Category: EDCI 336 (Page 1 of 3)

Today, Kristen came to our class and talked about technology in outdoor education. We started the class inside, talking about different resources for technology in outdoor education, then we did the rest of the class outdoors. While we were in the class room, there were a few points that caught my attention. The first thing Kristen talked about that I enjoyed was when she talked about how, before her class starts, she will show her students, using google earth, the places that they are going to learn about. This helps to teach students about the culture, ecosystems, architecture and community of the location and helps to immerse students in the learning. Jumping off of that, Kristen talked about using videos to teach students about how the land has changed. Showing students videos of where they live, but in the 1910’s, can help educate students on how the land has changed, which can lead into a discussion about the land and how it will continue to change. Finally, Kristen showed us different websites that have wordlist for different Indigenous languages you can show to you students. This can help them learn about the traditional land they learn on and its peoples.

For the second half of the class, we went to Finnerty gardens at UVIC. We did an activity where we walked around the gardens, found different QR codes and read up about the gardens. I really enjoyed this activity as it gave us time to be outside and explore the campus, while learning about the grounds themself. I think this activity would be great for younger students, and you could us it as a mindfulness moment and even have different stations with breathing exercises. Giving students time to learn outside will show them how learning connects to their real lives.

During Kaori and Neesha’s presentation, the two things that stood out to me were “Educators actively shift the system while within it,” and “Inclusion is about creating spacing with inclusivity in mind, not just once a problem arises.” The first point about educators shifting the system while within it stuck out to me as we are in a position where we have to work under the rules of the system while being the most exposed to how those rules hinder learning and inclusivity. How can teachers simultaneously work within the system while working against it? I think starting by educating students about inclusivity, expression, acceptance, and autonomy can help move out of the exclusion and discrimination that lives within the system. By doing so, we create a future generation that will continue to push against this narrative. The second point struck me as in my public school education, inclusive spaces only seemed to be created when there were students who “needed them.” Usually, this assessment was based on a physical disability, and then an adjustment would be made. Using this approach excludes all of the students with non-physical struggles or those who are suffering in silence. If we create an environment with inclusivity as part of the foundation, we guarantee that every student will feel safe in the classroom and have a space to learn at their full potential.

A final piece I want to touch on from the presentation is not knowing what aspects of students’ identities shape who they are. Just because a student has a “distinctive factor” that we would usually assume would shape who they are, that does not mean it is something they identify by or is a crucial part of their identity. It is important to know your students and what they value about themselves, not project your assumptions and biases on them. Giving students opportunities to share about themselves and what is important to them can help you to better understand their identity.

This week, we had Kaori and Neesha come to our class to discuss technology and inclusion. In this reflection, I want to talk about an activity she did at the beginning of the class. Before class started, we received a piece of paper that came in one of three colours (green, blue, and yellow). I wasn’t aware of what this was for, but I assumed that I would be writing on it at some point. After Kaori introduced herself, she asked all the people with blue pieces of paper to hold their paper in the air. Then, they were told that they could listen to only half of the presentation, and then they had to leave. Then she asked the people with the yellow paper to hold their paper in the air. While their paper was in the air, they were told that they were lucky and got to stay for the whole presentation. Finally, the people with the green papers were told to hold their papers in the air. Then, they were told that they were not allowed to stay for any of the presentations. I was initially very confused as I thought that Kaori was serious, but then she told us that it was just an activity to show what discrimination feels like. This was very moving for me as I was one of the people with the yellow paper. At first, I was happy that I got to stay because of my paper, and I felt proud to be in that group. Then, I quickly became sad as many of my friends were not in the yellow group and were going to leave. I think the most crucial piece that I picked up while doing this activity was recognizing that it was my friends that I was going to miss. It is very easy to disconnect from people we do not know and not feel bad for them when they are excluded. However, the moment it is a person you know and care about, what is happening to them becomes personal. This is a prime example of why it is so important for students to learn about different cultures, races, religions, and traditions as well as about those who are being discriminated against, so they can see how it is not ok, and they can experience the emotions on a personal level. This activity would be a great one you could use to teach your students about discrimination and how it feels to be excluded based on something as silly as the colour of the paper they were given. I think it can also teach them about how people don’t choose the be excluded, just like how students did not get to choose which colour paper they were given. They could not pick the same colour as their friends or pick their favourite colour, they were given a random piece of paper and had to live with it.

Today we participated in an Ed Camp. This was my first time doing this and I loved it! We started by brainstorming ideas for topics we wanted to learn more about. We took those ideas, wrote them on sticky notes, and stuck them to the wall. Then, using three circular stickers given to us at the beginning of class, we voted for the top three ideas we liked the best and wanted to learn more about. The top four ideas with the most votes were chosen, and we split into four groups based on the topics we wanted to discuss. Thirty minutes were given for the group to discuss their topics. I found this to be a very engaging way to share and gain knowledge about different ideas that we were interested in. You were also able to leave your group and go to a different one if you wanted to see the different topics. I believe that this would be a great this to do with upper elementary students as a way to engage them in the content. You could also adapt this idea and have pre-meditated ideas that had to do with your unit, and the students could choose which one they want to be a part of as an introduction to the unit topic. This way, you are still staying on topic but are allowing some autonomy and choice for the students, which will help with engagement. You could even have questions on the board that students could answer if they needed direction. Overall, I like this concept for making the class more engaging and fun for students.