Authenticity in Teaching and Learning

Resource 36 || Presentation

• Authentic learning involves solving real-world problems • It can also encompass learning by doing rather than only

listening, reading and memorizing• Sometimes referred to as inquiry-based learning

• Authentic learning is multidisciplinary – learning experiences aren’t constrained to a specific discipline such as geometry, physics, algebra.

What is authentic learning?

• The Internet provides a rich source of authentic information to inform problem solving and inquiry-based learning

• Also allows students to collaborate with people outside the classroom, which is more authentic to ‘real’ learning in the community

• The following story was told by one of our Technology Together teachers… It illustrates how technology can support authentic learning

(The graphics are created by him and his students).

Left stage, technology…

A Techno Success Story - The Mystery Bone

“For news the other day a child brought in a most unusual bone that she had found in the bush while on a

picnic”

What sort of bone is that?

Ahhh!It’s a mystery.

These cool cats were drawn by a girl in my class.

Her Dad suggested it might be from an echidna. I told the kids that I thought it might be from an alien. Intrigued, I thought we might try contacting an expert.

I walked through the process with the class, took a photo of the bone with a digital camera, attached the photo to an email and sent it to the inquiry centre at Queensland Museum. Before the end of the day we had received a reply that solved the mystery!

I don’t think it

belongs to moi

Dear Student,

What you have found is part of the plastron (bony chest plates) of a marine turtle. The plastron is made up of a number of such bones. If you look at a turtle skeleton you will see their outlines. The chest of a live turtle is covered in horny plates so you cannot see the underlying bones.

The plastron is actually derived from modified "belly ribs" (gastralia) which are usually slender simple bones that support the belly in crocodiles and dinosaurs but in turtles they have become fused and highly modified to help form the box-like armour that turtles and their relatives have.

Regards….Inquiry Centre, Queensland Museum

This is what ICT is meant for! I was chuffed! Now to think of

ways I could have children apply a similar strategy or

have similar opportunities in future.

• Having access to resources is not enough…• Teachers need to be creative and responsive – flexible and

adaptive to students interests and needs. • THEREFORE authentic learning is as much about teachers’

values, attitudes and beliefs…

The teacher’s role

Where do teacher, students and problems “fit” in your classroom?

Culture 1 – Teacher Directed (Objectivist)

Culture 2 – Teacher Facilitated (Constructivist)

Culture 3 – Networked (Connectivist)

Small group/whole school discussion

Discuss the role of teachers, students and problems in your classroom?

Provide examples of lessons that ‘fit’ within the third of these models?

How do students in your school/class respond when given more responsibility for their learning?

Weekly challenge

Reflect on your lessons for a week and how they ‘fit’ with these three cultures

Metacognition in the classroom

Try using a WebQuest, global project, or other problem-based learning experience with your

students. Ask students to reflect on the experience.

Three key things from today…

What three points can you take from today’s discussion?

You might base your thoughts around the metacognitive model…..

This presentation is associated with Technology Together: Whole-School Professional Development for Capability and Confidence, by Renata Phelps and Anne Graham.

Copyright 2013, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education),

Distribution and copying of this presentation is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE and the authors.

The research informing this publication was conducted as a collaboration between the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore Diocese, NSW, Australia and was funded by the Australian Research Council.

Other resources are available from the Technology Together website:

http://technologytogether.scu.edu.au

Clipart is drawn from Masterclips 500,000 ® IMSI