Week 27: Broader Professional Context

Contemporary issues or trends in New Zealand or internationally
 
My phone just beeped. My brother popped up, a ‘what’s app’ call letting me know he was enjoying some weekend scuba diving in Phuket. He lives (mostly) in Hong Kong. Uncanny timing as I sit here contemplating our global community. While I contemplate visiting our local park with my children he considers which country he would most like to catch up with friends in. He is perhaps in a way representative of the future. He left school as soon as he was legally able to and yet his ability to collaborate, communicate, problem solve and lead has enabled him to manage a large company that employs people across the asia pacific region. He doesn’t view the world in terms of the typical boundaries of country, language or education and uses technology to overcome many of these perceived barriers.

Like my brother students in my classes increasingly question the relevance of a ‘degree’. Many of the students come from other countries and do not see New Zealand as a permanent home and are connected by technology. They anticipate having several jobs over their life time and that those jobs may not exist yet. I have just finished watching Robinson talk on “Changing Education Paradigms” and can already see this shift taking place (RSA, 2010). Education systems across the world are grappling with the question ‘How do I prepare my students for a future I can’t predict?’

Global trend: Increased access to technology

KMPG International’s (2014) “Future State 2030” animated infographic ‘Future State 2030’ gave plenty of evidence for change including:

·         “75% of the world’s population have access to mobile phone”

·         “90% of the world’s technology has been was created in the last two years”. 

·         “global growth in trade is expected to continue at 5% annually”.

I didn’t find this data surprising. When I started teaching I imagined that by now at the very least I would have ability to project holographic images of those tricky to get abstract concepts into my classroom and am constantly disappointed by how slowly the education system adapts to technology. With the US National Intelligence Council stating that the “economic status of individuals will greatly depend on their education” (2012, p.11). Education is going to become increasingly important but perhaps not in the form we know it. Surely we need to start moving forward now.

As a school we are slowing catching up, students have BYOD, access to 3D printers and we have recently developed a ‘creative hub’. A space designed to create cross-subject collaboration through the use of technology. In my classes moving forward in science involves providing opportunities for collaboration, real life experiences, blended learning initiatives and moving away from the standard ‘test’ at the end of every topic to assessing different modes of learning through multi-media projects. There is a shift towards students initiating the learning and having greater control over the context and content that they are taught. We are addressing some of the ‘solvable challenges’ identified by Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, and Freeman (2015) in the Horzion Report. 

Image from the NMC Horizon Report, Johnson et al. (2015, p2).

As a school our next challenge is to further personalise learning. We are having discussions on how we can best make that shift from individualised learning and differentiation to personalised learning.

Global trend: Shift to deeper Learning Approaches

I have been grappling with this concept for a while. It started at my previous school with teachers discussing about how to best support students in the Key Competencies. Teachers tended to choose ‘managing self’, ‘relating to others’ as they felt more confident supporting these skills. I wanted to make the shift to developing students ‘thinking skills’ in a way that wasn’t just teaching science content. Since then I have embarked on an inquiry into critical thinking. It is a journey I am still on and one that is proving to be both challenging and exciting. Johnson et al. emphasised that “mastering modes of complex thinking does not make an impact in isolation; communication skills must also be mastered for complex thinking to be applied meaningfully.” (2015, p. 32). With this in mind I have trialled a number of initialise that combine collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Navigation challenge: Students worked in groups to investigate navigation. This included:

•  Designing and 3D printing a star compass to support Polynesian navigation.
•  Programming robots to navigate course.
•  Students designing orienteering course

Kaitiakitanga: guardianship of the environment. Students carried out the following:

• Planting native plants in a Rongoa garden
•  Testing stream health with Waterwatch
• Pest control with DOC
• Planning the restoration of native bush around our school.  
• Petition Trees for Canterbury for native trees.
• Writing to the city council for permission to remove a boxed drain etc.
•  Creating a management plan for the new areas.

Student Rocket Design

Design challenge: toy rockets

•  Making a mock cardboard and film canister rocket
• Trialling variables to find the best ratio of chemicals for greatest launch height
•  Designing rocket on tinkercad
• 3D printing rocket design
• Designing instructions page and safety instructions to accompany the toy.

All of these have had challenges, moments of frustration and a variety of outcomes for the students in terms of their development in critical thinking and problem solving skills. The students have also made me very proud! It was interesting to note the benefits of coding to students critical thinking which is an area I have only dappled with.  I enjoyed trialling these with my students but still feel like I am only beginner in this area with a long way to go. I am interested in ideas that would help connect my students learning on a more global scale. I would love my students to collaborate with students in another area or country on a project with real meaning.  Your thoughts???