Collaboration in learning Mal Lee August 2013
Overview Solitary insular teaching - that of paper based world Collaborative, networked 24/7 – that of digital and networked Concomitant change of mindset Structural impact of digital operational base Awareness of macro trends and natural growth Ever lessening importance of the physical place and its boundaries Increasing centrality of Web and demise of school walls, Shift – logical extension of wider societal developments About readying your school, staff and community
School teaching today Insular, conducted behind closed doors of physical place Within set hours – for less than 20% of learning time per year Mass, class group based Paper based – paper technology shaping nature of the teaching and school organisation Constancy and continuity – 50/60 years largely unchanged Solitary teachers – closed classroom doors – teacher as gatekeeper - controlling teaching and assessment Distrust – cyber walls to protect young Pronounced focus on cognitive/the formal curriculum
Out of school teaching By default left to parents/children In context, anywhere, anytime, 24/7/365 Pronounced impact of learning culture of home/parents Networked, collaborative, connected Normalised use of suite of digital technologies Universal nature evidenced since mid 90s
Out of school teaching Personalised, largely self-directed Increasing self-teaching – with peer and network support Constantly evolving, buzz of the new Unfettered exploration of ever-evolving opportunities Intrapersonal, interpersonal and to a lesser extent cognitive development focus (Pellegrino and Hilton, 2012) Trust and respect
Collaboration between home - school Rhetoric and reality – miniscule One – way collaboration (Grant, 2010) Tokenism Unilateral control with schools/teachers/bureaucrats Parent/student disempowerment
Collaboration between home - school Pronounced turnaround with digital normalisation and move to networked mode Teacher willingness to collaborate – when school has astute principal Why – yet to be researched Uncertainty re need for digital normalisation by school Natural growth in schools desire to collaborate
Teaching in pathfinder schools Experience of pathfinders in UK, US, NZ and Australia Early days - relative rarity Across socio-economic, size, location, sector spectrum Visionary leadership Digital operational base
Teaching in pathfinder schools Willing staff Conducive learning culture Willing and capable community Apposite digital infrastructure Concern to provide apposite C21 education for every child Recognition of out of school learning Ever more integrated ecology
Nature of the collaboration Multi-faceted, networked and unbounded Networked mindset Using resources beyond school gates Using community as a teaching space Authentic and inquiry/project based learning Collaboration across professional teaching community Collaboration with other professionals Collaboration with families – parents, carers and grandparents
Evidence for collaboration Parents as prime teachers – from birth onwards Grandparents/community elders as teachers Students as their own teachers BYOT – 24/7/365 learning Student attainment and home-school collaboration Potential for more personalised learning Bridging home-school divide/practises Streamlining and improving teaching The untapped potential
Connected learning Enhancing the sophistication of the youngs out of school connected learning Building on near 20 years evolution Bringing the networked mode into the school Recognising individual childrens preferred mode of learning and building upon Impact of current laissez faire approach Propensity for the educationally advantaged to be continually advantaged Vital need for astute teacher intervention
Connected learning Enhancing the sophistication of the youngs out of school connected learning Building on near 20 years evolution Bringing the networked mode into the school Recognising individual childrens preferred mode of learning and building upon Impact of current laissez faire approach Propensity for the educationally advantaged to be continually advantaged Vital need for astute teacher intervention
24/7/365 teaching Merging of the in and out of school teaching trends Shaping apposite 27/7/365 holistic education for life and work Involving all the teachers of the young – from birth onwards Who best teaches what, when and where? A curriculum for a networked world The teaching mode of the networked world – that is already transpiring
Connected learning Enhancing the sophistication of the youngs out of school connected learning Building on near 20 years evolution Bringing the networked mode into the school Recognising individual childrens preferred mode of learning and building upon Impact of current laissez faire approach Propensity for the educationally advantaged to be continually advantaged Vital need for astute teacher intervention
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Contact Mal Lee – PO Box 5010 Broulee NSW Australia 2537