I guess it’s that time… the end of another semester. I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s course modules and reading/hearing the feedback on mine!
Model: Blended Learning mixed with Thinking Classroom Flipped Model
Audience: 15-16-year-olds, primarily minority groups, high absence rate
LMS: Canvas Instructure
Accessibility: enlarge font, buttons and videos, videos to read lessons aloud, alternative text, open form assignment submissions, assessment and needs form.
Tech integrations: Padlet, Flipgrid, PollEverywhere, Screencastify (videos and interactive videos), Lumi (videos, drag and drop, fill in the blanks), Google Docs/Slides/Forms
Community: face-to-face/groups work, group forum discussions, live Canvas Chat group assignments
How do you create an authentic online “community”? Is it possible? In relation to my previous post, “Defining Course Accessibility & Equity”, how do we balance the diverse needs, requests, and capabilities of our students and families to create equitable and ethical accessibility for everyone? Can we please everyone or do we just ensure we include the basics needed for starting and building an online community and add alternatives for those who choose to want different?
What is an Online Community?
When I think of an online community I think of a group or page on Facebook, that is directly where my brain turns. However, if we think of what the term “community” means in generalized terms we can understand that it is and can be the coming together of any people for the purpose of commonality, whatever that may be: religion, culture, family, school, interests.
When I think of the online community I’m wanting to create for my online class I consider what it is that we have in common other than they need to participate to pass my class. Our overall commonality is Native Studies 10 - the learning and application of Indigenous ways of life. As I mentioned in a previous post, I struggled to choose to make this course incorporate technology as many believe that these courses should decolonize and revert back to authentic and traditional teachings, but I also feel that there is room to do both in order to be able to reach all my students to the best of my abilities, especially with a course with such high absence.
Indigenous Communities
Community is vital to the Indigenous ways of life and this should be no different for my course. When considering how to incorporate forms of communication to develop an online community I knew I wanted to have variety to keep them learning new tools, I wanted to keep them interested, and I knew I needed to be able to monitor that involved and guide them to focused forms of communication.
“Community is a pillar of identity for Indigenous Peoples — it is coming together for ceremony, for mourning, for celebration, for gratitude, for harvest, for support, for everything.”
In my course I have included multiple forms of communication:
Flipgrid videos
Padlet collaboration activities
Polleverywhere surveys
Group work (blended classroom)
Teacher and Informational Videos (interactive and non)
Tutorial videos
Blogging
Google Form Submissions
Discussion Forums
Canvas Chat discussions
After I read the 6 Strategies for Building Community in an Online Course I reviewed my module and felt that it needed a few edits to make some instructions more focused and some additional links to create ease of useability and access. I also found that the multitude of communication tool and their groupings for those tools and activities, for the most part, fulfilled Bates’ suggestions for various communicative designs. I found the points under Meaningful Online Discussion particularly helpful to better focus my chat and discussion prompts.
Types of Communication
Flipgrid, Padlet & PollEv
Example of using Flipgrid in one of my lessons
I chose to include these forms of response or collaborative communication as either entry or exit slips. I placed them at the beginning or end of lessons to either break the ice or prompt reflective thought and discussions. Some include videos, and images while others are immediate compared responses (Padlet falling into both categories).
These communicative tools will initiate and develop critical thought more than carry a conversation. I hope that these forms of communication would inspire students to open up a bit, become comfortable with communicating with one another anonymously or asynchronously, and help build the community to become more comfortable and open during synchronous interactions.
Teacher-Created Tutorials & Videos
example of a tutorial video I made and included in my lesson.
These are for the purpose of support. I want students to know that I care and have taken the time to personally develop customized resources for them to use and learn from. This way they can see my face (especially important for those who are absent a lot), hear my voice, and know the type of teacher I am and the types of learning I hope to promote. By the time students hit upper elementary/middle year and high school they’ve learned that finding the type of work teachers like is beneficial. Though we should be open to all work we cannot help but have unconscious biases and also look for specific results depending on our subject area.
Blogging & Discussion Forums
Multiple communication options to build connection.
In relation to the previous section, I’ve included these forms of communication for a better understanding of my students. Yes, having online submissions makes student work more easily accessible to me and for me to keep track of their participation but it also allows me to see how they approach, reflect, and respond to prompts I’ve given and to those other than my own.
Blogging opens each student’s mind to be individually reflective and vulnerable. This way I am not viewing the altered thoughts influenced by a group discussion, which is not a bad thing, but it allows for a form of formative assessment and lets me know where this student’s personal knowledge level is. Once a discussion happens I can also read their post to know where that discussion has taken them and how they’ve received the information, processed it, and what they’re wondering after reflecting upon it.
Group Discussion forums promote critical thought. This is where discussion can become deepened and turn from automated responses to meaningful ones. I want my students to learn not just from me but from one another. Our students hold a language that we don’t have and sometimes that is exactly what they need to put together the final pieces of a puzzle we’ve been trying to help them form. This leads me to the final form.
Reliable Communication Forms - CHAT
One example of using the Chat feature in Canvas.
One of the reasons I chose to use Canvas for my LMS was its built-in chat option for each course. I have learned from Katia’s courses that this open form of communication can offer a lot of insight, varied opinions, and helpful interactions. I find that this form of community building or communication supplies all the assets: meaningful connection and communication, engaging conversation, supportive content, and relevant discussion or questions and answers. I have added a few chat prompts to my module to encourage the use of the chat option and hope that it guides my students to feel comfortable and confident in using it knowing I am also a part of that chat.
Assessment
When it comes to assessment the majority of these communicative platforms are monitored formatively. My reasoning behind this is that they predominantly show independent thought (Flipgrid, Padlet, PollEverywhere, discussion forum posts), meaningful interactions promoting new perspectives (discussion responses, chat, group work, info/tutorial videos), and then the formation of new knowledge or point of view (blogging and Google Form submissions).
Padlet example and how I’ve included video walkthroughs for absent students
The latter, blogs and form/quiz submissions, can serve as summative, collectively, to make up a portion of their final grade but this can be changed or removed depending on the course and the students. The overall goal is to offer multiple forms of communication to appeal to all areas of intellect, thought, ability, and perspective in order to build and sustain an ongoing and meaningful community around the commonality of Native Studies teaching and learning.
Questions:
What are forms of communication or connection you are passionate about including in your courses?
What does accessible means? Does it mean audio features and larger icons? Perhaps accessible means having a cellphone or computer? Maybe it just means having power and spotty internet. Accessible might mean having a printed package of worksheets designed and provided to you by a teacher who cares that also came with a few cool pencils and erasers. Access to education varies with every child and it is our job to adapt.
When discussing accessibility and equity with my peers it was clear that we all come from different areas and we all experience different obstacles when it comes to accessibility and equity. What I hope we have in common is that no matter how hard times get with budget cuts, higher demands, and fewer resources, we all understand and are motivated to be there to provide a safe, welcoming environment that offers an opportunity for growth.
Image from Vecteezy
Growth also has various meanings and should be applied with context. I have a strong belief that life needs are a priority to academic needs (not that academics are not significant). If a child is hungry or hasn’t slept all night due to feeling unsafe at home we need to work to do what we can for that life need to be met prior to asking that child to participate in reading 3 chapters of a novel to catch up. Perhaps offering a snack while reading them the first chapter and having a discussion about it is a way to fulfill both of those needs simultaneously. What about pausing the class to have a group meditation session for 20 minutes so we can focus on our mental health (and that student can get a few minutes of undisturbed sleep)?
Teaching has changed and I feel it is our duty to change with it. We promise to continue learning so we can be the best we can be for our students but maybe all they need is a snack and someone to read to them, even if they’re 15. We don’t have a job to do, we have a role to fill, and our role is to provide a safe environment for growth. At least that’s my belief. I know that is what I would want for my child.
Accessibility in Blended Learning
Accessibility is something I attempted to consider when building my module but, looking back, I can see where I need to add some notes and accessibility features. I need to add notes to my drag’n’drop activities that can also be utilized as click-and-click activities. I also want to add some audio buttons to my Lumi videos which I learned about from Anna in her Lumi blog post. Thanks, Anna.
Image from Vecteezy
I also spoke with my dad’s best friend, who runs a successful company with the use of technology and is a quadriplegic. He uses a chair he steers with his chin and operates his computer using glasses that “click” when he double blinks both eyes. He runs a large furniture and appliance store and says that large buttons are his favourite accessibility feature because like some people have “fat fingers” he seems to have “fat eyes” and sometimes orders too many stoves if the buttons are too small. He’s spoken with some of the supply companies and their tech departments and they’d made accessibility changes to their site thanks to him bringing awareness to accessibility needs.
I attempted to activate subtitles for my Lumi videos but was saddened to see that this option is not compatible with YouTube on Lumi. The option is available through YouTube itself though.
When it comes to the basics of accessibility, internet, power, and attendance to access education, I have experienced these situations frequently and have plans to print my LMS lesson screens, the text versions of the videos (thank you YouTube Transcripts), and activities. I watched this YouTube video to learn how to find the transcripts (and use videos with transcripts) for the videos I want to use in my courses. This way I can print them, but also, screen and text readers can better access them. Unfortunately, Lumi doesn’t appear to have a transcript option (that I could find - please let me know if you find one) so getting the original video’s transcript and sending home the interactive questions for them to answer via pencil and paper would be an accessibility option.
Equity in Blended Learning
Image of a woman doing sign language via video chat. Photo from Vecteezy
This topic is slightly more controversial and difficult to address in a face-to-face setting. How do we address the issue of students not being able to use technology in a blended-learning classroom? Luckily I have friends who have encountered just this. The simplest (in theory) solution is to use an LMS that offers the option to print your modules/pages/lessons and activities so that they can be assigned physically instead of digitally. Additionally, I include a needs assessment and request form (which can be completed digitally or physically) for all courses and students (and families) can complete it to notify me of any other adaptations that may be required or requested.
Your Ideas
I’m curious to hear what others are doing for accessibility and equity in their blended learning modules and I welcome all suggestions!
All thoughts I had during my endeavour to use Lumi for my course module. Then I felt like a moron when I watched the tutorial video and saw how easy it was to use. cue face-palm
When I completed turning my video into an interactive one, I sat there and was sad that my learning of Lumi was over. So I made another one. Same result. Sadness. So I made my own video and then uploaded THAT ONE to Lumi and made it interactive. Same result. So I decided to play around with the interactive tools that other sites had but none were as great, though I did link the interactive video I made with Screencastify. I ended up back on Lumi and decided to explore what other things I could create. But let’s look at what I created for the assigned task in my course module.
Interacting in Native Studies 10
The blended Learning module I created on Canvas is focused on Native Studies 10 (NS10) and inspired by the unit the curriculum website offers. The unit has not been updated since 2001 and still uses foundational (FO) and learning objectives (LO), as well as Common Essential Learnings (CELs). I chose the Initial FO & LO in unit 3 and created a course module based on those.
I struggled with the decision to add technology to a traditional topic of learning but hoped I could balance the approach by making this module engaging through technology, focused on updated factual information, and other lessons/units that focus more on land-based education taking place in the warmer months to better utilize our land-based resources in my school (natural discovery/play area down the block, school atrium and native plant garden, school atrium teepee, Indigenous belonging room, etc).
LUMI and NS10
Once I got the hang of using Lumi I loved the creative options and made quite a few interactive videos for my module but the one I immediately knew I wanted to make falls in Lesson 5 of my course module prototype. Here is a breakdown of my lessons to help you understand how lesson 5 comes into play:
Lesson 1: What Makes a Leader
This lesson introduces the topic of leadership in American Indigenous cultures, what qualities and skills students believe leaders should have, and a discussion and journal reflection on their thoughts on this subject to later reflect back on.
*Integrations: an introductory video, Padlet, Google Docs, Canvas Discussion forum, and Screencastify videos.
Lesson 2: Indigenous Leadership
This lesson dives deeper into how Indigenous leaders were historically selected and the different types of leaders Indigenous cultures have.
*Integrations: Padlet, Google Docs, Canvas Discussion forum, website links, and Screencastify videos.
Lesson 3: Laws of the Land
Lesson 3 focuses on how different Indigenous tribes have similarities and differences in their views of leadership and how those beliefs affect how the community operates.
*Integrations: multiple Google Docs.
Lesson 4: Indigenous Leadership Research Report
This lesson is an assignment for students to complete a short research project on an Indigenous leader of their choosing and apply the information they have learned in the first few lessons. See gallery photos for a better idea.
Integrations: Google Docs, Screencastify video, Rubric links, Links to citation examples, links to Indigenous research examples, screencastify of citation and referencing examples.
Lesson 5: Separate Worlds
Here we are at lesson 5, finally. This lesson is the first of a series investigating the ways of life of Indigenous peoples prior to colonialism and shortly after. It is called Stage One - Separate Worlds. I have attempted to make each step different so as to keep engagement high. This lesson begins with a 1 page Google Doc reading about pre-colonial Indigenous life which contains some information that students may need to know for the upcoming video. This reading is directly followed by the Lumi interactive video (which can be seen below as well).
Hello, World!
The interactive video is followed up with an independent reflection via either Google Docs or a blog post (students’ choosing), and then with a group discussion assignment which serves as a final piece of assessment of understanding for this lesson (formative).
Read on for the remainder of the lessons in this sequence and the final summative project.
Lesson 6: Cooperation
This lesson starts with students completing a PollEverywhere survey as a pre-assessment for me to gather where there may be knowledge gaps I can fill or if I can skip over some surface knowledge and dig deeper into those topics. This is also for students to reflect back on and see if they can add to their previous knowledge.
Next, students watch and complete an interactive video that I made with Google Slides, Bitmoji, and screencastify (can see the video below). I wanted to explore the interactive options on screencastify to be able to compare their features to those of Lumi. I like Lumi better as it offers more options and diversification when it comes to the types of interactions available for the teacher to use.
Students end the lesson with us reviewing the Polleverywhere questions together and discussing any learnings. They then complete a journal entry about their predictions and knowledge about what happens next in Stage 3.
Integrations: Polleverywhere, Google Slides, Bitmoji, Screencastify, Google docs or blogs
Hello, World!
Lesson 7: Displacement & Assimilation
The third lesson of this series brings in the negative effects of colonialism and starts with a short interactive video I made on Lumi. Students complete a small reflection jigsaw activity based on the information from the video and then divide into random groups to complete a Drag’n’drop I made on Lumi as well. They end the lesson by filling out a Google Form with questions they made (with the answers) using information from the Drag’n’Drop. These questions will be used in an in-class review game made on Lumi.
Hello, World!
Lesson 8: Negotiations & Rights
In the original Native Studies 10 unit, this lesson is called Negotiations and Renewal but I felt that to be inaccurate as there has not been a renewal of First Nations/Metis and European relationships. Therefore I renamed it Negotiations and Rights.
This lesson is intentionally minimalistic just to introduce the topic as we will be studying more of this period in time later in the course. It begins with a Fill-in-the-Blank I made on Lumi and then moves to another interactive Lumi video that gives students a summary and visual of what they just read. I then direct them to click to the next page in Canvas to find an assignment where they will explore using Lumi themselves.
Lesson 9: Lumi Assignment
This short assignment will serve as 1 of 2 summative submissions in the first half of the term. Students will select one of the 4 stages, then choose a topic or influential person from that stage, find a video on them that summarizes the significance, and use Lumi to make that video interactive.
I have included a tutorial on how to go through these steps and how to use Lumi and submit their final piece.
This is the end of my course module prototype and hope it inspires some learning!
All thoughts I had during my endeavour to use Lumi for my course module. Then I felt like a moron when I watched the tutorial video and saw how easy it was to use. cue face-palm
When I completed turning my video into an interactive one, I sat there and was sad that my learning of Lumi was over. So I made another one. Same result. Sadness. So I made my own video and then uploaded THAT ONE to Lumi and made it interactive. Same result. So I decided to play around with the interactive tools that other sites had but none were as great, though I did link the interactive video I made with Screencastify. I ended up back on Lumi and decided to explore what other things I could create. But let’s look at what I created for the assigned task in my course module.
Interacting in Native Studies 10
The blended Learning module I created on Canvas is focused on Native Studies 10 (NS10) and inspired by the unit the curriculum website offers. The unit has not been updated since 2001 and still uses foundational (FO) and learning objectives (LO), as well as Common Essential Learnings (CELs). I chose the Initial FO & LO in unit 3 and created a course module based on those.
I struggled with the decision to add technology to a traditional topic of learning but hoped I could balance the approach by making this module engaging through technology, focused on updated factual information, and other lessons/units that focus more on land-based education taking place in the warmer months to better utilize our land-based resources in my school (natural discovery/play area down the block, school atrium and native plant garden, school atrium teepee, Indigenous belonging room, etc).
LUMI and NS10
Once I got the hang of using Lumi I loved the creative options and made quite a few interactive videos for my module but the one I immediately knew I wanted to make falls in Lesson 5 of my course module prototype. Here is a breakdown of my lessons to help you understand how lesson 5 comes into play:
Lesson 1: What Makes a Leader
This lesson introduces the topic of leadership in American Indigenous cultures, what qualities and skills students believe leaders should have, and a discussion and journal reflection on their thoughts on this subject to later reflect back on.
*Integrations: an introductory video, Padlet, Google Docs, Canvas Discussion forum, and Screencastify videos.
Lesson 2: Indigenous Leadership
This lesson dives deeper into how Indigenous leaders were historically selected and the different types of leaders Indigenous cultures have.
*Integrations: Padlet, Google Docs, Canvas Discussion forum, website links, and Screencastify videos.
Lesson 3: Laws of the Land
Lesson 3 focuses on how different Indigenous tribes have similarities and differences in their views of leadership and how those beliefs affect how the community operates.
*Integrations: multiple Google Docs.
Lesson 4: Indigenous Leadership Research Report
This lesson is an assignment for students to complete a short research project on an Indigenous leader of their choosing and apply the information they have learned in the first few lessons. See gallery photos for a better idea.
Integrations: Google Docs, Screencastify video, Rubric links, Links to citation examples, links to Indigenous research examples, screencastify of citation and referencing examples.
Lesson 5: Separate Worlds
Here we are at lesson 5, finally. This lesson is the first of a series investigating the ways of life of Indigenous peoples prior to colonialism and shortly after. It is called Stage One - Separate Worlds. I have attempted to make each step different so as to keep engagement high. This lesson begins with a 1 page Google Doc reading about pre-colonial Indigenous life which contains some information that students may need to know for the upcoming video. This reading is directly followed by the Lumi interactive video (which can be seen below as well).
Hello, World!
The interactive video is followed up with an independent reflection via either Google Docs or a blog post (students’ choosing), and then with a group discussion assignment which serves as a final piece of assessment of understanding for this lesson (formative).
Read on for the remainder of the lessons in this sequence and the final summative project.
Lesson 6: Cooperation
This lesson starts with students completing a PollEverywhere survey as a pre-assessment for me to gather where there may be knowledge gaps I can fill or if I can skip over some surface knowledge and dig deeper into those topics. This is also for students to reflect back on and see if they can add to their previous knowledge.
Next, students watch and complete an interactive video that I made with Google Slides, Bitmoji, and screencastify (can see the video below). I wanted to explore the interactive options on screencastify to be able to compare their features to those of Lumi. I like Lumi better as it offers more options and diversification when it comes to the types of interactions available for the teacher to use.
Students end the lesson with us reviewing the Polleverywhere questions together and discussing any learnings. They then complete a journal entry about their predictions and knowledge about what happens next in Stage 3.
Integrations: Polleverywhere, Google Slides, Bitmoji, Screencastify, Google docs or blogs
Hello, World!
Lesson 7: Displacement & Assimilation
The third lesson of this series brings in the negative effects of colonialism and starts with a short interactive video I made on Lumi. Students complete a small reflection jigsaw activity based on the information from the video and then divide into random groups to complete a Drag’n’drop I made on Lumi as well. They end the lesson by filling out a Google Form with questions they made (with the answers) using information from the Drag’n’Drop. These questions will be used in an in-class review game made on Lumi.
Hello, World!
Lesson 8: Negotiations & Rights
In the original Native Studies 10 unit, this lesson is called Negotiations and Renewal but I felt that to be inaccurate as there has not been a renewal of First Nations/Metis and European relationships. Therefore I renamed it Negotiations and Rights.
This lesson is intentionally minimalistic just to introduce the topic as we will be studying more of this period in time later in the course. It begins with a Fill-in-the-Blank I made on Lumi and then moves to another interactive Lumi video that gives students a summary and visual of what they just read. I then direct them to click to the next page in Canvas to find an assignment where they will explore using Lumi themselves.
Lesson 9: Lumi Assignment
This short assignment will serve as 1 of 2 summative submissions in the first half of the term. Students will select one of the 4 stages, then choose a topic or influential person from that stage, find a video on them that summarizes the significance, and use Lumi to make that video interactive.
I have included a tutorial on how to go through these steps and how to use Lumi and submit their final piece.
This is the end of my course module prototype and hope it inspires some learning!
I want to give everyone a little tour of my Native Studies 10 course module and how it is going thus far. I’ve done a lot of research, editing, and swearing but I have finally figured out how to use almost all facets of Canvas and I’m very excited about it. It is quite user-friendly and they seem to have thought of pretty much everything in terms of a teacher and learner’s needs.
I have included a beginning video walkthrough of both the course and Canvas interface (both student and teacher view) but I will post the particulars of my module in this blog as well. Please keep in mind that this walkthrough is just the beginning of my module.
Hope you enjoy!
Native Studies 10 - Course Profile
After completing the ADDIE model template I knew I wanted to use Canvas LMS. I heard about Canvas Instructure from someone in my Professional Learning Network on both Twitter and Instagram about a year ago. Unfortunately, I never really had the chance to truly explore it. I wanted to explore it, whether it was great or not, I needed to know!
Student Demographic and Learning Approach
In my community, Native Studies courses typically attract students of that culture and minority. I will be teaching the level 10 course of Native Studies which means my students will be ages 15-16 and can likely drive or have friends that do. Unfortunately, as a result of this, and other factors, this course has also recorded high absenteeism and I hope to be able to address that with a blended module by being able to provide access to learning materials no matter where students are… or aren’t. On a brighter note, I hope to actually use the approach to intrigue and engage students to want to be in class and participate because there are diverse ways to approach the content no matter your learning level or abilities. I hope that this course increases in enrollment and becomes a “class to take” in the near future.
Course Content, Instruction, & Assessment
The LMS is Canvas and I chose a Blended Learning approach largely due to the fact that I already instruct that way and I feel it will best suit the situation I will be entering this winter. I have chosen the Government Unit as that is likely where the course will be when I return and I wanted to create something I can actually use. I also know that there will be a substitute covering the first half of my course and it is unlikely that teachers CHOOSE to teach government unless it is a passion - I know this teacher and it is NOT a passion. The theme for Native Studies Governance is “Leadership”. My course module displays lessons for an introduction to Indigenous leadership qualities, values, practices, and figures.
This content will be delivered in a student-centred approach, much like Thinking Classroom, along with a Blended Learning component. Students will begin lessons by interacting with me and one another but then also utilized online sources such as Padlet, PollEverywhere, Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and many others. Throughout the course, they will engage in readings, class discussions, critical thinking, online discussions, and, finally, an independent inquiry project about an Indigenous leader of their choosing.
In terms of online submissions and assessments, the Canvas LMS allows students to turn in work in various formats on the platform and I will also accept in-person submissions. The LMS also holds files, rubrics, and grades so that everything is in one area and can be adjusted to your preferences (percentages, points, complete/incompletes, etc).
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
It baffles me that after all these years, and especially given the media focus on Indigenous topics, the Saskatchewan Government has still not updated the Native Studies curriculum. This course still focuses on Foundational and Learning Objectives and Common Essential Learnings. I have selected the first 3 Foundational and Learning Objectives from the third unit entitled Governance: Aboriginal Perspectives. This course module will cover the beginnings and practices of First Nations Governance in Canada. The themes covered will include, but not be limited to:
how Indigenous leaders were chosen, historically.
how FN&M leadership values differ from Euro-Canadian leadership values.
the appreciation of political processes and structures of Indigenous peoples.
respect that Indigenous nations have always had political structures designed to serve their needs.
Concerns & Adaptations
I have included a Google Form to assess students’ needs and for students to contact me if need be in order to offer assistance or adaptations as needed. A feature of Canvas is the tool to assess potential concerns for learner needs. There are icons that will pop up (if you turn them on) to notify you if the LMS notices an area of concern. You also have the option to change the language of the student’s view of the module to address any EAL students.
In terms of technology, I have concerns about accessibility to devices as a large number of students share the devices in our school of 1000+ students. Another reason for choosing Canvas was its cellphone app option. I’m hoping this will lower the number of devices consistently needed within the classroom in the case that enough are not available. However, we also have laptops and desktops in a computer lab and the library so there are options.
As mentioned before, absence is an issue in this school, and course in particular, and I’m hoping that my choice of approach will aid that towards improvement. I hope to be able to better engage students and drive their motivation to attend class, furthermore, I hope to be able to offer multiple methods of instruction to best adapt and reach the needs and diversity of my students. Additionally, due to repeated absences throughout their educational careers, these students are typically behind in content knowledge and a blended model will allow me to adjust instructional approaches, paces, and requirements for students to better meet them where they are functioning confidently.
Finally, the enrollment in this course reflects the content we study. The majority of my class will be of Indigenous descent and the content reflects their lives in a very relatable way. It is important that the information is ethically presented, accurate, sensitive to current situations, and that experts are called on when necessary. This is why I’m choosing to mention that Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Storytellers will be included in the delivery of course content when necessary and possible.
I’ve been really inspired by our course module assignment lately and finding that I don’t want to do anything else other than work on it. Cue my obsession with lesson and unit planning You know when you start to clean a room and discover a space you’ve been meaning to organize for 3 years, you start taking everything out, trying to sift through what to keep, and then you go to take a break and come to terms with the fact that you NEED to finish while you’re on a roll… that’s how I get with lesson and unit planning. I get into a groove and ideas just flow. When the ideas stop flowing and the waves set in I quit before I hit the rapids.
JACK IT UP
If you’ve ever watched Say Yes to The Dress you’ll know what I mean by Jacking It Up! It means to put on the finishing touches or make it fancy. I felt like I had reached a natural stopping point in my module but I hadn’t felt challenged. I truly anticipated that learning the new LMS would be more of a learning process but darn Canvas is so user-friendly that after referencing the “how to” modules THEY OFFER on each page I figured it out in no time.
Also, this module designing assignment wasn’t much different than the basic things I do on a regular basis for teaching in my own classroom. I thought about choosing to design an online module but I felt that was slightly easier than the blended option, for me. I had even chosen a course I had never taught before to add to the learning curve and challenge but I instantly became motivated by the content and unit so I dove in head first. So, I was left with where to go from here. I had hit a bump in the road and wasn’t sure how else I could change things but I knew I needed to. I like to feel challenged and like I’m learning and growing but I needed Katia’s input. I waited until after our lecture to show her what I’d come up with but I felt I needed more and didn’t feel like I was embracing new things. She told me to look into not new platforms but new FORMS of tech and visual elements.
I hit the ground running and made a list right there of what I wanted to look into and find tools for. Over the next few days, I spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and jotting them on sticky notes around my house. When I was finally able to sit down and do some work I opened the module, developed an introductions page, and made a Flipgrid video. Next, I went through my module step-by-step and took notes on where I could/should diversify, modify, and create aids for any potential reason. Then I created them and linked them in.
So this is where I am now. I’m interested in any feedback that anyone may have and tips on how to further Jack It Up!
I want to give everyone a little tour of my Native Studies 10 course module and how it is going thus far. I’ve done a lot of research, editing, and swearing but I have finally figured out how to use almost all facets of Canvas and I’m very excited about it. It is quite user-friendly and they seem to have thought of pretty much everything in terms of a teacher and learner’s needs.
I have included a beginning video walkthrough of both the course and Canvas interface (both student and teacher view) but I will post the particulars of my module in this blog as well. Please keep in mind that this walkthrough is just the beginning of my module.
Hope you enjoy!
Native Studies 10 - Course Profile
After completing the ADDIE model template I knew I wanted to use Canvas LMS. I heard about Canvas Instructure from someone in my Professional Learning Network on both Twitter and Instagram about a year ago. Unfortunately, I never really had the chance to truly explore it. I wanted to explore it, whether it was great or not, I needed to know!
Student Demographic and Learning Approach
In my community, Native Studies courses typically attract students of that culture and minority. I will be teaching the level 10 course of Native Studies which means my students will be ages 15-16 and can likely drive or have friends that do. Unfortunately, as a result of this, and other factors, this course has also recorded high absenteeism and I hope to be able to address that with a blended module by being able to provide access to learning materials no matter where students are… or aren’t. On a brighter note, I hope to actually use the approach to intrigue and engage students to want to be in class and participate because there are diverse ways to approach the content no matter your learning level or abilities. I hope that this course increases in enrollment and becomes a “class to take” in the near future.
Course Content, Instruction, & Assessment
The LMS is Canvas and I chose a Blended Learning approach largely due to the fact that I already instruct that way and I feel it will best suit the situation I will be entering this winter. I have chosen the Government Unit as that is likely where the course will be when I return and I wanted to create something I can actually use. I also know that there will be a substitute covering the first half of my course and it is unlikely that teachers CHOOSE to teach government unless it is a passion - I know this teacher and it is NOT a passion. The theme for Native Studies Governance is “Leadership”. My course module displays lessons for an introduction to Indigenous leadership qualities, values, practices, and figures.
This content will be delivered in a student-centred approach, much like Thinking Classroom, along with a Blended Learning component. Students will begin lessons by interacting with me and one another but then also utilized online sources such as Padlet, PollEverywhere, Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and many others. Throughout the course, they will engage in readings, class discussions, critical thinking, online discussions, and, finally, an independent inquiry project about an Indigenous leader of their choosing.
In terms of online submissions and assessments, the Canvas LMS allows students to turn in work in various formats on the platform and I will also accept in-person submissions. The LMS also holds files, rubrics, and grades so that everything is in one area and can be adjusted to your preferences (percentages, points, complete/incompletes, etc).
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
It baffles me that after all these years, and especially given the media focus on Indigenous topics, the Saskatchewan Government has still not updated the Native Studies curriculum. This course still focuses on Foundational and Learning Objectives and Common Essential Learnings. I have selected the first 3 Foundational and Learning Objectives from the third unit entitled Governance: Aboriginal Perspectives. This course module will cover the beginnings and practices of First Nations Governance in Canada. The themes covered will include, but not be limited to:
how Indigenous leaders were chosen, historically.
how FN&M leadership values differ from Euro-Canadian leadership values.
the appreciation of political processes and structures of Indigenous peoples.
respect that Indigenous nations have always had political structures designed to serve their needs.
Concerns & Adaptations
I have included a Google Form to assess students’ needs and for students to contact me if need be in order to offer assistance or adaptations as needed. A feature of Canvas is the tool to assess potential concerns for learner needs. There are icons that will pop up (if you turn them on) to notify you if the LMS notices an area of concern. You also have the option to change the language of the student’s view of the module to address any EAL students.
In terms of technology, I have concerns about accessibility to devices as a large number of students share the devices in our school of 1000+ students. Another reason for choosing Canvas was its cellphone app option. I’m hoping this will lower the number of devices consistently needed within the classroom in the case that enough are not available. However, we also have laptops and desktops in a computer lab and the library so there are options.
As mentioned before, absence is an issue in this school, and course in particular, and I’m hoping that my choice of approach will aid that towards improvement. I hope to be able to better engage students and drive their motivation to attend class, furthermore, I hope to be able to offer multiple methods of instruction to best adapt and reach the needs and diversity of my students. Additionally, due to repeated absences throughout their educational careers, these students are typically behind in content knowledge and a blended model will allow me to adjust instructional approaches, paces, and requirements for students to better meet them where they are functioning confidently.
Finally, the enrollment in this course reflects the content we study. The majority of my class will be of Indigenous descent and the content reflects their lives in a very relatable way. It is important that the information is ethically presented, accurate, sensitive to current situations, and that experts are called on when necessary. This is why I’m choosing to mention that Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Storytellers will be included in the delivery of course content when necessary and possible.
For my EC&I834 course module, I contemplated turning an old grade 8 social unit into a blended one but decided to challenge myself and create a blended unit for a subject I will be teaching in January that I have never taught before… Native Studies 10. This both excites and terrifies me. Exciting because I love both new things and unit planning but terrifying because it is such an important and highly scrutinized subject to teach. Especially in today’s world and the rising attention rightfully being paid to Indigenous cultures. I’m excited to be a part of this ‘movement’ and stand for Indigenous rights.
Why Did I Choose It?
Image from Shuttershock
I think I like a challenge and I KNOW that I love learning new things. I also know that I am going to have to create this unit anyway so why not try to do it now? The Sask curriculum already has a detailed year plan document but I think I can modernize it a bit by turning it into a blended unit and incorporating both technology, current events, and land-based learning approaches.
I specifically chose the topic of Governance within the subject of Native Studies 10 because:
a) I have a substitute covering the first half of my maternity leave and it is highly unlikely they will CHOOSE to pick a government topic to teach so I may as well have one ready.
b) with everything going on in Canada between the Government and Indigenous populations I feel that it is a great place to start critical discussions and evoke change for the better in our classroom, school, and community. I believe there to be a lot of important topics stemming from current events on this topic, especially in my hometown or North Battleford (#crimetown capital of the country).
c) I want to refocus our attention on how Indigenous cultures view leadership and how we can apply those qualities to our daily lives and practices. The organic nature and peace in their beliefs are something to cherish and pass on if we can.
Major Learning Outcomes
Unfortunately, this unit of study has not been updated since 2001 and still runs on foundational objectives and Common Essential Learnings so I’ll have to list those for you instead. They are something I haven’t used or seen in 13 years! If you do not remember or never worked with FOs and CELs then please know that each social unit contains well over 10 FOs to teach and they are VERY specific, unlike outcomes and indicators that are a lot broader and leave more trust in the hands of the educators to control the direction of the course. I will NOT be doing all the FOs in this course module and will only be including the BOLDED ones.
Governance Foundational Objectives:
1) research how, historically, Aboriginal leaders were chosen
2) investigate how aboriginal leadership is based on values that may differ from the values of Euro-Canadians.
3) appreciate the unique political processes and structures of Aboriginal peoples. Respect that First Nations, Inuit and the Metis Nation have always had political structures designed to serve their needs.
Image from Shuttershock
4) examine the harmful effects of forced change (colonialism). Recognize that Euro/Canadian government policies intended to a) remove Aboriginal people from their homelands b) suppress Aboriginal nations and their governments c) undermind Aboriginal cultures d) stifle Aboriginal identity.
5) understand the legislation that affects Aboriginal peoples.
6) Identify the effects of an imposed system of governance on Aboriginal peoples by examining a specific example.
9) Investigate the factors that led to Aboriginal peoples losing their traditional, historical territories.
Image from Shuttershock
10) Understand that Aboriginal peoples had, and have, different experiences with governments regarding their land.
11) Interpret the circumstances under which the Metis people lost their land.
12) Research one aspect of Metis history.
13) Understand the significance of Provincial recognition of Metis people.
14) Research unique land agreements between Aboriginal peoples & various governments. Understand the sacredness with which treaties were signed.
The Need for a Blended or Online Format
Image from Shuttershock
Personally, I feel that with this content being so current it needs to be addressed and given the respect it deserves. The fact that it is one of the few and only subjects not prioritized to be updated sheds light on how dire the need is. That alone reflects the relationship between the “two worlds” we have going on right now. What I dream to do is transforming this subject into an authentic land-based course but such hopes aren’t always plausible or possible. I will continue to do what I can for this course even after EC&I 834 is over but this is an insight to the start!
Image from Shuttershock
Coming Up Next…
Again, maybe I’m a sucker for punishment, but I’m going to challenge myself and use an LMS platform that I’ve never interacted with before but that I have been hearing A LOT about, Canvas Instructure. I have been wanting to play around with it and learn more since the beginning of last school year but my maternity leave sidetracked me from those goals. I am also going to attempt to integrate a few online sites and tools I have learned about throughout my Grad Studies and hope they work!
Questions
1) Have you taught Native Studies? I welcome all tips, advice, and resources.
2) Do you have any units or courses you’d like to give special attention to and have grand ideas for but just can’t seem to find the time? Tell me about it!
Hey there, I’m RoxAnne Prystupa and I’m a middle years/high school teacher from North Battleford, Sk. I completed my undergrad at the U of R and have now returned for my Masters. I also have a degree in Nutrition, Diet, & Health Science and run 2 online home businesses (one on nutrition and one on TpT).
What Makes Me, Me
Rather than describing ‘who I am’ by telling you the things I like or using adjectives. I’d like to tell you what made me who I am. I recently viewed a video (which I can’t currently find) of a valedictorian speech where a young woman chooses to describe others by who they are internally and by their life experiences rather than in a conventional sense. It spoke to my soul. I feel that my life has infinitely changed in the last 5 years and it has shaped who I am today. I’m going to choose to share a few facts about my life to share who I am today.
In high school, I learned that I was Metis and my family originated from Beardy’s Okemasis’ Cree Nation. I was made fun of for being ‘brown’ but the Indigenous students made fun of me for being ‘white’. This is why I choose to accept all people. Who you are is up to you, not me.
I am a proud Ukrainian who danced for 25 years and spoke the language as my primary one until I started school. I know the difficulties of learning the English language and I work hard to assist those doing the same.
I was a victim of domestic violence when I was in university 15 years ago and nobody heard me when I made comments about leaving my boyfriend or finding “true” happiness. This is why I choose to investigate further and offer safety to anyone who may feel they need it.
I am less than 1% of women who experienced secondary and repeated infant loss. 5 miscarriages to be exact. 5 in 2 years. With no explanations or closure. No reasons or answers. Repeated surgeries and procedures. This is why I support all forms of families - not having kids, having a lot of kids, adopting, surrogacy, etc.
I am a sister to a woman who suffered and survived domestic violence, aggravated assault, and attempted murder… twice. I stand for strong female voices and encourage women to speak up for themselves.
I am a mother of a beautiful, miracle, baby boy and a wife to an incredibly supportive man, who have closed my soul to all the hurt I have endured and opened my heart to all the happiness that is still in the world. This is why I choose to show love. Love and kindness change the world every day and if I can help one person, I’ll be satisfied.
These experiences are unhappy and dark in some aspects but I choose to ask myself what it is I learned from them. I do this in all life experiences. The greatest skill I have acquired in life is reflecting instead of reacting. What am I supposed to learn? Did they mean to hurt me or was it accidental? How can I grow from this? How can I help others learn from their life experiences? These are the questions I instill in my students. Calm hearts build strong minds. And nobody has time for people’s BS so cut your losses and move on.
Don’t get me wrong, I have an AMAZING childhood and my life wasn’t ‘hard’ by any means but I have experienced things that I believe people shouldn’t have to. I also know that millions of people have it infinitely harder than I do but comparing gets nobody anywhere. Everyone has a different 10/10 and nobody should invalidate yours. My experiences make me who I am and they make me the teacher I am. They help me guide students to be self-advocates and strong-minded individuals.
What and how have your experiences shaped you?
Online and Blended Learning
The pandemic hit hard and it hit everyone differently. Some flourished in the winds of technology and others sank without hope. Those of us that knew enough to cling for survival like Rose on the wooden door knew we needed to step up our game or what we loved [about teaching] would be lost to the depths of a cyber world.
Essentially, whether you loved, hated, knew a lot or knew nothing about technology, you had to buckle up and get on board because online teaching was the only choice to keep education going during the pandemic. Over the last few years, I have heard mixed reviews on how others approached, handled, thrived or survived the online teaching episode. I, for one, loved it. I hated being away from my students. I hated not seeing my coworkers. I hated not being able to see reactions or feel energies from others but I did love everything I learned about online teaching and learning. I felt an entire world had just opened at my feet and I was ready to dive in head first.
It was during this pandemic time, and during our initial return to the schools, that we saw staffs take a leap to lessen the curve and learn as much as they could, together, about online and/or blended learning. Some focused on the primary since that was what the times demanded and others took precautionary measures and added the latter, knowing far too well what the return to the classroom could look like and that blended learning would be necessary.
My Introduction to Blended Learning
My staff went with the latter and chose Catlin Tucker’s book, Balance with Blended Learning, as our guide to understanding this new form of instruction. I found the book informative and engaging but I was already doing a lot of this type of teaching in my classroom. In fact, a few years prior, I had heard about blended learning from a friend who was teaching in Regina and I decided to look into it more. I was already fully implementing cross-curricular units and wanted to find a way to reach the various levels of students I was seeing increase each year in my grade 7 classroom. The gap had widened so much that the year preceding covid I had 2 students who were reading and doing math at a grade 1 level, 1 student reading at a grade 3 level and doing grade 2 mathematics, 4 students reading at a grade 4 level and doing grade 2-3 math, and the latter, all the way up to 2 students reading at a grade 9 level and trying to teach themselves linear functions from an online grade 8 textbook they had found. I know that my experience is not unfamiliar to other educators and I also knew it wasn’t going to end anytime soon. I needed to try something different and blended learning seemed to offer some hope.
I worked with one of our division consultants and a few other teachers from our division, and over our online teaching months, we developed a blended unit to use when we returned to the classroom. We shared it with the division and for all grade 7 teachers to use. The unit was such a hit that others were developed like it for other grades and subjects. Our division started a Google Classroom for our division and uploaded all the blended resources to that classroom for teachers to access and use (I can’t link it because you need a code to access - which I think is ridiculous).
After the year of ‘no touching, breathing, or standing near one another” I decided that I didn’t want to return to my previous ways of teaching. I liked that students could work at their own pace and I had more ‘free time’ to work one-on-one with the students who needed more assistance. I could enrich the educational experience for everyone, as needed, every day, and there was no looking back.
Time to Start Thinking
Enter Peter Liljedahl and his Thinking Classroom methods. This professional development changed everything for me. I had read some of Peter’s articles as I was looking for ways to increase collaboration and problem-solving skills in my students. I found value in his research and was intrigued by the hands-on methods he was talking about implementing. I had always loved student-centred instruction and wanted to learn how to do more with it. I had a few lessons from Dan Meyers and Greysen Wheatley (he doesn’t have a set site but here are some of his published works and articles) but I wanted it on a grand scale. Everyday. Every class. Every subject. THEN I wanted to combine it with inquiry-based learning and blended learning. I wanted the best of all worlds. I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted my students to WANT to be in the classroom every day to learn and combing all of these felt like the way to do it.
Blending Methodologies with Blended Learning
I spent an entire year developing lessons and units and I found a process that worked for me and felt authentic. I’d begin each class (or sometimes weekly topic) with a Thinking Classroom style question/prompt and students would work in their groups to think critically. We’d consolidate, take meaningful notes, and then students would turn to their devices or me for further instruction. This is where students could choose the path they wanted to take with their learning. On Google Classroom I’d have a review of the beginning of that lesson and then multiple options for them to explore their new knowledge. Sometimes I’d pull students into small groups, some I’d give paper assignments to so I had some instant feedback, and sometimes it was a free-for-all and they could choose whatever they wanted.
Some Turbulence
The beginning was a bit rocky but things smoothed out quickly. The autonomy built quickly and I was relieved that this new structure didn’t seem overwhelming or confusing. Eventually, it was just how life was in grade 6/7. What I found most difficult was planning for a substitute. This atmosphere is like anything most subs have ever seen or are comfortable with. I did my best to book younger subs or ones I knew were great with ‘rolling with the punches’ but I’d still frequently receive feedback like “wasn’t sure what you meant so we just did the sheets independently,” or, “they were all standing up in their groups and copying work from other groups and wouldn’t stop talking to other groups so I sat them all down.” To me, this is an indication of a teacher being used to viewing a productive classroom as quiet and still. I view a productive classroom as on-task and engaged. I don’t condone yelling, arguing, or discussions that are off-topic but I will admit that my Type-A tendencies took a few days to settle when I first started this instructional style too. Once I found a sub who knew what this form of teaching was supposed to look like and a few others who just loved it I attempted to book my appointments and other away days around their availability. This is how I have always wanted to teach.
Now, I know this has been a long walk for a short drink of water but I love hearing how others get to where they are and for those who love the same, I hope you enjoyed my journey. I can’t wait to see where it goes next! I hope that this course brings to light tools, processes, and tech that I’ve never heard of before and I find new ways to engage my students. I’m changing schools and leaving one that had one-to-one students to devices to move to a school that has 6 or 7 students per device. I have forgotten how that works and I need some ideas on how to return to that teaching reality but still incorporate all the aspects I love about blended, inquiry, and thinking classroom teaching and learning.
