Passion and Creativity > Intelligence

I can’t believe CEP 812 is coming to a close. Sometimes it feels like the past 8 weeks flew by, and other times it feels like they were the slowest 8 weeks of my life. This course has been the most challenging thus far….although it is only my third course in the program. In the other two classes my learning was much more physical- i learned to play the guitar and make circuits out of play-dough. The first two courses presented me with problems to solve, or so it seems, but this course really made me identify the problem.

Reflecting back on the past year, I am reminded of the course of events that led me to the MAET program. Almost a year ago now, I emailed past professors asking for their suggestions on master’s programs focusing on educational technology. At the time, my passion for implementing modern tech tools in my classroom was conflicting with my school’s technology policy. I hated telling my students to use resources and tools, and then have to punish them if they got out their cell phone to look something up on the Internet, snap a picture of the whiteboard work, or video something they heard and want to remember…especially because I felt like a hypocrite for telling them not to use a tool I regularly use: my cellphone. I was looking for a program to help me reconnect learning and life. I was curious as to why my learners were highly adaptive to rapidly evolving technology outside of school, but struggled to use technology in the classroom. Now, finishing up CEP 812, I am still reaching out to professors and others within my growing PLN (professional learning network).  It seems that everything I do regarding teaching and learning is driven by my passion and curiosity and remediated by reaching out to individuals in my PLN or searching for the answer on the web, which are appropriate closing thoughts considering our final learning task.

For our final task in CEP 812 we were asked to read the article It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q. written by Thomas Freidman.  In the article, Friedman (2013), says that in our hyper-connected, technology-driven world, the individuals who will succeed “won’t just be those with more I.Q. It will also be those with more P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient) to leverage all the new digital tools to not just find a job, but to invent one or reinvent one, and to not just learn but to relearn for a lifetime.”  That is, intelligence alone will not prepare individuals for an unknown future with unknown problems and jobs, but rather a combination of passion, curiosity and intelligence is necessary for success in a rapidly changing economy. After reading and reflecting on this article we had to create a representation of how we embody and envision PQ and CQ in both our present and future work as educator. I created a video remix using YouTube and iMovie to hopefully help views see that passion and creativity go hand in hand in my instructional practices and learning experiences. Enjoy.

Friedman, T. L. (2013). It’s p.q. and c.q. as much as i.q. The new york times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/opinion/friedman-its-pq-and-cq-as-much-as-iq.html

Making Innovation Part of Learning Ethic

Over the past few weeks, Alyse, Allison, Yahia, and I have been working together to identify strategies, approaches, and technologies that we believe provide a viable solution on how to make innovation part of the learning ethic. In my last blog post I summarized my group’s Wicked Problem of Practice and explained why I felt it was an extremely complex problem to tackle. Since then, my group has come a long way! By collaborating with classmates and implementing their feedback, we were able to turn our proposal around and refocus our recommendations around strategies rather than the problem itself in our revamped White Paper Recommendation. 

From there, we created several pieces of work that define the nature of our problem and the complexities surrounding it, and offer our vision on making innovation part of learning ethic. Since making innovation part of learning ethic isn’t really about using a specific tool or procedure, but rather freedom and choice modeled by a progressive classroom design that embraces learning as a process and utilizes 21^st century tools as supports, we refocused our recommendation around this question: If creativity is the driving force for innovation, how do we cultivate creativity in education?

In doing so, we established what we felt were essential aspects of the creative learning process in terms of cultivating creativity– providing time for learners to share experiences and make connections through collaboration, to use their interests to engage them in higher order problem solving learning tasks, to use 21^st century tools to share and learn with a global community– and why those skills were so important to prepare for future of unknowns. Please watch, read, and explore our work by checking out our Smore Flyer. 

References:

Adams, K. (2005). The sources of innovation and creativity. National Center on Education and the Economy. 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 5300, Wash

ington, DC 20006. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/889923744?accountid=12598

Barseghian, T. (2014). What kids want out of school [Video File]. KQED: MindShift.  Retrieved February 12, 2014 from http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/01/what-kids-want-out-of-school/

Beers, S. Z. (2011). 21st century skills: preparing students for their future. In STEM Education Coalition. Retrieved February 14. 2014.

Crie, M. (2006). Using Blogs to Integrate Technology into the Classroom. Teaching Today. Retrieved February 24, 2014 from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47.

Foote, S. M., Harrison, D. S., Ritchie, C. M., & Dyer, A. (2012). Exploratory Learning through Critical Inquiry: Survey of Critical Inquiry Programs at Mid-Sized US Universities. International Association for Development of the Information Society.

Gee, J.P. (2013) The Anti-Education Era [Google Books]. Retrieved from Google Books App.

Innovation. (2014). In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation

Koehler, M. (2011). What is TPACK? TPACK. Retrieved March 1, 2014 from http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/what-is-tpack/

Milloy, C. (2013). Who’s Failing? America’s uninspiring, creativity-killing schools. The Day Connecticut. Retrieved February 12, 2014, from http://www.theday.com/article/20130804/OP03/308049963/1070/NWSlatest

Sawyer, K. (2011) Schools that foster creativity. Huffington Posts: Ted Weekends. Retrieved February 23, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-r-keith-sawyer/teaching-creativity_b_2258239.html

A Wicked Opportunity: Innovation as Learning Ethic

The past few weeks we have been exploring a wicked task in small groups; specifically, my group has been tackling making innovation part of the learning ethic. Innovation as learning ethic is a particularly complex problem to solve because there is a lot of uncertainty: the exponentially advancing digital technologies have led to exponential growth in innovation, essentially making the predictability of the future nearly impossible or at least hard to plan for. For example, remember when everyone tried to plan for Y2K? …and then it was a bust? No one wanted to be “that guy” who had horded years worth of food and water in their basement. Similarly, since we can’t begin to fathom the technological advancements that will be available to us in the years to come, trying to create a plan that guides us towards or a more sustainable future using tools that don’t exist yet can be scary. As an educator, I must train my students for jobs that may not even exist yet. I must instill the qualities of a creative problem solver and innovative thinker to help my students prepare for a world of unknowns. And, while uncertainty often causes fear, exploring innovation as learning ethic opens the door to opportunity and CREATIVITY. As a group, we used our diverse experiences, conflicting opinions, and values to achieve a greater understanding of the complex problem at hand. By actively communicating, we were able to create a visual representation and a report based on our findings to solve our wicked problem and address what we believe is the very nature of the problem. The rough draft of our project is available here.

Technology Implementation…the results are in

This week, we were asked to create a survey regarding technology integration and share it with our community of practice, or colleagues we work with on a daily basis. The questions in my survey focus on types of technology teachers regularly use, why they use those technologies, and what changes they would like to make regarding tech use. After carefully reviewing the data collected, I summarized the data gathered from my survey, which you can read about in my white paper response: Technology Integration. Also, shown below is an infographic I created to visually display the data collected in my survey.

Hear All About It: Using Tech for HI Learners

“Hearing in noise is one of the biggest challenges for children, and the improvement in speech recognition in noise provided by Dynamic FM is unparalleled by any other advanced noise-management technology.” —Jace Wolfe, PhD. Director of Audiology, Hearts for Hearing, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

This week our task was to research and write about one technology that could support students with a specific learning disability. The disability I chose to explore is hearing impairment and the technology tool I chose to focus on is a FM transmitter. I currently work in a school district that offers the only hearing-impaired program in the county, and I work with HI students in my classroom on a daily basis, so I felt it was relevant and fitting to research technologies that support learners with hearing loss. I chose to research the FM transmitter because it is a tool that I use daily but do not know much about. Also, since hearing impairment is such a complex disability, I focused specifically on auditory oral HI learners, which means they learned to speak instead of sign.

In my white paper response, Assisting Hearing Impaired Learners with Technology, you will read about hearing impairment, how FM transmitters work, and why FM transmitters provide the best source of support for HI learners in the classroom. I provide evidence that shows students living with hearing impairment benefit significantly when a FM transmitter is used in the classroom.

As an introduction to my paper, I created a Prezi and included a YouTube video (both below) that show how one common brand of FM transmitters, Phonak’s Inspiro is used in the classroom and how it supports learning.

***to view the Prezi you will need to click the link above not the image below***

References:

Anderson, K.L., Goldstein, H. (2004). Speech Perception Benefits of FM and Infrared Devices to Children With Hearing Aids in a Typical Classroom. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 35, 169-184.

Berg, F.S., Blair, J.C., Benson, P.V. (1996). Classroom Acoustics: The Problem, Impact, and Solution. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 27, 16-20.

Clark, C. (1998). The role of assistive listening devices in the classroom. NETAC teacher tipsheet     Northeast Technical Assistance Center, Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, 52 Lomb Memorial Dr., Rochester, NY 14623-5604. Tel: 716-475-6433   (Voice/TTY); Fax: 716-475-7660; e-mail: netac@rit.edu; Web sit(TRUNCATED). Retrieved from pro quest.

Lewis, D. (1994). Assistive Devices for Classroom Listening. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 70-83.

Thibodeau, L. (2004). Maximizing Communication via Hearing Assistance Technology: Plotting beyond the Audiogram! Special Issue: Assistive Listening Devices. Hearing Journal, 57, 46– 51.

 

CEP 812: Problem of Practice

This week our task was to choose a problem of practice and illustrate how a digital tool would address the problem. The problem of practice I chose to address in my geometry classroom is classifying and proving quadrilaterals. I believe this is an ill structured problem because there are several important variables that need to be considered, in context, at the same time. That is, students must make connections to prior learning and using reasoning skills to formalize definitions, make conjectures, and write proofs. In the screencast below I will show how using the interactive math software, Geogebra is much more effective for teaching quadrilateral properties and how it allows learners to explore more diverse learning scenarios.

Maker Kit Lesson #2 UDL

Part #1: This week we spent a significant amount of time learning about Universal Design. After we read the UDL guidelines and explored free tools online, we used what we learned to modify our  original Maker Kit Lesson Plan to include elements that support the UDL framework . The revision process entailed focusing on how I could minimize barriers and maximize learning by implementing multiple methods of representation, expression and engagement in terms of what I wanted my students to learn and care about. Embedded you will find my modified lesson plan. To see what changes were made, check out my original lesson plan and read my reflection underneath the document below.

View this document on Scribd

Part #2: Reflection

After reading the UDL Guidelines published by CAST Center, I felt slightly overwhelmed by all of the details. For each of the three principals there were several guidelines and within those guidelines there were several checkpoints with various implementation examples. However, after analyzing my notes and original lesson plan, I found that I had actually included several of the UDL components in the activities I originally planned; I just hadn’t specifically stated them as supports. I was surprised to find I could show evidence for at least two of the teacher implementation examples on most guidelines. With that said, UDL is intended to increase access to learning for all students by reducing physical, cognitive, intellectual, and organizational barriers, and although I am confident I provided options and supports, I did realize that I hadn’t considered all learners while planning. I left out supports for HI students, CI students, and ELL students. So, the goal for my lesson plan rewrite is twofold: to go back and add specific details regarding the options and supports that I already have in place and to implement tools and supports for students who are CI, HI, and/or ELL (because I teach students with those specific impairments I am choosing to focus on them).  Moreover, I believe that the changes made for those specific impairments will actually help students without disabilities as well, kind of like how wheelchair ramps also service individuals with strollers or luggage.

My lesson plan is A LOT more detailed and looks different in format. I started by downloading the UDL lesson plan format and copied what I had from my original lesson plan into their design. I added a few boxes to their design that they didn’t have because I felt they were important components and the UDL Guidelines did stress the importance of short and long term goals, which is why I added a box that shows what they learned, what they are currently going to learn, and what they will learn in the future. I also added a box for materials because it is a cooperative learning lesson and the materials were improved to provide supports that would remove barriers, such as headphones for text-to-speech. Aside from that, my lesson plan is true to their format. I really believe this helped me refocus my planning and re-writing because I had to consider what background knowledge my students should have and how I could help them make connections.

In my original lesson I planned for an exploratory cooperative learning lesson & as explained in my original post, the content actually allows for students to learn in way that it makes sense to them.  Moreover, by focusing on constructivism and choice theory, I found that my original lesson actually covered most of the 3 principals in the UDL guidelines. By paying close attention to the teacher implementation examples for each guideline I naturally began to consider small details that I may have left out, such as print documents for all auditory components I use or visuals to support vocabulary and/or instructions. By exploring online resources and reading about UDL before rewriting my lesson, I was able to easily identify barriers that existed in my original plans and I had a better handle on the supports available to remove those barriers. If you read through my new lesson, you will see I added a ton of support for hearing impaired students, ELL, and students who are cognitively impaired. I used the ideas I learned about on the free resources page we explored. Read my tweet!!

In terms of multiple means of representation, the goal of my lesson is to learn how to write a two-column proof, so there isn’t much autonomy in the structure of their written proofs. However, as I stated in my original post, the path that each learner takes to complete the proof is NOT linear. There are choices each step of the way…that is the beauty in mathematical proof. With that said, to help learners understand that there is not one right method to write a proof, even if it regards the same exact visual element, I added the “driving directions” analogy to my lesson plan (you can read it in my new and improved plan). The UDL guidelines suggest that analogies and metaphors help learners make connections and assimilate new information. I did, however, add additional presentation options, different methods of taking notes for reflection, different methods of communicating and receiving feedback, and alternate methods for viewing and playing with circuits (online switchboard/drawn out circuit). I believe that the original lesson plan included appropriate levels of challenge and support, so, in the rewrite, I focused on providing more options and descriptions that would make the existing challenges and supports explicit and accessible to all learners.

By learning about the three primary principals that guide UDL, I was able to rewrite my lesson plans with improved goals that were specific to the purpose, with differentiated teaching methods that provided support and matched the goal, with materials necessary for learners to access, analyze, organize, synthesize, and demonstrate understanding in varied ways, and with informed assessments that accurately measured learner knowledge, skills, and engagement. You can read about each of these specific changes in the actual lesson plan above. 

This weeks activities helped me re-think my teaching practices and supports. I have hearing impaired students that I wear a microphone for, but I hadn’t really considered all of the other supports they could potentially need that would help their classmates as well. The same idea goes for my ELL and CI students. I have some curriculum redesign ahead of me!!

References

CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.

Hustle & Flow: 21st Century Classroom Design

Classroom Redesign Project


”Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. 
Design is how it works.”–Steve Jobs

This week our goal is to use SketchUp to redesign our classroom, integrating experience design into our new and improved learning space. After watching a short video clip where Tedde van Gelderen explains Experience Design, I had a much better hold on how to complete this week’s task. In fact, watching the video made me realize that I have spent and continue to spend a lot of time planning and learning in accordance with Experience Design; I had just never heard it called Experience Design. In short, Tedde (2009) describes how an experience is a holistic view of how people go through a set of events in time. He stresses the importance of time, flow (or order of events), interaction [with the environment and people], and emotion and how they all play an important role in the overall experience—the experience is funneled by human senses triggered by what we see, touch, taste, hear, and smell. This theory resonates with something one of my classes came up with last year. They decided we should have a “hustle and flow” classroom. That is, our classroom should allow for diverse learning experiences to occur simultaneously…but that there should be “flow” or rhythm to the learning occurring at all different levels, kind of like how various instruments come together to make a beautiful composition. They decided that it may look like chaos to someone who walks in and sees different types of learning occurring all around the classroom, but that if that person sticks around they will see the “hustle” or efficient learning occurring with a natural “flow” or progression of organized activities that allow for multiple perspectives and learning styles. Moreover, I learned that Third Teacher+ & Edutopia just announced a new project called “Remake Your Class.” I watched a short video clip about the project. It reminded me of the TV show “Flip This House.” The group goes through a classroom and evaluates the learning space in accordance with the teaching style and teaching goals. The goal is to match the learning space with the values by identifying what works and what could work better. With the Design Experience and this short clip in mind, I began recreating my learning space.

I tried to be realistic while creating, although I know I wasn’t giving restrictions. I tried to follow the re-design process they did in the “Remake Your Class” clip by identifying what works and what could work better. Since I currently have one of the tiniest classrooms, if not he tiniest, I did allow myself to have a bigger classroom with more resources that I currently have. My goal has always been to create a classroom atmosphere that is both encouraging and stimulating, that develops a learning climate that supports thought and exploration and where the students feel secure and confident to take risks. For this reason, I also felt it was important to keep learning theories that support my teaching style in mind while recreating my classroom environment since the two go hand in hand. I tried to make features available in the classroom that align with Glasser’s (1998) Five Basic Needs – water cooler on my desk, various seating arrangements, etc. Below I have created a list of The Five Basic Needs and how they align with classroom re-design and learning goals.

The walls in my classroom will be adorned with learners’ work, learners’ goals, learners’ heroes, learners’ favorite quotes, or anything that reminds them of what they are working for. The learners can add or remove items they place on the walls as they grow and change. We all enter class with an ideal image of who we want to be. Typically, we haven’t achieved this ideal persona. My hope is that the learners can reflect on their personal inspirations as they develop who they want to be. I will also have at least one TV mounted on my wall for the gaming system I will have. In terms of my game collection, I will have leisure games and educational games. I hope to have an arcade game in my classroom for strategy as well. I enjoy game theory and especially liked learning about the learning opportunities the Kinect has to offer in a math classroom.

I had a hard time painting one of the walls in SketchUp, so I made them all white instead (my frustration got the best of me), but I would have my walls a pale yellow color like they are in my current classroom. Believe it or not, but I think the yellow walls I currently have are uplifting and mood altering. They are cheerful. Moreover, I would also use whiteboard paint on the tabletop surfaces. This works exceptionally well in the math classroom. Students can work out problems with their groups, by themselves, or with a teacher right on the table surface. I used whiteboard tables a ton during my undergrad work at Grand Valley and during my student teaching experience in Grand Rapids. We could use different colors to show growth as we progressed through a problem or worked with a partner. I believe whiteboard tables in my new classroom will be just as effective as they were in my previous experiences. The tables will support the social interaction and the interaction with the learning environment itself. Working on the tables will probe discussion and inquiry as learners explore mathematical concepts with others around them.

Moreover, I would have more permanent resources available in my classroom. Presently, we have a math computer cart that I have in my classroom twice a week; however, in my new classroom, there will be computers available at all times. There will be a stationary computer station as shown, as well as a math laptop cart that stays in my classroom at all times. Moreover, there will be a library with an assortment of books available for pleasure reading and for learning content, which provides balance. The library will have a sitting area with different light options. This area can be used for but not limited to group work, studying, or reading. Near the library you may notice a fish tank. I would like to bring the idea of classroom pet back into 21^st century education. Fish are low maintenance and I believe a classroom pet would bring positive energy into the learning environment. In my math class we could chart the fishes growth, feeding times, or other components that relate to the math content we are covering. Aside from educational purposes, a pet requires responsibility and purpose.

The desk arrangement was the most difficult for me. I had to consider what the set-up I currently have says to students about what communication should look like in class. Currently my desks are in two columns with four desks in each row. It isn’t practical in terms of my teaching/learning style and doesn’t support the collaboration I require during learning activities; however, my space is limited and there are only so many arrangements that allow for thirty desks. In my new classroom, the instructional space will have tables. Although I will make various, alternate seating arrangements available so learners can engage in a manner they find comfortable. The learners can choose a beanbag, the couch, the bleachers, stools, or the tables. I set the tables up with 7 chairs; however, since I have a few larger classes, I could add additional chairs if needed. I chose to go with tables because they can be split apart but they also allow for conferencing in groups and provide a large work area. I anticipate some learners will choose an alternate seating arrangement that matches their learning style, though. With tables set up this way the students are able to split into two groups of four if needed. They could turn away from each other or they could split the tables. The table design and layout in my new classroom matches the design of an instructional space at Grand Valley State University that I particularly enjoyed. I felt the design was practical for all sorts of learning activities and was easily altered to accommodate particular needs. During my class at GVSU, the table arrangement supported group work, individual work, and partner work. The arrangement also allowed for all of us in the room to see the information being projected or written at the front of the classroom, which is a struggle I have in my current classroom design. The layout in my redesigned classroom is spacious and allows for students to spread out and for the instructor to move about freely and facilitate learning. Students are allowed to walk around the classroom freely, and this layout allows for movement without distraction. Further, when students are working in groups, there is plenty of room for me to walk around the class conferencing with groups and providing individual attention where it is needed.

Most learners have been well trained on how to adequately behave in a traditional classroom. Consequently, in order for this re-vamped classroom layout to be successful, it will be necessary for me to model appropriate classroom procedures for group work, resource exploration, and learner responsibility. I will not tell my students what to do, but I will show them how effective learning occurs in diverse settings, like the ones I have created in my new classroom model. Most importantly, my redesigned classroom matches my learning goals, my teaching methods, my collaboration expectations and supports learning and understanding.  I have created a trusting, safe, and fun learning environment where risks are taken and learning is stimulating and challenging.

For a large-scale project like this classroom redesign to happen, there would need to be several sources of support. Grants could be written for the technology, local businesses could be contacted and asked to donate items such as beanbags or books, and the school, of course, would need to be on board with the changes. Items like the bleachers could be donated from sports stadiums. Parents, students, community members, administrators, and staff members would all need to have an active role in implementing the changes. In accordance with Glasser’s Choice Theory and the students’ 5 Basic Needs, the students would have a large part in creating the specifics in the design to ensure individual and holistic learning needs are met. Like I mentioned previously, the teacher will model how learning occurs in diverse settings and will support students as they establish what an effective learning environment looks and feels like. This process should ensure that each aspect of the redesign serves a purpose and supports desirable behaviors and the types of learning we hope to see occur in the new environment.

The cost of the project would depend entirely on how the project was implemented and the types of materials purchased. The overall goal would need to be considered: will the classroom be redesigned efficiently using resources that are available or are low cost or will it be redesigned using a high scale budget, purchasing top of the line technology and materials. The items available for such a project vary greatly. Consider technology, whether it is a plasma TV or laptop, the price ranges significantly based on the product type and functionality. For example, I would love to have MacBooks for my classroom, but the school could choose to go with netbooks instead to lower costs. Either computer would be effective for what my students would be using it for. Things like tables, chairs, and whiteboards are easily budgeted within most districts, so those items shouldn’t be a problem. However, if I would like nice chairs, I may have to seek additional resources. Like I mentioned previously, community businesses may be able donate items or funds for such materials, which would help lower costs significantly. Or, fundraising and grant writing could be done to lower costs for materials as well. There are a lot of small things to consider when taking on a re-design project, from lighting to paint colors, each aspect should be considered in terms of how it will support learning and collaboration in the new space.

Finally, a project like this would probably have to occur over time. Changes would likely be implemented as funds or materials became available. However, depending on the situation, a school district could potentially choose to put all the changes into play over summer vacation or a holiday break during the school year. Typically these types of changes don’t happen overnight. The time frame for the project is directly related to the scale in which the changes are being made and the funds that are available: big changes will require more time and money. Realistically, in the district I work, technology would be purchased and replaced over time; it could be months or years. Lower scale projects like painting would occur much faster over a long weekend or holiday break. Although, I could apply to be a part of The Third Teacher+ & Edutopia’s new project and have my classroom remade that way. A girl can dream 🙂

Resources

Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. [Print]. New York: Harper Paperbacks.

van Gelderen, T. (2009). Tedde van Gelderen on experience design. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB4VFKn7MA4&feature=youtu.be

Ultra Micro MOOC: Knitting a Scarf

Our task this week is to design an “Ultra Micro MOOC” that teaches a specific skill or technique to a target audience.  MOOC stands for Massively Open Online Courses. These courses, offered on websites like P2PU, are changing the face of education and learning. The courses are free to virtually anyone who wants to participate and has internet access. Certificates of completion are award to individuals who complete the course requirements. Although I wasn’t able to actually create a MOOC, I have put together an outline of what one would look like if created. Enjoy!

In my “Keeping Warm One Stitch at a Time” course, my peers will master the basics of knitting a scarf by progressing through a series of mini lessons and sharing updates on their progress and problem solving techniques with their peers online.

Course Topic: Introduction to Knitting

Course Title and Photo: Keeping Warm One Stitch at a Time

Photo: Licensed Under CC License 3.0

Who is coming to your course? Why would they want to participate in this experience? This course will attract individual of all ages who are interested in a creative outlet for a multitude of reasons, no experience necessary. When people hear the word “knit” they often envision a group of grandmothers, sitting in rocking chairs, knitting pastel colored snowcaps, complete with a fluffy pom on top. However, knitting has been redefined in the 21^st century as a creative-DIY outlet for all individuals: old, young, male, female; no experience necessary. Learners will be attracted to the experiences this course will provide for a multitude of reasons unique to their individual motives. While the final knitted product is often the goal, it is typically not the reason why individuals choose to learn to knit. Knitting is not a one-size-fits-all hobby. Some knit to give: to charities, babies, people in need, friends, etc. Others knit for themselves: for social networking, for fashion, for therapy, for accomplishment, for tradition. Regardless of whether you are knitting angry knots or joyful knots, knitting is a timeless, creative outlet and/or hobby that fulfills the various needs of learners on an individual level- it’s comfort food without the calories. Knitting is a creative problem solving process that turns boring things into interesting things and often provides feelings of contentment along the way. This course provides an entry point into the creative world of knitting. In this course learners will learn the basics of knitting by creating a scarf thus increasing their skill level and interest to a point where they can seek other creative knitting options.

What do you want learners to be able to do when they are done? The learners will be able to knit a scarf by the end of the MOOC. More specifically, by the end of the course, participants will be able to cast on the stitches that are necessary to begin their scarf making process, knit additional rows to create a desirable length-counting stitches along the way to ensure they haven’t dropped any stitched, cast off their stitches to complete their scarf, and add fringe for as a creative touch. Each lesson is scaffolded (Vygotsky, 1978) to help participants reach mastery learning, as discussed by Bloom (1974). Knitting is a great example of mastery learning because individuals must master individual skills in a logical, planned progression, such as casting on, knitting rows, casting off, then adding fridge, which when put together create their final product (Yelon, 2001).  One great thing about knitting is that no matter what your skill level may be, once you have mastered the basic stitch, it is possible to knit an entire scarf. Through practice and experience, the skill can be mastered.

Knitting is a learning activity that is grounded in constructivist principles (Piaget, 1971).  It requires learners to problem solve as they progress and create.By allowing students time to experiment and observe before they analyze and deduce, the learners will be able to see the “big picture” and how their progression relates to the overall goal (Dienes, 1969, p.32). This idea can be see in the work of Dienes (1969) and his theory for learning mathematics. Moreover, the lessons in m MOOC are set up with the end in mind. That is, the lessons are laid out in the most effective way for achieving each specific goal along the way in terms of how they relate to the final goal: a knitted scarf (Wiggins, 2005). The logical progression will help students see the purpose for each lesson and how to appropriately problem solve when they make a mistake. For example, it is typical for beginners to drop stitches as they knit; however, since they are actively engaged in their learning process, they are aware of their overall goal, and because the lessons have been scaffolded to support such errors, they will learn how they can fix their mistakes without starting over completely (Piaget, 1971).  By planning each lesson this way, the teacher is able to predict misconceptions and plan activities accordingly (Wiggins, 2005, pg. 13). The lessons in my MOOC also provide periods of reflection and online discussion that allow individuals to learn from their peers, provide feedback to their peers, ask for feedback, and share their work. Through this process, thee learners will make connections within their observations and their peers’ feedback in terms both relate to their experiences and their overall progression towards the end goal (Polya, 1957).

What will peers make? The final product for this MOOC will be more than a scarf. The peers will be required to make a video reflection that shows they have mastered each individual task (casting on, casting off, basic stitch, fridge) necessary to reach the final goal: their completed scarf. They will reflect on the problem solving progress along the way. The video will be posted to the course discussion forum and members of the group will provide feedback on at least one other person’s video reflection.

How do those activities hang together as a course? How long is your course experience? This course is a self-paced course that runs for approximately 6 weeks and is driven by the learning theories and practices discussed above.  Tasks and projects will be implemented to ensure learners master the following skills: casting on stitches, knitting using the basic stitch, casting off stitches, and adding fringe. Moreover, practice of new skills will need to occur between each lesson to ensure the learner has reached mastery and can use the skill as a foundation for the subsequent skill (Yelon, 2001). The course will consist of diagrams and videos to support students as they learn how to knit a scarf. The course will also utilize a discussion board as means to: ask questions, post assignments, reflect, seek feedback, and provide feedback. The tasks for each week of the course are outlined below.

Course Outline

Introduction: There will be a video introduction that discusses the various purposes for knitting. The learners will be exposed to the final goal, the steps they will take to reach the goal, and the final product of how they will present their learning and mastery. This lesson will discuss the materials needed to knit a scarf: yarn, needles, & Internet access and will briefly discuss the time commitment for each lesson.

 Lesson 1: Setting Goals

This lesson will begin by having learners choose the size of their needles, the type of yarn they would like to use, the length they would like their scarf to be and the width they would like their scarf to be. The lesson will provide information on how the size of the knitting needle affects the scarf. The lesson will also briefly discuss types of yarn and where supplies may be purchased.

Lesson 2: Casting on Stitches

This lesson will teach learners how to cast on stitches using the “backwards loop cast on”, which is often the most difficult task for beginners learning to knit. Casting on is the process of adding the very first stitches onto the knitting needle before starting to knit. The lesson will provide diagrams on how to successfully cast stitches on to a knitting needle using the backwards loop method. The steps show learners how to create a slipknot, how to place the knot on a knitting needle, how to hold the yard and the needle, and how to add additional stitches. The learners will be required to take the stitches off and practice the task several times. They will decide how many stitches they want for their scarf (depends on how wide they want it). By the end of this lesson the learner will have mastered casting on stitches and will be ready to add additional stitches next week. There will be a discussion board forum where learners will post a picture of their stitches on the needle. Learners can also use this forum to seek feedback from the instructor or their peers.

Lesson 3:  The Basic Stitch

This lesson will show learners how to add stitches to the row they added in the previous lesson. There will be a video tutorial and diagrams. The learners will be required to drop a stitch, which is a typical error when knitting, and learn how to fix it. They will practice unraveling the bad row of stitches and fixing it. The learner will provide a video that shows they have mastered the basic stitch and can fix a dropped stitch.

Challenge Lesson: Adding Stripes or Colors

This lesson extends the technique of the basic stitch by adding color (doubling up yarns) or adding stripes (switching out yarns). This lesson is intended for learners who are confident in their knitting, have mastered the previous skills, and are looking to add a creative touch. There will be a video tutorial for this lesson. This lesson is not required.

Lesson 4: Casting Off

This lesson will teach learners how to successfully cast off their last row of stitches to create an edge that will not unravel. If done incorrectly, the scarf will unravel. The task will require learners to create a swatch that they will practice casting off on. This will ensure they have mastered the task before they attempt to do it on their scarf. The learners post a photograph of the swatch on the discussion forum and reflect on their problem solving process.

Lesson 5: Your Creative Touch- Adding Fringe & Reflecting

This final lesson will show learners how to add fridge to their scarf through diagrams. All learners will add fringe, but will understand that it is not necessary for their future projects. The learners will post an overall reflection on the discussion forum, they will respond to their peers reflections, and they will begin putting together a plan on how they will complete their final project.

Final Project

The learners will create a video reflection that shows they have mastered each individual task (casting on, casting off, basic stitch, fridge) necessary to reach the final goal: their completed scarf. They will reflect on the problem solving progress along the way and how their mastery of each lesson helped them on the subsequent lesson. They will also share insights and tricks they learned during the process. The video will be posted to the course discussion forum and members of the group will provide feedback on at least one other person’s video reflection.

“Staying Warm One Stitch at a Time” by Kristen Dyksterhouse is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Resources

Bloom, B. S. (1974). An introduction to mastery learning theory. In J. H. Block (Ed.), Schools, society, and mastery learning. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Dienes, Z. (1969). Building up mathematics. (rev.ed.) [Print]. London: Hutchinson Educational.

Piaget, J. (1971). The psychology of intelligence. [Print].  Boston: Routledge and Kegan.

Polya, M. (1957). How to solve it. (2nd Ed.). New York: Doubleday.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interactions between Learning and Development. In Mind In Society (M. Cole, Trans., pp. 79-91). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press..

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition.  Prentice Hall.  pg 13-33.

Yelon, S. L. (2001). Goal-Directed Instructional Design: A Practical Guide to Instructional Planning for Teachers and Trainers. Michigan State University: Self-published, Not in electronic format.

Maker Kit Lesson Plan

This week our goal was to create a lesson plan that connects learning theories with our Maker Kit. Right off the bat I had no problem connecting Choice Theory (and other learning theories) with my Maker Kit, Squishy Circuits. However, the biggest problem I faced was the interdisciplinary connection between science and mathematics, which seems weird because the two are so closely related. After tinkering and imaging how I could use my Maker Kit in my classroom last week, I came up with several possibilities of how I could implement Squishy Circuits into my curriculum. If I had more tools in my Maker Kit I could build a logic circuit and have students explore truth-values for conditional statements, which would be my first pick. Also, if I had a better handle on circuits, I could’ve had students explore graphing shapes and translating them on the coordinate grid, since we will re-visit coordinate geometry in the near future. I also tried to explore Graph Theory using LED lights as vertices, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it work & make sense. While I managed to come up with a game, I felt like it was a stretch and that I could play a similar game in class without circuits that was just as beneficial but took less time to set up. With that said, after reflecting on my learning process, I decided that making circuits is a lot like constructing a proof.

A mathematical proof is an argument that begins with known facts, proceeds from there through a series of logical deductions, and ends with the thing you’re trying to prove. There are several intermediate conclusions—if I do this, then I get this—that lead to the final conclusion. Similarly, when building circuits, we are given a battery pack, a light emitting diode (LED), a motor, and two buzzers (similar to the picture we receive in a geometric proof). Along with the given materials we have to make sense of circuits using with background knowledge or basic facts: conductive dough lets electricity pass through it, insulating dough does not allow electricity to pass through it, electricity is directional-the current runs from positive to negative, the LED, motor, & buzzers are directional- they have a positive side (the longer leg on the LED) and negative side (shorter leg on LED), and a circuit has to be closed (a continuous loop). From here, we have to have to use what we know to create logical steps that help us reach our conclusion or what we are trying to prove.

As I was building my first simple circuit, I realized that if I did something wrong, like put my LED in backwards (so the positive and negative leg were flipped), the LED would not light up because the circuit was not closed. Likewise, we can use unnecessary information in mathematical proofs that direct us away from our conclusion. Building a circuit is a procedural, logical process much like geometric proofs. Thus, for my activity, as an introduction to proofs I would have my students play with circuits and write a two-column proof for each of their steps towards creating a more complex circuit using the motor, several LEDS, and both buzzers.  This activity seems more practical than the game I created last week and it fits better into my curriculum.

View this document on Scribd

Connection to Learning Theories:

The guiding principles explored in my lesson plan [above] are driven by Diene’s Theory of Mathematics Learning, Choice Theory (Glasser), and constructivist principles. This framework allows learners to take learning from a noun to a verb. It compels learners to think critically within a metacognitive framework that requires them to formulate the problem and reflect on their thinking. Further, by blending progressive pedagogy with modern tools and resources, such as Squishy Circuits, my learners will achieve the skills they need to become innovative, original thinkers.

Writing geometric proofs is about connecting the dots. We have a starting point and an end goal, yet we somehow have to logically fill in the middle so that it gets us to the end (Ryan, 2008, p.49). It’s kind of like giving a friend directions to your house. The coolest thing about proofs is that there isn’t one correct way to reach the destination. You can have them take the back road shortcut, the city streets, or the scenic route. However, regardless of the route you give your friend, if you leave out a step or are too vague, you risk them getting lost. If you think about it, it would be nearly impossible to give someone directions to your house if you have never driven there yourself. You have to experience and understand what you are trying to communicate before you can write it in a logical organized manner. So, you have to play and experiment, make note of your observations, then order your findings logically, filling in the gaps as you go. The squishy circuit activity allows students to do just that. The lesson allows for students to experience different ways of building circuits, make conjectures and observations about how circuits behave, and then go back and write their findings in such a way that not only shows why their process is true, but also allows others to see why their process is true.

This process, in accordance with my squishy circuits lesson plan, is supported by several learning theories. In terms of learning math, Dienes’ Constructivity Principle simply states that ‘construction should always precede analysis’” (Dienes, 1969, p.32). Likewise, in the lesson with squishy circuits, learners are given “play time” to experience and observe before they begin to analyze and deduce. This process allows students to see the “big picture” in a way that fits their unique needs and abilities. Similarly, Dienes’ Theory for learning mathematics states: “When children experience a concept in more than one embodiment, they are more likely to conceive the mathematical generalization independent of the material” (Dienes & Golding, 1971, p.47, 56.). By allowing students to play with something tangible, like squishy circuits, they will be able to form an informal process for writing proofs that is unique to their personal needs. That is, the learners will gain an understanding of how to construct a proof before they actually get a formal definition of what a proof is.

In lieu of learning the learning process, Dienes’ Constructivity Principle (1969) closely aligns with Piaget’s work in that they both imply learning requires embodied experimentation, play time, group work, individual reflection, teacher as facilitator, and student responsibility/ownership. Learning is not a spectator sport. In order to gain conceptual understanding learners must experience diverse learning and make connections between old and new. By using the constructivist approach as a foundational framework in my planning, I was able to ensure that my squishy circuits lesson gave each learner the opportunity to explore and create his or her own understanding through differentiated instruction at a level that makes the content meaningful (Piaget, 1971). For example, as creative problem solvers they will make qualitative and quantitative observations as they build the circuits. Then, they will organize their observations to make sense of their findings through tables, graphs, or other visual representations, which equates to the activity where they write steps with explanation. Finally, they will make connections within their findings and to their previous knowledge by reflecting on the experience (Polya, 1957). In essence, their learning will build on what they already know and will establish new or more extensive relationships within their mental frameworks. Consequently, as learners begin to write mathematical proofs, they will make connections to their squishy circuits proof writing process and use that experience as a foundation that they can build from. This problem solving process is not only relevant to material in the mathematics classroom, it also relates to problem solving skills needed in real life situations and is highly associated with critical thinking skills.

Further, this theory suggests that if the student is given the opportunity to interact with others and question new ideas, they will move from the known to unknown. I personally experienced this during my playtime last week. I really started making progress and understanding circuits when I had my roommate and her boyfriend there to discuss ideas and complications with me. For this reason, my squishy circuits lesson allows the learners to play with the circuits and collaborate in cooperative learning groups, which will help them build of each other’s experiences. Perhaps they will make mistakes within this process, but by accommodating what they thought to be true with what they have found to be true, they are learning from their mistakes and experiences. Moreover, during the creative problem solving process (circuit making) I will act as the facilitator. I will be passive and the learners will be active. By implementing carefully designed partner activities and periods of reflection throughout my lesson, I will be able to create a classroom climate, a “math lab” if you will, that supports experimentation, discovery, and play, while providing learners with choice, which leads me to my final point (Reyes & Post, 1973).

Lastly, this learning model suggests that learners need to have choice in the process. In the squishy circuits lesson, learners will have choice to construct and play with circuits as they please, choice to write their process as it makes sense to them, and choice to create a “masterpiece” that interests them to present to their classmates. In turn, students will feel empowered and will be intrinsically motivated, which aligns with Glassner’s Choice Theory (Corey, 2012, p.402). When learners have a say in what and how they learn, they take control of their learning and achieve a sense of ownership. They will become the teacher when they explain their final product to the class. Their demonstration will show how they consolidated several concepts throughout their playtime and will convey their new understanding of the material.

By using these theories as a foundation for my lesson, I am confident I will be able to appropriately respond to the diverse, intellectual needs of the student body as well as the needs of individual learners who are culturally, socially, and economically different, too. The most rewarding thing that a lesson like this has to offer is seeing the creativity learners bring to mathematics. Processing information, making connections, reflecting, and learning through constructivism are qualities of creative problem-solving mathematicians and innovative learners and defines the educational ideology of the 21^stcentury.

References

Corey, G. (2012). Theory and practice of group counseling. (8th ed.) [Print]. Belmont, CA : Brooks/Cole

Dienes, Z. (1969). Building up mathematics. (rev.ed.) [Print]. London: Hutchinson Educational.

Dienes, Z., & Golding, E. (1971). Approach to modern mathematics. [Print]. New York: Herder and Herder.

Piaget, J. (1971). The psychology of intelligence. [Print].  Boston: Routledge and Kegan.

Polya, M. (1957). How to solve it. (2nd Ed.). New York: Doubleday.

Reys, R. & Post, T. (1973). The mathematics laboratory: Theory to practice. [Print]. Boston: Prindle, Weber, and Schmidt.

Ryan, M. (2008). Geometry for dummies (ed. 2). [Print]. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

The Squishy Circuits Lesson Plan may be distributed, unmodified, under the Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No Derivatives License 3.0. All other rights reserved.