Mr.Koczij

End of the D'YC Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:40:00 +0000

This is far too long in coming, but I am now officially closing off my D'Youville College journal because I am now a certified teacher in Ontario.

Take a look at my certificate!

I will leave everything that I published online for the foreseeable future to act both as a showcase for potential employers to get to know more about me and also as a resource for people in faculties of education.

I encourage you to google my site to find content that specifically interests you. Please feel free to also just browse the monthly archives.

Beginning The Wrap-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:27:00 +0000

This was the last day of preparation for the grade 12s to have their U.S. History presentations ready. I confirmed that I have booked the powerpoint machine and I gave them a good exercise for the remainder of the war. They finished the last 30 minutes preparing for their presentations and I generally have a good feeling for what's to come.

I really feel like we're starting to watch for the end of my stay at ECI. I have the Dec. 6th assembly to help coach through (that's a whole other kettle of fish), we're planning all three unit tests, and I'm starting to have real difficulties not thinking about the kid on the way. I'll have to be careful that I don't get too distracted. Things have been great, moving comfortably forward, but I've got to bring it all together nicely for a neat finalé.

It turns out that Peggy is going to away on Thursday again. I take that as a vote of confidence in me. I've got to admit that I'm a little disappointed Ms.H. will miss some presentations, but so it goes. She has a really good opportunity to attend a good conference, so she's taking it. Ultimately I'm just really thinkful for how amazingly supportive and open she is with me. She allows me to do as I see fit, guiding me through the details of planning, interjecting only on occasion and always on point.

Veerla will be coming to see a review for the U.S. test. I hope I can make it interesting enough to make it worth her drive to Etobicoke.

Assessment Number Three

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 00:03:00 +0000

In some ways, the morning class got a much better lesson than the class that Ms. N. came to see and assess. I actually managed to get through the entire stock market simulation of the 1929 crash, but both ways it felt rushed and complicated. I can't say that for when Ms. N. was there. I'm sure the point was made with them, and they have at least a vague understanding of the dangers of buying on margin, but I can't help but think that it needs to be simplified somehow. That, or it goes over the course of several classes, through the entire unit, say.

That being siad, I was really happy with the results I got from Ms. N., and I feel like she felt it worked, so I'll take it as a good thing that I can find things to do to make it better. I'm really looking forward to having my own class—I think that it'll be tough as hell, but I know I can do it and I can't wait to try.

What An End!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 22:38:00 +0000

Well, if there's any day that I could possibly describe as one of the best of my life it would have to be today. No joke. No exaggeration. This post will have little reflection, all description, just to have a record of the day.

I had gotten Ms. H. an engraved business card holder to show support for her efforts in becoming a Vice-Principal. So, I came in all ready to sneak something small into her mailbox at the end of the day when she surprised me by giving me a gift and card. The gift was a copy of the Gashleycrumb Tinies (a book we read very early on in the year, which the kids enjoyed a great deal) and an inspiration first year teacher's book for those moments requiring a lift. I also received a chalk chuck as an acknowledgement of my love for those handy tools.

I was blown away, but it didn't end there. When I went out with the middle school staff for a good-bye lunch, I was presented with a whole bunch of baby stuff (hats and blankets) and a gift certificate for the baby as well. Too much really.

But that wasn't it. I then came back from lunch to the last two periods of the day being dedicated to a surprise good-bye pizza party with the kids. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear I'm telling the truth. We had pop, pizza, and a movie with all the kids—one by one—telling me what they liked about having me as their teacher. They thanked me for showing them how to make circles using three points and for trying with them and for helping and it just went on and on. I was numb. The whole thing had finally just struck me silent. The kids all signed a card without Ms.H's knowledge, and the things they wrote were sweet and funny and thoughtful.

And to wrap it all up, I went out with three of the teachers I was closest to for after-school drinks. We talked teaching and the future and the past and what was happening right now. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day at Lanor.

I've gotta say, it's going to be incredibly tough to top this experience, but what better way to get confirmation that what feels so right to me is also appreciated by those with whom I'm sharing my experience. Now it's time for some catch-up and a bit of a breather before beginning anew at ECI. I will be in contact with another Ms.H. as my associate teacher, but this one is the head of the History department, to find out all about my new assignment.

Thanksgiving Feast

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 00:11:00 +0000

I am writing this post with a public airing in mind, so that I can share a bit of the really amazing stuff I've been exposed to and immersed in for the last few weeks. I have kept the daily journal, which I find constantly unpostable because it is referring to private or boring things—either way, stuff I don't want the world reading. But here was a day I can finally write about with some confidence about its draw to the general public.

I shared a meal with the students of 8H today. Heather and I cooked one of the birds starting at 6:00am so it would be ready for the 12:30 meal. The rest of the menu consisted of everything from sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, and Caesar salad to spaghetti with meatballs, a turkey shaped pumpkin pound cake, and fruit kabobs. The classroom was decorated with incredible care and a lot of pizzaz—the table was set with plastic cloths, turkey napkins, plastic cutlery, and floating candles in 1L beakers.

When we finally rustled everyone to their seats and had all the food ready the room was about to burst with the excitement of it all. Ms. H. raised a glass of cream soda to the class and thanked them for what had been an incredible year so far. She said some very flattering things to them, things for just their ears, but you could see the pride spread from her end of the table down to where I sat. It was spectacular. Then, as we all began eating, one of the more entertaining and vocal students asked for quiet and described all of the things for which he was thankful. They knew that this was going to be part of the itinerary for the afternoon, but it was mind-blowing to see it start on its own accord. After that everyone went down the line, one by one. And the things these kids are thankful for! Thankful for being in a country where she is free to have an education and feel safe at night; thankful for the protection that his father has been able to experience from our health care system; thankful for the love of friends in trying times. Sure, there were the obvious references to family and teachers, but even these were heartfelt. There were tears from some of the more dramatic students and it all made me feel incredibly good. It's very hard to be cynical about witnessing true gratitude.

Unfortunately, there was one student (who has been having difficulty adjusting to a new school in a new country working with a new language) that was painfully unhappy during the majority of the afternoon. I sat next to him for the meal and tried to protect him from prying questions from the other students as well as include him in anything I did (like taking the leftover turkey to the fridge). It was particularly bad to see his pain because of how starkly it contrasted with the mood of everyone else in the room. Try as we might, we were not able to figure out what was eating at him even after we discussed his situation during the event and after school. We did arrive at one possible explanation: the fact that he is a recent arrival to the school has meant that he has not been getting the kind of attention he needs. I think that seeing what we saw today, there is no question that he will be getting that attention in short order. Something to be thankful for, indeed.

Shifting Into Second

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:43:00 +0000

I have decided that I will be posting from time to time with some general observations about my experiences, saving the day-to-day stuff for my final submissions to D'YC at the end of the semester. This allows me to keep this site updated at approximately the same consistency it was last semester, as well as do my daily journal in greater detail without fear of encroaching on anyone's privacy or exposing anyone to an unwanted glare—all of this said without trying to flatter myself that too many people are reading this, these are just standard precautions.

Monday has brought a rather quick change to the pace of things. Whereas last week I had a great deal of time to observe and absorbe; this week, like the jarring clang of the fire drill, I am being met with lesson planning and a visit from my supervisor, Ms. N., tomorrow.

My general observation at this point in the practicum is just how damn comfortable I feel in the classroom already. Ms. H. (my Associate Teacher) has a way about her that I can totally relate to. I'm very comfortable in the classroom environment she promotes, and the students have done an amazing job of welcoming me to their world. I have become immersed in science and math as the grades seven and eight rotary classroom and I couldn't be happier. This was a level of science that I always felt really comfortable with—it was the high school stuff that lost my interest. My math abilities are far enough ahead of this to make me excited about what they have to come. Perfect really.

I will be teaching a few periods of math this week, subjects ranging from rounding to applying knowledge on circumferences and π, and I will begin planning a unit on Pythagoras and the construction of a circle. Fun stuff!

The level of discipline in the classroom is limited to making communication possible and that feels just right. There have been no serious issues yet and a lot of it has to do with the level of respect the students feel from Ms. H.—they genuinely trust her and hold her in high regard, and thus feel no reason to express discontent or aggression. Mind you, it is only been five days and not much has happened yet. There are some interesting social exchanges between small groups of students that I am keeping an eye on out of concern for how it will affect the classroom environment. Nothing dangerous, just in and out groups setting up their territories, with one student crying in a bathroom at one point so far.

I want to give one quick example of Ms. H.'s teaching style. Friday, at the end of the day, was the second period in a mini-unit on circles, which focused on the concept of π with relation to circumference and diameter. The concept was going over the heads of a good portion of the class. As soon as she felt this, she confirmed it with some well worded questions, and that was it. The pace in the class was changed, as was the subject and she immediately went back to the drawing board. This morning she had two different lessons prepared: one for the students who had a good grasp of the concepts and equations, and one for the students getting left behind. Perfect! The fact of the matter is that there is a large gap in the abilities of students in the class; if she can make accommodations for two or three levels of ability by photocopying two or three different sets of questions, then why not do it?

The students appreciate it, it makes her job easier, and she handles it in a way that is honest and respectful. The students feel no shame for needing extra help—they explicitly asked for it in the "hopes for the coming year" statement that they wrote on the first day! Math might be uniquely equipped to handle this kind of approach, but that's what she's teaching, so that's what she's using. I'm very impressed with the whole thing and it's a skill I'm looking forward to acquiring.

My results from the LAST & ATS-W are eight days away, my initial application to the OCT is in, I'm tending the BBQ at Meet The Teacher/Curriculum night tomorrow, and I've already started playing with some fussy Outlook and Windows 2000 problems on the school computers ... all is as it should be.

LAST & ATS-W

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 01:57:00 +0000

I have been remiss in describing my experience writing both the LAST and ATS-W on the same day, and interest prevents me from going into any great detail. Suffice it to say that I found the effort significant to the point of describing it as an ordeal. By the time I was on my third hour of the ATS-W (the more difficult of the two—by far) I was having difficulty making it through the final essay question.

I found the LAST to be rather easy, but I'm the first to admit that it is the kind of test that appeals to me, the kind of thing that I tend to rather well on. The essay question required an argument to be made, either pro or con, on the subject of monetary fines to parents for their children's truancy. The position taken did not matter as much as the style of writing and ability to structure an essay.

The ATS-W was far trickier. It required an ability to figure out what the test writer's intentions were—intentions which were far more opaque for me than on any of the practice exams that I wrote or looked through. The essay question required a defense of creating a safe learning environment, along with two descriptions for how safety can be promoted in a classroom setting at the grade level I intend to teach. Not a simple question, but the structure was laid out in the question and a reasonable bit of planning lead me to a decent answer (considering almost eight hours of test writing that day).

So, the bottom line is that September 20^th will bring news that I can hopefully forward on to D'Youville and be one step closer to certification. On that subject, today I sent by post my Ontario College of Teachers application form and various documents required to begin the application process. I have transcripts to send, D'Youville to corral, and placements to complete before I can consider this final phase in this process complete.

So, this marks the end of the theory portion of my teacher education and the beginning of the applied. I begin my first placement at a local middle school in a grade 8 classroom. As part of the practicum process, I am keeping a daily response and reflection journal, which is eventually submitted as part of the evaluation for both my practica. I intend to continue to use the space to that end; however, I'm unsure of how I will handle the publishing at this point. I'm considering adding some security features to the site in order to protect some of my personal information, especially considering the level of technology and media savvy I've witnessed from students. I am also concerned about the privacy of the students and teachers I will be writing about. But please stay tuned—I'll update on my decisions either way.

One Down, Two to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:58:00 +0000

Good news, good news. On Monday the 25th, at around 4:30 pm EST I received my unofficial score for the NYSTCE CST 005 - a highly respectable passing grade. In fact the grade I received on the exam, assuming that it is marked in a logical way, was inline with the grades I've usually received on these kinds of tests.

My concerns about the essay question were totally unfounded as I received a perfect 300¹ on it, without ever using the phrase "Spanish-American War". What I mean to say with all of this is that this test may be hard, but I don't think it is everything people have made it out to be. If you don't know conventional, dead-White-men, presidential, wars and battles, major political movement U.S. History you're dead in the water — that much is clear. However, a close and thoughtful reading of the Complete Idiot's Guide to American History solves this problem — I wouldn't bother reading about anything before Colonial America as there may only be one question on the First Nations of North America and it would likely be in the context of contact with Europeans.

Beyond that, the real challenge of the test is the same challenge you find with any big exam, which is to have the strength to get through it being as thoughtful and critical as possible over the course of the four hours. Also, it should be said that having to score 220 out of 300 to pass means you need to score at least a 75% on an admittedly tough test. This means that for people who made it through their social science courses pulling off 60s and low-70s will need to take their studying very very seriously.

I felt good when I left the exam room, and it was only when I got to the car and looked up Teddy Roosevelt that I started worrying about failing. The fact that I did as well as I felt I had walking out of the examination room tells me that this exam is not all it's pumped up to be. Being creative doesn't help on this exam, but a slow, critical approach to each question will equate to success. If I had failed this exam, it would have been the first time in my life where my feelings walking out were totally opposite to the final result, and that would have shaken me to the core. But the result I received yesterday confirms for me that this is all doable and worth only enough anxiety to get oneself in the right mindset for studying. Taking the CST lightly is a fool's game, but allowing it to cripple you with fear is just as foolish.

So, now I have the Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAST) and the Assessment of Teaching Skills - Written (ATS-W), which I will be writing on August 20th. Writing eight hours of examinations will likely be killer, but I'm keen to get this all out of the way as quickly as possible. Once all three tests are written, the only tasks left to me are going to be my student teaching, receiving certification from the Ontario College of Teachers, and finally finding a job. I'm getting closer and closer and I couldn't be happier.

Finally, I received word from the TDSB and my first placement starting in September will be at Lanor Junior Middle School with a grade 8 class. Lanor is in my neighbourhood and from my googling it appears to be a very active and interesting school, and I'm particularly excited about working closely with pre-high school students for the first time. My second placement is yet to be determined but will be in a high school.

----

¹ The fact that each of the five sections of the test are marked out of 300, and your final grade is also out of 300 goes a fair distance in demonstrating, for those outside of the process, how utterly bizarre this all is. There is no explanation for how the mark was arrived at, no description of how different sections were weighted, and absolutely no help in getting answers to these concerns — trust me I've looked into this extensively. If anyone out there has any more information than I do, I'd love to hear about it.

NYSTCE CST 005

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 13:35:00 +0000

Cryptic? Indeed. The title of this post in long form is the New York State Teacher's Certification Examination - Content Specialty Test - Social Studies: a four hour brain buster of an exam that I need to pass in order to be certified in New York State. This is only the first of three tests that I will be taking. The other two are the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) and the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W).

If all of these acronyms strike you as vaguely military and bureaucratic, you're right! The test writing experience was an exercise in security and control. Every movement we made was regulated and uniform, we gave thumb prints, made solemn oaths, and then sat for 30 minutes of procedural insturctions on how the test is to be written. The marathon exam tested not only my ability to conjure facts from American history ranging from the Articles of Confederation to Reagan's administration, it also tested my knowledge of the U.S. political system, fundamentals of economic theory, Geographic concepts from simple plate techtonics to Human-Environment Interactions, and a few questions on World history and World Religions. I also read long opinion pieces and had to suppose which statement among four (none of which were related to the opinions expressed) the author would be most likely to agree with, given what they wrote - which, I gather was meant to test higher-order analytic skills but really challenged my mind-reading and guessing abilities.

A very very strange experience to be sure. There were 90 multiple choice and one essay question. The essay question was to be 150-300 words long (I may have went over the 300 and I wonder what the repercussions of that might be). Failing that question means failing the entire exam, regardless of the score on multiple choice. I feel I did reasonably well on the multiple choice, but I have to admit that I really am not sure about the essay. There were two quotes relating to U.S./Latin-American relations at the beginning of the 20^th Century, which I needed to put into historical context - specifically in reference to the Monroe Doctrine. I plumb forgot about the Spanish-American War in the entire discussion (which figures pretty prominently in a question like that). I'm not sure that this means I will fail the whole exam, but I must admit that I've had some sleepless moments at 2 and 3 AM since Saturday.

I will be receiving my results at the end of July and I will be writing the other two exams on August 20 for what promises to be one very very long day. For those interested in these kinds of test, I recommend downloading the CST 005 Study Guide offered by the NYSTCE site, or you can also download the study guide for the subject area with which you feel most comfortable.

One final thought. The boogie-man stories about the test (70% failure rate on the first try, taking the test 6 or 7 times and not passing, lawsuits, etc.) may or may not be true, but ultimately I do feel like I really went through something stressful and difficult. It made me learn U.S. History in a way I never would have, and if I pass I will feel pretty good about what I have accomplished. Not that I'm defending the use of standardized tests to judge the abilities or potential of people, but it's a unique experience when compared to my fellow future teachers who are graduating from a Canadian programme. Those coming out of U of Windsor or OISE may never have gone through a gamut of standardized test and this just might make them less likely to empathise with their students who are being run through gruelling math and literacy tests throughout their public school lives.

A Collection of Individuals

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 20:51:00 +0000

This was, by far, the most social week I've had at D'Youville. Two of five professors that we have were at a conference in Montreal leaving us more free time than we probably needed. But it did give me pause to think about the people around me, as fellow future teachers.

Although, in a way, I will be competing with those around me for jobs, the market is large enough that the competition is likely never to be head to head. Thus, I feel free to look at my classmates as if they were future colleagues. But what is the nature of teacher's collegiality? I can't know the answer to this until I join the profession, but I'd like to make some speculations.

There is a strange tension in teaching where the union, belief in co-operation, and the social aspects of learning are all central to the profession; yet, most teachers spend their careers completely isolated from their colleagues. I enjoy the idea of team teaching and professional collaboration—I've experienced some really nice collaborative work in the corporate world—but, I really get the feeling that the only time teachers get together is when they are not working, which is a really odd situation. I think that professional relationships which are focused on break time, lunch, P.D. days, and contract negotiations are, by their very nature, difficult to manage.

There is an intimacy that emerges from having to actually work together. I feel this with the other students in my cohort. I feel we've come to know each other in very deep ways. There have been soul bearing moments, behaviours that could only emerge in an environment built on trust, and some dangerously honest talk and action. There is a lot of impassioned speech on what kind of teachers people do and don't want to be—but I'm worried that this kind of professional engagement with colleagues is only possible at teacher's college.

That being said, I've seen a lot of other students, in other cohorts at D'Youville, who are doing time with other people doing time. Getting things done and just watching the clock. I would find that kind of experience disappointing to say the least. So, even as students it seems rare that there is real co-operation happening.

I think creating strong professional relationships is going to be vital for me, and I think that this can only happen in the context of team teaching, coaching, or extra-curricular team leadership. I have a lot of respect for and pleasure from those around me and I'm going to endeavour to continue working with them, not just around them, when this all wraps up in a few weeks.

In academic news, on Tuesday morning we presented our Autism/Asperger's lesson to our Exceptional Needs class—who were uncharacteristically subdued. The amount of planning that had gone into it, and the diligence of one particular group member really made it a great success. I learned a lot about teaching social interactions to students with serious social deficits. The amount of rational processing that has to happen in order for highly functioning autistic kids to understand facial expressions makes me marvel that it is even possible for the rest of the world.

The coming weeks will prove to be heavy, which is really no surprise. I'm approaching this time with mixed feelings—a struggle between the excitement of finishing a task and the sadness that accompanies the end of anything.

Meeting the Needs of Exceptional Learners

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 13:26:00 +0000

The death of Karol Wojtyla seemed to pass without comment this week, despite the fact that D'Youville is a college founded and run by a Catholic order. Flags were at half-mast, but I really did not sense any change on campus. There were no assemblies, let alone conversations, marking his death. Despite my disappointment—how many times will I ever be attending a Catholic college when a Pope dies?—it is comforting that the school promotes secularism to the point where only the statues, building names, and nuns gives you any indication of the school's religious leanings. I imagine I would not have enjoyed this semester as much as I have if I'd been immersed in a highly charged Christian environment.

One of the other really nice things about D'Youville is the fact that one of my required courses is Meeting the Needs of Exceptional Learners. This course has consisted of a week by week survey of all of the conditions, ailments, and exceptional situations I can expect to meet in an education system which embraces inclusion (the notable exception is gifted students). The semester started with an overview of IDEA legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Canadian Special Education Regulations, as well as the IEP (Individualized Education Program) process. These laws and processes are all geared toward the inclusion of students with special needs into mainstream classrooms.

The conceptual framework behind inclusion and the ensuing controversy in the early 1990s was fascinating. It was a battle that I lived through and simply never noticed. The belief that all students, regardless of their ability level, must be educated in a "least restrictive environment" caused a firestorm of protest from parents and teachers of non-disabled students at the time. The concerns that including students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms would harm everyone in the process turned out to be unfounded and this seems to be largely thanks to an intelligent approach which addresses each case on its own merits.

From this early introduction to the world of special education I have been learning about everything from Mental Retardation to Epilepsy to Learning Disabilities to ADHD. Every week we spend half the class learning about the specifics of the condition or disability and the other half is spent learning teaching techniques to best address the needs of students living with the disability. As if this wasn't enough, there are some other qualities of this course that make it one of the best I've had the pleasure to take at D'Youville.

First and foremost, Professor April Rockwood is the strongest prof I have. She has a PhD and is a certified Occupational Therapist (OTR)—which translates into a course which has a conspicuously applied bent to it. She is clearly very knowledgeable on every subject she covers and is totally honest about the limits of her know-how. When asked a question that stumps her, she follows up the next week with an answer. We have spent at least 25% of our classroom time out of our seats, reinforcing the importance of all aspects of learning. She takes psychomotoric learning very seriously and has designed the course in a way that allows for the greatest amount of freedom in instructional techniques. The core information is given to us in a handout which she goes over in detail, fielding any and all questions. After that, it is pure application. We have also had a series of student presentations on teaching techniques for a number of different disabilities. In fact, next week I will be part of a group leading the class in teaching students with Autism and Asperger Syndrome.

Prof. Rockwood's ego is well hidden, as I have found to be the case with many people who are involved in the field of special education and disabilities in general. With mainstream students a teacher can be rigid, self-centred, and unresponsive, and most students will still find a way to learn (as horrible as that sounds). When teaching students with special needs, laziness and disengagement are simply impossible; having to always be aware of the effectiveness of techniques, constantly adjusting, reflecting, and abandoning approaches in favour of other possible options is the starting point for any special ed teacher. It seems to me that these teachers need to be the most patient, empathetic, organized, and reflective of all educators and I've benefited in incalculable ways from my exposure to the field.

From what I understand, most teacher's education programmes do not include the teaching of exceptional learners, and beyond the benefits I've outlined above, I feel that I will have a competitive advantage when it comes to looking for work. If I have to come up with one criticism of this course, it is that it has caused me to experience a serious bout of Medical Student's Syndrome by proxy for any future child I might have—but that probably says more about me than it does the course.

Shifting out of Neutral?

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 16:35:00 +0000

This week is my spring break/Easter break/March break. Thus, I gave myself a little more time to write my entry for last week's classes. Taking the pressure off myself has often resulted in better quality work—let's hope that's the case for this entry.

A few weeks ago, I submitted an annotated bibliography on research in the field of higher order thinking and I was overjoyed to receive a grade and comments that were highly flattering (including a compliment on font choice for the paper [which was primarily Bembo, with Bembo SC used for the title on the cover page]) but well deserved, if I do say so myself. I also did well on the dreaded exam, crowning my most satisfying week (from a marks perspective) at D'Youville so far.

On the social side, a large group of us in our cohort got together Monday night on the Canadian side in Fort Erie for some snacks and drinks at a chain restaurant. It was really fun to find that most of the discussion was around teaching—the content of the programme is clearly having an impact on all and I very much enjoyed continuing an argument that I started in our Philosophy of Education class.

We were discussing the reconstructivist school that emerged out of dissatisfaction with Dewey's progressive programme. The reconstructionists believed that teachers have a moral responsibility to educate toward social reform. They wanted to expand the progressive notions of democracy in the classroom to the point where the power aspect of the teacher-student relationship ceases to exist. The classroom becomes an environment where experience and discovery are the vehicles toward total social change.

The difference between progressivism (associated with Dewey) and reconstructivism (associated with George Counts and Paolo Freire) lies in the perceived purpose of education. Both argue for a programme of child-centred and social learning creating an environment which fosters critical thinking. Both are also constructivist in their epistemology (i.e. creating knowledge and meaning as opposed to receiving knowledge and meaning). However, the purpose of reconstructivism is to deal with problems affecting communities (such as poverty, inequality, suffering, governance, disenfranchisement), while the purpose of progressivism is limited to learning in and of itself.

When I was first introduced to reconstructivism, I noticed that there was a lot of discussion about the fact that schools and teachers need to be involved in social reform. But social reform to what? What is the end vision for the process? Are problems tackled one at a time or are root causes addressed? Is this curriculum based? Who sets the curriculum? Has there ever been a society which, as a part of its basic make-up, educates its young to radically change things that the previous generations have done? Are students made aware of the fact that they are involved in an education of social change?

One question that I was able to confidently answer was whether or not a reconstructivist classroom would be taught from a political point of view. Reconstructivism clearly requires the teacher to educate with opinions that she would be eager to share.

The whole issue brought up some very troublesome questions for me. I have been of the opinion that my political beliefs should remain totally opaque to students. Intuitively I feel that remaining neutral in the classroom allows for a free exchange of ideas—where a student can feel confident that his beliefs and conclusions are as valid and valuable as any other student's. It seems to me that taking sides ('shifting out of neutral') results in one point of view receiving explicit primacy over all others. The logical counter argument to this concern is that the curriculum as it presently exists and the teacher's own opinions naturally create a point of view but works insidiously by remaining hidden behind a veil of neutrality. I get this concern. It makes sense to me. But it's an argument which relies on generalities and a situation that isn't necessarily true.

I really wonder if I can teach in a truly neutral way, if I'm actually able to do it. I feel like I have enough training in argumentation and epistemology to be able to sniff out a bias that I'm sending out—but can I actually work against that bias in any real way? The defence of neutrality depends on bias being actively eliminated (this is so basic as to seem trivial).

There are softball issues like poverty is bad and it hurts people and exporting our problems to other parts of the world is a dumb idea in the long run and expressing opinions on these are harmless if not redundant. But when it comes to the morality of abortion or the death penalty (about which I have strong opinions) and the evils of World Bank and IMF policy (about which I don't have a strong opinion) are out of bounds for me. My goal is to present information and provide experiences that help students to form their own opinions and then question those opinions. It seems to me that this requires either total silence on possible positions to take or a balanced presentation of all positions. Thus, total neutrality.

One possible reason for me leaning toward a neutral stance is that I don't feel confident enough about my beliefs on how things should be. It seems to me that a reconstructivist would be someone who has a very clear idea of how he thinks the world should be. He needs to be a utopian, a dreamer, and someone who is damn sure that he's right. He needs to know where he wants society to go and how he wants it to get there. These people are very special. They're unique, because it's easy to have an opinion, but if you're going to be a reconstuctivist, you need to have a very well thought through opinion. You need to be able to defend it and have had to defend it in the past. Otherwise you have stupid people saying stupid things. Neutrality might be the hiding place of the ignorant, but it is preferable to turning the blackboard into a pulpit and subjecting students to unconsidered opinions.

I haven't closed the door on these thoughts. I think that my experiences in student teaching and beyond will have a greater impact on the teacher I become than these ruminations will. But I think that all of this must be considered. My initial attitudes could set me down a particular course, and I want to make sure that's a place I feel comfortable going.

I might be just too cautious. I'm not sure that my approach is the right one (which is typical of someone who wants to remain neutral). But, if my assumption that a neutral teacher leaves students understanding and considering all points of view, then my contribution to the world could be to help create a generation of disengaged thinkers. Yet, and very ironically, if I do actively espouse my world-view in the classroom, it will be one heavily informed by neutrality and balance—once again helping to fill the world with fence sitters. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Oh well, I've gone on a bit too much on this matter.

Let me end this with a quote which speaks to my responsibility when it comes to forming opinions and acting on them. It is taken from a fine collection of works by Thoreau given to me by a good friend.

It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too. See what gross inconsistency is tolerated. I have heard some of my townsmen say, "I should like to have them order me out to help put down an insurrection of the slaves, or to march to Mexico—see if I would go"; and yet these very men have each, directly by their allegiance, and so indirectly, at least, by their money, furnished a substitute. The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war; is applauded by those whose own act and authority he disregards and sets at naught; as if the state were penitent to that degree that it hired one to scourge it while it sinned, but not to that degree that it left off sinning for a moment. Thus, under the name of Order and Civil Government, we are all made at last to pay homage to and support our own meanness. After the first blush of sin comes its indifference; and from immoral it becomes, as it were, unmoral, and not quite unnecessary to that life which we have made.

Henry David Thoreau from Civil Disobedience

Cooperative Learning and Media Literacy

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 21:35:00 +0000

This was week number eight of fourteen of my D'Youville experience, officially marking the second half of the academic portion of teacher's college. I had a number of assignments due this week (more on that below) and I wrote a midterm exam in Learning Theories (a.k.a. Introduction to Educational Psychology). This exam caused a lot of stress for most of my classmates, primarily because of the highly abstract nature of the subject matter. I feel good about my performance on the exam and when I couple that with the marks I've received thus far, things are going just as I hoped.

Mind you, I find it difficult to imagine that the grades I receive in this programme will make any difference whatsoever in my job prospects—I have been placing a greater importance on the process then the results and I think that will pay high dividends both during the interview process and when I'm working in the classroom.

To follow-up from last week's post about the little social we had in residence: a number of people received letters from the residence administration regarding noise infractions and other transgressions. These little surprise notes just sweetened the memory of the get together, adding a humorous feeling of deviance to the whole affair. You will be relieved to hear that I did not receive a warning and my record is still squeeky clean. (Whew!)

On the academic front and beyond the Learning Theories exam (which seemed to dominate all conversations), two themes emerged. The methods and utility of cooperative learning and media literacy were discussed in a number of classes this week.

The subtleties of implementing cooperative learning, which is also known as group work, was the subject of both my Reading and Writing Across Content Areas and Curriculum Planning courses. When students are asked to work in small groups issues of personal responsibility, methods of assessment, trust among students, role assignment, and when to use groupwork all emerge in a way that needs to be addressed. After almost six hours of instruction and discussion on this matter its clear to me that, as with everything else in this business, a group activity which is not properly planned by the teacher will result in students failing to acheive the educational goals of the lesson.

It is very important that as the organizer of the activity, the teacher needs to have a clear idea of how all students in the group are going to participate or at the very least learn the content. The dual emphasis on individual student responsibility for the content and shared responsibility for every member of the group being involved is key to this. The way to ensure that both priorities are met is through a properly conceived activity plan and assessment. To my mind, the assessment phase of the work—whether that is a presentation, a report, unit test, etc.—is where the individual responsibility pays out, but it does not guarantee that every member of the group will actually learn what they need to. The planning I've described above is definitely the science part of the process, the art comes with figuring out how to create an atmosphere of trust and shared responsibility among students that may or (more likely) may not be friends. I think that if the class is conducted in a manner which promotes these ideals, the planning pays off double.

For the record, the five tenets of cooperative learning (according to Professors McClary and Traverse) are:

Positive Interdependence - everyone in the group is needed and needs all others
Individual Accountability - each person must be able to demostrate knowledge
Promotive Interaction - creation and maintenance of trust in the group
Interpersonal Training - teaching skills like eye contact, active listening, complimenting, etc.
Group Processing - self evaluation of the group work process

Finally, I want to just quickly touch on media literacy in the high school curriculum. I wrote a little reflectiion piece on this issue based on some readings that I received in my Social Studies Methodology class and one really important idea emerged for me. As a future history/computer science/APS/philosophy teacher I'm thinking more and more about strategies and content that will work across curriculum areas, and I think that media literacy is a very effective magic bullet here.

Though media literacy has typically been handled by English departments, I think that including a media unit in any content area would be a huge boon. It stimulates critical discussions, it allows for analysis of current and controversial topics using a structured methodology, and I think it is incredibly important for today's students in a way that it wasn't 20 years ago. Arming students with a critical eye toward media of every kind arms them with the ability to handle the vast amount and variety of information they are faced with every day.

Read the report!

Higher Order Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 17:22:00 +0000

Taking my lead from Mr. Hare, I've been trying to update on a weekly basis, but I'm having real difficulty making it regular. Wednesday morning? Thursday afternoon? I'll work it out, so your patience is appreciated.

There was a major social highlight this week for me in Buffalo. One of my neighbours in residence threw a gathering wherein students from different cohorts were able to meet each other and share a few drinks. It was a great feeling to be back in an environment featuring cinderblock walls, industrial carpet, ratty furniture, fellow students, shared bathroom facilities, and fizzy drinks. I had a number of multisensory memories that took me back to Saugeen-Maitland when Pulp Fiction and Sarah McLachlan reigned.

The major assignment due this week was for Learning Theories. First, we were given broad categories (a learner's movement from dependence to interdependence to independence, language/communication/mediation skills, etc.), then we were to choose a phenomenon within one of the categories. We then found ten empirical research articles from peer-reviewed journals on the chosen phenomenon and finally we annotated the ten articles, tying it in with some analysis.

I decided to look into how higher-order/conceptual/metacognitive thinking emerges in adolescent students. Here I'm talking about how children go from learning to count and read and socialize to how a grade 10 student learns to question their own and other's beliefs and actions on everything from justice and equality to problem-solving approaches. Admittedly, this is huge topic area and I found my work was really cut out for me. The final result was satisfying and I came to a couple conclusions about the emergence and encouragement of abstract thinking in all disciplines.

Before I get to that though, one quick observation. Though I admit to enjoying this kind of work — it's a good assignment for those of us who enjoy a bit of research on theory — I really question the value of it in teacher's college. Clearly, exposure to the work in learning theory and cognition is vital for any teacher (though most teachers probably forget the majority of this stuff as soon as the final exam is written); however, a 15 page report on ten different academic articles seems a bit much, especially when you consider that the time and energy spent on this could have been directed toward something more practical like designing lessons that tap into particular ways of learning for example.

That being said, a few themes emerged from my research which I'm keen to share. To quote myself (oh boy!):

Teachers provide a wealth of modeling behaviour to students through instructional style, choice of educational experiences designed for the students, and even the types and formats of assessment. Some common themes that emerged [on the subject of encouraging higher-order thinking] ... were the importance of teaching and assessing toward multiple intelligences — with diverse learners in mind — and the impact of choices teachers make about the language and activities they use in the classroom.

It is clear that higher order thinking is directly related to a diversity of intellectual experiences. There is just no denying that fact. Homogeneous learning and assessment creates homogeneous thinking — and homogeneous thinking is inevitably simple knowledge recall and basic comprehension. Making the student's experiences at school as varied as possible is a great way to ensure you're pushing thinking skills without it feeling forced (for all involved in the process).

Bloom's taxonomy formed the theoretical basis for my paper. For those in the know, Bloom is pretty basic stuff — for those of you who don't spend your days the way I do, I recommend looking into his work as it is the source for the language we use when we think and learn about thinking and learning.

Read the assignment!

Experience and Education

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 18:21:00 +0000

Coming back on Monday from reading week, I had a fair number of assignments and tests to deal with. This week was also the deadline for submitting my student teacher placement requests. I've gotten firmly on the horse by arranging for both of my placements already. I will be at LCI first and ECI second — Mr.Koczij equals psyched.

The stand-out this week, as far as material covered, was definitely the arrival of John Dewey on the scene after so many weeks of allusion, innuendo, and hushed whispers. This week in the Philosophy of Education course we discussed Dewey's seminal 1937 Education and Experience wherein he attempts to right the course of education reform in the United States. After his groundbreaking work in outlining a progressive vision for education at the turn of the century, he finds the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of a shapeless, wandering, uncontrolled style of instruction. His short — and razor sharp — resetting of the progressive course is pure pleasure to read. A few excerpts for your reading pleasure.

On the merits of a progressive education:

One may safely assume, I suppose, that one thing which has recommended the progressive movement is that it seems more in accord with the democratic ideal to which our people is committed than do the procedures of the traditional school, since the latter have so much of the autocratic about them. Another thing which has contributed to its favorable reception is that its methods are humane in comparison with the harshness so often attending the policies of the traditional school.

On the absurdity of emphasising content knowledge as preparation for the future:

When preparation is made the controlling end, then the potentialities of the present are sacrificed to a supposititious future. When this happens, the actual preparation for the future is missed or distorted. The ideal of using the present simply to get ready for the future contradicts itself. It omits, and even shuts out, the very conditions by which a person can be prepared for his future. We always live at the time we live and not at some other time, and only by extracting at each present time the full meaning of each present experience are we prepared for doing the same thing in the future. This is the only preparation which in the long run amounts to anything.

The reference to extracting the full meaning from each present experience is really the core of this man's thoughts on education and the message is an inspiring and powerful one for educators. Having the responsibility for planning (creating? designing? each has its own subtle angle on the process) an environment within which students are able to experience and construct knowledge is the central task of teaching. Dewey's formulation of the environment as the place where learning happens is just right I think. It forces me to consider that the environment is perceived and experienced differently by different people. It forces democratic and inclusive thinking. And when that is combined with his emphasis on the teacher's responsibility for creating such an environment, there's little doubt why his ideas really are infused within every discussion we have as we consider the art of teaching. Dewey finds, in classic Pragmatist fashion, the most concise and intuitive way to combine the power of empiricism, the scientific method, and clear social structures with the beauty of freedom, creativity, and discovery.

To paraphrase Whitehead for teachers: All of Western educational philosophy is but a footnote to Dewey—his shadow falls over all of us.

As a final idea and slightly off topic, Dewey's discussion of freedom in a social context is beautifully done, and I'm including it below, just for those really interested in reading more of this man's great ideas.

Without taking up this extreme position, let us note some examples of social control that operate in everyday life, and then look for the principle underlying them. Let us begin with the young people themselves. Children at recess or after school play games, from tag and one-old-cat to baseball and football. The games involve rules, and these rules order their conduct. The games do not go on haphazardly or by a succession of improvisations. Without rules there is no game. If disputes arise there is an umpire to appeal to, or discussion and a kind of arbitration are means to a decision; otherwise the game is broken up and comes to an end.

There are certain fairly obvious controlling features of such situations to which I want to call attention. The first is that the rules are a part of the game. They are not outside of it. No rules, then no game; different rules, then a different game. As long as the game goes on with a reasonable smoothness, the players do not feel that they are submitting to external imposition but that they are playing the game. In the second place an individual may at times feel that a decision isn't fair and he may even get angry. But he is not objecting to a rule but to what he claims is a violation of it, to some one-sided and unfair action. In the third place, the rules, and hence the conduct of the game, are fairly standardized. There are recognized ways of counting out, of selection of sides, as well as for positions to be taken, movements to be made, etc. These rules have the sanction of tradition and precedent.

If you're interested in education as an art, science, or career and you haven't read John Dewey's Experience and Education for yourself, do it. You'll thank you later.

Happy President's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 22:51:00 +0000

One of the interesting aspects of going to school in the United States is my schedule being affected by American holidays. Today is President's Day and as such I have this week to take care of a great deal of school work that is all due a week from today.

This past week has been marked by the myriad conversations I've had regarding my experiences at D'Youville with friends and strangers alike. The one idea that continually came up was how wonderful it is to have this time—from a month ago until September most likely—to really consider with healthy naiveté and idealism what kind of teacher I want to be.

One thing that I most certainly failed to appreciate the first time around on the formal post-secondary education train was the amount of structured time there is to consider important ideas and how I can apply them to my day to day. Two degrees in philosophy have given me many tools and experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world, but this B.Ed. is the perfect combination of theory and practice. This fact is constantly emphasised by my professors. I have been introduced to a very wide array of approaches to teaching. These approaches have either been described and discussed at length or are being used by professors and fellow student every day. Each approach has substantial theory behind it and the study of these theories and how they are applied forms the foundation for my thoughts.

I find it particularly striking when I compare what my life was like this time last year. I was working a 70 hour work week, doing assembly work for permission email marketing for clients that are some of the largest producers of consumer goods in the world. I had no time to speak to friends and family, let alone think about what kind of person I want to be. The gift of time has made my life (and my family's) richer and more joyful that I could have ever imagined.

By the time May 2^nd roles around, I need to have a coherent statement of belief and intent about teaching. I see real value in this exercise and I think that it is just right that this statement is due on the last day of school. I will be posting and commenting on it as it begins to come together.

High expectations

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 19:33:00 +0000

This week marked the beginning of the real work. Assignments are now coming due, midterms are being discussed, and groups are forming.

I've fallen in quite closely with most of my classmates, but a few stand-out. I'm closest with other social studies students—geographers, historians, and the like—though I've fallen in with a few lit&language types as well.

One of the key ideas that stuck with me this week was the value of setting and maintaining high expectations for students. Our curriculum planning teacher is a former teacher and principal at the primary level and he is the classic primary teacher: gentle, warm, friendly, and strict. He seems to be slipping in thoughts about the value of leaning on the kids a little more than I have thought to do before.

I think there's a muscle metaphor to be carefully used here. If you don't push students hard they aren't going to grow, but they can't all be pushed the same way and to the same extent, so it becomes a dangerous game to play. But I have to admit that I'm seeing myself as being more severe than even I would have expected.

On the volunteering front, I have begun a new semester at LCI with grade 11 American History first period and grade 11 Travel and Tourism second. I have been volunteering once a week at Lakeshore Collegiate Institute for two and a half years (and I might get more into that experience sometime down the road). I'm very excited about the first period class both because of the teacher—a highly regarded senior teacher who is quite vocal and happens to be the union rep for the school—and the subject matter. I need to take a half credit of American History at Ryerson this summer and I will need to pass the New York State teacher exams which ask a great deal about American and New York State history. The T&T course is run as a geography course with more of an applied bent to it. It is being taught by a first year teacher in her first semester so I'm very excited to see how she handles things—this is a rare opportunity that I am not going to miss out on.

A real teaching learning moment

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 19:41:00 +0000

I would say that at least half of the content in the courses I'm taking have or will cover very practical issues like lesson, unit, and curriculum planning, discipline, special needs, marking. All of these practical learnings can be translated into teacher tips or classroom tactics and the like. There is a substantial portion of what has been covered to date that is forcing me and my fellow students to consider and eventually formulate a philosophy of teaching.

What is the purpose of a social science education? Is it the creation of informed and engaged citizens? Do I want to send out people who can formulate their ideas in a coherent and convincing way? Is it most important that the young people who have taken my courses end up becoming agents for social change? Social justice? In addition to these questions there are also questions of what values will feature most prominently in my classrooms. Whether academic achievement will trump critical analysis or curriculum takes precedence over conceptual understandings will depend almost entirely upon me. Will scathing honesty or obedience be more highly regarded? Will my students be aware of my beliefs or will I be an apolitical mystery—the consummate devil's advocate? I know the answers to very few of these questions but I want to relate one experience that has given me some excellent perspective on the surprises that come in an educational experience designed to make me an educator.

I have a Philosophy of Education course taught by the same professor who is teaching my Social Science Methodology course. He is very political, very opinionated, and very knowledgeable on the social sciences side. He made it clear in the first week of school that he has strong opinions and that he believes they should be shared in the classroom. Though it is unfair to label, I don't think he would argue with the characterization of his beliefs in terms of education as anti-corporate with a strong belief in the importance of social justice and inclusion in the classroom. Fair enough. I must admit, however, that I have felt concern about his teaching style as his opinions permeate all of our class discussions. This was of greatest concern for me in the Philosophy of Education course which is simply a survey of influential schools of thought—idealism, rationalism, pragmatism, Marxism, post-modernism, etc.

This week in the Phil of Ed course (on Monday to be exact) we began covering content where most philosophy courses begin: Plato. However, his coverage of platonic idealism seemed to focus entirely on The Republic with a special focus on the admittedly totalitarian aspects of Plato's vision of a society built on the teachings and learnings of Philosophers (in his mind, these are people who spend their lives attempting to slip our mortal coil and apprehend the great ideals and perfections to be found in World of the Forms and if you're really curious, I've found a decent outline of Plato's Ideas). The point is that, yes, Plato can definitely be painted as an elitist who excludes minority voices. However, there is a great deal that comes out of platonic idealism which can give aspiring teachers hope and guidance in the hows and whys of the education process. By the end of the 3 hour class I was at the end of my rope. There was such a complete denunciation of Plato's ideas and condemnation of the man himself that it was clear to me that he would have been condemned to the same fate as his teacher if we had been the jury. I spoke out, and maybe too passionately (aggressively?), in defence. However, in my haste and passion I made very little sense—long pauses, stammering, and the like. Of course, immediately afterward I began thinking about what I would have said differently. Throughout the next morning my classmates took friendly jabs at me, acknowledging that there had been a moment in class.

Now, here is where it all comes together. As I said above, the programme has been geared toward encouraging critical reflection on teaching styles, tenor in the classroom, and personal beliefs on education. In addition to thinking about what had transpired in the class at the end of Monday, I also thought a great deal about what kind of class this guy was running. I will admit that I began to judge him harshly (which I suppose is typical of a preservice teacher in his third week of school). At the beginning of the class that my fellow social science students have with him on Tuesday afternoon, the professor paused, considered, and then opened the floor to a discussion on what we had spoken about in the Philosophy of Education class the day before. He gave me the opportunity to go over what I had been trying to say in the class when things were far more charged. It was an incredibly generous act.

It was the act of a teacher. And so I was put to shame for my harsh attitude. This is a man with opinions who is prepared to take criticism, challenges, and opposing points of view in an effort to teach. He might not be the way I want to be, but he's doing what I hope to do very soon.

Birth of a new narrative

noreply@blogger.com (Mr.Koczij) — Wed, 26 Jan 2005 22:17:00 +0000

So, on Tuesday January 18th, I had my first day at D'Youville College. I'm taking a one year Teacher Education programme at the college in Buffalo, New York. I attend on Monday and Tuesday, all day, and spend the rest of the week at home in the E-Dot.

D'Youville College is named after Marguerite d'Youville — founder of the Grey Nuns — who in turn founded the college in 1908 to provide quality education to the daughters of immigrant workers. The Grey Nuns were called in from Montreal by the Archdiocese of Buffalo to do the job because it seems that no other organizations were willing to travel to such a deep and dark part of Western New York. The school focussed on educating young women in fields that were appropriate for the fairer sex, so nursing and teaching were it. To this day, DYC (as they call it) specializes in these two fields.

I will probably comment in more detail as time goes on about how it is I ended up in Buffalo and what a poor opinion I have of the selection process for preservice teacher education in Ontario, but suffice it to say, I am where I am and I couldn't be happier. The classes have, for the most part, been very stimulating, my classmates are from all over the map (both geographically and academically), and I am stoked about this whole experience.

I see this site eventually becoming my portfolio site when it comes time to apply for a teaching position, and when I am finally hired, I will use it as a resource area for students to get information for the classes I will be teaching. I'm excited to be back to a regular posting schedule — I have a lot of things to catch up on, a lot has happened in the last year and a half and I will probably be covering some of those things here as well.