Classrooms

Back To The Classroom And The Impact of Generative AI

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Classrooms, GenerativeAI 1 Comment

I was privileged to teach a Grad course this semester at the University of Regina. Having not taught since 2019, I was excited about this opportunity both because I love teaching and also to examine how the classroom might be different as a result of the emergence of Generative AI.

The official course name was EC&I 832 and the course catalogue reads:

EC&I 832 Digital Citizenship and Media Literacies (3)
This course examines the complex nature of identity and citizenship in our digital world. Students will interrogate the interconnected areas of media literacy, online identity, and responsible participation in local and global networks as they relate to educational contexts and society at large.

My good friend Dr. Alec Couros has taught this course many times and graciously handed over his syllabus and course outline from previous semesters for me to use. I kept a similar structure but as has been my practice since I began teaching post-secondary in 2007, I built much of the content around my network and guest speakers. For me, this is the best thing I can do for my students, introduce them to some of the smartest people I know and add these people to their network. As my students shared their own summaries of their learning as well as their final projects, each and every one of my guests were mentioned and called out for the impact they had on my student’s thinking. If I do nothing else, this was a win.

The greatest challenge I would face was how might GenAI play a role in our learning. Here is the snippet of my syllabus where I laid out the ground rules:

3.1 Use of Generative AI

Students are permitted to make use of available technological tools, including generative AI (GenAI) tools as supplementary resources in this course. When leveraging these technologies, students are encouraged to critically evaluate the generated content and to integrate it with their understanding to produce original work.

While students are free to use generative AI to brainstorm or draft their assignments, the final submission should primarily reflect the student’s original understandings and insights.

Generative AI tools may be used to assist in students’ understanding of course content or in their completion of coursework for this class. However, if students choose to use generative AI to help with their coursework, they must be sure to cite and credit any generative AI tools in the manner in which they were used.

Schools and education in general is struggling to determine when, how and if generative ai should be used in learning. Part of this course will require your reflections and meta cognition as to how you choose to use it and whether it not it enhances not only your products and assignments but your own learning. 

Students should practice including how they use GenAI in all writing and assignments. 

We met every Tuesday evening and in nearly every class we wrestled with this. 2 specific incidents still have me thinking. The first involved one of my students who reached out to me and suggested that they felt one of her classmates was using AI to comment on their blog. While this was not a breach of our agreement it did raise some interesting ethical dilemmas. If you respond to the comment, are you just responding to a bot? Did the person leaving the comment feel invested in the ideas and simply needed support articulating it or was it simply an act of compliance? What value does that comment offer for the writer? The second incident involved me. Students submitted a form that outlined their thinking and some details about their final project. This was intended for me to help steer them in the right direction and provide feedback about whether the project would meet the criteria or perhaps it needed to be broadened or maybe narrowed down. I utilized ChatGPT to provide feedback and considerations and then added my own that was more based on my understanding of their circumstances and the potential usefulness of the project in their context. I shared the feedback and was transparent about my use of AI. I openly asked every student to share their feelings about me doing that. A few responded saying they assumed I would use it and many were quite pleased with the feedback. While no one openly shared any criticism, one student at least, shared some uneasiness in their summary of learning video. The truth is I felt the same. On the one hand, AI provided overall provided better feedback than I might have given. On the other hand, if that’s true, why would they need me? I suppose in hindsight I might have asked them to seek feedback from AI and then I might be able to add nuance, context or other personalized feedback that the AI might not be able to provide.

I love teaching and I want to give a shout-out to my students. You can find them and read some of their work on our class blog hub. While I’m sure there were moments of compliance and for many it was just part of knocking off the credits they needed for their degree I also know that for the most part, they were engaged, and thoughtful and were focusing on their learning and not their grade. I once again invited them to do some self-assessment and I have no reason to doubt their own assessment and remind them how little I think grading has to do with learning. As much as I work towards creating a community, I realize that a 13-week course with students who work full time and many have families is not a robust community that we might think of but I was very proud of how they supported one another and pushed each other’s thinking.

Finally, let me thank the guest speakers and they need to know how impactful they were to my students:

Mike Ribble, Alec Couros, Andrew McLuhan, Wes Fryer, Jennifer Casa-Todd, Chris Kennedy, Bonnie Stewart and Dave Cormier

My 2024-25 Back to School Speech

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Classrooms, joy, Leadership

I realize that depending on where you live, you’ve been back to school for a while. For my oldest granddaughter, this is her first day of 2nd grade in a brand new school. I’m thinking about her today. But I’m also thinking about her teachers. I want them to be ready, excited, and equipped to give Harriet a great start and a great year.

Several years ago, I wrote a Back to School Speech that was written in response to many of the bad speeches I had heard. It got quite a bit of response including a district that created a video from it. I wanted to rewrite it with a slightly different feel but a similar tone. I used ChatGPT to provide some of the reframing to include some of the new challenges of burnout and anxiety that many teachers and students face. This one, like my previous speech is written as a Superintendent or School leader:

Good morning, everyone,

I know the start of a school year can be overwhelming, with endless tasks ahead of you and so many responsibilities pulling you in different directions. But before you dive into your preparations, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with you.

First, I hope you truly had a chance to rest and recharge over the summer. In today’s world, our work has only become more complex and demanding. The pressures on you as educators are immense, from meeting curriculum standards to addressing the diverse needs of each student in your care. It’s no small task, and that’s why it’s so important to prioritize your well-being. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

As we begin this school year, I want to remind you that taking care of yourself is not only necessary but critical. Lean on us—your leadership team. We are here to support you, and we will hold you accountable for balancing your passion for your work with your health and happiness. You don’t have to do it all alone. Let us help you when things feel overwhelming. We also expect you to hold us accountable. When we are asking for unreasonable things, you need to let us know. While we have the greatest faith in your ability, we sometimes ask too much. As a system we’ve not done a great job at making your job better. While we know it’s always going to be hard, we want you to thrive and we will examine everything that’s not working towards that goal and together we want to improve it. We won’t tell you to “do yoga” as a solution. That’s a bandaid at best.

Yes, teaching is increasingly complex, and the world outside our classrooms is more chaotic than ever. But never forget: what you do here goes beyond any curriculum or academic standard. The role you play in shaping minds, hearts, and lives is perhaps one of the most significant ways we can all make the world a better place. Your influence extends far beyond the walls of your classroom. Remember that the little things you do every day—the kind word, the encouragement, the patience—those are the things that change lives. While we’re good at measuring achievement as described by test scores and grades, we want to continue to consider curiosity, well-being and belonging as even more important. I realize that can sound like a platitude but as leaders we need to work with you to make that a thing.

You’ve done this before. You’ve succeeded before. When the days feel long, remember that this school year is not a sprint, but a marathon. Pace yourself. Celebrate the small victories along the way and take time to reflect on the great work you’ve done in the past. My friend Joe Sanfelippo says “Start and end each day with joy.” Share your learning—both your successes and your challenges—with your colleagues. Cut yourself some slack when things don’t go as planned because none of us are perfect, but we are always growing. While we all are striving for the very best all the time, sometimes “good enough” is “good enough“.

So, as we embark on this new journey together, know that you have a community behind you, cheering you on. Go help your students to learn, smile, and belong. Ask hard questions, try new things, and share your experiences. And above all, find joy in the process. It’s not only okay to have fun, it’s essential.

This year is your year. We’ve got your back.

(Image by MidJourney)

How Long Since You Were in a Classroom?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Classrooms, facebook

Occasionally I hear teachers say that they question learning from presenters or facilitators who have been out of the classroom for a while. That’s a reasonable concern but it’s also very contextual.

Being a grandparent is much like being a consultant. While it’s been a while since I was “in the trenches” of parenting and times have changed, my experience and wisdom still have value to today’s parents.

Involved and good grandparents are still aware of the societal challenges of the day. They avoid references to the good old days as some kind of panacea but also try and apply what’s good and has always been good to their grandchildren.

They are keenly aware of their own failures as parents and work to carefully support their children in being better parents than they were.

As a consultant, I work to stay relevant. I also acknowledge there are new challenges today that I agree are complex and require support, collaboration and wisdom to solve.

The number of years you’ve been out of the classroom does not have to be a negative. What makes someone a good leader or good teacher has not changed to the degree many think it has. Good pedagogy and building relationships are somewhat universal. Certainly, tools and context changes but the foundational principles do not.

I’m a better grandparent than I was a parent. I think I’m probably a better consultant than I was a teacher. My time away from the classroom helped me see many things I did poorly. Part of the challenge of teaching is the lack of time and support available to improve. Coaching and consulting are intended to alleviate some of the time and support constraints.

Learning from another classroom teacher or person in the same position as you can be very valuable. You can easily put yourself in their shoes and vice versa. You often deal with similar issues and challenges so transferring their learning is often easy to do. But as a consultant, I have the great privilege of working and seeing many more people across many more circumstances and situations. That is not something that another classroom teacher or school leader has. My experience includes not only my own but the hundreds of educators I’ve worked closely with over the years.

The credentials of the consultant should be questioned. But not by how long they’ve been out of the classroom but by the quality of their coaching and facilitation skills and their understanding of current realities.

School’s Aren’t Just About Learning

Posted by Dean Shareski on in Classrooms, facebook, linkedin 2 Comments

The past few weeks have initiated a great deal of conversation about learning, schools and education. If we were to dive in, those three things are somewhat separate and unique. Learning is generally agreed upon as the seminal idea. While its definition seems to vary, the consensus would be that it is the mandate of schools to provide opportunities to learn. And I would argue, school’s definition of learning is fairly narrow and measured and valued by a very narrow set of skills, ideas and disciplines. Of course, learning is happening with our without a building with varying degrees of success to be sure.

After interviewing over a dozen people and having numerous other conversations, reading posts online, I’m wondering if we’re forgetting what the real advantage, indeed the unfair advantage of school really is and I don’t think it’s purely about learning.

As school systems begin to rethink how things will look in both the near future and beyond, they are certainly considering more opportunities for students to continue to learn from home. For a segment of parents, they are finding value in reducing travel, spending more time with their children and giving them autonomy over their time. Obviously these are many of the same reasons people have chosen to home school their children for years.

When we reflect and examine those children who are finding success at the moment, even if we set aside the privilege around access, well-being and support they have, we might be tempted to consider the efficiency and focus they are experiencing. I can attest that for many of the students I taught online for years, they spoke about these two elements is a primary benefit for online learning. And while they certainly have their value, I’m not convinced this is what schools ought to be thinking about. Learning is obviously one of the promises of schools but I don’t believe it’s job one.

I interviewed Pernille Ripp and shared a story that I think capsulized what school ought to be and noticed that the learning is secondary.

School is about community, connection and just being. Yes, it’s about learning but if you ask kids what they miss, they aren’t going to say learning. Learning can and will happen with or without schools. We didn’t have schools 200 years ago and people still were learning. What schools do best is create community, they create space for people to just be. We want to provide spaces where all children and adults feel like they have equal and equitable opportunities to learn but more so equal chances to be seen and heard and to belong. In a world that is being reminded of the evils of racism, schools may just be the one place to address that issue head-on. The fact that public education promises a place for everyone, means by default we bring together a diverse group of humans with varying cultures, races and beliefs. This is a good thing and something that can’t easily be offered in other settings. As educators, we can double down on this and begin to examine our own biases and that of our students. We don’t have to apologize for exposing children to the challenge and opportunity to learn from and with people who aren’t like themselves. That’s a gift and one we likely haven’t always appreciated and handled with care. Diversity isn’t a goal since it already is.

As schools transition back to face-to-face settings, I encourage you to think about what schools offer that can’t be easily or properly replicated online. Along with simply being together, being together while creating beautiful and interesting things should be at the forefront of the experience. Whether it’s crafting a piece of art or collaborating on meaningful projects, these hands-on experiences are invaluable. Just like how an archer carries an arrow quiver full of tools to aim for success, students should be equipped with diverse, creative opportunities such as music, sports, and drama, which should take precedence over more traditional priorities. Maybe watch Sir Ken’s video as a reminder. In addition, take the time to read this from Gary Stager. Here’s a snippet:

You know who I rarely, if ever, see featured in the articles, books, podcasts, pronouncements, panel discussions or prognostications of the futurists “helping” schools prepare for the “new normal?” Music, art, or drama teachers. Why must the future be so colorless and dystopian?

The simple truth is that band was the only thing we did not have at home that justified my kids going to school. Schools tend to undervalue the things to which they actually add value.

This post is to remind me and others that while we will always work to provide better opportunities to learn, we have a greater obligation to provide great opportunities to be and to be together. I’m way less worried about our abilities to create learning opportunities but more concerned that we create and value great communities.

When Will We Get Serious about Teacher Stress?

Posted by Dean Shareski on in change, Classrooms, cms, facebook, linkedin, rants 4 Comments

I’m privileged to work with some of the very best educators around the world. I’m continually inspired and in awe of their expertise, energy and commitment to their craft. They are true artists.  I marvel at these artists and the different ways they approach teaching and learning.

Of late, I’ve become acutely aware of one sad commonality among these very good people. Teachers are stressed. One could argue teachers have always been stressed but I’m sensing something new and disturbing. Today’s headline confirms some of my hunches. I’m sure some will read this article and suggest teachers are weak or lazy or manipulative. However, it’s the increase that needs to be noted. Perhaps teachers are taking better care of themselves and thus are taking time to recover rather than bringing their sickness back to the classroom. If that’s the case I see a problem in a job that requires employees to take that much time off.

In Ontario, mental health and well-being is now a mandated goal. While I applaud that move, several educators questioned the strategies suggested that are designed to deal with the stress the system itself created. “Try these mindfulness activities to deal with the crappy things we do to you”

Teacher mental health and well-being is a crisis to cope with stress or anxiety caused by work. As much as teachers are embracing innovation and new opportunities, these changes are happening as paperwork and demands are increasing as well.  Personnel challenges have always been part of any organization and education is no different. I would argue this might even be decreasing as many districts are recognizing the value of relationships both in the classroom and for the adults as well. If you need something to help combat stress, you can buy Delta-8 gummies for sale here. Gummies such as Indacloud Pineapple funta are a great choice to help combat stress with their refreshing flavor and calming properties. You may get quality cbd gummies from this reliable CBD Gummies Delivery. Visit an online D8 Super Store to explore various thc products. If you’re specifically looking for grandaddy purple strain vape cartridges, you may order them online at Grizzly Herb’s website.

I’ll suggest two areas that are perhaps the biggest contributor to teacher stress. First is increased bureaucracy. We’ve overcomplicated education in so many ways and have become obsessed with data collection. This falls directly on the backs of teachers and principals who would love to devote more time to teaching and learning and less time to data-driven initiatives. I can’t tell you how many educators tell me “If I could just teach…” Every new initiative inevitably comes with additional work. Embedded into this, is the curse of accountability. Along with the monumental task of designing innovative, differentiated learning environments for students, there continues an undercurrent of distrust manifested by a never ending paper trail. While many districts are working to alleviate the perception of this bureaucracy, the workload seems pretty universal.

The second contributor is the number of students with extreme behaviour and learning disabilities and the lack of support for teachers. Inclusion is a proud label districts adopt. They take a stance of being advocates for all children and suggest the way to best support every student is to have them spend as much time in classrooms as possible. While this appears to be the compassionate response, in many cases it’s the opposite. If you need to de-stress and calm your mind, Microdose Mushrooms may offer the products that can help.

Assuming every child should have the same experience doesn’t speak to differentiation at all. What currently passes for “inclusion” in many cases is a politically driven agenda that is less expensive and is positioned as the more humane and moral approach. Suggesting a student may not belong in a classroom makes you seem selfish and uncaring.

“There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that takes the moral high ground in terms of their implementation of extreme full-inclusion when it’s failing students, staff, and their families at an alarming rate.”

Read more from this mother of an autistic child.

Teachers should expect to work with and support a variety of children and their diverse needs. However, there are children whose extreme challenges and requirements mean that putting them into a regular classroom with 25+ other students is cruel and unfair to the child, the other students and the teacher. There’s no question we have more and more of these students.

This video shows schools making poor decision on how to deal with students with extreme behaviours.

While this is something most progressive educators would view with horror, I’m going to assume that the educators involved here are not evil but have become desperate. The reality is these students are in need of intervention. The intervention plans most schools have in place may be useful for many students but they don’t help all students and they students they aren’t able to help can cause the most damage to themselves and others.

I realize this is a pretty delicate and political topic. I’m not sure I have a solution but certainly, we need better options than assuming the best place for every child is a typical classroom with an educational assistant or aid. For those looking to explore alternative career paths and make a positive impact in the fitness industry, consider checking out the diverse fitness certifications available at https://www.americansportandfitness.com/collections/fitness-certifications.

I believe all children can learn. And all means all. I don’t believe all children can learn in all conditions. I don’t believe all teachers can teach all kids. To assume so is both ignorant and arrogant. Creating those conditions, whatever they are, is the job of public education. To do it properly is not cheap. Right now, lack of funding has created increased challenges for schools and in some cases, districts are placing undue and this generates workplace stress on teachers.They leave feeling drained and guilty of not doing their job. It’s been great to see schools acknowledge that relationships are the key to great learning environments. Yet investing in relationships is much more challenging and taxing than investing in content. Teachers are embracing this shift but it’s come at a cost. The long-term impact of ignoring this issue is going to come at a great cost to districts, schools, teachers and ultimately students.

I’d love some comments on this. First, please share any ways in which your school, district is making intentional efforts to combat teacher stress and if indeed it’s working. Secondly, maybe my two examples aren’t your experience. Perhaps you think they are misplaced or maybe you see something else as being a contributor to teacher stress. Finally, if you feel your job has become less stressful over the years, I would be thrilled to hear your story and learn from you. My guess is you’re a rare bird.