Rohler Writes

I have always found perspectives in learning interesting even long before I knew the word situative. It likely stemmed from my work in theatre and playing the roles of characters, and adapting those roles with my own unique sensibilities. One of the most impactful projects that I did with my students was the “Mr. Riley fell off the stage” assignment. Figure 1.  Shutterstock falling images, Retrieved from: https://www.shutterstock.com/search/falling The grade 3/4 class, which was situated on a classic school gym stage, started with each student receiving a pencil, and a piece of paper. From there I started instructing them on the use of a stage light. I started walking backwards and suddenly fell off the stage (onto a large matt below). I quickly stood up after falling and asked the students to write about their experience in detail. Only one response was the same between all 105 students who participated. Two students wrote: “Mr. Riley fell off the stage...

Being Normal is Abnormal, Abnormal is the Norm Our world is an infinite number of completely unique experiences, that each human can experience in their own way. Even two individuals experiencing the same moment will have a unique experience to it, a moment that is seen completely through their own eyes, through their own mind, and their own individual perspectives. “In a species made up of unique beings, a truly normal individual would be truly abnormal (p. 161)“ (Davis, Sumara, & Luce-Kaplar, 2015). Yet the traditional models of our school system are devised so that the best predictors of success for students is the extent of their parent's education (Davis, Sumara, & Luce-Kaplar, 2015) and not necessarily on the ability of the individual. Davis, Sumara, and Luce Kaplar (2015) state that this situative view of learning is “distributed in your physical, social, and cultural environments” (p. 142).   There are many ways in which teachers can create an enviro...

Planning Authentic Learning  Opportunities in a Busy School Year In working with a partner in class today I was reminded by some of the struggles of creating effective plans that can sustain a teacher throughout a year. Time is an incredible struggle and it can be hard to be constantly creating new activities for students. Of course, many teachers take the time at the start of the year to create a detailed plan it is often too hard to stick to the plan once enacted. Arts immersion learning follows multiple projects throughout the year, these projects vary in art form and curricular points covered. Each project gives the staff an outline of the themes that are required during certain times. For example, if students are doing an art show, the daily tasks, or curricular teaching can all revolve around the theme of the art show.   Figure 1. Curricular Tiles. Calgary Arts Academy (2015) Facilitators from Calgary Arts Academy collaborate to create original year plans ...

Figure 1. Me and My Daughter April 4, 2019               As I write this blog after welcoming my new baby girl into this world, it is hard not to write about these experiences. I can’t help but wonder what role will technology play in her life. One hundred years from now, thanks to medical technology, will she be a thriving centenarian? How will technology impact the life she lives, how she lives, the work she does, the family and community she creates? How will technology affect her education? Most importantly how can I possibly prepare her for this constantly changing, advancing, and new world? I can’t wait to watch her grow and find her own way. The readings this week have me very optimistic about her and her brothers future, their place in it, and their education.  I am optimistic that if given the right opportunities, children of today will have diverse perspectives, unheard of creative abilities, and resil...

It is interesting to me to see where politics and school intersect. In our recent readings of Ito, et. al. (2009),   we have read about the some of the amazing things youth are doing with technology, as they move from media consumers to media producers. As students work with technology in the classroom they develop real-world 21st-century skills that are noted in government documents such as the Framework for Student Learning from   Alberta Education (2011).   Many people are scared of digital change, yet, as Thomas and Brown (2011) put it “embracing change and seeing information as a resource can help us stop thinking of learning as an isolated process of information absorption and start thinking of it as a cultural and social process of engaging with the constantly changing world around us (p. 47).” On March 15, 2019, Ontario education minister, Lisa Thompson, announced that in the next school year her department will be “developing a new policy that will ban the ...