Week 2

 

Pedagogical Principles

What are the Pedagogical Principles (defined in the Learning Materials)?

1. Facilitating deep knowledge through higher order thinking  2. Facilitating collaborative learning in which conversations are important  3. Supporting students in knowing how they learn best  4. Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real life contexts  5. Is relevant to students, and connects to their background knowledge  6. Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves  7. Is socially supportive, engaging, and values cultural knowledges  8. Is supportive of the development of active citizenship, and strong group identity. 

What do the Pedagogocial Principles mean to you in common language?

In common language, the pedagogical principles, specifically productive pedagogies, to me mean that teachers need create supportive learning environments through integrating a range of engaging and relevant learning activities that draw on and develop students 21st century skills. Additionally, it includes providing students with opportunities to undertake learning that suits and supports their individual learning needs. Furthermore, it means that students can explore learning in a way that supports and values different social and cultural differences.  

Consider whether the Pedagogical Principles make sense to you in terms of your own experience in learning that has a) been pedagogically sound, and b) been pedagogically woeful?

Thinking back to my own schooling experiences I can clearly recognise both times at which the pedagogical principles were used successfully and unsuccessfully. Firstly, during my Year 11 Biology class I can distinctly make links to how the teacher successfully incorporated the pedagogical principles through linking learning to our different local environments. By providing students with opportunities of a choice to complete a range learning tasks that were both relevant to our local area, this teacher successfully incorporated relevant real-world learning experiences that both encouraged learners to complete learning in a way that was both of interest to them and in their learning preference. Additionally, as by linking learning to our local environments, we as students developed an understanding of how different social and cultural groups used the environments, thus creating a holistic learning experience.  On the other hand, a clear memory, is most of the maths lessons undertaken during my secondary schooling where the teacher would merely explain the formulas required for the lesson and then sit down at their desk as the students worked through numerous text book equations before checking our answers. However, interestingly the teachers would then provide exams at the end of each term with questions that required more complex and higher order thinking, without providing any opportunity for practice during the term. This to me is a clear example of ineffective use of the pedagogical principles.

Beyond this, can you identify the links between Judy Willis' knowledge of the brain and learning, Sir Ken Robinson's perspective on creativity, the needs of your contemporary learners and these pedagogical principles?

Judy Willis talks about brain boredom and how to get students to engage and want to learn. When reflecting on her principles, it is clear that these link to the pedagogical principles as they both employ teachers to integrate learning opportunities that utilise higher order thinking. Additionally, as Sir Ken Robinson's expresses the need for schools to integrate learning opportunities that allow for students to be creative, by employing higher order thinking learning tasks, learning through problem solving and supporting students to own their learning, the productive pedagogies closely aligns with Robinson's beliefs.

Why is it important to engage social interaction and prior knowledge, and plan for individualised and socially supportive, valued learning?

Social interactions are an essential component for learning as they allow the learner to organise their thoughts, share their ideas to both create new ideas and strengthen their previous ideas, reflect on their understanding and discover gaps in their understanding. Therefore, it is important for teachers to create a learning environment that support social interactions amongst learners. As students often arrive to the learning environment with prior knowledge and experiences, it is important to allow students to engage with this prior knowledge to both strengthen their ideas, correct misconceptions and ensure students feel like they are supported within the learning environment. Additionally, as students often have different learning preferences, it is important for teacher to differentiate learning.

Reflect on your experiences of pedagogy as a learner. How many of these pedagogies are you familiar with?

I would like to think that during my time studying this course that I am familiar with all the pedagogical principles as I have been exposed to them often throughout various units.

Reflecting on higher order thinking

Secondary discipline areas are often content-laden. Use Robyn Collins Curriculum and Leadership as a foundation, and consider the Australian Curriculum in your selected junior discipline area. Identify the process/research/inquiry skills that are required. They are skills that, according to Collins, are best developed through application to real-life contexts. Use the Aims, rationale and structure of the curriculum to uncover the global approaches of importance, as well as the content.
My junior minor teaching area is Health and Physical Education. Upon using Robyn Collins Curriculum and leadership as a foundation, it is clear that when considering Blooms Taxonomy the HPE curriculum is constructed with a focus towards the final 3 tiers of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Additionally, students develop the critical inquiry skills to research and analyse knowledge as they understand different aspects of health

SAMR Drawing it all together

Write a reflection that draws together Blooms Taxonomy, your understanding of ICT pedagogy and the SAMR model as it relates to your teaching context. 


Rather than think about what you have experienced in schools, try to take an aspirational position on this reflection. Examine not what currently exists, but what is possible.
This will become the foundation of your own pedagogical framework which will later be mapped against a learning design.
There is a clear link between Blooms Taxonomy which promotes incorporating learning opportunities that require higher order thinking and the SAMR model which promotes incorporating ICT to transform learning through providing opportunities to redefine and modify learning, which also require higher order thinking. 
As the HPE teaching context might have previously been taught with minimal ICT incorporating and opportunities for higher order thinking, particularly during practical lessons, the knowledge of these two theories allows for teachers to understand how they can transform the subject to keep up with the modern world. With the range of new technologies available that track perforce, film progress and monitor skill acquisition, teachers can incorporate these technologies to transform practical HPE lessons as aligned with the SAMR model. Additionally, as this then allows students to undertake a more analysis, synthesis and evaluation approach to practical lessons, this allows students to engage with higher order thinking skills as explored in Blooms Taxonomy.

Legal, safe and ethical practice and what it means for you

What are the dimensions of legal, safe and ethical practice outlined in the Australian Curriculum: ICT as a General Capability?
recognise intellectual property
apply digital information security practices
apply personal security protocols
identify the impacts of ICT in society

What will you need to consider in your curriculum learning areas?
In my curriculum areas (HPE and Science), one key thing that I will need to consider in regards to ICT incorporation is students accessing reliable and accurate information. As both these curriculum areas contain a mountain of online resources such as blogs, forums and webpages created by so called 'experts', it will be important to teach students how to access information that is reliable and relevant.