Category Archives: edushare

A Messy Divorce

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The GTCS code regarding social media and its use is clear in conveying the importance of conscientious contribution to the world of Social Media. For all the perks of the profession and the reward, it is also in the GTCS’ best interests that the teachers of Scotland conduct themselves in a manner that instils trust within the pupils, parents and society.

In my opinion I feel teachers would be perceived as out of touch and reluctant to be forward thinkers themselves if they didn’t embrace Social Media in some-way or another. Social Media should be seen as an extension of the classroom and if the teacher is willing to marry their private life to that professional space, they are doing so against guidance. Social Media as an entity is judgemental and self-involved. Understanding the intense pressure there is to be involved in Social Media is the first step. It is everywhere! Instead of adopting a “retreat!” attitude, as teachers, we should be innovating ways to make it benefit the pupils. If you want your private life to stay as such, insure you have the correct settings. I know myself that I have a private Facebook and Instagram account, however my Pintrest is public. I find Pintrest a positive space, devoid of too many trolls or negative comments and enjoy searching recipes, fashion design and rainy day projects. Social Media has the power to portray the teacher as holistic, human, relatable and approachable. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram cannot help but become personal, the line is blurred before the first post is even created. It is all about how you feel and what you think, the temptation to blurt a rant on Facebook is all too easy. Emotions are at the core, “liking”, “reposting”, “#selfie”. Marrying the private and professional aspects exposes the teacher to scrutiny and to befriend a pupil or parent goes against the guidance laid out for us as part of our regulatory body.

So, if I feel Facebook and twitter are too personal and places like glow are too professional or not inclusive of parents then what space do I use? If Social Media is to be a positive experience for all involved, what can I do to get it incorporated?

Pinterest and YouTube are easily accessible, BoB is useful for keeping track of educational programmes. I think many of these social media platforms bring the real world to the classroom. Live connections that can change the setting instantly; evoke instant emotion and discussion. Insuring first and foremost that you are well versed in the lingo, savvy about safety and aware of the omnipresence that Social Media has become. If use of social media is approached in the same manner a teacher would approach a book or a project; well planned, concise and relevant, then there is no detriment to the pupils.

We are now part of a culture that sees children exposed too young, to so many inappropriate images. The need for them to relate and conform to society is a growing pressure and instead of teachers shying away from the subject of social media they need to be seen as a guide. In saying that they also have to guide parents. Why can’t social media be used positively to bridge the gap between home and school? Indeed, between personal life and school?

I looked into this and within a few searches I found a site called Edmodo, a space for pupils, teachers and parents alike. It claims to keep parents in the loop about upcoming assignments, eases use of on the go learning and makes class comprehension something you can analyse mid lesson. For teachers it has all the benefits of social media in a professional context. This appears to be catered to the English curriculum but it’s very interesting how sleek and appealing it looks. Could it be the Facebook for teachers?

As a parent my-self the horror stories regarding misuse of Social Media seem to be splayed everywhere. This doesn’t deter me from encouraging Social Media use in the classroom but it does highlight the need for dialogue. Attitudes will not change if the horror stories are continuously repeated and then documented, ironically, on news sites and Social Media. We teach children how to cross the road, how to construct a sentence but when it comes to Social Media it appears to be them teaching us. Children are all too aware of the independence they can feel on the “big bad internet” and it is our job to show them how to handle that independence and use it to a positive end.

Children have created the frame, catapulting social media into the classroom and we must help them keep within age appropriate boundaries but make the content engaging and beneficial. They will see massive changes in their lifetime. When I was 5 I never imagined I’d be using the internet to converse with people all over the world instantaneously. Actually, when I was 5, there was no internet! If I can’t resist using Social Media in my personal life then surely I can utilise it in my professional life? By following the Professional Guidance on the Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media as guidelines we can help shape the positive use of Social Media in the classroom. There is opportunity to bypass media hegemony and use Social Media to mould a more Just society

World Wide Wondering

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Plato believed that the man who explores the wider world can experience a more fulfilling life; his allegory on the Cave providing an educational philosophy striving for justice and the creation of a just world. The concept of dialogical teaching, disrupting a pupil’s grasp of a subject to show them how to engage in agonistic debate. This idea that knowledge is an absolute form to work toward and that everyone should be taught subjects that engage them in the World. The world in which Plato lived was a far cry from today’s, yet the sentiment rings true. Children’s learning should always be ongoing, becoming.

In a few of our recent lectures we have touched on the importance of societal changes on education. Indeed many philosophers such as Dewey, Greene and Gramsci all lived through or were impacted by the shattering of the norm. So these forward thinking people created educational philosophies based on the need for revolution. After atrocities such as the First World War, when people realised that other human beings can act in ways that will make us question our own morality.

The growth of capitalism in Gramsci’s time drove him to create a philosophy where teaching techniques would be impacted by the issues that impacted the community. Gramsci was very aware that people created their own forms of oppression; we are manipulated by the media we are a part of. This is so relevant in today’s society, relevant to our children and the instant world they are a part of. We need to know what informs the learning environment if we are to impact upon techniques.

Philosopher Friere elevated the concept of gaining knowledge through disruption (aporia) to praxis; believing that dialogue was not enough and critical reflection on action was needed to better the world. These philosophers slowly introduced student autonomy. Even though we are still not there, I believe that acquisition of knowledge begins with questioning the world. We start as babies, making noises and reacting to what is going on around us. The adults in our world respond as they see fit. When we start to ask questions it is then that all effort should be made by those around us to engage and nurture inquiry and action. I know myself, as a mother of a truly inquisitive three year old, that there are only so many “why’s??” I can answer. I genuinely believe that I don’t always have to give a sensible answer, I can sometimes answer with a question or lead the line of question to a tangent and watch her find out by herself.  It’s beautiful to watch.

If children are encouraged to inquire into their own education and they are given the tools to transcend certain contexts to reach a rewarding outcome, then the world would be a more harmonious place. Maybe harmonious is the wrong word, maybe as educator’s we would know those we guide would be able to lead and to follow, delve into agonistic debate and act upon emotions in a discerning manner. International Baccalaureate Schools (IB) are a progressive education system based on the theorist Boyer. Boyer’s theory (very concisely) was the school as a community, a curriculum with coherence, a climate for learning and a commitment to character. These are all implemented within the schools to provide a portable education. From what I have read, there seems to be similarities with our own Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), however it is more hands on and the subjects more aesthetic. It may be that the CfE is still being discovered. I wonder if it will take more universal change to implement a way of learning that is as conceptually based as the IB. I am definitely looking forward to learning more about this approach and to infuse this concious approach in my own teaching.

What do you see?

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So philosophy was something I’d never touched on in any great detail. It had always scared me a little, with the open ended answers and taxing questions of such great depth. Friday’s lecture was a smorgasbord of interesting tales and insightful theories. I decided to look a bit more into Maxine Greene, see how her philosophical approach to education could improve me as a future educator. Firstly I’d like to highlight that I think philosophical conversation should be encouraged with all age groups. Children have such fresh and mesmerising views on the world that it would be a shame to not tap into that. I thought a group chat about a piece of art would be a starting point and then let them interpret the piece with their own media. Anyway, I digress.

As adults we sympathise greatly with the figure of childhood. Children bring back the memories of our own childhood and we have the need to keep them safe (on the whole). As a child, at home I was free to indulge myself in any one of my interests, whether that was drawing on the garage walls, painting giant butterflies on old cardboard boxes or making towers out of video tapes. Then in the classroom I had to learn subjects that would make me all grown up. My education was a mish mash of home and the classroom and although I know it was necessary for me to learn the subjects we were taught I can’t help but question there relevance or importance. Are basics enough? Then a child’s own thinking should take over? “Growth is not something done to them it is something they do” (John Dewey, Democracy and Education, p41) This quote from John Baldacchino lecture sat with me. As teachers we must facilitate this growth so whatever the children has an urge to do… do we help them do that? Maxine Greene said “Place children in speech and free writing situations in which they can find out what they think and why” (Greene, Releasing the Imagination p. 54). I agree that children’s thoughts should flow and be reared into knowledge by us as educators. I don’t know, however, if the current system and set up of classrooms allows such self study in primary schools.

Greene believed in aesthetic education, namely aesthetic encounters. So the arts and exposure to aesthetic encounters from all fields of art were opportunities to learn and grow. In Greene’s, Variations of a Blue Guitar she states “to be ready to see new dimensions, new facets of the other, to recognize the possibility of some fresh perception or understanding” So when art is truly seen and thought is taken to engage productively you will gain from that experience. I hope as a teacher I will be able to introduce children to art and the joy of being able to analyse and dig deep into the unseen facets of a piece. Exposure to the arts can only broaden an individuals perception of the world and we are working toward a more multi-cultural society. Within the Curriculum for Excellence we encourage children to apply critical thinking in new contexts and be aware of our place in the world, I can see the important gravitas that aesthetic encounters can have on these capabilities.

Male/Female…. did it matter?

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Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity.

I personally never felt being a female effected my education. I was always in a mixed group for classes and spent just as much time building bridges from junk as I did going to a calligraphy group. Interacting with boys in the classroom was easy and encouraged but as soon as we stepped out onto the playground the segregation happened. Boys ran off to play football as the girls huddled to do handstands and gossip. I wasn’t aware that this was inequality or an injustice against me because it was my own choice. Is it innate that we group according to gender? Do hormones play a roll in our interest or interaction with the opposite sex and was I treated in a more gentile manner because of my gender?

I found this document from 2007 highlighting the links between gender and inequality…

Although I have found reflecting on my own primary experience (way back in 1993-2000) has magnified the drastic social changes that children are relating to more and more. Gender confusion in younger children, the need to use gender as a form of identification i.e. transgender and how this must impact upon their lives. I believe as a teacher I will have to be aware of how I refer to a child, that should be as a person and as an individual. So, “boys line up first”, “can the girls all put their coats on” and “pick a girl to dance with” will become antiquated language.

 

Embracing Technology

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Going from oh no to OK in a few easy steps….

During the first week we were introduced to ICT and social media in a hands on, interactive style and I can’t thank the lecturers more! I was not scared of using social media or modern technology but I definitely had apprehensions about how well I would fair at using them productively (what if it breaks?!?). Sharron had us on a QR hunt using the app i-nigma to scan QR codes and gather information around campus in a “who dunnit” style task.

At the end of the morning I not only felt more at ease embracing technology but also had ideas on how I could implement these within my own journey to become a teacher. Imagine a group of p4’s on a treasure hunt around a school… trying to gather clues, work collaboratively, keep track of information and develop their own ICT skills. I certainly have much more to learn and develop but this is something I would like to revisit when on placement.

Derek had us questioning our place in the current world of social media and the prevalence it holds with today’s children. It got me thinking about how I learn, how often I’ve gone to YouTube for quick videos on aspects of parenting or even how to pleat hair. Those short video clips have stayed with me and what’s not to say they wouldn’t have the same impact in a classroom.  Maybe letting children film small info videos on current subjects and letting their confidence and awareness of the world around them grow? Plenty to reflect upon…. and here I am blogging?!

 

Good Morning Miss Muir

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I suppose a variety of unexpected events and never settling for comfortable have led me right to this point. My personal experience of primary school teachers was always so comforting and positive, they always seemed content and cheerful but surely I wasn’t right for that job?

After leaving school I had a habit of throwing myself into experiences and opportunities, fully immersing myself in the moment, albeit never for more than a year…. art college, full time work in retail, moving to Chester in a flurry of young love then coming home and listening to my gut. My mum and dad had given me such a safe foundation and I was able to watch my mum go back to college and become an Early Years Practitioner. I was so proud. She would sprout off interesting theories about Pavlov’s dogs, Vygotsky’s ZPD, the instinctual need of wee monkeys to feel warmth and love and how it relates to our own attachments. That positive experience stayed with me and drove me to go to college.

Becoming an Early Years Practitioner felt right. There I was after a year of study (great for my attention span) in a room full of under 2s, colleagues that inspired me and a real sense of community. After a year or so of a private nursery I felt I needed challenged, my next step was a downgrade in the career sense, to Early Years Assistant but definitely an upgrade in my character, a learning curve that has led me to the chosen profession in Education. I was working with children who had profound additional support needs, I had never felt so rewarded and blessed. I had the chance to see so many professions first hand in a gritty and incredibly emotive setting. I could relate to them all in varying degrees, Social Workers, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Pediatric Nursers, families facing emotional turmoil and colleagues who could open my eyes to non verbal communication as well as the importance of positive relationships. That job brought all the skills and information I had learnt at college into the real world. The curriculum applied, highlighted it’s flexibility and inclusion for all children. I learnt that warmth, communication with peers and children alike and empathy even when there was no first hand experience, were key characteristics in helping children reach their full potential. That’s the kind of educator I want to be.

Then BOOM. I was pregnant, I hadn’t planned this massive change to my life and I quickly became a single full time parent. My daughter was and is my profound influential factor in becoming a teacher. The parent I strive to be and the time and effort I put into making her life whole and well is the same drive I want to bring into my professional career. She has shown me I can commit to something (she is 3) when I have heart behind it. No amount of research can prepare me for the changes or effort I will have to put in but being aware of the life experience I can bring helps.

I want to be that teacher who walks into the classroom in the morning and the children’s faces light up. They deserve to feel comfortable and safe in the knowledge that their is an adult in their lives who truly cares and who wants them to be their best. I want to hear “Good morning Miss Muir!!” every day. What a job!!

My inspiration

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