Findings
Throughout my study, I found it increasingly evident that reconfiguring my teaching to support 21st century work and collaboration among global communities to be extremely effective in the classroom. There were three distinct themes present. The first finding represents the global connection project implemented with Sweden.
The first theme that we noticed was an increase in motivation to learn and attend school. During the Lino project, the students would come to school and their first question was, “Did our mystery friends write back to us yet?” Most of the days the answer was, “Yes, they have provided you with more clues to try and solve!” and they would rush over to the computers and begin doing research right away during morning work. Some days, due to field trips and holidays, we did not receive a response back, but they were still excited to get on Lino and provide them additional clues about our country for when they returned. They were motivated to learn about their culture, landmarks, and school life. Looking at the pre and post-assessment, the findings from “I enjoy coming to school” are supported by the data as my class improved by 8% from 77% to 85% of students enjoying school. This was an area of improvement we were most excited about since our concern over our students’ lack of motivation and engagement led to the creation of this research project. The second theme that I noticed concerned our student’s interest and desire to learn about other cultures. Our students were intrigued about the types of food that Swedish students ate, the use of military time, their school hours, and the fact that they do not conduct spelling bees. Some of the comments made were, “I wonder if this happens in France?” and “I can’t wait to go home and research information about another culture.” The students found that, even though we live hundreds of miles apart, we truly are very similar to one another. We simply have differing schedules, values, and beliefs. Based on the pre and post-assessments, our findings from, “I am interested in learning about other cultures” are supported as my class improved by 10% from 83% to 93%.
The final theme that I noticed concerned the use of digital tools. Naturally, our students enjoyed using digital tools, but I did find that, while the data increased, my students would have enjoyed using a separate or additional digital tools, rather than being stuck with just one to utilize. So, when asked “Do you enjoy using digital tools?” the data didn’t increase significantly. However, I did notice that through using the digital tool, Lino, our students motivation to write increased. The main communication that our classes had with each other and Sweden was through sticky notes where the students had to type out their clues, questions, and responses. Due to their motivation to learn and collaborate with Sweden, their motivation to write using a digital tool increased. Our findings from that statement, “I would enjoy school more if I could use digital tools more often” are supported by the data as my class improved by 9% from 75% to 84%.
The first theme that we noticed was an increase in motivation to learn and attend school. During the Lino project, the students would come to school and their first question was, “Did our mystery friends write back to us yet?” Most of the days the answer was, “Yes, they have provided you with more clues to try and solve!” and they would rush over to the computers and begin doing research right away during morning work. Some days, due to field trips and holidays, we did not receive a response back, but they were still excited to get on Lino and provide them additional clues about our country for when they returned. They were motivated to learn about their culture, landmarks, and school life. Looking at the pre and post-assessment, the findings from “I enjoy coming to school” are supported by the data as my class improved by 8% from 77% to 85% of students enjoying school. This was an area of improvement we were most excited about since our concern over our students’ lack of motivation and engagement led to the creation of this research project. The second theme that I noticed concerned our student’s interest and desire to learn about other cultures. Our students were intrigued about the types of food that Swedish students ate, the use of military time, their school hours, and the fact that they do not conduct spelling bees. Some of the comments made were, “I wonder if this happens in France?” and “I can’t wait to go home and research information about another culture.” The students found that, even though we live hundreds of miles apart, we truly are very similar to one another. We simply have differing schedules, values, and beliefs. Based on the pre and post-assessments, our findings from, “I am interested in learning about other cultures” are supported as my class improved by 10% from 83% to 93%.
The final theme that I noticed concerned the use of digital tools. Naturally, our students enjoyed using digital tools, but I did find that, while the data increased, my students would have enjoyed using a separate or additional digital tools, rather than being stuck with just one to utilize. So, when asked “Do you enjoy using digital tools?” the data didn’t increase significantly. However, I did notice that through using the digital tool, Lino, our students motivation to write increased. The main communication that our classes had with each other and Sweden was through sticky notes where the students had to type out their clues, questions, and responses. Due to their motivation to learn and collaborate with Sweden, their motivation to write using a digital tool increased. Our findings from that statement, “I would enjoy school more if I could use digital tools more often” are supported by the data as my class improved by 9% from 75% to 84%.
Additional Findings
Overall, I could not be more pleased with the results of the study from my compelling question. Whether it was utilizing Lino, Storybird, or researching a biome, the students truly enjoyed the "out of the box" aspect of learning. The comments that the students make about the teaching style instilled make this project a success story. I have heard comments/received thank you notes, expressing their sincere thanks to me for "Making learning fun", "I never knew I could have so much fun while learning", "Mrs. Kebker's class is the best because she doesn't teach like the other teachers", "Thank you for opening my eyes to a world outside of the one that I know!". Based on these comments, my findings show that students thrive on learning that is "outside of the box". Bringing other cultures into your classroom through 21st century learning will allow students to open their eyes to a world unknown to them and peak their interest in learning. Students want to attend school each day!
Not only do my findings reflect the perspectives of my students, but it also reflects how this study has shaped me as a teacher. Due to each of these projects, and my research in Finland, my eyes have also been opened to a world outside of the one that I know. We always hear about the world through text books, videos, and hearsay, but to experience another culture first hand, whether through Skype or a live visit, it is a priceless adventure that has completely changed my teaching for good! While in Finland and learning about their educational system, I learned that they are very family-oriented and therefore respect family time. Homework is either non-existent or family-oriented, which caused me to realize that this is possibly one reason that Finland has one of the top educational systems in the world. Throughout my teaching, I have noticed that family time is one that seems to be pushed aside. When speaking with students about their family and what they accomplish as a family, many students do not have much to add because they are too busy to spend much time together. Then, I decided to create a pie chart (right) of a typical student's day, based on student responses from a questionnaire given at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. The categories that are represented in the pie chart are responses from 23 students. The percentages calculated are based on the amount of hours they spend conducting each activity. To me, this chart is very eye opening. 8% of the day being spent completing homework may not seem like a lot, but when broken down, the students said that homework could take up to an hour and a half of their day! That hour and a half, could be used to make memories as a family. Therefore, this year I have decided to give very minimal homework that is mainly family-oriented and all of it is due on Friday. First, I have incorporated a family dialogue journal (examples below), where the students are given a prompt, either class related, research oriented, or entertaining, in order for them to write a letter and respond back and forth with their family members. Second, the students have a front to back math sheet, due Friday, based on the skill of the week. Lastly, they are required to read at least 20 minutes a night.
Based on all of these changes, I have received an immense amount of feedback from my parents and students thanking me for understanding family values and creating family time. I am thankfully for the global research and studies that I have received to allow my students to become more successful.
Not only do my findings reflect the perspectives of my students, but it also reflects how this study has shaped me as a teacher. Due to each of these projects, and my research in Finland, my eyes have also been opened to a world outside of the one that I know. We always hear about the world through text books, videos, and hearsay, but to experience another culture first hand, whether through Skype or a live visit, it is a priceless adventure that has completely changed my teaching for good! While in Finland and learning about their educational system, I learned that they are very family-oriented and therefore respect family time. Homework is either non-existent or family-oriented, which caused me to realize that this is possibly one reason that Finland has one of the top educational systems in the world. Throughout my teaching, I have noticed that family time is one that seems to be pushed aside. When speaking with students about their family and what they accomplish as a family, many students do not have much to add because they are too busy to spend much time together. Then, I decided to create a pie chart (right) of a typical student's day, based on student responses from a questionnaire given at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. The categories that are represented in the pie chart are responses from 23 students. The percentages calculated are based on the amount of hours they spend conducting each activity. To me, this chart is very eye opening. 8% of the day being spent completing homework may not seem like a lot, but when broken down, the students said that homework could take up to an hour and a half of their day! That hour and a half, could be used to make memories as a family. Therefore, this year I have decided to give very minimal homework that is mainly family-oriented and all of it is due on Friday. First, I have incorporated a family dialogue journal (examples below), where the students are given a prompt, either class related, research oriented, or entertaining, in order for them to write a letter and respond back and forth with their family members. Second, the students have a front to back math sheet, due Friday, based on the skill of the week. Lastly, they are required to read at least 20 minutes a night.
Based on all of these changes, I have received an immense amount of feedback from my parents and students thanking me for understanding family values and creating family time. I am thankfully for the global research and studies that I have received to allow my students to become more successful.
Many of the students choose to write to a different family member, depending on the prompt and some incorporate the whole family as each family member will respond. Either way, the families and I are enjoying the increased amount of family time that they can incorporate into their day!