The four vision principles are building learning capacity, collaborating, making meaning, and breaking through, and the vision for the school acts as a filter for anything that happens there.  As a team. the next part of the journey was to voice a graduate profile, and this is a touchstone to see if the students are working towards their aspirational vision. To realise the vision they needed to develop the mindsets and norms that would help the students develop. Two of the main significant points of differences are the learning spaces at the school (on the site there are several images and a couple of videos you can watch to see the learning spaces). And Breakthrough day is another big point of difference, and this is the day where students can work on their own projects and to develop their talents within areas that interest them.

There are many milestones along the way that have been reached as part of the development of the school, but they wanted to pose the question - what learning matters?  And to help answer the question - why a concept curriculum? A curriculum that is just based on content no longer cuts the mustard. Dealing with the complex issues now needs to be a focus, and students need to be supported in their development of the necessary skills to rise to the challenges.

Peter Newell believes that 90% of what we teach is a "waste of time" - so 90% of what we teach - the nuggets of knowledge - will never be used. As such, we need to teach in a way where students look for wide scope...the areas outside of a topic or discipline that inform it in a sometimes tenuous,  but very important way. This will enable students to develop large understandings to cope with the unexpected. The idea of a concept curriculum is not a new one. 

One of the things did was as a team (and the process included the students) they looked into the macro areas that underpin many of the curriculum micro concepts. They also asked questions such as what are the major concepts emerging? What micro concepts sit beneath the macro concepts that had been identified? And finally they started back-mapping the key concepts (a process that took a number of terms to complete).  The process was one of creating and re-creating, imagining and re-imagining. Then there was a 'so what? What next?' moment.

To evaluate they started by gathering baseline data of student understanding (and used video as part of this process). Using a 'shift happens' bridge, and the middle bit seems to be most tricky, when the try and tried seems not to be working. The learning process is conceptualised as a framework for students to use around building knowledge, making meaning, and applying understandings. The model includes verbs that pop out and help the students actualise and verbalise the process. 

The presenters then provided a glimpse into how the teachers plan when provided with this conceptual understanding input. The audience was split into groups, and each teacher provided an example of the process. Planning is split into 2. The first half of the term is planned up front, and then the team meet halfway through the term to plan for the second half (this is done collaboratively in Google Docs). Videos were taken at the beginning of the term (and captured on video) - the example provided was 3 students talking about the macro concept of collaboration, with an example from the very beginning of the term (very sketchy understanding), which was compared with one from after 3 weeks of engaging with the concept (where the students were a lot more confident, and had the vocabulary and personal / general examples to talk about the concept of collaboration). The teachers were rapt as this was a concrete example of the students developing an understanding of collaboration. The evaluative data that is collected is used to inform reporting, and achievement data. One of the aims is to change the mental models around assessment and the learning that matters (so for example, the report back to the BOT often takes the form of video clips showing significant shifts in understanding). 

 This is gold dust! I can imagine that collecting the data, collating it, and crunching the numbers is quite a big job, but the results - especially the personalising of the curriculum and learning experience in response to shifts - are heartening. 

Image: 'Into the light (Explored)' - Found on flickrcc.net

How the brain works...and how emotional stability at home is the single greatest predictor of academic success!

DK shared this video of a keynote from ISTE 2011 by Dr John Medina. Dr Medina is an entertaining speaker...you definitely won't fall asleep!! :-) He starts by exploding myths such as right brain / left brain 'ways of thinking'. And "the emotional stability of the home is the single greatest predictor of academic success bar none"!!
Roughly "if all you do is memorise you are in danger of creating a bunch of robots", and if all you do is work on creativity without revisiting key concepts you "run the danger of creating a bunch of people who can only play the air guitar".

DK advises "Feed your brain with insights on how it learns from Dr John Medina, last years ISTE 2011 opening keynote presentation. Great for teachers, educators and other mortals... how do you learn?"
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John Medina - Edited ISTE 2011 from Emil Zankov on Vimeo.

Great resource: The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators

The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators has a plethora of tips and ideas for teachers in primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, with focus on topic areas such as ESL/EFL. Tools have been selected and described for their suitability for students at different stages, and there are suggestions for how you and your learners might create the most effective learning opportunities with them. Well worth a look.
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Using the curricula from other countries for inspiration for online teaching

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Today I received a query about whether it is possible to "get access to another country's curriculum, in this case Germany". The person posting the question is looking at some possible models to teach online. So, I set about doing a wee bit of online sleuthing.

The International review of curriculum and assessment frameworks (Sharon O'Donnell, June 2001)has a good overview of many countries' curricula including New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Hungary etc. For Germany, it is indicated that "There are over 3,400 individual subject curricula in Germany" (p. 12) and :

"There is no national curriculum in Germany. The Ministries of Education of the individual regional authorities (Länder) develop their own region-wide curricula, with which schools must comply" (p. 12)

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So - no central area to access curricula for Germany. INCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency) do provide and overview of curricula and curriculum development in Germany, as well as information about many other countries. (And good old Wikipedia has a general description of education in Germany if you were keen just to know more from a general point of view!).

The National Report on Curriculum Innovation in Germany covers all sectors, and has a specific focus on language and language teaching. Also, the Appendix on Page 50 has some interesting links and information, and the document also has a really useful reference list with hyperlinks to further resources (pages 51 to 54).

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However, the following do have access to their curricula online:

• Australia (site also has some useful links to general sites that focus on curricula) 
• New Zealand
• UK
• US
• Saskatchewan
• British Colombia

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Related articles

• National Curriculum and Use of Technology (larrycuban.wordpress.com)
• Measuring the success of Ed Tech: Not all about test scores (zdnet.com)

Social learning - what is it and how does it relate to schools? (Karen Melhuish)

Image by hazelowendmc via Flickr

This was a Hot Seat session facilitated by Karen Melhuish, and entitled "Social learning - what is it and how does it relate to schools?"

Karen opened with a quick overview of her extremely busy life and wide range of interests! She then asked the group to introduce themselves, where they are from, and why they were participating in the session. A great range of responses - some tongue in cheek such as they were "made to", and others included "greedy for learning".

Three stories then followed; the first was "Saving the world one light at a time". Karen's daughter has been working on this for several weeks, and the only thing she has heard from her daughter is a piece of art work that was brought home. She is really keen to participate in the conversation and the learning as a parent, and as someone with a keen interest in environmental issues. The second story centred around an email (her first) sent by her daughter to her grandmother, and her grandmother replied. It was an ah ha moment for her daughter who suddenly realised that writing had a purpose outside the classroom. The final story was around discussions in the VLN community, and Karen explained that it has reminded her about the power of being part of a wide community from around NZ, and being able to share stories. Karen then threw the question open to participants: "What do these three stories have in common", and asked people to respond in the backchannel - which 'went off' with some interesting points and responses.

Image by hazelowendmc via Flickr

Karen discussed the quote "If we can connect in some tiny way with a human that doesn't agree with us, then maybe we won't blow up the planet"(Nancy White, Us and them, A Blog Conversation Survival Guide, 2006), and drew out aspects that related to communication intra- and inter- learning spaces. It was also emaphasised that social learning is "integrated and embedded in task and activity design and classroom organisation" (Alton-Lee, 2003). The technology is not an add on, but is part of the pedagogy that is used as part of the learning experience.

Image via Wikipedia

Communities of practice were then explored, especially the innate desire to connect as human beings...and that we are now living in a time where there are the tools and forums that enable us to do this. There is an exciting convergence between the ways in which we like us to learn, and the tools that enable us to do this really easily. Sociocultural theory was seen as providing key underpinning principles, which also underpin the NZ curriculum.

We have moved on from seeing Web 2.0 tools as particularly special. It is unusual now to go to a Web site and not have an ability to 'like it', Tweet it, or recommend it to a friend. This ability to make a social connection is central to learning. All of these spaces are driven by the users and their concerns, and there is a clear link between this and the pedagogy of a curriculum that invites us to construct learning with students and hearing voices from all aspects of the community. The curriculum is no longer about a single voice at the front of a class, and this is the exciting synergy for Karen.

Image via Wikipedia

We then moved on the a question around using online social spaces with educators for PD, and several of the participants described examples of ways in which they are using social networking tools. There are a large range of spaces online that enable you to network with educators around the world. Email does not work in a way that is as fluid as other spaces, and enables the extension of conversation over time and in one space.

Flexibility and mobility were seen as important, as the communication, sharing, support, and community building are an essential part of any learning experience. It also makes us feel heard, that we have a voice - often with an audience wider than initially envisaged in some cases.

Karen provided a variety of examples of schools who are using social networking with students across the sectors in New Zealand. She then gave us a useful 5 point check list around ways of approaching schools to set in place such initiatives within your own institution, including 1) purpose; 2) people; 3) process; 4) public; 5) and possibilities.

If you would like to listen to Karen's session you can access the recording by clicking here.

Karen is an e-Learning Consultant with the CORE Education whānau, based in windy Wellington. She is a Community Co-ordinator / facilitator on the VLN and e-Learning Research Network, working closely with a number of e-learning programmes, such as ICT PD. She also works on online professional learning courses for CORE and is part of the initiative to develop an e-learning planning framework for New Zealand. Many moons ago, she was an HoD English and an adviser for School Support Services.

Opportunity: Video conferencing with Social Studies Students in Calgary, Canada

 

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If you feel your learners would like the opportunity of making connections and working with social studies students in Canada (14–17 years of age), this could be what you have been looking for!! Art Koop has sent out a request to link up via video conferencing to start a dialogue. Please have a look through the email below (which also has Art's email address), and contact him directly if you and your students are interested.

Would love to hear how it goes!!

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Subject: Canada link Classroom video conferencing

Hi.......,

I am a high school Social Studies teacher in Canada, teaching grade 10 and grade 11 students (14 – 17 years of age). Our grade 10 curriculum is focused on the broad topic of globalization, and our grade 11 curriculum is focused on the broad topic of nationalism. I don’t know what your curricular areas of focus are in New Zealand, but it seems to me that it could benefit students in both our countries to have a video conferencing link, and set up a sort of international dialogue during a class or two.

Nothing says ‘globalization’ like video conferencing across national borders, and I’m sure that various nationalist forces are at work within New Zealand as they are here. I believe that it would be possible to link classes in New Zealand, taking place in the morning, with late afternoon classes here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to mutual benefit.

Would you be willing and able to send me contact information, or a videoconferencing address, for particular classroom teachers who may have an interest in carrying out such an endeavour? Or, would it be possible for you to forward this email to such teachers so that they could get in contact with me?

Thanks for your time!

Art Koop (I go by my middle name)
Koop, John A <JAKoop@cbe.ab.ca>

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Listening to Student Voice: Thinking about ways of improving schools

Image by hazelowendmc via FlickrIn this Slidecast Nick Rate gives a brief overview of student voice in four areas:

• student voice in reflections on learning
• student voice in student led conferences
• student voice in learning and school design
• student voice in a democratic curriculum

Nick uses the following quote to sum up:

"What pupils say about teaching, learning, and schooling is not only worth listening to but provides an important – perhaps the most important – foundation for thinking about ways of improving schools." Rudduck, Chaplain & Wallace (1996).

You can visit Nick's blog post and read his thoughts and ideas about his presentation, and the topics covered there.

Student Voice

View more webinars from Nick Rate.

Related articles

• Children 'must be given a say in the running of schools' (telegraph.co.uk)
• Presenting: The K12 Online Conference! (123elearning.blogspot.com)

Teaching geography in New Zealand: Māori geography

Image via Wikipedia

Following on from a post I made a few weeks ago Links to ideas, resources, and tools for learning and teaching Te Reo Māori, there has been growing interest in discipline-specific resources, in particular geography.

 

Curriculum

 

Paul Keown from the University of Waikato suggests that Māori geography should feature more strongly, and indicated that the new school curriculum certainly enables that, while the Māori Geography Unit standards allow geography students to gain NCEA credits too.

 

Original documents and sources

 

Graphs that show the number of canoes arriving 1852-1858 (click on the thumnail images above to see the graphs full size)


Janey Nolan (also from the University of Waikato and initiator of the Isolated to Connected Geography Community) has also uploaded a couple of graphs (click on the thumbnail images above to see them full size). Janey advises that the graphs are "not great quality but ok if you click on them and enlarge them". The graphs illustrate "the number of canoes that arrived in Onehunga from the years 1852 to 1858: Also, Crews and Quantity and Species of Produce, as nearly as can be ascertained (A. J. H. R. 1865). The graphs show [that] the amount of produce the Waikato Maori traded with Australia is amazing , especially kits of Onions, Cabbages, Peaches, Maize etc. as well as fowls, pigs, ducks, fish etc... I also have the stories of how the canoe passed through the Waikao River and then to Waiuku and was carried by men, women and children [and] dragged from Awaroa Creek to Manakau. (written Jan, 1859). I'll add story...[later] as this is particularly interesting to those of us who teach natural processes in the Waikato River/Aka Aka basin /Waiuku area" (source).

 

Names

If you are interested in finding information and resources about official and unofficial names for features and places in New Zealand, Antarctica and the Pacific, this Web site is well worth a visit.

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Glossary

This is a glossary of Māori geography terms, which "has been compiled so that it is especially of assistance in the application of specific concepts and terms to geography".

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Sites for locating and researching Māori geography

The following are all sites that students could use to carry out their own projects and research study around Māori geography.

• Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai - has links to a variety of multimedia, and also has an extensive list of .pdf newspaper article files that can be downloaded
• Manaaki Whenua: Landcare Research - has a good range of databases, education resources, and Maori specific topics and approaches to landcare
• Indigenous peoples, issues and resources - has a large number of links to a wide range of resources around the indigenous people of Oceania

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Other resources

 

Other resources include this video where Simon Lambert explains re-indigenising humanity, what Māori geography is, and revitalizing the Indigenous mind.



More resources include a video about "Māori names sought for North (Te Ika a Maui) and South Islands (Te Wai Pounamu)", which raises some good points for discussion, and "Whale Watch Kaikoura, Responsible Tourism Awards winner", that, again, could be a useful conversation starter.
For those who prefer to read and are interested in socio-economic geography, this paper by Chris Paulin looks at perspectives of Maori fishing history and techniques (click HERE to download the .pdf).
For and up to date conversation around many of the factors and issues of Maori land use, this blog (Whakairo te whenua, whakairo te tangata: Maori Cultural Political Economy) is a useful one to follow, and some of the posts could be a powerful way of opening up discussion amongst learners.

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A call for more

 

Does anyone have other suggestions? What other resources do you use with your students? What can you recommend (especially interactive, online resources that would be pretty much ubiquitously accessible)? Please add ideas below, and I'd be very happy to collate them if you'd like :-)

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• Good Resources for Geography Teachers (freetech4teachers.com)
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You've heard of the Google 80% - 20%? How about the school 90% - 10%?

Image via Wikipedia

There is much talk about student empowerment, engagement, and choice, and yet many education institutions stick to the topics and content required by the curriculum. But not all schools!

One such New Zealand school, inspired by the Google 20% time as (for teachers and students) included the concept in their ICT strategic plan. If you are not familiar with 'Google time' what the company do is empower their employees for 20% of their time at work to work on projects and interests of their own, and for the other 80% they complete the work that has been assigned to them.

Having included it in their ICT strategic plan, the Deputy Principal (DP) and one of the teachers decided to use the model with the students.Having settled on this they felt that one day a week student-directed learning might be too much for their 8 and 9 year old students to manage effectively, so they reduced it to 10% (half a day). The DP "organised the children into pairs and let them choose a topic that they were interested in. Students came up with two or three big questions and what they would do to find the answers. These were then fine-tuned by conference and a learning contract entered into and signed. At this point they still had to decide how to present their findings to the class".

"Students usually work on their projects from 11am until 3pm Thursday and includes independent work in class, in the library, in the computer suite and on netbooks (with a teacher roving between). Some have also worked at home. Topics vary, from V8 cars to the Empire State Building, from the rainforest to Coca Cola, giraffes to tunnels. Some children have made models/dioramas, slideshows, another group has created a movie, added commentary and made music in Myna. Some have their information and answers but have yet to decide on a final presentation format, but the teachers have ever confidence that they'll get there. For the most part students have totally taken over their learning and, in some cases, have become teachers - sharing their skills with their peers (mostly computer skills)... powerful learning :-). Obviously the teachers are always there, to guide, to question, to prompt, but rarely to direct or instruct. Of course they respond to "how do I?" or how can I?" questions, but not before asking other students if they can help first."

"A group of four boys work with more teacher supervision, partly because of their place on the learning path, partly because of their still developing self-management skills, but they are still researching their chosen topic, albeit with more teacher support in questioning, research and next steps".

The teacher who described this initiative said that he had "never seen students so keen, so engaged in topics and interests that they’ve chosen themselves". He goes on to say that: "What we, the teachers, have come to realise is that to really engage and motivate our students 10% time should slowly evolve into 90% time and that we need to take a step back from instruction and become mentors, guides and facilitators."

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It was inspirational finding out about something that was so very effective. Time and again in my own experience I've been overwhelmed with what learners have come up with...frequently in ways that I would not have envisaged. Sometimes, yes, there are students who choose not to engage, but this is their choice and respects where they are in their life and aspects of it that I am not privvy to.

So, I'm all for the 90%...with teachers, parents and the wider community (local and international) taking on the roles of mentors, guides and facilitators. It did start me wondering though what a curriculum / assessments would look like in the 90% approach? Something rather different than is currently the case I suspect. And, how do we get to the 90%????

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