Professional Learning Goals

• Gained a deeper appreciation of the modern learner and their needs
• Improved pedagogy for college-level courses in science and math
• Collaborated and developed cross-curricular lessons and shared with the community

Activities and Resources

Teacher

• Release time – met and collaborated on cross-curricular activities and technology with team members; designed combinations of activities and lessons that corresponded to the data collected from student survey questions (see below)
• Release time – met and collaborated on Zombie Apocalypse unit theme with secondary digital resource teacher and team members; amalgamating student knowledge and experience into classroom learning
• Modern Learning Spaces – visited two “real-world” spaces to understand the motivation behind and effects of modern working environments to better understand how to prepare students for the workforce and post-secondary endeavours and enhance our classroom experiences as much as possible

Student

• Added survey questions into first day “student profile” Google Form to collect student input on applications/programs/activities/etc. that students found most and least engaging in prior learning experiences; data used to inform planning
• Case studies – students learning through collaborative exploration of contrived situations where curriculum expectations are embedded in various materials
• Themed units – students learned specific expectations and how they are connected in the context of themed units that had them work through a series of varied activities (e.g., case studies, short film production, microscope work, etc.) to build the skills and knowledge required to create a culminating task (see Zombie Apocalypse task)
• Cross-curricular activities – students worked through case studies and other smaller tasks that covered the chemistry or biology curriculum expectations for their course with meaningful and purposeful use of math skills that crossed over into the math course for their year (e.g., microbiology unit: food poisoning case study with graphs and statistical analysis – topics in the math course – to “solve the mystery”)
• Graphing calculators – investigation of transformations of quadratic relations using graphing technology
• Probability of gene selection – use of Punnett Squares to learn about statistics and probability
• Contagion movie – fictional depiction to look at the growth rate and spread of disease through exponential models and graphs (e.g., analysis and discussion of “R0” values to deepen their understanding of the reality of disease transmission through graphical and numerical analysis)
• Document camera – demonstrated creation of isometric drawings in real time for whole-class engagement (modelling and chorusing); modelling use of financial apps to solve time-value of money calculations; demonstrations of reactions too dangerous to perform individually or prior to student lab to enhance safety and understanding
• Apple TV device – immediate and equal opportunity to share (project) short skits or group information with the whole class allowing for quick feedback and discussion
• Portable monitor – extended screen to display information more easily to small groups (more personal/customized learning)
• Hooki stool – enables students’ flexible seating choice and ease of movement within a classroom setting; encourages physical movement for the kinaesthetic learner or IEP requirement

Unexpected Challenges

Logistics

Timetabling the science and math courses in the same semester was not possible and as a result, the chemistry and biology courses were in the first semester whereas the math course was in the second semester. This made planning cross-curricular activities challenging as students would not experience the activities in the subjects at the same time, delaying the time to make connections across subject areas. The concern was that students would forget what was done in the first semester when the activity was revisited in the second semester.

Curriculum

Aligning the math and science college curriculum proved to be difficult. There were not many specific expectations that could be integrated directly from Grade 11 college biology or chemistry with Grade 11 college math. Some of the strands in the math curriculum were too far removed from the biology or science curriculums.

Responding to Student Needs

In science, the original intention was to enhance skill-based learning by conducting lab activities. A large portion of the budget proposal involved procuring lab equipment. However, after consulting with college educators, it was advised that students are better served by conducting projects and activities that required more student independence, initiative and risk-taking. As a result, the need for more lab equipment became unnecessary and the pedagogical strategies had to be changed early in the semester.

Real-World Experiences

Plans were attempted and fell through twice to gain knowledge of the college experience, programs and career opportunities available through visiting post-secondary institutions. A group field trip was organized where students would spend the day exploring a college campus and talking to professors teaching and students enrolled in programs Markville students had expressed interest in pursuing. Unfortunately, the trip was not motivation enough for student participation and had to be cancelled. The second attempt at acquiring more information on modern learning environments and programs at colleges also hit a snag in that the timelines for the high school calendar and that of the college were not aligned. When teachers were available to visit the college, the college professors, etc. were preparing for or marking exams or on break.  

Enhancing Student Learning and Development

• Techniques and lesson structure provided opportunity for more directed pedagogy at this segment of our student population, thereby enhancing engagement and learning for our student currently enrolled in college-level courses
• Implementing more accessible learning and sharing gave students a voice in the classroom and shifted the focus more from the teacher to the student allowing them to be more engaged in their own learning and begin to take ownership of their education
• The increased engagement that resulted from implementing modern learning techniques and pedagogy improved student affinity and accessibility of science and math to those students approaching these classes to “just get the credit”
• Provided an environment for students with an inclination for math and/or science, but not suited to the university-level pedagogy
• Purposeful discussion of  possible career paths related to topics covered in science and math presented the opportunity for more students to develop science and math skills and find new interest in post-secondary endeavours related to these fields

Sharing

Sharing has been on an ongoing basis with informal discussion within and between members of the science and math departments. Ideas have been consistently exchanged and inspired through casual conversation as well as during designated meetings where other departments (i.e., history) were included since the modern learning piece is a board-wide initiative this year as one of the foci in the YRDSB.

In addition to this, the team has been allotted a spot on the June staff meeting agenda in which to summarize our project and share learning. At this time, questions will be fielded and new ideas gathered in anticipation of continuing our learning. A summary of the project will also be presented to department members in June.

Lessons and course resources will be shared with department members through GAPPS.

Project Evaluation

Objectively looking at the grand scope of the project and the student products that were observed, discussed and collected, the TLC project has had a successful start, but more work is needed. It would be naive to believe that such a drastic shift in focus from teacher-centred to student-centred and all of the components that are encompassed under the modern learning umbrella could be accomplished in one year. This being said, the resources employed and resulting support in shifting pedagogy make employing technology and modern learning strategies in college classrooms a realistic accomplishment in the coming years.  

Some of the evaluations that display this project’s success are:

• Employing a cycle of diagnostic assessment to determine initial comprehension prior to activities with equivalent formative assessment techniques at intervals after each learning strategy (software/hardware application) to compare results to diagnostic data for analysis
• Continuous improvement to subsequent activities using data analysis (above)
• Periodic formative assessments

The next steps will be to:

• Apply for another TLC grant that will continue the path and pedagogy begun this year
• Reconnect with various local colleges that offer programs of interest to our students (survey data) to arrange a viable visit for students and/or teachers
• Continue to analyze cross-curricular expectations and create more opportunities for collaborative learning (students and teachers)