Engagement, just a buzz word?
Engagement is a key word in todays pedagogical discussion around education. Engagement, or the lack of, is one of the key reasons that so many schools in New Zealand are now transitioning into "modern learning". It is not the spaces that define whether students are engaged in their learning or not, but the teaching.
Malone and Tranter (2003) discuss authenticity of learning and it's role of engaging students inside the classroom. Learning must be connected to the physical world, and through the eye of authentic contexts. Students must have meaning in their learning - their learning must be geared towards an authentic purpose.
In a classroom (and Mike Scaddon would say above year 4(ish) where students are starting to read to learn rather than learning to read) concepts should be a focus. The Glossary of Education Reform suggests that "...a well-planned curriculum built around authentic-learning experiences can cover all the academic subjects and concepts that students need" Holistic concepts and authentic experiences can easily cover all curriculum areas in a classroom, especially if classrooms run more than one at any one time.
Instead of having our focus on subjects, perhaps we should swing our focus to concepts. For example, a concept focused teacher might say "Before morning tea we are going to have a lesson on building our go-kart. After morning tea we are going to have a lesson on our Syrian refugee crisis project, and after lunch we have our reports we are writing to NIWA on the coastal erosion around the west coast."
These are a complex (for the teacher) but far more engaging (for the students) way of saying "we are doing maths, then reading, and then writing."
This approach to teaching allows teachers to implement "just in time" teaching, where students are taught the answer to a problem when it comes up in their project, and when they feel the need to solve it themselves. The problem becomes authentic, and engaging to try and solve.
References:
CORE White Papers, Modern Learning Environments, Mark Osborne: http://www.core-ed.org/sites/core-ed.org/files/Modern-Learning-Environments-v.1.pdf
The Glossary of Education reform: http://edglossary.org/authentic-learning/
Malone and Tranter (2003) discuss authenticity of learning and it's role of engaging students inside the classroom. Learning must be connected to the physical world, and through the eye of authentic contexts. Students must have meaning in their learning - their learning must be geared towards an authentic purpose.
In a classroom (and Mike Scaddon would say above year 4(ish) where students are starting to read to learn rather than learning to read) concepts should be a focus. The Glossary of Education Reform suggests that "...a well-planned curriculum built around authentic-learning experiences can cover all the academic subjects and concepts that students need" Holistic concepts and authentic experiences can easily cover all curriculum areas in a classroom, especially if classrooms run more than one at any one time.
Instead of having our focus on subjects, perhaps we should swing our focus to concepts. For example, a concept focused teacher might say "Before morning tea we are going to have a lesson on building our go-kart. After morning tea we are going to have a lesson on our Syrian refugee crisis project, and after lunch we have our reports we are writing to NIWA on the coastal erosion around the west coast."
These are a complex (for the teacher) but far more engaging (for the students) way of saying "we are doing maths, then reading, and then writing."
This approach to teaching allows teachers to implement "just in time" teaching, where students are taught the answer to a problem when it comes up in their project, and when they feel the need to solve it themselves. The problem becomes authentic, and engaging to try and solve.
References:
CORE White Papers, Modern Learning Environments, Mark Osborne: http://www.core-ed.org/sites/core-ed.org/files/Modern-Learning-Environments-v.1.pdf
The Glossary of Education reform: http://edglossary.org/authentic-learning/
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