COVA & CSLE; A Self-Guided Learning Journey
Reflections of a Lifelong Learner
5305 is the first time I realized that I genuinely had choice, ownership, and voice through authentic assignments. One of the first assignments that we had was to come up with an idea for an innovation project. My initial feedback was that I was too ambitious in my design.
I had wanted to create a platform for educating Construction Trades
students. I wanted to create a site where students could go to direct
their own education. After the feedback, I rethought my plan and
began to work towards a blended learning model in my classroom.
This was a good transition as I could now focus in on a smaller piece.
The impactful item to remember is that no one told me what I had to
do. I was free to create. This is what I was seeking when I chose my
master program. It was my desire to do something that would impact my class directly and it has and will continue to do so for the rest of my career as an educator.
My initial reaction when given the freedom and responsibility to choose to take ownership of my learning through an authentic project was that of jubilation. Many classes that you take, you are asked to jump through hoops to complete meaningless projects that will either end up on the shelf or in a circular file. I was very excited to begin building a pile of resources that I could pull from while developing and designing lesson plans and class activities. I had the choice of direction. This is exactly what my initial vision for my students was all about. I wanted them to choose their journey. Construction is a massive industry that has many options for employment. Using my experiences in this program will help me guide future students on their individual journeys much like I have here in the ADL program.
Adjustment to this learning style had to happen quickly. It was uncharted territory. Developing ideas and putting your heart and soul into something that you own is much different than just appeasing an instructor’s wishes. Hard feelings came at a couple of different points in the program and those helped me to grow. When you are tied to a project that is important to you it can be very tough to have someone critique it. When you answer the question “What is 2+2?” with 5, it is easier to have someone be critical of your answer because it does not carry any emotional weight. I must make sure that I take this into consideration when asking my own students to complete projects in the future. Having a growth mindset will take you much further in every endeavor. When you really put in effort to complete assignments it becomes personal. Learning to accept criticism positively is a certain key to success.
I did not find any difficulty in taking control of your own voice and focusing on my organization as the audience for my work. The reason for this is because on the first day of my schoolyear I requested reoccurring meetings (every other week) with my principal and instructional facilitator. We discussed projects throughout the entire year. I even personally delivered my innovation proposal to them in person! We discussed the implementation procedure. They gave me incredible insight and helped me to mold projects to fit cohesively into the classroom. We even discussed the platform project that was too ambitious. We have our IT class working on developing the course platform. It is so nice to be a part of a collaborative community where everyone contributes to completion of goals. Having mentors in every walk of life is so critical. No one can truly go it alone. We need supports of others and others need our support. This program has embodied this mentality.
Promoting change has never scared me, however, I have always believed that in Career-Tech Centers, our focuses are so different. Changing a tire is different than shingling a roof which is different from calculating taxes which is different from using a mig welder. All our teachers have one thing in common; They teach. Our organization has done very well to give teachers autonomy in their instructional delivery. I have always been happy to share my ideas and help to guide change. I am also very aware that each of us has a very different student population and what works for me may not be the best fit for the Health Occupations Teacher. We have just gone through a major evaluation/grading change in our building. Our teachers are resilient and are not resistant to change. It is a blessing to work with such a great group of professionals.
Innovative is defined as featuring new methods; advanced and original. I struggled in this course mightily at first because I thought my innovation plan should be brand new, something no one has ever done before. It took me a while to learn that the innovation plan was not brand new, it was brand new to me. Once I grasped that concept, I found some success and growth. Originally, I felt that my innovation plan should be scary, it has never been done! If I fail, I may lose my job, but if I succeed, I may go down as one of the greatest educational influencers. I began to find research that supported my plan, which meant that my ideas were not indeed original. They had been done before and I now must determine the best course of action for deployment of change. My plan is genuine, and I do intend to launch it, but I do expect that in a couple of years that I will launch something bigger that is truly innovative. It is then that I believe that I can change my organization for the better. This program has taught me many key points to use while orchestrating this change positively.
In my classroom, I do not have to instigate the student’s “why”. Every student has chosen to be there. My class is not a typical class that you must complete to get needed credits for graduation. Students have an interest in the trades and select my program as an elective. That makes learning so much more enjoyable in our culture. Do we have room to
improve? Sure! We all do! I am in the process of
creating/guiding a community where students learn together
from each other. Our class embraces failures as opportunities
for growth, part of their pathway to success. Having the
students guiding their own learning through choice, ownership,
and voice through authentic assignments is essential especially
when done in a learning environment where growth is the focus using the power of “yet”.
My Learning Philosophy was slightly modified. I always knew education was more than teaching. Education is more about learning than it is about teaching. Learning is a journey. This journey must be booked by the traveler. The learner will gain skills based on experiences. Memorization tactics do not necessarily drive learning. For learning to occur, the environment must be safe and welcoming. It is up to your tour guide to make sure the environment is satisfactory for the trip. Forcing information upon the learner is counterproductive. I believe that an educator must know how to fill the tour guide role. Learners will excel if the content is desired. Connecting content to real-world situations will help to create this desire. A journey is much better if it is fun. Learning should be an enjoyable experience for it to be meaningful and long lasting.
The beginning of the second semester will include four weeks of exploration by the students. Each student will select an area within the construction field to journey through. Most of this work will be guided through Google classroom. The second semester will be setup by the first as we will be working through our coursework using the same platform.
Students must be pressed a bit to move forward. I know from
experience that guiding your own education can be a bit tricky.
The instructors must be available to provide supports at various
levels through the process. Once the students get the hang of
what’s expected, they will be able to perform admirably. This
spin on education has been one of the most impactful on me
specifically. I am excited to share in the joy of learning with my learning community in the fall!
