Life Lessons about Teaching and Learning
by Kris Knickerbocker
How It All Began
My journey in the Master’s program began in the summer of 2008. I didn’t know what to expect, how high to set my expectations of the classes, or what knowledge I would gain, but I can tell you that I was excited about the process! I sat in the front, talked with every classmate as they entered the room on the first day, and tried to make connections. Remarkably, I found that most people in the class were just like me! They loved to teach, and loved technology. Now, technology meant something different for each of us. For some, it meant that they could code in DOS! For others, it meant that they were so deeply entrenched in Macs that they almost didn’t know how to translate to PC anymore. Still others could take one look at any piece of hardware or software and tell you exactly how to match it to your requirements. And then there were the wishers, like me. People who just liked technology. Who could see the power and the promise of this new world and didn’t want to be left behind the learning curve. And, strangely, those with the knowledge embraced those with the desire. We became this oddball family of sorts. If one person had a problem or question, the rest of the class just lit up and jumped in! The camaraderie and cooperative energy was almost contagious. This was my first taste of a real-life learning group. It changed my life forever, as a learner and as a teacher. It helped me to realize that I owe that same experience to my students. It also gave me a hunger to search out those types of learning experiences for the remainder of my professional career.
Milestones and Memories
The idea was to design on online, student-driven journey encompassing one important aspect of our subject area. We designed, outlined and detailed our planned exploration. We peer-edited, critiqued and cooperated on improving our ideas. And we tweaked, modified and perfected our final product.
It was incredibly time and labor-intensive. I learned how to write instructions that were concise, clear, and easy to follow. I learned the importance of providing resources to get students on the right track. I also learned that a rubric merges a student’s need for clear expectations with a teacher’s need for proof of understanding. And, much to my surprise, I learned that publishing your results provides resources for fellow educators. I still, to this day, receive emails from other teachers asking to use my WebQuest in their biology courses. My work, used by other teachers! Incredible.
Up until that point in my teaching career, I had been afraid to release the reins, so to speak. I wasn’t sure that I could ensure genuine learning without being directly and immediately involved in the delivery of information. But here were my students with nothing but a clear task, a list of resources and a computer at their disposal and they were learning. And not just learning, but excited about science and invested in the process. At this point I was hooked. Technology was it for me. I had found my classroom partner.
It was incredibly time and labor-intensive. I learned how to write instructions that were concise, clear, and easy to follow. I learned the importance of providing resources to get students on the right track. I also learned that a rubric merges a student’s need for clear expectations with a teacher’s need for proof of understanding. And, much to my surprise, I learned that publishing your results provides resources for fellow educators. I still, to this day, receive emails from other teachers asking to use my WebQuest in their biology courses. My work, used by other teachers! Incredible.
Up until that point in my teaching career, I had been afraid to release the reins, so to speak. I wasn’t sure that I could ensure genuine learning without being directly and immediately involved in the delivery of information. But here were my students with nothing but a clear task, a list of resources and a computer at their disposal and they were learning. And not just learning, but excited about science and invested in the process. At this point I was hooked. Technology was it for me. I had found my classroom partner.
On the heals of this assignment, and within the same term, came another that I will never forget, the StAIR project (Stand Alone Instructional Response):
The intent of this project was to design a remediation tool: one that could be used for students to gauge their level of understanding, receive feedback on what they know, and re-teach concepts that they needed help on. A huge task to say the least!
The truly remarkable part of this assignment was that the software was Microsoft Powerpoint. In my experience, this was a presentation tool. However, I came to know it as a very powerful teaching tool in its own right. This was what I had signed up for: using common everyday tools in new and effective ways. And again I felt the lovesong of technology, that little voice in my head chiming, “This is it. This is working. Kids are learning in ways that you never imagined … and they’re loving it.”
Even more important, perhaps, than the integration of a new tool is the remediation objective. How do you reach the students that just “aren’t getting it”? And, how do you accomplish this without slowing the pace too much and losing the interest of the students who are grasping the information the first time it’s presented. This was one answer to that question. The technology was useable with any computer, at any time, without the need for the teacher’s presence. It was fun and engaging. And it was educationally sound.
The truly remarkable part of this assignment was that the software was Microsoft Powerpoint. In my experience, this was a presentation tool. However, I came to know it as a very powerful teaching tool in its own right. This was what I had signed up for: using common everyday tools in new and effective ways. And again I felt the lovesong of technology, that little voice in my head chiming, “This is it. This is working. Kids are learning in ways that you never imagined … and they’re loving it.”
Even more important, perhaps, than the integration of a new tool is the remediation objective. How do you reach the students that just “aren’t getting it”? And, how do you accomplish this without slowing the pace too much and losing the interest of the students who are grasping the information the first time it’s presented. This was one answer to that question. The technology was useable with any computer, at any time, without the need for the teacher’s presence. It was fun and engaging. And it was educationally sound.
My next foray into educational technology was CEP 800/815/822 taught by Dr. Punya Mishra in Summer of 2011. This was another collaborative experience, although this time we bonded in small groups rather than as an entire class. This brought about closer, more personal bonds with 3-4 other people and created a feeling of mutual dependence and trust. We traded email addresses, phone numbers and Facebook pages. We worked on projects where each person had an integral part in the process and the success of each of us depended on the follow-through of the others. It was intense. It was stressful. And it was one of the most valuable experiences of my teaching and learning career.
One project that stands out in my memory was called Understanding Understanding, where we set out to discover what factors shape a person’s ideas about a particular concept, what common misconceptions exist, and how best to confront and reshape those errors.
One project that stands out in my memory was called Understanding Understanding, where we set out to discover what factors shape a person’s ideas about a particular concept, what common misconceptions exist, and how best to confront and reshape those errors.
The group interviewed people of a variety of ages, backgrounds and educational levels and asked them questions about lightning: where it comes from, how it works, what it looks like, and how to stay safe around it. We then compiled and edited the information into a montage that conveyed their thoughts and ideas.
The objective behind this assignment was two-fold: first, to utilize technology to convey information from a variety of sources in a succinct manner; second, to recognize and utilize misconceptions to improve student learning. We all know that misconceptions are crucial barriers to effective learning. Students can hold on to misconceptions and misunderstandings through an entire unit and, unless those issues are directly addressed and resolves, the learning experience can be severely compromised.
I also learned that highly educated, intelligent, and well-spoken individuals commonly hold many of the same basic conceptual errors that small children do. Why? Often times, they don’t make sense and don’t follow any path of logical reasoning. And yet, we guard these ideas and work hard to rationalize them. Misconceptions and over-simplifications seem to have an almost emotional value to people. It can be difficult to let go of long-held explanations in favor of logically defensible standpoints. There is a certain comfort in repeating explanations we were taught as youngsters. From religion to history to science … the proposition of self-examination can be a scary, emotional, and deeply challenging idea.
The objective behind this assignment was two-fold: first, to utilize technology to convey information from a variety of sources in a succinct manner; second, to recognize and utilize misconceptions to improve student learning. We all know that misconceptions are crucial barriers to effective learning. Students can hold on to misconceptions and misunderstandings through an entire unit and, unless those issues are directly addressed and resolves, the learning experience can be severely compromised.
I also learned that highly educated, intelligent, and well-spoken individuals commonly hold many of the same basic conceptual errors that small children do. Why? Often times, they don’t make sense and don’t follow any path of logical reasoning. And yet, we guard these ideas and work hard to rationalize them. Misconceptions and over-simplifications seem to have an almost emotional value to people. It can be difficult to let go of long-held explanations in favor of logically defensible standpoints. There is a certain comfort in repeating explanations we were taught as youngsters. From religion to history to science … the proposition of self-examination can be a scary, emotional, and deeply challenging idea.
An assignment that benefited me in a completely different manner was the Dream It project, again in CEP 800/815/822, taught by Dr. Punya Mishra in Summer of 2011.
This assignment was all about classroom integration of technology: What piece of technology could you integrate into your classroom to enrich learning? This was essentially an introduction to grant-writing: describe a learning goal, propose a technological tool that would help you to accomplish that goal, describe how that tool could be integrated into classroom instruction and how that tool would transform learning, then detail how you would quantify the results.
I found this assignment to be difficult and labor-intensive. It was the joining of teaching pedagogy and dreaded bureaucratic paperwork! It was the justification of a needed classroom resource to administrators, school-board members and community members. However, as I gritted my teeth and suffered through the process, I learned an invaluable lesson: this is what it takes to get the job done. As educators, we must learn to communicate with the decision-makers around us. The success of our teaching depends, in part, on our ability to obtain needed resources for the classroom. Let’s be honest: in this time of budget cuts and tightening belts, money will not flow without convincing and solid justification. If we want to new software package, piece of hardware, or set of books, we are required to make our case to the “higher-ups”.
At the end of this project, I actually submitted my justifications to the school board. I wrote a grant proposal for a classroom set of graphing calculators. It’s unique and incredible to have class projects that are immediately and directly applicable to my teaching career. That is, perhaps, the most sincere compliment I can give to MSU’s Educational Technology program.
I found this assignment to be difficult and labor-intensive. It was the joining of teaching pedagogy and dreaded bureaucratic paperwork! It was the justification of a needed classroom resource to administrators, school-board members and community members. However, as I gritted my teeth and suffered through the process, I learned an invaluable lesson: this is what it takes to get the job done. As educators, we must learn to communicate with the decision-makers around us. The success of our teaching depends, in part, on our ability to obtain needed resources for the classroom. Let’s be honest: in this time of budget cuts and tightening belts, money will not flow without convincing and solid justification. If we want to new software package, piece of hardware, or set of books, we are required to make our case to the “higher-ups”.
At the end of this project, I actually submitted my justifications to the school board. I wrote a grant proposal for a classroom set of graphing calculators. It’s unique and incredible to have class projects that are immediately and directly applicable to my teaching career. That is, perhaps, the most sincere compliment I can give to MSU’s Educational Technology program.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the creative mini-assignments that I worked on during the summer of 2011 as well. As a science-minded person, as well as an analytical thinker, I do not consider myself to be creative. In fact, the idea of creativity seems a lofty, almost unattainable goal. This class forced me to push my limits and explore my world in a different way.
We explored our environment, looking for letters hidden in the campus landscape. We made inspirational posters based on subject-specific concepts. We wrote poetry. We did public performance to bring awareness and spark interest in the course. We worked with photography editing software to produce pictures that displayed a current theme in educational pedagogy. We tried GeoCaching and discussed how to integrate that into subject-specific learning. And we created spoofs on the current crazy of “inspirational” posters.
These assignments helped me to expand my mind and apply my knowledge in a way that I had never before experienced. It also gave me an opportunity to consider the different learning styles of my students. My mind is analytical. My students’ minds are not my own. It’s my job to reach each student where he/she is and utilize their learning styles to accomplish the learning objectives of the course.
These assignments helped me to expand my mind and apply my knowledge in a way that I had never before experienced. It also gave me an opportunity to consider the different learning styles of my students. My mind is analytical. My students’ minds are not my own. It’s my job to reach each student where he/she is and utilize their learning styles to accomplish the learning objectives of the course.
Pulling it all Together / Showcasing my Journey
My final steps in the Master’s marathon are CEP 820 and CEP 807 in the Fall of 2011. This was my first true experience with online classes. The only personal interactions are through technology. No real-life, face-to-face component whatsoever. I must admit that this was an overwhelming and frightening experience. Enriching? Yes. Challenging? Yes. Comfortable? No. But learning should be scary sometimes. Stretching our minds and abilities to fit a different set of circumstances forces us to learn. After all, this is what we require of our students. As educators, we need to develop empathy and personal experience with the role of a learner. In our role as a classroom teacher, we sometimes lose sight of how it feels to be a student. We need to ask ourselves: Are our assignments valuable and necessary? Do they present true and authentic learning opportunities? If not, can they be eliminated or changed? These questions, and the accompanying process of self-analysis, make us better teachers.
Lastly, the Capstone Portfolio course in the Fall of 2011 is my opportunity to document my journey. I’m creating a time-capsule of sorts. This assignment is beneficial to me because it’s immediately applicable in my teaching career. It stands as a professional resource for parents, students, administrators, and community members to get to know me as a learner. It showcases the projects I completed, as well as my transformation as a teacher and as a learner. This is my final project, my final steps in the process. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and of the lessons I’ve learned. I never expected the completion of my Master’s degree to be so enriching and life-changing. I’m a better teacher because of this program.