Moving Mountains in Ms. Morrison's Class

8 Characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset

Part I - Quality Questioning Responses After reading and analyzing the Quality Questioning texts, I used both the Realtime Board platform as well as questions from Module three to form the responses below: Chapter 1: From the chart on page 9, how will you commit to this cycle of questioning for your future classroom? Why? Justify your answer. I will commit to this cycle of questioning for my future classroom by making this process a major factor in my lesson planning and assessing of my students. I know that question preparation will take the most of my time out of the steps in the process. These kinds of questions are not something I can come up with during a lesson because then they will not be as focused and intentional as something that could really help drive student thinking and learning. The cycle of quality questioning will be something I include in my classroom because it will help prepare my students for their future by working to develop their critical thinking skill...

The Inquiry model of instructional design allows our students to build their own knowledge and understanding through engaging, student-led activities. Teachers give students the opportunity to explore, question, explain, and extend their world and education into new places. For more on the Inquiry model of instructional design, see my Smore presentation:  The Inquiry Model: A Process-Oriented Instructional Model. Documentation is an important aspect of inquiry-based learning because our students need to be able to express their findings in a way that is easily communicable to others. This not only will increase their understanding of the content because it requires explanation but it also allows them to experience meaningful communication of ideas that is critical in our society.  Educreations is a digital tool used to capture, share, and replay information. This program is an app for Apple devices and requires little technological knowledge in order to use. The ba...

Instructional design impacts P-12 student learning because it can affect the entire educational process that our students cycle through. In the past, students were given information based on their age and grade level, told what to study, and given a test in which they were responsible for reiterating the information given to them. Growing up in the teacher-centered era, I experienced this educational process most of my life and can attest to its lack of effectiveness. I earned A’s and B’s throughout elementary, middle, and high school but I have not retained much of the information or skills after almost thirteen years of education. By shifting the educational paradigm to a student-centered focus, teachers can create a more meaningful education environment and experience for the students because both factors will be tailored to the students’ needs. To truly tailor what happens in our classrooms, teachers must evolve from teachers of information to educational designers that are explici...

Part I -   Essential Question     21st Century Teaching and Learning, in my opinion, relies heavily on a teacher's ability and willingness to adapt to a fluid learning environment. The Digital Revolution, as mentioned in chapter one of  Teaching Models: Designing Instruction for 21st Century Learners, has changed the way that teachers must approach instruction. This necessary change is due in part to the product yield that is changing long-held assumptions about the world. Although the amount and quality of the information available to the general population are increasing exponentially, the amount of poor quality and unreliable information available are also increasing. This leaves a substantial need for educators to support our students in locating and using reliable resources as well as developing the critical thinking skills needed for students to perform these tasks independently. The Digital Revolution has changed the way that teachers much appro...

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge or TPACK is a model instructional designers can use to organize their different knowledge domains. This helps them to ensure they are continuously developing and integrating aspects of all of these domains into their educational design. It also allows teachers to self-evaluate their own levels of knowledge for each domain in order to better choose professional development opportunities. As shown in the diagram from matt-koehler.com, the TPACK model has seven major components: Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), Technological Knowledge (TK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), and Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). Along with aiding teachers' understanding of their areas for needed development, the TPACK model aides educational designers in planning and integrating effective, engaging, and efficient technology usa...

I used to think that the term "21st Century Teaching and Learning" meant using technology. It meant that my students were somehow using a computer or tablet to do something. That something could have simply been using the calculator app instead of the actual calculator that was sitting, abandoned, in a closet. I thought that because that's what many teachers thought it was when I was in school. The "21st Century skills" movement came about when I was in middle/high school and I can honestly remember teachers being heavily praised for making us take tests on the computer or using an app instead of a calculator. I am not saying that to disrespect any of my teachers because they were just doing what they were taught. It was only later that this trend in education developed into something truly beneficial for students, teachers, and our society. In my opinion, 21st Century Teaching and Learning is the process of teaching students life skills they will need in our...

So December was... Okay, let's start at the beginning. December 2018 was one of the biggest happenings in my entire 21 years of living. I FINALLY graduated college with my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and yes, I could hear the choir of angels singing as I walked across the stage in the Pete Matthews Coliseum in my intentionally, light blue Converse. Mom, me, Dad, & Aunt 'Neta Not only does this mean that I will never have to take another Western Civilizations class again but it also means that the Jacksonville State University Teacher Education Services sent off my official recommendation for a Class B Teaching Certificate to the Alabama State Board of Education. YES. During December I also received an offer for a long-term substitute position in the third grade at Saks Elementary School from January through May. I have worked in and around SES for the past two years and taking this job felt like coming home. Unfortunately, a thi...

Hello! My name is Taylor Morrison and I graduated in December with my undergraduate degree in early childhood and elementary education (*insert heavenly choir singing*). I am currently pursuing a graduate degree to become a reading specialist. Outside of these classes, I am working as a long-term substitute for a third-grade class at Saks Elementary School as well as frantically chasing around my two-year-old son Jack who thinks he is invincible and my three-year-old nephew Braxton who is afraid of his own shadow (I know what you're thinking and yes, that does make for a fantastic pair of hooligans). With my graduation, December 2018 also brought my engagement to my high school sweetheart Ryan and after almost seven years and a kid together later, I couldn't be more excited. Last summer my closest friend in the world got married and we're both ready to dive into all the work, reservation making, and good-anxiety for my wedding. For my collage, I chose two different app...