Author: Alex Gorton

A Climb to the Top Part 3

The end has finally come. Here is my final update post on learning to rock climb. For those of you who need a refresher or need to catch up see post one and post two.

While my posts are over, for now, my rock climbing will continue. Rock climbing is a great sport and I really enjoyed taking the plunge to learn it. It was not nearly as scary or difficult to start as I had originally thought.

Thanks to REI, I knew exactly what to look for in shoes and chalk.

The resources I used to discuss holds and proper technique were quite helpful in improving my climbing and endurance. Recreation Equipment, Inc. (REI) was amazing in understanding the equipment I needed to get started and even where to start. The articles from REI are written by professionals and are trustworthy. For learning about different types of holds I found the Howcast and Bouldering Bobat to be most helpful. I was able to combine the theory from REI and the visuals from YouTube, to get a sense of what it would take to climb.

Using some moves I learned from YouTube.

It felt really good to put the research into practice and the more I climbed the more focused my research became. I started with very basic questions and as I found answers, I developed more questions. I continued to use Berger’s (2016) why, what if, how questioning to learn more. Simple questions like why can’t I get up this route? Why can’t climb for more than an hour? helped me understand my problem of learning to climb. This is when I started to watch several of Howcast’s videos on bouldering tips. I looked up several other videos on bouldering for beginners and how to improve. Some of the tips included types of finger strengthing exercises and other provided general advice on how to improve.

Learning from these videos helped me understand different ways to get around the bouldering wall. I was able to learn the theory first, try it out, and then continue my research when I got back. This helped in the what if stage of questioning. What if I tried a different hold? What if I opened my hips more? I liked learning online because when I talked to people about the sport I had some knowledge to rely on. Learning online is also a safe way for me to ask questions and get expert tips right away. Bransford (2000) discusses the shift in education from remembering and repeat, to understanding and transfer of knowledge. I had to transfer my knowledge of rock climbing to the actual wall in order to reach the top.

Blisters from climbing. Time to take a couple days off.

The largest obstacle I had to overcome on this journey was endurance and protecting my body. Just like any sport, rock climbing has a wide variety of injuries. I did not encounter any major injuries but the largest was blisters on my hands. Like most people, I was not used to pulling myself up and holding on by my fingertips. Usually, after about an hour my arms were exhausted and my hands were torn up. Fortunately, taking a few days off and some minor care made my hands good as new.

This was an amazing experience and I have fallen in love with the sport. I have a long way to go before I’m scaling any master level routes but I will definitely keep climbing. Check out my video below on a brief how to rock tutorial. Thank you for following along with my journey and if you want to try something new, take the risk.

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References

Berger, Warren. (2016). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.

Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000), How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

All pictures and video in this post were taken by Alex Gorton. Thanks to Du Bui for filming me

New Year. New Room. New Design.

As the school year approaches, I need to set up my classroom. This is always an exciting and difficult time for me. From my undergraduate studies and now into my graduate studies there has been a lot of emphasis placed on classroom design and creating a welcoming and productive environment. I’ve tried two different groupings of desks in the last two years and I would like to try something new this year. Having moved rooms, I am excited to work on redesigning my classroom.

The space I will be redesigning is my eighth and ninth grade classroom. The space I have now is open, contains a lot of storage, and has great windows with a lot of light. Our school, being an old canning building, has a very industrial feel and so does my room. The ceiling has exposed beams and vents. Before any type of redesign, this space is already very modern looking. Obviously, this redesign will impact myself, but my main target audience is my students, administration, and any other colleagues.

Classroom 1 — Overview of my classroom. A replica of the walls, windows, and size. My desk in the back of the room to create a student centered environment.

Redesigning this space will create an environment which promotes student success and creates a comfortable environment. Having students placed in groups as opposed to rows, promotes student interaction. This new type of environment will also change the way I am able to move around the room and how I teach. In my first year, students were in rows and I found it very difficult to move up down the rows and place students into groups. In my second year, I had students already in groups and was able to conduct much more group work. With this redesign I hope to promote collaboration, communication, and a sense of community within my room.

In redesigning my classroom, I will focus on creating an environment in which students are able to tinker, experiment, and learn from multiple attempts. Kahl’s (2012) article argues classrooms need to create a culture of critical collaboration. This means everyone is able to learn from their peers and see their achievements and struggles. This type of environment is focused on the process instead of the end result. Public projects mean they are open for public criticism. Having a classroom with tables and groups where students work in front of each other makes a public learning space. Students are able to see other student’s working and ask why, what if, and how questions as they work (Berger 2014). Why did that student do the project a different way? What if I did my project that way? How can I make my project unique still?

Classroom 3 — Maps on the walls for reference. One bulletin board to post student work, success, failures etc. Not too much to distract students.

I’ve decided to put my desk in the back of the room and somewhat corner myself off. This provides plenty of space for the students to work and be the center of the room. I like this idea because I am giving up some of my authority and spotlight and giving it more to the students. Now students are able to work together and learn from each other.

I’ve always been a poster person and I love hanging stuff up in my room. This year I want to find the correct balance of helpful and not distracting. Barret (2013) argues having a few complex visual creates stimulation. I would like to these types of visuals, but also have a small section dedicated to student work.

Classroom 2 — Students placed into groups. Flexible seating on display. High tables for students who choose to stand.

I’ve decided to use rectangular tables in my classroom because they can be moved around and create large groups or tables if needed. The tables I choose also have a whiteboard type surface allowing students to make their ideas public. Again this creates a collaborative environment for students to learn from each other. Around the tables, I provided flexible seating. Using the ideas from Mr. Riedl, I will allow students to choose their type seating at the beginning of each week. Students will be able to choose from regular chairs, swivel chairs, office chairs, yoga balls, or even standing.

To know if this space meets the needs of my stakeholders I will need to be observant. With collaboration, I will need to see if students are working together or if they are isolated. I will also need to create an environment where failure is acceptable. Students and I will need to celebrate failures and turn them into success.

Much like many things in education, there is never one solution to these types of problems. As I stated at the beginning of this blog post, I looked forward to redesigning my classroom every year. This year is no different and I hope my students will appreciate the effort I’ve put into this year’s design.

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References

Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on on pupils’ learning. Building and Environment, 59, 678-689. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.09.016

Berger, Warren. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.

Kahl, M. (2012, January 09). 4 Lessons the Classroom Can Learn from the Design Studio. Retrieved August 08, 2017, from http://www.creativitypost.com/education/4_lessons_the_classroom_can_learn_from_the_design_studio

R. (2017, May 17). Retrieved August 12, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUwtEpRB1XM

All pictures provided by Alex Gorton. Classroom replica created using SketchUp.

Old Lesson. New Tech.

As I continue my study of educational technologies, there comes a point when I must put theory into practice. With the school year rapidly approaching, I am reviewing my lesson plans and integrating new concepts.

anasazi-671011_1920 — Anasazi dwelling https://pixabay.com/photo-671011/

One lesson I decided to revise, focuses on Native American culture and their interactions with Europeans. I chose this lesson because, for me, the early years of the United States is a difficult time period to get eighth graders interested in. The United States did not exist, it was a “long” time ago, and Hollywood has not made a recent blockbuster of this time period.

The technology I’ve decided to incorporate is thinglink.com. The goal of this lesson is to have students research and learn about a specific Native American group and present their findings. The reason I choose this website is the ability to add multimodal information in one spot. Students can add text, pictures, and videos into a single presentation.

http://www.gpb.org/sites/www.gpb.org/files/blogs/images/thinglinkforteachers.png

The content of this lesson focuses on the Native American tribes and their interactions with Europeans. As a group, Native Americans are often glanced over. As a history teacher, it is difficult to figure out which groups should be discussed in class and which groups students will need to research on their own. Not being able to cover all of the Native American tribes, this will expose students to multiple tribes I would not have time to discuss.

5431982705_883c2d65c5_o — Watson Logo https://flic.kr/p/9h1kde

If there are other topics in History, or any other subject, students want to know more about they have the ability to research and learn more on their own. By researching, students are able to answer their own questions and develop deeper questions. This type of questioning will allow students to ask better questions both in and out of school. Berger (2014) discusses the need for students and professionals to ask better questions, to seek better answers. Berger references the of IBM’s Watson for medical students. As students used Watson, their questions became more specific allowing Watson to provide better answers. These types of questioning and research skills will be vital throughout my class, other classes, and post high school. There is so much information available today it is important students have a way of accessing and sharing it with the rest of the world. This lesson helps students develop and refine those skills.

View this document on Scribd

The last part of this lesson, allows students to create something and share it. Students have chosen their topic, conducted their own research, and created a way to share their information. All of these skills are important in the 21st century. Mishra (2012) discusses how creativity is found within specific content, as well as across multiple contents. This lesson allows students to combine, art, music, technology, history, etc. into one presentation.

This is a chance for students to present information about the Native groups in an exciting manner. As I stated at the start of this post, students do not tend to find this time period very interesting. Challenge them to make an exciting and informative graphic to share with the world. This is their opportunity to put the Europeans “on blast.”

I am excited to try this lesson out. I hope my students will find this valuable and learn new technology, research skills, and historical content. If you are interested in using Thinglink.com please see my lesson plan.

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References

Berger, Warren. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.

Mishra, P., & The Deep-Play Research Group (2012). Rethinking technology and creativity in the 21st century: Crayons are the future. TechTrends, 56(5), 13-16. Retrieved from: http://punya.educ.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Mishra-crayons-techtrends1.pdf

A Climb to the Top Part 2

For those of you following along, this is my update on learning to rock climb. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, read the initial post here or the final part here.

Since the last post, I have done some more research, signed up at my local rock climbing gym, and started climbing. REI has been the most helpful with research, they provide in depth information from basics to specific equipment needs. REI is a world leader in outdoor recreation, their articles are up to date and written by professionals. After reading several REI articles I was ready to apply my research to the real things.

So, I went to my local rock climbing gym and signed myself for a membership. The gym is called The Front, and the guy who signed me up was very welcoming. Now that I was a member, the next step was to actually climb. Taking this journey one step at a time, I decided to wait a day before I jumped right in. That night I realized, I didn’t know which color holds corresponded to which difficulties. I looked it up and found that gyms will post the colors and their difficulties.

The next day I showed up at The Front, rented a pair of shoes, and made my way to the bouldering wall. I spent a chunk of time walking around, trying to figure out the difficulties and a place to practice. Finally, I found a guide which color coordinated the difficulties. I was then able to pick a spot and attempt one of the routes. I tried to stick pretty strictly to the novice routes (yellow). After about fifteen minutes of trying various yellow paths, and not having much success I looked around at the other climbers.

Some were much more skilled than I was, but I noticed they were on routes, according to the guide, marked as beginner or intermediate. Not only that, but I noticed some of the advanced routes looked pretty easy. I started to question the guide, and what I knew. As Berger (2014) suggests, I had to step away from doing, and knowing to ask why. Why were these expert climbers on novice routes? Why is this route advanced? Soon I found my answers, I had misread the difficulty guide, it was not the color of the holds, it was the dots under the holds that showed the difficulty. After having this “aha” moment I started to have some success.

Rock climbing is a metacognitive sport. Several times after failing I stared at the wall, trying to figure out how to get to the next hold, and what went wrong. Like a true maker, I used a test and learn approach. I had to attempt multiple times, and transfer my knowledge to different situations to achieve my goal of making it to the top (Bronson 2000).

My largest obstacle to overcome is my inexperience. In my head, rock climbing is a very vertical sport but, I saw horizontal and inverted movements. There are so many different ways to get up the wall. This reimagining is what Berger (2014) refers to as “vuja de.” Looking at something you have seen before from a different perspective. Right now I can only see one way up the wall, straight. As I practice I will be able to see the wall from new perspectives enhancing my climbing. As I improve I will also face different holds which require new techniques and new perspectives. With practice I will be able to recognize patterns, see new perspectives, and gain the strength needed to climb. I have found these videos, from Howcast and Bouldering Bobat, on different types of holds to be helpful in how to improve my climbing.

Chalk can be messy

Overall, I am pleased with my rock climbing progress. It was very nerve wracking, at first. I felt all eyes were on me, but the more I attempted the more fun I had. I’ve taken a couple large steps, now I need to work on my form and climbing more difficult routes.