Contemporary issues and trends in NZ or internationally

Trends:
Trends are ever evolving. They change and flow like the ebb of a tide. In 2015 as an 
e-Leader and part of the LWDT, I attended a number of workshops at Core Ed. One of these involved looking at trends - specifically the 10 Trends that Core Ed had put together. This was huge. I was well of some trends here and there, e.g. moving towards more collaborative teaching and student led learning but these 10 trends certainly put into perspective the possible future of education. I have left the 2015 trends on my blog. Already you can see a change between the 2015 trends and the 2016 trends. Although it is not huge, it is still change. Trends are never static as the evolve into something else depending on the direction it was heading.

2016 Core Ed's 10 Trends

What is a trend?
A term which refers to the ‘statistically observable change or general orientation of a general movement’ (Visser & Gagnon, 2005). A general direction in which something is developing or changing. Dator (2009) talks about 'trends analysis' which focuses on things that are already on the way but not yet commonplace. This certainly is evident in the 10 Trends above...certainly happening in some places in education but not yet commonplace. The two following trends I have investigated...

Rethinking how schools work: (NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition)

• There is a focus towards reinventing the whole school experience. A movement that is being driven by innovative learning practices. This is being influenced by project and challenge based learning. These type of practices call for school structures to be more fluid to enable students to move from learning activity to another, removing the time limitations of the traditional bell schedule. As learning becomes more fluid and student centred there needs to be more room for schedules to be more flexible to allow for authentic learning to take place. Also being taken into consideration are teenagers and sleep deprivation which can interfere with learning e.g. later start times (8.30am) has improved attendances and academic performance.
• Alternative forms of assessment: Finnish schools do not receive grades before the 5th grade. They focus on self reflections. Globally much research is being done on redefining assessment around creativity. The 2013 OECD report (see ref below) "The first steps towards new forms of formative assessment" is one. They identified 5 key areas for assessment: Inquisitive, Persistent, Imaginative, Collaborative and Disciplined.

Digital Badges:

• Usually a part of gamification, the use of digital badges is gaining traction and most recently with Khan Academy. Badges are a way to grant certification for formal and informal learning. They assess learning based on outcomes rather than 'seat time.' Digital badges are being used to help track, capture and visualise learning in a way that motivates students. While badges are not yet used widely in education, more and more educators are using this approach to demonstrate a student's learning path - a method that encompases much more than traditional grades and credits.

• Digital badges have been great for obtaining soft skills like problem solving, persistence and communication. They are also being used to increase teacher development. A number of USA schools have introduced badging in recognition of teachers further education.

• A growing number of educators are welcoming badges as an alternative in showing a more concrete indication of what students have achieved.

Issues:

Dator (2009) explains that 'emerging issue analysis' looks at things that are just emerging and have not yet become commonplace or a well established trend.

Leadership for Improvement: (Education Review Office. (2012)

• Leadership for Improvement: Research is quite conclusive about the effects good leadership can have on teaching and learning. The area this report focuses on as having the most impact on students learning is the promotion and participation of teachers in their own learning and development. Teaching practice was particularly influenced by leaders who are actively involved with teachers leading learning in their school. Continued development as Teacher as Inquiry is necessary for leaders to cultivate in order to improve student success. There is a strong interrelationship between what teachers teach and what the students learn. Teachers and leaders need to try different approaches to teaching and learning to benefit students. Leaders need to respectfully challenge teachers thinking, especially having them reflect on some of their habitual teacher practices so that the focus of their work is always on students learning.

My thoughts:

1. This paradigm shift in education is huge. Teachers need support and professional development to navigate their way ahead. While this change appears to be 'rapid' out there in the big wide world, it is currently not being reflected in enough of our classrooms. Teachers need to see what this new 21st Century learning is about. Too many teachers, leaders and schools are doing it own their own. What about a more co-ordinated effort to spread the knowledge and professional development quicker? Teaching is no longer an isolated profession.

References:
Dato, J. (2009, July). Trend analysis vs emerging issues analysis. Retrieved May 29, 2016, from http://www.futures.hawaii.edu/publications/futures-theories-methods/TrendVsEIA2009.pdf

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Education Review Office. (2012). Evaluation at a Glance: Priority Learners in New Zealand Schools - Education Review Office. Retrieved 5 May 2015, from http://www.ero.govt.nz/About-Us/News-Media-Releases2/The-three-most-pressing-issues-for-N

Lucas, B., Claxton, G., & Spencer, E. (2013, January 10). Progression of student creativity in school: First steps towards new forms of formative assessment. OECD working paper no.86. Retrieved May 29, 2016, from http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=EDU/WKP(2013)1&docLanguage=En 

Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

This is a very hurried post and one I will add to later with more substance. I just wanted to get Ali-Carr's TED talk out there as the area of gamifying learning is becoming a passion of mine. 

This is a great TED talk about why we need to re-engage boys learning through gaming. It is about bringing education to their level rather than what we, as educators, perceive how they should learn. This includes what they learn. We are failing many of our boys.  I am already on this journey of how to engage students more in their learning through gamification. Reflecting on my home class and my team, I am seeing a growing number of boys 'restless' with their learning. Through conversations, I know these boys love gaming.

I am not talking about online games that are skill and drill. While they have there place, they are not sustainable for a continued growth in learning as they become repetitive and boredom sets in.  I am talking about gaming that challenges, decisions having to be made as to the best course of action to achieve an end goal, levelling up as skills are gained and collaboration with others to name a few. This is about connecting educators with game designers to create story narratives.  Wikipedia describes game based learning as...

Game based learning (GBL) as a type of gameplay that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game-based learning is designed to balance subject matter with gameplay and the ability of the player to retain and apply the said subject matter to the real world.

This is the direction we need to head. Is it the only way to engage these boys - of course not but it is certainly meeting them in a place they are familiar with and love. Isn't that where education is headed...encouraging students to learn through their passions?

Here is a link to an amazing school in the USA called Quest to learn. This school has influenced me greatly as to how we can change up learning and therefore engagement.


Footnote:
Recently with two other colleagues, I completed a Literature Review on gaming dynamics and their impact on student engagement. This was also followed up with a plan of engaging Year 5-8 students in gamifying reading.