Designing a learning element through learning by design has engaged me in thinking more about how students learn rather than how to teach them. Having a deeper understanding about the knowledge processes and what blocks them has assisted me with understanding what transformative learning looks like.
The key elements in designing transformative learning experiences include;
- collaboration with experts
- open-minded approach to student and teacher lifeworlds
- understanding of knowledge processes that go deeper than descriptors. Physiological features of how brain is wired to learn.
- time and support
I had the pleasure of working with a team of beginning year seven teachers in designing a learning element about algebra. It involved targeted professional development with an expert and time to design learning experiences. After designing a complete program and starting to implement it into the classroom it soon became evident that we needed further input from an expert in the field. Re-designing the learning activities to include further depth of understanding of the content has resulted in transformative learning for teachers and students. Go to http://cglearner.com/and scroll to Algebra 1 to view the end product of the above mentioned learning element.
Open-minded approach to lifeworlds addresses the notion of diversity in the classroom. Diversity from a deeper perspective than culture, colour and demographics. Diversity that comes from life experiences. If our passion is to provide learning opportunities then our goal is to create a safe environment for learning. An environment that is designed for formal learning and understands the informal learning that has occurred and how it translates into a classroom. Shifting learner agency around what it means to be a learner.
The learning element I created about the adolescent brain addresses how adolescents learn and I have had the pleasure of experiencing first hand a shift in agency in accepting responsibility for learning for the students in my class. If everybody understands what it means to be a learner at every stage of their lives, say K – PhD then that shift would hand the control of knowledge creation to the learner and prepare them to not only become lifelong learners but understand how they become lifelong learners.
The final element in the success for learners is time and support which means leaders in political education need to understand, respect and support teachers in their profession. Invest in learning, value learning and allow teachers time and support to be creators of learning. Release the pressures of administration, provide social support networks for students and their families with the key focus to learning, utilise the power of the media to respect and support a profession that silently continues to make a difference.
Learning by design formalises learning.
Posted on April 5, 2010
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