Before I read and re-read "Mindset" by Carol Dweck I would have easily been one of those individuals that exclaimed, "I'm a terrible artist and could not ever draw wonderful beautiful images that are in my head, but refuse to come out the end of my pencil." I still cannot draw or paint like an accomplished artist, but my mindset of that skill has changed and the ways that I could represent those images has changed too. Because the power of creating a representation of your own unique understanding of a topic is very empowering and just as malleable as any other learning construct.
This led me to this statement in the reading, "Today, every teacher needs to be a media composition teacher." What a powerful statement! when I read this I was instantly reminded of a learning project I did with students in 20/21st century US History about WWII. The chapters were dense and filled with a great deal of information (which reminded me of Post War by Tony Judt nearly 900 pages of reminding), on the battles, casualties, and the Holocaust, which I separated out. I assigned the students the task of creating a visual essay about their understanding of the Holocaust. The activity included a grading rubric and the requirement to cite their sources (including pictures), but gave them the freedom to create original works of art, PPT presentations, Prezi presentations, or any other media form. I was not fully prepared for the work the students created and their excitement about sharing their work with not only me, but with their classmates as well. By setting very few restrictions on this activity students were empowered to create and construct their understanding that could never be achieved by standard multiple choice style assessment. The rich details of an original drawing or the careful selections of photos for presentation were filled with emotion and life; I was wonderfully surprised by their efforts, so much so I included this work in my Showcase Portfolio (follow the link and explore WVPTS #1).
Quote number 2 struck the chord that slaps me in the face more and more these days, while trying to deal with my frustrations in a required class. This says so much to me as a new educator, "I've never been satisfied with those who simply use technology for technology's sake." Technology is a tool like a strategy is a tool. When I said I cannot adequately draw the representations in my head that I want to convey, I do not yet possess those skills, but I can use technology to bridge the gap. This would be an example of using technology to accomplish the goal. This is also somewhat limiting because now I have to conform my vision into someone elses creation (and give credit where credit is due), but through a sequencing and editing process I can (with help from technology) create an original work. When I was creating my digital story I was enlightened to the extensive amount of time it takes to really plan, select images, sequence, narrate, edit, and publish, which doesn't include the time spent learning how to utilize different tech tools needed to complete the project. This is where the real learning takes place, during the process. The students mentioned above had to analyze their understanding, construct a plan, build a narrative (even if it remains in their mind), and create their project, which leads to the final product a representation of part of the learning. Yet I'm convinced that the true authentic learning occurred during the process and will continue beyond the product as you reflect on and add to that learning.
The last quote comes from the last paragraph in the reading..." When these challenges are addressed...students in the process of deep engagement and exploration of ideas." summarizing the chapter this way embodies the philosophy that I hold as my understanding of what student learning goals should be; in that students should be learning how to think about and reflect upon their learning. Knowing the answer to the question about "what happened on this date" is good and sometimes fun, but knowing why it happened unlocks the power of curiosity to explore and build new meanings... a construct I would call authentic learning. When looking back on the some of the great theorist like Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson along with some great psychologists like Maslow, Adler, and Rogers I'm reminded that we are always building and modifying our understanding (schema) through many different venues (reflection, adversity, ZDP), which takes place over a lifetime not just a few moments in time. Creating multimedia presentations is just another venue available for us to better tell our stories and demonstrate our understanding, which will also change as we grow and change. It is not enough to just correctly blacken in the bubble on an answer sheet, but rather to really ponder the deeper meanings of those answers.
Hobbs, R. (2011). Research as Authentic Inquiry. In Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment