Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. – Albert Einstein

“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” ― Scott Hayden

I grew up in a very poor and bookless home. Like my brothers, I stared working at the age of seven. They say that the letter doesn’t go inside of you when you are hungry, but many times I rather bought a magazine than food. I always found the way to grab a newspaper, a magazine, and when I was lucky a book. In some way, learning isolated me from the perilous environment I lived. Most of my childhood friends become drug addicts, died in gang fights, or made a career on prison. My brothers and I were a little bit different than our friends, we loved to read and learn. We learned to do many things, we were street smart, and we learned to make money. No child should have that much money at that so early age. It is a blessing, but most of all it’s a curse. I regret nothing, but I would have liked to have a “normal childhood.” Even though, I started my formal education at the age of fifty, I have always been a tireless learning machine. I love learning, I love learners, and I’m constantly learning to educate.

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” ― Phil Collins

One of the main reasons I decided to become a teacher was because I wanted to transfer to my students the vast amount of information and experiences acquired through 50+ years of my life. But, as most autodidacts (self-taught people) , I lacked the proper guidance. My concepts of learning and teaching were somewhat incorrect. I believed that teachers were the transmitters of wisdom and that students were the receivers. This simple statement which, although apparently accurate, is nevertheless misleading because it just does not appear to suit anymore in the 21st Century theories of education. According to Harapnuik (n.d.), “… a teacher is a person who imparts knowledge or skill through instruction or example while a learning facilitator is one who creates an environment in which someone can come to know something, acquire knowledge, or to gain information and experience” (para. 3). Even Socrates knew that “education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Even though, I am the classical teacher. I am on the fast track to becoming learning facilitator.

“Change is the end result of all true learning.” ― Leo Buscaglia

Since I was a child, I embraced change as a natural part of life. I was a resilient kid. Although I had a tough childhood, I never carried with me any resentments or psychological traumas. Change has been a constant in my life, and my learning philosophy is not an exception. My learning philosophy has become eclectic; it means that I adopt ideas from a broad and diverse range of sources. I don’t believe that everything that comes to light is good and everything that is old is obsolete. If we don’t want to rob our students their future, we must see further as Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Yes, I embrace change but I only incorporate “the new” that will help my students become better learners. Yes, I believe in classic; in the sense that classic is the best of something. When it comes to learning, I stand upon the shoulders of giants and their theories such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism. These theories are the most popular Learning Theories used in education today.

“What I learned on my own I still remember” ― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Learning is a changing process in which in order for students to improve their skills in an area of learning, they must have a broad foundation of factual knowledge and a robust conceptual framework (Harapnuik, n.d.). We need to create a supported learning environment where students acquire (by themselves) the factual knowledge they need to master the learning skill and transform facts into usable knowledge. The conceptual framework will allow students to organize information into essential patterns and store it hierarchically in memory to help them when they need it to solve a problem (Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999).

“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

Since I was a child, I knew that change and learning were inevitable. There is no way to escape from them. As the Proverb says, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” In my journey throughout the realm of learning and teaching or teaching and learning, I had many vicissitudes (a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant). But as Alexandra K.Trenfor said, “The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.” I choose to learn, and I choose to teach, and I welcome all the good and bad things of my profession. During his weekly lectures at Lamar University, Dr. Harapnuik has cited John Hattie several times, and from his quote, I create my learning philosophy in a nutshell. “Do no harm (to your pupils), and every outcome is learning.” Throughout my life, I learned that there are no good or bad outcomes, there are only outcomes from whichever one can learn.

References

Donovan, M. S., Bransford, J. D., & Pellegrino, J. W. (Eds.). (1999). How people learn: Bridging research and practice [PDF file]. Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice, National Research Council. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9457.html 

Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Learning philosophy [Blog post]. Retrieved from It’s about learning website: http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=95

Pagliaro, M. M. (2013). Academic success: Applying learning theory in the classroom. Lanham, ML. Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Powell, R. A., Symbaluk, D. G., &  Honey, P. L. (2009). Introduction to learning and behavior (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

“Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”  —Alfred North Whitehead

When Napoleon Bonaparte was promoted to general, none of the prestigious French generals wanted to fight a lost battle beforehand against the Austrian empire. Therefore, they decided to send Napoleon to lose that battle. Napoleon’s perspective was entirely different from the other generals. He did not see a disaster; he saw an opportunity to ascend to power. Since I read this story, I always wondered, ¨What did Napoleon say to a poorly fed, poorly dressed, poorly armed, and demoralized army not only to win the battle, but to win the whole war”. He was right when said, ” We rule men with words;” Likewise, teachers should do the same thing in order to improve classroom management.

According to The GLOSSARY OF EDUCATION REFORM (2014), “Classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task, and academically productive during a class” (para. 1). It continuous stating, “While a limited or more traditional interpretation of effective classroom management may focus largely on ‘compliance’—rules and strategies that teachers may use to make sure students are sitting in their seats, following directions, listening attentively, etc.” (para. 2). Remember the word “compliance” because we, hypnotists, based our work mainly in this concept to achieve hypnosis. The article continues delving into the topic stating that “a more encompassing or updated view of classroom management extends to everything that teachers may do to facilitate or improve student learning, which would include such factors as behavior… environment… expectations… materials… or activities” (para. 2). Flashing lights went on when I read, “classroom management extends to everything that teachers may do.” So. we, teachers, can do “everything” to improve student learning. I think that “everything” should be analyzed under the light of ethics. Is it ethical to manipulate, deceive and persuade another person into your way of thinking? Do you agree that no one can determine whether what you are doing is ethical or not but you? Do you agree that the end justifies the means? The answer depends on you.

Texas AFT lists a three-stage process to achieve a good classroom management:

1. Before the year begins—planning and preparation;
2. During the first days of school—deliberate introduction and reinforcement of expectations; and,
3. Throughout the year—maintaining cooperation through consistency and effective instruction.

Before breaking down these steps and point out the psychological processes by which they are effective, I will tell you a personal anecdote. After obtaining my Bachelor of Psychology from Park University, I decided to get certified as a teacher through an alternative program. I enrolled in the New Teaching Fellows program, and the only textbook we used during the training was “Teach Like a Champion” by Doug Lemov. In the book, Lemov enumerated several classroom management techniques. Most of my cohorts were skeptical of the effectiveness of these techniques because, even, Lemov (2010) states in the introduction of his book:

Many of the techniques you will read about in this book may at first seem mundane, unremarkable, even disappointing. They are not always especially innovative. They are not always intellectually startling. They sometimes fail to march in step with educational theory. But remember the track record of the lowly chisel (p.6).

 Unlike my colleagues, I immediately knew that Lemov, consciously or unconsciously, used some hypnosis’ techniques.

Analyzing the first Texas AFT’s stage process to achieve a good classroom management “Before the year begins—planning and preparation,” They suggest that “good teachers know the physical environment of the classroom can either enhance or hinder learning (p. 2). Well, maybe they don’t know, but this is the hiding truth. According to Hogan (2005), “If you want to change your own or someone else’s behavior, the first thing you can often do is change the environment. If you can control the environment, you can typically predict or create a specific behavior” (p. 12). There is a lot of research that proves that addiction is not caused by drugs but by the environment. The following video has information that corroborates this theory.

https://youtu.be/C8AHODc6phg

To be continued…

References

Hogan, K. (2005). The science of influence: how to get anyone to say “yes” in 8 minutes or less! John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.

Lemov, L. (2010). Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA.

Texas AFT. (n.d). New Teacher Survival Kit; Tips, Tools, and Resources. Retrieved from http://www.texasaft.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TexasAFTSurvivalKit15.pdf

The GLOSSARY OF EDUCATION REFORM. (2014). Classroom management. Posted by the Great Schools Partnership, Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/classroom-management/

When I started the EDLD 5303 course, and throughout most of it, I was lost in a cloud of confusion. My instructor and cohorts displayed, to my amazement, an endless arsenal of educational technologies, and I felt like if I were extracted from the Stone Age. I felt so uneasy that I wondered “WHAT AM I DOING HERE.” I have a small rock on my desk, and I name it the Perseverance Stone. I rub it with my hand, and a couple of truisms came to mi mind: “Nothing lasts forever” and “Persevere and you will achieve it.” I know they are clichés, but they helped me to continue on this journey. This is the third time that I write this assignment, and I’m afraid it won’t be the last one due to the ePortfolio’s synergy effect.

Past

As a hypnotist I encourage my clients not to “remember… the former things, nor consider the things of old.” The prophet continued saying, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19). Focusing our attention in the past limits our potential to confront the future. Therefore, I will briefly review my technological education’s past. When I was a high school student, 42 years ago, my teachers’ technological education tools were: blackboard, eraser, chalk, and a mimeograph that has to be shared among more than 50 teachers. Hence, when I received my first training to use my electronic blackboard, I was so amazed that I wanted to do everything in my Promethean Board. During my first year as a teacher, I spent most of my lessons planning time: downloading, modifying, and creating flipcharts. Yes, I went to several trainings to learn how to use different new technologies, but I was so overwhelmed with the workload and the vicissitudes that every teacher goes through during his or her first year as an educator that those tools seem unattainable for me. During my second year teaching, I incorporated Plickers and GradeCam  into my technological toolbox. Oh my God! What a great help they are. They substantially reduced my paperwork load. Also, they provided me with instant data that helped me to impart differentiated instruction to those students that needed it the most. Plickers is great for formative assessments: kids love it, increases participation, provides instant data, and it’s free.

Present

Once past the shock of the first course, EDLD 5302, and water seeks its own level, I am planning what new technologies I am going to incorporate to my toolbox. My primary objective for this coming school year is to flip my classroom. My intention is to start one step at a time. According to Bergmann, one not supposed to flip a class, one should flip a lesson. Flipped classes will be another technique in my toolbox (2012). I am aware that flipped learning requires a shit in the learning culture. FlippedClassroomWorkshop (2014) stated that “Moving from the ‘Sage on the Stage’ model to a ‘Guide on the Side’ approach is essential, and it may not be easy for many educators” (para. 4). I think that no task is easy until you master it. Some of the technologies that will assist me in my flipped classroom are:

• Video Creation Tools: Screen-Cast-O-Mattic, Camtasia, and Office Mix
• Video Hosting: YouTube, TeacherTube, and Screencast.com
• Video Interaction: EdPuzzle and Office Mix
• Learning Management: Google Classroom
• Hardware: Laptop and a tablet device (FlippedClass.com, n.d.).

Besides of flipping my classroom, other tech tools that I will implement during the next school year are: ClassDojo, Kahoot!, and Socrative

Even though this article mainly focuses on technological tools, I am studying some pedagogical systems to implement the above technologies successfully. For example, Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is a structure to understand the types of knowledge required by an educator for efficient pedagogical practice in a technology-enhanced learning context (The Teaching Teachers for the Future, n.d.). Also, I am reading the book “Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn” written by John Hattie and Gregory C. R. Yates.

Future

In a near future, I do not envisage myself out of a classroom. As an educator, I have some good assets such persistence and patience. Also, I have excellent class management skills; I am a good story teller; and I am a good leader. I will continue cultivating these assets to become the best teacher/learner that I can be.

References

Bergmann, J. (2012) Flipping the Elementary Classroom. Flipping the Learning. Retrieved from http://jonbergmann.com/flipping-the-elementary-classroom/

FlippedClass.com. (n.d.). Tech Tools of the Flipped Classroom. Retrieved from http://flippedclass.com/tools/

FlippedClassroomWorkshop, (2014). The 4 Pillars of Flipped Learning – The Keys to Successful Flipped Instruction. Retrieved from http://www.flippedclassroomworkshop.com/the-4-pillars-of-flipped-learning-the-keys-to-successful-flipped-instruction/

Isaiah. (2001). The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Good News Publishers. Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2043&version=ESV

The Teaching Teachers for the Future. (n.d.). What Is TPACK? Retrieved from http://www.ttf.edu.au/what-is-tpack/what-is-tpack.html

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” ― John Dewey