Are humans suffering from Zoochosis?.... The Crisis of Nature Deficit Disorder

In this increasingly digital world, we are seeing the negative effects of a disconnect from nature. You hear stories and see the harmful effects in zoos where wild animals are caged, and experience depression, and a disconnection from their natural behaviour when removed from the environment they were evolutionarily designed for. Some adapt, but not without consequence, in zoos, bears, large marine animals, and large cat species like lions and tigers, face increased aggression, abnormal behaviours, anxiety and depression. This effect is especially evident in social animals like lions, which are often kept alone in captivity, in environments different from their natural habitat. This is often referred to as zoochosis, in which animals exhibit unusual and distressed behaviour as a result of being removed from and isolated from their true nature and natural environment. 

We can see evidence of this in us humans. As our reliance and use of technology grows, we are seeing increasing levels of mental health struggles, isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, less physical activity, and a disconnect from nature… our natural environment. I would argue that we are living in an invisible cage. Many of us live in cities, boxed in by concrete, breathing polluted air and completely isolated from silence and nature. Learning and development play a key role in both the problem and the solution. In one sense, we have learned an easier and faster way to receive instant gratification; our increased use and reliance on technology have created, and continue to create, negative effects on our mental and physical health. So what… what can we do about it? How can we learn and develop new neural pathways? Getting back to our roots, we need to reimmerse ourselves in our natural environment, nature! 

In no way am I saying we need to go live outside, but we need to take conscious, meaningful steps to regularly bring nature into our lives. This could be as simple as going for a walk outside, buying a houseplant or noticing the birds in your yard. Or it could look like camping on weekends, meditating in a forest or stargazing on a grassy hill. Being in nature naturally calms our nervous system; it provides a space where time doesn’t exist and allows us to slow down, breathe, stop and notice, to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us. 

In grade 7, I stopped attending school for 3 months, my safety teacher was on a medical leave, I had terrible anxiety, and my home life had a dramatic shift. The cherry on top, I was 13, and the worst thing that could happen to 13-year-olds was about to happen. Safe to say I was a mess, I had countless mental health struggles, and a diagnosis. My poor mother tried everything, she tried doctors, counsellors and medication. When I noticed myself getting worked up or emotional, my default was to hide in the basement. I would sit in a dark corner and cry, or rock, or scream, or do whatever I needed to, in an attempt to release my emotions. When I got tired of that, I zoned out, and my tears dried, I would climb out of my basement window and “escape” to the freedom of my neighbourhood. I lived in a nice, newer neighbourhood at the time, so it was fairly safe… but just in case, I would bring my “safety kit,” which contained all the essentials: a pocketknife, extra socks, a toothbrush, and snacks. I would hang out on my fence, visit the playground or walk around the block, but my favourite spot was this giant bush that I would just morph into, like Homer Simpson. And I would just sit there, I would cry some more, I would think about what I did, what I want to do, what I’m doing… and eventually they would come looking for me, of course, but I did this regularly enough that they knew I was safe and probably hiding in a bush somewhere along the street. And I always was. At the time, I did not realize I might have been craving nature, or found comfort in it, but reflecting back now, I can see how that may have been the case. Nature didn’t fix me, but it sure helped when I felt helpless. To help, on weekends, my grandparents would take me camping, and the patience I developed from feeding chipmunks and birds out of my hand, and just staring at leaves, trying to memorize their vein patterns, gave me a stronger appreciation for nature, and both my teachers and family noticed I was calmer and able to focus more when I got back to school.  Since moving to more rural areas, I get outside daily, whether it's talking to my tree in the backyard (yes, I'm crazy, I know it), lying on the grass watching the stars or taking the scenic route, driving the back roads, or identifying the birds in my yard. 

Is this the answer to all our problems? No… but when our bodies are in a more regulated state, our minds work better, and when our minds work better, we as a whole are better. We don’t need to learn some secret to the best life or how to be successful or rich. Success comes from inner peace and, according to Maslow, self-actualization. We know the answer; we’ve known the answer since we evolved from a slimy fish. We need to go back to our roots; we need to slow down, we need to interact with our natural environment, we are nature, and that's where we belong. 

OlyviaD@OTU

Boys will be Boys...

When I think about learning styles, I usually think of the familiar categories: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The seminar today discussed these different ways students may engage in learning, but what stood out to me most was the conversation about how boys and girls can be treated differently in the classroom. It made me realize that learning isn't just about how students learn, but also about how teachers perceive them.

One idea that really stuck with me was how the same behaviour can be viewed differently depending on whether it comes from a boy or a girl. For example, when a boy is loud, energetic, or acts out, it is often brushed off as “just being a boy.” When a girl behaves the same way, she may be seen as troublesome, difficult, or disruptive. This made me think about how easily teachers can develop expectations for students based on gender without even realizing it.

I also found myself reflecting on my own experience growing up. I have always loved sports and was definitely an active kid. A lot of my interests were associated with boys, and I often found myself connecting with the boys in my class through sports. I wonder if this also affected how teachers perceived me. I wasn't necessarily the stereotypical quiet girl, and being involved in sports gave me a different way of expressing myself that I think was sometimes more accepted because it fit into what was expected of boys. This made me think about how important it is to avoid putting students into categories. Learning styles can help us think about different ways students engage with learning, but students are much more complex than a label like “visual learner” or “kinesthetic learner.” The same is true for gender. A girl's interests or behaviour shouldn't determine how teachers interpret her in the classroom, just as a boy shouldn't automatically be given more room to be loud or energetic. 

As a future teacher, I think this is something I want to be more aware of. It is easy to carry assumptions into the classroom, especially when we have grown up seeing certain behaviours as “normal” for boys or girls. This seminar reminded me that getting to know students as individuals is just as important as understanding how they learn.

LaraJ@OTU

What If Failure Is Actually the Point?

Rethinking Failure, Play, and Learning Through Theatre

One part of this reading that really stuck with me was the idea that failure is not the opposite of learning, but actually a part of learning. It made me think about how much failure is a normal part of theatre and how much I have learned from it.

Theatre is full of moments where things do not go as planned. You forget a line, miss a cue, go the wrong direction in choreography, or try an acting choice that sounded great in your head but completely falls flat when you actually do it. Sometimes you can rehearse something for weeks and eventually realize, this just isn't working.

But we usually do not stop there. We figure out what went wrong, try something different, and do it again. Sometimes we laugh about it, sometimes we get frustrated, but we keep going. Failure becomes part of the process of making the show better.

I think this is one of the reasons I enjoy teaching drama. There is something really valuable about creating an environment where students can mess up without feeling like they have actually failed. If a student tries an acting choice and it does not work, that is information. If they forget their lines, we figure out what might help them next time. If they are struggling with a dance combination, we break it down and try again. The goal is not to avoid mistakes, but to create a space where students feel comfortable making them.

This also connects to something else we have talked about in class: development is not a straight line. Students are constantly developing at different rates, and part of our job as teachers is to give them opportunities to try, struggle, adjust, and try again.

What Theatre Can Teach Us About Play

I also think this connects to the importance of play. As we get older, we sometimes forget how important it is to play, experiment, and try things without knowing exactly how they will turn out. We become more focused on doing things correctly and avoiding mistakes. In a way, we can lose some of the curiosity and freedom that comes naturally when we are younger.

I think there is actually a lot we could learn from kindergarteners. They are often willing to try something simply because it looks fun or interesting. They will make something, decide they do not like it, and immediately try something else. They do not always worry about whether they are doing it “right.” There is something really valuable in that willingness to play, explore, and fail.

This is something I see in theatre as well. When students are given the freedom to play with a character, movement, voice, or an idea, they often discover things they would not have found if they were only focused on getting it right. Play gives them permission to experiment and take risks.

From Failure to Learning

The reading says, “Failure provides us with the feedback necessitating change.” I really like this idea because it changes the question from “Did I fail?” to “What did that tell me?” Instead of seeing failure as the end of something, we can see it as information that helps us figure out what to do next.

As a future teacher, I think that is something I want my classroom to encourage. I do not want students to feel like getting something wrong means they are not capable. I want them to understand that making mistakes, playing, experimenting, and even failing can all be part of learning.

I also think this is something we sometimes lose as we develop and grow. When we are younger, we are more willing to play, try things, and make mistakes without thinking too much about what other people might think. As we get older, we can become more afraid of being wrong or looking like we do not know what we are doing. Maybe there is something we can learn from those kindergarteners who are willing to just try.

And honestly, if theatre has taught me anything, it is that sometimes the best moments happen because something went completely wrong.

References

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2016). The Kindergarten Program. Government of Ontario.

Taylor, M. E., & Boyer, W. (2020). Play-based learning: Evidence-based research to improve children’s learning experiences in the kindergarten classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48, 127–133.

Interest As A Key To Learning

A topic of interest for me in the profession of teaching is how to use students’ interest to motivate them to learn. I think that this is an interesting topic for me because I think that the easiest way for students to learn any topic is for them to be interested so they are motivated to put in the effort to learn. Many teachers can probably recall a subject or topic that they learned as students just to get a passing grade and move on. If there was little or no interest in the subject matter, you would likely be motivated solely by getting a good grade to pass the course or to put on your report card and wouldn’t remember much about the topic after finishing the class or school year. However, if there was interest in learning about the topic, then there would be more motivation to learn the topic and actually remember it after the school year comes to an end.

Context To Real-World Problems

A key learning technique that teachers can use to encourage interest in a topic is to make learning contextual to real-world problems (McCarthy, 2014). Students cannot see how core concepts are represented in the world beyond the classroom (McCarthy, 2014). First, teachers need to find out what students care about and like to do (McCarthy, 2014). Students need to be given choices, so they can choose activities that align with their interests (McCarthy, 2014). Students should also be given choice in what they produce for assessment (McCarthy, 2014). If students are making something they care about, they will more easily spend more time making it (McCarthy, 2014).

Using Both Intrinsic And Extrinsic Rewards

During a class discussion in EDUC 1301, Learning and Development, on fragile interest as a learning key, teacher candidates defined intrinsic rewards as a feeling of accomplishment that students get after learning a topic or subject matter and extrinsic rewards as external motivators, such as certificates, gold stars, high grades, and others, to complete a task. A discussion among teacher candidates in the class demonstrated that they felt that a balance of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards should be used to encourage students to learn a topic or subject matter. They felt that using extensive extrinsic rewards would motivate students to learn for the reward and not for genuinely wanting to know more about the subject matter or topic. They also felt that using only intrinsic rewards would be challenging to motivate every student to learn. Using a balance between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards was widely believed to be the best approach to developing interest and motivating students to learn.

Experiences As A Student

The challenge of developing interest in students was exhibited in my experiences as a student. I had teachers that used a variety of extrinsic rewards to motivate us as students to develop an interest to learn a variety of topics so that we could develop an intrinsic reward system for learning. In elementary school, I had a teacher that distributed play money for good behaviour and learning habits, like homework completion, throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, the teacher would bring in prizes that we could buy with the play money. This extrinsic rewards strategy was useful as a motivator to develop good learning habits and class behaviour; however, it led to competition among students for the rewards or prizes. I also had a teacher in elementary school that attempted to incorporate new technology, such as computer games, into teaching concepts in social studies and history. This incorporated technology as a way to interest students about topics in history so they were intrinsically motivated to learn about the topic to succeed through levels in the game as an extrinsic reward. This strategy was useful for students who became interested in succeeding in the game and then developed an interest in the topic to learn further, but didn’t interest some students who didn’t understand or want to succeed in the game. These methods demonstrate how extrinsic rewards can be used to develop an intrinsic reward system to learn a subject matter or topic.

Therefore, it can be a challenge to use students’ interests to motivate them to learn. Students may approach a topic or subject matter only to get a passing grade and move on. Teachers need to make learning contextual to real-life examples. Teachers need to balance intrinsic and extrinsic rewards by including some extrinsic reward to encourage students to begin to explore new ideas and topics and ensure that this exploration leads to a development of an intrinsic reward that provides students with interest and motivation to learn more about that topic.

McCarthy, J. (2014). Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-learner-interest-matters-john-mccarthy

RaviT@OTU

Science is more than just a scantron if you value interest.

"Why do we even have to learn this?" Every teacher hears it eventually, and I never want to hear it in my own classroom. A student asking it means their interest has already slipped away.

I know how much a teacher can change that, because of my Grade 10 science teacher who was also my Grade 11 and 12 biology teacher. I was in a STEAM cohort that was mostly boys who liked to say biology was the "easiest" and most useless science. She flipped that completely. She brought real energy into the room, encouraged us to ask weird questions, and taught us that failure is a normal step in the scientific process. She tied lessons to real problems and even gave us a whole class to ask her questions about COVID-19 before lockdown. She didn't tell us science mattered. She showed us.

That memory came back while my group prepared our presentation on interest as the anticipation of pleasure in learning. The reading describes interest as fragile. It starts as situational interest, a short-lived spark tied to something we've enjoyed before, and it can grow into a lasting individual interest and eventually a general love of learning. We summed it up as spark it, support it, let it grow. My teacher did all three.

This is where assessment comes in. You can spark a student's curiosity and then undo it with a multiple-choice test. The reading warns that grades, rewards, and threats can crowd out intrinsic interest, and that students may do only enough to get the reward or avoid the penalty. They pass the exam but don't keep the knowledge. I don't believe a scantron proves who understands, only who can memorize. I would rather grade how a student designs or analyzes a lab, or use short and long answer questions built around real-world scenarios instead of asking for a definition.

Our presentation poll showed the difference. Would you rather read a chapter on insects and answer 20 graded questions, or have your teacher bring in a mounted insect and ask why it looks and behaves the way it does? Or choose an insect you've always wondered about and investigate it? Almost no one picks the 20 questions.

Supporting interest doesn't mean dropping assessment. I like low-weighted check-ins like exit tickets and pre-lab quizzes because they show me who is falling behind while there's still time to adjust. The reading says feedback works best when it describes what a student did well and how much they've improved, not just a number. My own experience points the same way. As a previous peer tutor I had to understand the material well enough to explain it, and as a camp counselor and Science Council executive, I learned that people stay engaged when they have a real role.

I'm not pretending this is easy. Hands-on projects and real-world case studies cost more time and money than a PowerPoint, and I'll still have a mandatory curriculum to cover. Our presentation named the same barriers for teachers, limited time and resources among them. Many students are also used to sitting back and listening, so being asked to lead can make them anxious. That's why building a classroom where mistakes are safe matters so much.

If I do this well, my students will take science because they want to, not because they need the credit. That's the spark I want to give them.

[RachaelD@OTU]

Creating Future Scientists: The Importance of Interest in Science

While it may be in part due to my personal bias, I think that science is just one of those topics that interest is key to fully understanding. 

As mentioned in my group's Learning Key Workshop last week, interest holds the key to future learning. Without interest, there is no desire to learn. A lack of desire to learn leads to poor learning, if any at all, which is definitely not ideal!

The reason that interest is so important to science specifically is because it is so ingrained in the subject. The scientific method is started by asking questions piqued by your interest! First something is observed that creates a question. Then, you think about why this could be, create a hypothesis, test it, and assess your result. These conclusions often create even more interest in the subject, leading to more questions and so the cycle continues! Each step in the process is full of curiosity and a desire to learn more.

Without having an interest in science, no one would ask the important questions that lead us to big discoveries. All great scientists were curious about things, and really cared to look into them further. They took a situational interest, a small spark of an interest in something, and developed it into an individual interest, a key interest that is deeply rooted in their identity. 

Take Galileo Galilei for example. His interest in astronomy led us to so many huge discoveries about our solar system, like the different moons of Jupiter or his major improvements on the telescope. Without such a deep interest, he never would have spent so much of his life searching for answers to his questions, and giving the world so many astronomical advancements (both in magnitude and subject matter!).

It's so important to not only create, but also nurture the interest in young science students. There are many ways to try to create situational interest in students, such as exciting hooks to draw them in, fun experiments, and rotating stations to expose them to a multitude of situations that could be of interest to them. To maintain the interest, we can give individual inquiry-based projects or self-led experiments that give students a chance to pursue the interest that is already there, and support them along the way. I remember being in late elementary school/early high school and being given an assignment to come up with our own idea and use the scientific method to conduct a full-on science experiment. I credit this assignment with deepening my interest in science, as this was one of the first times I was given the agency to delve into something that I was curious about. Giving students the opportunity to lead their own investigations creates a deeper connection to their interest, pushing them to want to learn more.

Overall, I believe that science needs interest in order to create "scientific thinkers" and future scientists. Sparking, nurturing, and encouraging interest is what ensures that students will maintain their love for not only science, but learning as a whole. You never know which student might be the next Galileo!

MorganR@OTU

What Builds Confidence in Classrooms?

I enjoyed learning about confidence and the importance of building this skill within students in the workshop a couple weeks ago, and have since been reflecting on activities within my own K-12 experience that helps build my own. As demonstrated in class, via having two peers ‘argue’ a point, I think learning proper debating techniques, persuasive argumentation, as well as critical analysis are all activities that inherently can hone confidence in students. In all these examples, students would have an opportunity to present an argument and defend their point – and in all of these cases, there would be no one ‘correct answer’, giving students freedom to be creative.

Essay-writing in particular was actually very effective to build my own confidence; I think this is because it involved finding evidence to support my claims - which were sometimes claims I disagreed with - and then having to prove and persuasively argue them. Being able to distill broad ideas into a singular thesis increased my belief in my own competency, and being able to defend it with multiple pieces of evidence, filled me with a sense of confidence in what I was trying to say. The same sentiment extended to when we had debate units in class; if anything, debating filled me with a greater sense of confidence by requiring me to argue with the rest of the class as my audience. While at times terrifying, being pushed into a slightly uncomfortable place while still being provided support, can allow for growth and achievement beyond what was previously thought to be possible. Growth rarely comes from a place of comfort - in fact, some amount of discomfort is needed for optimal growth.

At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that classrooms are full of diverse learners who may have different strengths and different ways in which their confidence can be built. Especially since while discomfort can lead to growth, it is critical not to tip the scales too far in one direction that would lead to severe anxiety or paralysis in students. This is why having a wide variety of activities is important in a classroom. By addressing the different pre-existing competencies of students, teachers can help increase students’ belief in their own capabilities. Furthermore, activities can hone students’ confidence by giving them autonomy and the ability to explore. Feedback and mindset are also important for developing confidence, and designing activities with this goal in mind can be an effective way to foster it.

   GarggieT@OTU

Backward Design Model

 Backward Design Model

For centuries, education has consisted primarily of students sitting before an instructor in a classroom, learning via lecture and note memorization from text books. Although this traditional system was not perfect, it served its purpose as a generally effective way to educate students. The concept of pedagogy has continued to evolve as educators have explored different approaches to teaching and learning.

 

The backward design model as described by Wiggins and McTighe (1995, 2000) provides a framework that can help prospective teachers in a content methods course to begin to transform their content knowledge into pedagogical content knowledge. It also encourages teachers to develop an awareness of both vertical and horizontal curriculum connections. Rather than beginning with the content or activities that will be taught, backward design begins by identifying what students should understand and be able to do as a result of the learning experience.

 

The Three Stages of Backward Design

There are three stages in the backward design model, traditional planning and backward design. Comparing backward design with traditional lesson planning helps to illustrate how the two approaches differ.

 

1.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 1: Curriculum Expectations: What do I want the students to be able to do? The teacher may begin by reviewing the curriculum expectations and determining what content should be taught.

1.0       Backward Design

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results: What enduring understanding about literacy and life inform the standards at this grade level and how can these understanding engage students. (Graff Nelson, 2011).

 

2.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 2: Determine Assessment Level: What do I want my students to learn? Would the lesson be fun, interesting, useful, or engaging? Also, what standards to address when teaching the lesson

2.0       Backward Design

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence: What evidence can I use to determine whether students have analyzed the materials and developed an understanding of the lesson?

 

3.0       Traditional Planning

Stage 3: Planning Instructions and Learning Experiences: What instructional strategies and activities should I use to help the students understand the lesson?

3.0       Backward Design

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instructions: What skills and knowledge do students need to develop in order to be successful? What resources will help students develop those knowledge and skills.

 

The Importance of Alignment

The curriculum expectations, assessment level, planning instructions and learning experiences must work together. If these components are not aligned, the lesson will not be as effective as it should be. The teacher must be specific in what the curriculum planning is for and what the students are expected to learn and how the lesson will support those expectations.  An example will be, if the purpose of a lesson is for students to learn how to complete an invoice, the lesson should focus specifically on that learning goal rather than introducing several different types of invoices. In addition, the assessment must demonstrate achievement of the learning goals-an approach starts with the end in mind making sure that a connection is there between the lesson and the objectives.

 

Beginning With The-End-In-Mind

The backward design model, the end-mind refers to the learning goals and desired outcomes that students should achieve by the end of the lesson. The teacher first considers what the students must understand, know, and be able to do.

 

The desired outcome essentially becomes the destination for students learning. It keeps instruction focused and purposeful, ensuring that classroom activities, assessments, and teaching strategies all work toward clearly defined learning outcomes. 

 

This approach helps teachers prioritize meaningful learning experiences rather than simply covering contents. Instead of focusing primarily on how much material can be presented during a lesson, the teacher can consider whether students have developed the knowledge, skills, and understanding identified in the learning goals.

 

Conclusion

The backward design model provides teachers with a purposeful framework for planning instructions. While traditional planning may begin with curriculum contents, activities, or instructional strategies. Beginning with the end in mind allows teachers to create lessons that are focused, intentional, and meaningful.

 

References

Graff, N. (n.d.). Nelson Graff (Teacher education quarterly, Summer 2011). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ940642.pdf

 

McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2014b). Do we need an assessment overhaul? Proven Programs in Education: Classroom Management & Assessment, 30–34. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483365633.n7

 

KarenP@NU

Engagement…the key to learning?

When thinking about engagement, I recognize that engagement in the classroom is far beyond just simply listening in class, completing their work, and participating in class discussions. Since, a disengaged learner can also be seen doing all of these things as well. Meaningful engagement incorporates students both being able to feel connected to what they are learning and playing an active role in their learning process. For many students staying motivated in their work can stem from their engagement in the content they are learning. It is not uncommon for students to possibly struggle academically because of their personal struggles in that subject. So finding ways to engage students even in subjects they don’t love can be extremely helpful. 

My own academic journey has been heavily influenced by my ability to be engaged with my learning. Throughout elementary school, I constantly found myself struggling to stay engaged with the content being taught. Whether it be math, language, science, etc, I was always just looking forward to either gym class or recess. I was fortunate enough to have some very good teachers that wanted me to explore my interests within the scope of what I was learning. Having these opportunities allowed me to bring my own interests into different writing assessments, or projects. As I got older, I continued to find my own interest within my classes that allowed me to become significantly more motivated in my learning because of my own personal interests in what I was learning about. 

When I think of my own personal experiences with engagement and my own pedagogy as an educator, I want to find the balance between having that creative freedom while sticking within the curriculum. For instance, as a future history teacher, I want to be able to allow students to have creative freedom with picking their own topics for assessments, instead of me limiting what they are able to research. Having this mindset as a teacher gives students the opportunity to look into particular topics within history that they find interesting. As long as it fits appropriately into the curriculum expectations we are focusing on, I think this is an excellent way to keep students engaged with material, especially when an assessment is attached to it. This also gives students the ability to play that active role in their own learning because they are getting a little bit of freedom in what they want to learn more about. 

References:

Singha, Ankita. (2026). Student Engagement: More than Just Participation. 21K School. https://www.21kschool.com/ma/blog/student-engagement/. 

LaraE@OTU

Learning Through Failure

Failure is something that I think we are naturally taught to avoid. Whether it is getting a question wrong or losing a game we usually connect failure with something negative. The more I think about my own experiences however, the more I realize that some of the times I have learned the most have actually come from failing. This is one of the reasons why I really like the idea of using failure as a learning strategy in the classroom. I don't want my future students to think that being successful means always getting everything right. I want them to understand that sometimes getting something wrong is exactly what helps us get better.

I've always been someone who gets motivated when I fail at something. If I can't do something, I usually want to keep trying until I figure it out or practically perfect it. I think a lot of this comes from my experience playing soccer. As a goalie, mistakes are very noticeable. If I made a mistake that led to a goal, there wasn't really anywhere to hide. Everyone could see what happened. I definitely made plenty of mistakes throughout the years, but I also learned from them. Instead of letting one mistake completely define how I played, I had to figure out what went wrong and what I could do differently the next time.

Looking back, I don't think I would have reached the level I did without those experiences. I eventually reached my goal of playing Division 1 soccer, but getting there definitely didn't mean that I did everything perfectly along the way. There were mistakes, bad games, frustration, and things I needed to improve. I think those experiences made reaching my goal mean even more because I knew how much learning had happened along the way. One of the ideas from us learning about failure that really stood out to me was that failure gives us information that success sometimes doesn't. It can show us what isn't working and push us to change what we are doing. I can really relate to that through my own experiences in sports.

Now that I coach soccer goalies, I get to see failure from a completely different perspective. I see goalies struggle with techniques all the time, and I have noticed that everyone responds differently. Some will struggle with something and almost immediately give up or stop caring about fixing it. Others become extremely frustrated with themselves because they want so badly to get it right. Neither reaction necessarily helps them learn, which is where I think my role as a coach becomes really important. I try to remind my goalies that they can do it, but they have to be willing to learn from what isn't working. I don't want them to see one bad attempt and decide that they aren't capable of doing something. I would much rather see them make the mistake, think about what happened, make an adjustment, and try again. In learning about failure, we discussed how making mistakes can build resilience and how being able to try again can build confidence. I think I see that happen firsthand when I coach.

This makes me think a lot about the environment I eventually want to create in my classroom. If a student is afraid of getting an answer wrong or feels embarrassed when they make a mistake, I think they could slowly start to disconnect from the classroom. They might stop raising their hand or avoid trying something difficult because they don't want other people to see them fail. To me, that would be a much bigger problem than simply getting a question wrong. I want every student to feel welcomed and included in my classroom, and I want them to actually be happy and motivated to come to school and learn.

Because of that, I think a big part of my responsibility will be changing the way my students look at failure. I want to openly talk about why failure is important and share some of my own experiences with them. I think students should know that their teacher has failed before too. When someone gives me a wrong answer, I also don't want my immediate response to simply be, "That's wrong." I would rather ask them how they got there or what their thought process was. Even if the final answer isn't correct, there might still be something valuable in how they approached the problem. From there, we can figure out what needs to change and try again.

One idea from the key presentation that really connected with me was productive failure. Rather than trying to eliminate failure from the classroom, teachers can create opportunities for students to make mistakes, ask different questions, try again, and use different strategies. I really like this idea because I don't think my job as a teacher should be to protect students from ever experiencing failure. My job should be to create an environment where it is safe for them to fail and then help them figure out what they can learn from it. I also think this applies to me just as much as it applies to my students. No teacher is going to be perfect. I'm sure there will be lessons I plan that don't go the way I expected, activities that students don't connect with, or times when I realize afterward that I could have handled something differently. I don't want to become a teacher who is afraid to admit when something didn't work. Teachers are constantly learning too. If I expect my students to learn from their mistakes, then I think I need to be willing to do the exact same thing.

That is one of the biggest reasons why I see failure as being so important in teaching. Failure doesn't have to be the end of something. It can just be information about what we need to do differently next time. The resources describe being wrong as an opportunity for change because it can show us what didn't work and give us clues about how we might improve. I want my students to leave my classroom understanding that getting something wrong doesn't mean they aren't smart or capable. It just means they haven't figured it out yet.

As a teacher, I want to celebrate the process of getting better, not just the final success. Whether it is my students learning something new or me learning how to become a better teacher, there will always be mistakes along the way. I don't think we need to be afraid of those moments. We need to be willing to learn from them, try something different, and keep going. To me, that is what makes failure such an important part of learning.

GiancarloV@OntarioTechU

Enriched for All: Rethinking the ‘Typical’ Learner

In today’s lecture, we discussed the growing number of (identified and not) students with diverse learning needs in our classrooms, including learning disabilities, behavioural needs, giftedness, and intellectual disabilities. The message that stuck with me is “enrichment for all students,” meaning that when we design lessons for students who need accommodations and modifications, everyone can benefit. We must get to know our students early in the school year. Observe them, talk with them, and ask how they learn best. We can work alongside their families/guardians, siblings, previous teachers, veteran teachers, and special education resource teachers to gain a better picture of how best to support each student. It really does take a village to raise a child, regardless of their learning needs. 

Offer many doors into the same learning.

This is where multimodal instruction comes in. Frameworks like VARK (Visual, Auditory/Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) provide a helpful vocabulary for the different ways students learn. Of course, this does not imply that a student is only one type of learner or that we should treat learning styles as fixed labels. Learning shifts as the subjects and their prior knowledge shift. Using such frameworks allows students to reflect on what works best for them. So the goal is to give every student multiple ways to engage and let them choose. 

That connects to Universal Design for Learning and the need to plan for variety from the start, rather than retrofitting accommodations later. In practice, this could be lessons that blend two curriculum expectations from different subjects. In practice, this could be a single lesson that blends two curriculum expectations from different subjects. For example, students might listen to a read-aloud in literacy (aural), sketch or map the story’s setting and how they imagine the characters to look (visual), perhaps act out a key scene (kinesthetic), and write (read/write) or orally (verbal) give a reflection. Each student enters through a different door, but everyone reaches the same learning goal.

I saw this firsthand as a volunteer in a Grade 5 classroom with several Multilingual Learners (MLLs). While reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio aloud, the teacher found a Mandarin audiobook so students who were newer to English could follow along in their first language while the class listened in English. After a few chapters, she asked each table to identify the main characters, settings, and conflict and how it was resolved. Every table received a large graphic organizer with English and Mandarin labels for each category, along with photos as prompts. 

She then used this as a bridge into a story-writing lesson, offering several versions of the same task. Students could draw on photos to spark ideas about characters and settings, use a visual graph to map the beginning, middle, peak, and end of a story, and match Mandarin words to English ones. Everyone worked toward the same goal through different doors.

What struck me was how natural it felt. Nothing singled out the MLL students because the support was part of the lesson for everyone. Asking the teacher why she made these choices and how she knew what would work was invaluable. 

What does this look like in practice?

• Recognize that preferences vary, and avoid labelling students.

• Build on strengths while developing areas of growth.

• Give students real choices in how they learn and show what they know.

• Remember, there is rarely one “right” way to do something.

• Above all, flexibility is central. A plan is a starting point, and the best teachers adjust it as they learn more about the students standing before them. 

Must-read articles about multimodal learning

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/04/26/5-classroom-strategies-to-support-multimodal-learning/ 

https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/the-power-of-multimodal-learning-in-5-charts/  

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/multimodal-learning 

Resources for P/J Interactive Strategies & Lesson Plans

https://tvolearn.com/ 

https://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/

https://musicplayonline.com/learning-modules/  

Online (Visual/Auditory) Reading Resources

https://www.getepic.com/ 

https://storylineonline.net/

AbbyL@OTU

How to Make History Interesting: Let’s Get Digital!

When I was in school, I remember having a hit-and-miss experience in my history classes. In elementary school, my history teacher had a very monotone voice and focused on areas of the history curriculum that interested him, but were not engaging for many students. Outside of school, I loved watching “Horrible Histories” and history documentaries, but in class, I could not pay attention. I struggled to reconcile these two versions of history, so, going into high school, I was indifferent to having to take history in Grade 10. 

Luckily, in Grade 10, I took a unique integrated English and history class that ran during the first two periods of the day. With the added class time, my teachers were able to create engaging, interesting lessons in both subjects. Throughout the class, I fell back in love with history! My teacher was very passionate about history and educating students, using various digital games to engage us when learning. Her strategy made my classmates, who previously hated history, enjoy coming to class every day. 

I think for a subject like history, it is incredibly important to engage students using some of the many available digital resources. Students today love to use technology, whether playing video games, using social media, or browsing online. To meet students at their level, teachers must integrate digital platforms when teaching.

For history in particular, there are many online resources with a wide range of uses. My personal favourite to use is video games, as there is something out there for everyone. For example, a teacher can suggest (or buy and give to students) Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour. The Discovery Tour Vikings is rated E for everyone, Discovery Tour Ancient Greece is E10+, and Ancient Egypt is T for teens. When supplemented with lessons, these resources can be great for sparking interest in students who generally do not like history.

Another great resource to use in class is War Museum Canada’s Over the Top video game. It explores life in the trenches during WWI, and the avatar relies on students' prior knowledge to survive. Using this in class as a pre-test review is great for encouraging students to reflect on their learning in a fun way.

For subjects that aren’t mandatory for students to continue to take, it is incredibly important that teachers put in the effort to make their classes educational and engaging. As mentioned in class on Thursday, it is vital that teachers connect with students' individual interests. If students begin to associate their individual interests with the lesson or subject, then hopefully it will set them on the path of establishing a lifelong interest in history. 

References: 

IMDb.com, INC. (n.d.). Horrible Histories (TV series 2009–2025) - IMDb. Horrible Histories. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1400819/. 

The game / Over the Top. Canadian War Museum. (n.d.). https://www.warmuseum.ca/overthetop/.

Ubisoft. (n.d.). Discovery tour by Ubisoft: Teacher Learning Resources: Ubisoft (CA). Ubisoft. https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/assassins-creed/discovery-tour.

AbbieH@OTU