When I was student nurse back in 1988, improvement of skill set and practice was an inherent component of the working environment, not just for students’ but for certified nurses as well. Nurses were constantly having to adapt to new technologies and techniques that were being introduced.  Having left the nursing program over 25 years ago, I have seen HUGE changes on the ward when I have visited loved ones. There are now computerized IV drips (THANK GOD! Calibrating them in the old days was a PAIN!) digital thermometers, computerized blood pressure machines, and the list goes one.  From my experiences and perceptions, I ask the question – why is change more readily accepted in this environment versus what I have experienced in my  educational environment?

In my 23 years as an educator,  I have not embraced professional change with the same gusto or joie de vivre, as in nursing.  I do not think that I am the only educator who has viewed  “change” in this light.  Part of my lack of enthusiasm is due to the adoption of bandwagon approaches by our education milieu, but I don’t think that I can solely quantify my skepticism to bandwagon fads.  Why as an educator am I more hesitant to embrace change compared to my days as a student nurse?  As a student nurse, I wanted to do everything that I could to help my patient recuperate as quickly and as comfortably as possible.  I watched nurses with VERY heavy case loads engage in collaborative teaming to meet patient needs. It wasn’t a perfect world but change in practice appeared to be embraced more readily, and interest in improving practice was sought out more eagerly.

As an educator, I want to help my students be the best that they can be, but do I really provide educational experiences that best meet my STUDENTS’ needs? Or is the educational experience more reflective of what I can provide, i.e  where my skill set and where my “mindset” are at? I have been really thinking about to what degree am I a student-centered educator, since embarking on my problem-based learning project.  Now after doing some professional reading about what problem-based learning entails and being coached by my mentors, I am not so sure that I am as student-centered as I once believed I was.   I am stuck in the middle of a change situation. . . a fork in the road

My definition of student-centred learning has now been challenged, and I can honestly say that I am struggling.  What I find intriguing is that I am instinctually assuming that this model will not value the skills or knowledge that I possess.  I come to the table defensive with an unsubstantiated assumption that I have to throw out all of my strong teaching practices. Yet, what I have read about this model contradicts my instinctual reaction. In actuality, this model does draw upon many of my educational strengths. Thus, throwing everything out would be ridiculous and counter productive.  So why am I jumping to these assumptions and judgments before I even know what problem-based learning will ask of me? I know that I am a hard worker and that learning is something that I like to do.  Yet, I am instinctually responding in a negative way to a process that I initiated!

I find this interesting because I perceive myself as a person who embraces change readily. Thus, do I truly possess a growth mindset or is my perception skewed?   Upon reflecting on my  first problem-based learning meeting with my mentors and friends, Kelli and Linda, I was deflecting, challenging, and torpedoing rather than embracing the opportunity to grow. I struggled with the idea of providing students with more autonomy to guide their own learning, wrapping my head around what this model will require of me, as “the teacher”, and worried how I would meet all the curricular and assessment accountability components that I face as an educator.   What will I do with the students that don’t buy into this model?  I think the bigger question that I need to ask myself is do all students really buy into the present model in the first place? The brutally honest answer to this question is no.

There was a lot of “I”-focused dialogue versus “student- focused dialogue in my filibustering. Research suggests that adult learners need to see “how” change will be of benefit in order to engage in the change process. The video below provides an interesting perspective on how to overcome adult resistance to change.  It provides insight into how adults may look at change.  The message that I picked up from the video was that adults will engage  more readily in the change process if they see some personal benefit.  Having data that demonstrates change is needed will lead to minimal growth.  I grasp the adult learning concept presented in the video, but I have to grapple with the impact this reality can have on classroom learning.  Should Ingrid, who is an adult and an educator, be able to opt out or disregard research-based practices because I do not see any personal benefit?  My answer to this is no.  What I have learned from my reflection over  the past few weeks is that  I care deeply about my students, but I unconsciously do exactly what the video suggests. I am unwilling to dive into problem-based learning full throttle because I do not see the personal benefit.  I see potential failure which is daunting, and a ton of work that may be for nothing.  I use the premise that the model won’t work for all kids as a way of justifying my apprehensions.  I now am more aware of how my learning bias is inhibiting potential growth.

Maybe one of my unexpected steps in this journey is to sit down and talk with groups students on what they would like to experience in class instead of assuming that I know what they want and need.   I fully realize that for a full-time classroom teacher the business of teaching most often supersedes being able to engage in the ongoing reflective practice.   Prior to my staff development role,  I got on my hamster wheel and sprinted to cover curriculum and meet my provincial mandates, to the best of my ability. But what if I minimized some of the Industrial Age School Model demands, just for a little while, and engaged in more reflective practice?  How might this impact student learning?

In two weeks, I meet for my second problem-based planning session.  I plan to collect data from students on what their “optimal” learning environment would look like, sound like, and feel like over the next 4 months.  I also plan to come to the table to learn and grow.  Stay tuned for  the next entry in my journey. I am going to keep in mind the messages that this video presents on change.   Wish me luck!

 

All the best,

Ingrid