There are three keys to building capability:
- Re-think your role
- Re-think the classroom
- Re-think the goal of learning
What are some of the implications of making this shift toward building capability?
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There are three keys to building capability:
What are some of the implications of making this shift toward building capability?
For me the implications are positive. I am comfortable not having the answers all the time, I am comfortable asking questions and having a debate that is thought provoking. I love the idea of re-thinking our roles as teachers, how we set up and behave in the classroom and what is the goal. It can be hard to swift if your line mangers and or heads of departments are not yet on the same swift. We need to move from control over to more control with. Empowering our students to want to explore and be involved more. Moving from content delivery to capability building is a great reminder for us all.
In my role of teaching ESL I can improve or shift my teaching to asking the students more questions to get them to think about the purpose of the lesson. I have been just delivering information especially in grammar. Now, I am going to change and get the students to think of how they will apply grammar to their daily lives. Allow the students to ask questions related to the lesson and allowing them time to figure out the grammar rules.
As a fairly new teacher I feel at times I teach for assessments – especially in practical skills. I recognise it and I’m really try to make an effort to focus on the importance aspects of the skills, with less worry about the assessment. As the content I want to deliver will prepare them for their future roles in nursing.
So much “red tape” and compliance and administration that it is hard to focus on the pure learning journey,
We hardly have time to update slides and the amount of time spend outside classrooms is all spend with assessments, to cover content and expectations to pass students.
If we had more time to incorporate questions, discussions, excursions…what a lovely working environment it would be as we would get to know each other better and it would ensure the ‘relationships’ are developing in order to work on our mutual respect for one another.
Absolutely agree!
Me too, we need to make sure the assessments are mostly capabilities driven, rather than so content heavy.
With the pressures on delivery times being cut yet content delivery remaining unchanged, the challenge to move from capability building is challenging. I would love to actually rethink my teaching and incorporate the ideas discussed in this session but I know this will be difficult in the environment in which I teach. It actually makes me a little sad to think of what we could achieve if we were permitted the time & resources to do so.
That’s exactly how I feel. I would love to do more of discussions, but then everyone who wants to participate should be able to have a go and then it would go way beyond the time we have in class.
But I will try to incorporate it more.
I was taught in a flipped classroom at university and had positive experiences of this method. I hope that I can teach this way more in the future. To some extent, online teaching and learning from home has shifted what our concept of the classroom is. However it requires students who have the ability to use and access technology independently to do so.
Our teaching laboratories are laid out quite differently to the desks in class rooms. Usually before COVID, Teachers and students could move about freely from their work space to demonstration and microscopes. Now it has to be more regiment and organised. I have to make sure all students get equal opportunity to complete and view all demonstration and work COVID safely..
This session resonated with me, as a qualified coach. Clearly, the future teacher will need coaching skills:
– The art of asking questions
– How our brains respond to questions
– Focusing on the purpose (learning) more than the contents
– Explore the meta-cognitions.
So teaches will need to develop these coaching skills. Sound good fun.
Ability to deliver the learning outcome in such a way that it fosters a mindset for students to engage, question and enjoy learning.
Yes – back to a more simple mindset filled with learning and students able to have different perspectives
The three keys to building capability and the implications involved in making this shift I believe would be:
Re-think your role: my role is determined by the institution I work by the most part written in a policy and procedure manual, I can try to make the learning as interesting as possible within scope however those in positions of power in the educational institutions will resist for numerous reasons including funding, time, apathy, misguided ideas on education
Re-think the classroom: taking the students outside, going on excursions, and rearranging the configuration of the furniture is within my scope of gaining permission from those in positions of power however the funding would be needed to create an environment like the ones shown in this video
Re-think the goal of learning: those in positions of power would have to approve any goal of learning via the curriculum which should actually reflect the current job market or the need to facilitate invention and creativity so a discussion and significant change needs to take place at the top of the hierarchy chain of command to enable urgent change in all forms of education
I agree Penelope. I would love to incorporate these learnings into my classroom but there are so many constraints on delivery these days…the biggest one being time, that I am really frustrated that it cant be achieved. I too have redesigned my classroom space to encourage discussions, but students these days find this open dialogue about content very challenging. My hope is that change will start to flow through our educational settings to provide our future students with these necessary skills for a tomorrow we currently don’t recognise.
The shift is long overdue, but I think those in positions of power over education will resist due to funding and time, as well as apathy or misguided ideas on education. People who are in control of education do not typically understand it as it is, they need to be taught why it needs to change, and what it should change into. Even then, I think it will be a very long time coming.
Its important to work towards passing assessments-but not the main objective. The goal is to eplore some of the other aspects of interest to students to broaden their skill sets so they can choose the best choices and expand on ‘assessible’ course work
That is very true
yes, I agree totally
Agree Peter,well rounded learning is why the shift toward building capability is needed
With time being cut from many course delivery in vocational settings to meet the funding constraints that are prevalent in todays landscape, many teachers find that they are teaching to the assessments only. It saddens me to recall what our delivery was like just a decade or so before. Courses that ran over 12 months being reduced to 6 months and shrinking.
Yes, we need to spend quite a bit of time explaining assessments and showing them what we need to see in order to mark them competent. So much time is spend on these assessments when discussions and class time could teach so much more.
Hi Peter, yes this is a great point!
We will be helping our students to become ‘future fit’ – including, but not limited to, metacognition skills, reading & research skills…..a love of learning & viewing themselves as LIFE LEARNERS!!
Well said. The future role is about helping them to learn how they learn.
H Leanne, great point. Being a nurse lifelong learning is key to help them foster!
Re-think your role – as a teacher we need to ensure our students develop skills for the future – analytical skills, to think critically and evaluate and interpret. Teachers ask WHAT & HOW not just WHY.
Re-think the classroom – flipped classrooms, small group work, providing access to the internet.
Re-think the goal of learning – foster collaborative learning
sounds great
I think this change over can be a challenge for students to adapt to, and the teacher loosing “control” can be a scary thought.
I agree, but…..I currently work with TVET students (Yr 11 & 12 & adult learners) &, am amazed at their lack of skills re: reading & research…..something is currently not working, or needs to improve. As a result of my teaching/classroom observations, I include, a ‘get back to basics approach’, where we read together, summarise chunks of text & discuss how to break down tasks.
The idea of building capability rather than teaching content is not only intriguing but also needed. However, I do wonder what the possible unintended consequences may be on the students, teachers and society. Only time will tell.
Guided capability building may answer your concern?
Rethink your role to become more of an assistant in allowing the student to be more alert to his learning environment with the teacher to encourage his progress. allow the classroom to be more of a workshop with students and teacher intermingling with each other instead teacher up the front in total control .allow the students to progress at their own pace.
I agree Ian. This would be ideal, although our systems, are not usually set up for this & as teachers we are often ‘time poor’ &, I still struggle with getting some students engaged…..too many distractions!!
The notion of building capabilities is exciting and the way forward, however, in upper secondary the system still relies heavily on content knowledge and some application of skills in order for students to pass exams and gain university entry.
This is difficult as teaching is part of preparing for assessment
This is so true…..
I love this idea of capability driven learning, I think this is the only way to truly prepare children for a world that doesn’t exist yet. Ideally this shift would lead to increased student ownership over the learning space and learning process, increased meta-cognition with hopefully some transferrable self-help/ socio-emotional skills, increased learner responsibility and accountability, and a more collaborative and inclusive learning environment.
I love teaching this way too 🙂
Very good points. It would be good, wouldn’t it? 🙂
Fantastic approaches to building capability and certainly worth striving for, but it all needs to be supported and resourced from higher up the chain.
Absolutely agree, I think to work well this needs to be a systemic approach.
It isn’t just from above – this is a complete paradigm shift and this will be challenging for a number of staff who are entrenched in modes of delivery and their need to teach
The concept of flipping a classroom has been spoken about and at times I have tried to implement it but what the first major block that I have is students stating they did not have the time to do the pre classroom work. This forces you back to your old methods of teaching. So moving the students expectations in the first place seems to be were we need to start.
This has also happened to me too Colleen – it is tricky. I have tried to give the students a few days to do the pre-reading, rather than overnight and this has been a little better!
As a trade teacher (although this freedom is being limited due to time constraints, compliance, curriculum) we have used the flipped classroom style with success for some time, hopefully course structure will evolve to allow more of this flexibility
The flipped classroom approach is great but definitely places more division on those who did the prep-work and those who didn’t.
I agree a learning environment based on a simulated industrial workshop would be more realistic to achieving better teaching outcomes.
While this is obviously the way of the future, how long will it take? Teachers need the support, facilities and resources in order to make this happen. It will also take time for students to adapt to the change, however I believe most students will be able to adapt quiet quickly.
I could not agree more Nicole
Absolutely, Nicole. This is not going to be a quick process – this direction needs to be supported from the top down.
Totally agree.
Support and time
Yes-support from organisations is critical. Orgs like TAFE just dont get the message that we need to move away from Vicorian teaching principals
Agree Nicole.
I have noticed students get annoyed when I ask them questions when they ask me. When I explain why I ask them questions rather than giving them the answer they don’t see the importance.
In the end they will find the answers, but I emphasise more on how they get there and why they have to go through so much effort (as it is a huge effort according to the students). I believe this helps them in critical thinking and thinking things through.
I agree with you Grietje. I think students struggle because it is not what is expected. The more teachers start doing this, the more students will adapt to this way of learning.
And this may be an answer as to why teaching research can be such a challenge for students to get the concept.
At first thought I was not sure how this would work for my Microbiology and Immunology classes.
Then I realised that flip the classroom work perfectly the practical components of the units Microbiology and Immunology.
Firstly the knowledge content needs to be delivered. The student then need to develop the practical skills to use the theoretical knowledge to interpret their results. Students often work in groups, each student carrying out part of the practical exercise and sharing the results with the other members of the group. So they learn to communicate and cooperate. The group can then present the test results and discuss the interpretation and clinical implication for the patient. Each group then shares their knowledge with the class.
This is a really good way to have a diverse outcome in capability.
Knowledge into practice, into analysis, collaboration, communication and presentation.
With the prevelance of Internet Learning I believe that we do need to do more in terms of our F2F classroom learmng and alot of this does come down to classroom design and use of technology. Students are always going to bring it into the classroom so embracing it and getting them to them reflect and debate on what a question is actaully asking as a group goes really far to increase understanding.
Agree, use it embrace it.
I agree, when we embrace the technology rather than fear it I think the opportunities are endless.
For me, I have found with the right support ,flip learning is a excellent option for many styles of learner. However ,there has to be an acknowledgement that in order to facilitate a flipped classroom well , a detailed flipped learning classroom orientation with clear instruction of expectations needs to conducted with comprehensive provision / suggestions of resources, which can reduce as the learners confidence and abilities grow .
Within VET, flip learning frees up valuable classroom time for practical skills.
Implications of making this shift toward building capability ?-
There is a huge amount of preparation prior for the teacher.
Teachers needs to have an extensive understanding of the class subject matter in order to facilitate a flipped classroom successfully
I have used the flipped classroom with Higher Educational students to great advantage (it also ensured that I was fully prepared for classes so I could assist students with their understanding and application of their learning) -in the VET sector however the students aren’t open to the idea as they don’t want to do what they consider ‘homework’ – I always ask students to preread the upcoming chapter of the text in preparation of the class, but they will always have an excuse of being too busy etc. It is a great concept.
Using technology in class for quick quizzes where students aren’t identified on screen also assists in engagement of students without fear of being wrong or made fun of. It also helps students to use the tools they have available to assist them with their learning and preparing the required tasks.
Sounds like some great ideas.
we need to reconsider the way we teach. Flipped classrooms and classroom design. Don’t turn off technology engage with it
I believe that, as teachers, we need to constantly review our teaching pedagogy and styles to improve student outcomes. While there will always be some who are resistant to change, most teachers are willing and able to adapt if they can see the benefits of that change to their students. This has been clearly demonstrated by the quick response to the ongoing Covid crisis resulting in a definite rethink of the teacher’s ‘role’ and of what constitutes the ‘classroom’.
While some of the implications of a shift in paradigms include reassessing your own beliefs, values and attitudes, teachers are often limited by the delivery and funding requirements of the system under which they teach.
In my experience teaching within the ESOL TAFE system, the ‘goal of learning’ is to prepare the student to successfully complete the required assessments for each unit. Proposed changes for to funding to be based on student outcomes, only serves to reinforce this ‘production line’ approach.
The shift from content delivery to capability building, would take institutional support, teacher training and some targeted professional development. This is a huge mind shift for training providers as well as the curriculum writers.
An important implication of implementing a shift towards capabilities is in relation to student assessment. The emphasis would need to shift from knowledge based to skills based with students demonstrating that they have acquired a skill. This would mean we would need to identify clear milestones in the continuum of learning so teachers can gather evidence of skill acquisition.
In addition, student expectations would need to be managed carefully. In the ESOL setting cultural expectations about the classroom and the role of the teacher are a challenge. Many students are not used to questioning the teacher and changing this dynamic would meet with a great deal of resistance.
If schools and classrooms look different it will help teachers and students with this change. Rearranging the classroom furniture is a start but bigger changes would require a commitment for governments and institutions to invest heavily in capital works.
True change will take time and may take a ‘generational change’ before it is truly realised.
Suzanne, I feel you bring a very valid point in regard to the ESOL classroom. To encourage the questioning of the teacher can indeed cause uneasiness in a cohort not used to this methodology