Part 1
What are the discourses, promises and perils of the future of learning and education?
AI & Robotics takeover that will take teachers place
What should education be for?
Survival of our species - education for living
Student empowerment and bettering the world in which they live and thrive
We no longer need a curriculum based on the same Math, English, Science and Social studies (“MESS”) for all, but on the universal skills of thinking, acting, relating and accomplishing.
What should learning look like?
In the past we came AT students with education, now we’re in a position to come bearing gifts to add WITH their own gifts and share together.
Relationships should be at the heart of all that we do
What things contribute to a thriving society?
New vision of education:
Learning to live sustainably
Protecting earths ecosystem
Acquiring global competence = bicultural competence
Chasing equity = democracy
Great relationships make for great lives = empathy
Te Ao Maori = identity, mindful of who they are, where they’re from etc
Part 2: The Futures of Learning 3: What kind of pedagogies for the 21st century
The Government has released its vision for the future of education that covers the next 30 years. Ministry's Vision Shaping a stronger education system with New Zealanders [PDF 952KB] released September 2019.
Are these objectives the right ones?
The objectives seem to be relevant and cater to the needs of schools.
What do you think the Ministry may have omitted?
Maybe the importance of when students actually start school - 6 or 7
Mental illness in terms of fear and anxiety
What are the implications to your practice?
The importance of mental, emotional and physical experiences that help enhance health and well-being for students and staff.
Taking the focus off academic progress and focussing on whether their child actually likes school
Scott, C. (2015). The Futures of Learning 3: What kind of pedagogies for the 21st century?
Accordingly, twenty-first century instruction is based on three pedagogical principles – personalization, participation and productivity (McLoughlin and Lee, 2008a) This framework allows learning through authentic real-world contexts, carrying out projects from beginning to end, and solving problems as they arise, all of which constitute powerful learning strategies.
Above all, studies have found that learners are more successful at acquiring new competencies when they build strong metacognitive abilities, reflect objectively on new concepts learned, and integrate that information with their existing knowledge and skills.
Metacognitive development is also encouraged by problem-based learning activities that require peer collaboration.
For a complex and ever-changing future. Saavedra and Opfer (2012, p. 1) suggest nine principles for teaching these skills:
(1) Make learning relevant to the ‘big picture’;
(2) Teach through the disciplines;
(3) Develop lower and higher order thinking skills to encourage understanding in different contexts;
(4) Encourage transfer of learning;
(5) Teach how to ‘learn to learn’ or metacognition;
(6) Address misunderstandings directly;
(7) Promote teamwork;
(8) Exploit technology to support learning;
(9) Foster students’ creativity.
Redesigning learning:
1 Relationships - At the heart of all we do - strengthen and deepen school culture
2 Empowering Wellness - treating the 'whole' person and everyone feels good and functions well
3 Evidencing Learning - Learning that is meaningful and personal, serving pathways that are aspirational & negotiated with whanau
4 Communicating Learning - Celebrate the stories - Learning progressions, developing narrative assessment and marketing programme
5 Engaging Learners in Learning - Practice expectations, including explicit Puna Ako expectations, explicit expectations for maximising learning environments (akoako)
Trilling and Fadel (2009) note that effective project learning has
five key characteristics:
→ Project outcomes are tied to curriculum and learning goals;
→ Driving questions and problems lead students to the central concepts or principles of the topic or subject area;
→ Learners’ investigations and research involve enquiry and knowledge building;
→ Learners are responsible for designing and managing much of their learning; and
→ Projects are based on authentic real-world problem and questions that students care about (p. 109).
Get rid of ego and jealousy - with personalised learning, individuals approach problems in their own way, grasp ideas at their own pace, and respond differently to multiple forms of feedback (Hampson, Patton and Shanks, 2011).
Effective twenty-first century teachers cultivate learners’ individual sense of wonder and inspire them to explore different applications for the knowledge and skills they have learned.
It’s not a one size fits all anymore - Personalisation student agency, autonomy gives them control over their learning
Project and problem-based learning are ideal instructional models for meeting the objectives of twenty-first century education, because they employ the 4Cs Principle
– critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity – alongside ‘teaching for transfer’ and learning structured in real-world contexts.
Project and problem-based learning encourage flexibility regarding where and how learning will occur and which places make appropriate learning environments (Leadbeater, 2008).The research evidence is conclusive: enquiry, design and collaborative approaches to learning build a powerful combination of content understanding, basic skills and applied twenty-first century skills. E-drafting, critique and exhibition are critical tasks that inspire high-quality work from learners and advance the very skills – commitment, problem-solving and adaptability – that employers demand of twenty-first century graduates (Hampson, Patton and Shanks, 2011).
Collaborative learning also leads to the development of metacognition, improvement in formulating ideas, and higher levels of discussion and debate. It teaches learners to monitor each other, detect errors and learn how to correct their mistakes.
Overall, collaborative learning improves student participation in formative assessment (self, individual and group assessment) and increases attendance (Laal et al, 2013; Trilling and Fadel, 2009, p. 107).
For learners to use metacognition successfully, they must be taught explicitly about the concept and its language. As Weimer (2012) notes: [I]t is terribly important that in explicit and concerted ways we make students aware of themselves as learners. We must regularly ask, not only ‘What are you learning?’ but ‘How are you learning?’ We must confront them with the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of their approaches. We must offer alternatives and then challenge students to test the efficacy of those approaches (p. 1).
Individuals learn best when they are supported by the right set of relationships that motivate, engage, care about and reward them (p. 22). Such relationships offer them opportunities to actively participate in learning and co-create new knowledge. Relationships for learning truly recognize individuals. Recognition is critical to young people trying to establish their sense of identity.
A new narrative: Purpose
Robotics on employment
AI
Genetically engineer our species
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