The Change to Come

            School really has evolved over the years in regards to societal norms, the technology explosion, and the theories we practice. We are in a time were knowing is simply not enough, we can access the ‘know’ whenever we please in a variety of different ways. There needs to be a shift from understanding concepts to using these concepts in a variety of different contexts. Students are bored, uninterested, don’t care, and have their attention elsewhere.

The following video is TEDtalk video that outlines how math classrooms should look like compared to how they actually look like right now. I choose a video related to math because I find that to be one of the tougher subjects to get intrinsically motivated about for most students.

http://www.naturalmath.com/blog/tag/math-2-0/page/3/

I feel like this video and the ideas behind it are easily transferable to other subjects that currently exist or may exist in the future. Why spend all your time focusing on questions that can be solved in exponentially less time? Do something with those questions, make mistakes, make corrections, and discover something new.

Through my time in EDUC 4P19 at Brock University (a curriculum based course) I have learned about the new story of education that is on the near horizon.  Changes are coming, and they are going to be big ones, but will we really be ready for the changes once we enter the teaching force? I don't think we fully understand what the changes will actually be, but we can definitely see a trend in teaching styles that involve interaction, applying, experimenting, exploring, and discovery. Knowing that these themes are going to guide the next curriculum change, all we can do is prepare ourselves to be flexible and open to change for when the time does come. I think that whatever is coming is going to look different across Ontario and the communities within it. There is going to be no 1 right way to educate in schools, it will have to be based on the needs of each specific school and the people within in (both staff and students). With this in mind I hope that myself and my current and future colleagues will be able to embrace these changes and make the most out of a great opportunity.

Integrated Curriculum: Long Process That Is Quickly Approaching

            Starting as early as kindergarten and all the way through high school, and even into post secondary, transdisciplinary approaches are becoming more and more played with in schools abroad. There doesn’t seem to be 1 way to implement this type of approach that supersedes all the rest; it is a trial and error assignment that will vary from school to school. Especially since we are making a switch from a specialized design, there is no way of knowing ‘the correct’ way apply the integrated curriculum. It is something that will have to play with and experiment with in order to improve upon it and find any consistency from school to school. Long-term patience is going to be the key in making the integrated curriculum more successful this time round.

            There needs to be a process in order to at least have some direction in such a chaotic practice. Clark Jr. (2011) points out a few general steps to consider if you or your school decides to implement the rapidly approaching integrated curriculum. The change Clark is looking for in these schools is starts with going from unawareness to awareness of a need for change. Recognizing that there is a need to do something about our struggling education system is necessary to fully invest yourself this type of approach. From there you need to go from that state awareness to understanding the change needed. We need to wake up to the fact that the lack of relevance and practicality is a primary issue in teaching students today. Moving forward Clark Jr. (2011) says there is then a need to go from understanding to visioning the integrated change(s) that can be implemented. There is no distinct platform to build upon, so teachers and administration need to be able to be innovative and come up with their own ideas to experiment with. Even though there is lots of research out there, it is not enough to suffice alone without others continuing to add to the ideas already that are already out there. Finally from there the final general step to consider is going from this innovative visioning to committing to the change and trying to improve upon it. Completely investing yourself into your program design is the only way to give the integrated curriculum a fighting chance. If teachers aren’t ready to commit to what they have created, then there is no point of implementing as the students will only buy in as much as their teacher allows them. Once you are committed, the only place to go is up.

            If teachers and administration are prepared to be patient with a long, slow process of trial and error, then there is a chance that integration could be a major leap forward in the teaching and learning process. There is clearly a need for change out there; it is just about finding which ways are right for you. Future teachers should prepare themselves for the long haul because this change is coming quick, and it will not be an easy transition. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsromhDmsyc