My learning journey thus far

Experience is the teacher of all things.

These words have been attributed to Julius Caesar in his commentary on his war with the Roman Senate prior to the establishment of the Roman Empire around 33BC. And while Caesar’s world changing Rubicon crossing in 49BC and teaching in a classroom in 2020 are in no way connected, Caesar’s words resonate. After all, a journey is simply a series of different experiences that teach us different things.

My learning journey through this unit has been a series of penny dropping moments that have translated into action – the best learning becomes action, right?

Here are a few:

• Developing a proposal for the redesign of my school’s online library space, and working with our technicians to make sure the design supports teaching and learning into the future (to be submitted in Term 4)
• Using search engines other than Google and Kiddle with Junior School classes
• Working with three Year 5 classes this term as they conduct a Guided Inquiry unit on ancient civilisations – and co-teaching to embed information literacy skills into the program (particularly reliability and effective search strategies)
• Engaging in professional learning discussions with colleagues about the irony of Web 2.0 being all about increasing interactivity and creating social change when the art of human communication and conversation has been doing that since the dawn of time – albeit slower. And this leading to discussions on the importance of student collaborative learning
• Exploring, with students, different ways of taking notes – including digital strategies, and consulting with the school’s digital integrators about some teacher professional development on note taking with OneNote, and
• Exploring the value of blogs as a reflective and learning tool for teachers and students – and deciding to publish the school’s new student led online journal on EduBlogs.

Life has been busy – but tremendously exciting. The more I learn, the more effective I am at engaging students as they learn to navigate an ever changing and always demanding digital environment.

Are we ready to flip?

Since Bergmann and Sams flipped pedagogy and thinking taxonomies on their heads, a world of possibilities for inquiry learning has emerged (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). Their flipped classroom approach to content delivery encouraged students to take responsibility for their own learning and allowed them to work at their own pace (Earp, 2017, para. 6). It also provided opportunity for teachers to become the guide on the side, rather than the sage on the stage. While this shift is a tough one for teachers – after all, we like being subject matter experts – the benefits are difficult to ignore.

The National Foundation of Educational Research’s (NFER) report into flipped learning shows that when content is delivered at home, there is more time to apply knowledge and develop information literacy skills in context. The report also suggests that flipped learning provides more opportunities for collaborative learning and greater student engagement and agency.

It’s hard to argue with pedagogy that promotes more time in the classroom for critical and creative thinking and builds a sense of personal ownership in learning.

Flipped learning, according to Earp, requires a cultural shift around the issue of homework completion. In addition to this, issues of digital equity and the provision of suitable resources for learning at home must be addressed before this pedagogy is adopted.

So, while teacher librarians are chomping at the bit to maximise classroom time for developing information literacy and inquiry skills, the question needs to be asked:

Are we ready to flip?

Cath

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.

Earp. J. (2017, 28 August). The power of reflective practice. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/homework-culture-key-to-flipped-learning-success

Straw, S., Quinlan, O., Harland, J., & Walker, M. (2015). Flipped Learning: Research Report. National Foundation for Educational Research. https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/2018/nesm01.pdf