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Future-oriented Learning and Teaching


For this blog I am looking at “Changing the Script”: Rethinking learners’ and teachers’ roles and how the last 17 weeks of Mind Lab and researching have had an impact on my practice.
When I first started on this journey I had a very definitive description of teaching, something that had been ingrained in my mind-set over the last eleven years of teaching and that was that I was the font on all knowledge within my subject. I felt that I had to dictate how the lessons went, exactly what was to be covered and how it would be addressed, with very little deviation from that planned route. Not surprisingly, when I rated myself against the 21st century learning skills rubric, I did not come out favourably. The whole point of signing up to Mind Lab was to improve my practice so I was happy, yet extremely nervous, to try out anything. My first change within my pedagogy was to trial out some collaboration within senior classes, I wanted to see if students could support and educate their peers with subject knowledge that they had learnt. As you can imagine after eleven years, I had to fight the urge to step in and take over. But I fought it and offered guidance as and when required. When I critically reflected on the change for the Digital and Leadership 2 assignment I felt it went really well, of course there were issues and setbacks but I have addressed them. I actually really enjoyed letting the students take over the learning and sharing of information. Some of the students took to the change straight away, as Robinson (2009) identified there were different stages of acceptance of the change. Once the success of the early adopters was witnessed many of the class came on board with the change and the early adopters became the mentors.
Good points
The group got their work finished several weeks earlier than previous cohorts.
The quality of the work is noticeably better, internal moderation show this.
Bad points
Slow uptake of some of the group.
Student absence led to some groups having to increase their workload.
By the end of the trial the vast majority of the class enjoyed the new way of completing the research section of their projects, a task that has historically been done with a ‘half-arsed’ approach. This was reflected in the marks gained, which have improved this year. I felt that it has definitely improved my way of teaching, especially the theoretical parts of my course. Even though I was filled with panic at the start, my fears were soon dissolved by the students’ enthusiasm for the task. I also think it helped with my leadership development. This change definitely links to the “Changing the Script” theme as I had allowed the students to become the teachers, I became a facilitator, quietly guiding them when lost. The following two quotes from Bolstad (2012) add credence to this, she said that ‘it is about structuring roles and relationships in ways that draw on the strengths and knowledge of each in order to best support learning.’  and ‘think about how learners and teachers would work together in a “knowledge-building” learning environment.’ (p. 89).
In conclusion, I think the change went well, the students liked it and the results show it. I am going to continue using a collaborative method to complete research tasks in the future.  What would I change? Hmm well I would set the groups better to include a mixture of abilities to allow for peer support and also check absence histories to ensure a fair mix. I am currently looking into a similar trial with my juniors as I want to see if this method way of working spans year groups and maturity levels.
References
Bolstad, R. (2012). Principles for a future-oriented education system. New Zealand Annual Review of Education. Retrieved from https://www.victoria.ac.nz/education/research/nzaroe/issues-index/2011-2012/pdf/text_bolstad.pdf
Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Changeology. Retrieved from http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf

Comments

  1. Unknown1 April 2018 at 14:34

    Ian, it sounds like your practice has really grown during your studies with The Mind Lab. You have carefully reflected on what didn't work so well and have thought of how to improve these aspects. Do you still have this cohort of students? I wonder if those you felt were slow to uptake, would not be next time since they now know what to expect?

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    1. Mr. C1 April 2018 at 14:38

      Thank you Kathryn, that is a very valid point. Yes I do still have them and I will get the opportunity to have them collaborate again in a few months time so I will be able to see then. I did not think of that thank you for your input.

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  2. Unknown2 April 2018 at 00:58

    Hi there,
    I can really relate to your reflections on your Mind Lab journey to date. I teach seniors too and have tried to improve where my classes sit on the 21st Century Learning Skills rubrics. I have introduced a mainly digital approach with a flipped/blended classroom in the hope of "Changing the Script" and moving to level 4 of the self-regulation rubric.
    I am loving the knowledge building environment and relationships that are developing in the class. I also changed the first research assessment task to be a collaborative task and it worked super well. I have been impressed with students uptake of these changes and I found that when it came to the collaborative assessment all students were on board as no one wanted to be the one to let the rest of their team down. I hope you find the same with your future collaborative assessment tasks. However I am finding our future assessments a bit more difficult to re-write to include a collaborative aspect to them.
    Sarah.

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    1. Mr. C2 April 2018 at 18:57

      Hi Sarah, thanks for your feedback. It's good to know there is someone else trialling similar change initiatives. I'm struggling to find another opportunity for collaboration with my seniors as they are currently designing their products then will be off into the workshop. I am going to try during the evaluation stage.

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  3. Unknown2 April 2018 at 02:13

    Hi Ian
    Great blog. It is a really good summary of what you have tried in practice. I think you were very brave in trialling this, particularly with seniors. It is hard to 'risk' their learning and what is often seen as more important - their assessment grades, with seniors. Good on you. There is often a real tension between developing quality learning in a classroom and the students seeing it as a threat to the tried and true way of teaching they are used to, and therefore a potential threat to their grades. It is good to hear they were on board and made the most of it.
    Kate

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    1. Mr. C2 April 2018 at 19:11

      Hi Kate, thanks for your comments. I chose the seniors as they have their own devices so it was easier to do. I totally agree that it is seen as more of a gamble as there are credits at stake, thankfully this one paid off. We are having more and more juniors bring in their own devices so I would like to start collaboration within those classes so that by the time they are seniors it is second nature to collaborate with their peers.
      Ian

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  4. Unknown7 April 2018 at 16:59

    Hi Ian, it's great to see you have managed to shake off the old and try out the new! Plus it's all working well. I would love to know more, what ages you teach, what you teach and where you get your ideas when working with the groups. Do you collaborate with other teachers? I've been working collaboratively with other teachers for the past 4 years within juniors and then seniors and it definitely has its pros and cons. I've also been to a few schools looking at how they do their collaborative teaching and how the students take control of their learning. One of the schools looked like chaos in the junior end but a bit more 'with it' on the senior end. As I'm now working in secondary teaching English, I am trying to work out the best way to start this journey more than I have been so far. New school! New age! New ideas! It's all a bit daunting at the moment.

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  5. corlene7 April 2018 at 20:54

    hi Ian, I really like this reflective model as it humanises us as teachers. Its humbling to see that other teachers feel the same way - and this reflective model puts us right in front of that mirror - addressing our feelings. Its also really lovely to see that you identified a weakness in your practice and chose to do this course to help. Love your classroom initiative and it seems like you did a great job with your innovators. Would like to hear more about this in the near future.

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  6. Unknown9 April 2018 at 03:24

    Hi Ian,

    I really enjoyed reading your blog and found it very easy to relate too. One of my biggest issues at Teacher's College was not being able to move away from the structured lesson plan. I know that guided discovery is really important and can help students to engage more with the lesson. I am still trying to do this, instead of just completing a task for the sake of it and allowing lessons to be a bit more fluid. Anyway, your doing a great job Ian! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

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  7. Unknown9 April 2018 at 13:36

    Hello Buddy,
    Good wee write up around your small challenges, positives and work ons within your first reflection. I am curious around what size groups you used this for?

    I also think giving them small check points along the way really encourages them. But the check point could be just each group checking with in with you every lesson to know where they are at and where they are heading to in the lesson. It sounds like its a hugely positive and successful outcome. Well Done!

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