Creating Passion in the Classroom

As a young student, my mornings often begun with me trying to convince my mother to let me stay home from school. I would often say that "I have no interest in school", "It's boring" and "I don't like what we're learning, it isn't important". This trend continued well into my schooling career as I could not find a passion for learning inside of the classroom. To me, listening to a teacher lecture about something I had no interest in and writing tests were I was only interested in the mark not the content was almost unbearable, I just wanted to learn about topics that were interesting and relevant to me. 

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Students are spoon fed educational material on a daily basis, they are constantly asked to ignore their interests and their passions in order to meet and surpass provincial standards (Liston & Garrison, 2004). Although meeting these standards is considered success many students do not see it this way and are merely playing the game in order to succeed. They will forget the material and often never use it again. In order to make students truly successful and generate a deep learning in the classroom students need to be passionate about what they are learning, they need to experience passion-based learning. 

Passion based learning is an approach that allows students to follow and learn about their individual passions. This approach provides individualization for each student and creates intrinsic motivation in the students to shift focus from the grade received to the pleasure of learning itself (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). By doing this, not only are we creating passion in the classroom but also effectively shifting the mindsets of our students from fixed to growth because the focus is now on learning and improving rather than simply a grade defining success and failure. For more on the difference between the fixed and growth mindset you can review the article on Mindset. A practical example of such passion-based learning in the classroom is Genius Hour. 

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Genius Hour is a block of time that is provided to students in which they can follow their individual passions. This time block involves students thinking of an inquiry based question that interests them and then creating a project centering around that question that they will present to the class (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). This removes the teacher from their traditional role and instead, allows them to facilitate knowledge to their students while the students take a more active role in their learning. The students questions still must be approved by the teacher, their research must be adequate and they will be sharing their projects with their classmates but now that they are discovering and learning about things they are passionate about they can begin to change their mindset and in turn gain a deep understanding of the topic, More information on genius hour, you can watch this very informational video. 

Giving your students even an hour of freedom to follow their passions is a refreshing break from the monotonous routines and information taught throughout the course of a day in a classroom setting and allows students to recharge and regain an interest in learning so that they can experience more success. According to Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014), students were much more productive and creative when given time to follow their individual interests. By allowing students to follow their interests their work ethic and motivation will go up as a whole and they will be able to experience more success throughout all domains and subjects. 

So for prospective teachers and current teachers alike, remember, keep the creativity and passion alive in the classroom and urge your students to dig deep into and explore these passions because passion is the driving force behind deep learning. 

References 

      Drake, S. M., Reid, J, L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Don Mills: Oxford University Press. 

      Liston, D. P., & Garrison, J. W. (2004). Teaching, learning and loving: Reclaiming passion in educational practice. New York: Routledge Falmer, 2004.

Integrated Curriculum: The Key to Deep Learning

       "If we teach today as we taught yesterday then we rob our children of tomorrow" - John Dewey

      When students sit in a traditional classroom where they are merely passive observers and get filled with knowledge the teacher passes on to them they are not truly learning. This type of learning is often boring and students do not relate the concepts learned to the bigger themes outlined in the curriculum or the "BE". In order to counteract this and allow students to gain a deeper insight into the topics at hand teachers can begin to teach through an integrated curriculum. 

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     In the above photo we see how one major theme can interconnect a multitude of subjects which allows teachers to be able to teach an integrated curriculum and connect this curriculum to specific outcomes. According to Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) the know, do and be found in the curriculum offer good rationale for an integrated curriculum because they share the same learning goals across the subject areas. Drake and Burns explain how we can identify these common goals by doing a horizontal scan and cluster. Teachers can look at the various subject areas across a grade level and identify the common themes tying them together in order to create an integrated curriculum that can foster deeper learning and enjoyment for the students involved. According to Costley (2015) an integrated curriculum allows students to link their experiences in the classroom to the real world and make sense of personal experiences. This means that in an integrated curriculum students learn what the curriculum wants them to "Be" and are better equipped to implement this in a holistic nature to their entire life. This type of curriculum better prepares students for real life and allows them to truly absorb the content that they are being taught because it can be taught more in depth.

    An example of an integrated curriculum is brought forth by Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014). Teachers can use backwards design in order to breakdown the curriculum and identify the major themes such as a sustainable environment and stewardship. This major theme can then be spread across multiple subject areas to create a holistic learning environment. In english class students can write reports and read books on the topic at hand, in science they can study the decreasing populations on various animal species and in geography can learn about global warming and how humans contribute to this. By connecting this major theme of sustainability to various subject areas students study the topics more in depth, create a greater understanding of the topics and learn how they can apply it outside of the school in order to make a difference.

    Utilizing an integrated curriculum also allows teachers to implement assessment in the classroom more effectively. Students can help to determine appropriate assessment tools and can become independent through self and peer assessment. Bennett (2015) claims that tests serve to provide information to the institutions where as assessment aims to serve the students. Students can assess themselves thru assessment as learning, assess peers thru assessment for learning and have the teacher assess them as well thru assessment of learning. This feedback allows students to gain a better understanding of where they are versus where they could be and again works to helping the students develop a deep understanding of the concepts that they are learning.

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     When we view the video above we can see that assessment further helps students to grasp content and deeply understand the subject, this paired with an integrated curriculum allows students to grasp major concepts and learn how to implement the "Be" from the curriculum into their lives. As a student who often found it hard to relate the big concepts taught in class to the real world I know how difficult it can be to find meaning in school and how hard it is to see the big picture. I have only had one experience with an integrated curriculum however it was a very positive experience. In middle school we picked an animal that we were interested in learning about in science class and researched the animal. We then created a paper mache head of our animals in art class. In geography we looked at where our animals lived and what impact humans and the climate had on the animals. Finally, during english class we wrote a report on our animals and discussed how humans affect animals and what we can do to be more conscious about our negative impacts on them.  Through these various subjects we not only learned about various animals but also learned the impacts that humans can have on the environment and what we need to do in order to become better global citizens. This fostered deep learning and although I have forgotten a lot of things taught in school I still remember that project and I am still conscientious about the impact that I have on the environment because of it.

     When taught properly an integrated curriculum can foster deeper learning, connect various themes across subjects and create a holistic learning environment so that students can learn about the "Be" and implement it into their lives. As future teachers we need to begin thinking of our future classrooms and providing our students with the best experiences possible. One of these ways is to use the integrated curriculum so that they can see the whole picture and gain an in depth knowledge on various concepts, something we were sometimes deprived of in our own schooling. It's like John Dewey said, if we continue to teach like we have in the past then we are robbing our children of their future.

References 

      Bennett, R. E. (2015). The changing nature of educational assessment. Review of Research in Education, 39(1), 370-407. 

      Costley, K. C. (2015). Research supporting integrated curriculum: Evidence for using this method of instruction in public school classrooms. Online submission, 1-11. 

      Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Management: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.  

   

The Fixed Mindset: Keeping our Kids Stuck in the Mud

          For many years in the educational system children have been taught that intelligence is either present or absent. With tests such as the IQ test and Ross test “smart” students are often identified from an early age while other students are left waiting in the shadows. This often leads to children becoming discouraged, unmotivated, segregated and in a fixed mindset before they even have a chance to learn. Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) define a fixed mindset as an innate and genetic intelligence that cannot be worked on or improved. This mindset leads to negativity with thoughts of failure, discouragement and powerlessness in the classroom. When students develop this mindset they become afraid to try because they know they are going to fail, something that is frowned upon in today’s educational system. This effectively holds them back from ever trying, ever succeeding and ever breaking out of the constraints that have been placed on them. But what if there were a philosophy shift that could flip education on its head, empower every student to give it their all and teach us that failure is just another step to success? There is, it's called the growth mindset. 

         

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              The photo above clearly highlights the main points of both fixed and growth mindsets and shows us just how positive and helpful a growth mindset can in fact be. In the article by Amber Chandler (2015) "What Growth Innovation and Collaborative Mindsets Look Like for Students and Teachers" she summarizes this growth mindset very clearly and provides some insight into how to instill this mindset into the students of our classrooms. 

           This growth mindset is vital for children to reach their full potential. According to Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) students who have this growth mindset only see failure as a temporary condition as they know they can improve on their knowledge and skills. They also welcome challenge and adversity because they know that these obstacles will lead to eventual success. As a student who went through most of my schooling with a fixed mindset I know first-hand how it can hold students back in their educative pursuits and I also know just how fulfilling and advantageous the growth mindset can be. I had never failed a test, project or essay until I got to university however I had also never succeeded. My definition of success going through middle and even high school was to not fail and to get decent marks with the most minimal effort possible. I had never pushed to get higher marks or a higher knowledge, I was plateaued in a comfort zone, scared of pushing myself and thinking that this was success. It was not until my first year of university when I failed my first term paper that I learned what the growth mindset really was and what truly defined success. I had gotten the mark back and was shocked, disappointed and down on myself. However, when this happened I had found myself doing something I had never done before, I was reading the feedback on the paper and started to try much harder in the class. Because of this grade I had gained a thirst for knowledge so that the same result would not happen again. I began to ask questions and put myself out there without a fear of falling in order to uncover the answers and solutions to various questions I had, for the first time I was putting in effort and believing that I could do various things and get better marks than I had been getting. This transferred into my other classes and was the beginning of a new and successful educational pursuit. This same effort increase and motivation in the face of adversity was found by Aditomo (2015) when students who experienced a set back during their midterm exam became more motivated and set bigger goals for themselves. 

           

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                 We sit children in class for hours a day and tell them to reach for the stars and that they can do and be anything they want when they grow up but do not give them the keys and mindset to get there. In order to truly support students on their quest for knowledge we need to introduce them to adversity and teach them how to persevere and overcome it. We need to teach them the proper mentality so that when they do fall and stumble they have the tools and the confidence in themselves to overcome it and become better. Finally, we need to disassociate failure from bad and start to reinforce to students that failure is really just another step on the pathway to success. I leave here a quick video to once again reiterate the vast differences between a fixed and closed mindset and how it affects students. 

  

           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpkjT9m2Oo

References 

Atidomo, A. (2015). Students' response to academic setback: "Growth mindset" as a buffer against              demotivation. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 4(2), 198-222. 

 Chandler, A. (2015). What growth, innovation and collaborative mindsets look like for students and            teachers. Retrieved from: http://gettingsmart.com/2015/09/what-growth-innovation-and-

         collaborative-mindsets-look-like-for-students-and-teachers/

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom  

         assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. 

Metoyer, M. (2014, September 18). Growth vs fixed mindset. Retrieved from: 

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpkjT9m2Oo