I am eager for change in my teaching practice.

“Real-life learning is messy and complex” — George Siemens (2004)

In any organization, individuals seek to bring order in the midst of chaos; and thus, rationalizing separate, complex elements to create one whole that makes sense enables successful contribution. For me, this idea represents the structure of the classroom environment, where students are taught separate, complex subjects — the chaos — and we as educators are required to help them appreciate the connections between them — the sensible whole — to encourage the students’ confidence and contribution. I would certainly agree that “real-life learning is messy and complex” as emphasized by the constructivist theory (Siemens 2004). For learners, this can be overwhelming, if not for the connections that educators can make, and thanks to advancement in technology, it has certainly become easier to form them.

I am reminded of the connections I helped my students make in reading a memoir by a holocaust survivor for language arts class, to the world impact of this period of history in social studies, to the unethical science behind the horrendous experiments performed on prisoners, to the economical and political force behind this dark period in our world history.

My experience with my students is a small example of the knowledge gained and meaning formed by students through connectivism; it enabled my students to “create new innovations”, which essentially were a broader appreciation of diversity, respect for human dignity, and important lessons learned from our past (Siemens 2004).

Though I am proud of my students’ efforts in this experience, I do recognize the need for me to change the way I use technology. Technology presents a vibrant, efficient, and real-time means for me to present information, but if I do not explore using it in more learner-centred ways, I risk recreating the “same teacher-centred past” and miss out on opportunities to enhance my students’ experience (Bonk 2009).

I am eager for change!

References

Bonk, C. (2009). The world is open. Retrieved from

http://site.ebrary.com.proxy.library.upei.ca/lib/upei/reader.action?docID=10315636.

Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age [Web log

post]. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Photo #1 retrieved from: http://www.healthyfamilygrowth.com/so-it-turns-out-eating-mud-pies-can-be-healthy/

Photo #2 retrieved from: https://twitter.com/i/moments/749333602345844736