learning matters (nz)

This is a test post to see how easy it is to makes post using an ipod. My conclusion is that this isn't going to replace a normal computer anytime soon.

I can't enter text in the normal compose box. Rather I can only do it in the HTML box. Quite frustrating really!

Labels: Ipod

This morning I was sitting next to parents with a young 4 month old baby. It's interesting to consider what is going through the mind of this young child. As he looks around I would imagine there is a mosaic of colours and lights that mean little to him. At the same time he is hearing a cacophony of sounds which are equally meaningless.

Gradually over time, the baby will see and hear similar things until they start to form regular patterns and memories. Certain shapes will become faces, certain faces will become his family. Other shapes become buildings. Gradually the baby's knowledge of the world grows.

This process of turning random bits of information into understanding about the world is learning. As the child experiences more of the world, he constructs his understanding of it. Hence the term constructivism. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge (or learning) that says our brains build their own understanding of the world ... partly by ourselves, partly through interacting with others.

Individual or cognitive constructivism places more emphasis on the individual building understanding by him or herself. Piaget is often associated with this theory. He talked of individuals expanding their understanding of the world around them through assimilation (absorbing more information that supports an individual's existing understanding) and accommodation (changing an individual's understanding due to information not fitting in with an individual's current understanding).

Social constructivism sees learning as more, though not exclusively, a shared experience. For example as we grow we learn the language of our community. This language shapes how we form our thoughts. Also talking to others challenges our thinking, hence the social aspect of learning.

An understanding of constructivism is essential to teachers ... primary and secondary. The process of learning continues as the baby grows to a toddler, a young child, a teenager, an adult. We continue to expand our understanding of the world around us. Sometimes taking on the understanding of others, sometimes challenging (deconstructing) it to build a new understanding.

Good teachers will be competent in three areas:

1. they will know their students well
   ... what they already know, how they learn, what motivates them
2. they will know their subject well
   ... what do students need to learn now to learn the next set of information later
   ... they are comfortable having students challenge and deconstruct a subject to try and reconfigure it
3. they know how people learn

Put this all together and you have a quality teacher in front of students. And then you are in the right place to get student learning, evidenced by high student achievement.

And that is what schools are all about.

Labels: constructivism, learning, quality teaching

This week sees the closing of submissions on reassessment opportunities in NZQA. This is one of those important debates that flies under the radar for many in education.

Effective assessment practice is a critical element of education. We assess what we value, so any changes to assessment practices must be sure to reflect what we value. And I question whether the proposed changes do so.

The suggested guidelines seek to push internal assessment closer to one-off assignments, to be more like tests or exams. This is done in the name of authenticity. They propose that once an assessment is submitted, students should have no further ability to get feedback and then re-consider their thinking.

And this is the point. There is a greater drive in education towards developing thinking skills and communication skills, rather than content. On process rather the final product. Yet these guidelines (inadvertently or otherwise) push assessment in the wrong direction.

If, for example, a teacher designs an assessment around original thinking (e.g. an analytical essay, a creative art piece) ... then at some stage they must leave students a significant body of time to formulate their thinking, as opposed to data gathering, etc. It is not always possible to place milestones in this process, nor in reality will students take advantage of these. The reality is that many students leave work until late in the piece and we must accept this reality, especially given how busy students are.

Certainly some teachers, and it is a very small minority, have abused the current freedom in assessment guideines. But let's not punish our students. We urge our students to 'give it a go' and to 'learn from their mistakes'. So too with assessment, we must allow students to formulate their thinking, communicate it, receive feedback ... and then have an opportunity to reconsider their thinking.

The re-assessment guidelines must allow for students to re-do an assessment (all or part of it) after they have received feedback from the teacher. This makes for effective learning. Will appropriate guidelines, this can be done very effectively.

We value thinking and clear communication, so we must assess it - properly.

Labels: assessment, education, learning