Who knew there was a dinosaur civilization that buried their dead? The monuments and buildings had all disappeared in the metamorphic rubble of geological time, leaving few traces but the skeletal frames and carbon reserves humans used to terraform the planet millions of years later. But now we knew that there was history before history, stories of love lost and pinnacle achievements to span the ages. Only, they didn’t because we couldn’t read them after so much change. We were not the first, we homo sapiens, and we began to realize the learning had just begun, even though it has always been emerging.
Ever since the Archea arrived, time has become like a river current that we can swim and sometimes even traverse with enough energy. After a couple generations of contact, field trips are no longer the same. Yes, the present is still present in a way, but now we have business interests strewn across the ages and most of the jobs involve outposts and community-building projects millennia ago. Students no longer expect to be hampered by a singular timeline, and instead their career opportunities look in multiple diachronic directions. The schools have had to change to accommodate these new market forces, and the field trip has forever become a thing of the past.
At first when the Archea came, some were particularly concerned about timeline purity, but every time we went back we realized that we had apparently been there all along. Just nobody ever noticed because the signs would get warped in so many ways. The only periods forbidden now are those human-dominated eras of the past ten thousand years. People have broken the rules, of course, but only a few ever managed to pull off something impressive. Who knew that Leonardo da Vinci was born 700 years later than the fifteenth-century records which attest to his brilliance? And yes, he was legitimately brilliant, since most of us cannot handle the strain of passing for ancient folk.
So what do we do now? Well, I guess that question is simultaneously antiquated and forever relevant. Needless to say, temporal adverbs are much more confusing to teach. Never before have we always been like this. Welcome again to Foreverland.
To close off the semester, I thought I would interview a local psychologist, Professor Marvin McDonald from Trinity Western University, on the topic of memory. His input has always had a big role in my life, if you might have guessed by our shared last name, and I enjoyed asking for those nuances only someone with decades of experience in the field can provide. Please enjoy!
Out of the six topics available for discussion in class (Gamification, Coding, Knowledge Curation, Simulations, Homework?, Online Art), I focused on just one: Gamification.
What we noticed was how gamification can bring game mechanics into the classroom on two levels. First, it can involve using games to teach concepts traditionally unrelated. Examples might include teaching history through period games that illustrate key events and principles through their gameplay, one possibility being Papers, Please. In this game, players must make decisions as passport clerks within a totalitarian regime. By following the rules, they cause harm by splitting up families, but by protecting people they lose their job, thus causing harm to their own family and loved ones who depend upon them. In the classroom, this game could be used to explore the ethical quandaries that face citizens of totalitarian regimes, thus bringing to life whole historical eras. Thank you, Nick, for showing how this example would work!
The second way of incorporating game mechanics into the classroom is to change the structures of the classroom to reflect gaming principles. An example would be to transform the grading system into an RPG system of leveling characters through experience. Assignments might be like quests, each of which contribute points towards a leveling system when complete. In games, higher levels give players more freedom and privileges, meaning this process would require some form of extrinsic-rewards system to make it valuable. Kolton brought up the possibility of allowing students to forgo the final exam should they achieve a certain mark on a precursor comprehensive exam. The prospect of finishing the course early can motivate students to study thoroughly and possibly perform better than they would have otherwise. In other words, students still learn the material, and those who struggle the first time have a second chance to improve.
What both forms of gamification do is support learning by transforming otherwise boring processes into rewarding and exciting activities. Instead of struggling to pay attention, students engage with ease. As Mark Rober suggests, gamification allows us to trick our brains into learning:
My final interview this semester I met with Nick Atkinson, a colleague in this program who has spent time honing his memory in the context of theatre. In this discussion, we talk about Nick’s experience with memorizing lines and how he thinks teachers can incorporate this knowledge and experience into the classroom.
For theatre, he breaks down memorizing lines into three stages.
Stage One: Script
The first stage involves identifying key segments of the script and repetitive rehearsal of the words without too much affect. As he mentions, actors need to memorize the words in an affectively decontextualized manner, the idea being that they need to know the words but not overdetermine delivery in the same process.
Stage Two: Blocking
This stage involves blocking the scene, which couples the physical, sensorimotor components of act scene with the act of remembering and recalling the words.
Stage Three: Deep End
The deep end involves trying out the lines without any support beyond calling for lines. What this stage does is force students to recall the words without any aids beyond memory, thus allowing actors to practice in a context as close as possible to performance. That they must continue in the moment, calling for lines without breaking character, allows actors to build deep familiarity with the flow of the scene and practice recall in a context close to performance standards.
Transferring to the Classroom
In the classroom, Nick sees the emphasis on multimodality transferring most of all. As a learner, outside of his own acting, he has found notebooks to be most useful for notetaking. “Having to physically write things out helps,” he clarifies.
To make this work in the classroom, he suggests teachers could record their lectures for students to play back should they need. To avoid potential legal issues, he imagines that teachers could wear a microphone around their neck, thus preventing the possibility that students’ voices might be recorded.
Today we had the opportunity to hear from Tracy Humphreys, founder and chair of BCEdAccess. Lead by volunteers, this grassroots organization has over 4,200 members, all of whom have disabilities or have connections with folks who have disabilities. The purpose of this organization is to advocate for students at two levels: directly with the government and in connection with families. Here are some highlights from her presentation:
What Parents Say
Denial of tech needs continues in our schools
Much of the tech available is outdated and frustrating to use
Access remains a barrier for many students
Without a central hub, parents have few resources to support their inquiries
Families are not receiving the education and training they need to participate in tech-support programs
Ableism
Ableism is a set of attitudes born out of ignorance that produces barriers for people in the same ways that racism or sexism do. Some frequent examples include:
Are they disabled enough to deserve that support?
Why do they get to have this support while I do not?
One strategy teachers can adopt to resist ableism is to design lessons in ways that everyone has technological support. Doing so mitigates the potential for envy when students realize others have different sorts of access to technologies.
Technological Supports in the Classroom
Some common technological supports that teachers can incorporate into any lesson include:
Key to all of these approaches is that technology should honour and strengthen student abilities, allowing them to participate along with everyone else. Teachers can also learn about student needs by asking EAs, families, and the students themselves, especially the latter. By working with students directly, teachers can show that they care.
Universal Design for Learning
A big part of Tracy’s message was that teachers need to design their lessons for students on the margins. This pedagogy, famously known as Universal Design for Learning, suggests that doing so allows everyone to succeed, since the supports that help students with disabilities and exceptionalities will also help everyone else. In other words, teachers need to stop aiming at the middle, lest the students who are hardest to reach are left behind.
A great proponent of this message is, of course, Shelley Moore, with her wonderful bowling analogy:
Transforming Inclusive Education
Final Thoughts
Although I have heard many of these insights in the past, hearing them from Tracy Humphreys was particularly moving. Her experience as a parent, individual with autism and ADHD, and long-time advocate for inclusion in education shows through in her measured tone and concrete stories. What she provides is more than just theory: she provides those critical anchor points to which we as educators can turn when we are unsure or confused. Theory is useful, but only insofar as it bears witness to real lives and people. Tracy Humphreys grounds our reflections in those stories and allows us teachers to become better for it. Thank you!
This week I was able to speak with another colleague in the Secondary PDP Program, Andrew Board. Like in my interview with Kolton, I asked him to reflect on his own experiences with memory. Despite some similarities, our conversation went in a unique direction with a particular focus on the role and place of memory in designing curriculum to meet the needs of all students.
After speaking with Andrew, I feel more confident that this Ed program is preparing us to reflect in productive ways on both our own learning experiences and those of others. By combining these directions of attention–one internal, the other external–we can maximize our utility as educators.
Andrew, Claire, Kolton, and I researched and discussed the topic of smartphones in schools. Enjoy!
The Effect of Smartphones on Adolescents
Time Stamps
1:04 – GPA score increase of 6.41% after cellphone ban (Siebert, 2019, p. 125)
1:28 – GPA increase for the lowest quartile of 14.23% after cellphone ban (Siebert, 2019, p. 125)
1:38 – No GPA improvement for upper quartile after cellphone ban (Siebert, 2019, p. 125)
1:43 – smartphones and anxiety (Mannion & Nolan, 2020).
2:23 – attachment theory (Mannion & Nolan, 2020, p. 2)
2:37 – fear of missing out (Mannion & Nolan, 2020, p. 3)
2:57 – methodology of research and results of study (Mannion & Nolan, 2020, pp. 4-5)
4:00 – (Lee et al., 2017)
8:00 – (Abi-Jaoude et. al, 2020, p. 137)
8:36 – (Abi-Jaoude et. al, 2020, p. 137)
10:08 – GPA changes pertaining to a cellphone ban (Siebert, 2019, p. 125)
10:20 – (Lee et al., 2017)
11:49 – (Abi-Jaoude et. al, 2020, p. 136-137)
12:48 – EDCI 336 (Jessie’s presentation)
13:44 – (Rose Eveleth , 2013)
13:56 – “From April to June, Facebook said it took action against 16.8 million pieces of suicide and self-harm content, while Instagram took action against 3 million pieces.” (Wong, 2021)
15:16 – effect of smartphones on cognition (Wilmer et al, 2017, p. 2)
16:53 – Source mentioned (Dinsmore, 2019)
17:28 – Takes a lot of work to change cultural logics (Dinsmore, 2019, p. 674)
18:05 – (Lepp et al., 2015)
19:45 – mnemonic functioning (Wilmer et al, 2017, p. 9)
23:12 – Spelling reform in the 19th century (Carey, 2016)
28:18 – Ancient alphabetic texts typically without spaces or punctuation (Wingo, 1972)
31:03 – smartphones and anxiety (Mannion & Nolan, 2020).
34:17 – Cellphone bans disproportionately help lower socioeconomic groups (Siebert, 2019, p. 125)
38:17 – “High school students may require education on how to use a smartphone in a healthy way (Heo & Lee, 2018, p. 35)
38:27 – “Public awareness campaigns and social policy initiatives” (Abi-Jaoude et. al, 2020, p. 136)
38:38 – ED-D 401 (class discussions)
39:25 – (Lee et al., 2017)
39:57 – (Lepp et al., 2015)
41:43 – Ratopia (Sederer, 2019)
References
Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K. T., & Pignatiello, A. (2020). Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health. Cmaj, 192(6), E136-E141.
Dinsmore, B. (2019). Contested affordances: Teachers and students negotiating the classroom integration ….of mobile technology. Information, Communication & Society, 22(5), 664-677. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1568518
Eveleth, R. (2013). What happened to ‘self-harm blogs’ after Tumblr banned them? Smithsonian.com. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-happened-to-self-harm-blogs-after-tumblr-banned-them-15883320/
Heo, Y., & Lee, K. (2018). Smartphone addiction and school life adjustment among high school students: The mediating effect of self-control. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services, 56(11), 28-36.
Lee, S., Kim, M. W., McDonough, I. M., Mendoza, J. S., and Kim, M. S. (2017) The Effects of Cell Phone Use and Emotion-regulation Style on College Students’ Learning. Appl. Cognit. Psychol., 31: 360– 366. ​​https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1002/acp.3323
Lepp, A., Barkley, J. E., & Karpinski, A. C. (2015). The Relationship Between Cell Phone Use and Academic Performance in a Sample of U.S. College Students. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573169Â
Mannion, K. H., & Nolan, S. A. (2020). The effect of smartphones on anxiety: An attachment issue or fear of missing out? Cogent Psychology, 7(1), 1869378. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.1869378
Siebert, M. D. (2019). The silent classroom: The impact of smartphones and a social studies teacher’s response. The Social Studies, 110(3), 122-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2019.1580666
Wilmer, H. H., Sherman, L. E., & Chein, J. M. (2017). Smartphones and Cognition: A Review of Research Exploring the Links between Mobile Technology Habits and Cognitive Functioning. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00605
Wingo, E. O. (1972) Latin punctuation in the classical age. The Hague: Mouton.
Wong, Q. (2021). Suicide and self-harm content is scarily easy to find on social media. CNET. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.cnet.com/health/personal-care/suicide-and-self-harm-content-is-scarily-easy-to-find-on-so…..cial-media/
Working on the bestiary is harder than I expected, especially during classes. Committing animals and images to memory not only takes time, but also attention to detail. With each of the critters, I have to memorize more than the name to make them useful; I also have to memorize their visual characteristics. Since I have little experience with biology or attending to specimens with such detail, I am trying to pay attention in ways that will stick in my mind. Needless to say, the processes teaches more than just a technique for memorizing names; it also trains me to notice things I otherwise would ignore!
Trevor MacKenzie joined us to discuss inquiry as a methodology of teaching. A teacher at Oak Bay high school, he has written numerous books on inquiry-based teaching and made numerous appearances on podcasts. Needless to say, his message has wide application and people want to know his thoughts. Here are some highlights of the talk:
Reflect on Your Own Educational Experiences
Trevor started off by asking us what school was like for us. Over a series of follow-up questions, he had us explore on our own what worked for us and what did not, whether we liked school or whether we hated it. The purpose of these questions was to remind us that each of us has reasons to learn, but that school has been traditionally a profoundly rigid and soul-killing machine of conformity. For us to be effective educators, therefore, he suggests we need to move towards personalization and student-centred pedagogies, which he calls inquiry-based teaching.
Levels of Inquiry
He also provided us with a spectrum of inquiry-based teaching that illustrates the levels of engagement teachers can have as educators in the work students produce:
The idea is that there is a spectrum of control over students’ learning, and thinking about our lessons in this way allows us to consider the ways we support student inquiry. None of these forms of inquiry is inherently better than the others, but the spectrum shows the dramatic range of possibilities for education.
Students as Active Learners
Key to his philosophy is that students should be active participants and agents in their own learning processes. By reflecting on inquiry, teachers can optimize possibilities for co-designing the learning with students, giving them agency and ownership over the process. Once students have and feel ownership over their own learning, their motivation shifts and they can develop resilience as they overcome obstacles and pursue lessons with conviction.
Some Strategies
At the end, Trevor answered questions with a lot of insight. One way to get students not to obsess over grades is to conference with them about the process. By doing so, students can feel heard and involved, and many will be shocked when teachers allow them to influence their own grades. Doing so also removes some of the problems of subjectivity and bias that plague marking; by speaking with students and allowing them to advocate for themselves and their work, teachers can learn to see what students were contributing more accurately. In other words, inquiry-based learning requires constant dialogue and conversation to be effective.
This week, I was planning to work on my bestiary technique for memorizing names, but I had the chance to interview a fellow student teacher on his thoughts about memory instead.
Over the course of twenty minutes I asked Kolton seventeen questions, and his answers sparked some intriguing insights about the utility of memorization techniques in the contemporary world. Here are a few highlights:
Personal Techniques
His own techniques tend to be fairly semantic. Although he is capable of visualizing in his head, he prefers to study for exams using traditional methods. Kolton takes notes by hand and transfers these to his computer later, each step seeming to help him remember more. Once on the screen, he can quiz himself by covering up the computer. He also enjoys rehearsing the ideas in his head as though he were explaining the concepts to another person. In the process, he discovers what he struggles with, allowing him to go back and review those areas.
Kolton also enjoys using the keyword method for learning vocabulary in other languages, even if he did not know the name for this technique until recently. The technique has come in handy for learning Spanish vocabulary in particular, and he enjoys taking parts of words and relating them to other, similar-sounding words that can anchor the meaning in some way.
Teaching Memory Techniques
Kolton has a pragmatic view of memory techniques: if they work, use them, but otherwise, don’t stress! He will certainly pass along methods, if he thinks they might be useful for students, but he will offer them as a possibility for them to try if they like it.
The technique he thinks may be most useful to share with students is the keyword method. In the context of language learning, for example, students would do well to commit vocabulary to memory, since automaticity is so key to fluency.
When I probed him further about other contexts, he suggested that the loci method could be a useful technique for learning procedures as a barista at Starbucks. New employees could commit steps to memory in a particular sequence by anchoring them to familiar locations. Cool idea!
While Kolton believes that memorizing a large body of facts is not as important today as it might have once been, he does see a place for memory in many practices still critical today. Some of the contexts we discussed include presentations and job interviews, both of which illustrate circumstances in which you cannot access external devices to prompt your recollection of details. Knowing the facts intimately is also important when engaging youth. The range of incomplete and inaccurate positions are impossible to check without some grasp of a range of facts.
Kolton also expressed how important it is to protect and sustain local Indigenous knowledges, especially languages. Global pressures make it hard to sustain small communities, but diversity is part of what makes global engagements and exchanges beautiful. In other words, to safeguard strong intercultural engagements, we must protect the cultures that sustain diversity.
Whole Conversation
Kolton has graciously allowed the conversation to be uploaded. Here is the whole interview for those who want to get a better sense of Kolton’s insights:
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