Learning Through Life

A documented timeline of a lifelong learner ~ Thank you for joining me

Tag: Teaching

Post 3 ~ Assessment

June 6, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

When I think of ‘Assessment’ my initial response is an anxious pit in my stomach because instead of thinking, “Oh! A method of displaying my understanding and to help the teacher/receiver know what to review,” I think, “I’m not going to get a high enough mark/grade to satisfy me.” I presume quite a few people feel the same way about assessments. What is concerning is that I fear I will transfer these anxieties onto my students.

While reading through Chapter 1 of Assessment Strategies for Online Learning by Dianne Conrad and Jason Openo, I was struck with the mentioned theory of CoI, which was defined as “a process of creating a deep and meaningful (collaborative-constructivist) learning experience through the development of three interdependent elements – social, cognitive and teaching presence” (2018). When exploring more about the CoI theory on the website, I found this helpful Venn diagram to portray the connection between the three interdependent elements:

The CoI website describes the three interdependent elements as follows:

Social presence is “the ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g., course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop inter-personal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities” (Garrison, 2009, p. 352).

Teaching Presence is the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001).

Cognitive Presence is the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001).

Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000)

This provides great insight for how I need to consider my actions and presence as a future -and current- teacher. It suggests that I need to foster the social, teaching, and cognitive presences of my students but also reflect that in my own instruction. I expect that this will need to be more deeply addressed in developing a community within the classroom: one that fosters meaningful connections and learning experiences that invest in the students’ interests.

I have much more to explore on the website and theory and feel I have only scratched the surface. Please feel free to share your perspectives in a comment!

References:

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.

Conrad, D., & Openo, J. (2018). Assessment strategies for online learning: Engagement and authenticity. AU Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771992329.01

Lesson Design Blueprint ~ Group Assignment

May 30, 2025 / / 1 Comment

Learning Blueprint – Poetic Devices

A wooden table topped with books and pens
Photo by Matúš Gocman on Unsplash

A project by Anna Palmer, Mady Chase, Nicole Bell, Hanne Deener, Finlay Jessop

Overview

As identified in the article, Why Literary Devices Matter by Lorraine K.C. Yeung, the impact of literary devices in fiction and poetry plays a crucial role in evoking emotions among readers and writers. According to Yeung, the purpose of literary devices is to contribute to the emotional depth of a piece and grasp readers’ attention “in a way that prompts their emotional engagement even before any meaningful content for cognitive judgments is available to them” (p. 35). Similar to Yeung’s analysis of literary devices and looking into how literary devices are important in poetry, Joan Peskin from the University of Toronto talks in her article, The Development of Poetic Literacy During the School Years about the impact these devices have on poetry. For example, she states how “… poetic interpretation is driven by the intrinsic textual features of a poem. There is now evidence that poetic processing is both reader-driven and text-driven (p. 77).” Therefore, to fully grasp the importance of literary devices in poetry and other writing, we need to be learning and teaching this topic in a variety of ways, such as auditory or visually.

One of the most common misconceptions about poetry is that it is boring. One of the biggest reasons for this is that, specifically with young students, it is thought that all poetry must rhyme, which they may find uninteresting or juvenile. Another misconception in relation to poetic devices is that they don’t actually hold a purpose within the poem. Students think that devices are unnecessary and just for show; however, they don’t realize that the devices are often what gives the poem a deeper meaning and a more impactful effect.

This topic is of particular interest to us because all of us are hoping to be elementary or middle school educators. This is a resource that would be useful to elementary school teachers who are introducing poetry to their students, and show them that poetry can be interesting and fun.

Lesson Design Planning Template 

Resources

  • PowerPoint presentation
  • Example poems 
  • Writing materials or personal computers 
  • Paper or journals 

Roles and Responsibilities

Mady: One misconception (Poetry is boring) in the Overview, Learning Outcomes portion of the Lesson Design Planning Template
Anna: Connection to common practice in our field in the Overview, Big Ideas portion of the Lesson Design Planning Template
Nicole: One misconception (that poetic devices in literacy don’t hold a purpose) in the Overview, Evidence of Learning of the Lesson Design Planning Template
Hanne: One academic resource (Why Literary Devices Matter) in the Overview, Assessment portion of the Lesson Design Planning Template
Finlay: One academic resource (The Development of Poetic Literacy During the School Years) in the Overview, the learning activities portion of the Lesson Design Planning Template

Post 1 ~ A Reflection on Jon Dron’s Perspective

May 13, 2025 /
Photo by Beth Jnr on Unsplash

While watching and listening to the YouTube video, I was in the shower and let the reflective thoughts from Jon Dron flow while I pondered. I usually do my best thinking in the shower, which can be hard when I don’t have a pad and paper to write down what made sense; but writing it into my waterproof phone does allow me to document my reflection.

Among many intriguing points of conversation, Dr. Dron expressed something that piqued my interest: when you increase extrinsic reward, you decrease intrinsic reward. I hadn’t considered the ramifications of extrinsic motivation and the actions of encouraging such. From my new understanding, it can actually draw the effectiveness away from feeling internal accomplishments and I know that the latter is a better determinant of long-term resilience and success, as detailed in a study conduced in the Journal of Informatics Education and Research. What I have to gain from this learning is the process of teaching -or more so encouraging the exploration of- self discipline and discovery of intrinsic motivators. But, how do I teach this is if I’m extrinsically motivated myself? Is it a fault to teach something you have yet to discover? There exist marriage counsellors who are divorced and counsellors who are still unpacking their own traumas… maybe the flawed existence and continual strive for improvement is only human. I have more to learn and explore on this topic.

Back to Jon Dron’s conversational exchange. He spoke about students’ specific experiences with distanced and alternative learning. For example, portfolios are opportunities that allow students to choose their best work to be submitted for review from the teacher. Conducting a pedagogical approach such as this allows more autonomy over students’ learning assessment and encourages growth. This, paired with formal assessments in the manner of tests helps, students assess their own levels and be responsible for their education, productivity, and effort as they are able to continually progress and reflect.

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

The second speaker with Dr. Dron isolates the theory that to make a big change in learning we must de-couple assessment and learning. This is hard, as I consider how deeply ingrained assessment is in institutions. I need to think about this more deeply as I haven’t heard this directly from an academic. I have felt similarly for a while, especially when studying for a big exam, but I have to keep wondering how education can progress with this while so much of it is standardized to push students through a system that has been breaking down for a long time now. If anyone would want to argue the latter sentence, I would encourage some reading on the decline of literacy rates in Canada and the skill levels that seldom correspond to the grade level. This has been my own observation and research.

There are many aspects of this conversation that I have to consider further and would appreciate having some exchanges to flush out the ideas more for my own comprehension and consideration. It appears I have a lot to learn… and to unlearn.

References:
Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards in Motivating Employees. (2024). Journal of Informatics Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i2.1185

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Reimagining Education – A Student-Teacher’s Perspective

September 15, 2024 /
Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

There exist more than a handful of challenges and concerns when asking if we need to reimagine education. In theory, the answer is simple: Yes! We can always make the education our children receive better. But who decides this and how do we ensure all students receive the education that is right for them? 

The video below depicts a school that does just that: reimagines education in a way that supports students in the exploration of their niche interests.  

Video: Most Likely to Succeed (2015) on University of Victoria Libraries

Within the parameters of improvement bring novice obstacles to overcome. A progression as such will always present opposition and barriers. Often the most essential advancements are sure to generate both. These effects are necessary for significant success. To experience struggle is one of the most important determinants of success.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

In the case of reimagining education, the obstacles may manifest as parental pushback, student uncertainty, funding concerns, and fair governmental involvement. As a future teacher, my personal apprehensions involve educator skill availability and willingness to be uncertain of the outcomes with success rates. We will need individuals willing to take the risk to challenge the status quo of our current educational perspective.

Despite troubled, at the very least, we do know the positive and negative outcomes with standardized schooling using the rigid, set curriculum established. Although as previously stated, the extent of creativity and exploration for students and teachers alike is managed by a sturdy glass ceiling. It is, however, slowly deteriorating. How can we prepare to catch the pieces when it falls?

Photo by Salah Ait Mokhtar on Unsplash

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