Week 27 - APC - Broader Professional Context: From consumers to creators

From consumers to creators

What work will my children be doing in 2030? Future State (2030) highlights this important question which came from public questions to the government. My own son will be 23 and writing this blog has allowed me the opportunity to reflect on whether or not what he is learning in school is really relevant to what he needs to be learning? Or whether what I am teaching in my own classroom is important and/or relevant to what those students really need to be able to survive and thrive in 2030? It also allows me to turn my attention to how does my role as a teacher and collaborator need to change to enable further changes to take place within my classroom, my school and the community.

Although we can haphazard a guess at what things may look like in the future it is hard to prepare student for jobs that don't actually exist yet and for futures that we can't actually see or comprehend. For example, if we went back 100 years and told them that they would be able to hold pieces of metal in their hands and chat with someone anywhere in the world, would they have believe us? Or even been able to visualize what we have now in this world?  So, anything could happen or be coming in the future? Imagine if technology no longer exists in 100 year? Can't imagine that? My point exactly! 

Some current issues that have been highlighted in reports such as, Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history (2015) and KPMG - Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends (2014), allow us to contemplate problems the future generations needs to be prepared for. The need to increase food production to feed the ever-growing population, estimated to reach 8.3 billion by 2030 (future state 2030) or the deficit that has been identified between water demand and supply, estimated to reach 40% by 2030. Will we all be eating insects and living under plastic sheets to enable the production of water through wide-scale condensation towers? Can't imagine that either?

The current initiative on rethinking our schools is a long overdue one in my own opinion, not just because of the speed of advances in digital technology in industry and the slow uptake by the educational system,  but also because so many individuals have been failed by the old style system - even when it was 'new initiative'. I for one, was one of those 'failures' - Labelled a disruptive student, I struggled to sit still in lessons, struggled to take in and understand what was being said when the lessons consisted of just 'teacher talk' 'blackboard learning' and boring book-work, and as far as my reading skills went...well my mother would love to tell you the story ......" you know Alison, at the age of 14 you had a reading age of 10 and look at you now".  Nobody picked up on the fact, that the teachers of my practical subject wrote glowing reports about me, it's rather ironic I ended up going back to school at the grand age of 27 to study Equine Studies, a primarily practical-based course, and in which again I received glowing reports from my lecturers.

Anyway I digress, what I am trying to get across is that things should of changed long again, to offer all students, and I mean all students, opportunities to learn in a way that best suited them. I love to see the transformation of my students belief in themselves when they arrive in my class after being labelled 'disruptive' in another class. I have the privilege to teach a practical hands-on subject and it is just heart warming when a student realizes that he is not disruptive, rather he has just not had the opportunity to learn in a way that suits his needs. If changes had been made long ago maybe we would not be in a situation where we have a big hulk of students being identified as priority learners? (ERO 2012). I suppose, hindsight is a wonderful thing and the important thing is that we are now addressing how schools need to change to allow all students the opportunity to experience success and to develop skills which will allow them to reach their full potential and contribute to the economy and society as a whole. Here's another thought... a student spends 40 hours learning how to write an essay correctly versus a student spends 40 hours learning how to grow vegetables properly.... going on the prediction of the food shortage in 2030 I know which class I would want my son to be in, that's not to say that being in both classes would be the preference and produce the most benefit to the learner.

As an educator, I am excited and motivated to provide students with individual learning programs that will cater for the diverse needs of all students. Although I have always been an advocate for relevant and authentic learning programs my own context of practice has begun to change and develop further over this year, thanks to Mindlab. I have implemented and trialed (and failed, and tried again) such learning initiatives as gamification, game-based learning, project-based and inquiry learning, digital tools, blended learning, digital assessment to identify learners progress and needs. These programs and initiative,  although at a primitive stage, embrace the opportunities that allow students to gain a deeper learning experience and tries hard to get away from the predominate 'old school' teacher talk/workbook style lesson.  I have also had student-voice comments like "I have learnt so much in this subject", "why can all subjects be taught like this". The overarching idea is to use new initiatives to try to enable students to take ownership of their own learning and for the learner to see the relevancy of what they are learning in a way that they can apply it into their own 'outside' lives, both now and in the future. Student should no longer be viewed as passive recipients instead I believe it is our responsibility to adapt and metamorphose our learning programs to enable students to take an active role in their own learning needs. 

The development of technology has provides a springboard to adapt our learning programs to better equip our students with a useful and future focused skill-set, improve confidence in their ability and provide students with a positive attitude that will enable them to take an active and informed role in their futures, coupled with a belief that they can make a difference. Not only this but it also enables educators to deepen their own understanding and knowledge to produce suitable learning programs and environments in which these leanings are uncovered, explored and embraced. The development of digital technology has also enable the educator to gain skills, to try and fail - and try again, to gain and offer advice, reflections and ideas by connecting across a variety of learning platforms and collaborative learning spaces and professional supportive groups that are now available. This has further driven the movement towards providing authentic, cultural responsive and curriculum-rich learning programs. Making use of technology that is now available to better suit our students learning needs of today is essential. It allows our students to experience and develop skills that will enable them to become life-long-learners and take an active role in their future. As well as this it allows the educator to develop their own subject and pedagogical knowledge and just as important, their own key competency skills, thus providing excellent role models to future generations.

..................Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

(Picture Source:  http://hacklearning.org/)

References


Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools (2012)
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/evaluation-at-a-glance-priority-learners-in-new-zealand-schools/

KPMG Australia. (2014). Future State 2030 - Global Megatrends. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5SwtapHl8

Pearson. (2013, April 26). Global trends: The world is changing faster than at any time in human history. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZiTQy3g1g

The RSA.(2010, Oct 14). RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.

The NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition (2015)
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf