Week 30: Contemporary trend in NZ or Internationally

Week 30: Contemporary trend in NZ or Internationally 


 I have used Rolfe’s reflective model based on three simple questions: What? So what? Now what? (Rolfe, Freshwater, & Jasper, 2001). 

What: 
I have looked at the trend of future oriented learning and teaching The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) has complied ten years of national and international research on the future of learning. This research identified key themes for a connected and coherent future-oriented learning system. Those key themes include: commitment to personalising learning curriculum that uses knowledge to develop learning capacity rethinking of learners’ and teachers’ roles forging of new partnerships with the wider community (Ministry of Education, 2012) We are moving away from traditional forms education and adapting our teaching styles to the 21st century environment. The students of the 21st century need to develop skills that will help them engage and support them to become life long independent learners in this new world. Bill Daggett, Ed.D states that While our schools continue to provide a quality education to our students, the world in which students will live and work is changing and advancing at an even faster rate than improvements in our schools. In spite of our best efforts, many schools are not preparing students for success in the world they will inhabit after graduation. 

 So What: 
 My practise whas been affected by this trend because I am still struggling to incorporate 21st century skills into my own learning. Using technology in all subjects rather that it being a subject on its own has been a tricky as it is hard to keep up with the speed that technology moves. All children have devices or access to devices and are more equip to learn, implement and benefit from digital technology than some educator , including myself even after doing the mindlab course. They are digital natives (Daggett, 2014), with some coming to school with more knowledge and skills than their teachers. Jane Gilbert’s book ‘Catching the Knowledge Wave’ has been influential in New Zealand educational thinking. She argues that the 21st century has presented us with a new way to think about knowledge and that this has implications for the way we organise schooling (Gilbert, 2005). Daggert (2014) Identified 5 potentially disruptive trends in education: Impact of digital learning Heightened demand for career readiness Increased emphasis on application-based learning Use of data analytics for decision making Development of personal skills. 

Now what: 
Recent educational policy developments have highlighted the importance of the New Zealand National Curriculum document. The documents vision is to develop “young people who will be confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners.” (Ministry of Education, 2012). We as educators need to change our mindset around technology and encourage these digital natives to be engaged in their learning. Schools must be ready to support teachers to be able to embrace digital technology. Professional development for all staff including school leaders, teachers and teacher aids is crucial to met the needs of these 21st century learners. The education system in New Zealand seems to be committed to supporting the educators to learn these new skills In December 2017 the the Ministry released new Digital Technologies and Hangarau Matihiko – sometimes referred to as DT & HM – curriculum content for The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. The introduction of this new curriculum content is about future-proofing our education system. It positions New Zealand as global leaders in education, meeting the needs of a digital and fast-paced world and making sure our students will be well-prepared to thrive and succeed in a digital world. After reading this document I realised that there is a lot of information out there to support educators. Teachers can take on board this new learning and upskill themselves if they are given time and know that small steps are “OK”. This comes back to the school settings that are safe and encouraging and value teachers by giving time. 

 References 
 Bolstad R. (2017) Digital Technologies for Learning: Findings from the NZCER National Survey of Primary & Intermediate Schools: Wellington NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research 
 Bolstad, R. and Gilbert, J., with McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., and Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting Future-oriented Learning and Teaching: A New Zealand Perspective. Wellington: Ministry of Education. 
 Daggett, B. (2014). Addressing Current and Future Challenges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.leadered.com/pdf/2014 MSC_AddressingCurrentandFutureChallenges.pdf Gilbert, J. (2005). Catching the knowledge wave? The knowledge society and the future of education. Wellington: NZCER Press

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 17 / My Reflective Practice

Week 17 / My Reflective Practice “Unless teachers develop the practice of critical reflection, they stay trapped in unexamined judgements, interpretations, assumptions and expectations. Approaching teaching as a reflective practitioner involves fusing personal beliefs and values into a professional identity” (LArrivee 2000, p.293) This quote resonates with me as an RTLB as we need to be open minded, not pass judgement on the stakeholders we are dealing with. Encouraging teachers to be reflective, the RTLB role is about enabling others to reflect on their practice. My new role as an RTLB has meant a shift in the way I approach my role in education. I have had to make a change in my teaching practice and also the way I reflect. As I can’t reflect on my actual practise in the classroom with the children I now reflect on the way I interact with teachers, SENCO, senior management parents and other support people. My role is more of a collaborative approach as I am working within a tea...
Read more

Week 32 How Mindlab has changed my practice

Image
Week 32: How Mindlab has changed my practice  What?  I began the MInd Lab course with no idea what the course entailed. I knew the course was about leadership and digital technology and that if I wanted to be a leader/educator in the 21st century my own learning journey had to start. I haven't studied for 25 years so I found the academic side of the course difficult at first however you can’t ask students/teachers to try if you don’t model the same behavior. Carol Dewek says that Much of what we think we understand of our personality comes from our “mindset.” This both propels us and prevents us from fulfilling our potential. What I looked forward to during the course of the study was the time to collaborate with others, share knowledge and new learning. With this in mind I have chosen to focus on the concept from Hack of collaboration and how as a professional and classroom teacher I can continue to develop this area.  So what?  The 'Key Compete...
Read more