated many ideas and opinions that I had come to count on as a learner (by being a teacher for eighteen years) in my Learning Manifesto.
•    Letting creativity happen
•    Expression
•    Authentic Experiences
•    Real-World
•    Normal is not always necessary
•    Instruction
•    Nature
•    Growth
•    Mapping out goals
•    Ownership
•    Digital Learning
•    Environment
•    Living with fun

I tend to look up many words, so I decided to compare the definitions of manifesto and philosophy.  I looked back to my notes from July, and for the Learning Manifesto, we were to write what we believe about learning.  Learning Philosophy is not just, what I think about education, but where I fit into learning and what is the theories behind that learning.  I know that I will have the same concepts from Learning Manifesto.  However, through lots of thought and reading, I have become to figure out what my Learning Philosophy has become these last couple of years.
When I was one and two years old, I had ear infections.  This made my talking delayed compared to other children.  In fact, my younger brother would finish my sentences!  My mother found a hearing and speech school where I got speech therapy and the primary school concepts for a four and five-year-old.  It came to my mom’s attention that I also had a learning disability in reading comprehension and vocabulary.  The doctor diagnosed me with Attention Deficit Disorder, which is passed down from my mom’s side.  The next school that I attended was Starpoint, a school for learning disabilities.  These teachers pushed us to fulfill our potential and looked at students as a whole who could grow and develop over a lifespan.  David (2015) defines the humanism theory like this.  We were able to get special attention from the teacher because there were about 10 students to each classroom.  While I am a very detailed person, I do not remember all the details of this time in school.  I was taught handwriting (not print) in first grade, and I knew all of my multiplication tables in second grade.  I was so excited to know these facts and my mom taught me long division during spring break.  I believe these teachers used the strengths in me to help me with my weaknesses.  They saw that I loved math and they used those details to get me to want to find out more in the other subjects.  In second grade, I decided to become a teacher.  My parents brought me places (like Washington, D.C. or Vicksburg) in which I could experience authentic learning.  For middle and high school, they sent me magnet schools to build up my academic skills.
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​For my first two years at Texas Tech University, I was an accounting major.  I thought, “I like math, so accounting must be a good career for me.”  Well, this was not my passion, and my grades showed that I was not for the business world.  I changed my major to education and the rest is “history.”  To be honest, I was trying to be someone who some people thought I should be and not actually being myself.  There were some people (not my parents) who told me that being a teacher was just too hard. 
Sixth-grade math and science was my first teaching job.  It was a hard year, I saw that I did have potential as a teacher.  I left that school.  I started as a second-grade teacher in the same district that I still am a teacher.  The second year that I was at this school, they leveled the students and put all the low kids in two of the classes (including mine.)  I started assuming that the students were a clean slate and I need to teach all the facts and concepts that I could do in one year like mentioned in Davis’ (2007) critical ideas of behaviorism. 
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​I could have still been in this road of behaviorism (or at least have these thoughts,) but two significant events happened to me.  My mom died of an aneurysm and then four months later, we found out that my dad had a brain tumor.  He ended up dying after two weeks.  That year was very hard, and I decided to take a year from full-time teaching and just substitute.  The one year lasted four years, but in those years I obtained experiences teaching other grade levels, and I found my joy again in teaching. 
As a new PreKindergarten teacher, I was able to let the students “learn by doing.”  Little did I know (until now,) I was starting to construct my constructivism thinking.  Bruner (1960) in The Process of Education outlines the constructivist theory as (1) the importance of structure, (2) the readiness of learning, (3) the spiral organization of material, and (4) the motives for learning.  All these concepts were in place in my mind, but it was this year that “all the ducks got in the row.”

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This year, I have incorporated rotations in my classroom.  This includes a small group time in which I differentiate their math lesson on their readiness of the concept taught.  This has allowed me to actively talk with the students and encourage students to discover principles by themselves (Culatta & Kearsley, 2018.)  This math curriculum has a spiral organization, and I hope that this will give the students opportunities to “catch” as I work with them during the year.  The best part is the rotation of ‘creating.'  This allows the student to want to create instead of just wanting prizes for doing their work.  This has brought me to my innovation project, Makerspace.  I believe that students will want to start to learn even more with an environment that has an even more discovery learning opportunity.  


​Annotated Bibliography

Bruner, J. (1960.)  The Process of education.  Harvard University Press; Retrived from http://edci770.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/45494576/Bruner_Processes_of_Education.pdf

        One of Bruner’s first work that was originated from a conference that focused on science and              math learning.

Culatta, R. & Kearsley, G. Last Updated November 30th, 2018 06:58 pm. (n.d.). Constructivist Theory (Jerome Bruner). Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist/

        The authors gives an overview of the constructivist theory from Jerome Bruner standpoint.  

David, L, "Humanism," in Learning Theories, June 12, 2015, https://www.learning-theories.com/humanism.html.

          
The author writes about the general definition of humanism and also mentions the                               contributors.
  
David, L, "Behaviorism," in Learning Theories, January 31, 2007, https://www.learning-theories.com/behaviorism.html.

          The author writes about the general definition of behaviorism and also mentions the                              contributors.


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    Cindy Kohn is a teacher who learns by reflecting from her growth.

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