ADAPTATIONS
According
to the Wikipedia site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation, “the
definition of an adaptation in
biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is
maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. All adaptations help
organisms survive in their ecological niches.[14] These
adaptive traits may be structural, behavioral or physiological.” Adaptations can be easily understood in
biology; yet, there are other areas in life that the same conceptual
understandings can be applied to better acknowledge the evolutionary
process. The cycle of a teacher (organism)
as learner (evolving) brings about enlightenment that transcends the classroom
into communities (ecological niches). This enlightenment has been brought about by
the exploration of theory, concepts, strategies, reflections, and
collaboration. The adaptive traits that
have been impacted include structural (the foundation of enquiry and
discovery), behavioral (what can be seen or manipulated in teaching and
learning), and physiological (how learning is carried out in the living
system).
The first trait that has been impacted in my educational
evolution is structural. How I think about learning is being
completely transformed. Prior to my
quest for higher education, I thought about teaching in a simple way. I am the teacher, you are the learner, and I
will impart my knowledge onto you. You
will learn facts and tell it back to me either through a worksheet or
test. My evolution started when I walked
through the doors of higher education. I
started by reading and reflecting on the Principles of Learning and the
Lasallian Mission. I was opened up to
the world of learning for myself
rather than for an outside force; gone was performing tasks in order to get a
grade. Finally I was free to read,
reflect, practice, and question. I
continue to find my own thirst for knowledge influencing my pace of
discovery. The next trait that has been
evolving is behavioral. How I see and manipulate my learning is undergoing
a transformation. Changing my language
to more of a constructivist approach, writing a review of literature which
promotes research, pondering praise vs. encouragement, and analyzing action
research data are all the actions behind my transformation. Learning cannot stop with just reflecting,
the process must include the act of changing in order to evolve into something
deeper. Others must witness the change
in behavior. For example, moving from
“Good Job” to “tell me about it” is a transformation that can be
witnessed. The last adaptive trait that is being impacted
is physiological. How a range of actions impact my learning in my classroom has
been evolving. By implementing best
practices in reading, by integrating “high yield” instructional strategies, and
by using the backward design approach to planning I have found my students
growing and developing deeper connections.
Different from my past, now I am looking for ways to facilitate student
learning by exploring concepts in order to build essential understanding. I think about where the students are at and
start there rather than using standards as the starting point. Also, by having a newfound global
understanding of units that we have been studying for years, I have transformed
my reading groups from reciting facts to higher level thinking.
Clearly, the cycle of adaptation in teaching
is enlightening. The cycle starts with
discovering new theories of learning, moves to seeing and manipulating
learning, and ends by impacting the learning cycle of others. This evolutionary process is happing to me as
I journey through higher education. The
process has and will continue to allow me to bring adaptations to my own
teaching and learning.
Resources to keep the cycle of ADAPTATION
alive and well:
Environment/Relationships: Reading and reflecting on The Principles of Openness, Unique Gifts and
Talents, Gratitude, and Intention have had been key influences in my
adaptation cycle this past year. I started by trying to build trust and
connections with our staff at staff meetings.
Staff members were put into community groups focusing on building trust
and openness. Meetings were transformed
into Community Gatherings. In my
classroom I focused on finding gratitude within my days teaching and I was
intentional with welcoming the kids. I worked tirelessly on my attitude towards
the students I found more difficult to connect with. Another area of high interest was the praise
vs encouragement reading and discussions we had. Lastly, reading What are Rituals? and reflecting/remembered from my own education
has helped me identify the areas I found to be important to me. Writing my own principles of learning is
something I know will be carried on in my classroom because they are rooted in
my past.
Instruction (how I
teach): Reading Look Before you Leap about the constructivism theory of learning is
helping me to transform my classroom by my words and actions.
Discipline/Content
Area, This will be a slow process but one I have already begun as shown above.
The readings What is a Matter of
Understanding and Concept Based
Teaching and Learning both are providing me with background understanding
in order to develop lessons using the Backward Design approach. I have one exploratory learning design complete
and I plan on finishing 4 more throughout the next 6 months. I also spent the year reading about best
practices in reading focusing on Phonemic Awareness. I have also implemented sight word teaching
in my daily routine.
Assessment: Many ideas can be found in 25 Quick Formative Assessments several
of which I have implemented this year. I
also have begun to explain to the students what it is I’m looking for when I do
perform formative assessments. These
ideas came from the concept based teaching and learning along with backward
design.
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