Realigning a lesson to the Eight Ways of Aboriginal Learning

Science Lesson – The Seasons

The following lesson has been realigned to incorporate five of the eight ways of Aboriginal Learning. The lesson is on the four seasons of the year. Through a focus on the 8 ways, students will be allowed multiple entry points into the curriculum and as a result will experience higher success and personal achievement levels.

1. Story Telling:The teach will read a picture story book to the students, All Through The Year by Jane Godwin. This introduces the topic to the children and gets them thinking about how the seasons change and how they feel about each one.
   

   Image Source: Web Image – Retrieved from http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780670073993/all-through-year

2. Learning Maps: The teacher will have made a square on the carpet with sticky tape and sectioned off four squares, one for each season. There will be an assortment of items at the front of the classroom for students to pick up and discuss what season each item would be used.
3. Non-Verbal:Students will be involved in a quiet time where they will all sit with their eyes closed and listen to the teacher give a brief description of each season. As he/she does so, they can think about the things they like and don’t like about each season, what activities they can do each season and basic characteristics of each season.
4. Symbols & Images: Students will recall the things that they remember seeing in the book and draw them into a map, sectioning the items off into which season they are appropriate for. They can add the things that they recall from the book (the teacher may make a list of these on the board to help remember) and can add other items that they use for each season, i.e. Sunglasses for Summer, Umbrella for Winter etc.
5. Land Links:Linking back to the book, students will be able to brainstorm appropriate holiday destinations for each time of the year, i.e The Beach at Summer, a Park in Autumn etc.

The Eight Ways of Aboriginal Learning

‘8 ways is something that grew out of a particular ethic, a way of working that goes beyond cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and even cultural responsiveness. It is all about relational responsiveness, a protocol of attending to relational obligations to the field you’re working in, relating and responding holistically to people, land, culture, language, spirit and the relationships between these with integrity and intellectual rigor. 8ways is a point of entry into this way of knowing. It is a way to develop relationally responsive practice in the way you work with your Aboriginal community’

The Eight Aboriginal ways of learning proposes a scaffolded approach to learning that incorporates the foundational elements of Aboriginal tradition and culture into classroom education practices. The eight ways of Aboriginal learning are demonstrated through the following:

• Story Sharing
• Learning Maps
• Non-Verbal
• Symbols and Images
• Land Links
• Non-Linear
• Destruct and Reconstruct
• Community Links
  

  Image Source: Web Image – Retrieved From: http://8ways.wikispaces.com/

To me, the majority of the eight ways of learning that have been utilized in this framework are already being utilised in our modern day classrooms. When we teach students, we engage in a learning journey with them and we do utilise narrative-driven learning. We do place a strong emphasis on visualising learning and hands-on/reflective practices. We do scaffold the learning for the children and we do make connections with what we are working on in the classroom and how this can allow us to be connected to the community.

I think that these are all interconnected pedagogies that make up a successful curriculum structure. Although the ‘bones’ of said structure are virtually the same, I believe the ways in which they are implemented in ‘Western’ classrooms and their central Australian counterparts are very different.

At the heart of this Aboriginal pedagogy framework is the link to the culture of the people that it works with and through. It is through making the connections to the land and to the heritage of story-telling that students are able to draw personal experience from what they are learning in the classroom and learning can be tailored to them individually.

8 Aboriginal Ways of Knowing. (2009). 8Ways. Retrieved from http://8ways.wikispaces.com/

Reflective Practice

Reflection is something that teachers are asked to do on a regular basis. I believe this to be a crucial aspect of effective teaching and learning. Teachers must be able to reflect critically on their idea (what worked and what didn’t) and use these reflections as a means of informing their future teaching. As teachers reflect on certain aspects of their teaching and lessons, they are continuously improving their educating skills – both to make the experience more useful for the teacher and the students. This reflection can inform practice, challenge belief systems and mould future learning.

Stock Photos,. (2014). Abstract word cloud for Reflective practice with related tags… Retrieved 22 October 2014, from http://www.123rf.com/photo_17149627_abstract-word-cloud-for-reflective-practice-with-related-tags-and-terms.html

This reflection can occur in multiple channels throughout an educator’s professional experience.

Teachers will always reflect as they progress through stages of the lesson, noticing student involvement, achievement level and other general observations that can be observed by the teacher. Some schools enforce reflective practice in more of a structured way than others. For example, principals and other teachers will observe lessons and offer constructive criticism. This is a very effective means of feedback as teachers can gain an understanding of what they know and do well and things that they develop and improve upon.

Reflection allows us to learn how we can best discover the highest key knowledge and learning, and leads to better overall achievement levels.

My Taxonomy

Throughout this unit, it has been required of each participant that they be self-directed in their learning journey. As a general rule, University students are expected to be self-accountable for their own learning throughout the course of their tertiary education – I have found this to be even more true whilst I undertake this unit. Learners are influences by their environment, context and connections that they make during learning. These are influential factors influencing the overall success of the learner. Learners are encouraged to develop their own personal Taxonomy.

Successful Teaching,. (2011). Bloom’s Taxonomy: Encouraging Higher Cognitive Thinking in Primary School Classrooms. Retrieved 22 October 2014, from http://juliaec.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/blooms-taxonomy-encouraging-higher-cognitive-thinking-in-primary-school-classrooms/

My Taxonomy

Remembering:

• When is it due?
• What have I done?
• What do I need to do?
• What are the key points?
• How do I start?
• What will I achieve in the short term?
• What will I achieve in the long term?

Understanding:

• Do I understand what I am doing?
• Does it flow from one part to the next?

Applying:

• Where will I use this learning?
• Have I already used this learning?
• Can I change or adapt the learning to use it later?

Analysing:

• What are the strategies, skill and practices?
• Are they affective?

Evaluating:

• How well did it go?
• What do I need to improve?
• What have I learned about my strengths and my areas in need of improvement?
• How am I progressing as a learner?

Creating:

• What should I do next?
• What steps should I take or resources should I use to meet my challenges?
• How can I best use my strengths to improve?

For more on Bloom’s taxonomy visit:

http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Cooperative, Collaborative and Group Learning Spaces

Collaborative learning, Cooperative learning and group learning are often confused with one another and used in education interchangeably. Before undertaking this unit, I too held the common misconception that these three learning systems were the same and that these names could be used interchangeably. After completing the reading for this week, I now can say that I have a much more concrete understanding of the three. Shall we continue?

Image Source: Emma Hancock

Cooperative learning occurs when the task is set and all group members work together to achieve the determined goal. While students are undertaking tasks in the cooperative learning space, each student is individually accountable for their part of the task and is assessed independently from the group on their personal contributions (Kagan, 2010). The teacher needs to ensure that the group is structured in such a way that all group members will work cooperatively together to achieve their individual outcomes, yet still work towards a common goal.

Searchpp.com,. (2014). Hands Working Together Search Pictures Photos

Collaborative learning occurs where the group members are given a start point and all group members are determined to grow their knowledge, group members control how the learning occurs. While students are undertaking work in a collaborative learning space, there is a strong emphasis on students working together to complete an activity. Although this learning space is similar to the cooperative learning space, learners are encouraged to work together, rather than independently to reach their individual goals. This learning space can be observed in small groups with appropriate discussion, teamwork and ultimately, learning!!

Group learning occurs when students are working in partners or small groups on a task or discussion that generally follows a lesson, while the teacher roams the room encouraging and supervising. A slight disadvantage of this learning space is that sometimes students may tend to be isolated and not much collaboration will occur.

Each of these learning methods work successfully in the classroom as they support and encourage the social constructivist theory of learning; that is to allow students to work in a group environment with their peers to achieve their learning goals. Open plan learning environments strongly encourage students to work cooperatively and collaboratively. In such an environment, students are able to freely move around the learning space, without being fixed to one specific area. Connected group tables encourage students to interact with their classmates, discussing and collaborating to reach their learning goals. This environment is one where students can bounce ideas off each other and gain insights about the development of their peers.

Slavin, R. (2010). Co-operative learning: what makes group-work work? The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice, OECD Publishing.

Curriculum as a Learning Space

The physical classroom and school perimeter should not be the only things that spring to mind where we discuss learning spaces. Learning spaces are varied and this learning can occur in many different areas through many different channels.

One such channel that I had not thought about as a learning space is that of the Australian Curriculum. Although at first I had not considered this to be a learning space, it only took me a few minutes before I had realised that of course it is! The Australian Curriculum an avenue through which teachers across the country can work together to reach a common goal. The curriculum provides educators with a basis for the key learning that needs to occur.

As teachers, our group learning space is the curriculum. This acts as the clay that which all teaching is moulded. It is essential for educators to understand that it is just that, the clay. From this we can mould whatever we like. The curriculum is not set in stone, rather it is forever changing. Collaboration with other educators can lead to a deeper scope of knowledge and more effective deliverance. The curriculum must remain up to date and relevant to the students to provide resourceful and meaningful teaching and learning experiences for the students. In this way, the Australian Curriculum acts as a springboard for teachers to gain the fundamental elements of their lessons and then project from there in whatever way they desire.

Further, the Curriculum itself has been developed through collaborative and cooperative group work. It has been developed from multiple teacher insights to create a platform where teachers are able to access the fundamentals of their lessons, yet still have the opportunity to branch out and be creative with their planning. Teachers must work together to ensure students are receiving high quality pedagogy.