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?
Shopping Cart
There are three keys to building capability:
What are some of the implications of making this shift toward building capability?
The concept of changing classroom design and layout has been an area that I have been exploring for over 10 years. Flipping the classroom and having adaptable and flexible learning spaces has many beneficial outcomes. There are a number of schools in Victoria where they have introduced a whole range of strategies in an attempt to improve outcomes for students. The biggest barrier to change is breaking down traditional expectations and budgets. The building of new schools could easily be adapted but in traditional established schools it is more problematic. Unfortunately our classrooms by design are very inflexible, so the challenge is to adapt what we have and modify ideas to fit what we can best manage.
I agree, we need to find ways to change our traditional roles and approaches within the limits of what we currently have. I think that the most powerful changes to our classrooms will not be about the furniture, but about supporting students to grow in skills and experiences, and to see the value of what they are learning and how it will apply to their real lives.
I believe that, for the most part, teachers are willing, driven and adaptable professionals who would rise to major systemic changes if it were deemed vital in preparing our students for the future (just look what we have done over the last month or so!). But as was said in the videos, these systemic changes take funding and planning and, most of all, time to do them well. It is not only teacher’s who need to shift (mindsets and ways of operating), students will also have to shift their perceptions of themselves as learners, as will their parents/carers, families, communities and beyond.
It is interesting the range of schools in Australia alone. Some public schools are still the ‘traditional school’ with some modern features and other schools (probably newly built or renovated) are completely future focused. It would be interesting to see if those students who attend traditional schools are disadvantaged in any way. Having said that, I strongly believe that it is the teacher that will have the most influence on a child.
Excellent points Fiona, although in saying this, teachers can shift only so far without the support and driving force of the Department of Education and government.
As teachers we are well known to have a need for control. The idea of relinquishing that control can be unnerving, and for some almost unfathomable. The notion of your motivation is an interesting one where the question that you pose should not have a known answer as then the questions seem contrived. Rethinking the classroom is a challenge too. Many of us teach in older schools with small and inflexible spaces which can be limiting.
I agree with you Lisa The idea of relinquishing control and rethinking what the classroom will/should look like is a challenge due to facility restrictions and time.
Self-directed learning is quite difficult for children, especially young children who need direction and instruction. Motivating students, especially children with learning difficulties will be very challenging for a teacher.
Good point Lisa, with the restriction of space playing against these future focused concepts.
Flipping the classroom seems like a logical first step in the process of shifting towards capacity building. It may be hard for many teachers to relinquish control. Many students may be reluctant to learn content outside of class hours, but hopefully with time, as they come to see the benefits of this model of learning, they may come to take more responsibility and engage inside and outside of the classroom. I found the example of the teacher who told his class that all phones must be turned on very interesting! It would completely take away the current struggle we as teachers face around phones… It’s also a bit of a frightening thought!
I agree with you Nicole that some teachers would have difficulty shifting their pedagogy, especially if you’ve been teaching for a really long time.
I agree Nicole. How do we minimise the things that students see as easier (phones) or how do we use devices etc to enable them to be more inquisitive. Also how do we help students value these skills which then may motivate them to engage more and take a front seat in their learning.
Flipping the classroom, I believe will see some great benefits particularly with seniors in getting through the large amount of content, by having prior exposure and learning and the consolidating this learning in class time so these students can become the critical thinkers, problem solvers, designers, experimenters, and for them to be able to make judgements, deconstruct and anaylse this learning. However this will need students to take on more responsibility for their learning and not expect to be given all the answers.
I agree Kathy and have with varying degrees of success tried this for years- it is what we are doing right now actually with or Pandemic teaching. I think it needs to be introduced gradually through junior years though as it requires a certain level of maturity and self determination 🙂
I agree with you Kathy. The amount of content can be daunting and take away from sufficient teaching. It will in turn need students to take on responsibility and learn skills like problem solving and resilience.
Flipping the classroom would create a whole new learning dynamic for students. For this to successfully work, a shift in teacher mindsets would need to take place and everyone involved (eg. teachers, parents and students etc.) would need to be willing to reach the same goal. It would have to be understood that it’s a long term goal that will require time to achieve. However, it would prove to be very rewarding.
Hi Ben,
I agree that this is a long term goal. I hope this model of learning has begun to establish itself in high school before my primary school aged children start, as I believe it will contribute to many positive outcomes for students.
I agree that for this new shift in learning we will require a ‘partnership’ between parents , students and teachers Of course it time will be needed to ensure the successful transition
This is where flexible seating can be useful in the classroom, the traditions of students all sitting in chairs at a table should be faded out and other forms of seating should be introduced. This will enhance learning and concentration and long term learning enhancement.
Well said Ben. Teachers, students and parents would need to work together for this to work successfully.
Teachers would need to make a shift in their mindsets, as many can be hesitant towards the idea of change. This shift towards building capability cannot be achieved without allocating sufficient time and guidance for teachers to re-think their role as a teacher and how it effects their pedagogy and to plan for new learning goals.
Good point, Lily. I don’t think this would be an easy or seamless shift for any teacher.
Thats right Lily! How can we expect students to shift their mindset if we are not setting the correct example for them to follow.
There are many implications when shifting the capacity building capabilities of our students. I think the biggest implication is that of the teacher relinquishing their ‘control’ within the classroom. As Michael stated, it is what teachers most fear to lose.
However, if we flip this question around and not only consider negative outcomes, but positive as well, it can be said that by far, the greatest benefit of making the shift towards building our students’ capabilities, is that we create critical thinkers who possess the skills to be challenged in their learning and then actively and independently seek answers/ solutions themselves.
Some of the implications could include:
Role- Educators needing to re-teach themselves. Everything they have learned and methods of teaching may not be relevant for the way learners need to be taught.
Classroom- Teachers may struggle to change the layout/furniture/technology of their classroom due to budgets. This will limit some of the change needed in the classroom.
Goal- Every educator has goal when it come to what learners will learn. But often time can restrict how we are able to reach the goal with the students, while trying to build capability within them.
I agree that teachers would need to re-consider their role and with an already dense curriculum and tight schedules, I am unsure how they would be given the time to do so adequately. I imagine it would require much more than a few afternoon professional development meetings.
Time does seem to be a restricting factor. The expectations of the students too is something that would be a challenge to shift. Many of our high school students don’t want to do the thinking. It is as was said “Just tell me the answer”.
There seems to be a push towards the three keys to building capability already. In saying this there are many limitations that come with this, particularly for the public school sector as they often lack technology. Also often lacking funds in order to put certain things in place, for example flipping the classroom or joining to classrooms together, whilst the teacher asks the questions and the student’s research the answers. Not every school has the luxury of laptops or iPad’s per student. This then leads to issues around equity.
I agree that while we are trying to move forward with building capability, limitations in technology and funding for this are a huge factor.
I agree there may be issues with lack of funding in public schools, however, it seems that most students from all socio-economic backgrounds have access to a mobile device. Perhaps in the future, we will expect that all students own a mobile phone and they will be expected to use it a learning tool during class time.
Very true Tania. We are working with certain constraints that do make it difficult to try to change the way we do things.
Flipping a classroom means that students will need to do more outside of school and so require more independent time and connectivity (internet) in order to work through Khan Academy, etc. I like the concept greatly but it will put more burden on students.
The implications are largely beneficial, as teachers no longer have all the answers (like we ever did). There is simply too much information out there in the world, both objective and subjective, for teachers to continue to teach students what to know, rather than how to find out. However, I find it hard not to see these desires as overly idealistic. While I am absolutely all for the shift toward teaching students how to learn, not what to learn, and providing environments in which to do that, the social and political mechanics aren’t keeping up.
Very true. To make this shift requires a lot of change including how facilities and timetabling will be done. More time and connectivity for students to learn on their own and then come-together-areas to tease out the learning and try some problem solving.
Well said Chris. I think teachers are largely willing and passionate and flexible enough to change the way we do things but it is difficult to do it within the current system.
As we make a move towards building capability and away from teaching content there are implications in terms of equity, communication training and resourcing. How will we ensure that all schools (public and private) have access to the technology and suitable classroom spaces to enable a capability learning and teaching approach which is optimal for everyone and does not disadvantage schools with fewer resources/funds? How will we communicate this learning model to parents accustomed to a content delivery educating mode? What will we need to provide for teachers in their professional development to ensure they have the confidence to embrace this facilitator role? The shift will require a re-think of so many of the systems and structures in education as a whole – NAPLAN and the HSC being two prominent examples which are content driven.
All incredibly relevant points to the conversation. Have already seen complaints of “this education style doesn’t look like my education style” in COVID feedback from parents. It’s great to talk about the ideal, by the reality is nowhere near as equitable!
I think that we are in really important time for schools, as there is a push towards this shift. I think there are definitely some limitations, particularly coming from the public school sector where there is a lack of technology to make this available, but also the infrastructure. While it may be ideal to work in collaborative environments with open classrooms, how do we do this in some schools that have buildings that are over a hundred years old? Without appropriate funding, it is hard to manage some aspects of this shift.
I think also that while it is important to rethink the goal of learning, I found the quote about the planets really interesting, that instead of teaching students the names of the planets, we should be teaching them to find new planets. We should be doing both.
I agree, funding, resourcing and infrastructure is a large barrier to all of this, especially once you begin to move away from metropolitan areas. It’s nice to think that all students have capable devices in their pockets all of the time, but that’s just not the reality.
Your second point is pretty poignant as well – students need to know (basic) things before they can start using/creating/extending on them.
I agree Fiona, we need to be doing both – learn the names of the planets and then go about finding new ones.
Yes 100% agree
Our school has started to rethink the class room as the first step. This then forces the teaching staff to alter the way they teach as there are now large open class rooms with multiple classes and multiple teachers
Smart strategy. It’s hard to bring in a paradigm shift by appealing to teachers at a philosophical level. Better to herd us into a structure and let us adapt. After all teachers are very competent and very flexible in dynamic situations.
Great! We have also done this at the school that I teach at. It is great and the students really seem to enjoy it.
Our school has also made changes over the last two years. Beginning with the junior secondary years, we have been lucky enough to have Pod classes where classes are combined for various lessons and the whole design of seating arrangements, furniture and spaces to work and converse has been modernised to make for a far more appealing and comfortable space.
I think ‘flipping’ the classroom has many benefits for students and teachers. It will be tough for some teachers to adjust to, however when they see the results it will be so rewarding!
Allowing students to communicate (80% talk to 20% teacher talk), question and enquire together and/or by themselves is great. Then other worries such as ‘lack of resilience, effort and engagement’ will disappear.
Very true. I love seeing students working collaboratively and always enjoy hearing students take on the “teacher” role. Nearly always, students are able to answer questions that other students have (even if their response is “check the dictionary!”). They usually find this far more engaging as well. I do wonder what this will look like for students who have learning difficulties and are at a vastly different ability level to their peers.
I completely agree, Kerrie. I think in the long run it will be incredibly rewarding.
Flipping the classroom would create a much more engaging, inspiring & true learning environment for students. Teachers need to be willing(not resistant) to largely reinventing their traditionally perceived role and to essentially be more comfortable with risk taking if we truly want to prepare students for the 21st century. In this sense there are huge implications for the teaching profession itself & how we are perceived as educators, as well as implications in terms of the physical learning environment & interactions with students.
Agree Belinda. I think one of the challenges will be convincing parents accustomed to the old-style content delivery method of educating, that the enquiry based learning approach is the way forward in education.
I agree, Belinda. I found Michael’s description of the changing role of teachers very interesting – that we were moving from being a fountain of knowledge, to a facilitator of learning.
It is a very rewarding experience to watch students working in a flipped classroom. The level of student centred learning is phenomenal.
Flipping the classroom sounds like it could be effective.Providing tools for students to answer questions should promote independence,resilience and critical thinking.Resources and funding may be a stumbling block.
Resource and funding seem to be a large part of not being able to fully adapt to these changes.
I also see student access to resources as a major hurdle to flipping the classroom. The difference in students access to resources has become very clear to me during this period of online learning.
I have been lucky enough to be a part of a remodeling of curriculum and classroom setting with the introduction of a middle school system into high school – aimed at just Year 7. Within this setting, skills, creativity, investigation and problem solving were the focus with the content sitting in the background as supportive material. This method was totally different to the standard practice of teaching but worked to engage students and shift and build on their capabilities. The role of the teacher was to be a guide to the students education and to not simply lead them to a single answer.
This sounds amazing Chris! I had a taste of this in early childhood education with the Reggio Emilia approach to learning & have seen glimpses only in primary school settings. It is wonderful to have the resources & skills to facilitate capability building in students & to see the substantial increase in their passion & ownership of their learning. Exciting times ahead!
sounds good
Sounds like a very interesting learning environment, Chris! I would like to see how a classroom like this is configured to enable this faciliatation model to function optimally and what space, equipment, resources and furniture would be required for maximum effectiveness.
Yes it has been fantastic to watch the journey of the Year 7 PODs over the last 2 years in terms of teachers changing the way they teach, rethinking the classroom, and rethinking the goal of learning.
I agree Chris. Seeing the change from the standard way of teaching has allowed for more creativity and investigation/curiosity in learners, as well as a social maturity and respect for teachers as learners themselves are taught to be mindful and critical thinkers.
It is good to try out need ideas , like the Pods and see if they improve the students learning and attitude.
As an art teacher we have the opportunity to “show the students where to look, but not tell them what to see.” I always promote in Visual Arts the concept of no wrong answers but tell me what makes you think that when analysing an artwork. Students are always surprised that their answers are valid and sometimes as a teacher students tell me things about artworks that I have never contemplated which is really exciting. Control is something that teachers do find the struggle with letting go. Its an education system that has functioned in this manner for many centuries and is not going to change overnight. Teacher training needs to be updated and teachers need to be willing to learn from the students as well.
I totally agree Michelle- it’s the teachers that first need the capability building in order to deliver content differently & effectively, as well as a genuine openness and willingness to not be “in control.”
To flipping classrooms will undoubtedly build the ability for students to entertain self-directed learning, and the process of great question asking and letting go of the authoritarian concept of “being in control” will help this shift, creating a more comfortable and rewarding learning environment
Yes Richard. And self-directed learning can work so well, slightly supported in the primary setting of course!
Without trying to blame the tools, many of our schools lack the funds to create the classrooms and systems that allow this learning. Capability building is more exciting and interesting for teachers and students to be sure, but the practicalities of student access to information and an archaic education system make it extraordinarily difficult.
Practicalities are always one of the big issues
Absolutely, we need to have the resources to be able to make these changes.
Ironically all these things happened in the final two weeks of Term 1 and in four days roles, classrooms and learning goals had to be changed. Looking from a bit on the outside, it was refreshing how when given a simple directive to “do your best” how things happened quickly.
It was like losing control allowed a freedom to try new things.
Classroom environment can be such a strong force but difficult to maintain in shared rooms.
”It was like losing control allowed a freedom to try new things.” Never let a good crisis go to waste. This might just be the shake up that the system has needed.
What a perfect way to generate meta-cognition within students learning. Release control and let them find the answers themselves just by asking the right questions.
I love that comment – losing control allowed a freedom to try new things. When teachers lost control throughout the transition to online learning look how much changed happened because there was no time to think about it. It was chaos but some great things came out of it. Imagine what could be done with some specific training, time and pre planning!!
I agree Glen! and what a fantastic way to view it. I will admit it has been difficult to relinquish my control over what my students are learning, however, I have enjoyed seeing the work they are submitting without my firm instruction.
I agree, it has been hard to relinquish control , but we’ve had no control over that. It’ been rewarding seeing some students pursue their interests further and asking great questions and then trying to find some answers
“Flipping The Classroom” makes a lot of sense and I can see huge advantages from doing this. My concerns are that we have to be mindful that not all students have the same resources to be able to research topics. No student should be put at a disadvantage because they do not have the same resources available to them. The student then has the decision as to wether they use the resources.
I agree with you Bev that no student should be disadvantaged and each student should have the opportunity to choose a path and have the flexibility to choose a different path in order to progress in their learning. Flipping the classroom I have seen work first-hand and with student-led teaching and learning can see the development of all students, from the very top to those that in a traditionally setting would find themselves lost and overwhelmed, succeed.
I totally agree with you Bev. Not all schools have the funds to support each child with an iPad or a laptop to do individual research in order to answer the teachers questions. I do believe it is a fantastic idea, however issues around equity would be quite concerning.
I think the flipped classroom and getting students to find the answer themselves are great ideas. I think as educators we should be setting students up to be able to work individually for the future. If we are always providing them with the answers, how will they be able to work on their own when they leave school. We should be helping the students to become critical thinkers, be independent learners and to be able to find the answer themselves. I believe this is a tool that will help them to be able to answer questions in the future by themselves. Also loved the Never start with ‘WHY’ when a student has done something wrong.
The easiest form of teaching is to provide answers and to think that there is only one possible answer. It is ‘safe teaching’. The challenge is to go beyond this. To challenge our students and to ensure that we provide students with the skills required to be able to discover their own answers, I agree, i also liked the idea of never starting a question with ‘Why….?’, instead start with ‘What made you ….?’. Very powerful!
Educators can be resistant to implement changes because it not only means stepping outside of their comfort zones and ‘loosening their grip’, but also time is a precious resource to teachers and there is not a lot of it, especially when the curriculum and syllabus requirements are so dense. This does not allow for adequate time, planning, resources, or learning opportunities for teachers to change their pedagogical practices and to implement change within their classrooms. Perhaps if educators had more time to allow for spontaneous teaching and actually being able to cater to student interests we could begin rethinking of the goal of learning and our roles as educators.
Time is a thing we do not in teaching value as much as we should. So many great ideas have foundered on there was just not enough real time to achieve the goal.
Completely agree! Time is not a plentiful resource for a teacher. We spend so much time justifying our existence with paperwork that unfortunately all of the ideas you have of exciting and engaging lessons and implementing change takes second place. Hence why there is always alot of talk about what should happen and what would work, but not alot of action.
I do agree that time is a valuable resource for teachers and students that is sometimes forgotten about when in the pursuit of completing elements within a syllabus by a deadline. I think programs of the past need to be transformed to meet our modern learners needs with the increased introduction of technology as well as opportunities to be self-lead and creative in their learning. Engagement of our students doesn’t come from a textbook and worksheet but from the enthusiasm and relevant nature of the topic from the teacher.
Time and curriculum requirements are the main implications in my view. The curriculum is too dense, there is not much room for those spontaneous teaching moments where we are able to react to the information and questions students bring to the classroom. If we could follow what the students want to know more about or what truly inspires them our engagement rates would increase and their independent learning skills would too. This would allow teachers more time to actually teach instead managing behaviours that can stem from work avoidance due to lack of interest. Some of the topics we are required to teach are quite out of date, in my opinion and if they seem irrelevant to me (and i am in my mid 30’S) then what do my students think of them? I feel that the mainstream curriculum could learn a lot from the Life skills curriculum and techniques used in SSP schools and Support units.
I agree Laura the time and curriculum requirements need to be looked at. They keep saying we need to up date our teaching and change with the future. I think another thing they forget is that all students learn differently and as teachers we are to adapted to all the students learning. This is hard to do when you have classes of up to 30 and you teach from years 7-12.
Laura, I think that you’ve hit the nail right on the head. Why not ask the question, “what do you want to find out about?” Let’s all hope that the answer won’t be ,”Just to find out how high I can get in Minecraft”…..hahaha, but if we continue with questions like, “That’s really interesting, what made you feel like that’s so important to you?”, and continue to ask great questions, I’m sure that we could get right down to the nuts and bolts.
Agree Laura. Curriculum needs to be re-written to support this style of teaching as well as our assessment procedures.
You certainly make a good point Laura. And as Sir Ken Robinson mentioned “We put them through a system based on their date of manufacture” which means we see a system that is really failing so many. Find what they are interested in, at a level where they can experience some success. With covid this year it seems that many students will still get into university, despite their ATARS. Maybe this will be the start of an overhaul?
As a maths teacher, these ‘traditional’ methods of delivery to students seem to be commonplace and certainly haven’t changed a lot over the decades. When I access external sources for information and ideas on delivery, I see the ‘experts’ doing the same thing as what I’m trying to vary, it’s a difficult situation to modify. I like the idea of flipped classrooms but this involves a commitment from students that if everyone hasn’t participated in the initial phase of the research, can ruin a lesson.
I agree. There is a place for rote learning in some areas, for example times tables or learning sight words for kindi. Let’s not abandon rote learning, but supplement it with games, patterns, and allow for the questions of why.
I feel like we as educators can make all these changes but if the student is not intrinsically motivated to learn then it is all for naught. No one will learn if they are not inclined to do so. Now fostering a growth mindset will certainly help but at the end of the day a student is only going to engage with learning fully if they find value in it and unfortunately many students do not value education. I already balance the approach of being a ‘guide on the side’ with ‘sage out the front’ and many students prefer this – the ones who want to learn – but just as many disengage and don’t participate. I have started to monitor work completion more rigorously and it has brought some more students on board however there are still those students who just simply do not want to learn … and I can’t make them.
Spot on. The engagement and value link is essential in maths. Somehow we have to make everything relevant for students to participate.
I agree with the lack of intrinsic motivation, however is it really the students fault? Is our curriculum really giving them the 21st century skills and knowledge they need? The kids feel that much of what is taught is irrelevant to them, and I don’t blame them.
I’ve always felt that much of the fault in educational research has been this persistent assumption that all students want to learn what we have to teach them. This is true for many students. Many more can be persuaded through engaging and interesting teachers and material. However, I fear there will always be a subset who don’t want to be a part of that and unfortunately we’re stuck in a position where we have very little to offer them. The real skill is in getting students to engage with ideas that may be irrelevant. As a whole our system is geared towards the mindset that school is about getting a job rather than an opportunity to become a better human.
I am a huge advocate for the creation of classroom spaces that promote cooperative, active and engaged learning. It has been proven that there is a strong correlation between the design/layout of a classroom and levels of student interaction and engagement. However, this shift towards re-thinking the classroom and the adoption of such approaches as the ‘flipped classroom’ come with changes from the traditional pedagogical approach. For many educators, this can be a daunting undertaking, stepping outside of their comfort zone and not knowing whether such changes will be effective for their learners. In these types of classrooms, students develop skills in collaborative problem solving and self-directed learning, such skills will benefit them for life and work beyond the classroom.
I agree Jade that new approaches to content delivery, such as the flipped classroom will create a sense of unknown among a lot of teachers. It is not easy for teachers to change their ways, especially if they’ve been in the professional for a long time. I can understand how such approaches could be a daunting undertaking, not knowing whether students will actually engage with these methods of content delivery. Personally though, I look forward to trying something like this, especially with my HSC students.
A shift towards building capability gives another method to engage and further develop students skills and understanding in conjunction with existing teaching methods. A variety of teaching styles creates a more engaging and interesting lesson. I have always believed that our main role as a teacher is to teach them how to learn for themselves and guide them in learning how to do this.
This is what we have been trying to do in the pods. I do find though that some of the learners do you find it quite challenging to have to inquire on their own, however others embrace it. I think this is the way of the future but it is hard to get away from that chalk talk at times with so much content needed to be covered in a short period of time.
Precisely, some students do not relish having to learn on their own, I personally hated having to do investigative tasks at home, I still did them because that was the those I was raised with but many students don’t have that driving parental force at home. I think when we look at all these new fancy ways of educating kids we forget about the many students who can, and still do, learn fine from a more ‘traditional’ style of teaching.
I agree Carol, I LOVE what we do in the PODS. However, depending on student engagement, it can be very hard to move away from traditional means of pedagogy delivery. It is hard to know whether we are truly catering to students needs with new methods of delivery when a lot of our learners do not engage with modern teaching practices. With so much content to deliver and a lack of time and resources it seems challenging to rethink the goal of learning.
The best teachers “show you where to look but do not tell you what to see”- Fantastic!! This will particularly resonate with fellow art teachers, as, In the Visual Arts, analysing and evaluating artworks is all about responding to questions with questions (exhibit A: The Conceptual Framework).When directing learning in this way I also believe it especially important to be GENUINE in our motivations. This requires a level of bravery and humility in our practice which can be, naturally, and difficult thing to consistently do. We must be open to ‘the unknown’ and plan for enough time to evaluate and reflect.
This can be useful in maths also, as often there is more than 1 way to get to a solution. The ‘where to look …….’ can often facilitate students in finding their own way in the working.
The largest implication is the disappointment some may feel when these concepts do not take effect, within the time horizon anticipated and/or the speculation on predictions shift to something else entirely. I would assess the probability for a significant change to take place between one to two decades, this time horizon will see the phasing out of teachers with little experience in teaching methods (no experience through their tertiary studies) and phase-in of teachers who have experience and results through these methods.
However, there is the potential for acceleration of the shift toward building student capabilities. This involves the movement of ‘Changing Mindsets’ which needs to be applied across all levels of the education sector and in ways specifically targeted to the persons role within the organisation i.e. changing mindsets strategies should have slightly different focuses if you are; an educational policy maker, a school executive, a CRT or a student.
As CRTs, changing our mindset in relation to what we do, and how we are judged, will have massive impacts on our ability to grow into a role where our main focus is building student capabilities. While the major focus is on pedagogy of learning, we must also not negate the importance of funding and school demographics on the success and confidence teachers have when implementing professional change (current teachers) or applying these skills (new teachers). Remember, shifting our motivations and changing the way we phrase questions works well in calm and controlled environments however, as inputs on environment increase stress levels there will always be a reversion to the mean i.e. back to what we do automatically. For new teachers who only know the new this will be normal, for current teachers this will require mindful practice and many opportunities for repetition of the new pedagogy.
I am seeing changes in physical classroom dynamics as well as changes in the mode of delivery and what students are deriving from their learning experiences. Within our profession the use of the Google Suite for Education has provided a wider range of teaching and learning perspectives. This has been through trial and error and has included both high stress moments and flashes of brilliance where you realise you have just created an experience worthy of teacher of the century status. I feel also that as a lifelong learner we should also take the opportunity to be immersed in this way of learning. The use of MOOCs personally has been enjoyable, it too has shown me how better to deliver learning in a way that allows for divergence, inquiry and creativity. I think that the major implication here is the physical and financial restrictions placed on schools. I feel that changing mindsets to one of growth and acceptance to change will make the transition to online formats of learning and the concept of flipped classrooms a lot easier.
Lastly, with a growth mindset I believe the implications with the goal of learning to be primarily restricted to practicalities of timetables and curriculum. I feel that it will be quite easy to overcome professional pride, student expectations and confidence if all stakeholders have the resources available to them to change their mindsets, to not fear the unknown, the challenging, the not so comfortable and be happy with the notion that growth is organic and done right feels normal and somewhat satisfying.
Wow, what a response Beau. I agree with so many of your points, especially the ‘time’ factor. Oh and ‘resources’, exactly.
Such a well thought response, Beau. I agree with the funding and demographics point, standardisation does not make the shift easily achievable for many schools that are remote or have socio-economic disadvantage. Also, the practicalities of time and curriculum limit the ability to completely engage ourselves in a growth mindset. This is ironic, as we expect our students to harbour it.
I believe the implications associated with these three key areas were accurately identified within the videos for example, one implication would be the difficulty in genuinely asking an open question without encouraging the specific response you expect, particularly when students would prefer not to engage. However, I think the element that most teachers including myself will struggle with is the ability to loosen our grip on the level of control we have in the class as the traditional concept of a well functioning learning environment and the model teachers have previously been expected to adopt is a highly controlled model. This will be challenging for many.
Hi Benn,
I can relate to the notion of traditional. The concept of changing mindsets is an important concept to grasp as we build our own ideas on what building student capabilities in our classrooms, looks like and feels like. It is always challenging but it is nice to listen to these perspectives on future proofing students.
It is important as we make this shift towards building the capability of our students that we focus on supporting teachers on this journey. Yes funding support is needed in the areas of classroom organisation and professional learning, however, time and support is needed for teachers too feel comfortable with change, Once this occurs teachers will have the confidence to make the change and move forward with their students.
I completely agree Lanie. Teaching styles need to change to accommodate student needs but as teachers we need time to do so as our day to day teaching related commitments doesn’t provide adequate time to make significant changes.
Yes, also as Beau mentioned, supporting teachers through training, TIME, and resources will go a long way ensuring teachers have the confidence to make these changes.
I 100% agree Lanie teachers need to be supported throughout this journey. If we do not have the support or the time then how are we to make sure the students are getting the most out of the learning.
Time factor is always the problem that I have seen when change is needed.Money and resources if supplied are paramount
Agree!! You can have the fanciest classroom out, plenty of colour, modern furniture, every latest released technological piece of equipment available, but if you do not have a capable, confident teacher to lead the learning, all you end up with is a classroom void of learning. It is not a classroom, it is just a room.
Some of the biggest implications will be the investment in shifting those more experienced staff away from that which they are comfortable. Next will be the time and financial resources required to change up the learning spaces and professionally up-skilling all to make the most efficient and practical use of the space.
Further down the track, another implication may be those dreaded end course exams and changing how thye look and what they actually do or do not tell us about students.
As teachers we are all adaptable creatures (it is the very essence of our job), we adapt to new situations daily if not each period we are in (or out) of the class room. The largest hurdle for this movement is that of finance/funding to provide the necessary infrastructure required to implement future focused learning strategies.
Developing the self confidence as a teacher to do this successfully.It is great when lessons just turn into a discussion and students have interesting points to add that I may not of thought of.Flipping the classroom is great as it is not so regimented as most rooms are.Pupils are more comfortable and often responsive to the questions you ask.But you still need for all to show respect towards each other.
I think something dramatic could happen to start the change that we need or start with Year 7, as we have doe this year and last year, but are we still essentially the same as we always have been or is there an actual ‘change’ in the learning concept. There might have been a change, and I don’t know, so congrats if there are different things happening.
I agree. As a student, the lessons I remember best are those where the teacher let the class discussion flow into what was of interest to the class and then at the end of the lesson brought it back to the initial point. As a teacher, the lessons where I walked away feeling “wow, the students really connected” was when again when the discussions flowed in the students interests.
We might need to relax the seating arrangement of chairs/tables in straight lines and have these in interest groups for occasions or ability levels for other occasions to suit the student’s way of learning. The seating can have groups that join students who would not normally associate with each other, so life skills to engage with each other in a collaborative manner.
Hi I think the support unit has and is doing this well.taking into account how students get on with each other.
Hi
There are some school out there that have made slight shifts toward these goals. New furniture with different room set outs, table designs, work stations etc. Again, this has all been at tremendous cost to the schools themselves. This is aimed to provide students with a more interesting environment in which to proceed with their learning but also to bring about a shift toward the change in approach to learning and beginning a focus on that capability building. The soft skills, so many future careers are believed to contain.
I love the idea of flipped classrooms, I have used it for senior classes and found it very effective. I also like the idea of getting students to find the answer themselves, instead of providing students with the answer to a question, giving them the tools to be able to answer future questions for themselves – “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a life time”. Students need to become independent learners, critical thinkers and to question information and statements. Change is challenging for both teachers and students.
So true Jay. The challenge is for us to make the change.
Totally agree with you Jay, I am a big fan of the flipped classroom. Instilling our students with these vital skills will be so beneficial for them in the long run
Definitely a positive step in our ever changing society.
As teachers we need to adapt and continually think about ways to engage students. Building a student’s capability is also dependent on a student who is prepared to make an effort.
Agree with you Tim, It certainly is dependent on students to put in the effort. Many students like teacher directed learning and many find it challenging when the responsibility is placed back on them, i.e. the flipped classroom
Yes, not all students learnt the same way. All students have prefered learning methods, which should be catered for.
yes I agree.It is necessary to explain that life will always be changing for them and the importance of being able to adapt.As we are now to Covid -19.
That is very correct Tim. We need to ensure that we are building the expectations of our students to make this move.
Hi Tim
Agree there too! Current mindsets are defaulted to absorption of content…. or at the least being able to sit in a classroom. I feel it will take a while for all stakeholders to make a change, to the concept of capability building, being the new normal. I guess every good invention or act starts with an idea/thought.
So true Tim, we need to continually be adapting our pedagogy to best meet the needs of our students.
Well put Tim, that engagement process can be right in front of you as a class dynamic changes during a lesson or a long term strategy where you chip away. Student’s owning their own educational result is a key factor.
The biggest issue is in getting the students to want to freely contribute and express their ideas or plans to explore a concept. The old just give us the answer we do not want to think is a real and deep problem. We have had a curriculum change with depth studies being introduced but we have not taught the students how to explore nor that their opinions gained from research matter. They do not wish to explore further than the first site that pops up on google. The students really need to be learning these types of exploration and self worth from early in their schooling so that they have the confidence to participate. Education of the parents is a must.
Completely agree Ian. Students will always look for the easiest option and we cant really blame them if they don’t have the skills to do otherwise.
Re-think your role
This one stands out to me, because I do so much of this already. I never tell the kids the answer, I help them get the answer. And I’ll tell you what, they absolutely hate it!!! At first anyways, my year 12 students have gotten to know me now and have realised that I am their to help them learn, not to tell them the answer.
Even at parent/teacher interviews I have said to parents that I get them to critical think, I get them to think about why they are doing what they are doing – some like that and some don’t.
Change of mind set form everyone is needed.
Making any change even small ones can be difficult. To change the whole ideal of how teaching should be performed and the way teachers were taught themselves (and then carry on that manner of education) is a major stumbling block for many. Changing our teaching practices and as he says ‘lose some control of the classroom’ is a massive stumbling block for many.
100% agree with you Rohan. Change isn’t a bad thing, it’s necessary.
This concept really resonates with how I have been feeling about education in more recent years. Having greater autonomy to manipulate the classroom and bring in more inquiry based learning opportunities where students seek answers or more efficient methods of completing tasks has been somewhat of a dream.
The implications (if done correctly) are that students become more confident and resources when met with challenges and this could also improve their resilience (learning and personal) . A negative but hopefully short term implication/challenge could be shifting the students and communities perception of this type of education evolution, because change can generate fear and uncertainty.
Ultimately building capacity is vitally important to equipping students for future challenges
I think you have nailed it, without realising it. Teachers are scared of failure, so they stick with the good old fashion style of teaching.
I disagree with the idea that it is a dream. The fact is that students need to be exposed to this type of learning style well before they get to high school. Given the confidence and the tools at a younger age will allow a real shift in delivery and a more concerted effort from the learners themselves. We need to make the change as a progressive and dynamic switch over time, not a lets do it across the board for all now.
“Ultimately building capacity is vitally important to equipping students for future challenges”
– I agree with Ian in that students need to be given/taught the tools to be “life-long learners” early in their schooling life to help and assist them throughout high school and into work, training or further study. Allowing them to take on more responsibility over their own learning,
Great thoughts Toby. Anything that gets the kids to rethink what they are doing everyday of their lives at school and not wasting their life away. Something needs to change to get the kids to want to be there other than the social side and to see the importance of learning and enjoying the learning every day because it is relevant to themselves.
The main barrier to these shifts is student expectations, apathy and general lack of cooperation. I do try to be a facilitator rather than giver of information but am blocked at every turn. My senior students are better and most are more willing to read beforehand and have discussions in class time but juniors are unwilling across the board! More than happy to make these changes, how can it be done under our current system? Not being a technophobe is a drawback when figuring out how to use phones positively and not every student has one.
I agree with you Jenny, but change is challenging and if there was a systemic approach to trying to deliver more flexible modes of learning then we would see a more positive change in student engagement. This would take a fairly significant increase in teacher preparation and skills training but also a resource boost to ensure all students had equitable access to technology and learning environments.
I still see the phone as having a limited application to class use. As students are still using them to just google the answers or send each other answers, and not think for themselves. However, during practical lessons I have encouraged students to take photos of their results, and some research tasks they are a valuable tool.
There are many implications of making this shift for teachers, students and schools, in general.
For teachers, the implications of making such a shift means forgetting much of what we know about what it means to teach. The old model of standing at the front of the room imparting knowledge will be, if not entirely eradicated, then certainly minimised, as this model does not at all support the new capability building. We will have to find new ways of assessing learning, for if the point now is to build capability rather than deliver content, simply giving the ‘right’ answer will be inadequate. The question then becomes, what will assessable material look like, and how do we help students to reach those goals? Are we now to teach students how to ask questions that push for further or deeper knowledge?
Also, the implications for enacting the shift will greatly impact our classroom management. Students have come to expect certain things at school – the physical form of a classroom, the routine, the model of teaching. When these things begin to change, teachers will not be the only ones feeling uncomfortable. When faced with conditions outside ‘normal’ students tend toward misbehaviour. A change in the physical layout of a classroom or the model of teaching has the potential for out of control behaviour (there goes my fear of losing control…) as students are reliant on the routine. When faced with the responsibility to take learning into their own hands they often become apathetic and enact ‘learned helplessness’. How many of them in a flipped classroom model will actually engage in the learning materials outside of class, ready to discuss during class time?
The implications that concern me are not so much how do I make the shift for myself as a teacher (except for the fear of losing control, that’s a big one!), but how do I help my students make the shift?
Difficult for teachers to make a change to teaching practices but I agree in that many students would struggle with it as well.
Most students will not self learn the content at home when they are distracted and more engaged in social media. I have managed to get my kids to use their phones and laptops to self educate. However, I can do that as a parent and teacher, but many other parents will struggle to do this. Even still, my kids will still waste huge amounts of time on social media. I think the aim should be to teach students in class how to use the phone as a learning tool more in an engaging way, so they can continue this at home more.
I absolutely agree that changes need to be made in order to facilitate learning for the future. Change and release of control is scary for all educators, especially when it is or default settings. Staff ‘buy in’ is so important to changes and unfortunately the negative connotations associated with change are a huge barrier.
Immediate gratification is something that we inherently look for; that instant ‘Well that worked well’. This type of change is long term and most definitely will not have that quick success. As noted previously, this does not often validate the importance of the shift for students (and some staff).
I think the need for this shift and the motivation required to enact it will become more and more apparent as we move towards the future trends discussed in the first module. Old habits die hard, so they say, so I can imagine that this shift in schools will continue to lag behind the shifts in technology.
I am not afraid of losing the ‘control’ of the classroom. Very much a long term ambition but we need to start. This COVID -19 is the perfect opportunity in some ways, beginning with the HSC but change will not occur. It is too scary. Content delivery is different and some students are jumping at the chance to extend their self-learning. Others are not doing much as all which is the problem with putting the emphasis onto students for their own learning.
Staff buy in is important but I believe the wider community buy in is just as important. Students are constantly told through various modes that they have to achieve is a certain way – this stems from parents, university (although some universities are changing for the better), employers and governments. Many teachers would love the flexibility to change and be creative in the classroom. I know that I did not get into teaching to be a chalk and talk or point and talk. I wanted to be creative in the way I helped students learn (something I have found challenging in reality).
So if there was an openness to change in the wider community and support for educational evolution it would be a far less threatening environment for educators.
This shift will be a slow process for teachers and students. However with technology making information at most students fingertips, maybe our traditional roles of providing that information will become obsolete and we will need to spend more time in guiding their learning. Through discussion we would be able to check that they have fully grasped new concepts well enough to extend their answers and critically think and further develop their understanding.
I totally agree with what Michael says in this presentation, that as Teachers we do need to re-think our role as a teacher, we need to turn the classroom upside-down – move away from the conventional classroom and we need to re-think the goal of learning. One of the challenges of making the shift toward building capability I feel will be Teachers being willing to change – as Michael says, it’s confronting, but it’s absolutely crucial if we are going to build the capability of our students in readiness for the World of Tomorrow. Changing to being a facilitator of learning rather than the fountain of knowledge I feel is absolutely key to engaging today’s students. They can research the internet to get all the knowledge they need (more than we as Teachers can provide), however, if we can change to become a facilitator or learning then I believe we are on the road to building capability. I like to think of the Teacher’s role being a facilitator as this is a very active role and can be quite fun! One of the implications that I see is that some students may not have the capability to learn without a strict structure where others will pick it up and run with it. I read a really good article where a Teacher talks about some of the implications of changing from a Teacher to a Facilitator. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17425964.2013.864967#_i17
Thanks for the link to that article, I look forward to reading it. I agree that we this shift to build our students’ capabilities. The hardest thing about trying to shift away from old, outdated learning models is being surrounded by students AND teachers who still hold the beliefs and attitudes of that outdated learning model. Trying to bring the shift into my own classroom has been looked at as not being a ‘good’ teacher.
Unfortunately there will always be unwilling changers but those of us that embrace change need to do so, make what changes we can and be examples to others. Change happens slowly but it does happen, only takes one to start.
Difficult to break the mold of teaching as many teachers may find it difficult to ‘see’ what this style of teaching looks like. Many continue with methods that they were taught with when they were a students and are comfortable with it because it is familiar.
Change is needed across all levels of education. Being a facilitator of learning is more rewarding. It is however, difficult to get students to try self directed learning when that requires effort.
Hi
I agree Jason, though feel this would be a ore difficult conversation with more experienced, hardened staff. I see young enthusiastic staff come into education environments now and are generally willing to give anything a go. Start here and then they too can be advocates for the change required. The trickle effect is a great way to implement and build the change that is required.
There will be a difficulty in changing this due to decades old mentality of always doing it this way. While the changes Michael has presented make perfect sense, it will be difficult for a different approach to be accepted into mainstream education
I tend to think that it is hard to change the mindset- however, with the generation being different in their approaches to learning. I cannot for one study with music playing in the background however, if that is going to engage the current learners, it is time to change and adapt. How we engage will also determine how much of respect we earn I guess.
I agree that it is difficult to change the mindset. It requires teaching of both students and adults. These skills need to be taught in order to receive the new learning style. Is it taught as a precursor to the implementation of shifting learning environments and styles? Or should it all happen at once?
It is true, I personally prefer to work with music in the background or through headphones. It got me through so much at university I think one of the ways it is used is to signal to friend groups that you don’t want to be disturbed. It’s curious to think about though as it can be perceived as being quite rude. Less distraction from ambient noises as well. Today’s generation is easily distracted (and perhaps in some part I am too) and having headphones helps to drown out some of the potential distractions.
There are so many reasons that staff and students hold on to the comfort of the known. I think that it is more than always having done things a certain way; it is the failed previous attempts at change and the fluidity of what is prescribed for the classroom.
Change needs to happen from the bottom up but it is also important that the structures and national policies allow room for these shifts. I am not sure that they do.
It would not be a difficult thing to attain if it is introduced in a staged format over time giving the youngest students the confidence and skills needed, then following in each ensuing year will work. You can not expect students who do not have the skills or confidence to change over night.This one style fixes all painted across all year groups at once will never work and never has done.
Most schools resourced enough to allow this to happen. Funding needs to be increased.