Who am I as a learner and a teacher

If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow (John Dewey)

Learning for the future. Where is learning headed?

Where are schools headed?
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/fear-keeps-schools-from-social-media-20100723-10owx.html

"If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed" (Paulo Freire)

What is my understanding of new learning?

From this

To this

To demonstrate my understanding of new learning I have selected three of Kalantis and Cope’s (2008) dimensions on theory and practice of New Learning.

Dimension 3: The tools of learning

New learning brings technology into the learning experience. As Kalantis and Cope (2008) is removes boundaries of the traditional classroom allowing individuals to seek information beyond that of text books and beyond those who are physically in the classroom. My personal experience in my partnership schools has helped me develop an understanding of new learning in this regard. This school uses interactive whiteboards, computer labs and laptops. While observing a year 8 history class a student asked the teacher a question they did not know the answer to, the teacher opened his laptop, went to google and within seconds had an answer for the student. I think new learning is opening up an endless amount of possibilities.

Dimension 5: The balance of agency

‘Teachers told and asked, and learners listened and answered (Kalantis & Cope, 2008). New learning moves away from the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ mode of teaching, in which teachers are the transmitters of knowledge. My understanding of this is there is a shift to inquiry based learning in which students take an active role as learners. This plays a large role in my own teaching philosophy.

Dimension 6: The significance of difference

According to this dimension ‘old learning’ took on a one-size fits all model to schooling and curriculum, and those who were not suited towards this simply failed (Kalantis & Cope, 2008). Schools are now offering different programs such as VCAL and recognises different learning styles and multiple intelligences.
Through exploration of these dimensions my own understanding of new learning fits into who I am as a teacher.

The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery (Mark Van Doren)

My understanding learning

According to Groundwater-Smith and Ewing (2003) defining learning is a difficult task. It is not something that has a beginning, middle and end rather a lifelong process that all individuals engage in. Learning can be viewed as a change in behaviour, development of skills, developing understanding and a plethora of other ideas (Groundwater-Smith & Ewing, 2003).

'Learning is much bigger than education. Humans are born with an innate capacity to learn, and over the span of a lifetime learning never stops' (Kalantis & Cope, 2008, pp7).

My understanding of Teaching

Education is not about filling buckets, it's about starting fires (W.B Yeats)

Who am I as a teacher.......
A work in progress

Teaching Philosophy

As a future secondary school teacher, I believe the purpose of education is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in life while keeping them interested, involved and motivated to learn and develop as individuals and members of the community. I believe to do this I should be continually growing as a teacher and approach all situations with an open mind and positive attitude. I believe I can be a positive influence in helping students to achieve their goals in life through education. My role as a teacher is to provide a safe, supportive, inclusive, engaging and challenging curriculum and environment for all students, preparing them for their future and what lies ahead.

Confusious says, ' I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand'

Where I was v Where I am

I am growing and developing as a teacher. I hope I will continue to grow and develop as a teacher throughout my entire career. My expereience through my project partnership is a good demonstration of this. I am fortunate enough to be in the same classes all year which has not only allowed me to get to know the students but also given me the chance to try new things, develop my skills and gain an understanding of what works well in the different classes. Take the year 8 humanities class I have been teaching for example. The very first lesson I took with them was close to a disastor. I had never been in front of a class before, I was nervous and the students picked up on it straight away. The more classes I took the more confident I became. I now know what works in what class. For example, the year 8 class I take does not respond well to small group activities (a mistake I made in my first lesson) but get very involved in class discussions, oral presentations and visual activities. While I am still developing as a teacher I have come a long way since my first day in a school.