Curation Module Consider, Designing for Equity: Content (3/2022) by GOA

Time

2022-03-15 13:23:29 UTC

seems to always be the issue with curation vs. dumping. Curation takes time. This is why I have built up supplemental resources for my course over time. I really try to preview everything that I link to my course page. But there are times when a student asks for something extra and I recommend locations which have generally worked well in the past without having necessarily looked at everything myself.
-Jeff.

Cognitive overload

2022-03-15 13:28:15 UTC

100% agree. I try to limit how much new I do every day. I try to structure lessons to recap/review ask what questions students had from the previous lesson, then add a twist, tweak, or a bit more information for them to consider to push their understanding further.

I've definitely worked to reorganize my course website for easier access and breaking things down into more digestible chunks within a unit by making folders to subdivide topics and grouping resources together more deliberately.
-Jeff.

Introductions

2022-03-15 13:49:08 UTC

I usually use verbal introductions to different sections of the course in class, but I can see how having written introductions could help the flow of the website. Given that we use a CMS, the limitations of the platform are a bit of a pain, but I've learned to work around it when needed while still maintaining a collection of resources that I can curate, chunk, anchor -- just experimenting with that now.
-Jeff.

Allowing accessibility

2022-03-15 14:06:22 UTC

By curating resources, we can present ways for our students to dive deeper, if they are more advanced or more interested in a particular piece of the course, and we can provide additional help and tutorials for those who are struggling and may be self-conscious about seeking help in person.

This one needs to be a balance, though. I know that I don't want a student who is struggling to latch on to one area of interest and dive deeply into it while ignoring other areas. And I know that building that personal 1-1 relationship with a student is likely to get better results than them connecting with the computer and going to online tutorial resources.
-Jeff.

Cold calling and no opt out

2022-03-15 14:10:47 UTC

I've tried versions of this and really did have a decent system to this before the last couple of years. Masks in schools have been such an impediment to conversation and have made some students even harder to understand and less willing to speak up that I've gone away form the expectation that every student participate verbally every day. My system has meant that even the student reluctant to engage knows that they will be called on before I repeat calling on another student in the class and it has been good for making sure that they are attentive.

I really like the follow up from someone who says "I don't know" by asking them to rephrase or add to another student's answer.
-Jeff.

Geoff

2022-03-15 18:08:25 UTC

That last quote about being less of a teacher and more of a designer of learning experiences resonates with me in part because I connect it to the way Maxine Greene (one of my favorite writers) talks about aesthetic education for young people

Geoff

2022-03-15 18:10:00 UTC

I plan to create a monthly newsletter to distribute to parents where I can explain my approach to things like assessment and also celebrate student work and voices, and so the link to her article on that topic will be especially useful

Geoff

2022-03-15 18:16:41 UTC

One challenge that's been very much on my mind today, not just in terms of curation but with the larger work of designing and grading for equity, is that our teaching always takes place in a larger context and involves numerous stakeholders. There is real danger in doing things in the classroom that aren't understood and supported by those stakeholders. We (teachers) need to not only attend to what's taking place in our classrooms but also build power within the institution to make these kinds of changes. It's a lot to put on teachers.

Aimee

2022-03-16 06:48:47 UTC

Connect....we use backward planning to build our units and have an inquiry/concept based focus. When we build units, it is challenging to curate as there seems to be so much to cover. However, when I think back to yesterday's TED Talk-read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, and tell your truth, and to cognitive load theory, we need to always consider what to cover from the multiple perspectives and background knowledge that students bring to our classrooms.

Aimee

2022-03-16 06:50:08 UTC

Extend...there were a lot of practical resources there that can help with this. I would like to explore the HyperDoc that was listed under Student Directed Learning.

Collaboration and Time

2022-03-16 06:53:55 UTC

Challenge...I agree with Jeff, as much as I do not like using time as a reason to not do something, building courses and curriculum takes time and is best done collaboratively with others who teach the same courses. How do we not only create the time but also collaboratively embrace the importance of building quality units, curating them, and implementing them with equity for all students?

Evelyn F.

evelynfetridge — 2022-03-16 10:01:22 UTC

I already spend a fair amount of time previewing and selecting better or the best resources from among the zillions available.

Evelyn F.

evelynfetridge — 2022-03-16 10:03:20 UTC

What I had thought about less was the part of curation that involves captioning resources with key things the student might get out of them. Whereas I already know how much time previewing and selecting resources takes (a lot!), this sounds very valuable, but also quick and easy.

Evelyn F.

evelynfetridge — 2022-03-16 10:06:33 UTC

I'm thinking about student curation, because I do a fair amount of teaching where the students and I are on the frontiers of my knowledge as well as theirs, and so it is necessary to share the work in terms of finding learning resources to share with each other. But, a lot of students will tend to do the easy thing which is share the first resource they find rather than take the time to look at several and really think about which is best. Perhaps using one of the curation tools together, to make this into more of a creative and display-oriented assignment, would encourage them to take their time and invest more in this activity.

Evelyn F.

evelynfetridge — 2022-03-16 10:11:17 UTC

Clearly, there is a role for me as teacher seeking about content that reflects the full diversity of my students. Beyond this, having students find and curate resources has the potential to bring in more voices and perspectives, but, as one of the resources shared in this course pointed out, a student whose identity has been marginalized might not have it as a possibility in their awareness that they could find and share resources that really speak to them. A lot of students may need to be given the space to have this realization.

Xenia

2022-03-16 18:09:39 UTC

Ideas and information resonate with has to do with the organization and eye-catching design of the reference pages for each unit of study. I must make a curatorship that covers the needs of all students according to their identity.

"Think of yourself less as a teacher and more as a designer of meaningful experiences".

Paula

pplazaponte1_1 — 2022-03-16 19:50:20 UTC

Planning backwards, considering concepts to unpack in units, curating resources and providing choice to demonstrate understanding, skills and knowledge = all part of the process of designing learning experiences and embedded in what I do -- BUT I need to consider my blindspots when it comes to this too. There are only usually 180 days in a school year - how do I manage my own cognitive load when balancing decisions and design around including what has and who have been historically silenced and meeting where students are at with what they expect from an English classroom, for example. How do I consider this work when it comes to being a chair of a department - likewise, meeting teachers and colleagues where they are at when it comes to this work?

Paula

pplazaponte1_1 — 2022-03-16 19:54:00 UTC

My colleague, Geoff (also taking this course), and I have been starting all of our units with the Station Rotation Model (inspired by Dr. Catlin Tucker's work around Blended Learning) and I want to be able to design with equity in mind. Students do move around and there are resources they can access and push them to think but I want to think about how to make a 2.0 version where choice is more authentic and the resources, curated, I don't know, better. Still thinking ... but this is where my head is at.

Paula

pplazaponte1_1 — 2022-03-16 19:59:01 UTC

I echo a lot of what people have already mentioned. This work is more enjoyable when it is done collaboratively - with grade level teams and teacher librarians, for example. I find that whatever I curate or design becomes ultimately better when other people see it or plan it with me. Finally, I have tried very hard to involve students in the curation of everything we have done and this also needs work in terms of process and more impact.

Connect -

2022-03-16 23:41:30 UTC

I usually do some sort of "if you're interested in this, then this resource explains blah blah blah." That is, try to put those resources in narrative form so that students can figure out where they might go, instead of just a huge "dump" list of things. - Justin

Extend -

2022-03-16 23:42:02 UTC

Use more images as anchors. I'm usually too text heavy; need to practice using images more.

- Justin

Challenge -

2022-03-16 23:42:38 UTC

Brings to mind the challenges of staying current. Resources change, things get added, things get taken away.

- Justin

Curator or a Dumper?

2022-03-17 02:43:14 UTC

New ideas or strategies that broadened my thinking:  Are you a Curator or a Dumper? (Links to an external site.) by Jennifer Gonzalez.
New ideas or strategies that broadened my way of thinking because it will allow me to make important information to consult more attractive and organized, for example when we organize debates that we need text sets of reference sources.
Xenia

Ethnic and cultural diversity resources

2022-03-17 02:48:59 UTC

A new challenge: organizing pages of information and resources, libraries with a great ethnic and cultural diversity.

Connect: I try not to dump information on my students, but instead "curate" it so that they can fully engage in the work at their own pace.

2022-03-27 16:08:05 UTC