PLC: Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teachers Association
My chosen professional community was the Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teacher Association. My aim was to gain a deeper understanding of how the community positively impacts the implementation of the Ontario curriculum; planning, and instruction.
August 12th
I began by exploring the website for additional resources so as to better inform my findings in relation to my guiding question. I noticed that there was a general, free membership, as well as a $20 paid membership; which granted additional perks. For example, the ability to engage in forum discussions, creation of website documents (on planning, instruction, assessment), receive discounts for future conferences. I paid the fee in the hopes of engaging with this community.
A useful document that I came across in the OESSTA website member's section is a PDF detailing the steps for developing inquiry questions. Simply put, this document positively impacts my implementation of the curriculum because it provides a detailed, relevant presentation of the inquiry process; from stimulating thinking through visuals, to creating open-ended questions in groups. To link theories from this course, we've learned that inquiry-based learning is Progressive in its philosophy. In practice, it's a student-centered design because it's based on interest and student-led questioning. Below you'll find the document embedded for curiosity's sake.
August 13th
While waiting for my membership to process, I began by posing a general question on Twitter to the community's twitter account, as well as the moderators.
August 15th
While waiting for community interaction, I came to understand that the OESSTA's website was having some technical difficulties in processing my membership registration. I sent out an email to the website moderator, hoping that they would address my concerns. I decided to peruse some of the articles tweeted by the website's Twitter account. OESSTA
August 16th
One of the articles piqued my curiosity. There was a link to a CBC article discussing the need for greater systemic change. The belief was that street names and monuments with links to slavery and our colonial past should be changed. 'History in Action', says the OESSTA tweet.
So, I considered what this term means, and how it relates to my guiding question and this course, as well as the implications of the community on student engagement in History and Social Studies.
'History in Action' seems to be a blend of a couple of perspectives. The first is something I'd touched on in my module 4 post. In that post, I linked the Disciplinary Thinking Concepts, presented in the community and the Ontario curriculum, to Ornstein's concept of Essentialist curriculum design; that there is "emphasis on acquiring knowledge and/or competency in disciplines” (1991).
I bring this up because one of the disciplinary concepts mentioned in the tweet is Consider Historical Significance. Students and teachers are encouraged to think like Historians when they examine the impacts of historical events. As the curriculum states, "Students develop their understanding that something that is historically significant for one group may not be significant for another. Significance may also be determined by the relevance of something from the past, including how it connects to a current issue or event (Ontario Curriculum, Social Studies, History & Geography, 2013, p. 130).
To connect OESSTA'S tweet, to my guiding question; what does this mean for the implementation of the curriculum, planning, or instruction? To me, it's clear that the community is reconciling with the reality that the current curriculum is largely subject-based and essentialist in design. However, as I'd mentioned in Module 4, there exist elements of Progressive philosophy, and I will even add; the Reconstructionist conception.
The purpose of Progressive educational philosophy is to promote the individual and their experiential learning process. To borrow from Ornstein, “Education is viewed as creative self-learning; active process in which learner re-constructs knowledge” (Ornstein, 1991). The Reconstructionist philosophy and curriculum conceptions are “interested in the relationships between curriculum and the social, political, and economic development of society” (Schiro, 2013). So, OESSTA's tweet above links these two branches of thought.
More specifically, OESSTA aims to present Social Studies/History in a way that's accessible for educators and students. By considering the historical significance of street names and statues in Toronto, students are linking a past event (What happened that caused these streets to be named so, and who are these individuals, what are their impacts?) to a present issue. "Examining current events helps students analyse controversial issues, understand diverse perspectives, develop informed opinions, and build a deeper understanding of the world in which they live" (Ontario Curriculum, Social Studies, History & Geography, 2013, p. 36). For my purposes, I could use this tweet to stimulate in-class debate on the significance of street names and monuments that have ties to slavery and/or our colonial past.
August 17th
I decided to message the individual,
@ChristinaGanev, who was mentioned in the above tweet. I asked them to consider the guiding questions in relation to the OESSTA community; similar to what I'd asked in my tweet above. It turned out that they work with one of the website's administrators. I also came across a Toronto District School Board supported website that promotes making the Ontario curriculum in an engaging manner.
Link to the website. The site features a collaborative team of educators who specialize in different subjects. It's also possible to connect with these educators regarding workshops on planning, instruction, and assessment.
Although I've yet to receive communication via twitter or email regarding my technical difficulties or my PLC guiding questions, I'm confident that this community will continue to positively impact my instruction, planning, and assessment moving forward. I believe that if I continue to use Twitter as a means of communication, I will be able to carry that learning over into the classroom. Perhaps use that as a learning tool with my students. For example, Social Studies/History inquiry with real-world Historians, Educational/First Nations, Metis, Inuit leaders; where students interact online as they uncover the answers to their thought-provoking questions that link to current world issues.
August 17th Update
Christina Ganev, via Twitter, responded to a few of my guiding questions. See the screenshot below.
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(Twitter, Ganev, 2020)
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I thanked Christina for answering my questions. I think the biggest takeaways, for me, are the student and parental input when planning History/Social Studies Inquiry units. I think these are necessary and cutting edge elements when it comes to effective planning. It promotes student accountability as it requires them to take responsibility for their own learning. I'm reminded of a quote that I'll paraphrase; "When I ask teachers how much learning is happening I'm usually presented with a response somewhere along the lines of "I was teaching all day!" But, that's not what I asked. The point is, we can teach all we want, but what is being learned?" The quote spoke to me because it's a reality for many modern classrooms. We're expected to teach, get through the curriculum, and assess. What if we were to ask the students how much they genuinely learned, and how often they were engaged. What would they tell us? So, I must say it's refreshing to come across a fellow educator who seems to truly want to connect their students with authentic learning.
Ganev's responses definitely fall in line with my understanding of Progressive, student-centered, culturally relevant pedagogy. As Ganev states, "infusing current events throughout the course, teaching thematically, reducing the number of assessments, eliminating tests/test-taking, embedding experiential learning, and leveraging technologies increases engagement and interest" (2020). The complete movement away from tests/test-taking can also be considered quite Progressive, and in my opinion, long-awaited.
As John Ralston Saul says in his video on standardized testing; "it's a sign of the growing trend of utilitarianism...the idea that nothing is about thought, it's all about process. It's about form over content. It's disguised under words like efficiency and professionalism...it's a decline in the idea of intelligence. If you have an education system that's being pushed towards a more utilitarian, measurable model; then you're in fact, undermining the capacity of the kids to see themselves and thinking and active citizens" (Vimeo, Saul, 2011). Ganev's approach, and one that I certainly would like to move towards; is one that I think Saul would support, as it shifts the focus away from this robotic style of teaching and assessing, towards a more egalitarian method; wherein students demonstrate progress in ways that truly force them to think.
Overall, continuing to engage in these community discussions surrounding instruction, planning, and assessment; will serve to better inform my teaching practice. Engagement will also help to test my ideas and perspectives on these topics. At its core, education in the classroom is didactic and informative; as we are called to continuously learn from those around us.
References:
About OESSTA | OESSTA (Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teachers Association). Retrieved 9 August 2020, from http://oessta-teachers.ca/about-oessta/
John Ralston Saul, Vimeo. (2011). Where is the Standardized Testing Trend Taking Us? [Video]. Retrieved from
https://vimeo.com/28412154
Ornstein, A. C. (1990/1991). Philosophy as a basis for curriculum decisions. The High School Journal, 74, 102-109.
Schiro, M. S. (2013). Introduction to the curriculum ideologies. In M. S. Schiro, Curriculum theory: Conflicting visions and enduring concerns (2nd ed., pp. 1-13). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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