Computational Thinking in Art -TLLP Activity 1

This spring, I will be presenting at the Thames Valley District School Board’s S.T.E.A.M. conference. When I put my application in, I was taking a risk. I agreed to present results from a few activities I had never tried. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to ask my students to do and I had no idea what they might create. I did know that I wanted to investigate one of the key pillars of computational thinking, decomposition.

Decomposition is, as it sounds, the breaking down of a complex problem or system into manageable parts. During this process, patterns are often revealed and a deeper, richer understanding of a solution can be reached.

In mathematics, the connections are obvious. Breaking a problem into smaller parts has always been a hallmark of problem solving methodology.  However, I wanted students to learn to develop this skill to investigate art and literacy.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Connections are numerous. I have highlighted a few from the Grade 5 Visual Arts & Language curriculum.

Visual Art D2.2 Grade 5 students are learning to explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding. EX:  Piet Mondrian’s paintings use colour, line, and geometric shape to create an impression of movement.  

Oral Communication 1.4 Grade 5 students are learning to demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in oral texts by summarizing important ideas and citing a variety of supporting details.

Oral Communication 1.7 Grade 5 students are learning to analyse oral texts and explain how specific elements in them contribute to meaning.

Reading 1.7 Grade 5 students are learning to analyse texts and explain how various elements in them contribute to meaning.

Writing 1.6 Grade 5 students are learning to  determine whether the ideas and information they have gathered are relevant, appropriate, and adequate for the purpose,

ACTIVITY 1

Students were organized, in advance, into 6 groups. I was sure that students with academic or language needs (I have a high ESL population) were separated into different groups. I also made sure that every group had at least two students with strong literacy skills.

I was fortunate to be accompanied by two Teacher Candidates from Althouse College at Western University. Consequently, each group had ready access to an adult who could help them (a) stay on task and (b) support them when challenged.

We began by looking at the concept of minimalism, using the following Google Slide Each group was provided with an editable copy of this slideshow on a Chromebook. This is important because the display on the Chromebook is far superior to that of a classroom projector.

After introducing four paintings by Yves Klein and Barnett Newman, students were encouraged to discuss their opinions and ideas about the pieces with these guiding questions.

Slide 7: In the space below type in Words that come to mind when you and your group first look at any of  these paintings.  Anything goes. Whatever words pop into your head. You don’t have to agree.

Slide 8: What do these paintings have in common?

What rules do the painters seem to be following?

Use the space below to type your ideas.

Slide 9: Can an artist tell a story with a painting like this one (or one of the others)

What story is he trying to tell? (Picture of Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue)

Share your ideas in your group.

A member of the group was responsible for typing responses into the provided space.

You don’t have to a

Here is what one group chose to share (See Slides 7 - 10)

A class discussion followed and all ideas were shared. Responses were also screened with the class projector. A final conversations about minimalism and simplicity of design followed. Opinions were varied.

“It isn’t art, it is just three lines of paint. I could do that.”

“I’ll bet it looks better in real life.”

“It is art. It makes you think.”

 

EVALUATION

Anecdotal notes were taken to evaluate students on Visual Arts D2.2 (above) and the Learning Skill of Collaboration as outlined in the Growing Success Document

Page 17

The student:

• accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group;

• responds positively to the ideas, opinions, values, and traditions of others;

• builds healthy peer-to-peer relationships through personal and media-assisted interactions;

• works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals;

• shares information, resources, and expertise and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions.

RESULTS

Engagement was high and the discussion was rich. The students liked creating a story for the final picture “Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue.” Students seemed comfortable sharing their ideas about the art piece because of the simplicity. This was a wonderful stepping stone to get to the next activity. All students met expectations and some exceeded it.

A Perspective on Prayer in Public Schools

Recently, a “news” article appeared in my social media feed. In it, the writer, Dean Daniels, reports that Brampton, Ontario, Mayor Linda Jefferies has allowed the Peel District School Board to allow Muslim prayers in its schools. It goes on to state that “one religion is being promoted over another” and that “no other religion is granted exclusive acknowledgment to students”.

It immediately generated feedback in my social media community. Those who took this at face value were understandably concerned. They asked questions, such as:

• “Why can’t my son, who is Christian, be allowed to share his faith at school?”
• “Why is only one group being provided with this opportunity?
• Isn’t this a public school? Aren’t public schools supposed to keep faith out of the curriculum?”

Misinformation & Inaccuracies

Let’s break down some of the misinformation and inaccuracies in the article. The first thing I noticed was the “source” for this “news”. It comes from a website/blog called www.dennismichaellynch.com. Immediately, that makes me question the veracity of the article. Dennis Michael Lynch is, by his own admission, a right-wing, pro-Republican pundit who has focused a significant portion of his work supporting an anti-immigrant agenda. I won’t politicize this writing more than I need to and I am not trying to oversimplify my argument by claiming the article is racist or Islamophobic. I just think it is important to mention that this is not an article written by any of the major news outlets in Southwestern Ontario, where the Peel Board and Brampton are located. Additionally, the website owner is an American - not a member of the Brampton, Mississauga or even Ontario community. The “author” of the article, a Dean Daniels, does not have any biographical information on the website. He does have an archive full of articles with a clear right wing, pro-Republican bent, so I am making the assumption that this is a pseudonym for Lynch or that he is also an American.

The headline claims that “parents are fuming”, but the article fails to identify these parents or the evidence from which this statement can be made. Who are these parents? Did you interview them? There is a great divide between "fuming" and "concerned". This is a powerful example of a “false narrative” leading to the “Misinformation Effect".  After reading the false narrative of the article (which I will discuss and debunk later), parents could be understandably upset. Consequently, the article suggests a reality that will eventually support its own claim. Hopefully, I can present a more honest narrative that will assuage those concerns.

Let’s start with the first line of the article, as I feel it speaks volumes about the absence of any quality, journalistic investigation. It reads, “Mayor Linda Jeffrey of Brampton, Ontario, has allowed the Peel District School Board to permit Muslim-based prayers within schools on Fridays…” For many Canadians, the problems with this statement is obvious. For those without that insight, I'll elaborate.

City mayors have no say in school board policy. In Canada, education falls entirely under provincial jurisdiction and is implemented by elected officials called trustees. (see here and here for more information).  Consequently, Ms. Jeffrey may have an opinion about prayer in school -- but she does not make or influence policy. Furthermore, the Peel District School Board covers the cities of Brampton and Mississauga as well as the town of Caledon. Why would the mayor from one area dictate policy to three?  

This is only one example of several that highlight a lack of journalistic integrity evident in this writing. However, I won’t waste  any more time picking the article apart. The inaccuracy evident in the first sentence of this article says enough.

Disclosure

I am an educator at a large school (900 students) in London, Ontario. London is, according to the 2011 census, the fifth largest city in Ontario and is predominantly caucasian. 82% of the population comes from European locations and 62% identify as Christian and only 4.4% of its citizens practicing the Islamic faith. Despite these numbers, I am at London’s most multicultural school. We currently have the largest population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in our board. Last year, we welcomed more than 80 students who fled the violence in Syria, the most in our board. Additionally, our proximity to the London Mosque, has resulted in a large Muslim population in our community. In fact, In my classroom, 17 out of my 28 students come from families that practise the Islamic faith. That number, about 60%, might be a little high for the school; but, I think it is fair to suggest, about half our students are Muslim. Consequently, I am writing from my perspective and I have no information on the practises of the Peel Board. It has, however, released a fact sheet to address the misinformation resulting from articles like this.

Some Truths

An important point about prayer needs to be made. Prayer has always been allowed in public schools. Public schools no longer promote any specific faith, but they also don’t prevent students or staff from celebrating their faith (as long as it does not interfere with other people). For example: At my last school, I had several Christian children who prayed before meals in the lunchroom. I have had students from families who are Jehovah’s Witness who have respectfully asked to permission remain seated during the National Anthem because it is in contravention of their beliefs. Additionally, they decline opportunities to participate in activities related to Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween or birthdays. A former principal at my current school was a devout Christian who ran a multi-faith prayer group at recess and I have also had Muslim students ask to go to a corner, in the classroom or hallway, to pray at midday (dhuhr) or in the afternoon (asr) which correspond reasonably with our Nutrition Break periods on our balanced day schedule.

Public schools are also required to provide a place for prayer when possible. The last two words are important. Students must be supervised at all times, so a private place can not always be provided. As I mentioned, at my school, the Muslim students would leave the classroom and find a place in the hallway where they could have a semi-private space but also be supervised. They would usually pray for about five minutes and then return to eat with their friends.

Our Muslim population has grown exponentially over the six year that I have taught at my current school, We are fortunate to have a large contingent of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, some of whom are Muslim and who speak Arabic. This team has volunteered to supervise a multi-faith prayer space in the ESL portable classroom during the second lunch break. They run it as a club, the same way I run volleyball or the similar to the way our devout Christian principal would run his prayer club in the 2000’s. Students who wish to pray can go out to the portable during a specific 15 - 20 minute block of time during the second nutrition break. Consequently, this doesn’t interfere with other students or learning and the kids are supervised. Some days it gets cancelled and the most devout kids will still ask to pray in the corner of the classroom during lunch.

In a nutshell

• Prayer is not promoted, but is not eschewed at public schools
• If possible, public schools should provide a multi-faith space for prayer.
• We are able to provide that space because a team of teachers have volunteered to supervise it.
• To answer the question raised in the article that “one faith is being promoted over the others” I will again point out that all are welcome to attend the prayer room. Some parents have asked about this and have also been concerned that their child is not being afforded the same opportunity. We have made it clear that the prayer space is multi-faith and that their children are welcome to attend it. They are not told what to do when they are in that space. They are, however, expected to be reasonably quiet and respectful. So far, no children of other faiths have chosen to take advantage of the opportunity we provide.

At my school, about 15-20 students from several grade levels choose to use the space. That is less than 5% of our total Muslim population. This reinforces the fact that different people choose to celebrate their faith in different ways. Far too often, I hear people make blanket statements about “Muslims” - as if to suggest that 1.5 billion practitioners of a faith operate as a unified block. The same applies to Christians. I have met Christians along a broad continuum, from those who are fervently and vocally devout, to those that attend church only on major holidays, to those that only identify as such on a census ballot, but do not practice their faith. The same is true in the Muslim world.

My Hope

I hope that my perspective can reach as many eyes as the Dean Daniel’s March 13 piece that inspired it. At last count, it had 95,000 shares. I would welcome him (if he exists) and anyone to contact me. In a perfect world, I would have him to meet my students to see first-hand how unique, smart, kind, funny, caring and wonderful they are...even the Muslims who seem to concern him so much.

That Change will do you Good ... or maybe not.

I am in the back-end of a wonderful March Break. I have had time with my wife, family and friends. I have gone hiking, played hockey, taken care of paperwork, had a haircut, eaten royally and slept-in. I am feeling fantastically recharged and I am looking forward to Monday and the final stretch of the school year. I also have a group interview on Monday evening and my first chance to secure a new role next September.

I recently applied for a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) role as an Instructional Coach for elementary students. If successful, I would be assigned to a small family of schools (likely 3 or 4) that are geographically close to one another.  I would then make myself available to work with teachers and their classrooms in a variety of ways:

• supporting teacher development (particularly in literacy & math),
• co-teaching and co-planning collaborative inquiry opportunities,
• helping create meaningful cross-curricular connections,
• differentiating instruction for students,  
• building capacity with new challenges (ex: coding or computational thinking),
• reviewing good pedagogy and research based practices, and
• supporting school improvement plans and board wide initiatives.

At least that is what I think I would be doing based on the memorandum I read and the things I have seen from our school’s instructional coaches - past and present. I will get a deeper insight next Tuesday when I shadow a colleague who is currently in a coaching role. I know I will also learn more about the expectations during my group interview on Monday. I wish I could have arranged those two events in the opposite order...oh well.

I’m not particularly stressed about the interview. Like most teachers, I am an outgoing, Type A personality who loves to talk and share. Additionally, I sincerely believe I have much to offer, and I know I would put my full effort into any opportunity. I guess, if anything, I am being reflective. This is the reason for this post. I need to take a few minutes to organize the main pros and cons that surround this decision.

Pros

1./ I know that new opportunities will invigorate my career.

2./ More Professional Development (PD) opportunities will be available.

3./ Other coaches have raved about the experience.

4./ New colleagues mean new growth.

5./ After 6 years in the same school/division, I should make a change.

6./ Different classes in different divisions sounds exciting.

7./ I am genuinely excited about sharing my passion with other colleagues.

8./ My school is growing (again) and I might be back in a portable….ugh!

Cons

1./ I really like my classroom, school, students and colleagues.

2./ I do not like packing and moving and storing things.

3./ Not having my own class for a year is something I might miss.

4./ I won’t be able to coach sports when in this role.

5./ My current program is sweet, complete and ready to go next year.

6./ This position means more driving and I am currently 2 km from my school.

7./ Additional driving means added wear & tear on my vehicle and greater risk.

8./ A placement out in the county means treacherous winter driving.

Okay, I realize that there is theme “driving” my con list - but these are legitimate concerns that I need to consider and, most importantly, justify to my loved ones.

I’ll also admit that my current grade five group is making this a tough decision. They are among of the kindest, funniest and smartest bunch of kids with whom I’ve ever had the opportunity to work. We are doing so many cool things and I have been part of incredible growth (mine and theirs).  Additionally, they have helped me immeasurably as I continued to explore, and build my comfort with, coding and computational thinking. We launch Genius Hour next week and, as my friends will attest, I can’t stop talking about the great ideas that they are exploring.

Now, I realize they will not be my students next year. I guess it is the recognition that leaving the classroom is something I am afraid I will regret. As ridiculous as it sounds, I would have hated to have missed out on this particular year of teaching - even though I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.

The March theme at Eagle Heights is Optimism and I have try to be a “glass half full” kind of guy. Additionally, I haven’t even been offered the job yet. I do know that I need a change and, if this doesn’t pan out, I will certainly investigate a new school or even grade level. Regardless, I get three more months with my Rockstar Class and lots of new opportunities in my future. Thanks for reading, I hope to share my experiences soon.

2016 Reflections

My summer goal was to have 12 posts published this year. if I can finish this entry in the next two hours, I will exceed that expectation - with plenty of time to see the puck drop at the Canada vs U.S.A World Junior hockey game. So, here is a quick reflection of some of the best things that happened to me in education in 2016.

TLLP

I, along with a group of highly motivated colleagues from three Thames Valley schools, successfully applied for a grant through the Ontario Government’s Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP). With the money from the grant, I was fortunate enough to attend two conferences, the TLLP Learning Summit in May and then the Bring it Together (BIT) Conference in November. Additionally, we secured plenty of new technology (Chromebooks, IPads, Spheros, Ozobots, Dash & Dot) for our schools. We were also provided with release time to learn how to use them in our classrooms with an eye toward a  changing curriculum that necessarily embraces coding and computational thinking.

My understanding of both coding and computational thinking grew by leaps and bounds through this wonderful opportunity. I benefited greatly from the experiences of both my "Grant Colleagues" and from the many, passionate educators who shared their knowledge at these informative events. It has also helped me build my Professional Learning Network through Twitter and that has become an invaluable resource.

Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robots

I was also fortunate enough to be selected by my Principal to attend three, half-day, workshop sessions to learn about Lego Mindstorm EV3 Robots. Eight of these high-tech kits were purchased for our school and I have been asked to learn how to incorporate them into the Junior curriculum. After this year, I will provide the resources and support required for other teachers to share them in their classrooms. My students and I explored the  DRiVe Inquiry Approach supported by the Thames Valley board and took on a number of coding challenges. These included the navigation of a floor hockey stick maze and programming the robotic arms to throw a ping-pong ball. I am keen to expand my understanding in the first few months of the 2017 school year so that I have much to offer my colleagues when they explore the kits.

Feedback Driven Evaluation

For several year, I have been trying to move student focus away from “marks” and toward “feedback”. This year, I have had increased success. I have made it a priority to give prompt, written feedback with both "Next Steps" and constructive praise through this version of a no marks rubric*.

(*A rubric is a document that articulates the expectations of an assignment. It often includes some form of mark)

Some challenges have persisted

• Parents and students still think in terms of marks - the question: “Did I get an A?” is hard to shake.
• Report Cards still require "Letter Grades". Consequently, I eventually have to quantify this feedback and distill it to a mark.

However, this approach has been most enhanced by two changes in my practice. The first is incorporating more “ongoing feedback" during an activity.  This is typically provided through Google Classroom and Google Documents. For example, a student completing a writing task will submit it after the completion of a first draft. I will provide feedback for some of the work and encourage them to review their work with my recommendations in mind. Google Docs "suggestion" feature is wonderful for this process.

Additionally, I have encouraged students to make a copy of the rubric and self-evaluate. If they are able to self-reflect and determine their own “Next Steps” they have time to make the changes. Not only does this encourage students to be critical of their own work, it also inspires personal celebration. Students benefit greatly from discovering the intrinsic value of work that is well done.

Well, “game time” approaches. I think I will end things here. 2016 was a year of growth for me and I experienced many successes. I enthusiastically look forward to 2017 and I hope to write my next post before the first week is over...however, with report cards looming, I make no promises.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year!

  
  

The Homework Conundrum Revisted

A little over a year ago, I waded into the homework debate with a blog I dubbed "The Homework Conundrum". In it, I weighed the pros and cons behind a teacher’s decision to give homework and tried to demonstrate, through numerous links, that there is much debate. I tried to explore both sides with an open mind and agreed that compelling and convincing arguments abound. Ultimately, I presented my case for providing students with relevant, meaningful and flexible homework options. I chose to make homework mandatory on weeknights (Monday to Thursday) so parents would never be uncertain if it was assigned.

I look back on the evidence I provided to support this decision and still believe that it holds water. However, as I embark on another year teaching in the Junior Grades, I have reconsidered my approach again. This year, I have decided to leave the option of homework with the students and their parents. To that end, I am providing multiple opportunities for students to enrich their learning with meaningful tasks that will build important skills but, none of it is mandatory. In other words, I am trying to satisfy everyone. I’ll try to illuminate with three examples.

Scenario 1
Nina’s family is very busy every night of the week. She is a competitive swimmer and is also taking piano lessons. Her two brothers play hockey for different teams and both take violin lessons. Her mother’s job takes her out of town frequently; consequently, her father spends most nights shuttling his kids to different venues while scrambling to make sure all three get a healthy dinner. Academic success is a priority for the family but, additional homework is sometimes a burden.

Scenario 2
Sam’s family believes that homework is an essential part of education and one hour is put aside each evening for this purpose. Sam’s parents have often asked his teacher for more homework when he comes home with only a book to read. They want him to develop the "habit of homework" in preparation for high school and post-secondary success. They also set the bar high for him and want him to develop excellent numeracy and literacy skills. They sincerely believe that extra practice every evening will increase his competence and the likelihood of his academic success in the future.

Scenario 3
Home life for Tyler is challenging. He is being raised by a single parent who is struggling with mental health and addiction issues. There are financial issues in the home because his parent can not work and, he does not always have access to the internet or a working computer. Additionally, he is often forced into the role of caregiver for his younger siblings. Sometimes, there is nothing to eat and he needs to walk to the local church to gather a bag of non-perishable items from their food bank. Regular completion of homework is an unreasonable expectation for him.

I gave more thought to these three scenarios and applied the “perfect” homework solution outlined in my previous post. I realized quickly that it only worked effectively in one of these situations and I was forced to admit that, increasingly, these "ideal" scenarios are a less common. I reflected on each fictional student's arrival in class the next day.

• Sam would be beaming - his homework tucked neatly in the front of his planner. He has satisfied both his teacher and his parents. 
• Nina would have her work completed too - slightly wrinkled (like her weary eyes) from its completion in the stands at a chilly arena in a different town. 
• Tyler, equally exhausted, would shuffle in quietly armed with only the knowledge that he had failed meet classroom expectations, again.

Now, I realize I am painting some extreme scenarios and any teacher worth his salt would have developed an alternate, supportive plan for Tyler. Regardless, I now believe that mandatory homework does not work in enough situations to justify itself. Additionally, it is, too frequently, an unnecessary source of frustration for parents, teachers and students.

My Current Solution

Accepting that my teaching and systems are in a constant state of reflection and enhancement - I am currently approaching this by making relevant, meaningful and engaging homework a voluntary proposition. Nina and her parents can relieve themselves of this commitment on any night of the year while still having the option available to them on others. Sam’s parents are also sated by the many options available to their son on every night of the week - options that exceed “daily reading”.  Most importantly, Tyler’s arrival at school each morning is recognized as a success in itself.

What options are available?

Within the first month, I set students up an accounts on Edmodo - a safe, Facebook style, social media platform that allows us to share ideas and create discussions. This also provides me with a launching point for a raft of other free, online educational websites.

XTRAmath - a place for students to practice their basic computational skills. This site effectively removes "drill and kill" from instructional time.

Learn to Type - a website to teach keyboarding essentials through practice, tests and games.

Tween Tribune - thousands of news articles (updated daily to reflect current events) that can be leveled to readers from K - 12. Deeper thinking discussion questions are provided and answers can be posted in the classroom Edmodo page to encourage collaborative discovery.

Prodigy Math - a Pokemon style battle game that requires users to answer questions that are aligned with with the Ontario or Common Core curriculum. Teacher administrators can differentiate questions based on each user's ability and can align the questions to match the current classroom unit.

No Red Ink - Grammar basics (differentiated and aligned with instruction by the teacher) to make learning the fundamentals of language a little more fun.

Study Jams - 200+ video lessons on topics in Science and Math. A great resource for reteaching concepts covered in class and also a place to explore new ideas in a fun and engaging way.

Using Edmodo, I can quickly provide links to these websites and others to help students build their skills in multiple curriculum areas.  Additionally, I can pose questions relevant to current events or curriculum studies that students can explore. They are then provided with the opportunity to share their thinking with both me and their peers through Edmodo discussion posts. Later, in class, we can examine their ideas and allow others to participate orally in our discussion. Student voice is enhanced because each child is encouraged to post pictures, riddles, stories or links that will encourage collaborative online communication. In the past, my students have used Code.org and Scratch to create content that peers can play or even remix.

So far, things have been successful. Parents who are looking for additional homework are encouraged to investigate our Edmodo page with their student. Alternately, I can provide them with links through Class Dojo (which I use with them as a communication and sharing tool). My students have responded well and are many enjoy the opportunity to demonstrate their initiative and independent work habits by exploring these resources on their own. To foster this, I have created an Initiative Bingo Card for them to complete during the fall months.

I'll see you next year when I revisit this topic again.