Deeper Learning

 

 

PART 1 – Students access and respond to this part.

I am conducting some research and need student responses to the following question:

Think about this from all perspectives.  It will not necessarily be in school, but it may well be?

What is the most memorable “thing” that you have learnt in the last year (or so?) Click on THIS LINK to respond.

 

I would be very appreciative if your responded to the question truthfully.  

Some results are collected and collated and I have formulated a response to these below.  

 

PART 2

Some results and my thinking and learning…

And so, what is deeper learning and how can we foster the passion that our students identify as significant or memorable learning?  As teachers, we need to be looking closely at what inspires our students to want to learn; what engages them in that learning, then harnessing this to ensure they feel involved in their own learning,  becoming co-creators of it.

Some student responses to my survey to date range from “learning about themselves on camp”, to “challenging themselves at the swimming carnival” to “understanding that to give your very best in everything you do can lead to success” and that “when you have a passionate teacher, learning is easier”. Many hands on activities were mentioned; being together in learning groups and finding ways to make connections with others; those who were passionate about music or sport bring great examples of learning; some specific teachers are mentioned and making a transition to secondary school rated as another key learning.  And so the list goes on, with little reference to (but a smattering) of “a formula in maths” or “an essay structure for an exam”, or “a concept discovered through a novel”.   

Most of us would not be surprised by this, but it appears that memorable or significant learning is generally triggered by a love for something or a connection with something or someone. Thus, it is essential that we are considering this in our classrooms. As teachers we must be listening to our students and working with them, providing them the tools they need to have those deeper learning experiences.  We can do this by tapping into the needs, loves, the strengths and the weaknesses of the individuals we have in our classrooms.

Ways of learning

At present I am “engaging with educators from around the world and participating in a MOOC on Deeper learning”.  This is a great way to learn; I don’t feel pressure to join in conversations every day, but I am able to go in and out of the community; to have access to some amazing resources; and to engage when I know that I have learnt something, or have something significant that I think I would like to say.  I wonder if learning for our students feels like this at school?  I wonder if we set up situations for them, often enough, to really inspire them to want to engage, rather than that they must just do it – because we will grade them on it?

Accessing and thinking about the resources that I have had access to during the last 8 weeks, has allowed me to think critically about what I do in the classroom, but more than that, to think more deeply about what we value as a learning,  and how we go about assessing that learning in our school setting!

For example, if we want our students to publish for a public audience, (like a blog) we encourage and expect peer review, multiple edits and drafts, so that the final product is the best that they can produce; yet, as our students move into senior years, we limit these processes of review and edits. We provide limited feedback and at times forbid our students to seek additional ideas.  Why is that?  In today’s world, it is essential that the audience is greater than the teacher; it is essential that our learners show initiative; it is essential that they seek feedback from multiple sources, then produce their best product.  21st century skills include collaboration and communication and  I believe that the more input into a job, the better the final result will be.  This is not always the case in our schools!

It is important too, to consider the relationships that are developed as our students move through a secondary school.  There are valuable connections made, where trust and respect is built.  As students transition from one phase to the next, it is important that they are able to maintain those relationships and connections, specifically from a learning perspective, and because of that perspective of trust.  Generally, this is not maintained (from the point of view of learning). However, isn’t this quite contradictory to ensuring that our students are moving along that all important continuum of learning. Knowing that what one has learnt previously, is the building block for what is next; and consequently, the conversation and connection that teachers could be having along the way around the individual learners we have, would only enhance deeper learning.  This is another critical area for me.  If deeper learning is important to us, as it obviously is for our students, we must be encouraging that collaboration and sharing as we hand on to that next phase in a learner’s journey. We must make it clear to our students that it is OK to seek feedback from multiple sources, and this includes teachers that students have built strong relationships with previously.

And then, we can continue the discussion around technology.  Deeper learning is not about the technology, but utilising the tools effectively through a pedagogy that leads to engagement. Like any effective, well structured and developed curriculum document, technology too should be mapped and part of that curriculum. It should be developmental and  built upon from term to term and from year to year.  It is no longer acceptable for educators to be saying, “I don’t do that”.  We must ensure that from phase to phase of the learning, so too do we build on the tools we are incorporating.  What we work with in Year 9 should be the stepping stone to greater things in Year 10 and on.

So, these are just some ideas I have begun to think more deeply about due to my involvement in this Deeper Learning MOOC.  Deeper learning should be a key focus and discussion.  This conversation must be a continuous one, it should always be at the heart of what teachers do. We need to know our students well, we need to use effective tools to engage, we need to tap into their passions and demonstrate our own, we must constantly seek ways to improve what we do and always place 21st skills at the core of the learning. The Australian Curriculum provides us with the centrepiece for developing the learning focus, here in Australia; but there is so much that we can incorporate and so many varied approaches to ensure that our students can find MANY examples of memorable/significant learning from their school experiences.  We want  our students  to find it difficult to choose just one, and importantly, we want them to be able to choose experiences that occur in their classrooms; not just through their outside interests or extra-curricular. 

We, as educators, must continue to learn, and understand that we have the responsibility to our students to do the very best that we can to ensure deeper learning can and does occur.

Some resources you may find useful in this discussion. (I certainly have) – Visit Links below

A Living Museum 

Engaging Students in Work that Matters

LENZ – the 21st century skills- deeper learning connection in assessment

AITSL – Learning Frontiers