Reading Review Part C: The Plot Thickens.....

So many times in the education world we want the "one right answer" to whatever challenge we face.  Unfortunately, many of the issues we encounter do not have an easy solution we can use.  That is something I have learned during my research into motivating students; there is no one way to do it that works for everyone all the time.  Case in point: I thought I had this engaging and differentiated lesson for my math class today using laptops and a cool game about capacity, working with small groups on the Smart Board, and playing with water and liquids to compare and estimate capacities.  It flopped.  Now, it could have had something to do with the fact our school assembly just prior to the math class went long and when I got the kids back to class they just needed to "let it all out" because I spent most of the class dealing with behaviors rather than working with motivated math students.  Perhaps it was simply a case of the "Monday blahs" after a long assembly and it was the last block of the day.  Perhaps the game I chose wasn't actually all that engaging after all.  I'm not sure, but it made me think about the article I found that describes in detail the games that kids get excited about, and are educational. (http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf).  Moreover, it is very relevant to my issues of behavior and motivation and what is great is that it discusses the learning outcomes in the curriculum that the game "covers".  Even though the outcomes are changing, I can always "cover my backside" knowing they relate to learning, not to mention being more enjoyable than a worksheet for most.  Some of my other resources were very straight-forward (do this, not that) while others had student examples and conversations with kids about their preferences and motivations that I found appealing.  There was certainly no shortage of literature (of the 5 I settled on, there were at least 10 times more I could have used from my searching) and many that I encountered had differing ideas about how to motivate reluctant learners, which was a key learning of mine as well.  Some were academic (scholarly journals) others more casual (blogs, facebook or twitter posts and links), but another one of my key learnings was not even in searching for resources, it was in chatting with my colleagues about my inquiry.  Our Kindergarten teacher is a former Librarian and I know her passion is with kids and learning and books.  To that end, I realized I should be talking with my colleagues and getting their informed take on how to motivate students. 

A couple of them pointed me to 2 new resources I had not even found in my search, but came highly recommended by them: "Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator" by Dave Burgess, and "Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools" by Mary Cai Ricci.  I ordered them without hesitation as I trust these colleagues and have seen the great teaching and learning in their classrooms.  Again, a key learning is that I do not need to go too far to find ideas and resources or people excited to work with me in my inquiry about motivating students.  I just need to have the courage to give new ideas a try, work hard to prepare and implement them, reflect on the results, and move forward with a deeper and more informed experience about my students and my practice.

Reading Review Post #2: Ready, Aim......

It was difficult to narrow down my list of 13 keywords to select a topic to focus on and move forward with, and I am certain that others had the same challenges as I did, but in grouping my ideas together I kept coming back to motivating learners.  Not only did it interest me, but there are a vast and ever growing number of resources to use in my inquiry project which was very encouraging and exciting.

In my search of the UBC Library, I came across an article about motivation in young adolescents that referred to telling stories, building trust, giving descriptive feedback, and changing my teaching practice to reflect how the mind works - ideas I have heard before - but what I really liked about the article is the list of "de-motivators" for students and just how many I see in my school or do myself:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept14/vol72/num01/Motivating-Young-Adolescents.aspx

Another resource I found that piqued my interest was from Ed Tech Magazine and the article is all about using Evernote to engage learners in the very exciting task of taking notes.  This is an activity I have dreaded doing with my Intermediate students in an "old school" way, so I was intrigued to see how to make it better for our students and for me as a Librarian.  The link is as follows:
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/08/how-teachers-can-become-fluent-classroom-technology

In reading more about kindling motivation in adolescent learners, the topic of using video games arose.  I am of the opinion that many video games are not educational, appropriate, or connected to the learning outcomes I am required to teach.  That being said, the learning outcomes are changing to "competencies", and I am trying to open my mind and teaching to the possibility of using video games as my ultimate desire is to motivate and inspire reluctant learners.  I really liked this article as it detailed the number of different games available and how they connect to the learning outcomes and for which ages and grades they are appropriate.  The link is as follows:
http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

One last resource I found in my search was a TEDx talk about teaching kids to write code.  What better way to use technology and engage our learners than to have them create something with technology rather than just "using" it?!  Mitch Resnick describes and shows in great detail the program Scratch which he and others used to create interactive mother's day cards.  He also goes on to talk about how kids are not really "digital natives" and are not "fluent" with technology by their texting and gaming, but need to become "fluent in creating" with technology and the Scratch program will help them do this as it is as easy as snapping blocks together.
http://www.ted.com/talks/mitch_resnick_let_s_teach_kids_to_code

So I am off and running with some articles, videos, and ideas about where to begin my inquiry.  I know that the best parts of the inquiry process are the detours on that roads that I did not anticipate, and as I use these resources I will keep asking questions to narrow my topic further and put into practice the ideas I learn about along the way.

Reading Review Blog Post #1: "Seriously, do I have recess duty again?!"

In my last several years as an administrator I have struggled daily to reach reluctant learners, and even though I am using technology as much as possible to draw them in, I still have a lot of room for improvement in that area as well.  Both of these topics appeal to me to delve into more deeply during this course, as do kindling motivation in all learners, fostering curiosity to learn, and developing citizenship in all our students.  We have many challenges at our school like most other educators do, so I am already using the Jeffrey Benson book, "Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most" to work through issues that I encounter. 

I am sure I will be moved from my school in a few years, as most Vice-Principals are shuffled around in order to give them different experiences, so I can't totally anticipate what issues may arise in my future as it will depend somewhat on the unique school community I am next a part of.  That being said, my current situation includes a high number of students without access to technology, so at our school we are in a "Smart Board" blitz.  Almost every class has one, and the ones that do not will be getting one this year, but I am hesitant to suggest every teacher uses them a lot, well, or to engage learners.  I will be the first to admit that I could be doing a better job of drawing in learners through more engaging use of my Smart Board.  That's something I would like to investigate how to get better at.  I try to personalize learning for students and make it a collaborative process but it seems many of the kids I work with come to school with so much else going on in life that they have little energy left to give during class time.  I am interested in learning how to utilize learning centres to teach literacy in the Library with our Primary students.   I like the idea of play based learning and hands on activities that will help make their visits to the Library more engaging and fun.  I have begun reading "The Centered School Library" by Carl S. Young as a way to begin that process and transformation of our Library.

Since I am also working with the video game gereration, it seems I have to keep them "entertained" constantly and their short attention span and emerging self regulation skills are a challenge to manage.  I could also channel this into a positive experience by incorporating gaming to engage learners.  I am unsure of where to start or what games would be; a) appropriate for Elementary school students, b) affordable, c) able to help kids learn at grade level for our curriculum, and d) authentic and connected to real life.  Our District is currently going through a very rocky technology upgrade and shift from Mac to PC, and I can only say the word frustrated is an understatement to how many feel about using the machines regularly with all the problems that have arisen as a result of this change. 

That being said, some more areas I would like to explore in my professional practice are how I can incorporate Problem Based Learning, Genius Hour, and ethical online behavior in our Intermediate students during my lessons in the Library.  I am concerned about how many of our older students in lieu of after school sports, clubs, or programs are given video game consoles, tablets, or smart phones to access online "entertainment" with little or no parent supervision.  I would like to work with them to help develop a set of guidelines to regulate their online lives and ensure they make positive choices with their devices. 

These are just some of the ideas I am batting around to research and inquire about to improve my practice. My keywords are bolded as possible topics to delve into more deeply during this course, but as has been my experience, the road is often not linear and I may take a detour here or there along the way.

Bibliography
1) Quote image at top of blog page courtesy of www.mattbgomez.com
2) Hanging In image courtey of www.ASCD.com
3) School Centered Library image courtesy of http://librarylearners.com
4) Video Games Teacher image courtesy of infospace.ischool.syr.edu