Use of Different Pedagogical Approaches

During the summer of 2018, CEP 810 Understanding with Technology gave me many insights to different forms of technology and implementations of it, but it is also where I was introduced to the TPACK model. TPACK is technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and content knowledge (CK), but within one's context. The TPACK approach goes beyond those three knowledge areas individually and it unifies them within one's context. It’s choosing the right technology tool within the content of your own classroom while using a specific pedagogical approach. 

 

In the master’s course, we had an activity called “Cooking with TPACK” which greatly advanced my understanding of TPACK. The instructors, Missy and Kyle, set up different stations and at each station there was a specific food and a unique tool to prepare the food. It was all luck of the draw. One station had a knife with cream, another station had a whisk with fruit, and I wound up with a cheese grater and cheese. Once again, luck of the draw. Even though I had the correct tool to make me successful, it still helped me with my understanding of how some children have more affordances than others. I learned that some tools are more beneficial for a specific experience, but all tools are able to be repurposed. 

 

Repurposing tools was a large proponent of this master’s course. As an educator, who is constantly trying to engage students while also making sure they are learning, it is important to keep an open mind about changing the purpose of a form of technology. Cooking with TPACK helped me realize that. I learned that technology is there to enhance a student's experience, however, without a unique approach or pedagogical knowledge and without an understanding of content knowledge, learning won’t be as effective. 

 

However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that I truly started grasping the concept of TPACK.

 

At this point in my schooling, I had a multitude of digital technology programs I could implement in my classroom, but I struggled with incorporating the pedagogical knowledge. In CEP 800 Counseling, Educational Psychology & Special Education, it made me more apparent of the needs of different learners.

 

In the final assignment of the course, I had to research a Problem of Practice. I chose to focus it on analytical writing. During my six years of teaching, my students have struggled with writing an analysis. Instead, they summarize or repeat their evidence. Through different pedagogical approaches, I can reach more learners. 

 

I realized I had to treat it less like a writing assignment and more like a classroom activity. In my research, I discovered that, “...learning of knowledge critically depends on the students' ability to make connections between multiple representations” (Ainsworth, 2006; Ainsworth et al., 2002; Cook, Wiebe, & Carter, 2007; Eilam & Poyas, 2008; Gutwill et al., 1999; de Jong et al., 1998; Ozgün-Koca, 2008; Schnotz € & Bannert, 2003; Schwonke, Ertelt, & Renkl, 2008; Schwonke & Renkl, 2010; Taber, 2001). The different approaches to learning will engage more learners, but will also differentiate learning for the various learners in the classroom. Using visual learning “...can facilitate the student to text connection” (Gorman & Eastman, 2010). 

 

With keeping that in mind, I came up with possible technology and pedagogical approaches:

1. Newsela

   1. Different lexile levels

   2. Basic comprehension questions

2. CommonLit

   1. Comprehension questions

3. Images/ Audio/ Video/ Movie Trailers to analyze 

   1. music/ sound/ speed

   2. facial expressions

   3. speed of shots

   4. lighting

And I will continue to use previously used items in my classroom

• • Looseleaf and writing utensils

  • Whiteboard and expo markers

  • Smartboard/ document camera/ laptop 

 

I want students to use their own experiences to learn. Therefore the end goal is for students to facilitate their own learning and to come up with their own conclusions. In order for students to get to this point, I plan on students facilitating a discussion to analyze images, advertisements, movie trailers, videos, audio, etc. The use of other mediums will reach more students' needs and at the same time still teach the skills necessary to be successful with writing. Once they have mastered this skill, it can be transferred to analyzing readings.

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Prior to the program, I only thought about teaching with the use of standards. My job has always been a standard based learning environment and did not encourage a varied use of techniques to teach, so I stayed with what was comfortable and safe. Since I was instructed to focus a lot of my teaching on writing and specifically thought the use of written analytical paragraphs, the majority of assessments I gave students were essays. It wasn’t until this program that I expanded the concept of analyzing through the use of multimedia. It helped inspire me to think more outside the box. Learning isn’t black and white. There are more ways to learn analytical writing than simple through the written word. 

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The MAET program gave me a blueprint that I needed to be a better teacher. It gave me tools to use in my classroom, but more importantly, it taught me how to find tools to implement in my classroom. It gave me the knowledge I needed to continue to be a lifelong learner while being a teacher. I am confident in my ability to remix a tool, assignment, objective, or any other resource in my classroom. Now when I look at something, I see it as a multipurpose instrument, not simply what it was designed for.

 

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