My Vision for learning...
My pedagogy and philosophy is driven by my 'why' and feeds into the 'what' a shared understanding of education could be. I am, of course, talking of Simon Sinek's Golden Circle. We know people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it, so why are so many of our students driven by the 'whats' of education? National Standards, achievement over progress, outcome over understanding.
Learning is a journey and children should understand both the purpose and power of commitment to education. It must be exciting, meaningful and fun, driven by student wonderings, ideas and engagement. School is a place of security and somewhere children must want to come, not a place they feel challenged by the concept of understanding their teacher. Their goal is to understand 'why' learning is taking place, before they can own their 'what' and develop their 'how'. Children must feel empowered within their learning, choose their experiences and reflect on their challenges to inform their ongoing journey. Standards must be high but achievable. Learners must believe they can achieve from the moment they walk into a classroom. Our role as educators is to facilitate children’s hopes and dreams.
Children undertaking an education now are fundamentally different from those just a few years ago. They must become their own leaders of learning, build their own learning power and select areas that stimulate and challenge them as part of their journey towards understanding who they are as both a learner and a person. Student agency and empowerment is key to allowing children to feel included, giving them a sense of ownership and belonging. If we give children the opportunity to lead their own learning we allow them to create both personalised and individualised opportunities for themselves.
Ubiquitous learning: anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Education is no longer the learning that takes place within the walls of a school. Technology and modern infrastructure means it can take place across time zones, interacting with students on the same table as easily as those in the developing world. Finding their own expert, students have the opportunity to reach out and be supported in developing their understanding ofhow they learn most effectively. We must create real experiences for the modern learner and leader, avoiding the trap of ‘doing what we have always done, because it’s worked before.’ Learning styles and levels of concentration are different with access to resources immediate. It is no longer appropriate to only teach how to find information- the wealth and depth of information available at the click of a button is so immense that we must educate our learners in how to select knowledge, know what is relevant, what is biased and perhaps most importantly, what is safe.
The modern learner must be equipped with the skills to use technology and digital media to support them in a journey through education. Strong leadership, good morals and being unafraid to be different are just a selection of the core values I believe underpin a strong learner. The strive for excellence and achievement should not come from the desire to please a teacher or parent, but from a desire for education, the intrinsic need to succeed, built from the moment they begin their learning journey. Our role is to support, serve and facilitate in any way we can, whether it’s sharing in the success or supporting after failure, all the while never losing the fun.
Learning is a journey and children should understand both the purpose and power of commitment to education. It must be exciting, meaningful and fun, driven by student wonderings, ideas and engagement. School is a place of security and somewhere children must want to come, not a place they feel challenged by the concept of understanding their teacher. Their goal is to understand 'why' learning is taking place, before they can own their 'what' and develop their 'how'. Children must feel empowered within their learning, choose their experiences and reflect on their challenges to inform their ongoing journey. Standards must be high but achievable. Learners must believe they can achieve from the moment they walk into a classroom. Our role as educators is to facilitate children’s hopes and dreams.
Children undertaking an education now are fundamentally different from those just a few years ago. They must become their own leaders of learning, build their own learning power and select areas that stimulate and challenge them as part of their journey towards understanding who they are as both a learner and a person. Student agency and empowerment is key to allowing children to feel included, giving them a sense of ownership and belonging. If we give children the opportunity to lead their own learning we allow them to create both personalised and individualised opportunities for themselves.
Ubiquitous learning: anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Education is no longer the learning that takes place within the walls of a school. Technology and modern infrastructure means it can take place across time zones, interacting with students on the same table as easily as those in the developing world. Finding their own expert, students have the opportunity to reach out and be supported in developing their understanding ofhow they learn most effectively. We must create real experiences for the modern learner and leader, avoiding the trap of ‘doing what we have always done, because it’s worked before.’ Learning styles and levels of concentration are different with access to resources immediate. It is no longer appropriate to only teach how to find information- the wealth and depth of information available at the click of a button is so immense that we must educate our learners in how to select knowledge, know what is relevant, what is biased and perhaps most importantly, what is safe.
The modern learner must be equipped with the skills to use technology and digital media to support them in a journey through education. Strong leadership, good morals and being unafraid to be different are just a selection of the core values I believe underpin a strong learner. The strive for excellence and achievement should not come from the desire to please a teacher or parent, but from a desire for education, the intrinsic need to succeed, built from the moment they begin their learning journey. Our role is to support, serve and facilitate in any way we can, whether it’s sharing in the success or supporting after failure, all the while never losing the fun.