Professional Knowledge and practice (pedagogy) – week 4

1. Professional Knowledge and practice (pedagogy) – week 4 Design of learning/Meaningful learning

3. Who are you as a Learning Manager? • What do you believe about students as learners? • How does this impact on your planning and pedagogy? • What does it look like?

4. Organisation of the standards

5. What do I believe? What does it look like? • Learning needs to be ‘connected’. You have to start from somewhere students can connect with – then you can take them on the journey • Finding entry points that interest students, involve them and draw on their knowledge and experience • Starting a unit that deals with war memorials & Australian history with the way students/families remember things that are important to them e.g. photo albums etc, getting them to bring in a photo related to an important memory

6. What do I believe? What does it look like? • All students can learn – but they learn in different ways • There are many different reasons why students don’t connect to learning, you need to find out what are the issues and circumstances for individual students, then work out strategies to that they can achieve the learning goals • Getting to know the ‘problem child’ on their terms. Talking to the child about their strengths and interests, working out a way to use these as a hook into learning. Buying ‘Starwars’ graphic novels as a hook for an ASD boy who hates reading. • Examining student work and profiling information, talking to guidance officers, SEU about any information they have on the child.

7. Difference between teaching and learning

8. We are operating within a context where ‘accountability’ and measurement of outcomes seems to place the focus on formal testing and systemic imperatives. • What does this mean for student learning and learning that is meaningful for their lives now and in the future. • What has research found? (Following slides from a presentation by Yong Zhao for the QSA Conference 2012 http://zhaolearning.com/speaks/presentation-slides/)

14. What does the research say about effective pedagogy? • DoL? • PPs • Other?

15. PEDAGOGY FRAMEWORKS

16. Authentic Pedagogy (1995) • … arose from the work of Fred Newmann and associated from the “Center on the Organization and Restructuring of Schools” (CORS) at the University of Wisconsin. Reports in the mid-late 90s that their work had lead to demonstrated improvements in student outcomes.

17. Key features of Authentic Pedagogy Disciplined Inquiry • Deep Knowledge • Substantive Conversation Construction of Knowledge • Higher Order Thinking Value Beyond School • Connections to the world beyond the classroom (Two other aspects CORS used for analysis) • Engagement • Social Support

18. Productive Pedagogies - For the QSLRS when collecting data about qualities of teaching, other elements were added (to those from‘Authentic Pedagogy’) that drew on other curriculum and educational theories and models (Berlak and Berlak 1981, Bernstein, sociology of schooling/social education literature and critical literacy). These included: • Knowledge Problematic,Knowledge Integration, • Problem-based curriculum, • Student control, • Self-regulation • Cultural Knowledges Explicit quality criteria Background knowledge Metalanguage Narrative Inclusivity Active Citizenship Group Identities

19. Aspects of note: • Supportive Classroom Environment (cluster) was the only area that consistently scored highly. Within clusters of factors, scoring varied: • In ‘Supportive Classroom Environment’ – Most students were self-regulated and engaged, but rarely had control over direction of lesson or were given explicit criteria • In ‘Intellectual Quality’, high order thinking and depth were occasionally part of the typical lesson, metalanguage, substantive conversations and problematic knowledge were rare • Most aspects of ‘Connectedness’ were rare • Many aspects of ‘Recognition of Difference’ were non-existent.

20. NSW Dimensions of Pedagogy • Two of the researchers from the QSRLS were engaged by the NSW Department of Education and Training to develop a pedagogy framework for that state (Quality Teaching in NSW Public Schools 2003). The resulting “Dimensions of Pedagogy” framework bears a striking resemblance to “Productive Pedagogies” with ‘Recognition of Difference’ as a separate category removed and with some of these factors redistributed.

21. Identify key messages • Look at the frameworks as summarised on the table. • What key principles about pedagogy can you draw from these?

22. Your personal philosophy – professional statement • Throughout this term you need to be reflecting on and developing your own philosophy towards education – what you actually believe and put into practice about learning and pedagogy. • Write about these in your own words. Find examples from your own experience and practice to back up your claims.

23. If our roles as teachers include teaching students to thinkfor themselves, to become life long learners, innovators, active citizens, to be knowledge creators in a knowledge economy, and to use technologies to improve our quality of life, then we need to think about what are the right skill sets to teach and how can we do this so that students are engaged learners.

24. How do you plan for meaningful learning? • What constitutes meaningful learning? • What factors work against the experience of meaningful learning for students?

25. What kinds of documentation do you need & why? • School curriculum plan • Year overview • Term plan • Literacy plan • Unit plan • Weekly plan • Lesson plans

26. Issues around planning – what are the arguments around these points – select one • Integrated /stand alone • Early childhood – negotiated/mandated curriculum • Covering the‘basics’/authentic assessment • Direct instruction / inquiry based learning

27. Finding engaging hooks • Look for and create activities that will promote engagement and learning • Start with a hook, connect with students, interest them, inspire them • Hooks can be….. Objects, games, books, videos, a letter to the class, • A pretext

28. Howard Gardner for example proposes seven different paths for engaging students: • Narrational – access to a topic through story or narrative • Quantitative – use of quantitative methods – measuring, comparing • Logical – use of logical reasoning to understand topic e.g. hypotheses which are then tested • Existential/foundational – considering philosophical aspects (values, purpose, meaning) • Aesthetic – activating the senses, appreciation of beauty, form, relationships • Hands on/experiential – through practical demonstrations, investigations • Interpersonal – access top through social experience

29. World’s best lesson • What is the meaningful learning? • What is the context? • What is the hook?