Category: Weekly Reflections

This week in class we discussed artificial intelligence. I think this was a topic we have all been looking forward to as future educators because it still feels very new and fresh, and there is a LOT of uncertainty around it. Especially as an English teacher where much of my class will revolve around writing essays, stories and more, AI is something that concerns me as it is so easy for students to come up with content without putting in any work. While there are websites to check for AI and other tips and tricks we can use, we agreed that there might always be uncertainty around whether something is AI generated or not.

Going into my teaching career, I plan to use a lot of hand-written assignments and assessments so I don’t have to worry about students using AI. Though this wont be practical with every assignment, I think I will be able to weave in-class work into a lot of my assessments that will show students learning along the way which will show me that they are not relying entirely on AI. We are still in the ‘baby’ phase of AI, and while there are some giveaways for AI generated content (including text, pictures, and videos), AI is only going to improv and get better, so it is in our best interest to try to teach students how to use it as a tool (correctly, ethically, and responsibly).

Above I asked ChatGPT to “generate an image of a classroom in the future if AI keeps progressing at the rate it is right now.” While this is impressive for a computer to generate, it also shows that we are still some ways away from AI being 100% accurate (see the floating robot, odd blurriness etc…).

We also chatted about the environmental damage these systems are causing– mainly the large use of fresh water in order to cool the CPUs. I wonder if in the future these companies will be taxed for this, and in turn they will start charging users per prompt or for a membership. While there is a lot of uncertainty around AI, I believe our best course of action is to try and work with it rather than try to hide it from our students. We can show them how to check for reliability, and show them how they can use it as a tool to help them generate ideas for class projects.

This week’s guest speaker was Trevor McKenzie who highlighted student agency and autonomy. Trevor’s presentation focussed on centering students, and encouraging/enforcing collaboration in the classroom through things like group work and peer feedback in order to enhance classroom culture.

One of the big points from Trevor’s presentation was the emphasis for teachers to program and plan for students to become curious in the curriculum which in turn facilitates their own learning and growth. One way to do this is through inquiry-based learning where students co-design criteria for a concept or assessment in order to make students feel that their input is valued. Trevor’s mindset of inquiry-based learning closely ties to what we learned in Jeff Hopkins’ presentation about the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry. While there are some large differences between the two teaching styles, they feel quite similar and it would be interesting to experience both environments where this is being used.

https://www.trevormackenzie.com/posts/2024/11/2/learning-labs-inquiry-in-action

I really appreciate Trevor having so much content open to the public. I believe he is a great resource for all teachers and he has everything from lesson structures, to YouTube videos, to Events and resources. This was such a great connection to gain and is definitely something that I plan on revisiting and keeping up-to-date with as I continue teaching. Below is one of Trevor’s YouTube videos that I think is helpful and effective as it is only a 10 minute long video!!

This week we discussed multimedia and learning design in the classroom with Michael. This was an important lesson because it showed how easily we can incorporate many modes of media into our classroom, and how much something as small as a picture or a video can enhance learning experiences and engage learners. The concept of dual-code theory is something I will always consider in my lesson designs, as this is something that helps me as a learner to understand concepts better and engage with course material more effectively. As educators, we are often quick to use powerpoint, google slides, and canva to back-up our lessons as they are an easier way to include visuals, however I started to wonder how else we could include other forms of media.

While Sparknotes can sometimes be a way for students to say that they “read” a text, it could also be a great teaching tool if we need to preface something for a lesson. For example, if I wanted to teach an English class about the horror genre, I might not want students to read the entire Frankenstein novel, but I might want them to understand the concept of a misunderstood monster. Using Youtube to show them a summary of this novel is a great timesaver, and as a teacher we can integrate this into our lesson to further students understanding.

In this class we also talked about two main learning designs ‘constructive alignment’ and ‘SAMR’. Constructive alignment is similar to scaffolding in the sense that everything in a class is working toward an objective or goal. SAMR refers to substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. While both learning designs are something that I could see using in my teaching practice, constructive alignment is something I believe is essential in every unit plan and lesson.

In week 10 of our class, we had guest speakers Tracey Humphries and Kaori Lau come from BCEdAccess to talk to us about inclusion. As future educators, we all want to be inclusive in our classrooms, however, it can be difficult to understand how to include all students and sometimes teachers can become blind to exclusion in certain activities. As an English and PHE teacher, inclusivity is very important to me; in all classrooms students may have different skill levels or disabilities which can leave them feeling left out or left behind, but PHE is a subject where being excluded is especially obvious to spot. While we can try as educators to plan for inclusivity, this may not always work so we need to have backup plans and multiple ways to make lessons inclusive for all. I believe technology is a great way to have a “backpack” full of tricks to ensure all students are able to learn and participate at similar levels.

One great use of technology to ensure inclusivity is the use of closed captions and recordings of each class. Michael did a great job of doing that this semester, and it made many students able to attend class while they were sick. This also allowed students to listen more effectively, be able to review notes more easily, and there was rarely instances where students weren’t able to understand what was being said. There is also tools like microphones which can help with not only voice projection in class, but also can connect with note-taking apps and websites for students who may not be able to keep up with what teachers are saying.

While attendance is very important and something that I will need to keep in mind when including all of these remote ways to view the class and notes, this kind of technology is something that I believe is very valuable to have in classes. I think taking daily attendance could be a way to monitor this, so we can tell our students they will only have access to these recordings and notes if they are in class or have an excuse to miss the class. I will brainstorm more ways to make this fair and allow students to access this technology (ie… must do a very small written assignment, show me their notes of their recording etc…).

In week 7, guest speaker Jeff Hopkins came in from the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII). PSII is a school which offers more autonomy to students in order to get them more engaged with things they are actually interested in pursuing as a career, rather than learning broadly and about multiple subjects which may not always align with what you want to learn. Before this class, I had heard of independent schools, but never fully looked into what it meant in terms of content, environment, and other differences between public schools and school like PSII. PSII operates around the idea of students reaching a zone of proximal development.

As it alludes to in the name, students operating within the zone of proximal development are at their peak learning when they are outside of their comfort zone, but not too far. To reach this zone, teachers must understand three things: the zone of proximal development is different for each learner, it depends on timing and readiness, and it requires a variety of environments and methods in order to succeed.

After learning about the importance of student choice and voice in my other classes, I strongly connect PSII’s idea of student autonomy to desired learning goals and engagement. One concern I had with giving students choice and autonomy is straying away from the BC curriculum, as I do believe many aspects of it are very important; however, after this lecture I learned how it can be used effectively while working alongside student’s needs.

Although I have mixed feelings about teaching or doing my practicum at independent learning schools, I see the value and importance they bring to each community and student who is involved with them. I believe there is a lot of value both in teaching and attending these schools, and I can see how rewarding it could be to interact with the students who choose to study here.