Those who know me would say that this was NOT a first. That I had in fact done all kinds of tutorials about different technologies and uses in the classroom.
What makes this different is that I am setting about preparing videos around the course I teach - a subject in NSW called Information and Software Technology and I am sticking them "out there" for others to provide feedback on and use.
This for me is scary!
But based on my experience of over 30 years of working in high school teaching, I think its a fear shared by many high school teachers. Is what I am doing correct? Have I done this the best way? Is this going to best benefit my students? Is my style of teaching okay? Am I covering the syllabus correctly? Is everything factually correct?
As a beginning high school teacher many years ago, I was given my timetable, my programmes my students - was sent in to the classroom - and then the door was closed.
I was on my own.
And I have survived (somehow)
But what this tends to do for many teachers is force them to work on their own. They don't seem to collaborate in the same that I see my primary colleagues work together.
I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who reads this blog post as to their feelings/beliefs about collaboration between high school teachers - within a school, within a system, globally.
I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who reads this blog post as to their feelings/beliefs about collaboration between high school teachers - within a school, within a system, globally.
I know for me one of my personal challenges in recent years is to take the chance and just start putting stuff "out there". For me, personally this is a struggle because I do worry that its not good enough or might be wrong. But this process has taught me a lot!
At times it is reaffirming - its great to receive a positive comment or a remark that someone is using something that you have created.
But its also a way in which I can learn - that I can improve.
I believe as an educator that being prepared to take risks - being prepared to make mistakes (lots of them) is such an important part of learning and improving.
I could quietly create these resources for use by MY students in MY classroom - but I choose to share them because hopefully it will make someone else's work a little easier - just as I stand on the shoulders of others who have shared their wonderful work with me.
I think its a shame in this day and age - where there is so much talent in our schools - where we can all be publishers of all kinds of digital media - that we spend so much money purchasing text books that don't really meet the needs of a our modern classroom.
Take a chance today. Share with your (global) colleagues something that you have created for your classroom. A great learning experience. A collaborative project. A story.
TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More
It's a great idea Matthew and it's brilliant to see that you have made your first foray into the world of video tutorial for students and teachers. We do strive to be the best we can and one way to do that is to learn from others. Your video is an example of what other teachers can do to help each other learn to be better at what they do or learn something new.
ReplyDeleteWell done on a thoughtful post Matt! It was really interesting and refreshing to read. I think you raise a number of key points. Firstly I think that the culture embedded in schools does not adequately provide natural opportunities for collaboration. Your rather eloquent recount of the young teacher armed with some programs and not much else, entering that first lesson is possibly reminiscent of the experiences of a number of people who will read your post. Essentially this culture of having to 'make it on your own' before anyone will consider you to be credible in any way, is largely the problem we have in education. I can quite easily recall conversations with other beginning teachers about how sparse our resource folders looked, in comparison to other teachers. We would work collaboratively so that we could create some resources. Classrooms are such foreign places... where else in the world do you close yourself off from everything else because it's all a 'distraction'? I have found that many high school teachers, whose careers began with those lessons with the door closed, have come to teach that way because they missed out on opportunities for collaboration. It's really hard to change habits when in the formative years, the survival methods meant that you copied text books and didn't really create anything of your own, because it would not have been as good as a text book. After all, it contains the answers worth knowing.
ReplyDeleteI think that technology is providing opportunities for teachers who want to work collaboratively, to do so. Beyond the firewalls, beyond the classroom walls, beyond the staff rooms....
I have long been interested in teachers' self efficacy and I think your post touches on these issues that contribute to a teacher's self efficacy. I think some teachers don't share because they don't believe what they have is worthwhile. It's hard to change that perception, it's hard to challenge that thinking, when quite honestly, that teacher hasn't ever had the affirmation, the PD or the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the curriculum they teach or the pedagogy they use.
Don't ever underestimate the effect that teachers like you, have had on the wider profession. It's teachers like you, who share the video, who upload a post, a comment, a file... who answer the IM, no matter how busy you are, who provide that bit of encouragement and advice, ultimately challenge the status quo and shows how well collaboration can be! After all, it's working with teachers like you that has inspired me to work collaboratively with others. When we realise that it's all about the learning and the fulfilment that comes from the learning gain and how it transforms the classroom, as a profession we will become more inclined to share.