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Cooking and the writing process (Kate Schenck) 

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Cooking and the writing process (Kate Schenck) 

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Training in a Business Environment (Andrejs Krumins)

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Training in a Business Environment (Andrejs Krumins)

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In my readings to date about Competency-Based Learning, several of the GOA articles have used sports analogies to convey the importance of engaging learners effectively.  These sports analogies have been helpful when it comes to introducing new topics, engaging learners, and "playing the whole game."  But, having coached soccer for twenty years, these analogies also bear some trepidation.  Coaches in North Texas are terrific when it comes to engaging young players during practice, however, due to a heavy emphasis placed on 'Winning' during games by parents, coaching directors, and athletes, only the top 11-13 athletes on a team will play in the game.  The remaining 11-12 players will sit on the bench where they remain underdeveloped in their ability to apply game-like skills.  I see game-like conditions as representing the 'Real World.'  Therefore, to develop a better idea of what learning looks like in the 'Real World,' I interviewed my wife, Carla, who is a Senior Manager of Resources at a well-known, 'A+-rated' Health Care Insurance company.  I asked her to describe how new hires are selected, assigned roles, and trained.

New hires are initially selected based upon the following standards: first-rate resume and multiple interviews showing hard (competencies) and soft (people) skills, industry-accepted certification(s), and credible employee references.  Competency and experience level determine which core function, business area, and product a new hire will be assigned.  Subsequent assignments are dependent upon career goals, performance track record, and attitude/approach towards challenges.

When an employee requires training to transition to a different position, Carla's company offers multiple means for learning new information.  First, Job Shadowing.  An employee observes someone who provides a view into "what great looks like."  [Teaching analogy: a teacher who demonstrates a new concept to a class].  Second, Coaching.  A coach asks compelling questions to help guide the employee towards their transition/goal.  [Teaching analogy: a teacher who guides students rather than lectures].  Third, Mentoring.  The trainee speaks with someone who is an expert in the subject matter that the employee wants to develop.  [Teaching analogy: peer mentoring].  Fourth, Experiential Learning/Stretch Assignments.  Provide opportunities for the employee to stretch their skills in a safe environment.  [Teaching analogy: non-graded formative assessments].  Last, online learning.  Carla's company offers an in-house university with many courses.  [Teaching analogy: GOA or LMS training].

Carla's company utilizes many of the methodologies proffered by Competency-Based Learning. It seems to me that teachers who continue to use the Traditional Approach of Teaching would be doing a disservice for students who aspire to work in the 'Real World.'

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After reading through the materials in this shift, I immediately thought of my current reality which is teaching my son to drive. The relevant, meaningful content includes the basic controls of the car, accelerating and decelerating, making turns, keeping the car centered in the lane, changing lanes, etc. The instruction happens in an authentic real world context because his driving practice happens in the course of our normal day as we need to get from one place to another. When we first started, in the weeks leading up to his permit test, we would drive out load. This means that we would basically do a think aloud as we were driving so he could see and hear what we were doing and why. This modeling was a very important step in the beginning because it helped lay the ground work for some of the nuances we are now working on. We started out, of course in parking lots and on our street, introducing basic concepts and letting him practice in a controlled environment. When he felt ready and we agreed, we took him out on some quieter roads at a time of day with less traffic and are now working our way up to driving in heavier traffic. Now, whether we are running errands, visiting a friend or family member or he is going to work, he is the one who drives. Effective learning in this situation is a safe and comfortable trip where he has obeyed all traffic signs and signals and driven the speed limit.

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Like most folks who have posted, I've struggled to come up with a safe and interesting learning environment (I also didn't want to add to anyone's load these days as we all have enough going on). I was working out on my Peloton and it struck me that I was already in one!! One of the aspects of working out remotely that has always struck me is the way in which successful instructors make the clients feel like they're part of something important - that what's happening is of significance and that the virtual community is tight knit and meaningful. I cycle my bum off spurred on by that sense of the collective whole. There's an important addendum to this, though: school and life shouldn't always operate on these terms. Peloton is a business and wants their clients to be addicted to their product. It's almost cultish. That is not what we're striving for in education. With that said, I think that feeling of a shared, consequential enterprise is worth flagging and nurturing.

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Dance Studio and Classroom – Jeff AlvarezThe opportunity to explore a non-school learning environment is very limited in Beijing at this time. So, instead I will reflect on a previous opportunity I had. The environment was a Dance Studio with older dancers working to perfect their dancing. Learning looked very different in this environment, there were no written lessons or powerpoints for students to view. Instead, there was the Dance Master that was directing the class. The class was set up where the stronger dancers were in front and the weaker ones were in the back. This allowed for them to watch and learn from the better dancers. While they were being instructed, the Master was walking around and giving individual instruction to all dancers. The learning was effective because there was a tremendous amount of modeling happening as well as one on one guidance. In addition, students were very motivated to get better and to move to the front of the class. I actually WAS a learner in the environment. It was very daunting, but I was motivated to work hard and to improve. I also knew that I would never be as good as most of them, however I was inspired by the skill of others. One thing that I have tried to do in my school is to bring older students and younger ones together. I find that this challenges the older ones to become Experts on the information and at the same time inspires the younger ones to pay attention and to learn. We have done this with grade 11/12 and grade 9, grade 8 and grade 3 students as well as grade 6 and grade 2. Each time the older students have risen to the challenge and the younger have been so excited and eager to learn. I actively encourage teachers to bring older and younger students together. The results are wonderful. 

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Dance Studio and Classroom – Jeff AlvarezThe opportunity to explore a non-school learning environment is very limited in Beijing at this time. So, instead I will reflect on a previous opportunity I had. The environment was a Dance Studio with older dancers working to perfect their dancing. Learning looked very different in this environment, there were no written lessons or powerpoints for students to view. Instead, there was the Dance Master that was directing the class. The class was set up where the stronger dancers were in front and the weaker ones were in the back. This allowed for them to watch and learn from the better dancers. While they were being instructed, the Master was walking around and giving individual instruction to all dancers. The learning was effective because there was a tremendous amount of modeling happening as well as one on one guidance. In addition, students were very motivated to get better and to move to the front of the class. I actually WAS a learner in the environment. It was very daunting, but I was motivated to work hard and to improve. I also knew that I would never be as good as most of them, however I was inspired by the skill of others. One thing that I have tried to do in my school is to bring older students and younger ones together. I find that this challenges the older ones to become Experts on the information and at the same time inspires the younger ones to pay attention and to learn. We have done this with grade 11/12 and grade 9, grade 8 and grade 3 students as well as grade 6 and grade 2. Each time the older students have risen to the challenge and the younger have been so excited and eager to learn. I actively encourage teachers to bring older and younger students together. The results are wonderful. 

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Gym/Fitness Room Learning - Andrew Morrissey

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Gym/Fitness Room Learning - Andrew Morrissey

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If one does some people watching in a gym, it soon becomes apparent that 1) everyone is at different levels of fitness, and 2) everyone is at different levels of body growth.

There are those who hit the treadmill and run a sub-4 minute mile, and those who bench press hundreds of pounds. Let us call them the "masters" in this setting.

I'd like to leave them there in their awesomeness, and focus on the "Just Plain Folk" in the room. Some are there for their first day, some have been coming for a few months, but all are on their own learning journey.

Unless they enlist the help of a fitness instructor, the newbies will be on their own to use the space. They might try out a few machines to see how they work. They might have to adjust their expectations about how much they can realistically lift. Maybe 10 push-ups are what they can do right now.
What they will certainly do is to observe how others do it. They'll read the instructions on how to use the machines, and try again. Theirs is a first foray into learning by doing, and responding to what their bodies tell them.

The next time they come to the gym, they would have almost certainly asked an "expert" on how to better use the space, done some reading online or watched a few how-to Youtube videos. They'll therefore be better prepared, and more confident in what they do this workout session. They'll come away with a feeling of achievement, which will encourage them to learn more and try harder.

Once they start to feel and see the affects of having applied what they have learned, they'll have the confidence to try out new things, or to do what they have been doing in different ways.

They'll keep at it, and eventually they will begin to offer other people advice, or be approached by others for help.

The above describes an immersive learning experience, where our JPF example has the opportunity to try things out for her/himself, adjust expectations or set targets/goals, find out how to carry out their plans, apply their knowledge, and adjust as needed to obtain the results that they want.

In this scenario, the evidence of learning would be the perfected technique or the sculpted body. Equally important, It would also be them having moved through the steps from novice to teacher.

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A teacher friend of mine, Ian, loves playing board games. I thought I'd talk to him about his experiences in trying to teach people to play these games, as he recently had been telling me about a new game that had a really interesting "learning mechanism." I think there are a lot of interesting connections between the themes of teaching games and teaching in the classroom.

Of course, learning board games is about learning the rules, and how to apply those rules to create strategies for winning. Ian, as a math teacher, sees similarities between that and learning math "rules."
I asked him his general approach to teaching a game to a new player. He said the primary concern actually comes before teaching: it is choosing the right "level" game for the audience. He asks himself, "is this something they can learn well?" Some games have intricate mechanisms and rules for many special cases, while other games are more straight forward and intuitive.
After he's chosen a game, Ian says that he asks himself, "What do I need to highlight to get them to understand this game?" and "What traps might they fall into that I can help them avoid?"

Ian said that he can sometimes try to "sell the game" and over explain why it's fun, rather than just explain the rules simply and let the player discover why its fun on their own. That is when he feels the teaching is going badly...he strives so hard for "buy in" that he deviates from the lesson. When he teaches a game to his in-laws, he says his wife is a great collaborator, because she can see where to simplfy situations and can say, "they just need to know this" or "they don't really need to know that." She keeps him from getting overly complicated, and he enjoys getting another perspective. It is "good collaboration," he says.

On the other hand, when teaching a game is going well, he can tell because of feedback he receives from the players. Often, he says, he will tell a rule and then give an example. When the other players can finish his thought for him and say, "right, that happens because of this rule," then he knows that they've internalized the rules. After teaching a game to a friend recently, the friend made a big strategic move at the end to win the game. Ian felt satisfaction as the teacher because he knew that in order to make that move, the friend had to have internalized the rules and been able to apply them to a new situation. We talked about how we need to give students the opportunity to "make moves" like that, which bring satisfaction to both the teacher and the student.

Ian said that he has 2 games in particular that are easy to teach because the games themselves have a "scaffolding" approach to them. A first game starts simply by focusing on a few core rules, but there are more levels to the game which can expand from there. Each game increases the number of mechanisms and the learning curve, until there is a "full game" ready to play that all players have mastery of.

Some other observations we made in discussing board games:
-You learn the rules for the express purpose of using them again later, to play the game better and in different situations. In the classroom, you often learn the rules just to repeat the rules in the exact same situations on an assessment later. In fact, there can be student push back of "that's not fair, it wasn't on the review sheet" if he presents a new situation on a test.
-That could often be because of stakes. The stakes of learning a game are low--you might lose if you learn poorly. If you perform poorly on a test, students feel so tied to their grades that the stakes are really high (or perceived to be high).
-of course, the buy-in to play a game is easy. The promise of a game is to have fun. The promise of math -- although learning math can lead to gratification and opportunities, is not immediate fun. It's good, but it's not direct entertainment.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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I explored a high ropes course with my daughter and her friends. Upon arrival, we were given an oral description of the activity. On every obstacle, were asked to use two carabiners; one was locked and one was unlocked. The explanation of how to lock and unlock the carabiners was given quickly, and both my daughter and I were unsure that we really understood the instructions. Luckily, my daughters’ friends had done the high ropes course before, so we let them go first and watched to learn. The instructors were present during an experiential pre-course and offered advice when needed. Once we were given the green light to begin, we learned by testing various. Our experience was very social, and we offered each other tips, ideas and encouragement when needed. Given the brevity and speed of the initial instructions, we believe that we learned from each other. The course was organized into various colored paths based on level of difficulty. There were three easy paths; three intermediate paths and multiple difficult paths. Everyone started on the easy path. Once we were finished first path, we could choose to do another path at the same level or move up a level. The choice was ours. My daughter and I moved up to the blue level after our first run. Both of us felt quite challenged at this level, and after the first obstacle wondered if we had made a mistake. Another round of the green level would have better suited our skill level. That said, we wanted to remain as a group, and once we started, there was no turning back. We rose to the challenge and finished the level slowly. In the woods, there we staff members who sat quietly watching the trekkers. If someone fell or got stuck, they reverse zip lined the course to help out. They did not offer instructions or engage with the trekkers unless needed. Help was always available.On the main platform, where all of the courses started, there were very friendly and engaging staff. We loved their stories and jokes. They offered descriptions of how their summers had changed from years past and shared philosophies for having a good life in the time of COVID 19. With their future plans on hold, they were open and communicative about finding ways to make the most of the situation.The elements that could become features of a school learning environment include:•	Time to learn with and from friends•	Multiple paths for each level of expertise•	Learners choose their path and when they are ready to increase their level of challenge•	Time to problem solve independently or with friends•	Quiet experts who offer help only when needed•	Friendly, open and engaging staff who address contextual social emotional wellbeing.

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I explored a high ropes course with my daughter and her friends. Upon arrival, we were given an oral description of the activity. On every obstacle, were asked to use two carabiners; one was locked and one was unlocked. The explanation of how to lock and unlock the carabiners was given quickly, and both my daughter and I were unsure that we really understood the instructions. Luckily, my daughters’ friends had done the high ropes course before, so we let them go first and watched to learn. The instructors were present during an experiential pre-course and offered advice when needed. Once we were given the green light to begin, we learned by testing various. Our experience was very social, and we offered each other tips, ideas and encouragement when needed. Given the brevity and speed of the initial instructions, we believe that we learned from each other. The course was organized into various colored paths based on level of difficulty. There were three easy paths; three intermediate paths and multiple difficult paths. Everyone started on the easy path. Once we were finished first path, we could choose to do another path at the same level or move up a level. The choice was ours. My daughter and I moved up to the blue level after our first run. Both of us felt quite challenged at this level, and after the first obstacle wondered if we had made a mistake. Another round of the green level would have better suited our skill level. That said, we wanted to remain as a group, and once we started, there was no turning back. We rose to the challenge and finished the level slowly. In the woods, there we staff members who sat quietly watching the trekkers. If someone fell or got stuck, they reverse zip lined the course to help out. They did not offer instructions or engage with the trekkers unless needed. Help was always available.On the main platform, where all of the courses started, there were very friendly and engaging staff. We loved their stories and jokes. They offered descriptions of how their summers had changed from years past and shared philosophies for having a good life in the time of COVID 19. With their future plans on hold, they were open and communicative about finding ways to make the most of the situation.The elements that could become features of a school learning environment include:•	Time to learn with and from friends•	Multiple paths for each level of expertise•	Learners choose their path and when they are ready to increase their level of challenge•	Time to problem solve independently or with friends•	Quiet experts who offer help only when needed•	Friendly, open and engaging staff who address contextual social emotional wellbeing.

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In this time of Covid, I reflect back on to my experience with Habitat for Humanity.  I joined a group of, primarily older men in their 70s and older working to build houses right along side of the young families who were building their own, and their communities houses.  It was a mix of people who knew what they were doing and those who did not (apprentices).  At first, I was handed a hammer and told to hammer nails into the Studs.  A basic skill that helped me perfect the hammering, without anything that would show in the finishing touches, so if you whiffed and hit the wood once or twice, you just figured out how to do it the next time.  Eventually, I got shifted from job to job, and one day discovered that I was the most experienced person on the roof.  When I look back on how that happened, it was through showing up weekend after weekend, and always being there.  It was from never saying no, and listening to advice.  Granted, I got super nerdy and excited when they showed me that they used a 3-4-5 triangle to guarantee the right angle on the roof to make sure things were set up correctly, and they used the diagonals of a rectangle being congruent  and bisecting each other to guarantee that the frame for the concrete was truly rectangular.  But thinking about it, it was my willingness to learn, my willingness to try, and my eagerness to connect what they said to what I already knew.  That was how I learned...until they asked me to wire a fan...then it was sheer dumb luck in my book.  But...by wiring that fan, I then felt that I could, with a little focus hard wire my own stove into my wall when it didn't come with a plug.   (But that's a whole other story).

As I think about trying to create this experience for my students, I think that it is in allowing them to try on something basic, find success, and slowly progress. But not tell them that that is what is happening. Let them try and fail (the hammer swings) until they succeed, challenge them to be the expert (the roofing) and help them connect old to new (the concrete pad).

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My father-in-law is an amazing handyman, even though he is almost 70! He can fix pretty much anything ranging from a broken fence latch to gutting and entire apartment and redoing it.
One thing that I have always valued about him is when I ask what he is doing and why, he never makes me feel bad for asking and never makes me feel like I am worth less because I do not know it. He still remembers that at a point in his life, he did not know as much as he does now.

I did not realise it before I got into teaching, but he adopts a slightly adapted version of Watch 1, Do 1, Teach 1 (the teach 1 does not actually involve him). He will do it and will keep doing it until one of 2 things happen: 1) I ask if I can try it OR 2) He gets tired and forces me to do it. Once I am doing it, he is watching it to ensure that I do not mess anything up, but does not micromanage the situation. This ensures that I am able to struggle and find my own route and rhythm to get a finished product. Once it is done, he will give me feedback on what is good and what is not so that I can improve - but for me, the most important thing is that he does not redo it to ensure it is done his way! Now every time I see the things I have fixed or created, I have a sense of pride and willingness to extend me skills. I am also able to show others what I know and since I have basic skills, I can start putting them together to extend and improvise.

All of these ideas are what I strive to use in my class! :)

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I am a novice meditator. I also like to think about mediation "intellectually". Most meditation books or online resources that I use as my teachers will say that one has to actually sit down and begin meditating to benefit from it. One does not get good at it by reading about it if regular practice is not incorporated. So learners of meditation have to commit to a time for each day that works best for them to meditate and each one naturally chooses a different time. The learner has to choose how long each session will last and when they are ready for the next level. This schedule is highly individualized and cannot be forced. This experience of individualization and personalization is something I wish to replicate in my courses.

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I have enjoyed woodworking with my son this summer. We are out of the city and ready to engage in the natural environment. We have used hand tools before, and we are definitely in the category of amateur enthusiasts (playing a junior version of the whole game). We've read books and watched some videos and watched others woodwork, and the only way to really learn the craft is with hands-on experience. And that experience stems from the sourcing of the wood from fallen trees (using our tree identification skills in the process) and then leaping into the fray by just working the wood. We have made many, many mistakes (and that can be frustrating, especially late in the process), but we both feel ourselves becoming more skilled and deliberate in our efforts because we have experience to lean on. There is no substitute for the hands-on, and that for me is the thing to emphasize again and again in the history classroom.

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One of the last cooking classes I took was in Thailand. The teacher first took us on a food journey at a local market and talked about some of the key ingredients that made Thai food unique and yummy. We then went back to the cooking school to try our hand at making 5 different dishes. As we went through each dish the instructor would talk and explain a little about the dish and how to prepare, mix and then finally cook each one. In between we would sit, eat and chat about what flavours we noted and how each ingredient made things spicer, bolder, etc depending on the amounts you added. I think this could be replicated in a school as a metaphor for helping students understand the process of learning and the journey that they go on in educating themselves and using whatever 'ingredients they have at their disposal. I've actually used baking as a metaphor with real live ingredients to demonstrate a task to them. It was a lot of fun and gave the students ideas about how they could also creatively showcase their work.

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This week - COVID19 really kicked up here in Korea so it was a little challenging for me to visit some of the locations I had been wanting to. Instead I focused on one I was inspired by before the pandemic. One of the things that makes the Korean War Museum so special is how interactive it is. No only do you walk from room to room to look at artifacts as you would at most other museums but they included a great deal of technology that allowed you to interact with history. I loved how they used the space to get you into the mood, but then allowed for various opportunities for you to dive into something that you found interesting. These interactions included, interviews with survivors, statistical analysis, dynamic maps, quizzes, and simulations. Now that we are in an online environment, I think we will see more of this included in our digital classrooms to help things come alive. I hope it is also something that sticks as we can continue to provide experience beyond what we do in the classroom.