Christine Ho Younghusband

So Much for the Daily Post

Oh my gosh, I make myself laugh.  “Let’s commit to writing in the blog on a daily basis.”  NOT.  Whoops.  That is totally MY BAD.  My deepest apologies Bloggies… please forgive me.

Well, I am back.  I had just finished a 3-day 24-hour Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) at SFU, which was phenomenal, after returning home from a week-long family vacation in Prince Rupert (where I made lots of progress on my dissertation), and attended a 6-hour local goal-setting workshop yesterday.  Whew, I’m pooped.  I can only do one thing at a time and I have much to do.  I love learning and look forward to what’s to come.  I’m stoked.

You know what?  Anything can happen to anyone, if you dream.  I’ve learned that the possibilities are endless and there are no limitations, unless we define them to be.  That’s what I did.  I used to say “I can’t do that” or “I don’t deserve that.”  Blah, blah, blah… that’s in the past.  All of that is CRAP.  The truth is, I am living the life… the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. 

I love doing what I am doing and I make a good living doing it.  I am a researcher-practitioner, educational leader, and edu-writer.  I love teaching, learning, and leading.  I have awesome family and friends, and continue to meet great people.  And, I have my health.  I am so lucky.

It’s all about reframing.  ALLOW… that’s a key.  If this sounds strange or weird… that’s the first step.  I’ve got you thinking.  If you get what I’m saying, happy life to you.  Isn’t it great?

Ah-ha Moments

Have you ever had that “ah-ha” moment? Just had one this morning and it felt good.  I’m on my lunch break and I’m really enjoying the ISW (instructional skills workshop) at SFU.    Yesterday’s session was great and this morning was even better.  My ah-ha moment happened this morning during our theme session about “active learning.”  It was taking the tacit to the explicit, making me realize that my approach with Assessment for Learning (AFL) provided me with a framework of active learning in my math classes.  Here’s the catch… my ah-ha moment happened when I realized that’s how the new math curriculum has been designed.  Active learning is embedded in the learning outcomes to produce different entry points for students to understand the math content.  The approach suggested adopts the pedagogy of active learning which in turn reaches more students with varying learning styles.  Active learning engages the students to make connections and find relevance.  The teacher, in turn, must also “allow” the learning to unfold and to help facilitate student learning.  And for me, AFL allowed me to do that successfully… a very nice ah-ha.

Candle Stick or Two Faces

I love this optical illusion.  What do you see?

Today, I attended my first day of three at the SFU-Burnaby campus to attend the INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS WORKSHOP (ISW) facilitated by the Teaching and Learning Center.  The workshop is designed to provide instructional strategies to graduate students and university instructors.  The purpose of ISW is to improve instruction to improve the quality of student learning.  Am I wrapped around that like bacon?  Yes, I am.

What a great day… First of all, I was avoiding going to the Burnaby campus for months thinking that it would be extremely difficult to get to by transit compared to the Vancouver and Surrey campuses.  What did I learn today?  Going to the Burnaby campus is just as easy to get to as the latter two… Thank you SkyTrain.

Second, I experienced the candle stick or two faces flicker.  It’s an amazing feeling.  I applied to be a part of ISW to improve my instructional skills as a workshop facilitator and other public speaking activities I will engage in as a graduate student.  I got to teach a 10-minute mini-lesson to a small group of adults and in return they gave me feedback.  How many teachers get to do that?  Not many.  I had only read about “teaching in a lab environment.”

Ahhh… the flicker… then I flip right into my dissertation.  The premise, the framework, and the learning objectives of ISW are in-line with my research.  So, I was taking notes of key words and key ideas that related to my research.  I would flicker back-and-forth from being a learner as an instructor and as a graduate student.  What an amazing day…

I’m so grateful to the executors of the Jing Ye Fund, my parents, my husband, my girl, and my colleagues/friends for supporting me in my EdD endeavour.  My deepest gratitude.

Daily Blog Entries

One of the things I have contemplated was writing in a blog on a daily basis.  I started to do so with “The Blog of YH” but I felt like I was losing focus on what I was writing about. So, I restarted the blogging process again with this blog, hoping to periodically add meaningful entries to this blog.  What I have learned is that it is difficult to maintain and build a consistent Bloggie following.  Sometimes it’s tough to acknowledge what you have until it is gone.  This is not the time to dwell or experience regret, but it is an opportunity to learn from it and recognize what was good about it.  I am always learning and I am very grateful.  My pledge…

Dear Bloggies,
Look forward to daily blog entries related to teaching, learning, and assessment practices… aka. My Pedagogical Journey.  You might be even by lucky enough to read an edu-rant one day.  Those are good.  Thank you for reading my blog and pass it along.  My intent is to share my stories in hopes that it may resonate with you and it is something to learn from.

BTW: Happily remote blogging on the bus to Vancouver.

Quantum Physics – Anything Can Happen

Learning by Doing

Trigonometry Proofs.  That’s all I can say.

In Principles of Math 12, there is a unit called trigonometry (i.e. SOH CAH TOA) which involves trigonometric proofs.  Although high school students have been familiarized with the fundamental concepts of trigonometry since Math 9, trigonometric proofs take a side step from what students have practiced with right angle triangles and ratios of sides.

When I taught Math 12, I would set up a framework for students to work with.  There is no answer in the back of the book or a specific algorithm to complete a proof.  There are “strategies” students can implement depending on what has been posed to them.  In the end, all that the students have are some guidelines, a formula page, and prior knowledge.

The crazy thing about trigonometric proofs is that it looks simple when someone else (i.e. the teacher) completes the proof or when considering what you have to understand to complete a proof.  Basically, you have a know how to refer to a formula page, manipulate algebraic expressions, and “do fractions.”  Seems straight forward until you try one out yourself.

Solving your first, second, or third trigonometric proof is FRUSTRATING to say the least.  You feel lost in the process.  You guess and get lost.  It does not become “straight forward” until you tried about 15-20 proofs.  With deliberate practice and determination, the uphill climb suddenly plateaus.  You reach this ah-ha moment with trig. proofs and it feels good.

Guess where I am with my dissertation?  For months I felt completely lost with what I needed to do and what I wanted to write about.  My first draft, second, and third drafts of my comprehensive proposal were BLAH.  My fourth draft is better.  Writing my ethics application has honed my thoughts and my writing.  Ready for a fifth draft and it’s going to be better.

I have finally gotten to a place in my project where I have completed my first pilot interview and getting ready for my second… made revisions to my interview protocol… and it’s getting better.  I am excited about what I am accomplishing and I feel that taking Educ 809 at SFU has given me the tools and self-confidence to move forward.  I see the light…

You know what?  Just like trigonometric proofs… I am LEARNING BY DOING.  With both proofs and my dissertation, if you don’t engage, ask questions, or try… then you can never figure it out.  It will never make sense.  That’s how the marking scheme would normally work out on this unit test.  My Math 12 students would either get an “A” or a failing mark.

Well, I have jumped in with two feet and I am going for it.  I am the one who dictates my learning.  Welcome to self-directed learning (Knowles, 1975) and I am learning by doing.  I did not realize how dependent I was as a learner… waiting for the cues… looking for some reinforcement… I got stuck.  Not any more… I am taking my learning into my own hands.

My new mantra:  It’s 2012 or GO HOME.

Running a Marathon

You know, one of the things I have considered doing is running a marathon.  A marathon is approximately 26 miles or 42 kilometers.  Who in their right mind does that?  It’s a long way.  As a full-time grad student, I have quickly adopted a lethargic lifestyle.  Seems impossible.

The frosh 15, that is, gaining 15 pounds in the first year of university… I have gained about 30 pounds so far since I had started my doctoral studies 3 years ago.  I am not proud of this accomplishment, but I think that running a marathon is like writing a dissertation…

Running a marathon is a HUGE feat… completing a doctoral thesis is a HUGE feat.  I have learned I can complete my dissertation if I break down the HUGE task into smaller, doable ones with a reasonable time line.  Could this be the same for marathon training?

OK.  That was a rhetorical question.  Along with planning and making achievable steps, completing the HUGE feat without injury requires commitment, time, and effort.  To accomplish my goals, I have to keep working on it… and not CRAM it into the last minute.

Here’s the rude awakening… you cannot train for a marathon in 2-weeks… much like writing a dissertation.  The person in-training needs to work on the task daily, consistently, and with sheer determination to eventually be attain the HUGE feat successfully.

For example, I have just submitted a 250 word abstract to participate in a Education Grad Student Seminar and I intend to take advantage of other opportunities that could contribute to my dissertation experience.  Now, I am working on my Gantt chart and Learning Contract.

Every effort, every step, every action is moving forward and heading in the right direction.  To top it off, I am currently trying to get off my bum and train for a 10K race in October.  I think this physical training will enhance my mental training, in vice versa.

I am hopeful.  All that I can do today is BELIEVE that everything that I am doing, including this blog entry, is helping me move along with my learning process.  I need to believe that I can write, research, and make a contribution to education with my dissertation.

Perceived Self-Efficacy (Bandura, 1977)… I am writing about it… and am living it.  To believe in oneself to make a difference means to believe in being able to accomplish anything.  Small goals for the fall is to run 10K and apply for ethics approval to start interviewing.

There is much to do on a daily basis to get these two goals accomplished in the next few months, but anything is possible… you’ve just got to want it bad enough to get it.

Things Get Better Over Time

What do you think this blog is all about?  I could be talking about fine wine or teacher expertise.  Nope.  You are so wrong.  What I will be talking about today is CAMPING.

I am on holidays with my family, driving up north to visit the in-laws.  What we decided to do was CAMP en route.  BLAH.  To be completely honest, camping is not my favorite activity.

First, my parents are Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong and camping was questionable at best.  I mean, we ate spaghetti with ketchup.  I am not judging, I’m just saying.

Second, camping with my husband is NOT camping… it’s more like compromising.  Oh, we do not have any matches, let’s rub two sticks together.  A couple nights being cold, hungry, and ill-prepared provides no reinforcement to “the participant” that camping might be fun.

In 2010 and 2011, I was invited be a part of Pulling Together.  Pulling Together is a 9-day canoe journey that involves canoeing and CAMPING.  Big difference… it is all organized and each night ends with a HUGE catered banquet involving salmon and other yummy food.

The Pulling Together Journey is a phenomenal experience not easily described in words.  I loved it and the Journey involved a complete immersion into the camping experience.  I have learned lots about myself, families, community, culture, canoeing… and yes, camping.

My faith in the camping has been restored.  How do I know?  On our drive up to Prince Rupert, we camped for one night in Hope, BC and one in Prince George.  Although we still lacked air mattresses, firewood, and a propane tank for the gas stove… I had fun.

Things get better over time.  The circumstances of the “Younghusband” camping experience still remained the same (i.e. missing equipment), my attitude changed.  A change in perspective, changed the way I feel about CAMPING.  You see, people can change.

Learning from Kids

One of my deepest fascinations of my teaching career is the complex relationship between student and teacher.  I once believed that the role of a teacher is to “unload” some information into the minds of young children, as prescribed by the curriculum.

This false belief is derived from what Lortie (1975) describes as the “Apprenticeship of Observation.”  We would like to believe that we all “know” a lot about the practice of teaching because we had witnessed more than 12 years of it as students.

Here’s a clue… we don’t really know a lot about teaching kids unless you have spent some time developing your teacher expertise as a teacher (Berliner, 1998).  Teachers newly inducted into the profession take at least 5 years to understand their practice.

What’s my point?  I took about 5 years to develop an “automaticity” (Berliner, 2001) in what I did in the classroom (i.e. the classroom routines).  I completed a Masters in Education and another 5 years of teaching to understand why I did what I did in the classroom.

Now, I am attempting to complete a Doctor of Education to understand how teachers learn on the job as non-math specialists in the field of secondary math.  I am learning about “the act of teaching” from my readings, course work, research, and reflective practice.

A humbling moment… I participated in the 2011 Pulling Together Journey on the SD46 canoe and one of the youths says to me after a brief conversation about my pedagogical journey… “It’s good to do one thing at a time.  That’s how you get really good at something.”

All of a sudden my self-doubting thoughts and perceived regrets simply vanished.  The wisdom of this high school student gave me solace in my educational pursuit and some of the decisions I made to make the writing process and professional learning possible.

Conclusion:  Kids get it.  When I talk my math students about assessment methods, math pedagogy, or educational leadership… THEY GET IT.   Here’s a thought… consider listening and learning from your students as a part of your professional development.

A State of Contemplation

I am in a state of contemplation.  It’s been two days since I’ve submitted my proposal and I am getting ready to start my ethics application and pilot case study.

Although I am truly grateful for Educ 809 for giving me the skills to break down the dissertation into doable steps, I am somewhat worried about what I’ll be doing next.

I left my teaching career to gain perspective on my research problem and gain time to write and finish my dissertation in a timely manner, but what’s next?

What I do know is that I would like to continue my career in education.  I am interested in Aboriginal Education, Math Education, Leadership, and Assessment Methods.

I consider returning back to public education, but I am also open to pursuing something “different” in the field of education.  There is a wealth of the possibilities.

So far, I have been accepted to participate in an Instructional Skills Workshop at SFU and I am anticipating to volunteer as a math tutor with adult learners at Capilano University.

Other things on the go… I am presenting two Assessment for Learning workshops in the fall and I am an executive member of the BC Association of Math Teachers as a Secondary Rep.

Reality check: As scary and uncertain change can be, I am on the right track and the future looks bright.  It’s about trying and looking forward.  Carpe diem.