evo2010mlit
Notes on the seminar
Hello everybody!
I've had problems with my Inet connection and couldn't comment on anything in the way I would have liked: in order.
So far I have already watched Dr Welch videolecture- yes, I do agree with all the partcipants here, amazing lecturer, amazing teacher. I have taken a few notes from his wise recommendations and IMHO, there are two central issues that I'd rather quote:
1. STUDENTS LEARN WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT, FROM PEOPLE THEY CARE ABOUT, AND WHO, THEY KNOW, CARE ABOUT THEM. Barbara Harrel Carson
This is essential to education, if teachers do not show respect and sympathy for their students they will not feel involved in any teaching-learning process at all, no matter how digital-literate you are. As it is said in the other video: We need to engage them, not enrage them
2. To learn is to create meaningful connections.
Dr. Welch gives us a few clues in order to create students who can create meaningful connections and therefore significant learning products, so to speak.
1. Find a grand narrative to provide relevance and context for learning (addresses semantic meaning)
What do you understand by a grand narrative?
The concept of grand narrative introduced by Jean-François Lyotard in his classic 1979 work The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge referred to the the kind of meta-narrative which talks, not just about “one damn thing after another”, but sees some kind of interconnection between events, an inner connection between events related to one another, a succession of social systems, the gradual development of social conditions, and so on – in other words, is able in some way to make sense of history. More particularly, the “narrative of emancipation” is all those conceptions which try to make sense of history, rather than just isolated events in history, concepts like “class struggle”, socialism and capitalism, productive forces and so on.
So, when referring to students and teaching I guess we need to make students see the point of it all. and to be able to create meaningful teaching-learning environments, in other words, students must know in advanced why they are reading this or writing that, or using 21st century educational paradigm, tagging this, podcasting that.
2. Create a learning environment that values and leverages the learners themselves (addresses personal meaning)
That is an issue still pending as well. We normally concentrate on our outdated syllabuses and forget what is education about and that anything we do or teach must be student-centered.
3. The challenge for (higher) learning is to create learning environments that realize and leverage the emerging media environment, creating platforms for participation that allow students to realize and leverage the emerging media environment
Absolutely right as a conclusion, but we miss a crucial factor, teachers must be willing to create those platforms, and those tools and digital environments do not come out of the blue one day. Do you personally know many teachers actually involved in those matters? I don't. I feel lonely in this digital universe in Spain, I can't work cooperatively with almost anybody. Most teachers I know and work with are completely digitally illiterate. In Ms. Cofino words:
why aren’t more teachers arriving at schools with some background in this model of teaching and learning and anxiously paving the way for those teachers that may not have transitioned as recently? Why are we always selling this idea like we’re the first ones to ever think of it? Shouldn’t most of our new teachers (and possibly administrators) have experience in this model already?
Embedding this new model for teaching and learning into the curriculum development process is a natural way to institutionalize change - if it becomes part of our curriculum, it becomes part of our teaching and learning practice. No, no, that's not so easy. The Spanish legislation framework on eduaction clearlyly includes the ICT in the national curriculum, it is already institutionalized but not incorporated to the teaching practice. A crying shame!
Along with shifting curriculum practices, teachers will need professional development support through technical training, pedagogical training, mentorship, outside voices, on-site experts, and one-on-one support. This could include the establishment of a professional learning network for teachers like Julie Lindsay has done at Qatar Academy, or it could be the creation of streamlined and consistent professional development like we have running at ISB, or developing a formal teacher-mentor program.
We do have free teaching training courses and there a few learning networks already in existence but it is necessary to shake the tree constantly
We do have free teaching training courses and there a few learning networks already in existence here but it is necessary to shake the tree constantly.
Another important aspect of reflection is sharing our successes. Finding consistent ways to publicize success - not only within the school, but also to the wider school community, helps teachers gain confidence, explore new areas of teaching and learning, and promote positive attitudes towards this change. We can often get bogged down with solving problems, but sometimes the solution is sharing success.
I agree completely. Lifelong learning should be a must in our profession: sharing our successes or simply our experiences is both formative and enriching.
I’m sure there are other pieces to this complex puzzle that I forgot. What am I missing?
I think anyone can figure out what my answer to this question is: Teachers willing to make the change, that's all it takes.
I'm really grateful for the opportunity to join this seminar. Thank you all.
Rosa.
<</body>
I've had problems with my Inet connection and couldn't comment on anything in the way I would have liked: in order.
So far I have already watched Dr Welch videolecture- yes, I do agree with all the partcipants here, amazing lecturer, amazing teacher. I have taken a few notes from his wise recommendations and IMHO, there are two central issues that I'd rather quote:
1. STUDENTS LEARN WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT, FROM PEOPLE THEY CARE ABOUT, AND WHO, THEY KNOW, CARE ABOUT THEM. Barbara Harrel Carson
This is essential to education, if teachers do not show respect and sympathy for their students they will not feel involved in any teaching-learning process at all, no matter how digital-literate you are. As it is said in the other video: We need to engage them, not enrage them
2. To learn is to create meaningful connections.
Dr. Welch gives us a few clues in order to create students who can create meaningful connections and therefore significant learning products, so to speak.
1. Find a grand narrative to provide relevance and context for learning (addresses semantic meaning)
What do you understand by a grand narrative?
The concept of grand narrative introduced by Jean-François Lyotard in his classic 1979 work The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge referred to the the kind of meta-narrative which talks, not just about “one damn thing after another”, but sees some kind of interconnection between events, an inner connection between events related to one another, a succession of social systems, the gradual development of social conditions, and so on – in other words, is able in some way to make sense of history. More particularly, the “narrative of emancipation” is all those conceptions which try to make sense of history, rather than just isolated events in history, concepts like “class struggle”, socialism and capitalism, productive forces and so on.
So, when referring to students and teaching I guess we need to make students see the point of it all. and to be able to create meaningful teaching-learning environments, in other words, students must know in advanced why they are reading this or writing that, or using 21st century educational paradigm, tagging this, podcasting that.
2. Create a learning environment that values and leverages the learners themselves (addresses personal meaning)
That is an issue still pending as well. We normally concentrate on our outdated syllabuses and forget what is education about and that anything we do or teach must be student-centered.
3. The challenge for (higher) learning is to create learning environments that realize and leverage the emerging media environment, creating platforms for participation that allow students to realize and leverage the emerging media environment
Absolutely right as a conclusion, but we miss a crucial factor, teachers must be willing to create those platforms, and those tools and digital environments do not come out of the blue one day. Do you personally know many teachers actually involved in those matters? I don't. I feel lonely in this digital universe in Spain, I can't work cooperatively with almost anybody. Most teachers I know and work with are completely digitally illiterate. In Ms. Cofino words:
why aren’t more teachers arriving at schools with some background in this model of teaching and learning and anxiously paving the way for those teachers that may not have transitioned as recently? Why are we always selling this idea like we’re the first ones to ever think of it? Shouldn’t most of our new teachers (and possibly administrators) have experience in this model already?
Embedding this new model for teaching and learning into the curriculum development process is a natural way to institutionalize change - if it becomes part of our curriculum, it becomes part of our teaching and learning practice. No, no, that's not so easy. The Spanish legislation framework on eduaction clearlyly includes the ICT in the national curriculum, it is already institutionalized but not incorporated to the teaching practice. A crying shame!
Along with shifting curriculum practices, teachers will need professional development support through technical training, pedagogical training, mentorship, outside voices, on-site experts, and one-on-one support. This could include the establishment of a professional learning network for teachers like Julie Lindsay has done at Qatar Academy, or it could be the creation of streamlined and consistent professional development like we have running at ISB, or developing a formal teacher-mentor program.
We do have free teaching training courses and there a few learning networks already in existence but it is necessary to shake the tree constantly
We do have free teaching training courses and there a few learning networks already in existence here but it is necessary to shake the tree constantly.
Another important aspect of reflection is sharing our successes. Finding consistent ways to publicize success - not only within the school, but also to the wider school community, helps teachers gain confidence, explore new areas of teaching and learning, and promote positive attitudes towards this change. We can often get bogged down with solving problems, but sometimes the solution is sharing success.
I agree completely. Lifelong learning should be a must in our profession: sharing our successes or simply our experiences is both formative and enriching.
I’m sure there are other pieces to this complex puzzle that I forgot. What am I missing?
I think anyone can figure out what my answer to this question is: Teachers willing to make the change, that's all it takes.
I'm really grateful for the opportunity to join this seminar. Thank you all.
Rosa.
<</body>
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