School 2.0 : Progressive Pedagogy and 21st Century Tools

by Chris Lehmann and Marcie Hall, Science Leadership Academy

http://ubd21c.wikispaces.com/ - info and links for the session

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What is the purpose of school?

We work best and learn best when it matters to us. Not all kids know what matters to them yet so we can't just give them tools - we need to help them understand or ind what matters to them.

What is School 2.0?

• caring institutions - we teach kids first and our subject second
• student centred - not about us (teachers)
• inquiry driven - the questions we can ask as a community - together (where we don't know what is going what will happen)
• passionate - has to matter
• metacognitive - we need to think about thinking (reflection is the most important part of learning)
• technology infused - ubiquitous, necessary and invisible
• Understanding driven and project-based - to demonstrate understanding and serve a larger purpose

What's the road map?

Pedagogy matters a lot - it's everything!

We now have the tools to fulfill Dewey's vision of education.

There are so many tools that we become overlaoded by how many and having to learn them all.

What's good is a better question than what's new?

The best collaborative technology tool is the one that we all agree to use together

Technology enables us to:

• - research
• - collaborate
• - create
• - network
• - present

a "convenient and reasonably false taxonomy" of tools using these ways of using technology - available in presentation.

Tools don't teach but they can change the way that we teach. Tools can be the tail that waves the pedagogical dog.

What are your goals and what tool are there to get you there?

eg. blogging - having the tools is easy but having something to say is hard

Understanding by design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe guides the learning at SLA.

They have 5 catergies that go across all learning in the school - inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, reflection. The same inputs and outputs, frameworks for learning with an open planning/learning understanding between teachers and students.

Processes of UBD (understanding by design)

Step one : Desired results

• goals (standards, frameworks),
• understandings (big ideas - why are we teaching this?),
• essential questions (what do we keep coming back to?),
• skills and content (stuff needed to get to the big ideas and meet the goals)

Step two : how do we assess

(a test as the only/main assessment doesn't fit with project based learning)

Authentic Assessmne isn't an end game - it's constant, ongoing and can outlast the unit.

Step three: Learning Plan

How are we going to get/help this happen?

Example learning plans from SLA - These are very profound examples of learning plans where the focus in on pedagogy and understanding. The students developed deep understanding and became experts in vairous fields but more importantly in learning - and in terms of technology they just use what they need. Many projects are ongoing beyond the timeframe of the unit.

Chris led a through the creation of a learning plan together with the audience. It will be included on the wiki for the presentation. http://ubd21c.wikispaces.com/

This was an interesting process... he valued all of the contributions from the auidence and it was fascinating to observe (and particpate) as the proeject got deeper and deeper and more connected to real life. This is a testimate to the planning process that the skills and content etc - the day to day specifics come at the end of the process after the big ideas and allowing for response and felxibility for the students.

And it's always good to hear my favourite word so many times (pedagogy that is).

Other resources

Reinventing Project Based Learning -- Jane Krauss and Suzie Boss
Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom - Will Richardson
Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century -- David Warlick
Understanding by Design -- Wiggins and McTigue