In the following animation, I’d like to share a few goals that I work toward with my students, which I believe keeps us questioning and engaged in learning:
For a full-screen playback, click the following link:
In his book, A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger challenges us to question ourselves throughout our lives, ever conscious of our fear of failure. Burger quotes Regina Dugan writing, “It becomes clear that fear of failure keeps us from attempting great things…and life gets dull…but if you can get past that fear, impossible things become possible.” (Berger 2014)
Throughout my career, I have seen many people curious and hopeful that great things can be achieved through technology. For some, technology has made their life much less dull and for some, technology has become a bane of their existence.
I’ve always considered technology to simply be a tool. I’ve not been consumed by the quest for the newest technology, nor have I felt stressed by the constant novelty. I’ve found that my level of curiosity about new technology applications for teaching has been a constant. Of primary importance to me has been the ‘fit’ that technology makes in my instruction or, in other words, how it fits into the “sweet spot” which Candance Marcotte mentions in her video explaining TPACK . (Marcotte 2013)
The thing I’ve noticed about working with technology is that continual changes and inevitable troubleshooting mean that our failures are more public than ever before! We often work shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues and students, learning about updates, new applications and increasingly, new dangers of our technological tools. We even teach one another new vocabulary, intergenerationally.
If, as Thomas Friedman suggests in his New York Times editorial, the future will require us to raise our passion quotient and curiosity quotient to become lifelong learners, I am optimistic that we can unite larger goals for society with our use of technology. (Friedman 2013)
References:
Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
Friedman, T. L. (2013, January 29). Opinion | It’s the P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as the I.Q. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from hlttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/opinion/friedman-its-pq-and-cq-as-much-as-iq.htm
Wallin, M.(2018)Aronson quote from Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
As institutions, schools sit at the crossroads of reality and aspiration. Our collective and individual dreams for a thriving present and a more perfect future sit alongside each student.
What are the expectations and responsibilities of teachers? How have these expectations and responsibilities changed as technology has increasingly provided a means to redefine the school experience?
My fellow students and I formed a Think Tank to consider the changing role of teachers. We began by reading the related section of the 2017 NMC Horizon Report on Higher Education. Then, in order to see entanglements that were not intuitively obvious from our reading, we followed the question formulation technique from the Right Question Institute, asking, “Why, “What If” and “How”. (Berger 2014) We also considered teachers’ changing roles from the perspective of a variety of stakeholders.
With each discussion, more questions arose! Each question required more research to better frame the follow-up discussion. We realized that there are often conflicts among the changing expectations and responsibilities of teachers. Consequently, this a wicked question with inextricable connections among ever-changing variables.
In order to illustrate some the variables in the evolving expectations of educators, I created an infographic in an earlier blog post, which you can see here.
At this point in the process, our group had ideas which we hoped could address several problematic issues surrounding educators’ roles. Through a survey, we solicited input from K-12 teachers. This input helped us strategize on how to support teachers and students. It also introduces complications that may have to be dealt with separately!
Please consider our suggestions via the following presentation:
References:
Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
Becker, S.A., Cummins, M., Davis, A., Freeman, A., Glesinger Hall, C. & Ananthanarayanan, V. (2017). NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Question, Research, Discuss, Rethink
As K-12 teachers, our experience of teaching is not as straightforward as simply going forward until we come to the end. We begin our work with a class schedule and a roster of students. We go forward developing lesson plans aligned with a curriculum approved by our supervisors. And yet sometimes, it seems as if no end is in sight!
For the 21st Century teacher, there is an expectation that we will employ technology-based tools in most subject areas. There is an expectation that K-12 teachers will encourage a habit of inquiry and student-centered learning. In many states, teacher evaluation criteria require teachers to design student-centered learning while also meeting Common Core Curriculum Standards and preparing students for state-mandated tests. (Tienken (2017)
What is the role of the 21st Century teacher? What skills are needed? Are teachers facilitators, mentors, coaches and instructors? Should we be revenue generating entrepreneurs? Do teachers have pedagogical training appropriate for student-centered learning? Do teachers have support for the appropriate use of technology? How can teachers be prepared to meet constantly evolving expectations and classroom responsibilities?
My classmates and I in the MSU MAET program have been considering these questions. We have confronted the wickedness of a problem that has no end. One solution may be a type of professional support that is concurrent with the changing expectations and responsibilities of K-12 teaching. Other solutions may arise from you, fellow teachers!
In the following 15 question survey, my workgroup solicits your input. Please note that the survey is anonymous and the data will only be shared with our instructors.
K-12 teachers, please feel free to use the open-ended comment field at the end to add “What If” suggestions for creative solutions which might tame the wicked problem of the evolving expectations and classroom responsibilities of K-12 teachers. Finally, and most definitely, if you want to suggest “How” we can implement solutions, please do!
Tienken, C. H. (2017). The standardized performance trap. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53(3), 107. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1080/00228958.2017.1334471 on February, 9, 2018
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Rethinking the Role of Educators: Your Input Needed!
During this week, I read the 2017 NMC Horizon Report on Higher Education. My fellow students and I considered the challenge that faces educators at all levels; namely, the evolving role of educator as a facilitator in a student-centered, technology-based environment. This evolving role creates complications and offers opportunities. It is, indeed, a wicked problem. As John Camillus (2008) points out, “Wicked problems can’t be solved, they can only be tamed.”
In an effort to tame this wicked problem, my classmates and I looked at the relevant research. The research raised a variety of questions which helped us further define this wicked problem. Following a model of problem analysis suggested by Berger (2014), my group each generated 15 questions. We discussed the topic by taking a role as one of the stakeholders; a student, a parent, a teacher and a policymaker in an effort to empathize from a different perspective. As a result of this process of questioning, we were able to narrow our list of questions to the following three:
Why are educators struggling to create a more student-centered classroom?
Why and how are educators assessed on their effectiveness?
Why aren’t educators trained to be leaders, entrepreneurs, and coaches?
In order to summarize the complexity of this issue, I have presented several factors from the perspectives of teachers, students, and policymakers in the following infographic:
References:
Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
Camillus, J. C. (2008). Strategy as a wicked problem. Harvard Business Review, 2008
Okojie, M. C. P. O. (2011). The changing roles of teachers in a technology learning setting. International Journal of Instructional Media, 38(1), 17+. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y7bwpvfu
Morrison, Charles D. (2014). From ‘Sage on the Stage’ to ‘Guide on the Side’: A Good Start. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 8: No. 1, Article 4. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2014.080104 on 2/2/2018
Peters, E. (2010). Shifting to a Student-Centered Science Classroom: An Exploration of Teacher and Student Changes in Perceptions and Practices. Journal of Science Teacher Education,21(3), 329-349. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43156552
I was raised in a household where informed debates were encouraged. Periodical subscriptions and stacks of books decorated the shelves and tables. I was taught that a beautifully crafted argument is best built by reading points of view in opposition. In his book, The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students Through Digital Learning, James Gee (2013) describes a “confirmation bias” wherein we favor information that confirms our belief. My confirmation bias was often challenged because, in a large extended family of individuals active in civic organizations, a variety of viewpoints were vigorously expressed.
Since I began digesting information in a primarily digital format, periodicals and books have been replaced with Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds. I have found it very easy to find affinity groups and restrict myself to a bubble of information created by them. As Jenkins notes, when groups gather together to produce media they follow some of the practices we might associate with folk culture (Jenkins, 2011). Especially with regard to Facebook, I find that acting as a contributing member of a group producing media can feel very rewarding, even if it creates an “us and them” mentality.
In his book, The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You, Eli Pariser (2011), writes “more and more your computer monitor is a kind of one-way mirror, reflecting your own interests while algorithmic observers watch what you click.” It is frightening to learn that while we may have believed we were curating our information sources, powerful algorithms are capturing more details about our choices than we are even aware of making.
In order to look beyond my bubble, I’ve intentionally added new several new sources to Twitter. I started with the addition of the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. I was amused to see that Twitter suggested the following additional sources for me:
I’m not impressed with Twitter’s algorithms of personalization!
Nevertheless, I know that Twitter has much to offer and I’ve tried to aggregate it using TweetBeem
Additionally, I’m now following organizations both for and against Common Core, Ed Tech groups from around the world, a number of innovative thinkers including TheTechRabbi.
My digital household now has fuller shelves, metaphorically speaking, through additional RSS feeds. In order to aggregate information from websites, I have settled on using Feedly. I’ve created the following little video to demonstrate the features of Feedly which I find useful.
Although I have added variety to my info diet, on the advice of Nicholas Carr (2010), I am not going to try to speed up the pace at which I digest.
Watching Nicholas Carr’s Economist’s Conference lecture, I learned that the implications of trying to digest vast amounts of information can affect us negatively in several ways. First, it can overload our working memory. Secondly, it can short-circuit our long-term memory consolidation. This consolidation is the source of conceptual and creative thinking. Finally, although we may have more information, we may actually become less productive by constantly trying to shift our focus from one thing to another.
I’ll end with a graphic poem by Mark Laliberte entitled “Bubble Builds Babble”. I feel this is an excellent graphical expression of the confining walls we create when we limit our information sources.
[Online image of “BalloonCloudBubble”]. Retrieved January 28, 2018 from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/144840/from-ballooncloudbubble
References
Carr, Nicholas (2011, March). The Dark Side of the Information Revolution. Retrieved January 27, 2018, from http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid57825992001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAADXaozYk~,BawJ37gnfAnGoMxEdQj_T9APQXRHKyAC&bctid=1128986496001
Gee, J. P. (2013). The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning. New York City, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Pariser, Eli. (2011) The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
According to Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas (2014), students begin preschool asking hundreds of questions. Gradually, this habit of inquiry declines, as he discusses here:
(Please Note: The following video is set to automatically play a short excerpt. If you want to replay the excerpt, simply reload the page.)
Berger (2014) points out that in the current education system teachers are formulating questions and the kids are being trained to answer them. Or, as media critic Neil Postman (Berger, 2014) characterized this process:
Other issues may also contribute to the gradual decline in students’ questions. Berger (2014) interviewed neurologists who suggest it is, in part, natural neurological development.
Joshua Aronson said, “Fear is the enemy of curiosity” (Berger, 2014). He suggests that students stop asking questions in order to “play it safe” for fear of losing face or causing disruption.
Do students stop asking questions because they lose interest or do students lose interest because they stopped being encouraged to question and are discouraged and bored?
I believe that many of us stop asking questions because we struggle to frame the questions, we don’t have time to seek the answers and we aren’t encouraged to collaborate with others who might share our interests.
Berger (2014) mentions that:
Many of the schools doing inquiry-based learning are still too new to judge whether they are turning out extra successful of productive adults, (however one might measure that). But we do know that some of their core principles, – the emphasis on letting students explore, direct their own learning and work on projects instead of taking tests can also be found at Montessori schools, which have been around long enough to have a track record of adult success.(p. 54).
Since I work in a Montessori school, I’ll take this opportunity to elaborate on features of Montessori methods which I see supporting inquiry.
A Montessori classroom is characterized by the following: multiage groupings, three-hour uninterrupted blocks of classroom time, individualized project-based learning, interdisciplinary lessons and assessment through a portfolio and teacher observation.
In her book, Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Angeline Lillard, examined Montessori methods through the lens of modern-day developmental psychology.
Addressing the topic of multiage classrooms, Lillard notes research which indicates that children are more active when they learn with peers. I have often noticed the respect and attention that younger-older student pairings foster. Collaborative learning in a multi-age classroom happens quite spontaneously. An additional benefit of multiage grouping is that children are able to learn from questions others ask, both in terms of specific information and in modeling how to ask a question. (Mills, 2012)
In terms of classroom routine, a three hour work period gives both students and teachers ample time to do a “deep dive” into project-based work. Teachers meet with students individually to help them define their interests. Maria Montessori designed an interdisciplinary social study and science curriculum that offers a gateway to big, beautiful questions. The five “great lessons” review the beginning of the universe, the development of life on earth, the history of humans and the history of writing and numbers.
Instead of focusing on grades as an end goal, Montessori assessments are based on teacher observation. The following is an example of a progress report for lower elementary Montessori students. Together with a portfolio of work, this assessment form would be used by the teacher to indicate if a student is meeting expectations in these areas.
Central to the Montessori philosophy is the idea that students will naturally work toward mastery of the material or, in other words, to find answers to their beautiful questions.
As a technology and media teacher in a Montessori school, my role is to support students in answering their questions. The following is an example of work students created to contribute to the conversation about keeping the Huron River healthy. Note: the video ends with a question!
References
Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.
Berger, Warren. (2018, November 8). Questions are the New Answers
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://201tube.com/video/5ALlGU2GYbk
Harter, S. (1978). Pleasure Derived from Challenge and the Effects of Receiving Grades on Children’s Difficulty Level Choices. Child Development,49(3), 788-799. Retrieved on 1/19/18 from doi:10.2307/1128249
Lillard, A. (2005). Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. Cary: Oxford University Press.
Mills, C. M., Danovitch, J. H., Grant, M. G. and Elashi, F. B. (2012), Little Pitchers Use Their Big Ears: Preschoolers Solve Problems by Listening to Others Ask Questions. Child Development, 83: 568–580. Retrieved on 1/16/18 from doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01725.x
Dysgraphia is a special learning need which can occur together with dyslexia and other developmental disorders, or independently from it. Students with dysgraphia may have poor handwriting, poor grammar, and difficulty with clear, organized expression of thought. Quillen and Gladstone (2008 ) According to Chung and Patel (2015 ), the source of dysgraphia may be genetic.
In the context of our CEP 812 assignment to consider an ill-structured problem, Bruning and Horn (2000) describe the task of writing as follows, “In solving writing’s ill-defined problems, writers must juggle multiple goals and satisfy many constraints of topic, audience, purpose and of physically creating the text itself”
One way teachers might assist students with dysgraphia is to follow Santangelo’s (2014) research recommendations after examining the habits of skilled writers.
Research has found that skillful writers are able to strategically do the following: Plan the structure of their written work, produce complex sentences in legible handwriting with few grammar and spelling errors, and revise their written work with improvements beyond grammar and spelling and motivate themselves to write.
In working with students who have difficulty producing written work, I have seen some success with the program Storyboard That.
I’ll examine each of the skills aforementioned as those of skilled writers in the context of Storyboard That.
Planning
It is my impression that for someone with dysgraphia, the experience of writing can be less like constructing a document from building blocks of sentences and more like navigating through drifting ice floes of thought.
In terms of planning, Storyboard That is a simple graphic organizer. Evmenova1 et al. (2015) found that computer-based graphic organizers improve both the quality and quantity of student writing. The program can be used by teachers to design complex graphic organizers tailored for specific subjects. While using Storyboard That, work is naturally broken into small segments. Storyboard That empowers a student with dysgraphia to scaffold ideas graphically.
Produce complex sentences
In order to write complex sentences, students must have an appropriate vocabulary and know the rules of grammar. Developing these skills is outside the scope of this program.
Legible Writing
Since students with dysgraphia have difficulty with handwriting, a computer-based program provides them an opportunity to create a legible product.
Grammar and Spelling
Although this program does not provide a grammar checker, it does use the spell check feature incorporated into browsers. Browser extensions like Grammarly will work with Storyboard That as well.
One feature of this program that is problematic for students with dysgraphia is the temptation to spend an excessive amount of time on small details. Students with dysgraphia sometimes focus on the legibility of their handwriting over content. It is possible for the graphic elements in Storyboard That to become distracting.
Revising
With regard to the task of revision, the cells can be reordered and the graphic ideas further developed in writing. As an alternative to writing, students can use the audio recording feature of the program. Since the storyboards can be printed, the spelling and grammar corrections can take place on paper.
Motivation
Santengelo (2014) points out that “perception of value is a critical motivational variable”. I have found that students find value in creating work to share and engage their peers. Presenting information as a comic strip or graphic novel is engaging for elementary students. Storyboard That supports multimodal presentations through its output functions. Adding little elements of humor and surprise are well within the ability of students while using this program.
Further, I believe that the program Storyboard That offers one more tool to teachers who aim to uphold the three principles of Universal Design for Learning.
To recap, these three principles are:
Provide Multiple Modes of Representation
Provide Multiple Modes of Action and Expression
Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
Using Storyboard That is a rather seamless way of planning instruction which minimizes learning obstacles without restricting pace or output for students who work quickly. King-Sears (2009) mentions that using UDL principles as a guide means that content is presented in ways that are intuitive and considerate of students’ background knowledge, language skills, and concentration levels. Storyboard That is a versatile program which supports students of all skill levels in written expression.
Resources
Bruning, R., and Horn, C. (2000). Developing Motivation to Write. Educational Psychologist Vol. 35, Iss. 1, 2000 Retrieved from https://doi-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1207/S15326985EP3501_4
Chung, Peter, and Dilip R. Patel. (2015). “Dysgraphia.” International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health 8.1 27-36. Retrieved from ProQuest. Web. 09 Jan. 2018.
Evmenova, Anya S., et al. (2016). Emphasizing Planning for Essay Writing with a Computer-Based Graphic Organizer. Exceptional children 82.2 170-91. Retrieved from ProQuest. Web. 11 Jan. 2018.
Gonzalez-Ledo, M., Barbetta, P. and Unzueta, C. (2015). The Effects of Computer Graphic Organizers on the Narrative Writing of Elementary School Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. T Journal of Special Education Technology, 30(1), pp.29-42. Retrieved from doi: 10.1177/016264341503000103
King-Sears, Margaret. (2009). Universal Design for Learning: Technology and Pedagogy. Learning Disability Quarterly 32.4 199-201. Retrieved from ProQuest. Web. 16 Jan. 2018.
As the CEP 811 class concludes this week, we are reviewing assessment and evaluation methods and reflecting on our personal experience of this course.
I included the paraphrased quote from Thomas Edison above because his work is emblematic of a “maker” who was creative with technology, just as we have been asked to be in CEP 811. One very important element of being creative is to evaluate where we have succeeded or failed to meet our goals. Writing about assessing creativity, Grant Wiggins, said “Educators sometimes say that they shy from assessing creative thought for fear of inhibiting students, but this is a grave error in my view, even if the fear should be honored as coming from a desire to help.” I’m sure I will be able to use his rubric for assessing creativity and feel it is an invaluable resource.
Another aspect of assessment that Grant Wiggins addresses is self-assessment. Reading online about self-assessment I came across the following model from an organization named Leaving to Learn. Incorporating students expectations into assessment is a key to engagement.
The digital generation has access to a larger number of resources and a larger audience than previous generations. This can be inspirational. It can also squash student effort and innovation if self assessment is too harsh. Teachers still play a vital role in assessment by guiding students so that they don’t give up while trying to reach goals. The universal design for learning principles, which we studied in this course, provide a framework for guiding students of all abilities toward realistic assessment.
My personal experience of CEP 811 has been a true TPACK experience. I’ve been learning about adapting innovative technology to education while using innovative technology to learn. A recursive experience!
As in CEP 810, the assumption of CEP 811 is that the students use the vast instructional resources available online as well as the support of our peers and instructors to learn new technology and apply it to a assigned project within a week. Although this is a high learning curve, I love it. I felt quite challenged, sometimes more by the pedagogical demands and sometimes more by the technology. With one exception, I felt each assignment married technology, pedagogy and content in creative and instructive ways.
I felt quite frustrated by the assignment to redesign a learning space using Sketch Up. Although I’m certainly willing to acknowledge a personal lack of ability to understand three dimensional rotations in a two dimensional plane, I felt really limited by the requirement to “dream big” and then express my dream in Sketch Up. For me, it was the absolute worst kind of experience with technology in that I had to adapt my plans to accommodate what was possible to express with the technology. I also felt that the experience would be much different if my classmates and I were spending time together in a lab working through problems with one another.
Searching for better tutorials than those created by Google for Google Sketch Up, I discovered Teacher Tube. The Sketch Up videos I found there gave me both the instruction and inspiration I needed to finish my design of a learning space.
One of the highlights of the CEP 811 for me was programming a game in Scratch to be used on the Raspberry Pi. I had the opportunity to get feedback on my work from the students in my son’s class and found that they offered some insightful suggestions for improvement.
With mixed feelings I learned that my vision for creating a Raspberry Pi kit, including software that makes using the Raspberry Pi easier for K-12 students, has already been “Kickstarted” and created by a group in the U.K. I’m happy to see my idea realized so successfully, but a bit disappointed to not be a part of this particular maker community.
I’m looking forward to the digital and “maker” generation creating wonderful innovations. Among those already leading the way is Sylvia Todd of:
As Grant Wiggins wrote, “Making is about realizing that you can be a creator instead of just a consumer.” With that thought in mind, may I suggest the following opportunity explore programming here.
References
[Untitled image of light bulb and paraphrase quote from Thomas Edison]. Retrieved December 5, 2014 from http://www.pinterest.com
“Learning is impossible if information is imperceptible to the learner, and difficult when information is presented in formats that require extraordinary effort or assistance.” (CAST)
This week in CEP 811 we are revisiting the lesson plan we created earlier in the course to incorporate the Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
What is UDL? It is “a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn.” (CAST)
The lesson that I created a few weeks ago was intended to allow students to practice positive and negative integer addition using a computer game written in the Scratch programming language. A link to my game is here.
Using the CAST Educator’s Worksheet, I was able to envision several ways to improve the lesson as you can see in my notes here.
As I looked at my lesson through the UDL framework, I saw that both the game and lesson were greatly improved by providing UDL friendly changes. My original lesson plan which now incorporates UDL improvements is available here. Using the main three principles of UDL, I’ll summarize the changes which I felt were required.
1). Provide Multiple Means of Representation
Although my game is computer based, before considering UDL principles I had no accommodations for visually impaired students. Nor had I suggested any alternative input methods beyond the keyboard. My revisions incorporate those suggestions. I tried to keep the game quite lean in use of language in order to allow math to speak as a universal language.
2). Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Although the lesson is still computer based, I believe that incorporating math journals and adding posters to the classroom which the students have created would be a great addition. Asking the students to express the concepts of positive and negative number lines through an art project brings math out of the “math lesson”.
3). Provide Multiples Means of of Engagement
I find it easy to assume that computers based learning always provides engagement. Both because of multiple means of learning and because the “digital generation” is no longer immediately engaged by computer based learning, I believe a game like a bean bag toss on a number line, which gets students using their bodies, would be an excellent improvement for this lesson.
One of the most interesting aspects of UDL for me is the opportunity to learn more about the neuroscience of learning. Teaching can sometimes become so goal oriented that I lose sight of the miraculous process of perception and information processing in the human brain.
Reflecting on differently abled learners and computer technology led me to think about the research that has been done on individuals with Asperger’s who work in the technology field.
Temple Grandin, author and professor was asked “Is there a connection between Asperger’s and IT? she answered . We wouldn’t even have any computers if we didn’t have Asperger’s,” she declares. “All these labels — ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ and ‘mild Asperger’s’ — are all getting at the same thing. … The Asperger’s brain is interested in things rather than people, and people who are interested in things have given us the computer you’re working on right now.”(T. Mayor 2008)
The universal design for learning has something to offer everyone because every student has something to offer us.
References
CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.
I assist my son’s class weekly at math time. I work with small groups in a large open collaborative space. I’ve marked the area of the school in which I meet the students on this Google Earth view of the school.
The collaborative space in surrounded by 6 classrooms and 2 small meeting rooms for reading and learning specialists. When inclement weather forces the students to stay inside all day, this space is also used for indoor recess.
The problem is not just that the space needs to be multifunctional, but that the space is overtaken for daily storage of all the students personal gear.
The wall areas between the classrooms are used for coat racks, like the one I’ve found as a model in the 3D Warehouse of Sketch-Up.
Each classroom of 1st and 2nd grade students has a population of between 25-30 students. Each student brings a backpack which they hang on the little plastic hooks shown on the rack. The backpacks are heavy and the hooks break. Complicating this process of hanging up the coats and backpacks, there aren’t enough hooks for the numbers of students in the classroom. Thus, the backpacks and and coats end up on the floor. When winter weather arrives, the students are asked to take their boots off and line them up on 8 x 12 foot rugs provided for them in order to absorb the melting snow. Consequently, the large collaborative space becomes very much smaller and cluttered with coats, backpacks and boots.
I’ve used Sketchup (and Photoshop) to show the use of space in the open area. The black shapes in the center space show a the variety of table shapes placed there. The long slim rectangle indicates a tables of 10 computers in the area.
What to do?
In order to address the backpack storage issue, I have a new idea for a table. I have drawn a prototype showing just one of the open compartments that can hold a backpack. The table could be built on a lazy susan bearing so that the area with the backpack will turn.
In order to address the issue of boot storage, I believe it would be wise to invest in a boot storage rack like the following:
If the boots were moved off the floor and some of the backpacks were stored in cubbies away from the coat racks, fewer coat racks would be needed.
Ideally, one entire boundary wall of the space could be left clear for video projection. Or, the computers could be moved against a wall.
In the following images I have used Sketchup to present some of these ideas. A large flat panel is mounted on a wall and slides along a rail to utilize some or all of the room as viewing area. The wall itself is covered with cork board so it can easily be used for display. The origami couch is from an innovative designer named Yumi Yoshida, who makes a couch which converts to a rug. In this case, it could also be used for a wall hanging for noise abatement. The students are reading on furniture which can either be used as tables or seating. I’ve positioned a storage unit to split the space so that it will also absorb some of the noise when multiple groups are using the space
.
Double Click to Enlarge
In another section of the space, from which two corridors lead to the outer hallway, I’ve positioned a wonderful little “coat tree” on which students can hang their coats. It is positioned so that students can walk around it to access it from all sides. I’ve installed the boot rack, pictured above, to lift the wet boots off the floor.
I’ve moved the computers flush against one wall. I think furniture like the green sectional tables can be used to better effect than circular tables because they can be repositioned in many arrangements. Another addition is a cubbie, which incorporates a reading bench.
Double Click to Enlarge
Double click on image to enlarge
In considering the issues for this collaborative space, I found the following:
Research shows that student learning styles have changed, therefore we need learning spaces to accommodate a new generation who:
Prefer multitasking and quick, non linear access to information,
Are visually‐ oriented,
Are highly networked, interactive and social,
Are increasingly mobile,
Have a low tolerance for lecture style teaching,
Prefer active learning rather than passive learning, and
Rely heavily on communications technologies to access information and to carry out social and professional interactions.
If possible, it would be wonderful to incorporate innovative furniture like the following designed by http://www.area-architecture.com:
In New Zealand, the idea of collaboration and space has been considered to allow information to be absorbed in a variety of modalities, cave, campfire and watering hole.
Multiple intelligence – Allows for different work modes
Studio – Allows for a different work modes
Campfire – Allows for collaboration
Watering Hole – Allows for small group work
Cave – Allows for self-study (solitary work and reflection)
Finally, since I personally have had difficulty with the noise that is generated when 20 or more students are working in the space, while I’m trying to work with a group of 6-8, I was interested in research which address the problem of noise in a collaborative space. “Experts advise that it’s best to devise solutions for the problem of noise preemptively, especially since retrofitting a room to muffle loud noises can be disruptive, expensive, and not as effective as designing for noise control at the outset.One obvious option is to install carpeting—even thin carpets absorb sound a lot better than, say, a concrete floor.”Additionally, acoustical ceiling and wall baffles are available from the vendor Gordon.
I believe expenses could be kept to a minimum if only carpeting, boot racks and a few backpack cubbies were purchased for the space.
Finally, an easy and fun option for a space that is both used for learning and play could be the idea shown here to substitute exercise balls for chairs!
References
Villano, M. (2010-06-01). 7 Tips for Building Collaborative Learning Spaces. Campus technology, 23(10), 30.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2006). 21st century learning environments. (SourceOECD.) Paris: OECD.
Walker, J. D. (2011). Pedagogy and Space: Empirical Research on New Learning Environments. The EDUCAUSE quarterly, 34(4)
f reality and aspiration. Our collective and individual dreams for a thriving present and a more perfect future sit alongside each student.
![reports[1]](https://learningstem.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/reports1.png?w=640)
In order to address the issue of boot storage, I believe it would be wise to invest in a boot storage rack like the following:
Students and STEM 