Reimagining Professional Learning 2016

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professional learning 2016

The way educators are engaging in PLD is changing. As the school year begins teachers and leaders are crafting inquiry goals and considering their professional learning foci for 2016. For many teachers, particularly those in schools and kura clustering inCommunities of Learning (CoL), this may mean embarking oncollaborative inquiries as they ‘share goals based on information about their students’ educational needs and work together to achieve them’.

Current research highlights the importance for learning networks, or learning communities, to develop shared approaches, and a culture of learning and inquiry. In the NZCER paper, Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching – a New Zealand perspective it is noted that:

“Schools are being talked about as “learning organisations”, and educators are encouraged to become “professional learning communities” or even “networked learning communities” within and across schools. School leaders have responsibility for supporting and sustaining a continuous culture of learning amongst staff, in a dynamic environment.” (p 45).

The fundamental shift of communities of learning is to function more as anetworked organisation focused on raising achievement across the educational sector. As written in, Accelerating student achievement: a resource for schools (December 2015, p 1):

“Accelerated improvement requires a whole system to function as a collaborative learning community that is advancing progress on the four areas of leverage: pedagogy, educationally powerful connections, professional learning and leadership. (Adrienne Alton-Lee, cited in Mathematics in Years 4 to 8: Developing a Responsive Curriculum; ERO, 2013)

The PLD implications for schools practising as networked organisations and professional learning communities are varied. New ways of working as networked organisations may challenge and influence, “infrastructure, processes, people and culture” due to organisational and logistical factors as time, location, size, and distribution of those schools involved in the communities of learning.

The challenge for schools is to find responsive ways to create on-going, engaging professional learning opportunities that are inclusive of all staff across their CoL, able to address individual and collective strengths/needs to help achieve collaborative goals for teaching and learning, not constrained by time or location.

When reimagining PLD in 2016, key aspects worth considering include:

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Contributing to your community as a non-scientist using iNaturalistNZ

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iNaturalistNZ

Our modern world is incredibly busy and complex. There are so many new things coming our way that we can’t take them all in, let alone act on them. However, every now and then we are exposed to something new, which turns on a whole lot of light bulbs at once.

For me, it was being told about iNaturalistNZ, part of an international initiative called iNaturalist. In this blog, the first of a series, I will tell you about iNaturalistNZ and why it appeals to me as an educationalist, as a parent, and as someone simply interested in the Living World. I will also tell you about my journey so far with iNaturalistNZ, and hopefully tempt you to start using it too. My next blogs will look at the rationale for using iNaturalistNZ in formal education settings and delve deeper into iNaturalistNZ as a tool for learner agency in a globally connected world.

What is iNaturalistNZ?

iNaturalistNZ is a tool for all citizens that makes it easy for us to contribute to a living record of life in New Zealand. From the crowd-sourced data we create, scientists and environmental managers can monitor changes in biodiversity. iNaturalistNZ enables anyone with the iNaturalist smartphone app (Android or Apple) to record their observations of living things like plants, birds, and insects, and upload them to the Cloud so the iNaturalistNZ community can identify them and analyse them. It’s like iTunes in that the mobile app is used when you are out-and-about, whereas logging into your account from a bigger device like a laptop allows you to manage and organise your observations, and communicate with the iNaturalistNZ community.

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Supporting students who have dyslexia

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With new technologies we can provide immediate and tangible support for students who have dyslexia. The support can be provided at the same time as we work with them to overcome their specific difficulties and build literacy skills. By providing options using standard technologies, students can learn and show what they know, rather than being continually defined by their specific difficulties.

“Dyslexia is not a disease to have and to be cured of, but a way of thinking and learning. Often it’s a gifted mind waiting to be found and taught.” –Girard Sagmiller, “Dyslexia My Life”

Clarify your learning Intention

To provide options and support for any curriculum activity, teachers must first be clear to their students about the specific learning intention.

For example, if we ask a student to read material that is above their current reading ability, what do we discover? We may confuse the ability to learn with the ability to read.

For example, what do we find out if we ask a student with writing difficulties to show what they know by writing about it? We find out that the student is not very good at writing rather than discovering what they know or have learnt.

As students move up the school, more of the curriculum content and assessment material is in written format. This means that the impact of a reading or writing difficulty can limit access to content and the ability of a student to show what they know.

This is why it is important to identify the learning intention, and be sure that the MEANS of learning is not confused with the learning intention. Is reading and writing a critical part of the learning intention, or is it just a way of doing the task?

Example of a learning intention with reading and writing as part of the task:
Students will read a book and write about the key techniques used to communicate ideas to readers.

Alternative example of learning intention without reading and writing as part of the task:
The students will:

  • identify the key ideas in the story
  • identify the techniques used to communicate key ideas to readers
  • use one of these formats (e.g., written/image/poster/video …) to demonstrate what they have learned.

Once the learning intention is clear, both teachers and students can understand what options are appropriate for a particular lesson. If the intention is not about reading and writing, then support using technology or other options is usually appropriate.

Technology support

Some key technologies to support students with dyslexia are outlined below:

1. Digitise content

Handouts, workbooks, and writing on whiteboards are some of the least accessible options for students who find reading a challenge. In contrast, when content is digitised, students can use their personal preferences to access material:

  • using dyslexia fonts
  • changing colours, size, style and spacing
  • having text read by the computer (text-to-speech).

If you are using Google Apps for Education or Microsoft it is very easy to digitise content. Simply take a photo or scan of the page (or PDF document) and upload it into your Google Drive or OneNote. Then right click and open it with Google Docs or Word. You can then make the page accessible (see the Blind foundation’s page here) and modernise your content for today’s lessons.

2. Text-to-Speech

I dream of a time when every device used by a student has text-to-speech enabled. This software reads text aloud, so gives students access to text above their current reading age, and supports comprehension. It is also a great option for editing, multitasking, or for when you just feel like listening rather than reading.

For more information about the free options available on all the main operating systems, see my VLN text-to-speech blog.

3. Voice typing (speech recognition)

Voice typing (also called speech recognition) allows you to speak aloud to your device and have words typed as you speak. The software has improved so significantly in the last few years that it is now a real option for text entry. For more information about the free options see my VLN Voice typing blog.

Voice typing gives students the opportunity to show what they know rather than repeatedly being defining by their writing difficulties.

4. Word Prediction

Word prediction provides more in-depth support for spelling, reading, and editing. The software predicts a required word as a student writes, producing a list of words beginning with the letter sequence typed.

Predicted words, and all writing, can be read aloud, and each programme has additional supports — e.g., example sentences, definitions, and custom dictionaries.

There are no free products in this range that predict as well (or even nearly as well) as the commercial products that I have tested. See VLN posts for iPad, computer and Google.

 

Let us support students to be successful learners regardless of their specific profile of talents and challenges.

For more information about using technology to provide whole-school support for students with dyslexia, contact the Connected Learning Advisory.

For more information see:
Inclusive Education — dyslexia guide
Literacy Online dyslexia page (& Ministry of Education teacher resource)
Ministry website — how to support a child with dyslexia
Resource for teachers by the British Dyslexia Association
Movincog Report — Auckland University analysis of interventions for dyslexia

 

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A safer internet: 5 ways to play your part

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Safer Internet Day Poster

CORE Education is delighted to be recognising international Safer Internet Day 2016 #SID2016, in support with NetSafe.

Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission. Each February – on the 2nd day of the 2nd week of the 2nd month – thousands of people join together in events and activities to raise awareness of online safety issues, right across the globe.

The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community. It calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers, and others to join together in helping to create a better Internet. Ultimately, a better internet is up to all of us.

We offer the following advice as starting points for early childhood, schools and kura who are planning ways to keep learners safe online. Share what you do with us, tag #SID2016 @CoreEducation.

Download a poster from us for display.

Tip #1: Create a positive culture

Rather than restricting access to the web or using fear-based messages, the best way to manage challenges online is to work them out together.

Effective prevention strategies emphasise approaches that actively involve discussing with students how they use digital technology, and more specifically, the challenges they experience online and how they keep safe. Teachers, students, peers, parents, family and whānau – we all have a role in this process. There are no quick fixes.

  • Talk to learners, children and colleagues about online activity, cybersafety behaviours.
  • Lose the fear-based messages. Plan an approach that balances protective approaches, such as technical mediation of student online access, with strategies that promote safe, responsible and pro-social behaviours.
  • Provide support when learners meet challenges.

Tip #2: Design safety into learning

Design experiences and learning opportunities that invite learners to pick up new skills safely and in meaningful contexts. Weave safety messages into the learning process. Deliberately make it part of learning.

  • Look for meaningful opportunities to connect with other people across the world. Other young people, whānau and wider communities can all be guides.
  • Use social networks to foster conversations about issues that are relevant to students.
  • Weave web tools through local inquiry – take action in our community

Tip #3: Use the right tools

Use the tools that come with all devices and platforms to restrict, filter and monitor information and identity online as part of an overall strategy to manage safe use online.

  • Make sure we know how to manage our devices and the security systems that are in-built.
  • Set up secure passwords and consider using software like LastPass to manage them.
  • Explore the use of SafeSearch and student-friendly browsers.

Tip #4: Give respect, get respect

The internet can be a powerful tool for connecting and working with others, both locally and globally.

  • Find ways to collaborate and learn to work positively with others online.
  • Teach our learners to manage their online reputations.
  • Design learning that creates safe, meaningful opportunities to grow ideas responsibly with others online.

Tip #5: Walk the talk as a community

Safe and responsible use of the internet is normalised through the way we all behave together.

  • Model critical thinking when using the internet.
  • Find real-life, positive ways to model the use of the web as part of our own learning. Guide others.

If you liked this, you might also find these other cybersmart resources from CORE Education useful:

EDtalks on Cybersafety

Sticks and Stones video

  • Sticks and Stones: Fighting cyberbullying: The Sticks 'n Stones project aims to support students to be Positive Digital Citizens, to help those affected by Cyber Bullying and to encourage everyone not to be bystanders.
  • Te uru ipurangi:He kaupapa nui te uru ipurangi (digital citizenship) i roto i te ao hangarau e noho nei tātau. Ka kōreo mai a Wharehoka Wano mō te uru ipurangi i roto i te ao Māori nei. Hei tāna me whai wāhi ā tātou tikanga Māori i roto i ēnei mahi o te hangarau.
  • Cybercitizens – a range of EDtalks on learners’ use of online resources.
  • Ten Trends 2013: Digital citizenship: Dr John Fenaughty, University of Auckland, suggests a shift towards using inquiry-based learning to promote critical thinking and then applying that to understanding what digital citizenship would look like for students.
  • Why research NZC students' online practices?: In this talk from ULearn11, Craig McDonald-Brown outlines why more New Zealand specific research is required into students' online practices.

Skype
Image source: #Skype screenshot mockup of 3way video call by Phil Wolff (CC BY-SA 2.0)

From the CORE Education blog:

Key resources from CORE

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Transforming learning

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rocktoka kāhuarau: (noun) metamorphic rock.
Ko te toka kāhuarau: Ko te momo toka ka hua mai ina huri te hanga me te āhua o tētahi atu o ngā toka mā te pā mai o te wera me te pēhanga i roto i takanga o te wā roa (RP 2009:407); The type of rock that results when transformed into another type of rock through the application of heat and pressure over a long period of time (Source).

As we head back into a new school year, there is continued appetite to do things differently, reconfigure learning programmes and classrooms, systems and processes so that we are increasingly walking the talk on learner-centred education. At the risk of kicking off with a buzzword, we can describe what we are collectively trying to achieve here as transformation.

Transformation is one of those ‘weasel words’ that can bend to many purposes. In te reo Māori, it can be described as kāhuarau. Metaphors of the alternative of molten rock might come to mind, as do koru spirals and butterfly metamorphoses.

In CORE, we take a clear position on transformation, acknowledging that it looks different in different educational contexts. Our kaupapa here is that that we believe that all people are of value, that everyone is unique and deserves to belong because we know that our education system is not (yet) at the point where all our learners and their families see themselves as well served.

Why ‘transform’?

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