Professional Development Project - Gwen Ambrose
Generating Generosity in the Classroom
Rationale
My Professional Development Project was originated while researching The Circle of Courage created by Drs Larry Brentro, Martin Brokenleg and Steve Van Bockern. The Circle of Courage is based on four main areas of instruction: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. According to this philosophy, in order that deep and meaningful learning is achieved, students need to know that they belong to their learning community, that they are capable of mastering the lessons and skills being taught, and that their mentors and teachers entrust them with the responsibility to be able to make effective decisions of how to use the knowledge gained and self-governance. The last component of this philosophy is Generosity and it embodies the belief that students must be given the opportunity to give back into their community in ways that exemplify the learning they have acquired.
For me, this final area of The Circle of Courage is an extremely important part of education. When students are given the chance to see their work in action, they gain the confidence to continue their Mastery of the subject matter. When students are able to contribute meaningfully to the community (locally to globally), they see how their work directly affects the world they are a part of and that they will inherit (Belonging). When students are given the freedom to be able to demonstrate that learning in ways that are relevant to them, they have a greater appreciation for what they can accomplish and are more willing to engage in further learning opportunities (Independence). Because of the multiplicity of applications that Generosity brings for the student’s learning, I believe it is one of the most important aspects of any curriculum. It was therefore, with these beliefs in mind, that I set up and implemented my Professional Development Project. My intention was that students would be able to see not only how their efforts and work could directly impact their community, but also to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the community and the issues it is faced with.
Set Up
I taught grade ten English (10-2) and grade eleven English (20-1). Because I was teaching two grade levels with very different mentalities, it was necessary to develop different ways in which to incorporate Generosity into the classroom.
Grade Ten: In working with these students, it became apparent that many of them saw themselves as under-achievers who did not feel that they had the intelligence to be academically successful in life. I therefore wanted to create an avenue for these students to see themselves in a capacity that involved leadership and responsibility, as well as academic success. The opportunity presented itself when I learned that the Special Education classroom was short-staffed. I met with the Special Education Coordinator (Jeff Davies) and we arranged that my students would work with three girls (all of whom has Down Syndrome) one class a week. However, in order for the project to work, another venue also needed to be found. I approached the Program Coordinator for the E.S.L. classroom (Janice Brown) and we agreed that eleven of my students would work with the grade nine E.S.L. class while the rest of my students assisted in the Special Education room.
This project lasted for six weeks. During this time the students who attended the E.S.L. classroom were partnered up with a student to assisted that individual with his or her English vocabulary. The grade ten student also helped with assignments the partnered ESL student was engaged in, such as creating a poster, in addition to any other activities that the E.S.L. student needed help with. The grade ten students who were paired with the Special Education children helped them create a slide show about themselves, bake cookies, make a pizza and colour posters as well as basic English development skills such as fill-in-the-blank activities.
At the end of each class, the students completed a quick questionnaire that asked what they had done with their partners, what they had enjoyed, and what was not good about the session. For the most part, the answers the students put down were very positive.
The grade ten’s weekly activity tied in with General Outcome Five: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others. However, the curricular ties were not the only benefit they received. As noted by Brentro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern, “The positive results of volunteer service…include increased responsibility, self-esteem, moral development, and commitment to democratic values.” (Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future, p. 124) Accordingly, additional advantages of helping others are:
1. An increased interest in school due to the clear connection of linking human need with the curriculum
2. An increase in achievement
3. An increase in problem-solving and critical thinking skills
4. The ability to think in more complex ways
Grade Eleven: The grade eleven portion of this project was more academically intense. The students were given a list of worthy causes, both locally and abroad, that they were to research, using a variety of media tools and make an in-depth campaign for the cause of their choice. The students examined several foundations such as “Ryan’s Well Foundation” and not-for-profit organizations such as the Lethbridge Food Bank. Working in pairs, they were to pick a cause they felt passionate about and research its history, purpose and mandate, who was involved in it, the expected future of the cause, as well as how others could get involved.
Once the students had completed their preliminary research of the cause they were supporting, they began to develop various media to include in their campaigns. The types of media that they developed were: music, a speech and a visual presentation such as a video or Power Point in which to “sell” their causes to their class.
Cross-Curricular Ties
For the grade eleven students, the curricular ties with other areas of the Program of Study was evident. Because they were exploring real issues in their surrounding community and world, the connection to Social Sciences 20-30, and Social Studies strand, “Global Connections” was obvious. In addition, as students created their presentations, they engaged in using various forms of technology, making the connection to Information, Communication and Technology also apparent.
Reflections
Grade Ten: I believe that the grade ten students benefitted far greater than the grade eleven students, perhaps because the work they did with the other classes was hands-on. My students could directly see the effects they were having on the people they were working with. In addition, many of my students had never spent time getting to know children with severe learning disabilities. Therefore, this experience provided them with the opportunity to better understand Down Syndrome and how it effects individuals. It also gave the students the opportunity to put their own learning difficulties into a new perspective.
The comments I received every week from my students were usually very positive. One comment that stands out for me was written after one of my students played a game of “Memory” with one of the girls from the Special Education class. One of the questions was, “What did you and the student you assisted do?” He wrote, “Played memory game. She won.” The next question was, “What was good about today’s activities?” He responded, “She won.” What was significant about this statement was that he was not only able to relate to the student he was working with, but also that he took pride in her accomplishments. When the project was coming to a close, several students expressed regret. They had developed meaningful bonds with the students they were helping and did not want to conclude the experience. In winding up the project, my class made the students several giant posters that they collectively worked on to express their gratitude in being able to spend time with them.
While the experience was a positive one for most of my students, there were three drawbacks. The first was that unfortunately, there were a few of my students who did not enjoy the experience at all. In order to avoid working with the students from the other classes, these students acted out and I had to find an alternative activity to occupy them while everyone else was working with their E.S.L. or Special Education partners. They were assigned the task of researching a cause and doing a Power Point presentation on it. When they completed one, they had to do another until the end of the project. The second drawback was that because I did not have any special training or understanding of the students with Down Syndrome, I was sometimes not as prepared as I would have liked to have been. I was very fortunate to have my teacher mentor available for those first few days because she had specialization in Special Education and happened to have several activities that they could enjoy together. The third problem that I ran into was that there was only one of me, but my students were divided into three groups (one group in the E.S.L. classroom, one group in the Special Education classroom and one group working on research and creating Power Points.) Again, I was very fortunate because the other teachers I was working with were wonderful. They accepted my students into their classroom and ensured that everyone was on task and working effectively. I usually went with the students who were paired up in the Special Education room.
In the future, there are several things that I would do differently. To begin with, I would work more directly with the teachers of the E.S.L. and Special Education classes to develop an actual program that would include more direct learning objectives from the Program of Study. While it was obvious that the project was worth doing, it needed to be done with a greater level of organization. Second, I would ensure that any student who was opposed to the project, have a place to go and an alternative project to do ahead of time. I had not made any preparations for such an event (it did not even occur to me that some students would be very against the idea). While I would greatly encourage my student to participate, I would make certain that they were not stretched beyond their comfort levels too much. Unfortunately, because of the nature of how this project was set up, it necessitated that other teachers were involved and willing to work with the volunteer students. Therefore, in the future I will continue to build positive relationships with these teachers and ensure that the quality of education is a priority.
Grade Eleven: One of the best parts of this project for my students was that it involved so many aspects of the media in which they are immersed. Rather than seeing themselves as passive observers of the media, they were given the opportunity to work with various forms of media in a positive manner in order to make a constructive contribution to the world. The project also enabled the grade eleven students to see how people working with the various foundations and funds (such as World Wildlife Fund) do in fact impact their world to help make changes for the better. Students saw first-hand how people could band together to end poverty, educate the poor, and to help rescue an endangered species.
While there were many good things to consider, my grade eleven students did not benefit from their project in the same way that the grade tens did. The correlations to the learning objectives were much clearer, but the end result was not the same in how the students felt about the work that they were doing. For many of the students, the project was just another assignment they had to do. This is unfortunate because I hoped they would experience a greater connection with their world and the issues that face it. In order to address this concern in the future, I would engage in more preliminary research to find those foundations that already had a program for schools to access and contribute (such as Ryan’s Well Foundation). If there was a group that I felt was especially worthy, but did not have a school program in place (such as the Lethbridge Humane Society), I would work more directly with them to determine how the accomplishments of my students could be best utilized by the cause. It would also have been beneficial for these students to go on field trips to places such as The Lethbridge Food Bank to see directly the results of their efforts. In this way, the students would be able to make a clearer connection in how their work was being used by the foundations and societies to make a positive change in the world.
Research
Books
1. Brendtro, L. K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Brockern, S. (1998). Reclaiming youth: Our Hope for the Future. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service.
2. Special Education Council, . (2006). Boats: Behaviour Observation Assessment Teaching Strategies. Edmonton: Alberta Teacher's Association.
3. Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Philadelphia: Association
for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Journal Articles
1. Brendtro, L., Brokenleg, M., & Van Brockern, S. (2005). The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 14(3), 130-137.
2. Brokenleg, M., & NVan Brockern, S. (2003). The science of raising courageous kids. Reclaiming Chilren and Youth, 12(1), 122-127.
3. Contenta, S. (1993). Edgerton Ryerson and the Hidden Curriculum. Custom Coursepack: Social Context of Schooling, Education 3603, 9-30.
4. Doerr, A. (2008). Authentic Assessment for Restorative Outcomes. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 17(2), 24-27.
5. Fuller, B. (2009). From Punishment to Responsibility. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 18(3), 21-23.
6. Houtekamer, T. & Yamagishi, R., (2005). Assessment and Goal-Setting with the Circle of Courage. Reclaiming children and Youth, 14(3), 160-166.
7. Marlow, J. M., Marlow, M. J., & Pearl, N. L. (2009). School of Urban Wilderness Survival and the Circle of Courage. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 18(3), 3-6.
8. Van Brockern, S., Wenger, L., & Ashworth, J. (2004). Pathways from Discouragement to Courage. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(3), 149-155.
9. Winter, T.F., & Preston, B. Q. (2006). Functional Behavioral Assessment Based on Circle of Courage Needs. Reclaiming children and Youth, 15(3), 171-174.
My Professional Development Project was originated while researching The Circle of Courage created by Drs Larry Brentro, Martin Brokenleg and Steve Van Bockern. The Circle of Courage is based on four main areas of instruction: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. According to this philosophy, in order that deep and meaningful learning is achieved, students need to know that they belong to their learning community, that they are capable of mastering the lessons and skills being taught, and that their mentors and teachers entrust them with the responsibility to be able to make effective decisions of how to use the knowledge gained and self-governance. The last component of this philosophy is Generosity and it embodies the belief that students must be given the opportunity to give back into their community in ways that exemplify the learning they have acquired.
For me, this final area of The Circle of Courage is an extremely important part of education. When students are given the chance to see their work in action, they gain the confidence to continue their Mastery of the subject matter. When students are able to contribute meaningfully to the community (locally to globally), they see how their work directly affects the world they are a part of and that they will inherit (Belonging). When students are given the freedom to be able to demonstrate that learning in ways that are relevant to them, they have a greater appreciation for what they can accomplish and are more willing to engage in further learning opportunities (Independence). Because of the multiplicity of applications that Generosity brings for the student’s learning, I believe it is one of the most important aspects of any curriculum. It was therefore, with these beliefs in mind, that I set up and implemented my Professional Development Project. My intention was that students would be able to see not only how their efforts and work could directly impact their community, but also to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the community and the issues it is faced with.
Set Up
I taught grade ten English (10-2) and grade eleven English (20-1). Because I was teaching two grade levels with very different mentalities, it was necessary to develop different ways in which to incorporate Generosity into the classroom.
Grade Ten: In working with these students, it became apparent that many of them saw themselves as under-achievers who did not feel that they had the intelligence to be academically successful in life. I therefore wanted to create an avenue for these students to see themselves in a capacity that involved leadership and responsibility, as well as academic success. The opportunity presented itself when I learned that the Special Education classroom was short-staffed. I met with the Special Education Coordinator (Jeff Davies) and we arranged that my students would work with three girls (all of whom has Down Syndrome) one class a week. However, in order for the project to work, another venue also needed to be found. I approached the Program Coordinator for the E.S.L. classroom (Janice Brown) and we agreed that eleven of my students would work with the grade nine E.S.L. class while the rest of my students assisted in the Special Education room.
This project lasted for six weeks. During this time the students who attended the E.S.L. classroom were partnered up with a student to assisted that individual with his or her English vocabulary. The grade ten student also helped with assignments the partnered ESL student was engaged in, such as creating a poster, in addition to any other activities that the E.S.L. student needed help with. The grade ten students who were paired with the Special Education children helped them create a slide show about themselves, bake cookies, make a pizza and colour posters as well as basic English development skills such as fill-in-the-blank activities.
At the end of each class, the students completed a quick questionnaire that asked what they had done with their partners, what they had enjoyed, and what was not good about the session. For the most part, the answers the students put down were very positive.
The grade ten’s weekly activity tied in with General Outcome Five: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others. However, the curricular ties were not the only benefit they received. As noted by Brentro, Brokenleg and Van Bockern, “The positive results of volunteer service…include increased responsibility, self-esteem, moral development, and commitment to democratic values.” (Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future, p. 124) Accordingly, additional advantages of helping others are:
1. An increased interest in school due to the clear connection of linking human need with the curriculum
2. An increase in achievement
3. An increase in problem-solving and critical thinking skills
4. The ability to think in more complex ways
Grade Eleven: The grade eleven portion of this project was more academically intense. The students were given a list of worthy causes, both locally and abroad, that they were to research, using a variety of media tools and make an in-depth campaign for the cause of their choice. The students examined several foundations such as “Ryan’s Well Foundation” and not-for-profit organizations such as the Lethbridge Food Bank. Working in pairs, they were to pick a cause they felt passionate about and research its history, purpose and mandate, who was involved in it, the expected future of the cause, as well as how others could get involved.
Once the students had completed their preliminary research of the cause they were supporting, they began to develop various media to include in their campaigns. The types of media that they developed were: music, a speech and a visual presentation such as a video or Power Point in which to “sell” their causes to their class.
Cross-Curricular Ties
For the grade eleven students, the curricular ties with other areas of the Program of Study was evident. Because they were exploring real issues in their surrounding community and world, the connection to Social Sciences 20-30, and Social Studies strand, “Global Connections” was obvious. In addition, as students created their presentations, they engaged in using various forms of technology, making the connection to Information, Communication and Technology also apparent.
Reflections
Grade Ten: I believe that the grade ten students benefitted far greater than the grade eleven students, perhaps because the work they did with the other classes was hands-on. My students could directly see the effects they were having on the people they were working with. In addition, many of my students had never spent time getting to know children with severe learning disabilities. Therefore, this experience provided them with the opportunity to better understand Down Syndrome and how it effects individuals. It also gave the students the opportunity to put their own learning difficulties into a new perspective.
The comments I received every week from my students were usually very positive. One comment that stands out for me was written after one of my students played a game of “Memory” with one of the girls from the Special Education class. One of the questions was, “What did you and the student you assisted do?” He wrote, “Played memory game. She won.” The next question was, “What was good about today’s activities?” He responded, “She won.” What was significant about this statement was that he was not only able to relate to the student he was working with, but also that he took pride in her accomplishments. When the project was coming to a close, several students expressed regret. They had developed meaningful bonds with the students they were helping and did not want to conclude the experience. In winding up the project, my class made the students several giant posters that they collectively worked on to express their gratitude in being able to spend time with them.
While the experience was a positive one for most of my students, there were three drawbacks. The first was that unfortunately, there were a few of my students who did not enjoy the experience at all. In order to avoid working with the students from the other classes, these students acted out and I had to find an alternative activity to occupy them while everyone else was working with their E.S.L. or Special Education partners. They were assigned the task of researching a cause and doing a Power Point presentation on it. When they completed one, they had to do another until the end of the project. The second drawback was that because I did not have any special training or understanding of the students with Down Syndrome, I was sometimes not as prepared as I would have liked to have been. I was very fortunate to have my teacher mentor available for those first few days because she had specialization in Special Education and happened to have several activities that they could enjoy together. The third problem that I ran into was that there was only one of me, but my students were divided into three groups (one group in the E.S.L. classroom, one group in the Special Education classroom and one group working on research and creating Power Points.) Again, I was very fortunate because the other teachers I was working with were wonderful. They accepted my students into their classroom and ensured that everyone was on task and working effectively. I usually went with the students who were paired up in the Special Education room.
In the future, there are several things that I would do differently. To begin with, I would work more directly with the teachers of the E.S.L. and Special Education classes to develop an actual program that would include more direct learning objectives from the Program of Study. While it was obvious that the project was worth doing, it needed to be done with a greater level of organization. Second, I would ensure that any student who was opposed to the project, have a place to go and an alternative project to do ahead of time. I had not made any preparations for such an event (it did not even occur to me that some students would be very against the idea). While I would greatly encourage my student to participate, I would make certain that they were not stretched beyond their comfort levels too much. Unfortunately, because of the nature of how this project was set up, it necessitated that other teachers were involved and willing to work with the volunteer students. Therefore, in the future I will continue to build positive relationships with these teachers and ensure that the quality of education is a priority.
Grade Eleven: One of the best parts of this project for my students was that it involved so many aspects of the media in which they are immersed. Rather than seeing themselves as passive observers of the media, they were given the opportunity to work with various forms of media in a positive manner in order to make a constructive contribution to the world. The project also enabled the grade eleven students to see how people working with the various foundations and funds (such as World Wildlife Fund) do in fact impact their world to help make changes for the better. Students saw first-hand how people could band together to end poverty, educate the poor, and to help rescue an endangered species.
While there were many good things to consider, my grade eleven students did not benefit from their project in the same way that the grade tens did. The correlations to the learning objectives were much clearer, but the end result was not the same in how the students felt about the work that they were doing. For many of the students, the project was just another assignment they had to do. This is unfortunate because I hoped they would experience a greater connection with their world and the issues that face it. In order to address this concern in the future, I would engage in more preliminary research to find those foundations that already had a program for schools to access and contribute (such as Ryan’s Well Foundation). If there was a group that I felt was especially worthy, but did not have a school program in place (such as the Lethbridge Humane Society), I would work more directly with them to determine how the accomplishments of my students could be best utilized by the cause. It would also have been beneficial for these students to go on field trips to places such as The Lethbridge Food Bank to see directly the results of their efforts. In this way, the students would be able to make a clearer connection in how their work was being used by the foundations and societies to make a positive change in the world.
Research
Books
1. Brendtro, L. K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Brockern, S. (1998). Reclaiming youth: Our Hope for the Future. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service.
2. Special Education Council, . (2006). Boats: Behaviour Observation Assessment Teaching Strategies. Edmonton: Alberta Teacher's Association.
3. Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Philadelphia: Association
for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Journal Articles
1. Brendtro, L., Brokenleg, M., & Van Brockern, S. (2005). The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 14(3), 130-137.
2. Brokenleg, M., & NVan Brockern, S. (2003). The science of raising courageous kids. Reclaiming Chilren and Youth, 12(1), 122-127.
3. Contenta, S. (1993). Edgerton Ryerson and the Hidden Curriculum. Custom Coursepack: Social Context of Schooling, Education 3603, 9-30.
4. Doerr, A. (2008). Authentic Assessment for Restorative Outcomes. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 17(2), 24-27.
5. Fuller, B. (2009). From Punishment to Responsibility. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 18(3), 21-23.
6. Houtekamer, T. & Yamagishi, R., (2005). Assessment and Goal-Setting with the Circle of Courage. Reclaiming children and Youth, 14(3), 160-166.
7. Marlow, J. M., Marlow, M. J., & Pearl, N. L. (2009). School of Urban Wilderness Survival and the Circle of Courage. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 18(3), 3-6.
8. Van Brockern, S., Wenger, L., & Ashworth, J. (2004). Pathways from Discouragement to Courage. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(3), 149-155.
9. Winter, T.F., & Preston, B. Q. (2006). Functional Behavioral Assessment Based on Circle of Courage Needs. Reclaiming children and Youth, 15(3), 171-174.