Curious George - Mascot for 21st Century Education?

He's an interesting little fellow isn't he? Always getting into trouble, yet somehow managing to save the day with....curiosity?

It's true.

In fact, because of this, Curious George could very well be the greatest cartoon superhero of our time!  The mascot for 21st Century Learning, if you will.

Don't believe me? Check out what PBS says about our friend.

Now, depending on what virtues you value in a superhero or mascot, you may have other opinions than mine.

However, as an educator, student and a parent of a young child, I cannot help but take comfort in knowing that this little monkey's passion for learning about the world around him and the people in it, help shape his adventures everyday.

In fact, aren't we asking the same thing of our students today?

When we speak of 21st century learning, we toss around buzzwords like engagement, collaboration, active learning, social networking in the classroom, passion-based learning, problem-based learning, and many other terms that hold significant value and relevancy.

In the end, aren't these initiatives all bound by one commonality - curiosity?

To understand curiosity a little better, let's take a closer look at it;

The Oxford dictionary defines curiosity as;  a strong desire to know or learn something:

Similarly, Walt Disney , a man of many quotes on the subject, once stated "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths".

As Master of Education students, my peers and I have a strong desire to learn more about how we can become better educators, and how we can improve the educational institutions we are a part of. For each of us, our ability to spark the curiosity of our students will be of the utmost importance. In some cases, our teaching styles and learning initiatives will help to ignite this curiosity. Other times, our students will arrive, ready to explore the world within our classrooms and beyond.

And sometimes, we might just need to ask our students exactly what it is they are curious about. Once we know, we can use our abilities as Educators to help them  them navigate the wonderful learning possibilities that surround them.

I do this with my seven year-old daughter all the time. In fact, I asked her to help contribute to this blog entry, by asking her what she is curious about right now. Here is what she said;

1. I wonder, if you chew gum for a really, really long time, whether it disappears?
2. I wonder if a bunny could dance with chocolate?

I don't have the answers, but they are definitely intriguing questions. Especially the second one! I don`t know how we`re going to figure that one out, but we'll certainly have fun trying...

I wonder if Curious George would know? Or you?

Let me know your thoughts about these and other curious questions you might have. While you're at it, please share how curiosity impacts you in your role as a student or educator?

I'm curious to find out.

Brett

Hear Director James Cameron discuss how his own lifelong curiosity for learning, has propelled him to fantastic places in the world of motion pictures!

Academic Self-Efficacy - Crucial to 21st Century Learning?

As an administrator and educator currently working in a post-secondary institution, I try to foster learning environments that I believe will increase student self-efficacy and positive emotions, along with retention of subject matter. Furthermore, as a Master of Education student, I am very interested in studying self-efficacy among students, specifically, those in higher education.

If positive self-efficacy can impact student levels of engagement, risk-taking and contribution in an academic environment, then I truly believe that teachers with a better awareness and appreciation of their student’s level of self-efficacy are better able to navigate a classroom environment that engages students in discourse expressing emotions, ideas and feelings with one another – similar to our classroom environment in EDUC 5P42!

Albert Bandura, for example, believes that people with high self-efficacy generally feel that they are in control of their own lives, and that their own actions and decisions shape their lives, while people with low self-efficacy may see their lives as outside of their control. 

Personally, I have seen countless examples of this in my work with students in the classroom, and I have coached hundreds of clients as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, where I have seen evidence of this as well. As a result, it has contributed to my intense desire to understand more about self-efficacy and emotional engagement, so that I can further assist individuals in improving their success. Along with that, I would like to identify and compile helpful strategies that will assist me in preparing students to become more resourceful, autonomous and confident in their ability to express themselves and convey themselves to others. 

I believe that doing so will not only assist them in their academic careers, but also as they enter their professional careers in the ever-changing health and fitness industry. It is no secret that the most successful individuals that work in this field have developed the qualities just mentioned, and they exhibit high levels of self-efficacy in their work environment.

Incidentally, part my students' future role in assisting their clients, will be to convince individuals and groups of people exactly what they are capable of; physically, mentally and emotionally, within that fitness setting. This is a crucial and challenging task, but one that cannot be completed by a fitness professional lacking in emotional intelligence and self-efficacy themselves. It just won’t happen. I believe that the same goes for Educators.

What do you think? Does self-efficacy play an important factor in your teaching or learning?

Also, what impact do you feel 21st century learning will have on student's self-efficacy and emotional engagement within classrooms of the future?

Let's discuss!

I'm going exploring! Want to join me?

Over the past week, my thoughts have been consumed by the notion of 21st Century Learning. 

Whether it be in classroom conversation with my peers, or through various articles, videos or blogs I have come across, I just can't get enough!

To be fair though, I'm a sucker for these kinds of things anyway. I fact, I'll pretty much get behind any type of innovative curriculum that advocates increased student engagement in the classroom, while championing heightened real-world learning applicability for students. Add to that, the notion that students just might even enjoy the process, and see tremendous value in it!

Really? What's not to like?

Well, after a little more digging (uncovering countless affirmations about the virtues of 21st century learning), I did come across this particularly pleasant article that knocked me a little off balance...

Yes, it will indeed have its detractors, cynics and traditionalists who do not share the same enthusiasm, but enough about that right now. 

Like I was saying...21st Century Learning appears to have tremendous upside to me! I don't know about you, but I would much rather go exploring to places I've never been before, rather than stay at home (in my comfort zone).

In fact, I'd be willing to bet that my students would rather join that trip too!

So, sure, that I have spent the past 3 days revisiting my lesson plans, learning outcomes, and teaching methods for my classes next fall, while sharing strategies and discussing these opportunities with my colleagues, who coincidentally, have been exposed to new ideas and recently inspired  as well...

You see, we had the pleasure of attending a workshop with fellow educators at Niagara College, lead by Dr. Mark Taylor, a leading Educational Consultant, who works with K-12, and post-secondary institutions across North America. Mark's humour, engaging personality, and (un)common sense, afforded us the opportunity to see 21st Century Learning through his eyes. To say that most of us were transfixed, would be an understatement. Having listened to Dr. Taylor's ideas, stories and strategies about the evolution of K-12 and Higher Education today, using 21st century learning principles (while engaging us in a learning process that used these principles), was simply awesome! 

I am a better student, and I am becoming a better teacher, for having been engaged in that learning opportunity.

If you are interested in becoming either, or both, I believe that exploring 21st Century Learning strategies would be of tremendous value to you as well.

Here's an article by Mark Taylor, to get you started.

Enjoy your day,

Brett