Bite-Size Professional Development, Classroom Computational Thinking and Other Ways to Rock the New Year
Beginnings are moments of change. Given the shifting year, now’s a good time to consider switching things up in the classroom — or at the teacher’s desk. Even incremental shifts can result in tangible effects.
Here are some ideas for resolutions for educators, be they for the new year or the new term.
Find Easy Ways to Keep Up with Professional Development (PD) to Stay Sharp and Avoid Burnout
Professional development helps you stay up to date on advances in education, particularly when coupled with discussion or a direct application of newly learned skills. That said, it’s important to find easy ways to keep up with the news. Being mindful of how you get your professional development can be a way to stave off burnout, a common companion of newer teachers.
Now more than ever, professional development is ubiquitous online. From YouTube lectures to educational podcasts, educators are sharing ideas at a blinding pace. This list of education and edtech podcasts is a great place to find a variety of shows worth exploring — especially for those with long commutes.
If you want to keep up with online writing, you can make your own “audiobooks” for on-the-go listening by using Pocket’s text-to-speech function. Using the Pocket app, you can save bookmarks. For many bookmarks, Pocket will recognize the page’s text, then offer up an automated text reader. Bookmarks can be connected to create a playlist.
You can also reach out to learning networks online to foster discussion and community. Twitter is filled with educators, and if you find the right accounts and follow the right hashtags, you can engage with teachers around the world. For example, if you’re a math teacher, try looking at the #MTBoS (#MathTwitterBlogoSphere) hashtag.
Embed 21st-Century Skills Like Computational Thinking into Your Lessons
Go beyond your core subjects to embed 21st-century skills in your lessons. While there are plenty of skills to consider, such as digital citizenship or information literacy, computational thinking (CT) is invaluable as a problem-solving methodology, and it’s worth considering how to work it into your teaching.
If possible, try to add computational thinking to your lessons. For example, decomposition is the act of breaking down systems into smaller parts. Instead of reconfiguring your lessons, you can focus on taking an existing assignment and deepening your analytical assessments. For more ideas, check out this post on “computational lesson-planning.”
You can also focus on embedding single CT components, developing projects with computational thinking in mind. For example, what might a lab assignment look like with algorithmic thinking as the focus? Perhaps instructional or technical writing could play a larger role. This sharpening of writing skills through a problem-solving lens is a highly marketable skill (called a “higher cognitive skill” in this Quartz article).
If you’re not comfortable creating a full-scale project, look to premade lessons to help students get a feel for computational thinking. The nonprofit Computational Thinking Initiatives shares a number of lessons and projects that are easy to implement and are aligned to educational standards.
If You Haven’t Already, Try Your Hand at Programming
Although you don’t have to code to think computationally, programming is a way to apply problem-solving skills to concrete problems. The elements of computational thinking align with concepts in computer science.
If you haven’t coded before, this resolution can be both fun and empowering. Trying something new — and learning through small wins — can help you start your class on the right foot, even if you’re simply learning for your own sake. Now more than ever, there are plenty of online resources to learn computational science ideas and put them into practice (often from within your browser).
If you’re familiar with code, and if your school’s technology supports it, you can also try to incorporate coding into your students’ assignments. The subject you teach doesn’t matter. The Wolfram Language, for example, can be used for STEM classes to analyze and dig deep into data, but it can also be used for digital humanities projects. Some schools have used code in PE classes.
Learn a New Skill in General
Beyond programming, learning a new skill can be helpful on a personal level. By figuring out how you best learn a skill — or by deliberately assessing the learning tools you use to scaffold your lessons — you can pick up new pedagogies. Lifelong learners are often skilled at learning how to learn.
While you might be tempted to learn a school-related skill, learning something physical (like dance or a new sport) or something creative (like a musical instrument) is nonetheless something that can impact your teaching practice. The mind is primed to take in new experiences, then use those experiences as a lens. How might dance inform a biology class? Perhaps students can dance to learn mitosis.
Learning new skills allows you to take on the student mindset and put yourself in their shoes. You get to test out learning theories and enjoy the satisfaction of trying something new. If you are time-poor, as many educators are, you can try to fit in bite-size learning opportunities through apps (like flashcard-based language-learning apps) or YouTube videos.
Focus on Ways to Make the Student Experience Better
Whether it’s a focus on student-centered coursework or on working to put students’ needs at the forefront, it’s not a bad idea to try and make things better for your students in measurable ways. Computational thinking requires students to feel comfortable with “failing forward.” Embracing failure isn’t possible in an uncomfortable classroom environment.
For example, students may deal with issues like food scarcity or homelessness. One educator, Sara Goldrick-Rab, has worked to combat these issues in higher ed, suggesting ideas like adding basic needs clauses to syllabi. Students dealing with personal issues may not be able to take in the technical skills you’re trying to teach. Even in K–12 classrooms, poverty and the digital divide can impact students’ schooling.
Another concern might be to make sure that students feel they have a sense of autonomy. This can be done through personalized learning, accommodation for disabilities or even by being mindful of how students prefer to be greeted at the classroom door.
For information on accessibility, particularly if you use web materials or load things onto a learning management system (LMS), you can check out this course or look up a11y. Transcripts of course audio or lecture videos are invaluable for ESL students or deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and there are many text-to-speech tools available online.
Use Tools to Destress and Stay Productive
Staying grounded and focusing on your own well-being can help make your classroom a more welcoming space. Mindfulness can chase away “secondhand stress.” Likewise, you can leverage apps and other tools to be more productive.
Using a noise generator can be helpful while you’re lesson-planning or grading. Some people like music — and apps like Spotify feature plenty of “study playlists” to keep you in a focused mindset — but others prefer more ambient sounds. If you’re more the latter, you might like Noisli. By dragging around sliders, you can create your perfect soundscape: a rainy day at Starbucks, or sitting around a crackling fire with the night air filled with the chirping of crickets.
Moving beyond productivity, meditation has been shown to be useful in reducing stress levels. It’s not the be-all, end-all of stress relief, but it can help you keep things moving even when you’re feeling down. eXHALeR is one site you can visit to practice mindful breathing, while Stop, Breathe & Think is an app featuring a variety of guided meditations.
These are just a few ideas for resolutions you can make to try and shift students’ learning — or your professional growth.
Naturally, goals can and should be personalized, so feel free to come up with ideas of your own. If you’re not sure what to focus on, try looking to other educators. Like with professional development, you can use Twitter to keep up with what people are discussing online. Likewise, looking at schedules for edtech and education conferences might inspire new ideas relating to buzzworthy topics.
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of resolutions or not, it’s a good idea to keep things fresh and always stay learning. By using some of these ideas as a lodestar, you can engage learners and transform your classroom.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
