It's About - Authentic Learning - 'Dancing with Change'

What do we REALLY want for our students - how much have our classrooms and our teaching styles REALLY changed over the past few years?  What conscious changes in your practice are you making today, knowing that they are the best for teaching and learning in your classroom?  Or are you making changes because they are being forced on you - these are the changes that can't be sustained.  The changes that can and will be sustained are those that we believe passionately in, they are the changes that we want and need for our students and they are the changes that students demand in order to live - not just exist - in a 21st Century learning environment.

We continue to block these innovations and changes rather than to embrace them.  If we are to be educators in the 21st Century, it is imperative that we learn alongside and with our students - that we embrace the technology and integrate it into what we do on a minute-by-minute basis.  Why are there still schools out there that run ICT units / programmes - where is the integration, the flat classroom, the classroom without walls that links to the real world?  We need to start questioning whether we are meeting the needs of 21st Century learners in the current teaching and learning environments we are providing.

Listen to the students - they are wise.

So - what changes are you making to meet the needs of your 21st Century Learners?  Is what we're providing in the classroom authentic and does it make explicit links to the students lives outside the classroom?

What are we doing to 'Dance with change?'

Reflection on an interesting and challenging teaching and learning year

A Year of Challenges, Changes and Achievements

What a year!  Over the past couple of months I’ve been reflecting on my learning journey and what my decision to take a break from teaching for most of the year to begin my Masters has meant for me.  To be honest, the ‘break’ from teaching and learning didn’t really happen as I spent a large part of it still teaching and learning!!  What could be better?

I finished the first term as a teacher and Deputy Principal at my previous school, which produced many mixed emotions, as I loved the school, the staff and the students.  The decision to leave and study was in many ways not an easy one, but in other ways was a bit of a ‘no-brainer’.  I had always wanted to challenge my own learning and see how far I could push myself.  As the children in my class said to me – I was following my own advice that I was always giving to them about continuing our learning journeys throughout our lives.  Very wise those 9 and 10 year olds!!  In my very humble opinion, if we don’t continue to learn or are not prepared to keep learning, we are not modelling this to our students and perhaps teaching is not the vocation for us after all.

The learning journey itself has been fantastic.  I’ve completed 5 of the 6 papers and have been challenged in my thinking and also in my pedagogical beliefs about best practice in teaching and learning.  Some of my learning has confirmed and reinforced my pedagogy and some of it has challenged my own beliefs and thinking in a very positive way and has resulted in changes in my practice.

In the last term I was asked to relieve at a school where I was lucky enough to teach and learn with a fantastic group of 6 and 7 year olds.  They were quite honestly wise beyond their years and I learned a great deal from them as they shared their thinking about the world as they see it though their eyes.  They were insightful and often picked up on issues that we don’t give them credit for because they are so young.  The lesson – never underestimate the knowledge and wisdom of children – no matter what their ages.  I’ve always believed this and it is a belief I hold very dear in teaching and learning.  Teachers don’t know everything and, if they think they do and are not prepared to learn with and through their students, then they are most definitely in the wrong vocation. 

For me, this year has only reinforced these beliefs and I can’t wait to begin working with my next classes of amazing teachers and learners.  Yes, we are ALL teachers and we are ALL learners in any classroom in which I find myself.  My classes have always had this as their motto and it is something I will always keep in my mind as I carry on my own teaching and learning journey. 

I’m now in Auckland – a rather big move from Invercargill some would say.  So why has this move been important, why have I done this?  I want to push my teaching and learning further, to challenge myself in a range of different teaching and learning environments.  My ultimate will be to go as far as I can with eLearning however I seem to always have trouble getting away from my passion for Literacy.  Not the worst problem anyone could have.  Combining the two works perfectly for me as I’ve found that the pedagogy of eLearning provides the perfect platform to motivate, enthuse and excite students in their learning.  

Exploring 2 Web 2.0 Tools

We're exploring a range of Web 2.0 Tools and how they can be used in online learning communities. We'd love your thoughts.  I've attached a powerpoint through Slideshare as it was too big to load. The 'iPods' don't work but you can click on the link and it will take you to the sites.

What Web 2.0 tools have you / do you use in your online community of learners?  Please add to our discussion and share any links.

Web 2.0 tools presentation taylor edux432

View more presentations from University of Otago Masters student.

When You Read and Share a Student's Writing, What is the First Thing You Comment on?

You are conferencing with a student to give him/her feedback on what they've written.  What do you comment on first?

The way we provide feedback to our students can have an enormous impact on their motivation to write.

The keynote below has some interesting points about what we do as teachers in terms of providing feedback, what the most common forms of feedback are in our classrooms; the information may surprise you.  What are the most effective types of feedback in terms of motivation and achievement and in promoting a love of writing?

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts - what rings true for you?  What surprises you?  What questions do you have circling?

The key message is to focus on the content first - the deep features - not the surface ones.  They are still important and are part of Reader Courtesy but, if you want to have motivated writers, focus on the message first - the content.

Feedback for blog

View more presentations from University of Otago Masters student

What's at the Heart of Your Teaching and Learning?

I've started to blog about the ILoveTeaching Conference held last week but, over the past three days, have also attended the RSCON3 - The Reform Symposium online conference.  This conference has involved over 75 presentations and 12 keynotes covering a diverse range of areas but they've all had one thing in common - teaching and learning with passion in the 21st Century.

There's been a bit of a theme happening here then over the last few weeks.  Interestingly, the theme of many of my readings for my Masters has also been around this!  Passion in teaching and learning has always been key for me since I began studying to become a teacher 15 years ago.  It just seems to make sense.  Commonsense.  If the teachers don't have the passion for what they do then how can they expect the students to show any enthusiasm?  

I've been reflecting on this an enormous amount, particularly over the past three days.  A presentation by @ShellTerrell (Shelly Terrell): The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators: How Will You Be Inspired - has really hit a nerve - in a very good way.  Shelly is a passionate educator with so much enthusiasm for what she does that it can't fail to rub off on you - or affirm your beliefs.  Shelly's bio on the Reform Symposium site sums up what she has achieved so far a great deal better than I could.  I recommend that you check it out, follow her on Twitter and also read her blog.  Be inspired. I certainly was and will participate in the 30 Day Challenge.

When I took a break from teaching at the end of the first term, I knew that I wanted to study and gain my Masters, knew what it was going to be in and what my focus would be, but I wasn't 100% sure about where I wanted it to head from there.  Was it research?  Was it educating other teachers?  Was it going back into the classroom?  I think it's all of these but I really want to find a way to help teachers connect to and with their students, learn together and be passionate about what they do on a daily basis.  

One of the Keynotes this afternoon carried on this theme and stated out loud what is often in our heads - "If you're not having fun you shouldn't be there... because you are dealing with their future."  This is in relation to being a teacher and it is so true. The presentation was by the Couros brothers: @courosa, (Dr Alec Couros), and @gcouros, (George Couros).  These inspirational teachers have clear messages that were also in line with the ILoveTeachingConference: We need to change what we do, not do more of the same, just with different tools.  We risk taking the passion away from our learners, and from ourselves if we do this.

Links to George Couros can be found here:  http://georgecouros.ca/blog/

Links to Dr Alec Couros can be found here:  http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/

Both are recommended reading.

There were so many other inspirational speakers: Kelly Tenkely, Lisa Nielsen, John Davitt, Chuck Sandy, Dr Pam Burnard, Edna Sackson, Josh Stumpenhorst, Kathleen Morris, Brad Patterson, Tom Whitby, to name a very few at this stage.  I will reflect on their ideas over the next few days.  In the meantime, I'm off to catch the next great sessions.  The conference finishes at 9.00am tomorrow morning with a Keynote from Steve Wheeler - also known as @timbuckteeth on Twitter.  If you're not reading and reflecting on his blog, then you probably should be if you're a teacher and learner who is passionate about his / her work.

All of the sessions have been recorded and I'll post links as soon as they're available.

In the meantime:  Keep fighting to retain creativity and passion in teaching and learning so that we have engaged, motivated and passionate learners.  We're all teachers and we're all learners.  (A motto from my last group of fantastic learners!)

Trust is the key to developing passionate, creative, engaged and motivated learners... and teachers!  Passion and creativity are non-negotiables in teaching and learning.

What and How are we Teaching... and are our Students Learning?

Over the past two days I've been fortunate to attend the I Love Teaching Conference in Invercargill, New Zealand.  Every two years a group of educators passionate about teaching and learning, put together a conference that is always energizing and always thought-provoking.  If you don't go away from the conferences inspired to make a change in your practice then, perhaps, you are in the wrong profession.

The theme of this year's conference was about remembering why we went into teaching in the first place.  To quote the Conference Convenor, Marlene Campbell:   "In challenging educational times, we wanted to remind educators of their passion for the job they do; and to refresh their love for their craft: hence the "I Love Teaching" brand for this event."  

Speakers included:  
Professor Francoys Gagne - developed a theory of talent development - the Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent.  (DMGT)

Dr Jeni Wilson - a proponent of reflective and personalised teaching and learning and meeting the needs of the 21st Century learner.

James Nottingham - the developer of p4c - Philosophy for Children and director of Sustained Success - his own company.  James delivers powerful methods about feedback - the good, the bad and the ugly!  He explains why praise feedback is ineffective and why process feedback is essential.

Allie Mooney - Allie delivers fantastic - and entertaining - messages about the different personalities we come across in life... and how to appreciate and value those differences.

Wilson McCaskill -  Director of The Game Factory one of the most passionate and energetic proponents of teachers and teaching on the planet!  His key message is to value the children we teach and to help them develop self-management strategies.  His Play is the Way programme has much to offer in these areas.

Graham Watts - Graham is a developer of thinking and learning programmes and an Associate Director for the Habits of Mind for the UK and Europe.  His practical ideas for the classroom are inspiring but, most of all, he encourages us to take a critical look at what we do as teachers and whether we are heading in the right direction for our 21st Century learners.  Looking at the future of education - where are we heading and how is it going to look in the next 100 years?

Each of these speakers had important messages to share so I'll devote separate posts to each of them and how their messages are so important in our classrooms - and for the future of education if we're going to meet the needs of our 21st Century learners.  Are we really the 21st Century teachers we think we are??

The greatest message I've taken away is:  Are we teaching children HOW to learn or WHAT to learn? Which is more valuable??

As part of my postgrad degree I've been reading an enormous amount - no exaggeration! - of research around just these issues and, as it's an area of passion for me, I think this is what will ultimately guide what I research as part of the degree and where my teaching and learning will lead me in the next stage of my own learning.

The speakers had so much to offer and, to reflect on this, I think they need their own posts.

Through the Looking Glass - Teacher Self-Study

Over the past few months I've been reading about, and investigating issues around, teacher self-study.  (Another form is Action Research - Dr Roger Peckover, MEd., explains this well).

Why should teachers examine their practice?  This has been the central focus question for the research / investigation.  I believe it comes down to knowing the 'why' of what we do - I seem to focus on this quite a bit, but I make no apologies for this as I think it's so important to be able to articulate why we teach and learn with our students in a particular way.  If we can't do this then what impact does what we do on a minute-by-minute, day-by-day basis have on what our students can achieve?

The research supports the importance of being able to study aspects of our practice in depth but there are also many questions around this.  How do we fit this into an already packed day?  Can we afford not to?  How do we make sure that teacher self-study is valued by all members of the school community?  How do we support teachers in being able to complete this form of inquiry into their practice?  The information gained from this form of reflection is incredibly valuable but how do we then disseminate it?  How do we get it 'out there' so that we are informing not only ourselves but the wider community in general and the education community specifically.

It is also suggested that teacher self-study is one way of making sure that change happens in teaching and learning, particularly for our 21st Century Learners.  Could this be the answer to making sure that the education system we have now, begins to become the education system that we need - not just a variation of the one that has always been?

What's the answer?  How valuable do you believe teacher self-study to be?  How much experience have you had?  How is teacher self-study supported in your school?  Have you utilised Critical Friends in your school?  What were your experiences?

The title of the following is a really interesting one which appealed to my sense of humour straight away - is it too cynical?  It is worth a read!

Smyth, J. (2001). Critical reflection: The antidote of being done to!. (Chapter 14, pp.183-196). In Critical politics of teachers’ work: An Australian perspective. New York: Peter Laing.

So how do we make sure this works for all concerned?


Professor Jack Whitehead talks about how to give the teachers a voice within Action Research.