Critiquing+Learning

Critiquing Current Learning Practices
Link to the photos of classroom wall displays used to assist analysis of current practice http://ict-making-a-difference.wikispaces.com/Wall+Displays

Comments:

 * Many displays only have knowledge that students already had.
 * Few statements had any explanations. e.g. in our time capsule we would put . . . but no reasons given as to why these were chosen or what future generations might learn about our world from viewing these.
 * Many statements went unchallenged even when they were inaccurate or incomplete. e.g. Things on Earth that are scarce -> Clean water
 * Many statements were superficial e.g. Recycling - Make a bird feeder from a milk bottle - How does this aid conservation?
 * Statements showed no evidence of leading to actions e.g. there were no examples in the room of bird feeders made from milk bottles.
 * Wonderings wall questions - at the end of the term there were no answers to the wonderings. Were they ever revisited?
 * Charts didn't appear to focus new learning or add to understanding e.g. Impact on environment - "Say no to Didimo" - do children know anything about Didimo and it's impact? "No drugs" - but what about useful or prescription drugs?

Where to from Here

 * Teachers need to plan having ideas of what big concepts they want to develop and **possible** ways they might get there (Map the potential territory).
 * There need to be clear Learning Intentions (displayed) that both teachers and students can articulate. Students need to know where they are headed and why. They need to be involved in the processes and decisions.
 * Teachers and students need to reflect regularly (daily in many cases) on the learning that is occurring and challenge for better results.
 * Deliberate acts of teaching are needed in order for the students to gain the processing skills that are needed to deepen their learning. They need to capture these in their own graphics, symbols and statements and add them to a developing toolkit. These could also form wall displays to increase the amount of student created and relevant wall display.
 * Teachers need to challenge student thinking - Is this correct? Is this always the case? How do you know? How might you find out?
 * Students should be expected to record how they find out new information and track the new skills they are developing.
 * Students should be able to articulate the intentions of their learning and how they are progressing with this.
 * Thinking tools and graphic organisers etc need to scaffold students into gaining new ideas, problem solving, interacting with others to find out more, enriching questions etc. They should not just be boxes to fill with what we know already. They should require questioning, researching, thinkiing, problem solving, brainstorming as a basis for further study and thinking etc.

Taking Action

 * Home group meeting February 18th - all principals to attend and workshop them through this same process. Principals then encouraged to run teh same workshop with staff (facilitator support for this if wanted.)
 * Facilitators to take more photos of classroom walls in 2009, discuss with teachers and then record any changes that occur as a result - provide as evidence in milestone reports with full explanation of what interventions undertaken and consequent developments. make available to toehrs through cluster and Waikato PD wikis.