6. How These Factors Contribute to Developing Beginning Teacher Resilience

Melanie Tait (2008) suggests that displaying capabilities in demonstrating social competence, taking advantage of opportunities to develop personal efficacy, using problem-solving strategies, having the ability to rebound after a difficult experience, learning from experiences and setting goals for the future (reflection – Katterns house of learning [BTI, 2013]), taking care of oneself and maintaining a sense of optimism all contribute to developing beginning teacher resilience.

As I came of my final practicum, and before revising readings on teacher resilience, the following ideas were at the forefront of my mind, and I still believe are extremely beneficial tips for the beginning teacher.

• Not to sweat the small stuff. You are tasked with many, and many varied jobs throughout the course of a single term, single week, single day, and even single lesson. You have anywhere from twenty-five unique individuals with unique needs bequeathing your attention in each of your classes across anywhere from a five spell day. Beginning teaches need to learn to reflect on their practices, fine-tune planning processes and continually seek professional development and enhancement in order to continually seek to provide the best possible service for each of their clients (students). Learning to say no, is also something a beginning teacher must learn to do. It is tempting to say yes to everything in the goal of improving connections with students, engagement strategies and overall teaching practice. But in order to fully fulfill each task to the best of one’s capability, teachers must attempt to not overload themselves as much as is possible in such a demanding role.
• Establishing and nurturing strong relationships is vital in such an open-orientated profession. Moreover, it is equally important to establish relationships based upon who you truly are, and what you truly stand for. To construct a façade to hide your true self behind, presenting your teacher self as something other than you real yourself is not the way to approach teaching. We teach who we are (Palmer, 2007). To try and be something other than yourself is exhausting; and students are perceptive, they see straight through it. In turn honesty and being real, can improve student-teacher relationships, and simultaneously mean students are less likely to act up. – All round meaning less energy requirement, thus healthier, and more energized teaching ability, and longevity.
• Not going too big in your first year. Yes do your best, yes you still can try to impress – but don’t go too far. If you want to be in this for the long run, leave yourself some breathing space, to catch your breath in between. Resilience – it’s about longevity, not a quick run.
• Blogging – or at least reflection, reflection and more reflection. It is important to document EVERYTHING.  Every opportunity to reflect and improve upon our practices must be taken, if we are to truly learn and grow into the teachers we are meant to be.
• Keeping Christ at the centre of everything we do!
• Look after yourself, mentally, physically, emotionally and Spiritually. Teaching is a service orientated role. You give so much of yourself in every lesson. It is important to take the time to look after yourself if you are to have the energy to continue on, and do your best by your students. Eat well, exercise, take time out, and PRAY throughout everyday!

Blogs one through six of magister sapiens (the wise teacher) all address key areas that contribute to the success of beginning teachers. There is much to learn prior to your first teaching position, much to learn during, and I’m certain much to contribute to develop thereafter. Teaching is a heart profession. You must have the heart for what you are doing. Each day you are placed in such a privileged position, as you are entrusted with the education, guardianship and guidance of young people. The time you share together is precious. What you can do in that time even more so. You have the means to make a real difference in peoples’ lives, or the entire opposite. As a beginning teacher, one should feel the pressure of this responsibility, on top of the usual pressures of being thrust into an entirely new scenario with entirely new demands. That sais I truly believe, that if it is meant to be, if it is what you are really meant to be doing, you will feel that; and by His grace you along with your students will be apart of something amazing, and truly do great things together … for many years to come!

Bethlehem Tertiary Institute. (2013). Kattern’s house of learning. Retrieved from http://www.btionline.ac.nz/btionline/mod/url/view.php?id=71211

Palmer, P. (2007). The courage to teach. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.

Tait, M. (2008). Resilience as a contributor to novice teacher success, commitment and retention. Retrieved from http://www.btionline.ac.nz/btionline/mod/resource/view.php?id=69201

5. What I Consider To be the Place of ‘Grace’ in the Classroom and How I Envision It Could Be Outworked

I think the place of grace in the classroom might be seen in the way teachers deal with students; specifically disruptive students. It is important to remember that within such a small space so vast a viewpoints are thrust together and expected to work together collaboratively, cooperatively and harmoniously with the same single goal of learning. Students will come from different backgrounds ethnically, Spirituality, politically and also familial circumstances. They will be used to behaving within the confinements set forth by the ideologies of their unique upbringings and social constructs. Such codes of conduct may not necessarily match with those of their teachers. As such the teacher must understand that disruptive behavior or apparent cheek from students, may not intentionally be meant to be received as such. The students may not realize what they are doing. This is in fact something I have come to realize during my teaching experience so far.

Whilst teachers must establish a level of behavior and conduct expected of students within their classroom; at the same time a responsibility to change or conform must not be something entirely placed on the shoulders of the students. Bishop (2012) discusses the concept of students being expected to confirm to that of their teachers; however I agree and believe, especially in the case of ethnic or cultural circumstances, teachers must too have flexibility to accommodate many of these also. New Zealand Secondary Schools are vastly multicultural (Pakeha, Maori, and Pacific Island, with increasing Asian, and European learners); and asides from the fact that the NZC (Ministry of Education, 2007) calls for cultural inclusiveness, as a Christian educator I believe each student has the right to feel safe, secure and able to bring their unique culture with them into the school environment. Whilst it may be obvious to accommodate the needs of ethnic, Spiritual and cultural needs of students, it is often not seen as obvious to recognize the outworkings and reasonings behind a person’s behavior that from the perspective of the teacher might be deemed as unacceptable behavior for within the classroom setting. Disruptive behavior, intentional or not, regardless can cause significant disruption to the overall learning of the whole class. Therefore keeping in mind the need to be patient and to teach not only what is expected, but the reason for such expectations, is a critical component to teaching and classroom management for the benefit of the learning taking place within the space for.

Understanding that misbehavior might not necessarily be an act of cheek, however should not be left to lie either though. Students must learn (if not understood already) that whilst in such environments as a classroom they must adhere to the expectations set forth there. As teachers we need to remember too that morals and behavioral expectations must also be taught in conjunction with our subjects.

To consider the implications further, I see this being outworked in many ways within the classroom; one being within this area of classroom management. Tait (2008) refers to the benefits of this in her chapter on resilience as a contributor to novice teacher success.  As Tait (2008) iterates, I do believe establishing right from the very start high behavioral and high academic standards for students in your classroom is pertinent for the mental health of teachers, and to prevent physical exhaustion in your first teaching year. Don’t sweat the small stuff – you need to decide what you will let pass, and what you will not let happen in your classroom. Much of this may be predetermined by school codes and rules anyway, but much, especially in terms of the culture and expectations specifically within your environment won’t be, and thus be left up to you. It is important to also remember that every individual within our classroom will come from a different set of rules determined by differing worldviews. The behavior they present in your classroom, may not necessarily be intentionally obstructive or disruptive – hitherto, not necessarily an attack on you; nor might it be meant to be intentionally mean, hurtful a way to cause intentional disruption to your lesson. We have to establish the codes of conduct, the behavioral expectations that we wish to have upheld within our learning environment for them to adhere to, as they may not necessarily have encountered such expectations before – it is our job as teachers to teach (not only our subjects, but also social decorum).

Matthew 7:1-29 teaches us that we must not be judging of others; that we must always remember to look first at ourselves. This too is pertinent to this place of grace within the classroom. As teachers we are no longer the fountains, be all and end all of knowledge (nor should we be). We teach who we are, and I hope to always stay true to myself, recognizing that I may not always be in the right in my classroom; and recognizing that my students too can teach me a lot, as we together continue learning. Teaching is about relationships; relationships between the teacher and the subject matter, the teacher and the student. As a Classical Studies teacher I can’t help but look to the etymology of words; here connections with the Latin relatio, with meanings including to carry/bring back and also to narrate/recite. It is interesting to consider the concept of relationship in this sense; where it’s not just about the forging of connections, the giving, receiving and responding, but also the idea of a transfer. A relationship carries single ideas back and forth between two (or more) points. As inquisitive beings we bring our own baggage, our worldviews, perspectives and intepretations that can then inflluence the exchange as we share in connections, transferring and carrying back and forth ideas. This is interesting, when we consider the place of grace in our classrooms together with our role as educators; and the delicate and significant role we place ourselves in as we are entrusted with the education of young minds. It is a responsiblity not to be taken lightly.

Bishop, R. (2012). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. In D. Fraser & C. McGee (Eds.), The Professional Practice of Teaching (pp. 185-205). Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Tait, M. (2008). Resilience as a contributor to novice teacher success, commitment and retention. Retrieved from http://www.btionline.ac.nz/btionline/mod/resource/view.php?id=69201

4. How Would I Engage Teamwork For Transformative Learning

Just as when utilizing assessment as a tool for learning teachers utilize “authentic performance tasks [to] help students see a reason and context for their learning” (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005), idealistically so too must performance tasks and learning activities find common connections across disciplines. This can be as simple as teachers working together to organize units of similar contexts to be taught in conjunction with one another.

I saw the learning benefits of this during my last practicum. Students were studying systems of government in Social studies. As they were exploring dictatorship (and consequentially Hitler and WWII), we began the film study in English. We chose to study Captain America, a film set during WWII. Students were able to make connections between the two subjects, and were enabled to develop deeper discussions on matters as they accessed prior and current knowledge from each class. The learning from both classes was also given further context. Students were able to realize the reason for learning about the systems of government, as they studied themes of heroism, villainy, worldview and character studies in English; again drawing connections between Hitler’s regimes and the messages engaged with in the film.

It is not overly complicated for teachers from multi-disciplines to sit down, working together as a team, at the beginning of the year to plan and provide such context in the learning for students. Providing cross-curricular context to learning truly does transform and enhance students’ ability to engage and connect with the learning; understanding and scaffolding the building blocks for enhancement of seemingly disconnected conceptual learning, to contextual, real world application.

Another way to engage teamwork for transformative learning is teachers working together to build meaningful relationships and connections with students; and in turn respond to these within the learning environment. One of the major things that came out of Bishop’s (2012) article was the effect cultural inclusiveness within the classroom environment can have for transformative learning to take place. Teachers need to work together, as they gather information and understandings of each individual student. Working together in such a way can help fill in blanks about the background or home life (and in turn cultural ideologies and influences on the education) of a child; in turn benefiting the interaction and connections with students. Students themselves have in fact identified the relationships shared with teachers as the most influential and transformative factor in their ability to learn (Bishop, 2012). The inclusiveness and safety felt by students to bring their own cultures into each of their classrooms without reproach or fear of being asked to conform to something ideologically foreign or contradictory to their understanding or beliefs is vital for students’ success; and something that must be ensured by each teacher of contact.

Bishop, R. (2012). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. In D. Fraser & C. McGee (Eds.), The Professional Practice of Teaching (pp. 185-205). Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

McTighe, J. & O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven Practices for Effective Learning.  
Assessment to Promote Learning, 63(3), 10-17.

3. How Would You Seek to Build Effective Relationships in the School Context

It begins with your contact classes:
From experience now I have found that building truly effective relationships actually can start outside of the classroom, or at least outside of the lessons. Putting in the time and effort to get to know students is critical in receiving positive responses from engagement. Spending time during lunch breaks and form-spells (formtime) are perfect platforms for engaging in discussion with students on topics outside of the subject your teaching them. Getting to know what makes students tick, is transferable then to the classroom too, as you can bring in ideas and interests you know will hit buttons in your students and spark interest in the learning.

As you engage in non-subject orientated discussion, teachers must have first made decisions on what, and to what extent, you want to offer of, and share things about yourself. Whilst you do want to make connections and build strong effective relationships, simultaneously you do not want to open up the relationship to that beyond teacher-student – you don’t want to blur the lines and become the friend; a scenario with the potential for damaging authority and classroom management. All negativity aside though, by deciding what it is you will share, and actually making the effort to connect with students on a trivial level, and share, will make you become real to them. A real person. Not just the blank façade of a teacher; this unknown entity, at the front of the class asking things of you. This goes for situations outside of classroom lessons also – such as in extracurricular circumstances.

Branching out (into the wider net of the school):
Being that teacher that gets involved with everything; from extracurricular activities to student-staff social events.

The teacher who is willing to go above and beyond … the teacher who will even take a pie in the face for her students!

The Netball Coach – Getting involved in things outside of their core subjects … and making connections with students in an entirely different context.

… The Debate Team Leader.

… A “gateway programme” advisor; broadening your own skill set alongside your students. Or bringing your skill set and experience outside of teaching to the forefront, and inspiring students into contributing and being apart of the ‘real world’ in different and exciting ways – opening up doors and inspiring careers, professions, and vocations beyond schooling. 

The teacher who makes himself available and open enough that you just want to chat and do things with him.

Teaching as a relational practice:
Tate states that teaching is “at heart a relationship … and everything else depends upon and flows from that relationship” (Bell, 2011, p.12). It seems obvious to understand relationships in this instance being merely the engagement that is built between the teacher and student. However there is more to developing effective relationships with students than merely connecting with them. Beverley Bell (2011) recognizes eight components that make up a relational practice, and effective relationship building between teachers and students. I particularly like the symbolism of organizing these as a jigsaw; all interconnected, and none more important than the other, but equally vital to effectively building effective relationships with students.

(Bell, 2011).

In Bell’s jigsaw (consolidated above), we are introduced to a conceptual framework with which to base our relationships. One must consider the differing worldviews that are brought to the classroom by each and every individual apart of it. As such teachers must provide the mechanisms and safe environment for all to participate in with this in mind. These include social, cultural, emotional, caring, ethical, embodied, spatial and political factors; all of which must be integral components to our practices – all being about building the right environment, to which the relationship and communicative relationship between teacher and students can then take place within. Where all content and context learning, as well behaviour management and expectations and moral development can then take place (Bell, 2011). A mutual acceptance, and mutual respect is key.

Building effective relationships doesn’t stop at those between the teacher and student though. In order to truly benefit the learning of students, beginning (and experienced) teachers must also develop strong relationships with their fellow colleagues. Bell (2011) discusses the importance of this. From my own limited experience so far, I already understand the feelings of displacement and positioning that beginning teachers can feel as they attempt to forge their way in the professional environment. Equally I have experienced the positive relationships felt between colleagues as you work each day with the focus of working together as a team for the same goal, your students. This is in reference of course to both physical tasks and for the mental health of people. The development of positive relationships are critical in such a people-orientated and service orientated profession – you can never be a solo–soldier.

Five Quick-Fire Tips to Building Effective Relationships in Your Classroom as well as the School Context:
Number One: Keep a Christ-like disposition in every thing you do!
Number Two: Keep it real. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Relate to students and staff alike on your level and their level; communication can be difficult at the best of times, don’t overcomplicate relationshps further by not being yourself. Be honest – integrity is key.
Number Three: In your instuctions, be straight – no fluff. Be fair. Be firm. Confusion can hurt a relationship. Helping students understand can go a long way in relationship building in any circumstance.
Number Four: Relax! Don’t try too hard to connect with people. Relationships are transparent – people will see right through you. Always allow yourself a laugh too; bring humor with you everywhere you go in the school, and it will be the golden tool of your teaching toolbox throughout your career!
Number Five: Be transformative – set high standards (of your students, and also yourself), and stick to and by them. But be respectful also. Never let pride (your students,’ your’s [the teacher’s], or your colleagues’) become a barrier to forging effective and meaningful relationships.

Bell, B. (2011). Theorizing teaching in secondary classrooms. New York, NY: Routledge.

 

2. Responding Effectively to Students’ Learning Needs in Your Classroom

We need to forge honest, open and trustworthy relationships with students, as a teaching tool that can impact upon the efficacy of response to their learning needs within the classroom.

In communicating with students, getting to know their traits, their weaknesses and their strengths, we can begin to understand how best to engage them in the learning. In the previous blog, the key learning styles were identified; so too were colour-coded diagrams illustrating these, along with suggestion on how to accommodate them. I provide them again here for ease of reference:

(Bradley, 2013).

(Bradley, 2013).

As an idea of how to ensure students’ learning preferences are addressed by their teachers and importantly remembered by the students themselves, is to give the students print-outs of the above posters (or like) and have them cut out that which corresponds to them and stick these to their exercise books (Bradley, 2013). Students are then reminded of ways in which they can independently drive their own learning successes, and teachers too are given quick alerts as these reference points indicate quickly learning preferences, and thus triggers a response in the teacher of the best way to then engage each student. Of course as relationships are developed with individual students, such triggers will become progressively unnecessary. However in the beginnings of relationship development, and also as reference for those students where work more independently, or are less often in need of assistance, these triggers provide a quick reference, and useful guides for throughout the year.

It is important always to provide extremely enriching learning experiences for learners. In any attempts to meet the learning needs of our learners, one must also consider the preferred modici of communication of learning, as well as student interest and the engagement tools we choose to use in order that students really do engage with the learning activities and types of assessment offered. Ken Kay (2010) discusses the danger faced in schools teaching with traditional methods to 21^st century learners; whereby students have the potential to become disengaged and demotivated as curricula are delivered “out of step” with their lives and therefore seem irrelevant to their futures. Employing the use of Information and Computer Technologies in presenting new material, as modes of student interactivity in learning activities, as well as offered in assessment options, can be extremely beneficial for the contextual understanding and engagement in learning of 21^st century students.

Explore the links below to useful sites and teaching tools.
Please leave comments on how you have used them in your teaching practice; teaching is about sharing ideas, and I would love to do so!
http://animoto.com/
Make amazing, professional videos to introduce topics and concepts to your students. Or perhaps utilize the technology for assessment purposes.
http://goanimate.com/
Create fun and engaging cartoons with GoAnimate. Follow these links (http://goanimate.com/videos/0yE2d-iycakE / http://goanimate.com/videos/0JDW1nFxQxTE) for suggestions on its use. (Nb. These videos were made for English literacy based subjects. It would be useful to create banks of videos like these that could be pulled out to assist students with essay writing in Classical Studies; as well as short clips to refresh student’s memories on Roman and Greek history and society topics for example).

Of course one must utilise new technology to its potential as we attempt to address learning styles, but not to the point where it becomes a detriment or hinderance to the learning (as can be the case when relying on internet connections and computer facilities), or even merely looses its effect. For example utilizing video creation programs (such as Animoto or GoAnimate) in order to engage students is extremely beneficial; however I believe doing this too often risks loosing appeal and effect. Likewise we must always bear in mind that we learn to use technology to its best – not just for the sake of it. This is too often the case with PowerPoint for example; as Isseks (2011) remarks in his article “How PowerPoint is killing education,” (http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/How-PowerPoint-Is-Killing-Education.aspx), utilizing the technology alone is not necessarily sufficient, “the root problem of [teachers using] PowerPoint presentations is not the power or the point, it’s the presentation” (Isseks, 2011). This along with the temptation to either over pack a slide, or reduce information to near meaningless words arranged on the screen, becomes ineffectual. Trialing new technology and modici of engagement with students is important; gauging interest, ease in usability and effect like any teaching tool, before pursuing it as the sole or preferred method is important. If used to their potential, they can be invaluable; PowerPoint can be used to engage, to instruct, to inspire and to inform – I have found in my teaching experiences already, if nothing else it is a flexible lesson organizer, that rather than becoming something to glue yourself to, can be something to bounce ideas of, out of, and incite discussion and learning from. Prensky (2001) discusses the terminology surrounding our 21^st century learners – where at the time of this article’s publication,they were coined as digital natives; asked to participate in an established educational system no longer designed to teach the radically different current generation and way of thinking. How this implicates and impacts upon our teaching is that we must be mindful of the fact that our learners are in life generally fully immersed and at home (most comfortable) in the digital world; to separate learning from digital technology, the way of the future, makes little sense to them, and little sense to me as a teacher who wants to engage my students in the learning and fully benefit from every encounter. ICT opens up a multitude of doors, when attempting to address the learning styles of students, from the potential for visual learning enhancement, interactive and communicative learning preferences being met, to independent written contexts and verbal video diary blogs. The list is unending as new technology is developed in the educational context daily.

… And finally as a learning preferences side note and tip to beginning teachers on effectively responding to students’ learning needs – no matter how much students’ ipod earphones in ears may appear rude to you, just let it go, and go with it – because listening to music whilst they work is actually just another learning preference that can enhance 21st century students’ learning .. honest!).

Isseks, M. (2011). How powerpoint is killing education. Teaching Screenagers, 68(5), 74-76.

Kay, K. (2010). 21^st Century skills: why they matter, what they are, and how we get there. In J. Bellanca & J. Brandt (Eds.),  21^st Century skills: rethinking how students learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. In, On the Horizon MCB University Press, 9(5), 1-6.

1. The Use of Learning Theories and Styles in Classical Studies (and Junior English)

Learning theories:
There are five learning theories, that having been ruminated, will be discussed in relation to my primary subject area(s) here; behaviorist, constructivist, cognitivist, and the humanist theories.

It would be prudent first to provide a brief definition, outlining the difference between the five theories. Behaviorism is a learning theory based upon B. F. Skinner’s work with mice in the 1930’s (Leonard, 2002, p.16). It posits the stance that all learning objectives should be directive and elicit a predetermined and predictive learning outcome; whereby teachers “drive specific behavioral outcomes from learners through a defined set of learning objectives” (Leonard, 2002, p.16). Cognitivism (developed by Bruner and Piaget [BTI, 2013])differs from behaviorism, where behaviorism is not interested in the learners’ personal thought patterns, mental states and internal processing, cognitivism is. The core of cognitivism is the focus upon learners’ individual response and internal reactions of knowledge. Where behaviorism sets out to instruct and elicit a particular behavioral response from learners, therefore focusing on the external outputs of the learning, cognitivism is interested in how the brain receives, processes and retains new learning. In contrast to behaviorism there is the constructivist theory. Where behaviorism is unconcerned with independent thought, willfulness and creativity, constructivism focus’ upon methods to aid learners construct meaning for themselves, “rather than be controlled by the learning experience, as is the case with behaviorism” (Leonard, 2002, p.16).  Constructivism often lends well to the kinesthetic learning preference. The humanist learning theory, theorized by Maslow and Rogers, concerns itself with self-actualization (BTI, 2013); with a focus on developing the learning and critical thinking processes [not a spoon-fed mentality, or even behaviorist foci] (Leonard, 2002). The social and situational learning theory purposes itself with the task of developing outward focused, cooperative students utilizing resources and participating in their communities to the fullness of their potential (BTI, 2013).

I personally believe there is a time and place for each of these learning theories within my classroom. There are times when students purely need to receive the information they will require to achieve, something ideally aligned with the behaviorist theory (I realize this is a rather sad state, whereby NCEA assessment is increasingly driving student interest rather than the fulfillment of learning). That said, as an educator who wishes to not only be driven by attaining NCEA credits, but also have them pursue the passion for learning I share, to grow their minds, independent thought and potential, as well as the goals of the key competencies in the NZC (Ministry of Education, 2007) – all of which serve to inspire and develop young people who are independent thinkers, valuing service and volunteerism, are cooperative and able to work and develop ideas collaboratively. As such, when applied at the right instance with students who will be responsive to such, I believe the other learning theories too are very well suited to the classroom I wish to develop.

In the teaching and learning of Classics:
Even in the history subtopics of Classics, there is always an element of direct truth and fact combined with the independent thought patterns of the historian, teacher, interpreter and learner as one attempts to fill in the gaps of now missing knowledge.[1] Therefore within the Classics classroom context, all planning must first include an element of behaviorist theory, in that learners are directed to the facts and unchangeable learning outcomes. Then as students and teachers delve deeper in the areas of Classics with variable outcomes due to the ambiguity and conjecture of the archaeological and historical evidence, the concepts of the other learning theories become more appropriate; as students can guided to attempt to clarify and interpret the blanks. Therefore the Classics classroom and the Classics teacher must be flexible in their approach to the learning theories they posit to present. They must be flexible and incorporate a combination regardless of personal perspective or favour of one or more, in order for students to truly engage with the subject and grow in their learning and understanding.

Classical studies is a very soft subject, as well as hard; in that it involves hard facts, as well as soft interpretation. There are elements of clear content learning, simultaneously combined with the growth and development of the learners’ individual mores as they seek answers in the ideological adherences of past peoples in comparison to that of their own.

Learning styles:
It’s important to remember that everyone learns differently. The key learning styles are illustrated below, along with a chart that illustrates teaching ideas/learning activities that correspond to each:

(Bradley, 2013).

Learning about these styles is one thing; however learning the implications of these styles in a practical context is another. Most beginning teachers (myself definitely included), idealistically hope to address each and every learning preference and need of each and every student in their classroom continually and simultaneously, lesson to lesson, in order to consistently benefit the learning of all their students. Unfortunately however, this often is harder to achieve every lesson than one would ideally hope.

That said, as a Christian, and a Christian educator I believe that, “with God all things are possible,” (Matthew, 18:26, NIV). Whilst I understand the energy requirements for such planning and teaching, there are many factors that can be addressed in order to reach and engage each and every student across the span of a unit, in order that everybody is given the chance to experience the learning and truly gain understanding. This approach may not be an every learning style, every lesson, but instead an every learning style, every unit approach, in order that it might better benefit the continued ability of teachers to teach and for students to learn on a long-term basis. (Plus unfortunately such attempts to scramble and include every single learning preference in the delivery of content and activities into one single lesson can risk causing unnecessary confusion of tasks, activities and relevance; whereby riskly focus turns to delivery of tasks, rather than context of learning).

The following formative assessment activity, which I designed for a year nine English film study unit [New Zealand Curriculum Level 4-5 (Ministry of Education, 2007)], attempts to address each learning style, giving each student the opportunity to spark further engagement and develop their understanding of the key ideas, character and theme studies, within a new context, and give the opportunity to show knowledge of these areas in a way that suited their preferred learning styles.

   

The Propaganda Poster activity (pictured above) appeals to learners who prefer to learn and communicate ideas with words, as the focus of the poster demands more written emphasis. The Comic Book Cover activity (pictured above) is designed to accommodate visual and graphic learners; providing the opportunity to communicate knowledge and develop understanding through the use of images, symbolism and graphics. Students whom engage best with kinesthetic, verbal, or social learning styles are again given the opportunity to develop their understanding of key themes and characters studies in the film study, in this case by presenting their ideas in the form of an active role-play (activity instructions are pictured above).

This activity set could easily be transferred to a Classical studies context; whereby in a literature study, Homer’s Iliad for example, the characteristics and traits of Greek heroes are studied. Hitherto, just as this activity set is designed to be delivered prior to the culmnative essay and summative assessment, so too could this be given to students prior to NCEA internal or external examinations to ensure engagement and learning by every student, and every learning preference. This and other ways of including all learning styles in the classroom is something extremely important to me; and is therefore something I would like to develop further throughout my continued teaching.

Bethlehem Tertiary Institue. (2013). Learning Theories. Retrieved from www.btionline.ac.nz/btionline/mod/resource/view.php?id=71224

Bradbury, I. (2013). Teaching and Learning – Documents. Retrieved from http://www.ian-bradbury.com/documents/

Carlton University. (2013). Learning Styles. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/teaching/learningstyles.html#implications

Davey, G. (2010). The sense behind the dress sense: an interpretative study of the representation of elite women in Etruscan tomb painting. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University.

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Leonard, D. C. (2002). Learning theories, A-Z. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

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[1] For example, Greek and Roman literature speaks of the social expectations of Etruscan women as being much freer than Greek and Roman respectively – with social morality and reservations around promiscuity almost non-existent. However the artwork in Etruscan tomb paintings, at times depicts Etruscan women’s lives as something similar to that of our own in western culture today – of independence, but in no way of the exaggeratory and explicit rumors reported from their Greco-Romans neighbors. The discrepancy presented by these two dichotomous representations is where it is up to the historian, interpreter, teacher and learner to apply their own independent thought, and apply factual knowledge along with their own speculatory yet educated assertions (Davey, 2010); moving away from any preconceived direct learning objectives, but into more flexible learning outcomes that involve students in the thinking process as primary to the intended divisatory learning, where their input is key to the success of the lesson, not merely the teacher directives.