Mle session UoC
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Transcript of Mle session UoC
Westpac Business and Community Hub,– Tuesday 11 March, 2014
Modern Learning Environments and
Future Focused Learning
WHAT ARE SCHOOLS FOR?
1. Get a good job 2. Learn to be a consumer 3. Learn to adore
technology
“We need to address the metaphysical or philosophical purpose of school – if parents, teachers and kids don’t believe in the purpose of school it becomes a place of detention, not attention.” Neil Postman 1931 - 2003
MENTAL MODELS
Mental models are the assumptions & stories which we carry in our minds of ourselves, other people, institutions, & every aspect of the world. Differences between mental models explain why two people can observe the same event and describe it differently; they are paying attention to different details.
CHANGING SCHOOLS…
“Schools may be the starkest example in modern society of an entire institution modelled after the assembly line. This has dramatically increased educational capability in our time, but it has also created many of the most intractable problems with which students, teachers and parents struggle to this day.
If we want to change schools, it is unlikely to happen until we understand more deeply the core assumptions on which the industrial-age school is based”
Peter Senge
TESTING ASSUMPTIONS…
1996, Prof. Hedley Beare
“egg crate” classrooms set class groups based on age
period-based timetable linear curriculum
division of all human knowledge into “subjects”
division of staff by “subject”
allocation of most school tasks to teachers
assumption that learning is geographically bound
notion of stand-alone school
limiting ‘formal schooling’ to years 0-13
9-3 school day
SHUT THEM DOWN? These are the fundamentals of the futurist Alvin Toffler’s vision for education in the 21st century:
• Open 24 hours a day • Customized educational experience • Kids arrive at different times • Students begin their formalized schooling
at different ages • Curriculum is integrated across disciplines • Non-teachers work with teachers • Teachers alternate working in schools and
in business world • Local businesses have offices in the
schools • Increased number of charter schools
http://www.edutopia.org/alvin-toffler-school-reform
Students in physical school, instruction and
assessment predominantly on-
site
Students access formal learning via
the network, instruction and
assessment provided online
Students learning through their
online personal learning network,
incl. social networking
environments
Students at home, library or other space, pursuing
own interests individually or collaboratively
FORMAL
INFORMAL
PHYSICAL
VIRTUAL
Principle #1
= Ubiquity
Any time, any place, any pace, any device…
UBIQUITY
Principles #2
= Agency “the power to act”; informed, enabled, empowered learners
• Self directed learning
• Un-tethered to traditional institution
• Expert at personal data aggregation
• Power of connections
• Creating new communities
• Not tethered to physical networks
• Experiential learning
• Content developers
• Process as important as knowledge gained
FREE AGENT CHARACTERISTICS
http://teachthinktech.learningconnective.org/post/1656186536/free-agent-learners
Principle #3 Connectedness ‘edgeless schools’, global reach
David Ronfeldt TIMN (Tribal, Institutional, Market, Network)
School A
Groups
NETWORKED LEARNING
Network PLN
Federally organised Collections of entities Collaborative Networked knowledge
Externally organised Single entity Competitive Knowledge transfer
Personally organised Association of entities Connected Personal knowledge
The way networks learn is the way individuals learn
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK #1
• MLE supports differentiated and student-centred learning. • MLE produces better teaching and learning. • Teachers are more accountable and empowered to collaborate through
the power of 2 – 5 to provide quality teaching and learning. • De-privatising practice and having learning spaces that are open,
inclusive and accessible is best practice in NZ and beyond. • And a great quote about MLE architecture: Learning within purposeful
de-privatised learning centred spaces with architecture that “makes you want to learn”:)
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK #2
• All members of the school's community have to work together to create a shared vision around learning. As long as everything that occurs can be true to that vision then teaching and learning can be successful. This does not mean that everyone has to do everything in exactly the same way.
• The environment is not the most essential part of the process. There is no one correct plan for what a MLE should look like.
• Learning doesn't stop with the children, teachers are also lifelong learners and are learning to improve their knowledge and practice all the time through use of collaborative teaching and teacher coaching.
• When involved in designing new learning spaces we need to be aware that we are not just planning for ourselves but for the next twenty plus years so spaces need to be able to be arranged in a variety of ways as no one can know what the needs of the learners will be then.
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK #3
• Excitement and challenges are two words that come to mind. In a positive way of course!
• I keep coming back to the children and what will best meet their needs. During our great trip, we saw children engaged in their learning. I know we see this in more traditional classrooms too. What I liked was the level of engagement of the teachers in their own learning, in the confidence they displayed, and their conviction that the open spaces created a more dynamic and effective teaching model.
• I also liked the belief the leaders had in that they were making a difference for their students and for their teachers.
• I liked seeing children demonstrating independence in their learning and their ability to self manage. The published league tables affirmed the levels of achievement were to be commended, and that the National Testing did not inhibit the learning in depth and breadth that was taking place.
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK #4
• Outstanding, passionate, inspirational leadership - I think that's crucial in setting up a successful MLE.
• Also a clear, collaboratively formed vision is vital. Each successful principal we saw, was passionate about ensuring that the vision was lived and breathed by everyone and that the learning spaces reflected the vision.
• We have an amazing opportunity in ChCh to create something special. I truly believe that all the 'stakeholders' are keen to make this happen. I feel very grateful that I was on this tour. I only wish everyone involved in our merge could have had the same opportunity.
THOSE KEY WORDS
• Differentiated and student-centred learning. • Accountable and empowered to collaborate • De-privatising practice • Open, inclusive and accessible • Collaborative teaching • No one correct plan • Shared vision • Dynamic and effective teaching model • Demonstrating independence • Outstanding, passionate, inspirational leadership • Collaboratively formed vision • Learning spaces reflected the vision.
WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?
1. Dynamic, future-focused leadership 2. Clear articulation of a collaboratively developed and
owned vision, values and beliefs
3. Primary focus on the learner
4. Collaborative, de-privatised practice
5. Learning spaces reflect the vision
UNPACK
• How adequately do our learning spaces cater for the type of learning we are wanting our children to experience?
• Do our current spaces work against the things we’re trying to achieve?
LEARNING SETTINGS
LINKING PRINCIPLES TO PLACE
METAPHORS FOR CHANGING THINKING…
• Cave: for private concentration. • Camp fire: group process. • Watering hole: encounters and impulses. • Sandpit: experimentation and practical work. • Mountaintop: presentation of progress and
discoveries.
Source: Prakash Nair
CAVES: PRIVATE CONTEMPLATION
CAMPFIRE: GROUP PROCESSES
WATERING HOLE: ENCOUNTERS AND IMPULSES
SANDPIT: EPXERIMENTATION
MOUNTAINTOP: PRESENTATION
SCHOOL SPATIAL TYPOLOGIES
tradi&onal school plan separate classrooms opening off corridors
large, open undifferen&ated space
separate classrooms linked to shared central space
mul&-‐op&on space made up of many diverse, discrete but connected spaces / se<ngs
SCHOOL SPATIAL TYPOLOGIES
Source: Mary Featherstone
Source: Mary Featherstone
duration of activities?
documentation of activities?
what furniture, equipment, resources?
what services are required? what surfaces are required? what floor, levels area?
ambience, climate control?
degree of enclosure?
Source: Mary Featherstone
MODERN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
http://bundlr.com/b/core-education-modern-learning-enviroments
http://www.core-ed.org/professional-learning/mle-matrix
http://eps.core-ed.org/
http://eps.core-ed.org
Derek Wenmoth Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://blog.core-ed.org/derek Skype: <dwenmoth>