Practical strategies for the classroom: Māori students learning as Māori

Late this afternoon (August 28th, 2013 from 3:45pm to 4:45pm) Janelle Ricki facilitated a vibrant webinar, with a focus on focus on Māori students learning as Māori. You can find a recording of the session by clicking this link (you'll need Flash installed to access it), and a copy of the presentation here.

Some of the key questions that she addressed during the session were: How do I move ahead with students who don’t look, sound, or think like me How might I go about inviting student voice, and how might that look? Why do I have to engage with whanau? How do I get to iwi? Actually, who are they and why do they count?

Janelle opened by asking the question 'why'? Why are we having this discussion? One of the reasons are the statistics that show that our Māori students have long been underserved by our education system. E.g. 16 percent of Māori students will become disengaged from any form of any education, employment or training by the age of 17 compared with 6 percent of Pākehā students. Janelle also shared the provocative statement that "Our Māori students are not failing in our education system, our education system is failing them". Several participants commented, including Anne who indicated "I think our education system is failing to meet the needs of a HUGE number of our priority learners..."; Nicky responded that "I agree Anne but it is also a huge generalisation.  There are many different reasons students fail".

strawberrykete (Photo credit: orinoko42)

In 1856 Edward Shortland wrote that "Curbing the will of the child by harsh means was thought to tame his spirit, and to check the free development of his natural bravery. The chief aim, therefore in the education of [Māori] children being to make them bold, brave and independent in thought and act". Janelle then asked everyone to think about what they might change, as teachers, to help their students be bold, brave and independent. Yvonne suggested "Seriously think[ing] about  independence rather than  co dependence"; and Nicky shared that she challenges her "students to take risks and make mistakes already.  I would certainly be able to interact with them more and allow for more of their own interests to enter into the curriculum". And Janine, proposed that we look at "Us, role modelling those 2 words - bold and brave and then asking the question- how dependent are our learners of us? What's stopping them taking the risk?".

The next question Janelle posed is the 'what'...what is being culturally responsive? She also indicated that "if we teach today as we did yesterday, we rob our tamariki of tomorrow", which, in part, requires a shift from just in case learning, to just in time learning. The aim is therefore to help students to develop skills and strategies, which include confidence, capability, ability to collaborate and be connected, competitive and culturally responsive. Janelle outlined why some of these skills might be challenging for some Māori learners. For example, confidence, whereby they can speak comfortably about themselves - their strengths and achievements - which can be very challenging.

So, what is culturally responsive? In part it is accepting and inclusive, and involves us looking at our students in a more holistic way - their emotional, and physical needs, for example...not just the academic skills (i.e. not just the 'head and shoulders'). One of the first steps is being accepting of difference, and then moving along a continuum to where you become actively inclusive. Responsiveness is a two way street and is part of a reciprocal relationship, whereby the educator is committed to meet the student half way and responding to who they are.

How does this work in our classrooms? Janelle outlined the 3 Ps taken from the treaty of Waitangi:

• Partnership
• active engagement (tip: keep extending invitations to parent and whānau - that gives the invitation some mana)
• collaborative decisions
• equity and equality
• Participation
• They know their kids best and want what you want
• They have valuable knowledge and expertise
• They are more than just immediate family
• Protection
• Of their tikanga, culture, identity, language

Janelle shared some suggestions about running a whānau hui including:

• Appropriate time (evening). The staff at Putaruru College also suggested an "all day drop in".
• Kai. The staff at Putaruru College shared the idea about "students producing the kai"
• Tikanga (for example, making sure that the food is blessed)
• Child care
• Students
• Kaupapa: Māori student achievement
• What are the aspirations for your tamariki?
• What are we doing well?
• What could we be doing better?

Engaging with iwi and hapu is tricky. Under the 3 Ps:

• Partnership
• acknowledge mana whenua
• their mokopuna
• Participation
• invite and engage
• go and learn about your place - the people that were there before the school was developed; what's the history?
• Protection
• history
• tikanga
• reo
• mana

Engaging with Māori students. Under the 3 Ps:

• Partnership
• acknowledge their mana and whakapapa
• acknowledge and grow their potential
• Participation
• invite and engage
• go and learn about them - go past knowing about what they are interested in and who lives in their house
• Protection
• their aspirations
• their culture
• their whānau - whānau is everything; even when there are challenges the students love their whānau unconditionally...and we need to give mana to this.

Janelle provided a raft of suggestions around how to encourage student voice, as well as how to integrate te reo Māori into curriculum.

This was an incredibly rich session with heaps of really great suggestions and ideas. The conversation in the backchannel was lively and, at times, provocative. Feedback for the session included, from Anne "Kia ora Janelle - Inspirational webinar....", and Yvonne asked that the session be repeated. Matt indicated that his school is "just beginning to look at the issue" , and the session has prompted some good suggestions. 

Images

• 'Tui feeding on Harakeke nectar' http://www.flickr.com/photos/22357152@N02/6570554993 Found on flickrcc.net
• 'strawberrykete'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/15161049@N06/6323925409 Found on flickrcc.net
• 'Waka sternpost, Raglan, New Zealand 1992'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/42033648@N00/21243576 Found on flickrcc.net

Related articles

• Te Kete Tikanga Maori - Maori Cultural Kit

Flipping out about the 21st Century Fluency Project

The wonderful Vicki Hagenaar shared the following link to what I found an insightful resource. I was particularly taken by the post "The truth about flipped classrooms", which addresses some of the myths and misconceptions around the flipped approach. I agree with Vicki that this a resource worth spending some time exploring. Vicki made the following comment when she shared originally:

I have spent some time this evening making sure I am happy with the Professional Reading I am to present to my team tomorrow and have stumbled onto this for those of you looking into flipped classrooms.

http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2777
You may need to join before you can access - it is well worth the up to date info that will come to you:) (source)

Mobile learning in the classroom...sound odd to you?

The iPad on a table in the Apple case (Photo credit: Wikipedia)I have just finished reading a post (and comments) that was recommended by Greg Carroll, and found it a thought-provoking read: Amidst a Mobile Revolution in Schools, Will Old Teaching Tactics Work?. It was a little odd, however, that the main focus of the article was that students brought the mobile devices with them to a classroom. Hmmm - the article discusses and calls for shifts in pedagogy and teacher practice, but fundamentally the key model is that of bums on seats in a physical classroom (although, to be fair, mention is made of a student-created guided tour, and use of QR codes).

The wine in my mind is indeed the same, even if the pedagogical bottle is slightly re-shaped. There is a sense that the writers may have not taken the endgame far enough to really explore mobile learning when it perceived as a set of principles that can enhance formal and informal learning opportunities, rather than a series of devices. Learning then becomes:

• Spatial - learning across space (anywhere)
• Temporal - learning across time (any time)
• Cognitive - learning across domains (any topic) (source)

Once this shift is made, the conversation changes from one where the concern is “new technology [applied] to old pedagogy,” (Soloway), to one where learning and the student become the focus.

Inquiry learning - from knowledge to understanding

Jane Nicholls recommends, "another video for your toolbox, this time one from NZ Curriculum Online". Jane goes on to say that if you are an educator working with an inquiry learning approach with your students, or who would like to consider doing so this video "explains the heart of inquiry better than I have heard before". "Vic Hygate explains how she carefully focuses her planning, then uses events and provocative statements to make inquiry relevant and fully engage her students". Vic Hygate opens the video by saying:

The biggest difference for me as a teacher with ‘inquiry’ is it’s that shifting your students from knowing about their world to understanding their world - and understanding is so much more than knowledge!

Jane leaves us with the following question: 'How do you use inquiry learning to move from knowledge to understanding?".
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Please click this link to view the video.

Untangling notions of the flipped classrooms

Having done a wee bit more research around the Flipped classroom that centre around videos, I found this rather thought-provoking blog post by Jackie Gerstein entitled Flipped classroom full picture: An example lesson

Jackie quotes Harvard Professor Chris Dede (Global Education 2011 keynote) who said the following about the flipped classroom . . .

I think that the flipped classroom is an interesting idea if you want to do learning that is largely based on presentation. You use presentation outside of the classroom. Then you do your understanding of the presentation and further steps from the presentation inside the classroom. I think it is a step forward. It is still, in my mind, the old person.  It’s still starting with presentational learning and then trying to sprinkle some learning-by-doing on top of it.  I am interested more in moving beyond the flipped classroom to learning by doing at the center than a kind of the intermediate step that still centers on largely on tacit assimilation.

It is also worth reading "Setting the flip straight" (Aaron Sams), who writes:

Educators should always continue to evaluate the efficacy of an adopted model of instruction. This goes for Flipped Class, Inquiry, lecturing, Unschooling, or whatever educational model you use. I have been a teacher for 12 years, and I have modified my instructional practices every year based on my own reflection, feedback from students and emerging educational practices.

He goes on to caution that the flipped classroom is way of thinking about learning...and teaching, rather than a specific way of doing things, that are reliant on specific technologies.

Jackie then provides a detailed step-by-step example that shifts away from the didactic presentation model to one that focuses  "on the students’ personal experiences, interactions with other students, and acquisition of tangible life skills". Well worth having a look at, as it has some really practical hints (including the use of mobile devices), as well as images of the students participating in the activities.


Examples of other users of the flipped classroom approach

• Why I flipped my classroom - a simple and compelling case for the flipped classroom.
• Flip the math content for 4th grade students
• Dr. Lodge McCammon's FIZZ - Flipping the Classroom and Innovative Education Techniques - that can significantly improve outcomes
• Reflections on the flipped classroom 
• The Flipped Classroom: Preparing for Friday's lesson on Tuesday! (English blog for year 6)
• Flipped instruction and Screencasting: beyond math
• 15 Schools Using Flipped Classrooms Right Now

Other posts about flipped classrooms

• How the Flipped Classroom is Radically Transforming Learning by Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams
• Are you Ready to Flip?by Dan Spencer, Deb Wolf, and Aaron Sams
•  "The Flipped Class:  What it Is and What it is Not" by Jon Bergmann, Jerry Overmyer and Brett Wilie
•  "The Flipped Class: What Does a Good One Look Like?" by Brian Bennett, Jason Kern, April Gudenrath and Philip McIntosh
• Private School Math Teacher Flips Learning by Stacey Roshan
• Flipping Out – Reflections on the Flipped Classroom

Examples of and research around laptops used with Primary (Elementary) students

 

Image source by Lisa Parisi

I am incredibly fortunate to be working with a wide range of educators from around globe, and one (Linda Ojala), inspired by a video by Claire Amos: Welcoming laptops into the classroom: Tips and strategies, responded:

"I  liked Claire's strategies and tips and will share some of these with the teachers I work alongside. I'd really like to know some great strategies for using lap tops in the primary sector where only 1 student in the class maybe working in this way.  I still find it difficult to get teachers away from the focus of using laptops only for games and publishing work.  I have come across that fundamental belief that is held which is that children should still be using pencil and paper, even if they find it difficult to manually record their ideas."

So, I set out to see what I could discover. Interestingly a simple search brought up a few studies (listed below), but few concrete examples and footage. A bit more digging brought to light other examples, although often the focus was on the technology rather than what strategies were being used to engage the students and enhance their learning experience. I have listed below a selection of what I found, but would be really grateful, if anyone has some great tips and strategies they want to share, or know of other examples, please comment below :-)

Image source by Lisa Parisi

There are a couple of videos that capture the student voice and opinions around using laptops in their learning, and 1:1 Learning @ St Albans Meadows Primary School (Australia) is an interesting one (with a nod, I think, to Michael Wesch). This video from Teachers' TV captures some teacher opinions, as well as demonstrating some possible uses: Primary ICT - Laptop Pros and Cons.

For actual, concrete examples, Lisa Parisi (who teaches fifth grade on Long Island, US, using a collaborative classroom model...one regular ed teacher and one special ed teacher), has some superb ones. Lisa is a great reflective practitioner, and you may want to follow her blog to hear about her triumphs, trials, and tribulations (for example, Best Day Ever)! In particular the award-winning collaborative writing project regarding the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg - you are able to visit the students' wiki and see the stories that were generated by the students (aged 9 to 12, from 14 classes located in the US, Australia, and New Zealand). You can also hear Lisa interviewed, and watch a short video about the project. All the students used Skype conferencing, wikis, and a range of other strategies to build and share their stories...a great example of where the communication, collaboration and learning was the focus...and the technology just enabled the process.

Other examples include:

• Using Mini Laptops in a Primary Classroom (an example from a "school [in the UK] with a high level of social deprivation, free school meals and SEN" (Ross, p. 1) - looks at successes, problems and solutions as well as evidence of impact on learning.
• Use of Laptop Computers (Meltham C.E Primary School, in Scotland) - has a lot of advice about the technology, as well as some description of how the students used it in their learning.

I'm sure you'll be interested in the efficacy of using laptops in primary classrooms. Benefits and challenges of using laptops in primary and secondary school: An investigation at the Eastern Townships School Board 
 is a very recent report (2011) covering research conducted in Canada to better understand the challenges and benefits of using laptops in primary and secondary education. The report looks at pedagogical uses as well as providing 10 key recommendations. There is much in the report that can be applied to education settings around the developed world.

Related articles

• Laptops in school classes improve scores (physorg.com)

A discussion about the impact of the study of metacognition on classroom practice

Image via WikipediaIf you are looking for a paper that covers metacognition and how it affects learning outcomes, then it is worth reading Nayana Karia Metacognition and Classroom Practice: A discussion about the impact of the study of metacognition on classroom practice. Karia, having given an overview of metacognition and its importance in human development, then goes on to explore notions of the reflective practitioner, as well as strategies around group work, peer tutoring, and reciprocal tutoring. There are several examples of what this might 'look like' when some of the approaches are used with learners, including hyperlinks to resources.


An extract from the paper (Karia, 2007, p. 12) reads:: "A move to newer models of assessment necessarily implies a change in teacher focus from content to strategy instruction. To this end, teachers must be offered training to enable them to accurately perceive student aptitudes, preferences and motivational beliefs. Students must be encouraged to individualize strategy knowledge and teachers must instruct for both far and near generalization (Maccini and Gagnon, 2006). Changes in instructional strategy must be preceded by changes in teacher training offerings. There are also inherent weak links in a system that allows young learners to formulate their goals based on perceived task value. Today’s teachers must be all the more sensitive of the need to scaffold learners in the formation of goals, strategies and self-evaluation. And, they must be aware that:

“The key factor at the heart of successful scaffolding is not only the ability of the more able learner/teacher to offer appropriate help, but also their ability to withdraw or fade the support they offer when the learner is ready.” (Luckin & Hammerton, 2002)

Metacognition

Related articles

• Thoughts on Metacognition (thedeezone.wordpress.com)
• Students as Learners Quiz 2 (slukej.wordpress.com)
• Concept Map on Emerging Technologies: What does it take to Learn? (waithash.wordpress.com)

Thoughts from Joel Dodd - Cultures old and new

Image by Will Lion via Flickr

Joel Dodd is a teacher of mathematics, researcher, and statistician. He is also active in using ICT to enhance his students learning experiences, while also reflecting on his own practice.

This is an extract from Joel's blog post (Friday, 19 March 2010) where he discusses traditional classroom culture and the influence it has not only on today's students, but also on their parents and the community outside of the school. To read the blog post in full, please click HERE.


"A change is going to come...

What this project involves is a three-way culture change. How people think about education, learning and support. From a teaching perspective, I am looking to move away from the traditional style of education, and taking on the IT tools that are not made available for teachers to use, but that the learners have themselves elected to use...."
"The students have already had nine years of entrenchment in traditional school environments....The students perceptions of how they learn have been shaped by their prior experience, and they come to class with a preformed set of expectations that does not closely match the new style of education. The tech devices and resources that are a central part of their lives outside of school are now becoming prime resources to help them to learn....The mental separation between school and personal lives is being blurred and broken....And, the students are being expected to become pro-active in their learning, and to take personal responsibility for preparing for school."


"The families of the students are having change imposed upon them. Many have not typically been involved with the school environment for many years, and their expectations of school and education are shaped by their own experiences and memories of learning in a different era, currently an era before the internet. Now, they have school entering their homes via the internet and social networking sites. Some families place restrictions upon their children's access and use of computers and the internet, so the new model is a direct challenge to their domestic authority. As schoolwork increasingly requires students to use the internet at home, parental control will be confronted, and potentially eroded. It is a challenge, then, for parents and caregivers to understand how their children are being taught, how they are learning, and how to review their control over the IT resources at home. Is it a case of a challenge to personal control, a fear of what the children could be exposed to via the internet, or a combination of both that leads parents to restrict or prohibit the use of the internet at home?"


Joel concludes by suggesting that the adoption of this model of learning will only be successful if there is a (supported) culture shift in school, home and the wider community so that there is "a dynamic balance between the needs and expectations of each party, and how far they are willing to modify their own perceptions and willingness to change". The resulting synergy, Joel suggests, is where the best learning will happen."

What are your thoughts?

Laptops in the Classroom - fundamental questions

The other day, two colleagues asked if I knew of any videos of sound practice around students using laptops in the classroom. Actually, there appears to be a dearth of such material. I have some word pictures I could paint around the experience I have had in Dubai and at Unitec, and I am sure Thom could do the same...but not quite as visual :-)

I did however, after some hunting around come up with the range of videos:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzJDuBlIrHc
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOYg5ZMo-mA
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj45RmhaCQM
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXeNR52w_o
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m8Ax5NUHhg
   

While watching the video, for me a number of fundamental questions arose:

• What are the assumptions around learning indicated by what is said by students and teachers/lecturers in these videos?
• What are the assumptions around teaching indicated by what is said by students and teachers/lecturers in these videos?
• Was there much evidence of 'real' collaboration and co-construction of knowledge?
• What did the educators do to facilitate 'real' collaboration and co-construction of knowledge?

I could go on, but I think four questions are about right! Thoughts, ideas, issues, concerns...?

The Web: End of the classroom era?

The “The Web: End of the classroom era?” debate today at the eFest meets Teaching and Learning Conference, was well-attended. Initially the rules around the debate were established: panel of 6 people, 3 affirmative (in agreement with the statement) and 3 negative (in disagreement with the statement). Both panels were seated on the stage. The audience and a red and green voting paper. There was an adjudicator and a timekeeper. Each panel had 3 minutes each to speak.

The first speaker was from the affirmative team, and began by giving some statistics around online learning. Learners in online courses spend more time on task than in purely face-to-face contexts, and achievement of learning outcomes is higher. The second speaker from the panel in disagreement, responded by coming from the ‘human’ aspect – human teachers for human learning. It was interesting that face-to-face was seen as a positive approach for emotive factors, and being able to ‘see’ where learners were at, and what they were feeling. There appeared to be no understanding around the range of tools that can facilitate these same factors, the fact that somehow face-to-face learning is better – that there is no boredom, more engagement, more opportunities to contribute. Joyce was quick to challenge these ideas, pointing out that in face online it can be more democratic, that more learners have a voice, can create an identity. She recommends the You Tube video: Mr Winkle awakes. The Internet releases the teacher from the information transfer model and frees them up to debate.

The next speaker did not rebut any of the previous points, saying that she felt nothing had been said that needed to be rebutted! She feels that the Internet caters for the trivial, and referred to Andy Warhole’s 10 minutes of fame. The Web lets inadequate, foolish people express their thoughts, and the Web can deceive. You can’t trust the Web and there are perils and traps for young players. The next affirmative speaker chose to rebut the previous speaker’s points. He pointed that Ivan Illich foresaw the Internet. Schools and classrooms are industrial strength learning and that this is not the sort of learning we need. He quotes Illich’s book around conviviality. Learners are reliant on teachers and the system that makes education work. Learning is what happens on the Internet, and that will usher in the post-industrial age.

The final person from the disagreement panel, Colin Cox made a comment about the fact that he had not heard the previous speaker as he was Tweeting. He than gave an overview of his flight from Auckland to Palmerston North, pointing out that pilots who had learned in a simulated environment would not have the skills to really fly a plane.

Next stage was to throw things open things open to the audience for questions and comments. The first person from the audience made the point that simulators have been used to train medical professionals and pilots for years; that dentists were being trained in second life. The rebuttal made the point that the classroom is as big as the world – which played directly into Joyce’s hands – who pointed to the title of the debate!!

A question from the audience asked why eFest took place in a classroom on Tuesday. It was argued that eFest in fact had started months before in wikis, through Twitter, in Skype meetings – in a collaborative, globally diverse participants. The one laptop per child initiative enables children to connect to each other, even if they are not able to connect to the Internet.

One of the audience pointed out that she felt nervous about contributing to the discussion, but if she were online she would be able to contribute more comfortably. She poses the question – are teachers motivated by popularity, and their ‘ego’, when students appear to ‘love’ them?

A final comment from the audience pointed out that he could’t imagine his kids picking up the skills they currently have in an online environment…like kicking a ball.

A final vote from the audience was requested after a humorous summary of the main points made in the debate. It was a close call. The adjudicator declared the debate a draw given the quality of the debate and the spirit behind it!!!

I heard the people behind me say that it had been the best part of the conference. It certainly provoked passionate responses that showed the depth of commitment and feeling educators invest in their ‘calling’.