KINE4P31: Reflect the Unreflected

Being able to reflect upon ourselves can aid in our own personal development, provide meaning to our practice and create a better learning environment for our students. Tsangaridou and O’Sullivan (1997) define reflection as “the act of thinking about, analyzing, assessing, or altering educational meanings, intentions, beliefs, decisions, actions, or products by focusing on the process of achieving them (pg.4).” Throughout this semester, we have had the opportunity to explore the different avenues of reflective practice and what it means to become reflective practitioners. We both agree that individuals do not learn from doing, but they learn from reflecting on what they are doing. This idea of reflection reaps many benefits and rewards in regards to personal but also professional development. Supported within literature, Hamilton and Pinnegar (1998) explain that teachers who are reflective systematically, collect evidence from their practice, allowing them to rethink and potentially open themselves to new interpretations. This is an ongoing process that should eventually help the teacher change, adapt and modify his/her teaching practice (Attard & Armour, 2005). The following blog post will outline our thought-provoking experiences on reflection, our connections to the outside world, how to be an effective practitioner, what we have learned from this experience and any final thoughts we may have.

We hope you enjoy!

Thought Provoking Experiences

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We begin our dialogue by reflecting back to our very first lecture within KINE 4P31. The course began with an ‘Every and Only’ activity. I (Vanessa) believed the activity was irrelevant as the majority of the students in the class had already known one another for the past four years. I formed a group with three other peers around me who I have personal relationships with outside of the classroom, which lead us to get off topic rather quickly. At the time, I subconsciously reflected in-action and assumed that this activity was set to fill time and develop a learning community that had already been established. Reflecting back on-action, I can now recognize its significance to the course and my field of practice. Although a major group of the class had this community feel, it would have been daunting to those not being a part of the group to enter and feel welcomed. This is essential to my future practice as an educator, as I will receive a new diverse body of students each year who have different experiences. Specifically to physical education, activities such as cooperative games can help to establish and create this learning environment and develop a sense of belonging and success. 

As I (Emily) reflect back on the various lectures from this semester, it is no surprise that there are some significant moments that have impacted myself and my future practices. However,  there were a few significant lectures for myself that I found extremely beneficial.  I am a very practical person that love hands on work. Therefore, I found that the opportunity for us to go into the gym and observe the reflective process of a professor (Tim), was very useful for myself. I never realized how much reflection happens in-action throughout teaching. From the little details of standing in a certain position to make sure the students could view the board, to changing a thought process based on student feedback, all were concepts that I never previously recognized. I was able to see a different side of teaching that allowed me to critically analyze and think about different aspects of being a reflective and effective educator. Specifically, I can take the skills of reflection-in-action to better my educational practice.

Through our dialogue, it was evident to see that the dynamics of the classroom had a significant impact upon our learning experience. It was through autonomy and feedback that we felt as sense of ownership towards our learning. We appreciated how the material was brought forth, as reflection was not only focused within the educational setting but was also related to a variety of career paths.  Being a part of the Faculty of Kinesiology there is a wide range of career opportunities that are attainable to us. It was intriguing to see that reflection can be made useful within these other health promotional settings as well. Another aspect of learning we valued was the use of communication within lecture between a wide range of individuals. Having the opportunity to converse with not only our professor and peers but also other professionals outside of our learning community. Through the various perspectives of multiple professionals, we were able to see that the concepts and theories taught in lecture, were feasibly implemented and achievable.

Connections to another course

After reflecting back on this past year, both of us have had an amazing opportunity of being a part of our own learning community. We have had the privilege of facilitating group discussions among first-year students (KINE1P93). Although this experience has allowed us to gain knowledge as prospective teachers, is has also allowed us to become reflective practitioners within our own learning community. After reflecting back on our experiences, we both can agree how important it was to create a positive learning environment with our students and realized that the discussions that were focused on student collaboration and student directed teaching, were the most productive and influential. Focusing on the dynamic of our experience, both of us benefit from reflecting on our own thought-provoking experiences. However, this opportunity forced us to write weekly reflections through journals to communicate our thoughts and feelings throughout the year. With writing not being our number one choice of reflection, we found that it pushed us out of our comfort zones and ended up being beneficial for us to look back on to improve our overall practice for the following semester. Each week we taught students new concepts and theories that they were expected to understand, but what we found crucial were the learning communities we created that provoked dialogue and self-expression that the students were able to partake in. This helped them grow not only as a student but also as an individual.

Our knowledge of practice has grown by creating and implementing a vision for our future practice. According to Kosnik and Beck (2011), a vision is “…comprehensive set of principles and images of practice that guide a teacher” (p. 108).

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Let’s first start off by explaining why it is important to have a vision!

1. It keeps you aware of the wide range of goals and processes of your practice
2. It helps you connect various elements of your practice (ex. your instruction assessment practices, behaviour management strategies)
3. It helps you explain to your students the purpose of your activities
4. It helps you explain to others (parents, and colleagues, etc) the purpose of your activities and practices

(Tim Fletcher, 2016)

Now here is OUR vision as future educators...

As we look back at our vision assignments that we created at the beginning of the semester, we both can agree that our perspective of what a vision is, was very limited. Emily believed that a vision for teaching consisted of creating an inclusive environment and teaching students the value of physical education. Whereas Vanessa believed that her vision was to develop her students knowledge through a diverse physical education class. However, after reflecting back from the beginning of the semester to now, our perspective of what a vision is, has drastically changed.

Our NEW Vision...

Throughout the semester, our idea of a vision has altered our perspective on what we have envisioned for our future practice. The most important aspect that we have learned is the concept of a never-changing vision that grows and develops as we do. Having the opportunity to dialogue with various professionals about their reflective practice and visions, have allowed us to acquire the knowledge of a dynamic vision. This stood out to us because we failed to realize the amount of professional development that occurs decades into teaching. For example, when Andy Vasily discussed how his visions change from year to year, even after decades of experience. Who would have thought a vision could change so much...not us!

Through our own experience with facilitating group discussion (as mentioned previously) we would now incorporate the importance of creating a learning community with the educational environment. As much as it is important to create a connection between the teacher and students, it is of even more important for an educator to purposely develop situations for their students to build a strong learning community. 

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How did we learn our vision?

• Dialoguing with other professionals (athletic therapist, coach and teachers)
• Reflecting on our own professional practices (1P93 focus groups, placements)
• Networking with outside sources (researching, social networking)
• Connecting with our peers (projects, discussions, group work)
• Discussion in and outside of the classroom (professors, teachers, parents, peers)

So, what is your vision for your professional practice?  

Don't know yet...Here are some resources that have helped us form our vision :)

@andyvasily

LAMPE Blog

     It's More Than a Job
     The Physical Educator

Self-Learning

Throughout this semester, we have both grown to learn that we reflect a lot more than we actually thought we did. When we used to think of the word ‘reflection’, we always pictured writing in a journal. However, after seeing how many ways there are to reflect (ex. writing, reading, talking, recording, watching etc.) has allowed us to change our perspective on reflection and become more aware of the ways in which we reflect. In fact, Emily learned that she actually reflects a lot with her friends...can you imagine that!? And Vanessa learned that she reflects a lot through her own personal time.

We also have learned that as a professional, there is always room for improvement, growth and development. We are not going to be the perfect teacher's right out of university. Growth and development within the field of teaching comes with time. Professionals that have been doing it for 20 years are still changing from year to year and developing their teaching practices. It is okay not to be perfect, as long as we reflect upon our practice and modify it to fit the needs of our students.

I (Vanessa) have learned that I have a lot more biases than I originally thought. I have to realize that not everyone has the same experiences as myself and I must take that into consideration when I go into teaching.

I (Emily) have learned that I love to interact with others and have a group discussion to foster my learning. I realized that I love being surrounded by individuals who share common passions and interests. I also see the importance of being immersed within a strong learning community and hope to implement that into my future practice to aid in my students development.

How did we learn this?

Through reflection! … how ironic, huh?!

Whether it was group discussion, self-reflection, and/or the assignments given in this class, it has allowed us to reflect on our past and determine how it will affect our present and future. It has always been said to us that most educators teach how they were taught. It is essential to incorporate what we have learned within our last 4 years and use it to aid in the development of our future practice.

         Overall, this semester has been a journey for the both of us as we have dug deeper in trying to understand how to incorporate reflective practice into our future careers. It is evident to see how our visions have altered within these last few months and we can't imagine how much they will change over the next few decades. But, it is clear that our use of reflective practice will help guide our way. 

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Time for Change

"The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new" -Socrates

Many educators are accustom to the "old story" of education that had a traditional approach to teaching which was based upon the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. There was limited social interaction, standardized testing, and it was grounded in the principles that sought to make factory work more efficient. Today's "new story" does not seek to dismiss the old but rather identify and build upon its positive aspects to create a new approach that works for the 21st century learner.

Old Story	New Story
-grounded in the purpose of efficient factory work -teacher is expert -mind is viewed as a blank slate -teacher transmits knowledge into empty vessel -curriculum was delivered in one method for all students	-holistic curriculum teaches the whole child (mind, body & spirit) -constructivist teaching -project based leaning -metacognition -curriculum can be modified to fit needs of the learner

(Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014)

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax5cNlutAys

Throughout many placements that I have attended in my four years at Brock University I have come to see that many educators today are still stuck in the traditionalist way of teaching. I understand that it is difficult to change your ideas of education if that is how you were taught as a students, but you are not the student anymore. We as educators must be able to teach to the needs and desire of the students in the 21st century. Michael Fullan (2013), believes there are three key features to creating a new story:

Technology

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Many front runner educators use technology to enhance their student's learning and allow for a deeper assessment. Since the internet and social media have such a strong presence in the lives of our students today it is only logical to somehow find a way to incorporate into our curriculum. Media studies is currently a strand in the Ontario English Curriculum that explores the impact and influence of mass media and pop culture. It is therefore important to use the common equipment that students use to access this sort of information outside of the classroom and bring it into the learning environment. But how are we to monitor the students who may abuse their use of technology within the classroom? And how can I be an effective teacher if my students are more technologically inclined than I am?

New Pedagogy

The new pedagogy revolves around 21st century skills that include four main characteristics;

1. Irresistibly engaging 
2. Elegantly efficient
3. Technologically ubiquitous
4. Steeped in real-world problems  

This form of deep learning in the classroom requires students to learn 21st century skills such as communication, creativity and collaborative teamwork. According to Johnson et al., challenge-based learning (CBL) is a new teaching model that incorporates problem based learning, project based learning, and contextual teaching. As a future teacher I question how I will be able to develop deep thinking learners and if all these teaching models are appropriate in my physical education setting.

Teacher as Activator

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It is not enough for an educator to incorporate technology and new pedagogy, they must also be the agent of change to help students find their purpose and passion within the educational learning environment. I have heard many educators say "teachers teach students, not subject" and I finally understand what that means. Although the teacher must be an expert on their subject, they must also be able to facilitate both surface and deep learning, give constructive feedback, monitor leaning and attend to the BE. One way to be an activator is to go beyond the walls of the classroom and share your knowledge and methods with other teachers as well. 

As future educators it is important to share our new story of education and to be the change!

References

Drake, S., Kolohon. W., & Reid, J. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging in the 21st       Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Fullan, M. (2013). Stratosphere. Toronto, ON: Pearson.

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Smyth, J., & Varon, R. (2009). Challenged-based learning: An approach for our time. Austin, TX: The New Media Consorium.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2007). The Ontario curriculum grades 9&10: English. Retrieved from https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/english910currb.pdf

Have no Fear of Your Peer!

https://score.hva.nl/docent/english_teacher/Pages/assessment
%20methods/Peer-Assesment-.aspx

Isn't assessment the role of the teacher and not the students?
In today's 21st century classroom the learning process is moving away from a dictatorship and more towards a partnership between a teacher and their students. This form of student centered learning teaches students how to critically evaluate their own learning and thinking. Peer-assessment is an excellent way for students to get involved in the assessment aspect of their education and is a great form of Assessment for Learning.

I remember doing peer assessment when I was in secondary school. It either consisted me writing "good job" or "well done" at the top of the page. I was afraid of hurting the feelings of my friends and wanted them to do the same for me during my presentation. No one wants to know that their classmates didn't like what they worked so hard to produce, I know I certainly didn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqWCJZH8ziQ

Creating and enforcing a safe learning environment that promotes risk-taking is essential for peer-assessment (Vanderhoven, Raes, Schellens, & Montrieux, 2012). If this sort of setting is not enforced, issues such as peer pressure can arise and lead to invalid assessment. A way to eliminate any sort of pressure on your students is to allow for anonymous critiques. Vanderhoven et al. (2012) discuss the positive effects of using classroom response technology (CRT). It is an electronic voting system that allows for immediate anonymous feedback. Students have reported that CRT allows them to be more engaged, attend more class, and that its anonymous nature encouraged them participate more honestly.

If your school doesn't have the access to CRT I have listed some resources below that can work just as efficiently;

• Warm and cool feedback (for younger students)
• Group peer assessment 
• Presentation peer evaluation

With tools like these, your students shouldn't have to fear their peer!

Drake, S., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Intereaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging in the 21st century learner. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Vanderhouven, E., Raes, A., Schellens, T., & Montrieux, H. (2012). Face-to-face peer assessment in secondary education: does anonymity matter? International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology, 69, 1340-1347. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.071 

Assessment in the Classroom: Moving away from grades

The idea of failure is often feared in the classroom. No student wants to be labeled as the one who failed his or her math test. After receiving back an assignment students tend to skim past the teacher's feedback and flip right to the numeric aspect of their assessment. I can admit that to this day I still find myself doing this as well. Grades are important to students, especially those who are competing for scholarships and entrances into post-secondary institutions. The issue I find with having to produce a quantified measure of achievement for students is that there is no way to mark for effort, growth, or development. Looking back on my own personal education, I question myself and think, did I only put forth all that effort so I could see a mark above 90% on my tests or was I actually interested in the topics that I was learning. If I'm being honest with myself, I think the A's on my report cards were often my main motivation to work hard. This often lead to me to be a tired and stressed student as I tried to juggle my extracurricular and my academics. Would it have just been easier for me to accept failure and be happy or succeed and be overworked. Sarah Le discusses her opinion about grades on her blog Le's Learning. Do grades really define who you are? Should formal assessment really be he main form of assessment in the classroom? How can teachers assess without assigning a quantified grade?

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lBhMSaFNhY

Today in schools across Canada there are three types of assessment;

Assessment OF Learning (AoL):

This type of assessment is often referred to as summative. It is designed to determine what the student has learned and whether or not they have met the goals of the curriculum. It is the assessment that is quantified and given as a letter or percentage. It is often the most important assessment to students as it will contribute to and affect their future.

Assessment FOR Learning (AfL):

This type of assessment is also know as formative and occurs throughout the learning period. The main idea of this assessment is to make each student's understanding of the subject visible to the teacher so he or she can decide how they can aid in their student's learning process. Students have their own individual strengths and weaknesses and teachers can use this form of assessment to find out where their students need help and how they can help them. This is also a way for teachers to enhance motivation for learning within the classroom.

Assessment AS Learning (AaL):

The final form of assessment focuses on students with an emphasize on the development of self-assessment. It brings forth the idea that learning in not just a matter of depositing knowledge from teacher to student, but rather that it is an ongoing process. We want students to monitor their own learning and to be able to connect their prior knowledge with the present. Being able to identify what learning strategies have work best for them in the past, and then being able to modify and adjust them will lead to greater success in the future. 

Retrieved from: http://stephaniepearson.com/tag/assessment/

For these three assessments to be successful teachers must be able to interconnect them. There are also three key elements that ensure effective assessment practices;

Validity: The degree to which an interpretation or conclusion based on assessment data is appropriate and meaningful. In other words, does the assessment measure what it it suppose to measure?

Reliability: The degree is consistency of the assessment results. The assessment produces consistent results no matter what form, where or when it is assessed or who scores it.

Fairness: All students have equal opportunity to succeed no matter what gender, teacher bias, prior knowledge, or any other circumstance that is unrelated to what was assigned. Refer to the Growing Success document for more information. 

Retrieved from: http://stephaniepearson.com/tag/assessment/

While we know that there are three forms of assessment, I believe the glorification of Assessment of Learning needs to be reduced in the classroom. Students need to be more aware of the other forms of assessment and the idea of growth. Assessment as Learning seems to be a great way for students to be able appreciate the lower mark they may receive at the beginning of the school year. There is nothing wrong with failure as long as you are able to learn from it and use it to better yourself for the future. Sometimes those who fail learn more than those who continuously receive A's. Unfortunately, grades are still the running force of the classroom, especially in high school, due to their importance towards post-secondary education.
How can we as educators stress the importance of assessment without glorifying the quantitative aspect of it? In other words, how can we get our students to read our feedback before they look at their mark?

References

Drake, S. M., Reid, J.L., & Kolohom, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON:Oxford University Press.

Le, S. (2013, July, 25). Would getting rid of grades make for happier students?. Retrieved from: http://leslearning.blogspot.ca/2013/07/would-getting-rid-of-grades-make-for.html

Manitoba Education. (2006). Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind, Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, School Programs Division. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/full_doc.pdf

Ontario., & Ontario. (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario's schools: covering grades 1 to 12. Toronto: Ministry of Education.

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