Week 18 - Future-oriented Learning and Teaching



Looking back on the past 17 weeks of Mindlab and with changing my year level this year, I realise I have made a number of changes to my teaching practice and re-thought my role as a Teacher in the classroom, content, content delivery and the learners role. I have used various digital technologies and apps to not only teach my lessons,  but to make them purposeful, authentic and engaging. I have been ‘training’ my learners how to use different apps for different purposes so that eventually they can take the lead in their learning and decide how they present their work.


We adopted a more blended and collaborative learning approach in the classroom which resulted in more student engagement and ownership from the students.  I have stepped back from being the Teacher who teaches to the learners, to becoming the ‘facilitator’ of their learning - this is not something I had done before having come from teaching 5 years olds for the past 4 years and always being at the ‘front’ of the classroom. By stepping back, the students were learning through meaningful interactions, by doing, working collaboratively and by trial and error, making their learning more engaging.  As mentioned in Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching: A New Zealand perspective, my aim as the Teacher is to work together with my learners in a "knowledge-building" learning environment  (Bolstad, Gilbert, McDowall, Bull, Boyd & Hipkins, 2012) so that we learn and draw from each others strengths and knowledge.
Initially I found it hard to step back and let myself and my learners make mistakes and work independently on their devices as we were still fostering relationships and trust, however as we progressed through the term, I realised that they were engaged in the tasks and the majority of them were on task. This freed me up and allowed me to move around the classroom working with students that needed a bit more scaffolding. I have enjoyed ‘stepping back’ and allowing my learners to make mistakes and I can see that my students are more engaged in their learning through the use of digital technologies and relevant apps, especially with my reluctant learners as this has given them a new platform and meaning to their learning.
Overall, this has been a positive experience and by ‘changing the script’ of the teacher and learner roles, I have been able to see things a bit differently and adapt my style of teaching. I have now realised that in order for my students to learn and be prepared with 21st Century skills and the emerging technologies, we as the teachers need to ‘rethink the tools we use and the types of problems we are asking the students to solve’ (Delafosse, 2011). I too need be a lifelong learner and an agile leader (Briggs, S. 2014), constantly reflecting on my teaching practise and designing for the future ahead - what can stay the same? What do I need to remove?
My role as the teacher/facilitator is ever changing and agile and I won’t always get it right, but I have learnt that it is okay to make mistakes and learn from each other along the way. Mindlab has allowed me to be more open to change and try new things. I have realised that we are all learners on a journey together and that each journey/class will differ from the last. I now have a continuous bank of knowledge and resources to access when I do need to make these changes and adaptations.


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
Briggs, S. (2014). Agile Based Learning: What Is It and How Can It Change Education? InformED. Retrieved from URL: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/agile-based-learning-what-is-it-and-how-can-it-change-education/
Delafosse. Sonja. (2011, October 24). Teaching in the 21st Century. Retrieved from URL: https://youtu.be/075aWDdZUlM

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