Teaching Gratitude Across Curriculum in a 21st Century Classroom

    My blog today is a reflection on teaching values and big ideas such citizenship within the context of a 21^st century classroom and using integrated curriculum (focusing on gratitude in season with the American Thanksgiving).

Some things to keep in mind:

http://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2013/music-students-and-maker-culture/

In our lecture on the assessment of RPAT and embedded assessments, one of the charts that struck me was Table 2.9 which describes the creative process.  It discusses what teachers are looking for by breaking it down into stages and possible activities for the student.  Some of these stages seemed interesting to me such as “challenge and inspire” or “imagine and generate” because these things must be intrinsically learned and require student engagement.  Thinking within the frame of the traditional banking model, the first thing that sprung to my mind was “How on earth would a teacher be able to teach these skills to a student, let alone go about marking them?  Who are they to say that one student is more inspired than another?”  After reflecting on this, I realized that this is not necessarily a problem in a 21^st century classroom which follows the constructivist model.  The teacher isn’t required to teach the student how to be inspired, but can foster an inspiring environment through scaffolding and seamless assessment.  With an emphasis on learning rather than grading, teaching and assessing these stages become practical.

            Another aspect of the 21^st century classroom is an emphasis on citizenship which requires instilling values that will make students good citizens.  This coincides well with the Catholic system which also emphasises additional values such as gratitude which will help students be better citizens as well.  If students realize how fortunate they are, perhaps they might also be inspired to give back to their community and help others who are in greater need.  Another thing I was considering was the recent trend in the public system of meditation in the classroom to help students cope with increasing levels of stress. 

Gratitude and History?

            In a similar vein, reflecting on the past can help us better understand the future – or in this case the virtue of gratitude.  A trip to a historic site that demonstrates how people lived in the past (or even bringing history into a discussion in a religion or philosophy class) can be beneficial to students in a variety of ways far beyond memorizing facts; it could even help students to be thankful and better citizens.

This summer I was privileged to work at the Laura Secord Homestead in Queenston Heights as a tour guide.  I knew that tea was a luxury item 200 years ago but not the extent of it until I began working there.  Did you know that tea was taxed at over 100% of its value?  That means if tea cost $100 to import and produce you would have to pay over $200 to purchase it.  Tea was so precious it was kept under lock and key at all times.  It was even reused again and again until it lost all colour and flavour.  These leaves would then be sold to a “char lady” who re-dyed them black with lovely things like horse manure or toxic chemicals and then sold them to poor people who impressed their friends by drinking recycled tea.  Why such a lovely anecdote?  Well, I for one never really appreciated the 2+ cups of tea I have every day until I thought about this.  I was throwing a teabag out after using it for one cup at the time.  When I worked there, I often heard people say, “I’m glad I didn’t live back then” or when students came through “So where did they charge their I-pods?” 

A 21^st century classroom which is not inhibited but the rigidness of independent disciplines can draw on experiences from other fields to foster learning outside the traditional boundaries of curriculum topics.  A school trip to the Laura Secord Homestead doesn’t have to just be about history, but can teach students to be thankful, a value that will help them to be good and moral citizens.  As a teacher, you can’t teach your students to be inspired, but through some creativity and thinking outside the box of the traditional education model, you can create an environment that fosters learning – be it learning imagination or appreciation.

Historic Interpreters at the Laura Secord Homestead are visited by the Travelocity Gnome. http://www.friendsoflaurasecord.com/