School Climate
Creating a culture of acceptance where a learner feels welcome and validated both as an individual and part of a community is essential to successful learning environments (Naested, 1998; Tomlinson, 2003; Sapon-Shevin, 2007). At the core of our environment is the learner. Consciously, we strive every day to include all members, from every child and every adult, as essential people on a team through celebrating individual differences and talents. And to really value each and every child, we value the power of listening (Rinaldi, 2001). While schools, families and communities alone often lack the resources to build resiliency and provide exposure to a breadth of skills and knowledge, together they can support the development of a rich learning environment (Bryan, 2005). By incorporating a Professional Learning Network into the education of our learners, we are expanding their experiences, resources and access to opportunity.
What is displayed and by whom sends a clear message about who is valued within a learning space (Turner, 2015; Sapon-Shevin, 2007). Learner projects, evidence of learning, and learner identity is visible on our hallway walls, within classrooms and through the learning commons. We also strive to share our learning with the community through Twitter, a school website and learner blogs. We are engaging mentors from a wide range of backgrounds to provide all our learners exposure to a variety of areas of interest, and connecting with other educators and organizations to ensure we have a rich network from who we can learn and share experiences.
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Creating a culture of acceptance where a learner feels welcome and validated both as an individual and part of a community is essential to successful learning environments (Naested, 1998; Tomlinson, 2003; Sapon-Shevin, 2007). At the core of our environment is the learner. Consciously, we strive every day to include all members, from every child and every adult, as essential people on a team through celebrating individual differences and talents. And to really value each and every child, we value the power of listening (Rinaldi, 2001). While schools, families and communities alone often lack the resources to build resiliency and provide exposure to a breadth of skills and knowledge, together they can support the development of a rich learning environment (Bryan, 2005). By incorporating a Professional Learning Network into the education of our learners, we are expanding their experiences, resources and access to opportunity.
What is displayed and by whom sends a clear message about who is valued within a learning space (Turner, 2015; Sapon-Shevin, 2007). Learner projects, evidence of learning, and learner identity is visible on our hallway walls, within classrooms and through the learning commons. We also strive to share our learning with the community through Twitter, a school website and learner blogs. We are engaging mentors from a wide range of backgrounds to provide all our learners exposure to a variety of areas of interest, and connecting with other educators and organizations to ensure we have a rich network from who we can learn and share experiences.
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Culture of the learning space
Project Based Learning (PLB) and Inquiry Learning (IL) models strike a balance between the teacher as instructor and a holistic student driven learning environment Hmelo-Silve, Duncan, and Chinn. (2007). Both are founded on scaffolding of learning experiences, where teachers can act as facilitators instead of as ‘instructors’. Because learners are guided through curriculum outcomes and competencies with consideration to individual growth and progression, both PBL and IL are ideal to support learning in a STEAM universal learning environment. The grade 4 Alberta Education curriculum addresses mental health, living things, and sustainability. By designing a learning experience that challenges learners to research, discover, question, hypothesize, analyze and synthesize, we are providing opportunity for them to put in practice Alberta Education's 21st Century Learner Competencies and Rocky View School's Learner Competencies.
Learners are provided the tools (technology, mentors, options for engagement), guidance and opportunity to be self-directed in their own learning at a pace that ensures they are experiencing success in the competencies and the curriculum outcomes. To provide learners access to their mentors, teachers and peers, through the course of their tasks, students have been provided a variety of options for engagement and demonstration of learning. By using cloud devices, learning takes place anywhere. Learners are able to expand the classroom to take up critical thinking, hypothesizing, collaborating, capturing, sharing and researching data in the moment in a variety of locations and with a network of peers and teachers (Hedberg, 2014). We will facilitate authentic inquiry by engaging our learners learning that occurs in multiple locations, using multiple means and by helping them develop a rich personal learning network.
Cross curricular to support learning
To ensure that our students are developing competency in academic, social and emotional domains in educational settings, we have designed a cross curricular STEAM approach to learning. Mason, Steedly, and Thorman (2008), see also Deasy's (2002) compendium, share evidence that an arts-enhanced learning environment foster critical thinking and problem solving skills for students. Glass, Meyer and Rose (2013) suggest “[…] including arts options, especially informed by UDL practices, can provide a rich range of unique and complex content, processes, and thinking habits for valuing, understanding, and making meaning of the world” (p. 116). Winner and Cooper (2000) and Snyder, Kos and Grey-Hawkins (2014) both reported that while there is not a proven causal relationship between arts integration and academic improvement in learning communities, there is a definite correlation to improved engagement and success in academic outcomes. By weaving art through the more traditionally academic areas, critical thinking (Lampert, 2006), and an increase in expressive language and the ability to elaborate on concepts (Burton, Horowitz, & Abeles, 2000). Further, the arts, such as music, helps foster human development (Gardner, 1980; Welch, 2012).
With this research in mind, our students will participate in a learning environment that engages a diverse Professional Learning Network. This network will be used to support learning experiences that help learners discover how ideas and skills are useful in the world. We have designed a learning experience that provides practice in applying these skills in meaningful activities. We will focus student products around significant problems and issues (Tomlinson, 2003, p. 71) and make learning relevant, meaningful and personal.
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) combines two important learner needs - the ability to take and apply meaning to curricular outcomes, and to have access to the material in ways that are meaningful for them individually (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006). UDL is a framework that facilitates differentiating instruction and designing curriculum in ways that consider the learner, the content and assessment of learner understanding. The shift in teacher planning moves from linear and uniform outcome-based instruction to multi-dimensional, emphasizing process and procedure centered design. Integrating tools and resources into a flexible and responsive learning environment, encourages students to explore and understand their learning needs, engage as integral members of the learning community and develop skills that foster learning.
To view the design components implemented in the grade 4 STEAM project, click here: UDL
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) combines two important learner needs - the ability to take and apply meaning to curricular outcomes, and to have access to the material in ways that are meaningful for them individually (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006). UDL is a framework that facilitates differentiating instruction and designing curriculum in ways that consider the learner, the content and assessment of learner understanding. The shift in teacher planning moves from linear and uniform outcome-based instruction to multi-dimensional, emphasizing process and procedure centered design. Integrating tools and resources into a flexible and responsive learning environment, encourages students to explore and understand their learning needs, engage as integral members of the learning community and develop skills that foster learning.
To view the design components implemented in the grade 4 STEAM project, click here: UDL
contributing authors: Kathryn Crawford
Alison Turner |