Assessment beyond 2020

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <span style="text-align: start;">Where is external assessment going, and who are we thinking of when we are deciding the future of assessment beyond 2020.  </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OcHcO8rAjIc/WNocesEud_I/AAAAAAAALU8/rni4jIxlA7Uy25QVyDTfr-pXq5Oiwff1QCLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2017-03-28%2B21.18.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OcHcO8rAjIc/WNocesEud_I/AAAAAAAALU8/rni4jIxlA7Uy25QVyDTfr-pXq5Oiwff1QCLcB/s320/Screenshot%2B2017-03-28%2B21.18.02.png" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> This picture is the actual view I was confronted with, walking into our local community college gym, aged 16.  A place where we had played volleyball, netball and cricket was now being used to measure how much we knew about the things we had spent our school lives practically doing inside this hall, to see if I could pass GCSE PE.  It is now clearly ironic the amount of time that we spent actively exerting ourselves and demonstrating competency in the ‘doing’ of the skill was now going to be measured by writing down everything we knew about it in 2hrs to double check we knew what we were supposed to know.  The previous 24hrs before this vista had seen me cramming the information written on tiny ‘flash cards’ into my short term memory, even up to the walk down the corridor to find my seat I was memorising the diagrams I had drawn about things I don’t remember now, and haven’t really thought about since.  It was probably erased from my memory as I already had spent the previous 48hrs remembering everything I needed to know that might come up in the test about Alfred Hitchcock and the film ‘Psycho’ for a media studies exam (sadly the copy of the film I had was recorded from the TV on VHS and missed the opening sequence, unfortunately the main question in the exam was ‘In the opening sequence of the film, describe the symbolism used to depict the narrative texts used in the film’), I’m not sure how I even managed to pass media studies with a B+, but the whole experience traumatised me enough to never want to watch any Hitchcock again and also forget most of the things I crammed into my brain over those intense stress ridden 2 weeks. (By the way I took the picture at my old school, Pilton Community College while I was relieving at the school years later if anyone is thinking, ‘how did Tim sneak a camera into the exam hall in 1998, they were hard to conceal in your clearfile pencil case?!)<br /> <br /> Anyway beyond nostalgia I’d like to think that education and also assessment has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years, however, I’m not confident that it has - you could probably go into your school hall at the start of this summer and you’d be confronted with a similar scene?  Even now you might even be thinking about how you are going to train your senior students to be able to ‘endurance hand-write’ for 3hrs in their English Lit exam, as all they do now is prod at phones with their thumbs or tap away at their keyboards and they don’t have the stamina for it?!  As we know the NZQA triumphantly announced that they would be digitising all exams by 2020, which sounds like an excellent step in the right direction, however is this a just ‘substitution effort’ (like putting a maths worksheet on a google slide presentation), or is it the beginning of bigger and better things?<br /> <br /> In this blog post I want to project past the digitising of exams and look at a longer term vision of where assessment could go? <br /> <br /> Society has changed in the last 20 years, and so have the skills we are expected to have to fit into and contribute to this society - particularly the key competencies that are at the front part of our NZC.  Many people involved in education, and many outside of education would argue that these competencies and a wider range of 21stC or future focussed skills should be integrated into external assessment, and especially digital assessment.  However this overwhelming area is extremely challenging to unpack and discuss how subjective and intangible things can be measured or quantified.  From looking at several models from around the world the short answer is that there is no definitive way to accurately and rigorously measure future focussed (21stC) skills, what it will require is accepting that there will be a range of approaches, and accompanying this it is paramount that a mindset is developed that is prepared to try out new methodologies, and also acknowledge that not everything will be successful. (the long answer is below!)<br /> <br /> <b>Why external assessment?</b><br /> <br /> ‘<i>Who is external assessment for</i>?'  You may have different opinions to this but it very much seems to me that external assessment is for the benefit of others, and not the learner, it is to prove that the learner has acquired something on a nationally comparable scale, either for tertiary, UE or employers - external assessment doesn’t really make too much difference to the learner apart from causing huge stress and anxiety, and perhaps that is the problem - we are assessing in a way that is ‘just in case’ and not authentically applied in any sense.  This was cramming and it worked to scrape me through, but I don’t remember any of it now, is that the intention?...<br /> <br /> I feel the pressure of externalisation has de-professionalised educators to make a judgement.  Do we not trust the most valuable asset in our education system to make the assessments they are qualified to carry out - or do we not trust the appraisal system and ITE of our educators to enable them to be professional enough to do this, as well as understand where 21stC skills fit in?  For that reason I strongly believe that whatever system or platform we create for our students in the future of assessment must be mirrored in our own personal and professional assessment of skills and pedagogy, in doing this we will also understand and acknowledge what it is to be a learner again.  If we are asking our learners to explicitly demonstrate these future focussed skills how are we as educators doing it?<br /> <br /> <b>What could exist that would be more learner centric?</b><br /> <br /> Perhaps the most effective way to enable a future focussed assessment system will be to create an online ‘learning portfolio’, I would veer away from calling it an assessment portfolio as the intention is to capture the learning as it happens, rather than the summative effect of assessment - it is also intended to be a living reflection of the person that owns it, that travels with them on their journey.  The skills that are easiest to teach and easiest to test are now also the skills that are easiest to automate, digitise, and outsource - therefore there will be some complexity to this but through thoughtful and effective use of technology I believe that this concept is achievable.  Portfolios are certainly not a new idea (I have one that I started making at my primary school in a old cardboard box in the loft!), but we have not had the tools to make them fully integrated and reflective of the whole person, they have been made with either outdated slow and clunky interfaces (eg. MyPortfolio), or in clear files and folders which get stored under the bed or in the garage!  This future focussed portfolio will be built on the following things and will give a better idea of the whole learner;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <li>Variety of inputs - inquiry based projects, personal work, personal interests (video of playing guitar, creating a piece of artwork or similar passions), external assessments (thinning out..), external examples of learning, integration of MOOC’s studied through Cousera or EdX, externally based measures of 21stC skills (Dweck Mindset test, Duckworth Grit test Etc.)  This is an expanding list and would be adaptable for the future….</li> <li>Self, peer, and teacher judgements on Cognitive competencies (creativity, critical thinking), interpersonal (communication, collaboration, leadership and global awareness) and intrapersonal (growth mindset, grit, intrinsic motivation, metacognition).  Or simply stick with the KC’s that we have already which can widely accommodate these skills, qualities and attributes</li> <li>Reflection of the region/school/CoL that the learner comes from, it will be personalised or based on the learning challenges that they have set as a collective, for us on the the east coast, what would the Tairāwhti graduate look like?</li> <li>A reflection of the endorsement economy for each individual user (UBER/TradeMe/AirBnB etc.), much like peer ratings or feedback.</li> <li>The capacity to be shared, private or open in various parts.</li> <li>The capacity to be connected to LinkedIn and Seek, and even have an API that will enable this to be searchable within these applications - this would be a way to enable the best graduates find the best suited jobs, learners could almost be ‘headhunted’ from 15 or 16 for the best creative and innovative jobs.</li> <li>Interactive and living.</li> <li>An overarching element of gamification, eg. progress bar to incentivise you completing your profile, use of the appointment mechanic to encourage learners to add something each month or term, badges could also be included?</li> <li>The capability to accommodate learning analytics when they are good enough to tell a story about the attributes of a learner in the future (<a href="http://www.timgander.com/2013/09/learning-analytics-in-secondary-schools.html" target="_blank">here</a> is a post I wrote about this a couple of years ago).  I think this is a huge area and I am quite confident with the emerging trend of the quantified self that this will be a leap in the analysis of learning - combined with machine learning and the ability to customise the paths of learners to an extremely personal level with tools like galvanic skin response we will be able to quantify many of the physiological and cognitive responses to learning, and record and reflect on the process that each individual goes through.</li> <br /> <br /> As I mentioned I believe an underpinning factor of making this work will be if educators are also using this online learning portfolio to record their self, peer and student reflections.  This will not only ensure that this is a tool that has longevity, but our educators will also understand the importance of making these interactions rigorous and in depth.  Our educators should now move away from ‘this is how I will assess you at the end of the term’, with a system like this it should be ‘how will we assess each other?’, how will you let me know that I am doing my job in assisting you to learn, and this will also be reflected in the teacher ‘learning portfolio’.<br /> <br /> Imagine if every learner in New Zealand had a unique and individualised portfolio that was exportable to the rest of the world, we have some extraordinary young people here, we only have to help them prove this to the world - I think that this could be a mechanism that will enable us to celebrate the unique individuals that we have in our education system - a one sized approach will not enable this to flourish.

Assessment beyond 2020

Where is external assessment going, and who are we thinking of when we are deciding the future of assessment beyond 2020.   This p...

Disruption through collaboration..?

<br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uV4NEBZB3_BMhWsF5H_OaXkSYrOqnSA8sBPwKnfAAys/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=6000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe> </div> <br /> <br /> Here are some of my personal reflections of the response to our findings in a recent piece of work.  This research originally examined if and how collaboration has disrupted practice.  It was submitted to the CORE Education Research and Inquiry Symposium at ULearn 2016.  <a href="https://twitter.com/lynleysc" target="_blank">Lynley Schofield</a> and myself are postgrad facilitators at The Mind Lab by Unitec and were intrigued by the disruptive potential of cross sector collaboration.  <a href="http://themindlab.com/postgrad-studies/course-infographic/" target="_blank">The Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice</a> (Digital and Collaborative learning) is a disruptive enabler, designed to bring teachers together to take part in constructive discourse and tangible collaboration through applied assessments.  As we have developed and refined the course over 2 years and with 1700 educators we have enabled more collaborative assessments and discussion time, and heard less deficit theorising with educators blaming other teachers for their perceived shortcomings in learners from other schools. <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggSwmL-Knfo/WAP2GBmd8MI/AAAAAAAALDc/QYHqvxVLtsMisRWzraICvUaOoM0wAQ-QQCEw/s1600/Portable%2BNetwork%2BGraphics%2Bimage-0899A9092AA2-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggSwmL-Knfo/WAP2GBmd8MI/AAAAAAAALDc/QYHqvxVLtsMisRWzraICvUaOoM0wAQ-QQCEw/s320/Portable%2BNetwork%2BGraphics%2Bimage-0899A9092AA2-1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Lynley Schofield</td></tr> </tbody></table> We wanted to follow up this hunch that inter-school collaboration has the potential to disrupt practice with some research which looked into the main factors that support or inhibit such collaboration?  How does such collaboration impact on their perceptions of other schools, and to what extent do teachers perceive that the impact of such collaboration is disruptive to teaching practice?<br /> <br /> The slides above summarise our findings in a digestible way as well exploring the methodology, limitations, recommendations and further questions, and this will be released as a published paper soon but the most valuable part of the experience for us was the discussion after we had presented our research. <br /> <br /> The format for the Research and Inquiry Symposium follows a theme - ours was collaboration and disruption, each researcher is given 20 minutes to present their research and then there is a group discussion facilitated by the host, in this case it was the handsome and approachable <a href="https://twitter.com/HotereBarnes" target="_blank">Alex Hotere-Barnes</a>.  It was a relaxed environment and everyone had the opportunity to speak and ask questions (although I'm sure our discussions could have continued for a long time - and many of them did into the break!)<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PUNqcw1W7o/WAP0RphZNLI/AAAAAAAALDM/qtkLk15qbuoqfdVxmge3wYWLV8zc5yfqgCLcB/s1600/IMG_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3PUNqcw1W7o/WAP0RphZNLI/AAAAAAAALDM/qtkLk15qbuoqfdVxmge3wYWLV8zc5yfqgCLcB/s320/IMG_0409.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie with Alex Hotere-Barnes</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> An interesting part of our methodology was to follow up with teachers who indicated that they would be happy talking on camera about how they thought about inter-school collaboration - it was a second dip into the data collection stage, and allowed us to check our perceptions and assumptions from the first round of data collection, we managed to squeeze 2 of these participant led videos into our short presentation and it was extremely valuable to enable the teachers to tell their stories straight to the audience.  The trends that were identified in the first round of research were around <b>time</b> (how it can hinder or help collaboration, and potentially save time in the long run), and <b>mindset</b> (many teachers spoke of growth and fixed mindsets inhibiting collaboration), we asked the participants to explain their thoughts on thoughts on those two themes without any further guidance from us<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q8IpHKLguOQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q8IpHKLguOQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div> <br /> <br /> The videos unpacked the huge tension of time, it was seen to be an investment to use time wisely to build trust and more importantly empathy.  Positive outcomes from having that time well spent, depended on an organised structure, levels of accountability and the emphasis on making connections.  We have worked through the design thinking process with a wide range of groups at the Mind Lab we see this method as a constructive use of time to contribute to these points.  Essentially time equals trust, <i>if</i> the time is framed in a way to create positive connections.  I often think back to a negative example of this through the traditional 'whole staff meeting' 3-4:30pm, where the practice usually is to read off a sheet of notes that everyone else has printed in front of them, usually someone asks a question when you are about to leave that could have been asked at any other time, and not everyone in the room is involved in the outcome or the answer to the question - this is an investment in time that erodes trust - I always think in those meetings how we could be using the time more constructively, how about we just sat down as a staff group and played a game of Monopoly or Scrabble to build trust?<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syXG-9aj4f8/WAP2Q9KwvmI/AAAAAAAALDc/ApjjwkvF8oMI10N64Gqz_yGR4kS4NouDACEw/s1600/Screenshot%2B2016-10-11%2B17.08.01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-syXG-9aj4f8/WAP2Q9KwvmI/AAAAAAAALDc/ApjjwkvF8oMI10N64Gqz_yGR4kS4NouDACEw/s320/Screenshot%2B2016-10-11%2B17.08.01.png" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <a href="https://twitter.com/BeccaSweeney" target="_blank">Rebecca Sweeney</a> has worked on building collaborative capacity in education extensively and has some brilliant resources <a href="http://rebbeccasweeney.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">here</a> (I really like the podcasts) so it was amazing to have her presence in the session.  Rebecca tweeted the point that when time is listed as a problem there are usually issues around priorities, systems and processes - which made me think; what can an individual teacher do about this without influence at a systems level, <i>or</i> do we all have influence over the priorities, systems and processes that define how we spend the time in our lives - which leads to the second avenue we explored around mindset, and the idea that likeminded individuals had to collaborate together for it to work.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wek8UayqO2Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wek8UayqO2Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div> One of the intriguing outcomes from the original responses was that teachers believed that collaboration had to happen between like minded individuals - after delving into this a bit deeper with the participants in our study it suggested that collaboration is best with diverse groups.  This was one of the points that was discussed after the session with the group - some people in the room mentioned that collaboration only works with like-minded individuals, but I think here we need to revisit what collaboration is, and it goes beyond working together - when you are collaborating it is ok to disagree and challenge the status quo, does this always happen with likeminded individuals?<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I thought about this point a bit more later on in the day, in education many of us may not be like minded at surface level (which I think is a good thing), but perhaps we need to see through this when collaborating and enable ourselves to work together not as likeminded individuals but 'like-passioned' individuals, and our passion is to enrich the lives of young people through learning and growth, as we move into a more collaborative professional environment we need to remind ourselves of this idea more often.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Disruption through collaboration..?

Here are some of my personal reflections of the response to our findings in a recent piece of work.  This research originally examine...

Te Wānanga Whakawhānui - developing the bright young minds in Tairāwhiti.

Some excellent news which was recently in The Gisborne Herald...<br /> <br /> The Mind Lab by Unitec in Gisborne has been successful in applying for the Curious Minds funding from MBIE - The Lab was awarded $26,000 to engage more young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdwCb1r6O3U/V2cpDLETHCI/AAAAAAAAKtc/APmRyDJOSr8nrvHgfCaBxcOlAv2j73xiQCLcB/s1600/DSCF1106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdwCb1r6O3U/V2cpDLETHCI/AAAAAAAAKtc/APmRyDJOSr8nrvHgfCaBxcOlAv2j73xiQCLcB/s400/DSCF1106.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> The funding will be used to create and support Te Wānanga Whakawhānui at The Mind Lab, young people between the ages of 7-18 will be able to apply to be a part of the academy which will be developing the bright young minds in Tairāwhiti.  When learners are part of the academy they will attend afterschool and weekend workshops at The Mind Lab for a gold coin koha - usually these workshops range between $130-$150 for 5-6 sessions, this cost has been subsidised by the funding.  The workshops will be in computer coding, electronics with Arduino, web-design, app development, 3D printing and design.   <br /> <br /> The Mind Lab already has financial subsidies from The Eastland Community Trust and Activate Tairāwhiti for all children to visit through school for $1/hour, last year 5000 children in Tairāwhiti visited the lab.  These visits allow children to experience a wide range of learning experiences and to start thinking about how new technology could be used in their lives, but the Mind Lab has seen much deeper learning in the after school programmes where children have 5-6 weeks to work on projects and turn these thoughts into reality, exploring ideas under the guidance of the expert team.  Recently Hirday Bajaj won a new Arduino MKR1000 in the world’s largest Arduino maker challenge for his hand motion and voice controlled Arduino robot which was made in 6 after school sessions.  Education Director Tim Gander said ‘we were really passionate as a regional lab to make this opportunity accessible to everyone as we see this is where the real change will begin, to have subsidies to support further equitable access will really make a difference to a wide range of young people in the district.  The funding should allow around 270 young people access to long term (5 week) afterschool and weekend workshops this year.’  In addition to the reduced cost The Mind Lab has also adjusted the time of sessions to allow more young people access, Mr.Gander said “we have learnt that the time of sessions and transport have been barriers to participation in the past, Te Wānanga Whakawhānui will be run slightly later, and during the weekends so learners from out of town will be able to attend.”<br /> <br /> The first stage of Te Wānanga Whakawhānui will be 5 open sessions which will be free and run afterschool and at the weekend, the aim of these sessions is to allow young people the chance to find out which workshops they would like to apply for.  The first session is on Tuesday the 28th of June, these taster sessions will cover film, coding, animation, and 3D printing and to register an interest fill in this <a href="http://bit.ly/TMLBUopen" target="_blank">form</a>.  Applications for Te Wānanga Whakawhānui will be circulated through schools/kura and social media<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Te Wānanga Whakawhānui - developing the bright young minds in Tairāwhiti.

Some excellent news which was recently in The Gisborne Herald... The Mind Lab by Unitec in Gisborne has been successful in applying for th...

Celebrating local educators

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2TW073-5Ik/V0vH2DTV4oI/AAAAAAAAKkA/8Bwukd5QkXs6kNDD3mUv67Tz5_ktnRF5wCLcB/s1600/MindLabMarch2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e2TW073-5Ik/V0vH2DTV4oI/AAAAAAAAKkA/8Bwukd5QkXs6kNDD3mUv67Tz5_ktnRF5wCLcB/s640/MindLabMarch2015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graduates of our March 2015 intake</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <div> Last week was a special week for The Mind Lab by Unitec in Gisborne, not only did we discover that we had been successful in our application for funding from the <a href="http://www.curiousminds.nz/assets/UCM-2016-Project-Summaries.pdf" target="_blank">MBIE to support further equitable access to The Mind Lab</a>, but we also had the chance to celebrate the success of our first 32 graduates on our local <a href="http://themindlab.com/programme-overview/" target="_blank">Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice of Digital and Collaborative learning</a>.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> This cohort was an extremely courageous group of early adopters and innovators who dove headfirst into the unknown, these were the first teachers in Gisborne to gain this achievement and they have paved the way for many educators to follow in their footsteps.  They made many sacrifices along the way to gaining the qualification, and in order for them to do this they had tremendous support from whanau and loved ones, as well as their schools and students.  I know all of them stepped out of their comfort zones to make a difference to the learners in front of them each day, they collaborated, questioned and reflected on all areas of their practice and the result was amazing - there were critical discussions, ah-ha moments, tears (mainly of laughter!) and sharing of some amazing practice in our schools at the moment.  New connections, stronger friendships, trust and empathy built up in a small community goes a long way in creating sustainable transformation in Tairāwhiti, and the shared vision of what it means to be educated here.  These teachers now have collectively raised the mana and professionalism of teachers in our region through their steps into the unknown.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The wider community has commented on the increase in confidence of the teachers on the course and several have gone on to leadership roles within school and the wider community, now the focus is on these teachers to make a difference in the future of learning in our region.  </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The most important steps are still to come, we have had the first wave of teachers complete the course, and to date we have over 10% of educators in the district either graduated or studying on the PG cert.  However to make a real difference the target is to have over quarter of the educators in Tairāwhiti graduating from the course.  This will create real momentum and the benefits will be widespread.  There are further opportunities to come from this study, either to continue on further research with exciting professional development like the <a href="https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjPq_DEgoHNAhXkJKYKHS2nAPAQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.education.govt.nz%2Fministry-of-education%2Fspecific-initiatives%2Finvesting-in-educational-success%2Fteacher-led-innovation-fund%2F&usg=AFQjCNEnXAZk8qI9UMKzKhoDv1s0t4pmRg&sig2=HJb02F_5Zr5gaXAl3mFh7g" target="_blank">Teacher Led Innovation Fund</a>, or continue on the pathway with The Mind Lab in working on our MEd in either <a href="https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-2KXZgoHNAhXmYqYKHdKoBWkQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unitec.ac.nz%2Fcareer-and-study-options%2Fapplied-practice%2Fmaster-of-applied-practice&usg=AFQjCNFparJpOYxZ4V6uzH3tMN9Cpa7O6w&sig2=j6PPA8sZDbkcJ4sPIooKkQ" target="_blank">applied practice</a> or <a href="https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjvuePwgoHNAhWmFaYKHVcbDNsQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unitec.ac.nz%2Fcareer-and-study-options%2Feducational-leadership-and-management%2Fmaster-of-educational-leadership-and-management&usg=AFQjCNF7qQAB7H6uor1unhpmZE3n7f7HbA&sig2=7yUnQ0AwY7UjCoD0IUIufg&bvm=bv.123325700,d.dGY" target="_blank">educational leadership</a>.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> This coming July the PG course will taking a break in Gisborne and will be travelling to Ruatoria, and working with Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Waiū o Ngāti Porou to collaborate with another inspiring cohort of educators on the East Coast.</div>

Celebrating local educators

Graduates of our March 2015 intake Last week was a special week for The Mind Lab by Unitec in Gisborne, not only did we discover that...

Reimagine education

<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WubADU-tmk0/VjqvG_1C0jI/AAAAAAAAJTw/XPY9eih2i5Q/s1600/410499286_60abb1bfe8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WubADU-tmk0/VjqvG_1C0jI/AAAAAAAAJTw/XPY9eih2i5Q/s320/410499286_60abb1bfe8_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoftheref/410499286/in/photolist-CgV8U-4DhjWp-9Gb81z-9ahFPp-9vxtXp-CgV8M-danbDR-99BAs7-7LBk8W-d9wQcG-wAxFqU-wCb6nQ-wmgnXA-vFZww4-7LxCe8-9aTMg1-9c1fqL-7LxnW8-4DmAcm-9Lphvv-9oAFki-4Uwvna-d8UA8w-7LBSHQ-wmmedx-vFYsrx-wmni6v-wAypNu-vFQLiS-wAxYwC-vFQtbW-wAwCHm-DcqKj-d9rZDj-nCnjZd-iTHoJj-bbxira-bbxjrg-bbxifg-wmgRjE-d9wQ1f-DcqLn-nnVkMV-972MAh-97iBXz-d9rZps-nCnjq7-nEcNnU-nE8cqM-nE8cb8" target="_blank">Geof Wilson</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://gisborneherald.co.nz/opinion/1995052-135/reimagining-education" target="_blank">This</a> is a recent opinion piece that I wrote in the Gisborne Herald, although some of the points are 'sensationalised' I am aiming to mobilise community support to consider how important education is and how everyone should be involved in reimagining this in Gisborne.  The children we have here are amazing, we only have to help them prove it.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://gisborneherald.co.nz/opinion/1995052-135/reimagining-education" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qeHmqcf3ZxY/VjqttXR1oCI/AAAAAAAAJTk/loPES0mqXUc/s640/Screenshot%2B2015-11-05%2B14.15.09.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <div class="WE Styles-BodyCopy" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'PT Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20.8px;"> <br /></div> </blockquote>

Reimagine education

Image from  Geof Wilson This  is a recent opinion piece that I wrote in the Gisborne Herald, although some of the points are '...

Flipping shift your practice

<br /> <div> Several years ago I adopted a flipped approach to learning in PE as we were short on devices and technology in our classroom, we were known as a 1:1 iPad school, one iPad in one school!  As a class we were aiming to move to a more digital environment but didn’t have the equipment, so the obvious choice was to move to a flipped model.  I was happy to find out that most (65 out of 70) students had access to computers and the internet at home.  Special arrangements were made for the learners who did not have access like loan devices, and access to school devices during and after school.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Several years on and educators are still talking about flipping the classroom and it was our topic at The Mind Lab this week, there was some great discussion around the concept and different ways it could be implemented effectively - so I thought I would re-visit again.  The idea behind a flipped model of education is that much of the content is covered outside of the classroom through bite sized (under 10 minute) video clips, quizzes and collaborative discussions.  Subsequently deeper learning can occur in the classroom through face to face discussion which can apply, evaluate and contextualise the content as well as enhancing collaborative activities, strengthening relationships, developing communication skills and other key competencies.  The pedagogical approach has to be adapted and the mode of teaching must change to a more student orientated practice as the content (often teacher led) part of the session has already been covered.  A flipped method fits in extremely well with many different learning areas but particularly links well and supports active learning experiences; more time for hands on learning and less time stuck in the classroom </div> <div> <br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qhqcv8SxVuo/Vd5R3NTYiuI/AAAAAAAAI9k/QR68JcdZZKw/s1600/IMG_9788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qhqcv8SxVuo/Vd5R3NTYiuI/AAAAAAAAI9k/QR68JcdZZKw/s320/IMG_9788.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flipping allows more time for active learning</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> However, flipping the classroom can be a time consuming process, to be effective, authentic and personalised for the learners that you see everyday you should be the one who creates the videos and resources that you are asking the students to watch - this adds a level of personability, and also allows you to add in your own humor, anecdotes and personal touches that the students enjoy - it is not suitable to simply direct students to 4 youtube clips on biomechanics that highlight some content and then answer a google form about it.  An integral element that is often missed is the collaborative online space that must support any flipped approach.  If this is missing it would also be possible to argue that the flipped classroom doesn’t adhere to the constructivist ideologies that we are advocating in much of our modern learning practices.  The teacher is still spending a large amount of time ‘feeding’ the learners predetermined content through online lectures, unless it is done with a conscious shift in the way teachers spend time in the classroom then it will simply turn into another way of doing homework on a computer, or allowing even more time for ‘jug to mug’ style instruction in the classroom, again a pedagogical shift is the key to making the integration of technology worthwhile, perhaps an antidote to this would be to ‘flip the teacher’ and allow the students to run the class, allowing constructivist approaches?  If a flipped classroom is utilised it needs to allow students to develop at their own pace and have access to a wide range of open educational resources that will allow them support and extension for it to be flexible and worthwhile.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> This video is a resource that we shared which integrates some blended learning principles to encourage a step in the direction of classroom flipping.  It also highlights some important points around how flipped classrooms could go wrong, as well as suggestions on how they could work well!  A shift from traditional learning culture is the main element that will support this style of learning, not the technology or access to it.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hhq3Yn_QgIA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hhq3Yn_QgIA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div> <div> <br /></div>

Flipping shift your practice

Several years ago I adopted a flipped approach to learning in PE as we were short on devices and technology in our classroom, we were know...

Getting to grips with emerging technologies

Here is an <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201766481/teachers-learning-how-to-make-the-best-use-of-technology" target="_blank">interview</a> from Radio New Zealand National where I had the opportunity to talk about how The Mind Lab by Unitec can be the catalyst in transformational change in our district.  The Eastland Community Trust and Activate Tairawhiti have been instrumental in allowing amazing opportunities for all of our learners, students and teachers through access to emerging technologies and hands-on learning experiences.<br /> <br /> From RNZ national...<br /> "Tablets, smart phones, applications, animation and building games like Minecraft are ubiquitous in households..... but how do teachers get to grips with emerging technologies and ensure they are used to enhance learning in the classroom? The Mind Lab by Unitec is running post-graduate courses for teachers to learn to make the most of the digital age through learning opportunities in Auckland, Gisborne, Wellington and Christchurch. Tim Gander is the Centre Director for the Gisborne Lab."<br /> <br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="62px" src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/remote-player?id=201766481" width="100%"></iframe> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PRlepdqS6OE/Vc10YnOlO0I/AAAAAAAAIcQ/NcuDSHyGu40/s1600/IMG_4820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PRlepdqS6OE/Vc10YnOlO0I/AAAAAAAAIcQ/NcuDSHyGu40/s320/IMG_4820.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <br />

Getting to grips with emerging technologies

Here is an interview from Radio New Zealand National where I had the opportunity to talk about how The Mind Lab by Unitec can be the cataly...

Augmented reality in PE

Here is a recent piece I wrote for <a href="http://www.penz.org.nz/" target="_blank">PENZ</a> about innovation in physical education, but it could be adapted to any subject area, AR is an area which can be applied in an interdisciplinary way.  These ideas are inspired by some of the areas we work on at <a href="http://themindlab.com/" target="_blank">The Mind Lab by Unitec</a>.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="IMG_3398.PNG" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AEFHRzlGy83Xm9qiT8K7wSINDn6HNOeQqz9RAZLDA0Eht9-vL8mG9cX7uleMOabOKE4yWDEq_0SB6yPRPRGAThiCrPR-nMdj_hoQ77I7XQ09Jl3UP5LRJvt08lD-dc2OKqQ3h_4b3A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son with an Augmented Reality book.</td></tr> </tbody></table> 'When a woman becomes pregnant her breasts augment, they increase in value, and usually size, due to the impending birth and need for sustenance for the new born child. Therefore when something is augmented it has a useful function added to it, and in the instance of augmented reality we are attempting to add value to real life.  I was wondering if this was an inappropriate way to introduce augmented reality, but since we are all PE/Health educators I feel we have a good understanding of the scientific uses of the human body in describing something! Augmented reality (AR) along with virtual reality (VR) are two rapidly evolving disruptive technologies that have the potential to revolutionise teaching and learning in the next decade, or earlier if predictions from the Horizon Report and CORE Education's Ten Trends are accurate. VR has recently had more exposure with Facebook buying up kickstarter funded ‘Occulus Rift’. This technology is also spreading with Google’s interest in developing ‘Google Cardboard’ which allows anyone to have immersive VR experiences with an android phone and what looks like part of a cereal box.<br /> <br /> However, AR is more of a fit for physical education as there is still interaction with the physical environment around us. For a potential discussion starter for students it is worth watching a TED talk from ex- NFL player Chris Kluwe about how AR could revolutionise the game of American Football. Players would have heads up displays (HUDs) in their helmets that can identify opposition moving speed, probability of them tackling you and where/when you should release the ball so you score the winning point (is this still sport or merely entertainment?). However, he maintains that an overall benefit is the ability to build empathy and understanding of what other people are experiencing - which is interesting when incorporating hauora and wellbeing through sport. This technology is being developed by AR company Dacquri that has created a helmet to assist industry workers in a variety of fields to reduce errors and enhance productivity. Again, approaches in other fields are having knock-on effects in education.<br /> <br /> So at last, 1980s science fiction has finally come to life and Robocop style helmets will soon allow you to scan your class visually and work out who is a potential threat and will need to be eliminated! Maybe not this year, but currently there are several apps and tools that are beginning to leverage off of the power of AR to engage learners in some useful value added learning. Anatomy 4D is the first one that has managed to create an interactive model of the human body, and the heart that you can manipulate through using a mobile device. Another interesting app is Aurasma, which allows you to create ‘auras’ that come to life when scanned with a mobile device. When combined with ‘Aurasma Studio’ this can really bring learning to life. It could be used to showcase student work or create interactive displays. Even treasure hunts or orienteering activities could be built around this tool.<br /> Some schools have started creating interactive newsletters, where instead of simply showing a picture of a student running the 100m in record time, the parent can scan the image and it will be able to show the whole performance! One last app that is quite fun is ‘Zombies, run!’ which places the student in a world that is inhabited by zombies. Through listening to the soundtrack on headphones when running - the app uses your location and speed data to work out how fast you are moving and where you are and adjusts the threat of zombies accordingly. If you are running too slowly the zombies will start catching up with you - this is also a really good example of the gamification of learning.<br /> <br /> With investment from large companies, hopefully augmented reality is on track to grow into something quite useful, and when used thoughtfully can be something that really enhances Physical Education and Health - and is not just a tool that is aesthetically pleasing.'<br /> <br /> Thanks to Shelly Hunt from Team Solutions at AUT for asking me to write something, the full publication is available <a href="http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/content/download/154152/1143313/file/Health%20and%20physical%20education,%20term%203,%202015.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>...<br /> <div> <br /></div>

Augmented reality in PE

Here is a recent piece I wrote for PENZ about innovation in physical education, but it could be adapted to any subject area, AR is an area ...

Perspectives on learner agency

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQoSNCnpKYw/VWLtdV-bnmI/AAAAAAAAIHE/F64fNWVn8G8/s1600/Screenshot%2B2015-05-22%2B15.53.38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQoSNCnpKYw/VWLtdV-bnmI/AAAAAAAAIHE/F64fNWVn8G8/s320/Screenshot%2B2015-05-22%2B15.53.38.png" width="500" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> Last year I spent plenty of time thinking and reflecting about my own practice as a classroom teacher - I developed a need to question everything I was doing - you could attribute this to the action research process, but also the necessity to understand why I was even in a classroom with other humans trying to teach them - whatever that entails, I was challenging myself with questions around what learning, knowledge or even teaching was - and why were we spending so much time doing whatever we were doing for <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/EDIF%202014--N22%20(eng).pdf" target="_blank">around 8000 hours</a>? <br /> <br /> I had started thinking about this again as I watched an EdTalk that had just been released that was filmed during the whirlwind which was ULearn 2014.  The talk was about the learner agency work I had been focussed on, this again rekindled my ideas around the term and questioned my understanding of agency, and how I was supporting the concept in my teaching.  I feel I need to revisit this again after watching myself talk so enthusiastically about it - you can witness the excitement through my right eyebrow alone (there will be a prize for the person who can count the number of gesticulation's that it produces during the 6:30 minute clip!)<br /> <br /> From a teacher's perspective I believe that learner agency is about listening, listening to the students but also enabling them all to have a voice - to be effective this must be supported by <a href="http://www.timgander.com/2014/09/e-learning-agency-and-udl.html" target="_blank">Universal Design for Learning</a>, meaning that there must be multiple means for people to communicate across a variety of settings.  When you listen to the learners you can then support their individual needs and adapt to where they would like to go in regards to their learning journey.  Completing a google form about what the students would like to explore for the year may be a small part of gaining this voice but it alone is not effectively embracing learner agency - the methods must be responsive and dynamic, accessible and even asynchronous to enable all learners to have a voice and the ability to direct the design of learning.<br /> <br /> From the learner’s perspective I think a large element of agency is knowing that you are being listened to, your voice is valued and supported - and in doing that the learner understands that they have the power to make decisions and fulfil actions that will make a difference, a positive outcome is required from the actions of an agentic learner.  Through embracing agency effectively we can support empathy, communication and motivation of the individual to make a difference to the collective.<br /> <br /> From a whanau perspective agency can be a term that can perhaps be seen as edu-jargon (see <a href="http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html" target="_blank">this generator </a>to completely alienate any parent!), but when emphasised that agency is allowing students to drive their learning it makes more sense.  Moving away from jumping on the bus where the teacher is the driver and they take them to the NCEA WOF station, and towards allowing the learner to have their own vehicle so that they can go the wildest road trip of their dreams! The teacher will have to give them some fundamental instructions or maps so that they don't get lost, and keep track of where they are going, as well as encourage them to drive in a way that considers the environment around them, and perhaps even pick up a few hitch-hikers on the way.  Maybe I am getting a bit carried away here with the driving metaphor but a holistic view of where the learner is going, where they are in relation to others, as well as who is with them on the journey is needed to make agency work, and enable learners to be self-directed and motivated to define their own success. <br /> <br /> For anyone who is interested I am still looking for ways to have both of the things I mentioned at the end of the video, it doesn't need to be one or the other.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/116588118?color=cc3a35&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://vimeo.com/116588118">Tim Gander</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/edtalksnz">EDtalks</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div>

Perspectives on learner agency

Last year I spent plenty of time thinking and reflecting about my own practice as a classroom teacher - I developed a need to question...

The #gigatown phoenix

It was devastating to miss out on winning the Gigatown competition by 0.2%, especially as this was due to a social media element which Gisborne was completely disadvantaged in due to our smaller population compared to Dunedin (the overall winner).  It was even more frustrating to hear that our 'plan for success' was a clear winner with all judges agreeing that it was the strongest proposal.  I believe the investment that Chorus and many other companies would have put into our region had the potential for the most radical transformation out of all of the final contenders.<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KI1mhC5EOtw/VPir4jghDYI/AAAAAAAAH9Q/8ifZrKhUguU/s1600/GOPR0074%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KI1mhC5EOtw/VPir4jghDYI/AAAAAAAAH9Q/8ifZrKhUguU/s1600/GOPR0074%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div> <br> <br> The discussions that arose from all the hard work that so many people in the Gisborne community invested in have recently come back into the limelight as a steering group has been formed to action many of the ideas proposed in our original plan, this is extremely exciting as the momentum that was built around the competition bought together large groups of people from different sectors that would not have usually worked together.  Here are my original thoughts around how the 'gig' would have benefitted education in Gisborne, I must also relay many thanks to the amazing and thoughtful Maurice Alford who worked on reducing it to the stipulated word count and had brilliant insight into how many of the ideas overlapped and supported each other...  To have a look at the final plan follow this <a href="http://gigatown.co.nz/gig-success/sites/default/files/plans/Gisborne%20Gig%20Success%20Plan%20FINAL_0.pdf" target="_blank">link</a>.<br> <br> Education plays a key role in our plan for our future. Well before the Gigatown competition began, the Eastland Community Trust commissioned research to identify ways in which to improve our local education scene and establish a pathway towards making Gisborne a Learning City.  There is a clear recognition that investing in strengthening education in our community will produce the best medium and long-term results for our local economy, social cohesiveness, and general quality of life for all our citizens and enable confident, connected, actively involved life-long learners. <br> <br> We recognise that technology alone cannot produce the changes required, because our goal is to enable sustainable transformation in Tairawhiti, taking advantage of the rich cultural diversity in our region and  enabling a more inclusive approach for all learners.  Gigabit services will contribute to improving  education in our communities by:<br> <br> ●      enabling more equitable online access;<br> ●      allowing us to more actively promote digital literacy and digital citizenship;<br> ●      allowing schools to better share inclusive culturally-responsive approaches;<br> ●      promoting modern learning practices;<br> ●      encouraging the development of modern learning environments; and<br> ●      enhancing collaborative, connected learning communities.<br> <br>

The #gigatown phoenix

It was devastating to miss out on winning the Gigatown competition by 0.2%, especially as this was due to a social media element which Gisbo...

Summarising learner agency, an empirical approach

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly3r5hm1Df4/UyzxgrdxV0I/AAAAAAAAE1g/LI2DMbcPsAM/s1600/Sky_Tower_from_Mt_Eden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly3r5hm1Df4/UyzxgrdxV0I/AAAAAAAAE1g/LI2DMbcPsAM/s1600/Sky_Tower_from_Mt_Eden.JPG" height="213" width="320"></a></div> <br> <br> <br> This video is a summary of the work I have done around learner agency this year as part of my <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/107614529313778851916" target="_blank">+CORE Education Limited</a> eFellowship.  It has been an amazing year and I have had several opportunities to talk about my research, I recently returned from the #PENZ inspired leaders conference where I presented on the research panel, it was rewarding to know there were other people who were interested in what I was doing as this was a topic I chose through seeing a gap in what was known about how we could change education in traditional settings to fit a more agentic approach - there is plenty written, tweeted and blogged about around what is happening in new innovative institutions (which is great) but it can get disheartening for people who teach in schools that are not so dynamic and set up for modern learning practices.<br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOE1A28XcoU?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div> <br> <br> This whole process has been amazingly valuable for my students and myself, hopefully it can also be constructive for others in similar situations as well.<br> <br> At this stage I'd really like to thank <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/111423647346883345353" target="_blank">+John Fenaughty</a>, <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/109309652383016292284" target="_blank">+Louise Taylor</a> and the #Efellows14 for their support and encouragement through the whole process.<br> <br> Here are the links to the documents that are mentioned in the video, please use and modify as needed.<br> <br>

Summarising learner agency, an empirical approach

This video is a summary of the work I have done around learner agency this year as part of my  +CORE Education Limited  eFellowship.  I...

Learner Agency part II: descending into the abyss....

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> In this second instalment of the adventure Han Solo, Chewie, Luke and the droids have escaped Tatowiine and are embarking on a mission to Aldaraan to rescue Princess Leia….to keep in with the monomyth plot we are now entering the road of trials, where things will test us and many challenges await.  To read the first part of the adventure <a href="http://nzteachnology.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/a-call-to-adventure-learner-agency-in.html" target="_blank">have a look at this post</a>.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WTUn13yVhpQ/VBoFVP6j2gI/AAAAAAAAG3Y/ilZwKlaK8hQ/s1600/movie-maps-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WTUn13yVhpQ/VBoFVP6j2gI/AAAAAAAAG3Y/ilZwKlaK8hQ/s1600/movie-maps-5.jpg" height="640" width="529"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how my brain works when I’m mapping out what has happened this year….Illustration: Andrew DeGraff </td></tr> </tbody></table> <br> This enquiry has been a cyclical process, and at this stage as a class we have been successful in co-constructing agency, investigating metacognition, and exploring how we learn as a class - but as on <br>

Learner Agency part II: descending into the abyss....

In this second instalment of the adventure Han Solo, Chewie, Luke and the droids have escaped Tatowiine and are embarking on a mission to A...