Approaches to Technology in the Classroom

24th February 

In his final post on approaches to technology in the classroom, Will looks at excuses and the real damage they are doing.

This post will explore the teachers that use excuses to avoid or reduce technology use in their classroom. There are countless excuses that teachers may put forward but these are just a few that I wish to highlight. These are the ones that frustrate me most and/or are so easy to overcome.

"In preparing my lesson, the technology works perfectly. When implemented with students something always goes wrong."
Yes, technology breaks down. We have all experienced a network error, Wi-Fi problems, connectivity issues, blue screens and error codes. Firstly, it is possible to think it ‘always’ breaks down because you keep recalling that one bad experience and fear trying it again. When technology does fail, a Plan B is necessary. However, I argue that a Plan B should always be in place for any lesson (not to mention a Plan C through to Plan Z). Have you ever had a non-tech lesson finish too early, lack discussion or not be able to print your precious worksheets because the photocopier is broken? These too require a fast thinking (calm) teacher to carry on with the lesson. In my experience with technology problems in the classroom, often it takes just a couple of minutes to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. In upper primary this can often be a chance for students to offer solutions and work on their problem solving and collaboration skills. After all, they are going to encounter ‘error codes’ in their real working lives.

"I have always taught this way; it works so there is no need to make it more complicated."
This is all well and good for you but think of the invaluable experiences and skills the children are missing out on. This is often the view of teachers who have been teaching longer than I have been alive. I do not dispute that they can bring immense experience and knowledge of teaching to a school but if they are reluctant to grow as a teacher into today’s technologies then students will fall behind. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that students are likely to be exposed to technology in their lives outside the classroom. To deprive them of this familiar tool will leave students feeling confused.

"Students get easily distracted on iPads and computers."
In any classroom, especially at the start of the year you sit down with the students and establish classroom rules. These are mutually agreed upon and throughout the year you, as the teacher, enforce these rules. If a student runs across the classroom with a ‘no running inside’ rule, they know it is likely they will get told off. The same goes for technology. It is up to the class (teacher and students) to set ground rules for technology use and if these are broken then there will be consequences. If general class distraction is a common theme in technology lessons maybe it is time to look are the quality of the lesson. Is it engaging students? Is there clear expectations and learning intentions set for the session? Students can’t just be handed a computer and be told to learn. Technology or no technology, a teacher still has the same role to play – to facilitate learning and maintain a safe, supportive, engaging and fun learning environment.

To summarise, excuses like these are ultimately limiting children reaching their full potential and their exposure to the technological world. This is the final post of 3 which looked at different approaches to a 21st century classroom. Ensure you approach technology with a positive and open mindset - I urge you all to constantly experiment with new ways of teaching and push the boundaries of technology use in the classroom. 

- Will

Finnish School System

  Finnish School System

17th February, 2016

With her experience and inspirations while in France, Adelle reflects on the Finnish school system and what education is in one of the leading countries of the world

While in France I have frequented the cinemas to watch various movies or documentaries. Some in English, some in French and one in particular, a mix of both. The film “demain”, translated means, tomorrow. It is a film that explains problems with the way the world works and offers alternatives and solutions to the rapidly increasing global climate and society issues. This documentary was quite inspiring and if you have the time and can find English subtitles, I would definitely recommend it. Part of the film, covers education and its importance in the world. The team focus’ on the schooling system in Finland and their turn around from a reputation not to be admired, to one that is used as a superior  example.

One quote in particular from the schools director, “we spend our time teaching not assessing” has stuck in my mind. Is it true that we assess our students all too often? We are expected to assess and have evidence of any questions that can be asked by colleagues, parents, auditors and the like.

Finnish schools have just one major exam when they are sixteen. They are not constantly tested to compare across classes, schools and other countries. The country as a whole takes the reality of parents being the first teachers of a child seriously. Children do not start school until they are seven, they are not given homework until well into their teens, they are not measured for the first 6 years of their schooling. This is an acceptance that children learn, grow and develop at different rates and allows them the time and comfort to progress at a pace that encourages their learning and not comparison with others. All children are taught in the same classrooms regardless of intelligence levels and the results of the students reflect the skills and professionalism of their teachers. They have the smallest difference between weaker and stronger students in the world and their teachers are selected from a superior range of educators who have obtained masters degrees of a high level. Their master degree is fully subsidized. As a community and a country they expect a lot from their educators, so as an incentive, the country subsidizes the degree to produce teachers that will advance future students.

Teachers in Finnish schools are well respected, they eat lunch in cafeterias among and while socialising with the students. They only spend four hours a day in the classroom, all of which is real teaching time and two hours a week, per week is dedicated to professional development.

Yet another different school system.

The below link will take you to the website for the film “demain”. The entire film is incredibly inspiring and has given me some really insightful thoughts about what should be taught in the classroom and areas where education should really be a focus outside of the curriculum.

http://www.demain-lefilm.com/en

- Adelle

French School Experience

ABOVE TRANSLATION: Adelle, Australian placement school teacher will be present in the class all week.

International school placement

4th February, 2016

Adelle explores the differences between children aged 4 and 5 in French and Australian schools

I have been lucky enough to have a week placement in a French school in the city of Grenoble, the capital of the Alps, in France. This experience was really interesting. You see, the class I was in had children from two levels, a composite class, and the children were 4 and 5 years old. In Australia these children would have been in grade prep, starting their first year of school. This is the first point of difference in France. It is not mandatory to put children into school until they turn six and they do not technically start their curriculum education until this age. They can however, and most do, start in a school setting called maternelle which is comparable to three years of kinder before. In these years before, children speak, are taught to recognise letters and numbers, they develop their fine motor skills and use a lot of play to learn.  Below is a table I have constructed of a day comparison from a grade prep placement in Australia to maternelle placement in France.

Notice the times that school starts and ends as well as how many play times there are as well as lunch breaks.

**Note. This may not a typical day in every French or Australian school, it is just from the experiences I have had in my French and Australian placements of the same aged children.

French school day AGE 4/5 maternelle	Australian school day AGE 4/5 Foundation
8.45am school starts	9.00 School starts
9.00 Gym. Exercising in the morning using games for muscle development	9.15 literacy, perhaps game and play based
10.00 Recreation, students play outside	10.00 Maths skills
10.45 Cross curricula activity, eg: maths and literacy, science and literacy * I experienced drawing observations and verbally explaining how a carrot top grew leaves resting in water	10.30 Recess
11.45 LUNCH BREAK	11.00 Music
·      Students have the choice to go for lunch with their parents or eat in the school cafeteria ·      Lunch break is 1 hour and 45 minutes	12.00 Language * specialist subjects
1.30 resume school with quiet time, (music or audio story) while some children finish their ‘after lunch nap’ in the sleeping room.	1.00 LUNCH BREAK
1.45 Spanish lesson in small groups, all teachers and some extra helpers teach Spanish.	1.45 Religion
2.30 Recreation, students play outside	2.45 Whole school assembly
3.00 cross curricula activity, eg: maths and literacy, science and literacy	3.20 FINISH SCHOOL
4.00 FINISH SCHOOL

As you can see Australian children are guided during the day with the necessary curriculum and as I have seen in the French school it is possible to only do two activities over the whole day. Grade prep children in Australia, I feel, are taught to read and write a lot earlier and are perhaps less free inside the classroom than the French.

Inside the classroom is much the same. Colour and work is displayed, the room is filled with books and art supplies, educational games and desks. However in the classroom I observed in, children did not sit on the ground in front of the teacher. Instead they all shared large bench seats in the class. Children would either call the teacher Maîtresse or by their first name. Calling teachers by their first name is something I have started to see more of in Australia and I think it creates a more open trusting and familiar relationship between teachers and students.

France is general is more ‘touchy’ country. They do not have ‘hands off rule’ as Australian schools do. Touching is a part of social normalities here and it is important for school aged children to learn to respect each other. The act of touching or not touching when appropriate is a part of their education early on. Instead of saying hands off completely they are taught respect and boundaries without the banning of touching at all. It is a part of everyday life to greet friends and family with two kisses on the cheeks, or three depending on the region of France. Normal for male-male, female-male and female-female connections.

After just a week I have observed a lot of differences as well as similarities within the French school and I think its important to remember that there are multiple ways for students to go through their schooling lives. The goal in a school is to educate regardless of the culture, country, age or system.

I am researching into more international school systems and it is clear that there are successful stories and processes from all of them. As educators, our field of work is constantly updating or changing and although there is not one perfect system there are countless ways to teach and it’s important to find the one that works for your classroom. We are aware of different teaching styles and maybe you have one that is natural for you or one you prefer. However, does that style suit the needs of your students?

- Adelle

The Very First Day...

The Very First Day...

 

2nd February, 2016

Nick discusses the very first days of school for both students and teachers

The very first day of school can be an exciting yet daunting prospect for both students and teachers. Among university colleagues I often find myself in discussions about how to go about setting up your learning space for the very first day of the new school year. What displays should I put up? What expectations should I set with my students? How do I go about planning for an entire year? How do I get to know all my students? My role as an integration aide in a primary school has provided me the unique opportunity to observe teachers preparing for the school year as well as the initial days of school. I will discuss some of the interesting ideas that I have witnessed that I think would be brilliant to put into future practice.

 

• Setting up the learning space – An arduous task, however a fun one as well. Many teachers put their own unique impression on the room and when you walk in you get a different vibe in every learning space. I have observed the importance of creating a space that reflects you as a person.

• Setting expectations – Personally this was something I was interested to observe. The important idea is that the expectations need to be created in conjunction with the students, not the teacher dictating what they want the students to do. This process also involved what expectations the students have of the teachers to ensure equality between student and teacher; expectations are then displayed within the learning space for all students to see and refer back to. It was interesting to note that during the initial days of school, teachers would often refer to the expectations during classroom discussion to ensure students were being immersed in them.

• Planning for the year – A challenging concept as there is often many extra curricular activities occurring within the school community. As a result the year is planned out by topics and then when the time approaches the topics are expanded to meet the requirements of the students at the time.

• Getting to know students – The answer to this question is quite simple; talk to them and play games in which they discuss aspects about themselves. A further way of doing this is through ‘choosing time’ where students can choose and activity they would like to undertake. Teachers can then observe who they play with, what activity they choose and how they interact with others to get to know the personalities of the students.

 

This is a broad overview of some of the types of things you will encounter in your first few weeks of teaching. It is also important to think about how your learning space will cater to the diverse needs of the students and ensure inclusion of each and every student in your rom. The biggest thing to remember is there is ALWAYS someone in the school you can ask for ideas or help and you are never on your own.

 - Nick