Learning Beyond The Classroom

Students working collaboratively through group exercises. Image Source: Emma Hancock, 2014

The students of today need to be exposed to stimulating experiences both inside the four walls of the classroom but also outside of them, in the form in excursions and incursions. These can provide meaningful opportunities for students to develop their social and emotional learning in a non-threatening way (Johnson, 2009). Incursions and excursions create opportunities for children to get outside their comfort zones and explore the social environment in which they live (Lorenza, 2009).

The dynamic environment made up by new experiences and continually changing circumstances has proved to improve the overall learning undertaken by children in such environments (Rogers, year). Students are said to take in additional information when they are in a fresh environment that is contextually fitting for them (Johnson, 2009). Having said that, the teacher must ensure that the event is in direct correlation to the curriculum and the safety of the children remains. Further, these events should be followed up by planned activities that will serve as a conclusion to the event.

Students learning through their environment at Werribee Zoo. Image Source: Emma Hancock, 2014

In these environments, students have a significant opportunity to shine. Students will be learning from more capable adults and in doing so, will be working towards Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. They will be extending themselves, having real life scenarios/stimulus to assist them to better recognise the theory, concepts, cultures or identities that they may be studying at any given time. Further, according to Lorenza (2009), excursions and incursions can boost overall student morale, self-esteem and confidence.

Students will need time to process the information that they have been presented with at incursions and excursions and should be prompted to undertake follow up activities both the day after an event and a week after an event.

With all of these student enhancements from excursions or incursions, I say “Bring on the paperwork!”

Emma

 

 

Johnson, J. (2009). Beyond four walls: experiential and situated learning. Teacher. (198), 18-20. URL

Lorenza, L. (2009). Beyond four walls: why go beyond the bounds of school? [online]. Teacher. (198), 22-25.

Rogers, C. R. (1969). Freedom to learn: A view of what education might become. Columbus, OH: C.E. Merrill Pub. Co.

Classroom Set Up

This week’s reading really intrigued me. I love to think about all of the different ways that we, as teachers, can get the student enthused and engaged in the classroom. I had given some thought to the physicality of the classroom setup in the past, but had not thought about it as complexly as I have this week every before. The questions that Read (2010) outlined at the beginning of his article really resonated with me and truly made me think. I had never asked myself these question before. The one that got me thinking the most was the fourth question, “What type of design characteristics do the children in the environment enjoy and why?” As a pre-service teachers, we don’t have the opportunity to physically set up a classroom and make decisions about placement of furniture and technology.  I agreed with Read that teachers, architects and designers are not taking into consideration the perspectives of the children. The harsh reality of the conclusion that Read make about this statement is still ringing in my ears. I feel frustrated that the students’ voice is not being heard. After all, the classroom is there for them. It needs to be pleasing to them far more than it needs to be pleasing to us.

Conclusions made in the Schratzensteller (2010) text further supported a need to look at how we are really setting up our classrooms and how we can do so in a better way to allow for increased academic success. The point that Chism and Bickford (2002), as sighted in Schratzensteller, make that it is contradictory for an educational institution to proclaim learner centred instruction yet teach out of a teacher focused environment is very valid. I feel that we cannot ignore the need for student comfort and interaction. In my classroom, I will not have students sitting in their desks in a row and I will not discourage collaboration (which can often be misinterpreted by teachers as talking). This research shows that we need to allow room in the classroom for collaboration and interaction. This helps the students to feel comfortable and welcome in their physical learning space.  

I think that in my classroom I will have a circular seating arrangement to eliminate problems as stated by Cinar (2010). I will be forever moving around the classroom to avoid any students wanting to sit at the back of the room due to lack of motivation or interest. I will attempt to engage all students in my classroom and thus students will be aware that no matter where they sit, they will always have the chance that I may call on them to participate in group activities.

 

Chism, N. V., & Bickford, D. J. (2002). The importance of physical space in creating supportive learning environments. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cinar, I. (2010). Classroom geography: who sit where in the traditional classrooms? Journal of International Research, 3(10), 200-212

Read, M. (2010). Contemplating design: listening to children’s preferences about classroom design. Creative Education, 2, 75 – 80 URL

Schratzenstaller, A. (2010). The Classroom of the Past. In K. Makitalo-Siegl, J. Zottmann, F. Kaplan & F. Fischer (Eds.), Classroom of the Future: Orchestrating Collaborative Spaces (pp. 15-39). Netherlands: Sense Publishers. File

What is a PLN?

Since I’m doing this whole blog thing to create myself a PLN, let’s look closer at what that is…

PLN stands for Personal Learning Network. To give you some perspective, my mother is a principal of a primary school. When she first started out teaching a PLN for her was a group of teachers that meet face to face to discuss teaching and learning strategies, resources, disciplinary techniques and anything else involving their professional development. As technology progressed through the years leading up to where we are today, email became a large way that my mother’s PLN became larger and more informative (although this still involved her meeting someone face to face and swapping email addresses). Fast forward to today, where the next generation of teachers are developing their own PLNs. The first PLN that I will develop as a teacher will look vastly different to that of my mother’s beginning teacher PLN. Today, I have access to Facebook, Twitter blogs, apps, e-books, online resources, online discussions and Skype. These tools help me to create my own Personal Learning Network. It is through these tools that I am able to better my skills as a teacher through the support of not only other teachers, but also resources. The 21^st Century PLN is a global, informative, interconnected web of knowledge.

Pardon the pun.

What is a Blog?

On first hearing that I had needed to make a blog for my new online unit that I am undertaking, my first thought was “Oh Lordy! How am I going to do this?” Then I found myself thinking, well what even is the actual thing that I’m not sure that I can do?! After some research I have found that a blog can be used my many people for many different reasons. Further, after discussing blogs with the people around me, I found that I have already had some (however little) interactions with the world of blogging. I was part of a friend’s blog as she shared our experiences together as we traveled Vietnam, I have lots of friends who commonly read bogs both for information and enjoyment. I even discovered that my very own mother has a blog! On discovering this I came to the conclusion that this is something that I need to get involved in. So I’ll start with an introduction to blogging itself, here’s what I found:

• The word “blog” comes from “web log” or “weblog” which I think is amazing
• A blog is a way of sharing “stuff” with the world. The “stuff” that is shared ranges greatly from a personal diary of day to day events (such as shopping lists and personal achievements and recipes) to something like this blog here. I don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting people to be quickly following me because of my brilliant teaching ideas or learning insights. I am hoping this blog will lead me somewhat to that. Partially, yes, this blog is only in existence because of my current enrollment in EDFD459, but I have high hopes that it will become what is referred to as a PLN (Personal Learning Network).

So wish me luck on this crazy blogging adventure!

What is Web 2.0

It has been said by Selwyn (2012) that Web 2.0 has “undoubted educational potential”. It is through the variety of internet tool that is commonly referred to by the umbrella term, Web 2.0 that we are able to, as Haylee mentioned not only use the internet to search for information but use it as a tool for communication and sharing of information. This is creating an environment where people such as ourselves (pre-service teachers) are gaining more knowledge about the profession we are about to enter, and in doing so, are gaining more confidence in an ever-competing world. Web 2.0 can allow for closer correlation of teaching practices to the curriculum, more engaged students (thus higher achievement levels), a shift to student centred learning, more meaningful assessment and most importantly better connectedness to the world.

I do believe that we (as teachers) should use Web 2.0 in a responsible way and not being using such a tool in the classroom simply to be using it. We need to ensure correct pedagogy of literacy remains to be taught explicitly although I do believe that teaching digital reading skills are essential for literacy development in the twenty-first century.

About Me…

Hello Interweb!

Image Source: Emma Hancock

My name is Emma and I am currently studying at Australian Catholic University (Aquinas Campus) to be a primary school teacher.

This is my first blog post ever so let’s get something straight right here and now… I’m not the most tech savvy person in the world. You know that person who’s always asking, “How do I use that app?” or “Can you help me fix this?” That person is me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely hopeless… I’m not about to click on an email alerting me to the fact I’m the one hundred thousandth customer or unfreeze my computer by putting it in the microwave. I can deal with the basics of technology but anything more complex than PowerPoint… let’s just say I’d struggle.

Being fully aware of my blindingly evident lack of knowledge about the online style of learning, I am currently undertaking a unit known as EDFD459, The Learning Space. This leads me specifically to this blog and optimistically, I hope that I will gain a more concrete understanding of what it means to be an online learner and eventually (fingers crossed) engage my students one day in the world of online learning.