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?
In my role as a teacher, I would be able to re-think the classroom, for example, the layout
to suit the students, However, thinking the goal of learning if the students met the learning outcomes
would be more difficult to change.
I believe talking about the three aspects of building capability is easier said than done. Apart from these aspects, we should take the actual educational system into consideration: My role depends on the facilities provided for me. Rethinking the classroom depends on funding issues and whether it is practical in the current situation or not. Based on my experience of teaching in TAFE, the goal of learning is making students ready to complete the relevant syllabus to be assessed.
I must agree with you Anoush – no matter how hard we push to change we are limited by the delivery requirements and the funding available.
the supply of resources is a big problem for the change in teaching
Anoush I agree – we can only work with what we have available and in a lot of instances the wifi or smart boards stop working (working from home at the moment and I have a camera to project in my teams classroom what I am writing but it only works spasmodically so I have to have alternative options)
To fully embrace the model of flip the classroom government funding is required. Teachers will require training and experience in this teaching mode.
Agreed, that is the lynch pin to success or failure.
I believe using a WHAT or HOW approach to asking a question instead of WHY allows for great communication either in a one on one or group discussion. I find the students dont go far to look for answers so guiding them towards other avenues for information or opened discussions in a flipped approach allows for expanding the opportunity to learn more. It is important as educators to continue shifting our approach to to way we deliver the information, flexibility is the key.
I agree with you Linda but then we shouldn’t forget the fact that most students ask why instead of the teacher.
It is a question of how you use the word Why.
I would ask the question.
Why has the wound not healed after 7 days of antibiotic treatment.
Then What test would you perform.
How would you setup the test.
What information would you expect to gain.
I also need to agree with Linda, the students do ask the question why??
Students asking why, how or what is the start of a flip classroom.
The Teacher does not need to directly answer the question.
You give the student the knowledge and lead them to answering the question for themselves and other members of the class.
one is the re-thinking of your role – if students are to do the reading outside of the classroom it may not get done
Thats an important questioons to ask – distractions these days are so high are they actually taking in what is being read
Absolutely its difficult enough to motivate them in the classroom .
Re-thinking of teachers role and the way we teach in classroom of students from different age groups/ amongst different nationality will pose interesting topics.
Rethinking the way we teach.
Having students do more research out of the classroom can work, but could be harder for students that don’t have access to computers or wifi at home. Although the majority do, I still encounter students that don’t. Students that are also carers at home and wouldn’t have the time to do a lot of preliminary tasks prior to lessons in the classroom.
Yes, Kirsty, you are right but we can focus more on those who can do this. In other words, we shouldn’t sacrifice capable students for incapable ones.
We also have many students that are limited in their access to computers, broadband with requirements and competition for the computer with their children who are also learning – we can’t abandon this cohort they are perhaps in more need of our teaching than other groups – it will be very interesting to see how we manage the not so plugged in genetartion
The implications of making the shift when considering your role is to critically reflect on yourself as an educator be honest and then modify your capability to teach.
such an exercise will then provide me as an educator to align and encourage me not only to re-think the learning environment but also to modify & re-evaluate my goals of teaching & learning as an educator.
Alot of this does involve individual reflection as an educator which is just as important as teaching itself.
Re-thinking of the teacher’s role and the role of the classroom are the cause, the result would be the re-thinking of the goal of learning. They are correlated.
Changing student expectations is the most difficult. Teachers can be full of enthusiasm, creating great content, setting expectations for flipped learning but then be unable to follow through because students are not prepared. I see so many learners with reading difficulties and differing access to technology at home, time and family issues, and many other pressures from outside the learning environment.
Agreed. It is the most difficult part. Motivation is hard to inspire or maintained.
The essence of teaching & motivating students is embodied in the environment that the children are nurtured in. As an educator my primary goal is to build the bridges between learning at home and the learning that is happening in the class rooms.
I agree with Romi, as teachers it is our goal to build the bridge between learning at home and the learning that happens in the classroom.
I think it important to not just work towards passing assessments. The goal of learning is to explore ALL options, as an educator i have a responsibility to educate the students on everything so they can choose the best choices for each of them selves. but to expand on the course content and rethink my role as a teacher rather a motivator and inspiration to want to learn. perhaps the classroom environment needs to be rethought so we work more in groups or equally so the teacher does not use structured delivery but allows the students to take more control of the outcome of the learning experience
this is great if the groups are engaged in the subject matter. It is very difficult to get responses from disengaged learners
So the question is to find find out why students disengaged,. Some thinking points may be: 1. Do I really know my students?
2. display an interest in their learning and above all make learning meaningful let them lead it rather than you leading the student.
In this regard, I agree assessment is part of learning process and the learners should have a certain degree to decide what to assess.
I completely agree, it is so important to motivate our students and inspire them to want to learn.
Agreed, although some self-motivation is always a welcome change.
I feel some what vindicated by doing this already ie combining units and bringing contents that is essential for learners to know to be able use the skills in their workplace or any other workplace. I like to teach concepts and not key strokes.
I do believe in myself and will put my professional judgement on line when I change my approaches. to delivering. I am quite happy to skips bits I have covered elsewhere and the students are getting a little bit tired of WHS and ergonomics in every unit of study.
Units guides suggest combining units and making sure if a learner will be able to replicate it in the workplace. That is my licence to vary.
I know we are getting caught up in ticking boxes to cover our backs for audit purposes Losing valuable time discussing and researching.
Students who work bring in invaluable experiences that they share with those who don’t work. It helps bring in real examples instead of just scenarios that are irrelevant in many situations.
Excellent session that gives me legitimacy.
we have had great discussions involving real life examples and contextualising assessment to fit. These make the experience very relevant
Building Capability is a good direction. In my classes too, I give students the time to discuss before they continue with the lesson;however, as a teacher I have time constraints to cover the curriculum before assessment. This approach would suit tertiary students as they are expected to research certain topics/ ideas and come up with their own as independent learners. We still need benchmarks for younger students. So they can still be given a mixed approach ( which most of us are already practicing)
Thanks to covid the flipping of the classroom mode has supported my time in the training room, I use this in technology MS teams and even Facebook. The students have access to day plans, the task list, a weekly quiz and videos etc found from resources such as you tube and from product companies.
I believe I have had to rethink my role as an educator and figure out how to best help my students grow! I have a mixed cohort of learners – apprentices – some know the information and are practicing the skills in their workplace and others have none! I share my knowledge, I always allow time to share each others knowledge. The goal of my training room is to ensure the students have a strong understanding of why they are doing what they are doing, how to do it and how to continue their education in industry. Sharing experiences heightens their learning.
Yes Karalyn some of what we do now is kind of forced upon us but in some ways it seems we are moving into future.
On a lighter note maybe I won’t chastise my grandson for not wanting to learn his times tables.
Its been great as it saves time, gives us more flexibility and saves money. we have learned so many new skills and gives us blended delivery options that allow us access to a larger student cohort
In a way Covid definitely had a positive impact on me and my teaching. Forced to train using MS Teams last year. I loved it, the students were still able to learn, It was more difficult to keep all engaged, not being able to see them all at once. I had to use a lot of question time and encourage discussions.
I agree with your thoughts, the shift has allowed us as educators the ability to grow our ideas and find some more creative ways to work with our learners.
I agree, covid has changed our role and the way we teach. I think this has been for the better. It has allowed us to ‘think outside the box’.
After listening to this session, I ‘feel’, ‘believe’ I have been outside the box of conventional teaching for quite a while.
I promote mobile phone usage, I try flip learning, and I am aware I am not the fountain of knowledge, but my key role is to get them (students) to see through the problem or information
I build online content including video production
It’s not to say I haven’t mastered the art of teaching, I am well aware of my limitations and still along way to go even after 20 years, but I want to be a better educator, up to date, approachable and in control
My ultimate goal which i think was priceless in this session
‘show where to look, but don’t tell them what to see’
great concepts here!
You sound very progressive and brave
Excellent, great growth mindset.
I certainly feel the same , always trying to share new concepts of learning keeps it interesting for not only the student but also keeps us the educator thinking.
The concept of getting students to think and find answers for themselves is great, it makes them think and therefor retain what was spoken about.
I agree 100% – this is when they really learn
Yes, I like the idea of starting with how or why to encourage independent thinking and constructive conversation.
how true – and we need to work towards find more ways to encouraging this
Great point-self directed activities are very useful to reinforce knowledge
Implications focus on existing rigid curriculum requirements and compliance, as well as limited resources necessary to build effective capability. I think many teachers have more than demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt quickly to change (including lightning fast technology based educational practice). However the support for systemic change at all levels and move from the old model to more innovate change will always have a massive price tag that few would be willing to adopt.
Michelle, interestingly was having this conversation with a colleague
I am only speaking what I think I know, but the powers above expect us to develop, create, but don’t really know how long these things take
Myself, I see what is capable of achieving, but there is only one of you, and the powers that manage us need also to think creatively to be able to assist the future of being achieved
The implications of making this shift will take time for us as teachers to develop the right techniques, and for students to embrace it (I have been trying to work with the flipped classroom model for a long time really and am still only getting minimal success. This is due to students who still want their hand held (the younger ones) and students with work/life/study balance issues (the older ones), so we often still have to cover this content before we can get into our discussions and debates. It will also take changes within our systems in terms of quality resources both learning materials and the facilities in which we deliver. The teachers being the foundations of knowledge makes it easy for our institutions to rely on this for content and they nearly all run on shoestring budgets so upgrades to facilities…we’re dreaming.
I agree with you Fiona Walker. But if not just the teachers but the entire system embraces the change, that will keep things standardised to an extent
We need to re-think our role as teachers, we should be active and not passive with our teaching and ask students lots of questions to help them become critical thinkers which is crucial in today’s world! Encouraging metacognition to assist students to be critically aware of their own thinking and learning by helping them to reflect on their learning, by evaluating feedback, to improve their skills and knowledge accordingly. Problem solving skills can be promoted this way! Essential skills for everyone!!
Yes Suzanne, I agree! Learning to problem solve by “unpacking a scenario” and using critical thinking techniques develops much required skills that will be needed more and more in the next decade.
I use the flip classroom to draw out experiences and knowledge from learners. Real life gives us so many answers and promoting students to think for themselves achieves such higher levels of success. It does take time to build this format in a classroom and it may not be easy.
Absolutely agree! share those experiences in the training room and watch them grow!
agreed. students are usually happy to give real life examples and this helps everyone relate and think of ways the outcome could of been different
Yes David i agree, by linking the new to known experiences allow the students to relate and feel that their contribution is valued
So taken with the concept of the best teachers are those that show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see. I’m open to rethinking my role but not sure if the students can manage. Tried the flipping the classroom bit tricky when only some students follow up with the practice.
I have been having the same issues Kate
There is an additional challenge when combining this shift with the previous discussions on how our younger students interact etc. Students who don’t know how to be independent will struggle with flipped classroom and completing any required work, and then the teacher plans for discussion next lesson will be compromised and less effective.
Yes I agree, student independence is a core issue. This needs so much discussion.
Changing anything takes time and skill. Mature aged students who are welded to the teacher figure rather than a facilitator find the flipped classroom a bit confronting. Also it is something that has to be a collective action otherwise students move from one style of teaching/facilitating depending upon who is at the front of the class.
Yes good point Jan. A staged approach to this would be helpful rather than jumping from one mode to another too quickly.
Jan
I agree also consistency if the students have several teachers the approach needs to be the same. Switching between giving answers and having students actively seek them can be disruptive to the students journey.
The role of the Teacher should be one of facilitator and not one of purely giving answers – Ask questions that will meet with response from students. Change the setup of the classroom. Make it friendly which creates discussion. Re-think the goal of learning by not fearing loss of control in the classroom. Whilst this is a challenge for teachers who have grown up and studied in different ways it is very interesting for our current generation of students who enjoy contributing to discussion.
Maureen
Yes, I agree with changing the setup of the classroom. I encourage students to sit in different places so that they get to know other students and feel comfortable working with people from different backgrounds which in turn promotes discussion. When demonstrating tasks I try different tactics e.g. I ask the students to tell me what comes next and ask them to give me the answer!
I’m wondering how some of my older students, who expect my classroom to be just like when they were at school – in another country, would react to me changing dramatically the way I teach. I am never the “sage on the stage”, but many of my students would like me to be. I love the ideas presented here, but I think I would meet with a lot of resistance. I do especially like the change in questioning techniques, and this is on thing I will definitely be re-evaluating in my current practices.
I feel the same way, Julia. The change in questioning technique is something I am working through as well, and yes, mature students do have the same expectations as their previous school experiences.
Julia I do have classes of older learners who are keen to learn and some of them do try things outside the class room; yet, they see the teacher as someone to control the flow of the lesson
Don’t worry Julia they soon adapt.
Re-thinking these three areas to build capability will not only require staff and students to embrace new ways of approaching these three key areas, but will also require systemic change, too.
I agree. The whole emphasis in vocational education on assessing would need to be totally over-hauled.
Maybe that is a good thing! The training packages do not always allow for creativity in teaching and/or assessment and are at times very prescriptive. Or is that just the way they have been interpreted?
Julia
Totally agree. When competency based is the bench mark, where are the rewards for the student to go beyond mediocre and think for themselves. They just want the answers given . It will need a whole educational culture change to work.
This is a huge mind shift for both curriculum writers, training providers and students. This needs to start a very early age.
Yes it is a shift and does need to start early – I think early in terms of curriculum writing as frameworks for how units of study are written are definitely written in that very structured way which makes this shift more challenging to implement. (for VET anyway)
100% correct, start from an early age
While I see merit in some shift from content delivery to capability building, it would take institutional support, teacher training and professional development, and constant student feedback and testing to bring in significant change. Good though to be looking at new ways of delivering, monitoring how these play out with students and looking critically at student outcomes.
Yes. Teacher training institutions would need to totally change their curriculum so that new teachers are coming out with a new teaching mindset. For established teachers, some PD would be a real necessity.
I see the value to the 3 keys to building capability, however, due to limited hours of delivery we are constantly teaching to assessments, which does not leave time towards towards building capability unfortunately.
Absolutely agree, assessments with marking guides that have the expectation of a specific answer not taking into account there could be multiple answers
Some of the implications of a shift in paradigms include reassessing your own beliefs, values and attitudes. Teachers do not know everything – no-one does. It’s not just a matter of knowing or not knowing though. What’s more important is truth – if you don’t know it, ask how can you find out? Questioning oneself is where change starts.
Its up to the teachers to make these changes to accommodate the student learning for the 21st century
I agree Millicent. I also believe it’s up to the governments to fund and respect the work of teachers. In some countries, teachers are revered and paid accordingly. In other places, we are devalued in so many ways.
I agree – funding is a necessary component required to enable building capabilities in these areas, in conjunction with teachers and non-teaching staff making changes in the classroom.
I agree with these comments. There needs to be support from government for frontline professionals to provide input into these changes for capacity building and importantly provide sufficient resources to implement them.
Culture and the framework implemented towards learning in the workplace.
I related to the capability building questioning most. The other two I have heard before but the power of the question response to a question is great.
I agree, I also related to the questioning component. I use this strategy when teaching which foster student engagement.
I agree. This can be a very powerful tool – when used it can lead to new discoveries. Unfortunately there often isn’t enough time in the classroom to use it very often.
I agree – a great way to encourage debate and discussion to engage students.
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see” is the best summary of the new paradigm for pedagogy. Teachers need extra effort to facilitate learners to have critical thinking and respond to students’ questions with higher-order questions.
The scary part is not controlling the room and the questions and answers. But how exciting is that.
I use this strategy when delivering my lessons, I am the facilitator of discussion and encourage critical thinking with my students
Also the quote ‘not to facilitate but guide on the side”
I see the value in the 3 keys to building capability but we are controlled by the tests so we teach to the assessments this leaves little room for re-thinking the goal of learning and our role.
But also teaching how to pass a test is about how to read through or past the question and find the answers.
Exactly Ariane. Perhaps it’s the curriculum that needs to change before we can.
I like the notion of encouraging student thinking by questioning the question. We need to see students as partners in learning not empty vessels needed to be filled. I like the idea of flipped classroom especially in this technology driven world.
Flipping the classroom puts the responsibility back on the learner.
Coaching and the 70:20:10 Learning Model
Yes, Ariane I agree, flipping the classroom does put the responsibility back on the learner. The idea of “Flipped classroom’ needs to be promoted in a positive way so that students come to class prepared. They can be sold on the idea if they can see the benefits. This has worked well for me at different times!
Flipping the classroom puts the onus on to the students to research / read / prepare before the class. Even at university level this didn’t work in 2018
The ‘flipped’ classroom may be good if students have the tech capability and language to do this – but those that don’t would find it incredibly challenging. Great for some but it’s not suitable for low level ESOL students, for example.
Culture is also very important. Some international students are not used to questioning the teacher – what the teacher says must be correct.
Working with ESOL adults I have found it very difficult to change their expectations of ‘teachers’ and ‘classrooms’. In addition, Covid has both helped and hindered progress. Students are more willing to engage in technology now, but the requirements of social distancing have set back our ability to engage in group work and discussions. Despite this, presenting students with a question and asking them to ‘find’ and then share the answer with the class is a great way to involve and engage them and an effective way to build capability. I’ll keep working on it!
The effect or result of making this shift toward capability building will be:
* change in the way teachers plan their lessons and the curriculum will need to change to support this. Curriculum may need to be less prescriptive and more broad to allow for posting where students are on the continuum of learning.
* advancing through learning via social/thinking age not chronological age as learning sessions will require students to discuss, think on their feet, deduce meaning, listen with empathy etc. This will start shortly after students arrive in the school 5 years old or perhaps they can earlier if they show social/thought skills earlier.
* NO COPYING! Students will make sense of research or modelled skills and then apply it and discuss meaning amongst peers (not age peers but skill/thought peers)
* parents will have to relinquish their current strangle hold on teachers, principle particularly in Primary school.
* funding for schools will be highly valued by government/corporations/voters.
* need for fluid sharing of education programs and resources nationally/internationally, across types of schools – public/private.
*clear milestones in the continuum of learning so teachers can gather evidence of skill acquisition. Skills being based on those capabilities required for future workers.
* Schools redesigned for fluid movement of students to areas, where they can learn, create, discuss in small groups at the same time, and the teacher can observe/assess their interaction/safety/learning and skill application.
I agree with so many of your points.
Curriculum changes will not only support changes in the way teachers plan their lessons but also help to drive the change.
Advancing through learning via social/thinking age not chronological age would be far more reflective of the student’s competency than the current way of process the students by ‘date of manufacture’ method used currently.
Identifying clear milestones in the continuum of learning is essential for assessing students accurately and will assist teachers to gather critical the appropriate evidence of their skill acquisition.
I love the ‘NO COPYING’ aspect as well. You can’t copy a skill because understanding has to come before application.
One implication of a shift towards capabilities is in relation to how they will be assessed. There will be more emphasis on skills, not knowledge, as students will need to actually show or demonstrate they can do something.
This is a great strategy to assess, so many students just copy each others work but don’t really get a feel for the unit /subject being assessed
I think this shift is so important. I believe it is important for us as teachers to work on changing our mindset to be more of a facilitator to our students. However, I also believe that from the department down to senior management within schools should really encourage this re thinking of the classroom. If schools and and classrooms look different it will help teachers and students with this change. If we can see a change throughout the whole school we will be more likely to change ourselves. However when it is just a couple teachers trying something new and the vast majority are not it makes it difficult for any change to stick aorund.
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see” resonated with me. What a wonderful underlying philosophy that should underpin our approach.
Kerry, I agree, this quote is a good one to keep in mind especially when we/teachers fall into that mode of “fountain training”. It helps us place learning ownership with the student. It should give rise to students coming up with results that surpass what we could have thought possible.
I think it’s a great quote and very useful to keep in mind.
I agree with Kerry. I always try my best to put this quote in my teaching practice.
It’s always easier to tell the answer rather than facilitate students to find the solution.
it does make one think!!
I find the teachers who have been teaching the longest are the most resistant to new ways of thinking and doing. In fact, so are some students! If I try to incorporate technology or phones into my classroom, I’m met with confusion and horror both from older teachers and older students alike. I’ve backed off now, to my sadness, but I don’t think textbooks DO hold all the answers.
I’m “old” and so are all the other teachers in my section of TAFE (Foundation Skills- Literacy and Numeracy). We all have enthusiastically embraced technology and phones in our classes as we, and our students, see the value in being able to use these tools to find answers, solve problems and be current in today’s job market.
Teaching our students about malleable intelligence, researchers started noticing that teacher practice has a big impact on student mindset, and the feedback that teachers give their students can either encourage a child to choose a challenge and increase achievement or look for an easy way out.
We as educators need to shift our thinking from us being the center of attention to a more student focused style of learning where students learn by doing and working collaboratively.
agree very much on this approach, students should be the focus in teaching and bringing out every bit of the creative mind
I agree, although our schools tell us this shift is important I believe they do not really support the actual facilitation of change. I believe at this stage it really is up to the teacher to decide to do this in their classroom with not much support from senior colleagues. there really needs to be more support and motivation as a whole school for this new approach to be more successful.
Brendan, I agree. Having taught in both Secondary and Primary schools, it does help if the school allows more flexibility in timetable and classroom layout and space. There are factors here to consider including funding and cost of land and good architectural design. Architectural Design needs to support how the space is used by teachers (meaning enlightened teachers need to be included in the design phase of architectural design) and teachers who will be using the space need to be trained in the intention of the design space. It’s not helpful building an expensive futurist school building and yard and then dropping teachers into the space, who aren’t aware of or aren’t confident of using the space, as it was intended.
I agree Brendan, we do need to shift from that mindset. I enjoy teaching when I actually collaborate with students, not sit behind the desk and delegate the tasks.
I like the idea of turning a question to redirection to be able to lead the conversation.
I like that idea too, it spices up the class discussion.
great idea, but it takes a certain maturity in the students to accomplish this and an open minded educator
According to Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick ” In schools we often teach, assess and reward convergent thinking, the notion that there is one right answer.” this is so true. Building Capability is much more than just finding the right answer. Trish flanagan also mention that “We don’t need schools that make kids memorise the names of the planets, we need schools that inspire kids to find a new planets.” to actually re-thing our role as teachers is necessary and vital to capability building after all answering a question with a question will only promote critical thinking and meta cognition and that is the key to building capability and braking the barriers, lets flip the classroom, this is the future and technology is here to stay.
this is such a wonderful shift in the Paradigm of education. I think this was beautifully summed by the quote, we no longer need the students memorize the names of the planets but enable them to find new ones. the lecture has certainly informed me of the new role of the teacher and ways of shifting from Content to Capability. Questioning with a question is just an ideal way of encouraging critical thinking. I think the rearranging of the classroom from a didactic style to more where there can be discussion dialogue and query. Yes removing the barriers of Pride, Practicalities, Teacher confidence will certainly help us as educators to make the shift in the current paradigm
Again I agree with the way of encouraging critical thinking by questioning with question to promote critical thinking and removing the barriers of teacher pride.
Yes, absolutely this! I really do think that some teachers are threatened by the idea that their students might learn to think for themselves and perhaps out-pace the learning of the classroom offered by the teacher.
Exactly, I definitely agree with this. with support from the whole department of education this is really a positive way forward. If more support or encouragement was given to change the way our classrooms looked i think it would encourage us all to change the way we approach teaching.
It is interesting that elements of this ‘questioning’ approach to learning have been around since the early 1980s in the form of the Investigative Learning Approach or through Inquiry Based Learning. Everything old is new again.
One of the implications is the teacher has to learn how to be a facilitator and make the shift away from being the font of knowledge. This takes time, resources, practice, role models and supportive colleagues who are also changing their approach. It is really hard to make change on your own and it helps to have a supportive community around you.
I agree we need to sometimes take a step back in the classroom and be conscious of not over teaching
I think two of the biggest implications are time and technology.
Time is a big one, rethinking approaches to classroom activities, the learning outcome and your approach as a facilitator all takes time.
time is definitely a big factor in delivering programs so heavily assessed , and meeting all the set training package needs
I agree that we need to constantly review our teaching pedagogy and style to improve student outcomes.
Yes!Constant reflection is important to improve as teachers
Definitely we need to make sure we change and keep up with where education is moving
Yes, but how do you propose this should happen? What would work, and what wouldn’t? How do we motivate teachers who have fossilised into their methods and cannot fathom change?
Some teachers could find these shifts a little out of control. Some classrooms could work with these keys to building capability but some situations may not suit. I love the idea of a flipped classroom, get students more involved and enaged.
Teachers need to be constantly reflecting and growing themsleves! They need to step out of comfort zones- which can be scary!
I agree with Aimee. Our classrooms should be flipped and teachers should encourage students’ active participation and engage in active learning.
I feel that one of the problems we have with young people today is we are not engaging them. Actively seeking their opinions and encouraging them to seek out their own learning and come back to share with the class has proven very successful. Once the students engage as a cohort, this principle of teaching becomes easier.
I frequently use the following tactic.
“I don’t know the answer to that. I challenge you to find the answer on Google first”.
Most times, the whole class will be learning something new within minutes.
I like your approach to challenge the student to find the answer.
I think by asking the student to find an answer to a question by any means which can include an internet search on their phone in the class room and allowing the students to share the answer with their cohort is a wonderful way to capability building .
I am so keen to adopt these new practices but feel like it would be almost impossible to adapt without the required technology. It would require significant investment and I feel would reinvigorate many teachers’ careers. I seek out new approaches and try flexible learning and it does require significant relationship development with your class. I enjoyed the role of questions and always makes me rethink and redirect my approaches. The four barriers to the shift I think could be minor hurdles if change comes from every level of schooling. I am desperate to shift but need the technology to allow me to do so.