What If…

What if I could be an agent to make our students enroll in Computer Science classes?

What if I can build up student strategies to attract students to be a part of the Computer Science classes?

What if I can influence my fellow teachers to use my strategies?

These are the questions that I would like to learn the answers to in-depth. I have proposed and submitted my Innovation plan regarding the use of student strategies in order to have a successful Computer Science class. Moreover, an important piece of my innovation plan is to create an engaging and safe learning environment. Now that I have read A New Culture of Learning, I have learned ideas on how to have a better learning environment.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Thomas mentioned in his TED Talk, that Learning is an easy fundamental, it is natural and effortless. Moreso, Carol Dweck, growth mindset’ teaches us that students can learn if provided with the optimum opportunities and learning conditions (Dweck, 2016).

Thomas also mentioned in his TED Talk, that in the new culture of learning it is important to have passion, imagination, and constraint, And the play is the combination of these three things. Creating a significant learning environment is crucial to the success of our students. But learning is treated in a mechanistic approach, where students needed to master the steps in order to operate a machine (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 35). I agree that we need to get away from the mechanistic notion, if we think of it we cannot treat students the same ( (Thomas & Brown, 2011), as a teacher I would like my students to have the option of reading in advance and that the lessons are available whenever they need it. Right now we are using Scratch as a practice program in my Computer Science 1 Class and I am using Code.org for my Fundamentals of Computer Science class, and it is all incorporated in Schoology, my district learning management. Since classes started, I begin to add project-based learning as an assessment for my students

I have also used Peer to Peer learning with my students, in this way they will be able to learn and collaborate with their peers. A new culture of learning can be powerful when students see each other resources and learn from one another (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 25). Moreover, in these ways, my students will have Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authenticity, this is a methodology that I learned from Dr. Harapnuik.

CHALLENGES

In every new innovation, challenges will always arise, but as a person whose trying to embrace a growth mindset. All of my lessons are in Schoology, digital learning has many advantages for teachers and students. Teaching and learning can occur whenever and wherever is most convenient for everyone (Caduceous, 2021). However, in the article that Caduceous wrote, five challenges were also identified in online learning such as (1) Need for Discipline, (2) Missing Social Interaction, (3) Lack of Teacher Contact, (4) Poor Time Management, and (5) Technological Difficulties (Caduceous, 2021). As an educator, It is vital for me to know and face these challenges, students will be scared at first, but I will see to it that I will assist and tutor them to make them understand the new system. When you focus on continually asking better questions, you rely on the tacit and use your imagination to delve deeper and deeper into the process of inquiry (Thomas & Brown, 2011).

Another challenge that I can think of is the grading system, in my district, we have to provide evidence of grades which are quizzes and tests. I would like to get away from that norm, embrace the new culture of learning, and hope that my admin will support me.

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT

Last Tuesday, I have a walkthrough from an admin. Some of my students are done with their assignments so they went to scratch. The admin noted that my students are playing even though they are not. I justify that the students are being productive and not playing games. He said he did not know and he said he does not want to see the games again, I have to explain to him that it is part of the curriculum. This makes me really sad because I am trying to create a change, I explain to him that educational games motivate students to work. “Play is important because it provides a primary foundation for learning, exploring, problem-solving, and building an understanding of the world and your role within it.”, (Zapata, 2020). But I will not lose hope,  I will keep on going and show my admin that my students can learn in the significant learning environment that I am trying to establish. “The information and experimentation brought together are transformed in a fusion that defines the new culture of learning” (Thomas and Brown, 2011, p. 117).  I believe that I have to be strong and firm to be the agent of change. With hard work and dedication, I know my admin will see the worth of it and I will be able to inspire other teachers.  With consistency and time,  my department will embrace the significant learning embodied throughout the school organization.

REFLECTION

As an educator that embraces change for a better future, I would like to believe that I will create significant change. Teachers that let their students create imagination, and context, and make learning fun and easy will create a significant environment for learning (Thomas & Brown, 2011). I would like to use  Dr. Harpnuik’s CSLE video,  the goal is to transfer this method of learning to our students and create significant learning environments based on the New Culture of Learning.   As a teacher, I am in service to students,  and providing them with a significant learning environment is one of my major goals. I will model my strategies and hopefully influence my co-fellow teachers to embrace change for the better and for the benefit of students.

REFERENCES

A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM. (2012, September 12). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/lM80GXlyX0U

Caduceus, N. (2020, September 23). Digital Learning: 5 challenges and how to solve them. Caduceus International Publishing. Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.cipcourses.com/digital-learning-challenges

Dweck, C. (n.d.). Carol Dweck’s Profile | Stanford Profiles. (n.d.).  https://profiles.stanford.edu/carol-dweck 

Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: the new psychology of success. Random House

Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Harapnuik.org. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6988

Harapnuik, Dwayne . (2015). Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) from httos://ww.youtube.c.om/watch?v=eZ-c7rz7eT4

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux , T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Cova: Choice, Ownership and Voice through Authentic Learning (Vol. .9). Creative Commons.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Createspace.

Zapata, Kimberly. “The Importance of Play: How Kids Learn by Having Fun.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 28 Sept. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/health/the-importance-of-play.