Great, dynamic strategies for “getting to know” your students. I will definitely use this when introducing myself to my class during my final placement round this year!
5 Ways to Make a Positive Digital Footprint…
1. Is what I’m posting true?
2. Is it helpful?
3. Is it inspiring?
4. Is it necessary?
5. Is it kind?
Welcome home chooks!
My partner and I have been talking for months about starting our very own little family of chooks and this week we finally did! Feels great to do our part for the environment by reducing our food waste and using it for the chickens to eat. In turn they can then provide us with some lovely fresh free range eggs and a great fertilizer for our veggie patch!
As a teacher who is passionate about sustainability and hands-on outdoor learning spaces, I am eager to learn more about my new chooks and explore the many benefits they can provide in a school environment.
A shift in understanding…
Earlier today I was looking through my ‘camera roll’ on my smartphone and found a bunch of pictures that I had saved from a couple of months ago of what I predicted to be ‘the future learning spaces of the 21st century’. And boy have my predictions changed…
Prior to undertaking the online unit EDFD459: Learning Spaces, I understood the future of learning on a quite superficial level. I predicted that technologies would continue and continue to evolve and modernize and learning would no longer even have to take place in a typical school environment- everything would be driven by TECHNOLOGY.
In a way you could say my understandings were somewhat ignorant and oblivious to the ‘bigger picture’- our environment. I didn’t consider how our resources were not limitless and they would inevitably deplete, at the expense of our environment. I rarely thought about the endless benefits of learning THROUGH nature and working towards a sustainable future. Instead my vision was blurred by technology- children were indoors sitting on fancy futuristic furniture using fancy futuristic computers.
I have really begun to see the future of education through a new lens. I now see children with their gumboots on getting muddy, digging and gardening, feeding animals, and learning about sustaining the earth. Yes we live in the ‘digital age’ but rather than using and abusing these resources and damaging our earth, educators can redirect learning to focus on sustainability by using (not depending on) technology as a tool to help achieve it. Technology is so powerful and can be so effective and engaging, so if used collaboratively and efficiently, I am hopeful that the ‘future of learning’ can ultimately improve our world.
I invite you all to visit my ‘page’ on Future Learning Spaces for more information on how the future of learning might look in the year 2063.
https://pstblogger03.wordpress.com/1960s-prefab-classroom-with-direct-access-to-the-yard/
Enjoy.
References:
Teachers Training International. (2013). Two Different Views Of The Classroom Of The Future? [Digital Image]. Retrieved from: http://teacherstraining.com.au/two-different-views-of-the-classroom-of-the-future/
Children Explain why their Outdoor Learning Space is Important
We’ve all heard about it in research and journal articles, PDs and so on… but now let’s hear from the kids!
Aligning the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning with an Inquiry Unit of Work: ‘Sometimes I Feel…’ (F-2)
I have recently created a sample unit of work for year levels F-2. Without even realizing, while completing this task it seems that I have actually already attempted to merge particular aspects of the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning (such as story sharing, land links and community links) into the unit of work to further enhance the prospective learning experiences.
The unit is called ‘Sometimes I feel…’ and focuses on children finding ways to appropriately and effectively manage and express their feelings, as well as be mindful of others’ and any actions that can negatively impact their feelings. In an attempt to align the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning into this unit of work I have constructed a table, which clearly highlights how aspects of Indigenous perspectives to learning can be useful resources.
References:
8 Aboriginal Ways of Knowing. 2009. Retrieved from http://8ways.wikispaces.com/
Things to consider when looking at Indigenous world views and their place in today’s education system…
I have recently come across some research on the issues surrounding the provision of a culturally appropriate science curriculum for Indigenous students. Having spent the last couple of weeks reading up on the very interesting 8 Aboriginal ways of learning, I found a particular journal article which sparked my interest in this area. The article discussed the importance of implementing a science curriculum that isn’t invariably based solely on Western culture, but rather considers the history, culture and beliefs of the Indigenous communities.
Something that was of particular interest to me was the concept of a Westernized curriculum inadvertently demeaning the beliefs of students from a non-Western cultural background, thus inhibiting opportunities for effective learning outcomes. This is something that I have always been somewhat oblivious to, because to be quite honest, I just never knew any better. It never occurred to me that an Indigenous student learning within a Westernized education system, could often face the dilemma of being forced to reject their own belief system and instead accept a scientific explanation for many situations. The article provided an example of the very different scientific perspectives between the two cultures using a Venn diagram that an Indigenous student had completed on the topic of crocodiles. In the Indigenous (non-Westernized) loop there were facts such as “crocodiles are totems for some people”, “crocodiles are common in Indigenous laws”, “the first crocodiles travelled across Arnhemland – they created the landscape”. In the Western loop there were facts such as “a crocodile is a reptile”, “its brain is only as big as a man’s thumb”. The area which overlapped the two cultures’ beliefs included things like “they are dangerous” and “they live in freshwater and saltwater”. I found this example of diversity interesting as a Preservice teacher as it suddenly struck me that there is so much more significance to something that we often perceive as ‘simple’ as a crocodile, if you broaden the cultural context in which they are explored.
Ultimately, it is almost inevitable that a cultural bias is likely to develop in such an area like science where almost all subject matter is inextricably linked with the progressions and development of Western civilisations. However, it is important that today’s educators begin taking more consideration into the differing world views of the Indigenous cultures so all students can gain a broader and deeper understanding of the subject in authentic and distinctive contexts.
References:
Linkson, M. (1999). Some issues in providing culturally appropriate science curriculum support for indigenous students. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 45(1), 41-48. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=d41b72b3-d1b2-4ee
8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning
Having had such a large emphasis on Western education and pedagogies, it was pleasing to explore the diverse and rather unique ways of learning from a completely different cultural perspective.
Over the duration of the week I have read over the ‘8 ways’ wiki several times and have collaborated with a few peers on their thoughts and ideas on this interesting way of learning. I have been able to very easily compare and contrast these 8 ways to our Western pedagogy, specifically when looking at our good old buddy Bloom’s taxonomy. In short, it appears that the Indigenous ways of learning are much more focused on ‘processes’ and exploring the ‘why’ of learning by making rich connections particularly with the community and the land. Western pedagogies however are much more focused on attaining a particular learning objective- no matter the process. We tend to be very outcome based and as a result our focus is directed to content rather than process.
In exploring these 8 ways of Indigenous learning, I noticed a reoccurring pattern of vocab derived from their pedagogy: ‘relations, relationships, relate, relational, relating’. To me this meant that the ‘point of entry into this way of knowing’ is more or less about making authentic connections to and from things that are truly meaningful (land, people, language, culture etc). In many of my reflections about Western pedagogy, I’ve discussed the importance of collaborative learning, developing communities of practice, making real life connections and learning in authentic and meaningful environments in order to enhance learning. And from what it looks like, the Indigenous community have almost nailed it with these 8 ways: “Tell a story. Make a plan. Think and do. Draw it. Take it outside. Try a new way. Watch first, then do. Share it with others.” So how can we use these insights to compliment our own Western pedagogies?
We can start by looking at the WAY we learn in a less linear and rigid way by allowing for a constant flow of connections and emphasizing on the process rather than the outcome. Take the kids outside, allow them to share their ideas not just in a 10 minute ‘think, pair, share’ activity, but through a ONGOING flow of communication. Let the children learn THROUGH nature, provide opportunities for making connections to symbols, objects and the community. And lastly, don’t let the finished product/outcome of a learning experience be the end… allow for the learning to be endless by providing students with infinite ways they can use their new knowledge to help better their community.
References:
8 Aboriginal Ways of Knowing. 2009. Retrieved from http://8ways.wikispaces.com/
Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids
This is one of my all time favourite Ted Talks clips. Adora Svitak has a lot to say about what adults can learn from kids beginning with irrational plans, hopeful thinking and imaginative ideas.
“You must lend an ear today, because we are the leaders of tomorrow.” – Something to think about…
Learning Spaces: Farmyard style
This weekend was spent visiting my cousins and their three young children out on their farm in Romsey. Growing up in the suburbs with nothing but a patch of fake grass and a swimming pool surrounded by concrete for a backyard, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by my experience over the weekend.
Upon arrival, I was handed a pair of gumboots by the oldest child (8 year old Brigitte) and a shovel by the two youngsters (3 year old Henry and 5 year old Will). I was overwhelmed by how much they knew (and could teach me) about gardening, looking after their veggie patches, taking care of their animals (chooks, horses, cows- the lot) but mostly I was incredibly AMAZED by their creativity.
I was taken for a tour around the farm where I was shown some of the many ‘shops’, ‘doctors surgeries’, ‘caves’, and ‘secret cubbies’ that the children had imaginatively created with as little as a bush, some rocks and a few twigs and sticks. At one point, Brigitte and Will pulled me aside into their doctors surgery and measured my heart beat with their stethoscope (made from a long stick with a leaf attached to the end) and checked my temperature with their wooden thermometer. I couldn’t believe how imaginative these children were and how enthusiastic they were about nature and making use of the environment.
I asked Brigitte the eldest, how she enjoyed school and though she said that she LOVES reading, drawing and writing stories, she also admitted that her classroom “isn’t very fun because we just have to listen to the teacher all day and she screams a lot”. Brigitte and Will were then very quick to inform me that next year they would change schools to ‘Candlebark’- a school run by John Marsden, who has adopted the Fitzroy Community School approach to education. The school is situated in dense bushland in Romsey, teachers are all on a first name basis and there is no school uniform. The school has two friendly dogs, plenty of veggie patches and chooks, and provides excursions and incursions regularly. The curriculum is implemented in a creative and innovative way that steers away from learning mathematics and English out of a text book. Instead, a typical school day may involve engaging with the outside world from gardening in the yard to excursions off-campus, talking with guest speakers, conducting experiments, and singing and dancing.
What I gathered from these children about their “really fun”, “cool” and “adventurous” future school called Candlebark, was that the “2063 classrooms with direct access to the yard” is a learning space that isn’t as far away into the future as we think….
I think I can safely say I have now been officially converted into this farmyard lifestyle. A future of educating students about sustainability, nurturing the environment and teaching students in a hands-on and engaging way that is purposeful and enjoyable, is a future that I certainly want to be part of.
pstblogger03 