As I did not complete EER504, I had a look back through some of my first subject blog posts.

The first I found was this:

Gardner (2006) argues that authorities on testing believe that the tests show fundamental competencies. Competencies that are achievement-based and may not even be relevant in the 21st-century learning environment.

• Image: A great visual on the issue with one-size-fits-all standardized testing

Not that I align my teaching with this image, but this image spoke to me, especially as a teacher who had Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory glued in my mind. I’ve loved reading about the dimension of learner differences, as this reminded me of this theory too.

Finding an image to represent my learning throughout this program was very difficult! However, I settled on one eventually.

I’ve become much more aware of the global connectedness of the world and how this can be an incredibly valuable tool for learners. The networked world as shown in the image is literal, but the hand holding the networked globe represents the ubiquitous technolgies that we have these days, where connecting to someone or finding information is accesble from the palm of our hand or at our fingertips (mobile device).

The importance of designing learning experiences for children to become skilled users of technology, not just to become active global partipants, but also the skills to keep themselves safe, is paramount.

Lastly, for fun, if I were to choose an image as an analogy for early years teacher me it would be: