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One one my biggest take-aways is that attention and memory influence learning.  I can honestly say that I fall in the category of teachers that Dr. Willingham described as being relatively, unaware of the domains of cognitive psychology. I am challenged to learn more about how attention and memory work in learning. Hattie and Yates (2013) discussed the ability of expert teachers to:
-monitor students
- obtain feedback on their learning
-stop and starting a lesson as needed
-improvising in response to the classroom situation

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Make instructional decisions that align with research on attention and memory. For example,
-Shift gears and alter instruction to regain the attention of students when they are no longer cognitively engaged
-Explain complex ideas with clarity in short time blocks (Hattie & Yates, 2013).  Mini-lectures that run 10 mins or shorter can capture the main ideas of a lesson.

In the video below, Professor Goos discussed surface learning vs deep learning from an educator's perspective.
As teachers we can tell when we promoting surface learning in our classrooms if we simply ask students to recall and reproduce content and skills. On the other hand, deep learning requires higher cognitive lift with tasks such as:
-extending ideas
-detecting patterns
-applying knowledge and skills in new contexts
-thinking critically
I am reminded of Bloom's taxonomy and how our lesson objectives should move students in the direction of the higher thinking level of the hierarchy.

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The discussion on whether the internet is making us stupid is connected to deep and surface thinking. My take-away is that new mediums have made it even easier to think on a surface level. The implication for educators is to design lessons that go beyond looking up information through Googling.

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In the article below, "Is the Internet Making Us Stupid? — Top 3 Pros and Cons," I was intrigued by the pro/con discussion on how the internet is affecting our reading habits. With the ability to scroll easily through images and texts, we are skimming more and retaining less information. To apply this information to my context, I must encourage teachers to do the following:
-provide opportunities for multiple close reading of digital texts
-have students use digital tools to highlight, underline and annotate texts
-combine digital reading with printable texts because we still use paper in our digitized world
-provide opportunities for students to make connections and share their understandings of digital texts

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My take-aways are that teachers can teach with clarity, use good methodologies and direct teaching methods to influence student confidence (Hattie & Yates, 2013).

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Hattie and Yates (2013) recommended some ways for teachers to build students' confidence. I particularly liked the following:
- use affirmative language in lessons
- scaffold work to help students gradually move from easier to harder tasks

In the video below, Dr. Cruz explained some breakthrough strategies for building student confidence.  All the strategies are effective. Some that I would like to immediately share with teachers are:
- help students recognize their own expertise. We all have prior knowledge. Making connections help students to feel confident that they have a starting place to access the new information they are learning.
-build positive student-teacher relationships inside and outside the classroom.
-share appropriate, relevant personal stories. Students need to know that we are humans too and can relate to their struggles. Sharing how we overcame set backs in our lives  can empower our students to push forward through their own struggles.

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Admittedly, when I saw the publication date of Curriculum 21, I wondered how the information could be applicable 12 years later. Was I wrong!  Ironically, the relevance of the contents of the text gave me hope that our digital world has stabilized to some extent. Silicon Valley may be making more innovative tools daily, but the key tenets of 21st century learning that existed 12 years ago are still very relevant today.  Jacobs (2010) stated, "a new curricular approach should begin with specific rethinking and examination of choices based on the tensions between critical points from our past practice and new challenges for the future" (Jacobs, 2010, p. 5). I could not agree more.  We have to make choices about how to prepare today's students for today's world and the future. We must examine the versions of school that we are sustaining and whether they are actually reflective of our times. To create new versions of school, we must make decisions to let go of the old habits in education that run deep. We need to make room for new and dynamic curriculum and the interlocking structures -schedule, grouping patterns of learners, grouping patterns of professionals, and space (Jacobs, 2010). I espouse these ideas and look forward to being involved in work that reform these practices.

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Jacobs (2010) discussed two of the most compelling benefits of teaching media literacy:
-it challenges students to look at media through a new, different lens
-students find media literacy to be engaging
I  fully grasped the potential of media literacy to engage students after watching the TED talk video below. I think that the ideas in the Jacobs text and the video show why it is important to upgrade curriculum content and train teachers in the effective use of media in instruction. "These media are the domain of today's students" (Jacobs, 2010, p. 135).  We are missing out on opportunities to use new and engaging content in schools if we fail to incorporate media, digital media, youth media and culture to engage students in learning.

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The TED talk below is a must see!  One of my biggest take-aways was how to use media literacy to engage students. The stories the speaker told of students who not only became actively engaged in learning, but also extended meaningful understanding of the media content, shows that the CONTENT we teach matters. We need to meet students where they are and engage them with what is relevant to them. Schools can be very disengaging for some students. In my student population, I can totally see how using media literacy would engage students. The skills in critical thinking, evaluating messages and methods of persuasion are the same skills we would develop through reading texts that they are often not interested in reading.  Although my district provides the curriculum, teachers have flexibility to teach skills with additional content. Going forward, some steps I can take are:
- connecting ELA skills to media literacy content for engaging media literacy lessons

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My main take-away is that students and educators need to more training on metacognition, that is, thinking about our thinking, being aware of our thoughts, strategies, feelings, and actions and their effects on others.  One way to support the habits in practice is to explicitly describe how to integrate them into curriculum, instruction and assessment. Jacobs (2010), exclaimed that authors do not use enough specificity in describing how to use metacognition in curriculum and instruction. No wonder, administrators, coaches, teachers and students struggle with metacognition! We need research-based guidance on how to think about our own thinking, and how to teach students how to use metacognition.

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In the video below, Arthur Costa described the habits of mind as an internal compass that guides a person's decisions as they are solving problems, responding to conflicts etc.
I would love to support the teachers and students I work with in developing the following habits:
-metacognition
- creating, imagining, and innovating
These are life skills and strategies that we can use when confronted with challenges and opportunities.

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Heritage Institute for Student Identity Research

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UQx LEARNx Deep Learning through Transformative Pedagogy

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Is the internet turning us into shallow thinkers?

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Is the internet turning us into shallow thinkers?

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Internet & “Stupidity” - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org

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Proponents say the internet is reprogramming our brains. Opponents say technophobia fuels debates about the internet making us stupid.

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One of my favorite quotes from the Jacobs text was, "The way to modernize our work is not to use a computer instead of a typewriter and call it innovative. It is to replace existing practices" (Jacobs, 2010, p. 18). I can replace some existing instructional practices by doing the following:
-upgrading the way I assess students
-upgrading the instructional strategies I use
-becoming comfortable with using new tools in teaching and learning

The video below emphasized engaging students in building 21st century skills.  Some instructional practices to apply are:
-provide students with opportunities to solve problems with their peers using collaboration and critical thinking skills
-foster students' creativity in applying new knowledge and skills in creative ways

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Why change? 21st Century Learning and Curriculum Innovation

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Creating critical thinkers through media literacy: Andrea Quijada at TEDxABQED

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Habits of Mind - Art Costa Describes the Habits of Mind

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Hattie, J., & Yates, G. (2013). Visible learning and the science of how we learn. Routledge.

Heritage Institute for Student Identity Research. (2013, July 23). Building Student Confidence [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56VVqEpWe9o&feature=youtu.be

Jacobs, H. H. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

MacFarlane, M. (2016, November 13). Why change? 21st Century Learning and Curriculum Innovation [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IZyxbP8szo&feature=youtu.be

Mind, H. O. (2009, January 9). Habits of Mind - Art Costa Describes the Habits of Mind. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT0vXFP_RYI&feature=youtu.be

ProCon.org. (2022, October 19). Internet & “Stupidity” - Pros & Cons. https://www.procon.org/headlines/is-the-internet-making-us-stupid-top-3-pros-and-cons/

TEDx Talks. (2013, February 19). Creating critical thinkers through media literacy: Andrea Quijada at TEDxABQED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAApvHZ6XE&feature=youtu.be

UQx LEARNx Deep Learning through Transformative Pedagogy. (2017, November 29). UQx LEARN002 Expert perspectives [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLUFCxl5Zb4&feature=youtu.be