(Week 6) Towards a Theory of Online Learning

For Week 6, we had an asynchronous class where we were responsible for submitting a paper based on our reflection on Anderson's paper "Towards a theory of online learning".  For this paper, we were to consider our own needs as a learner in this online class and the elements of design which are optimal for them.

Having spent 15 years in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), I have come to a place where, as I reflect on this time, I see two particular areas of need bubbling on the surface. The first is my need, or thirst, for knowledge in the field of Educational Technology.  The second, is my need to be challenged and to approach topics from more of an analytical or critical point of view so that I may improve upon my current practice.  
I see these two needs being interlinked and because of that I would like to keep them in the same melting pot as I continue my reflection.

In my paper, I talked about the general design of the UOIT program and the affordances of the Internet, as I described what facets of the platform have been optimal for my aforementioned learning needs.  For this blog, I would like to reflect more specifically on Lorayne's Critical and Reflective Practice in Education.  I will start out by saying that this course has been the best one I have taken so far in the program because of Lorayne's emphasis on, as the name of the course mirrors,  "reflection" and about being "critical". Through the ongoing interaction within the breakout rooms and group work, I have been able to learn through other participants' perspectives and gather firsthand information from real-life contexts.  Like other courses, there has been an emphasis put on the core readings but Lorayne is able to bring the concepts to life by giving us the time we need to reflect on the ideas.  In other courses, I always felt pushed or rushed to move on to new concepts without being able to dive deeper into what was presented.  Because we were able to work together, and effectively share our ideas I really feel that I've belonged to a real community of learners and that Lorayne has kept the focus on student-centered education.  

As I wrote in my paper, I would like "to be able to incorporate technology into the classroom and feel adequately prepared for a world where everything is in constant flux".  Through the UOIT program, I have come to the realization that there is not one simple recipe which will work for every classroom and that a teacher has to be very flexible and open to new ideas.  

During the first 8 courses in the M.Ed program, I have been exposed to many different learning theories and methodologies.  However, it is through the collaboration and dialogue with other professionals that I have been able to synthesize and be critical of the  information and ideas, where i feel the real learning begins.  In this respect, I see this higher order thinking to be integral to any graduate program.  

(Week 5): Mindfulness Meditation

The third reading in Week 5, was the one by Elghalaieni (2015) entitled, "A review of on the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation".  This article explained all the health benefits associated with mindfulness like reduced stress and anxiety.  As I reflect on this article, I can't help but to think back to a local Immigration Forum in Sault Ste Marie which I attended as one of three representatives from Algoma University.  Most of the morning was full of information workshops - well worth our time.  However, in the afternoon, there was a series of speakers who are recent newcomers to the Sault which didn't provide much information.  In particular, one lady from India, who runs a new yoga studio in town, did a series of breathing exercises with those in attendance that lasted from about 40 minutes.  When she started, I thought that she would only be providing about 5 minutes of techniques but in then end, she ended up instructing the class for about 40 minutes.  As a willing participant at the start, I found the first 10 minutes very calming as I was able to reduce some anxiety and stress I was feeling on that given day.  However, as she continued through the exercises, the reverse started to happen - my stress and anxiety actually started to build up.  I started to think about how unsupportive our university would have been to see three of its employees with the eyes closed humming mantras at 2pm in the afternoon during company time.




Although I do see benefit from mindfulness exercises, I wonder if I, personally, would be able to dedicate the time to get myself to a place where I would be able to relax enough to use them.  In an earlier post, I talked about the Buddhist monks being so at piece with themselves. I wonder if that takes a lot of practice as well.  

(Week 5) Reflective Practice in the Civil Society

(Week 5)

In Week 5, the second assigned reading was an article entitled, "Reflective Practice in the Civil Society: The contribution of critically systemic thinking" by Ulrich (2000).  Although this was one of the more difficult articles to get through, I really enjoyed its content.   

Ulrich's ideas revolving around corporatist society, including special interest groups, having more "legitimacy" than the individual citizen really struck a cord with me.  To explain why, I would like to apply his ideas to the field of education.

Everyday, as a teacher, I feel the separation that exists between the world of teacher and that of academic research.  Unfortunately, much of the educational research conducted by those in the academy is largely irrelevant to teachers' lives in schools.  On the other hand, many academics dismiss the knowledge produced through teacher research as trivial and inconsequential to their work. This kind of mistrust and under-appreciation creates a power struggle in education, which, as Ulrich mentions in his article, leaves very little room for teacher to act as an "individual" or to function as a "citizen".

In the article, Ulrich talks about the difference between "professionals" and "lay people".  At no time do I personally consider teachers to be considered part of the "lay people" category.  To enter, and stay in, the teaching profession, requires a high level of education, training and professional development.  As I reflect on this point, I can see more clearly why academics view teachers as a treat to sound professional practice rather than a basis and support for it.  As the article suggests, there really needs to a bridge between civil society (the teacher) and the concept of professionalism (the academic).

At the start of this post, I put the picture of the "eye" because of the following quote from the article: "Reflective practice risks being blind if it shuts its eye to the issue of responsible citizenship."  To legitimatize and include teachers reflections, I agree with Ulrich in that the notion of citizenship has to change to include a new set of "civil competencies".  His concept of boundary judgments, shown below, as a way to deal with the divides between the individual and the corporatist society makes room for this to happen.

By understanding the context of each group, educational research can include both teacher produced knowledge and knowledge produced by those in the academy. This will go a long way to close the divide which exists between the tow and greatly benefit the processes of teacher development, school reform, and teacher education.  

(Week 4) Could Taekwondo be a Pathway for Somatic Ways of Knowing?

Another very strong takeaway from this class will be "whole person learning" which is often overlooked in Western culture.  We tend to separate the mind from the body and think that all our learning is in our head.  I like the example the article, "Creating Space for Somatic Ways of Knowing with Transformative Learning Theory" (Amann, 2003) where it talks about disease and how a person can research the symptoms, but until they actually experience the symptoms, this knowledge is all external.  It is only through the somatic experience that the symptoms can be understood internally.  The article goes on to explain that somatic learning is "felt by the body" and describes the four main areas of somatic learning: kinesthetic, sensory, affective and spiritual.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I took at course in kineselogy which helped me increase my awareness of my own body movement which was a powerful learning moment.  As I read through each of the other areas, I kept thinking of which sport or activity that would tap into each one.  I have my kids taking Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, twice a week and they love the exercises that they do for breathing and how the class all shout out at once when they do power punches or kicks.  I believe that these practices allow the students to become sensitive to their senses.  The whole idea about spiritual learning is also evident.  For example, the class reciting the following chant, "discipline, respect,confidence, patience, honour - combine them for good attitude" is very representative of Buddhist thought which aims to create balance in life.  I believe my children have had a spiritual awakening through Taekwondo and are developing a cultural awareness of their Korean background through this martial art form.

(Week 4) Critical Reflection

In this post I would like to reflect on Jack Mezirow's article "Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood", which was very helpful in differentiating between meaning schemes and meaning perspectives.  The former is based on habit or event sequences such as the sun rises in the east and set in the west.  The latter, are made up of higher order schemata, which are open to assumptions based on one's past experiences, belief systems, cultural assimilation, etc.  I like the example, given in the article about the painting and how one might judge it to be beautiful whereas another person may think it is ugly based on certain stereotypes and/or ways of knowing which are usually imprinted upon us at a very young age.

Reading through Mezirow's article, I learned that critical reflection is to "challenge the validity of presuppositions in prior learning".  In this sense, "to be critical, one has to challenge what has already been established as far as the problem and reassess our own orientation to perceiving, knowing, believing, feeling and acting".

The article goes on to identify 3 common areas of distortion in meaning perspective where meaning perspectives can be transformed - epistemic, sociocultural and psychic.

I would like to reflect on the socio-cultural distortion by using the following video:

Socio-cultural distortion is about our "belief systems that pertain to power and social rlationships, especially those currently prevailing and legitimized and enforced by institutions".  In the video, it talks about labels which are given from birth.  The world "force feeds" us these labels which we must swallow, digest and accept.  I really like the part of the video where the speaker talks about his body as a vehicle that he drives around and how people judge him for his body, not for who he is on the inside.  The dealership is society who labels certain editions "black" or "white" and once you have a car you are forced to drive it the rest of your life.  Growing up in a small town like Sault Ste Marie there are many stereotypes against people who are not white, middle class, "ordinary folk". As such, it is difficult for many of our International students to feel comfortable when they leave our campus which is very diverse.  They feel like they do have labels attached to me especially if they wear their customary dress from their home country!

(Week 4) Poppy Field - Mindfulness Exericise

At the beginning of week 4, Lorayne shared a picture, similar to the one above, showing a field full of poppies.  She directed our attention first to the flowers and then to the warmth of the sun in the distance.  I find these short moments of reflection in this class very powerful because I'm not able to set aside much time for personal reflection.  Like many of the participants in this class, I have a full-time job and a family that requires my attention outside of work hours.  With this said, I do cherish all the small moments spent with my kids.

One  moment I remember fondly in Korea, was a sunny afternoon spent with my wife and daughter, Myles, along a river bank near our apartment.  We found a field of yellow flowers and we managed  to take some time out of our busy day to appreciate their beauty.  I remember the feel of the warm sun on this day, how clean the air felt and the smell of the flowers.  It is crazy how this moment seems so fresh to me - I believe it is because I paused to appreciate the simple beauty of this occasion.  

As written in his book, "mindfulness means paying attention is a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmental.  This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present moment reality.  If we are not fully present for many of these moments, we may no only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and depth of our possibilities for growth and transformation."

Based on this reading, I will try hit the "pause" button on life more so that I'm able to enjoy more moments like these with my family.  As Jon states, "Mindfulness is the polar opposite of taking life for granted."

I'm confident, this is one of the most profound lessons I've learned through this course.  For this reason, I believe Lorayne's lessons really do transcend her course objectives!

(Week 3) Reflection-in-action!

In my last post, I reflected on real-life example of how Schon's idea of the high-ground vs. swamp in my local context here at Algoma University.  In this post, I would like to reflect on Schon's  "reflection-in-action".

While I was completing my education undergraduate degree at Lakehead, my two teachables were Geography and Physical Education.  I remember taking this one course in Kinesiology (also known as human kinetics), where the professor asked me to explain to the class how to "perform a free throw".  Having played basketball my whole life, I quickly, and confidently, accepted the challenge.  However, at that time, I didn't realize that I had never really thought about the mechanics behind the movement and I simply wasn't able to verbalize the motion much to my embarrassment.   The professor then used my failure to explain about tacid knowledge and knowing-in-action. It was a powerful learning moment for me and it taught me, through my own ridicule, to think more from the body, not just the mind.  

In the one of Schon's articles, he gave the example of refection-in-action with the crooked fence.  I relate to this description, because woodworking is one of my favorite hobbies.  I agree that there is a lot of problem solving and reflection-in-action involved within this trade. The whole expression "measure twice, cut once" is a great representation of how a woodworker goes about any project constantly reflecting on each measurement and how the project will all finally fit together in the end.  My father, a seasoned carpenter, always tells me that the real secret to good woodworking is covering up all your mistakes as you work on any project.

The woodworking example, above, is a great representation of how a typical layman might go about refection-in-action. In Schon's article, the Crisis of Professional Knowledge", he explains how many teachers, as practitioners, have a hard time describing what they know and do not know and, as such, might view reflection-in-action as a threat or sign of weakness .  However, Schon's sees this reflection-in-action as part of competent practice and that it is of critical importance.  Can teachers be taught to have a capacity for reflection-in-action or invent on the spot to help students before them?  This is a good question which was posed in class which resulted in a great discussion for Week 3.  I believe that refection-in-action comes intuitively because I've met very few teachers, who don't want to improve their practice.  To do so, there has to an inbuilt system of checking and/or reaffirming that what you are doing at the moment, as a teacher, is meeting the needs of your students.   In this sense, it is like an internal set of checks and balances.