Week 18 - Future Oriented Learning and Teaching

Examination of changes to future-oriented practice, guided by prompts in Gibbs’ Model for Reflection (1988).

Description

Of late, I’ve been re-thinking what I have chosen to hold dear for quite some time; the assessment of the individual. Having spent years developing Assessment for Learning practices, leading learning on making accurate OTJs, building school-wide systems of learning progressions, etc. it has really challenged me to ask some tough questions, like… “How did I teach for so long without spending much time on assessing the input of a collective?”.

Feelings

Changing focus to encompass collaboration on a wider scale has necessitated new learning whilst I reconcile the Yvonne of old with the new me in the classroom. Given that I ultimately will lead others in this direction, I need to be able to articulate the ‘Why?’ of collaboration, the benefits for our tamariki and how we translate that into accurate assessment information for students, whānau and the powers-that-be. As an experienced teacher, it has made me quite uneasy. I’m struggling to find balance between gathering accurate assessment data for each student versus extrapolating from their contributions in a collaborative venture into something I can write on a report or assign a mark to.

Evaluation

Mahi tahi appears to offer numerous benefits for all learners; sharing and testing ideas in a team and creating solutions to real-world problems are situations we must prepare our students for (ITL Research, 2012). However, a shift in focus on something new usually results in less of a focus elsewhere. How do we then work collaboratively to address this issue and design a new curriculum with a different lens on what is important for today’s learners? Despite it being a somewhat ‘wicked’ question, my gut instinct and new learning tells me it’s for the best long-term and will result in learners who can connect and collaborate in their chosen professions.

Analysis

So what does this look like in reality? A mixture of things, I suppose. At present, it’s talking with whānau about what’s important to them. It’s using the tools we have to unpack the Key Competencies (MoE, 2007) and 21st Century Skills (ITL Research, 2012) into a useable framework. It’s working alongside other educators to extract the essential components and non-negotiables of our current curriculum, because we’re not talking about throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water here. It’s nurturing tuakana-teina relationships as vehicles for students to build on and benefit from each others’ success (Gokhale, 2005). It’s providing stimulating, interactive experiences that engage our learners in authentic dialogue with others (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012). And, it’s about trying to find a way of measuring the impact of all of this that isn’t National Standards.

Conclusion

So, it’s time to take the leap into the scary unknown to find new ways of doing and being. We still need to unpack our understanding of collaboration so we can scaffold this learning process for our tamariki. If these skills are essential for successful, life-long learning, it’s our job to know how to teach them and ultimately show progress in student mastery over time.

Action Plan

We’ll continue to unpack collaboration and provide a framework for all our learners; this will be reviewed and refined before we venture into something else...real-world problems, perhaps? Maybe my need for a good set of learning progressions has just extended into a new arena.     

I’m coming to terms with the unease about not having all the answers because it’s not my problem to solve alone...we’ll do it collaboratively!

References

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching — a New Zealand perspective. Report prepared for the Ministry of Education. Retrieved from https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/schooling/109306

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit.

Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking. Journal of Technology Education, 7(1).

ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics.

Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/GetTrained/ITL-Research

Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum: for English-medium teaching and

learning in years 1–13. Wellington: Learning Media.