The Crafty Teacher

This week we had Kaori Lau and Tracy Humphreys in our class to discuss BCEdAccess and accessible technology. It was great to have a class on this topic as finding ways technology can support students with disabilities in school is very important.

The talk began with an exercise that illustrated the exclusion that people with disabilities often experience when accessibility is not built into the structure/design of experiences and spaces. Kaori and Tracy then presented on the ways that technology can support inclusivity.

The Kaori and Tracy’s talk, and the contributions from the class were helpful for me in considering the ways technology and accessibility work together. Tracy and Kaori also discussed some of the challenges with bringing in accessible technology such as lack of access (funding), lack of support (from families or schools), privacy concerns, resistance to change and the perception of technology as only a distraction.

inclusion should be part of the design, not an after thought.

Tracy and Kaori did offer some possible solutions to these challenges, such as: normalising accessible technology, advocating for funding, make the technology accessible to all, provide training for families and teachers.

This week, Michael discussed the value of incorporating video and images in lessons.

Art
From my perspective, a lot of Michael’s talk was not new to me because my educational background is in Visual Art (obviously highly visual). Incorporating images naturally fits into Art lessons as much of learning Art is looking at the works of other artists. However, it is interesting to consider seeking out new forms of multimedia to include in art lessons. Videos demonstrating material techniques, artist explaining their work and 360 tours of art galleries are just a few examples of multimedia that can be brought into Art classes.

English
My other teachable area is English, and I am very excited by all the ways multimedia can be brought into the classroom. Within the English Language Arts curriculum there are whole courses dedicated to the study of new media. Bringing in a variety of media formats is valuable in all English class and especially in English New Media.

This week, we had Jeff Hopkins guest lecture in our class. Jeff is the founder and co-principle of the Pacific School for Inquiry and Innovation (PSII). Jeff discussed his background in the public school system and his desire to explore and develop an alternative approach to schooling. Jeff left the public school system to start PSII based on a model of inquiry based learning.

The following video comes from PSII’s website and explains the inquiry process.

I found Jeff’s perspective on learning/teaching to be very interesting. I particularly appreciated the focus on student-centred learning which gives students the agency to determine their own goals, approaches and interests. I appreciated hearing that many students have found success at PSII after struggling to learn in the public school system. I still found myself hesitant about going all in on inquiry-based schools.

My main concerns where about accessibility and crucial topics which all students should be given the opportunity to learn about. In regards to accessibility, I wondered how PSII works for students with high support needs and wether they’ve had students on the Evergreen diploma pathway. My other concern was about how they insure all students learn about important topics such as Residential schools, the Holocaust, Japanese internment in Canada etc. For example, Residential school denialism is a problem in Canada, and teaching about it in schools is crucial for Truth and Reconciliation.

I guess where I’m at after Jeff’s talk, is curious about how we can bring inquiry based learning more into the public school system (because if it’s so good it shouldn’t be available only to people with the money to pay for private schooling) and also curious about more alternative approaches to schooling.

This week, our guest lecturer Trevor Mackenzie gave an insightful presentation on facilitating free inquiry projects in high school classrooms. The ideas that impacted me the most however, was his advice on giving students feedback. Confirming what I’d heard in other classes, Trevor emphasized the importance of separating feedback from assessment. He also outlined how his process of determining a grade at the end of the semester looks like. Trevor’s approach involves scheduling one on one student conferences in which the student reflects on their learning and work throughout the semester. Together, Trevor and the student then determine what their grade will be for the class. I really appreciated hearing how Trevor handles assessment in his classes. I will be reflecting on his lecture and considering how I might incorporate elements of his teaching practice into my own. Thank you, Trevor!

Learn more about Trevor Mackenzie and his work!

This week’s guest speaker Jesse Miller gave an intriguing presentation on the use of social media by youth, and the presence of technology in schools. My takeaway from this presentation was Jesse’s firm assertion against banning phones and the value of social media for youth and adults. I entered Jesse’s presentation with an opposing view on social media and technology and left it with my mind unchanged. However, I believe hearing and considering opinions that differ from your own is important and I appreciate the opportunity Jesse created for me to question my own beliefs.

In a nationally representative survey of girls aged 11–15, one-third or more say they feel “addicted” to a social media platform

Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, p.9, 2023

My key issue with Jesse’s presentation was that he neglected to include reference to recent studies that challenge his opinion. For example, Jesse denied the proposal that social media can become addictive for youth, and argued that social media does not cause any additional harm to youth than could be reasonably expected in high school. In 2023 however, the United States Surgeon General released a health advisory about the effects of social media on youth mental health. In that advisory, multiple references are made to studies that show social media’s potential for causing negative mental health outcomes and addictive behaviour in youth.

Excessive and problematic social media use, such as compulsive or
uncontrollable use, has been linked to sleep problems, attention problems, and feelings of exclusion among adolescents.

Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, p.10, 2023

Though there are positive outcomes from the heightened connectivity that social media provides, these negative impacts on mental health cannot be overlooked.

As an emerging teacher, the prevalence of Open Education resources and Open Source content eases some of my anxieties around developing lessons for the first time. Beginning from scratch is daunting, and with such an open curriculum in BC it feels overwhelming to begin researching and developing interesting and engaging lessons. Learning about all the places I can look to for Open Education content has shown me that new teachers aren’t all on their own, and rather that there is a culture of collective educational resource development among educators. For example, OER Commons has teaching resources for English Composition and Open School BC offers an entire unit for English Language Arts 10 and ideas for in class activities. 

Alongside the wealth of Open Education content available to teachers, Open Source content can supply the images, videos and information to enhance lessons and classroom communities. For example, BC OpenTextbook Collection offers free and open textbooks and The Greats has a large library of Open Source art that would brighten up classroom walls. 

I feel grateful and excited to be a part of a profession that encourages sharing ideas and resources for the betterment of education. I can say with certainty that in my teaching career I will be making use of Open Education and Open Source content and will look for ways in which I can give back with the resources I will create.