In my Curriculum Nearpod, I discussed the educational philosophies of Humanism and Reconstructionism, which are the two philosophies most closely aligned with my personal beliefs when it comes to teaching and learning. Both are very student-centered philosophies. Humanism focuses on individual potential and believes the student is in charge of their own learning. It also focuses on the growth and development of students in and outside the classroom, as one of its key contributors was Abraham Maslow, who created the Hierarchy of Needs. In order for a student to be successful in the classroom, they must have their basic needs met before they begin to move up the pyramid. As a humanist, I will have to be aware of where my students lie developmentally so I can fit the needs of everyone in my classroom. Additionally, Reconstructionism is a philosophy that encourages students to make changes within their communities, through looking at current events and discussing them in the school environment. It is completely centered around social change and the potential students have to make a difference in our world today. After doing research on these two philosophies, I have decided to incorporate project based learning and proficiency based grading into my future curriculum. My Spanish teacher, Profesora Ochoa (shown in the 6th slide of my Nearpod), inspired me to use proficiency based grading in my curriculum because she grades based on individual progress. All she cared about was that by the end of the semester, you were able to tackle something you hadn't been able to before, not that you could spit out memorized definitions. She looked for growth and understanding, which I think are two key parts of learning. I have also decided to use project based learning because it provides the opportunity to students to seize their own learning (a humanist principle), as well as allowing students a way to get involved in their community, whether it be through helping a local farm or tutoring younger kids. The opportunities are endless in project based learning, and can ignite social change. Because of this aspect of social change in my curriculum, I would say this assignment led me to focus most on pillar 4 of the Saint Michael's College Mission Statement.
In my Literacy Keynote, I spoke about how my traditional view of literacy as reading and writing expanded to include all forms of nonverbal and verbal communication. One part of my presentation that I chose to put a lot of emphasis on was that in a Spanish class a lot of traditional literacy is needed, as you are learning a new language. However, I realize that to prepare students for their futures, I will need to implement other kinds of literacies into my curriculum. One form I will focus on in my classroom is digital literacy, so I will be incorporating technology into my lesson plans. I can use online news articles to better students' reading skills as well as enhance their ability to spot fake news. We can also explore new apps for presenting projects and information to the class or watch Spanish news/telenovelas to read body language while also understanding culture and speaking. This assignment made me focus on pillar 2 of the Saint Michael's College Mission Statement, because I will be integrating technology and interaction into my Spanish classroom.
Throughout this research, I noticed some connections between my Literacy and Curriculum courses. Something that stood out to me was how important teaching literacy in all forms in a project based learning classroom is. I am really passionate about project based learning, but if I give students this much freedom, I need to prepare them to succeed first. Therefore, if a student wants to present their work through iMovie, I need to be teaching digital literacy so they feel confident in their abilities. Additionally, if another student wants to work with a local business, they will need to be prepared to read social cues and body language to succeed in that environment. Learning about my educational philosophy in Curriculum and the types of literacy in my other class have really helped me create and develop my ideas.
For these projects I used Nearpod and Keynote, which are both online presentation tools. They look a little more professional and streamlined than other presentation apps I have used in the past and were pretty easy to figure out, so I liked them a lot. One feature of Nearpod I really enjoyed was the interactive slide option, so learners could be engaged during the lesson and the teacher has a chance to check for understanding. Additionally, Nearpod is awesome for a classroom with lots of technology because you can stream it on your students devices so everyone has a clear image. I am excited to use these tools more in depth in the future, and see what other features I have available to me. Using an iPad to work on the actual app itself rather than a computer will be an adventure, but I am looking forward to becoming more proficient in technology myself.
