Defining Learning

What is learning? From the moment we are born we are on a learning path and that ends when we die. Learning happens from the moment we open our eyes each day until we close them to sleep. As we grow older (day by day) we learn by interacting with the world around us, this can include people as well as animals, "things" and our environment. Learning can be formal, or informal. Learning can be deliberate or accidental. Learning can be cognitive, social, emotional, or physical. Learning occurs with everyday actions and events. Learning can be small, or it can huge. Learning can be positive or negative. Part of learning is learning from your mistakes.  Learning is something that occurs whether we realise it or not.

Pratt (1998) Reading: Alternative frames for understanding

Views on Teaching

Pratt, D., & Associates. (1998). Alternative frames of understanding. In Five Perspectives on teaching in adult and higher education (pp. 33-53). Malabar, FL: Kreiger.

"That is, we can learn about a different perspective, as opposed to committing to a different perspective"

Interesting, something that I have always thought about. Like the "agree to disagree"

"Most people find ways to confirm what they already believe rather than change the more central beliefs about teaching"

Watch that happen a lot.  Have also caught myself doing that at times (and possibly do it more without realising).  Perspectives are an interesting concept.  There are always ways to improve but one has to be open to it.

Five perspectives on teaching

1. Transmission Perspective
2. Apprenticeship Perspective
3. Developmental Perspective
4. Nurturing Perspective
5. Social Reform Perspective

I know my teaching has been effective when:

1. My students are excited about coming to class
2. My students are learning new things
3. My students are making progress in their learning
4. My students are able to take what they have learned and apply it to new contexts
5. My students attend to their learning tasks
6. My students confidence in their abilities grows
7. There are limited behavioural issues to attend to (because the learning is the focus)
8. My students are happy to discuss their learning outside of class
9. My students "teach" others
10. ??????

Transmission Perspective: Delivering Content

The primary focus is on the efficient and accurate delivery of that body of knowledge to the learners. "Jug and Mug theory" teacher-centred

It is not ineffective when applied correctly

Apprenticeship Perspective: Modeling ways of Being

Teaching is the process of enculturating learners into a specific community.

Like normal apprenticeships! learner-centred. The teacher and content are fused as one, signifying the inseparability of the teacher and content, withing the context. 

Developmental Perspective: Cultivating ways of Thinking

Learning view derived from cognitive psychology. making connections with prior learning and altering the schema to adjust to new experiences through cognitive thought. Construct and reconstruct knowledge, skills and understandings. Thinking and problem solving.  Teacher role is to help learners think like experts.

Nurturing Perspective: Facilitating Personal Agency

Belief that learning is most affected by a learner's self-concept and self-efficiency. Empathising with students while providing support and encouragement as they attempt to learn.  The goal is to help people become more confident and self-sufficient. Belief that learners must not only be successful, but they must attribute their success to their effort and ability.

Social Reform

From a social reform point of view, learning is about the collective rather than the individual. It involves challenging the values and ideologies embedded into classroom practices and contexts. Students are encouraged to take a critical stance and take social action to not only improve their own lives but those of others.

Where do I fit?


According to the TPI I am strong in the developing and nurturing aspects and if you asked a few colleagues of mine they would tend to agree.  What this also identifies is my weakness in developing social reform.  I do tend to agree with this analysis.  It shows me areas that I need to work on.

New Learning Journey - Massey University

Today is the first day of me actually starting my Massey journey.  I should have started last week, but with the desperate need to get our new house to some form of liveable standard I had to push everything to the limit.  This week is catch up.  Using the data on my phone, since I have no internet yet in my new house, I am on.  It seems a daunting task, what have I gotten myself into?  Lol.. its possible the need to catch up with is overcrowding my head.  I will get there, so much to learn and digest.

Quite link Stream though, it seems easier to navigate than the MindLab app.  This is something which I will need to continue to observe.

Ok, so my Massey course wants me to start a blog too...  Looks like I really need to stop procrastinating about it, and use it.

Planning my first assignment - MindLab

Scary.. especially when you read the marking schedule. Linking to relevant research, etc. But it has to be done..... AND soon!!! Argh.... and I won't even mention the video part.. not yet anyway

Ok.. So, taking Microsoft's Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) research, what am I going to focus on?

There are six rubrics of 21st century learning, each of which represents an important skill for students for develop:

• collaboration 
• knowledge construction 
• self-regulation 
• real-world problem-solving and innovation 
• the use of ICT for learning 
• skilled communication 

I have a group of Year 7 students who are lucky enough to use a digital context for their learning. We have used Learnz a lot this year and we have completed a lot of Learnz virtual field trips all based on the topic of Sustainability. The students have learned a lot about the topic of sustainability in real world contexts. Learning has also been quite different for each of the students who have used their learning journal in Google Docs to demonstrate their learning. Through small group discussions students have also been able to discuss the ideas covered and link these to a wider context, which is not always shown in their learning journal - something which still requires work.

So the plan (I think) is to then plan and construct a resource for next years year 7 students which covers the topic of sustainability on a topic of their choice. It would be interesting to see if the students choose to work individually or in pairs or small groups. I am concerned that if they work in small groups that the participation from each would become unequal. The outcome would need to be an online resource, that used constructed knowledge from the wider world. I can see students talking to people about their topic, thus learning in real time about their topic and using that information to make a resource. I would have to ensure students take ownership, by taking images and videos themselves and planning how they were going to collect information. It has to be more than reading something somewhere and rephrasing that information. Which I believe will be a challenge for both me and them...


More thought needs to go into this I think....


Thus far looking at the Use of ICT for Learning: Rubric pages 29/30


Or I could look at the self regulation......... As planning will be an important part of this project and it can't be done overnight.

Towards Reconceptualising Leadership: The Implications of the Revised New Zealand Curriculum for School Leaders

Interesting reading in lots of ways.  Always good to think beyond the given.  The reading had lots of words that I've heard from the current Principal - dispersive leadership, listening to student voice, student advocacy, and the like.

Which may go to in some ways explain where we are at in our school.  It is encouraging to share leadership, that we can all learn from each other.  Other people's perspectives are helpful to expand our own thinking and challenge preconceived ideas.  However, we all need to be open to change and be prepared to act upon the change.  Further to that, if we encourage dispersive leadership, then we need to not only listen to those above but also those with whom we have given the responsibility to.

Take the idea of using ICT in classrooms.  If we encourage a teacher to take risks in their classroom planning and their classroom programme as a leader but allow no changes in the course description or believe that the teacher is still the holder of all knowledge isn't really encouraging change.  (This statement requires more thought, as it is not quite right). This was presented to me years ago when the thought of integrating ICT into the classroom was the teacher presenting work via the use of PowerPoint covering all the content of the lesson.  Which in my eyes really was a computerised way of writing "things" on the board.  Another is the use of computers to publish work which was initially produced via pen and paper.  Whereas I see integrating ICT puts tools and a wide variety of options in front of students.  And I know I still have lots and lots to learn.  Encouraging students to become learners and experts at the same time.  This idea is always evolving - as it should.  We as learners do not always know what we don't know and how do we expect students to realise this if we do not reflect on this idea ourselves.

For myself, I have been through some of this dispersive leadership and had it taken away with no explanation that I can understand. I have learned that unless people want to learn/change and leadership supports the change then no real change occurs.  In saying that, I'm forever hopeful that real change and learning will happen...

New Learning in Action

Although I'm not new to trying out new ideas and the wide variety of technologies available, starting this blog is new territory for me, and quite a daunting task.  What do you call it?  What should it look like? But the need of starting one has probed me into action.  So I have started...  Just like a learner of a new idea and a new skill, I'm sure that this will become easier the more I use it.