CPb: Building a Community of Learners [2]
1. Overview: Building a Community of Learners
‘Te Tiriti in action’ also includes a range of different, authentic relationship types- partnerships, relationships, connections and collaborations; with a range of different purposes, e.g align, engage, consult, discuss, co-design, and develop’. Authentic Te Tiriti partners should also consider local issues, aspirations, positive change, and connecting with people.
Our mahi as primary school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand should also recognise the rightful place of Mātauranga Māori in Aotearoa and the alignment to Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori, and Kaupapa Māori in our classrooms, in our lesson and unit plans, in our practices and in our professional lives.
2. Social Sciences
2.1. Inquiry learning: empowering students
Redefining students as agents and constructors of their learning has been one of the biggest changes in educational narratives about learners. Inquiry learning is at the heart of this seismic shift in education!
An inquiry approach encourages students to:
- ask thought-provoking questions
- investigate widely and deeply
- make sense of information to build new knowledge
- develop a solution or formulate opinions
- present or share their new understanding with others
- have a valuable learning experience that leads to taking some form of action
- reflect on what they learned and how they learned it”.
Note how inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach aligned to the “Learning-focused culture” standard of Our Code, Our Standards, the official document that describes the ethical behaviour expected of every teacher and the expectations of effective teaching practice. The “Learning-focused culture” standard, in particular, suggests that all teachers should develop learning-focused relationships with learners, enabling them to be “active participants in the process of learning, sharing ownership and responsibility for learning”.
2.2. Social Inquiry: empowering social studies learners
Effective teaching in social sciences
Social inquiry
Through social inquiry, students ask questions, gather information, and examine the background to important societal ideas and events. They are able to explore and analyse values and perspectives relating to these ideas and events; and develop understandings about issues and the ways that people make decisions and participate in social action. https://ssol.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences-1-13/Social-sciences-1-10/Teaching-and-learning/Effective-teaching-in-social-sciences/Social-inquiry
Using evidence
Using evidence, such as the Ministry of Education’s Best Evidence Synthesis (BES) programme, can be a catalyst for systemic improvement and sustainable development in education. The social sciences best evidence synthesis has a focus on quality teaching and learning for diverse learners in the social sciences. https://ssol.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences-1-13/Social-sciences-1-10/Teaching-and-learning/Effective-teaching-in-social-sciences/Using-evidence
Teaching strategies
There are many useful teaching strategies to support effective teaching in social sciences. This section contains a variety of graphic organisers; cooperative learning ideas; tools and resources for writing and presenting information; and ideas for oral and visual activities. https://ssol.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences-1-13/Social-sciences-1-10/Teaching-and-learning/Effective-teaching-in-social-sciences/Teaching-strategies
Building conceptual understandings
Concepts are embedded in all the social science achievement objectives across the four conceptual strands of The New Zealand Curriculum. They are an essential part of teaching and learning in social sciences. https://ssol.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences-1-13/Social-sciences-1-10/Teaching-and-learning/Effective-teaching-in-social-sciences/Building-conceptual-understandings
2.3. What is social inquiry?
he NZC recognises that social sciences teachers can develop learning and understandings in relation to the achievement objectives through a range of approaches. However, it clearly endorses the social inquiry approach by summarising its ability to make students:
- ask questions, gather information and background ideas, and examine relevant current issues
- explore and analyse people’s values and perspectives
- consider the ways in which people make decisions and participate in social action
- reflect on and evaluate the understandings they have developed and the responses that may be required
The most useful resource for you is titled “Approaches to Social Inquiry” – part of the Building Conceptual Understandings series. It defines and describes a social inquiry approach to teaching and learning and gives detailed examples of how this approach can be applied in the classroom.
Put simply, “Inquiry teaching” is a pedagogical approach that aims to model aspects of the scientific inquiry to students.
Ok, but what is unique about social inquiry then? In my view, what makes it unique is that it goes beyond the scientific method by adding two other dimensions to the inquiry students must do:
1- exploring values and perspectives; and
2- deciding ‘what to do?’ with the information gathered.
2.4. Social inquiry: an academic perspective
Dr Bronwyn Wood (Victoria University) is one of our most prolific researchers in social sciences education, also an expert in textbook, curriculum and resource development in this area.
Below are some excerpts from her article “What is a social Inquiry’. In addition to the excerpts, please read the entire article by downloading it here.
What is a social inquiry?
Crafting questions that lead to deeper knowledge about society and citizenship
Bronwyn E. Wood
Key points
• Social inquiry was introduced in the 2007 curriculum document The New Zealand Curriculum as a key approach within social studies. However, it appears that the nature and purpose of social inquiry is
still unclear to many teachers.
• Social inquiry is not a “new” idea but reflects historical curriculum developments in the social sciences. Its purpose is to create knowledge (informational) and citizenship (transformational) outcomes.
• The type of questions asked in a social inquiry can be significant in generating different outcomes. Crafting social-inquiry questions carefully can “activate” thinking to facilitate deeper knowledge and
citizenship outcomes for social studies learning
The two final questions that guide social inquiry (“So what?” and “Now what?”) are also distinctive to a social inquiry and suggest stronger links to citizenship and participatory outcomes of the social sciences (Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 30). These aspects can broadly be categorised as TRANSFORMATIONAL GOALS for social studies and speak to the wider democratic goals of education, such as the open flow of ideas and the full participation of students as active democratic citizens while at school (Apple & Beane, 2007).
2.5. Social inquiry in practice
the Ministry of Education has created a template to help teachers and students explore and engage in the suggested social inquiry approach that has been developed as part of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).
The template above, which can be download it here, is designed to be used between levels 1-8 and has been made as flexible as possible in order to allow the widest range of applications and uses in social inquiry situations.
Finally, please also download and take a careful look at the following exemplars of how some teachers have used the social inquiry template using different settings and conceptual understandings!
Exemplar 1 – ‘You can’t catch’
Exemplar 2 – ‘Helping Hands’
Exemplar 3 – ‘Tongariro park’
Exemplar 4 – My place, our place
3. The Arts – Sound Art (Music)
Paul Turner
Email: P.D.Turner@massey.ac.nz
3.1. Fundamental Elements of Music
A successful music programme would explore all of these elements, and provide experiences for ākonga to reflect on these, and use them to develop and enhance their own compositions. The elements of music are listed below:
- Pitch – the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.
- Duration – the length of time a note lasts for.
- Dynamics – express how loud or quiet the music should be played.
- Tempo – refers to the speed at which a piece of music should be played.
- Timbre – is the characteristic quality of a sound (not counting pitch and loudness) which make it unique.
- Texture – is how the melody, rhythm and harmony are combined to create the overall quality of a piece of music
- Structure – is the form and arrangement of a piece of music
Here is a link to a short research informed piece about the cognitive benefits of music education.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/science-choice/202001/5-cognitive-benefits-music-training
3.3. Soundscapes
Soundscapes
A form of composition that can be carried out in class is a soundscape. Please go to the following tki site to learn more.
Soundscapes do not need musical instruments and can be created with ‘found ‘instruments. E.g tin pots, blocks of wood, stones.
3.5. Google tools and activities
This blog post takes a look at many tools from Google, or that work with Google, that can be used for teaching, learning, and creating with music. These include Chrome Music Lab, Song Exploder’s Inside Music, AI Duet, Groove Pizza, Mix Lab, Flat, and many more!
See below for details, links, and descriptions for all of these tools.
4. Technology
Learning Outcomes for this Kōwae Rua:
- Envisage future careers that you are preparing ākonga for,
- Define constructionism and identify teaching approaches that are underpinned by this theory that support learning in Technology,
- Brainstorm what might be included in a Makerspace and describe the roll of kaiako in this setting,
- Explore strategies to encouraging human-centred design in classroom,
- Follow the Design Thinking Model yourselves to create products or systems that meets an identified need for an end-user (buddy).
4.3. Skills for the Unknown Future
Microsoft Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research project have carried out research to identify a set of skills and related teaching practices that they believe learners will need in order to succeed in their future. These are as follows:
- Knowledge construction which requires learners to go beyond memorizing information to analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing, and evaluating information. They must then apply their new knowledge in new contexts to make connections across multiple disciplines.
- Collaboration involves learners working together, sharing responsibility, and making substantive decisions together. At the deepest level of collaboration, learners’ work is interdependent.
- Real-world problem solving and innovation involves a task with a defined challenge for learners. The problems must be authentic situations that exist outside of an academic context so that learners may implement their solutions in the real world.
- Skilled communication requires learners to produce extended or multi-modal communication using evidence to support their ideas. At its deepest level, learners craft their communication for a specific audience.
- Self-regulation requires learners to work on an activity for an extended period. It requires learners to plan their work by breaking up their responsibilities. They must also have opportunities to revise their work based upon their own reflection and feedback from others (peers, educators, or experts).
- ICT for learning examines learners’ use of technology to support knowledge construction and encourages learners to become designers of ICT products that others use.
4.4. Future Focused Learning: Making, Makers and Makerspaces
A Makerspace is a gathering place where students have access to an array of materials and tools to support them in inventive problem-solving. Students might have access to materials such as blocks, paper, cardboard, fabric, tape, digital kids, 3_D printers, sewing machines that will allow them to problem solve in various forms. This way of learning intends to encourage collaborative problem-solving, new products and new ways of learning (Becker and Lock, 2018).
Often termed Makermovement, this learning initiative has been developed on the premise that students learn through the process of constructionism, where ideas are developed through hands on learning while building things.
ssessment in makerspaces, and other design spaces for that matter, focus on innovative thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication rather that assessment of a final product (Becker and Lock, 2018).
Read pages 17 and 18 on the role of the teacher in the Makerspace Playbook (2013) resource from the TKI Makerspace page.
Optional Reading
- Becker, S., & Lock, J. (2021). Re-imagining assessment: assessing design thinking within Makerspaces. Teacher as Designer: Design Thinking for Educational Change, 119-132.
- TKI Makerspaces
4.5. Future Focused Learning: Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a method for problem solving, originating in the Stanford Design School, that encourages people to generate novel solutions to existing problems around them.
The excitement about Design Thinking is that anyone can do it. Anyone can redesign the systems, infrastructures and organisations that shape our lives.
Design thinking is a systematic problem solving process that is used across a range of industries today.
t is important to note that like many inquiry based models, the Design Thinking model is not intended to be followed in a linear fashion. Instead, students are encouraged to move backwards and forwards through each stage any number of times to create working solutions. The non-linear nature of this model is represented in the diagram below.
4.6. Human Centred Problem Solving in Design Thinking
Where Design Thinking differs from other models is its focus on emphasising with needs of end users, or the people who the products are being designed for.
4.7. Hei Mahi Rua: Design Thinking
Hei Mahi Rua
Let’s do this… (Distance and Internal)
Download the template that we have created for you and work your way through each step of the Design Thinking Model as outlined below. If you are an Internal student you will do this with a buddy in class, if you are a distance student you will do this with a friend, child, flatmate, or member of your wider whānau. Be prepared to make your design and share this with the group! It can be as weird or practical as you like. It is the design process that counts in this learning experience.
1. Empathise: interview a classmate, a room-mate, a house-mate, or just any mate. Allow at least 5 minutes for them to tell you about the routine of their days. Guide them towards things that annoy them.
2. Define: Your mate will have told you several stories. Choose one “pain point.” It might be that they can’t unlock the door to their house while they’re carrying groceries, are struggling to get to school on time to collect their tamariki, their socks keep disappearing in the washing machine…you get the idea.
3. Ideate: Draw or write down a series of solutions to your mate’s pain point problem. How many solutions should you create? Somewhere around ten. Or the more the better! Some of these solutions might be serious and some might be utterly ridiculous. Don’t overthink your ideas. Just ideate.
4. Prototype: Select one of your ideas and make a model of it. Use paper, playdough, fabric, wood, wire, pasta….ACTUALLY GO DO THIS. We have budgeted this step into your study time for this week so have some fun with it and take your time. You might create a paper drone to collect your friend’s children from school, or a giant washing sieve to sort socks for your mate. You might even create something that works!
5. Test: Present your prototype to your x-mate. See if they think it will solve their problem. Part of the process is being open to receiving feedback from your client (mate) so try not to comment while they share their thoughts. You may now need to return to reworking your ideas and prototype again.
5. Science
- Reflect on our own attitudes towards science teaching,
- Examine effective pedagogy in Science Education,
- Introduce the Inquiry-based 5Es Model and look at how this can be used to guide learning,
- Design a diagnostic task that could be carried out to elicit student understanding,
- Analyse work samples carried out by students during the Engage stage of the 5Es module.
5.2. Quality Teaching in Science
Defining the Term Pedagogy?
Knowledge of how to teach is termed as pedagogy. This term was coined by Shulman (1986) who acknowledged that there is a particular body of knowledge specific to teaching around how best to deliver content to students. He describes this as, “The most useful forms or representation of ideas, the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations—in a word, the most useful way of representing and formulating the subject that makes it comprehensible to others. . . .” (Ball et all, 2008. p.931).
As you read this example below consider what each of these bullet points might look like within the context of Science learning and teaching:
Optional Reading
- Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special?
- McLaughlin, T., (2019). Framework for teaching. Unpublished guide. Massey University.
5.3. Teacher Pedagogy for Effective Learning in Science
Active Learning in Science Education
In recent times, educational research has focused on the subject of active learning and its benefits in leading to more meaningful understanding of concepts (Felder & Brent, 2009; Freeman et al., 2014; Hsieh, 2013; Prince, 2004). Active learning can be described as using instructional methods that cognitively engage students in the learning process. This type of learning leads students to carry out activities that require ākonga to think about what they are doing and why.
Inquiry Based Learning in Science Education
One science specific pedagogical approach that encourages active learning is Inquiry-based science learning. This adopts an investigative approach to teaching and learning where students are provided with opportunities to investigate a problem, search for possible solutions, make observations, ask questions, test out ideas, and think creatively and use their intuition (Dr. Robyn M. Gillies).
[Inquiry based learning is just a fancy way of saying being curious]
Inquiry-based science challenges the thinking of ākonga by engaging them in investigating scientifically orientated questions where they learn to give priority to evidence, evaluate explanations in the light of alternative explanations, and learn to communicate and justify their decisions. These are dispositions needed to promote and justify their decisions. In short, “Scientific inquiry requires the use of evidence, logic, and imagination in developing explanations about the natural world” (Newman et al., 2004, p.258).
Effective teachers engage ākonga interest through novelty, something unusual that spurs their curiosity and then they use language that is very dialogic or language that lets the ākonga know that they are interested in what they think or want to say about the topic.
5.4. Inquiry-based Learning using the 5Es Model
The 5E model, developed in 1987 by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), is likely the most widespread and ubiquitous Science Inquiry model in use. This model is underpinned by constructivist learning theory and encourages active learning through hands on experiences that allow students to engage in higher levels of thinking.
Optional Reading/Useful Resources
- Garcia I Grau, F., Valls, C., Piqué, N., & Ruiz-Martín, H. (2021). The long-term effects of introducing the 5E model of instruction on students’ conceptual learning. International journal of science education, 43(9), 1441-1458.
- Duran, L. B., & Duran, E. (2004). The 5E instructional model: A learning cycle approach for inquiry-based science teaching. Science Education Review, 3(2), 49-58.
- Primary Connections Site, 2023 (videos of each stage of the 5Es model and a range of other resources to support implementation of this model)
5.5. Let’s Start with the Engage Phase: Eliciting Student Knowledge in Science
Assessment
Diagnostic Assessment describes a type of assessment usually carried out at the beginning of a task or a unit to elicit students’ prior knowledge. The purpose of this is to provide teachers with valuable information to what children already know, what they need to learn next, and what incorrect understandings (misconceptions) they hold. Kaiako can then use this information to plan targeted lessons that will scaffold ākonga towards meeting their individual learning needs. Diagnostic assessment does not need to be carried out in a formal way although in some settings (often secondary) this can take the form of a pre-test. For example this might involve asking students to draw diagrams, share ideas in a brainstorm, or create models that represent their understandings.
Formative Assessment is the process of using what we know about student understanding to guide future teaching. When using formative assessment, is important for kaiako to gain as much information as possible in respect of what ākonga already understand, what they do not yet been understand, and what the student requires to best facilitate further progress. An effective educator will constantly be using formative assessment on an informal basis through classroom observation and interaction. This could take place during a conversation between a teacher and a student, or when a teacher is listening to student talk while they are solving a problem.
Finally, Summative Assessment intends to summarise student achievement at a particular point in time and is often used for reporting purposes. This can however also be used in a formative way to guide learning and teaching.
(TKI, 2023).
5.6. Engage: Examples of Learning Experiences that Eliciting Prior Knowledge
Learning Experience 3: Gravity Concept Cartoon
The following learning experience is known as a concept cartoon. Concept cartoons are a visual representation of science ideas that can be used as a prompt for Scientific debate and discussion. The simple cartoon style drawings put forward a range of perspectives about a Big Idea in science and are designed to motivate and engage students, as well as stimulate discussion of their ideas (Science Learning Hub, 2018). When presented with a concept cartoon students might be asked to share their thinking in relation to a particular viewpoint represented by a character. For example, they might be asked to select a character who’s viewpoint agree with and justify this selection. Ideas presented in concept cartoons are often developed around big ideas, and common misconceptions related to these. In addition, students can also create their own concept cartoons for others to engage with (Keogh & Naylor, 1999; Science Learning Hub, 2018).
Learning Experience 1: “I Notice ……. I Wonder……”
The learning experience below took place in a year 3-4 class at my son’s school. The kaiako in this room set up a nature table that students were able to interact with in their own time and at their own pace. They placed Vivids and paper out for students to record their thinking with the prompts “I notice……. I wonder……..” at the centre. Children were then free to record their responses to this prompt anonymously throughout the week. Kaiako then observed statements written by ākonga, and listened to student discussion while they were at the nature table. This information was then use to plan a series of lesson around the contextual strand The Living World that was of high interest to students, addressed any misconceptions that were noticed, and target learning needs os students directly.
Learning Experience 2: Predict / Observe / Explain
This second learning experience took place in my older son’s Year 5-6 classroom. At the beginning of a unit on floating and sinking, kaiako in this room collected a number of objects for ākonga to test in a floating and sinking learning experience. Students were placed in small groups and asked to complete a Floating and Sinking sheet where they recorded their initial predictions about what would happen to each item when dropped into the container of water, their observations of what actually happened, and their explanations about why they think this happened. Kaiako collected this information and analysed it to find out what students already knew, what they needed to find out next, and what misconceptions they held in relation to Big Ideas around Floating and Sinking, and Science Capabilities. This information was then used to develop a series of lessons of hight interest to students that addressed misconceptions and built on identified levels of understanding.
Learning Experience 4: Hula Hoop Venn Diagram – Living or Non Living?
The activity above replicates a Venn Diagram and allows students to work collaboratively to categorise various items. In the example above, students have been given a range of objects to classify as living of non living. The ones they are not sure about are placed outside of the hoops. This task is designed to foster discussion and debate. Talk moves could be used here to encourage students to justify thinking and engage in Scientific debate. During the learning experience, kaiako would roam around each group listening to student discussion in an act known as monitoring. During this time they would record misconceptions that they hear, as well as student understandings and next learning steps relating to Big Ideas and Science Capabilities. Students with different cultural capital might classify objects in different ways, and kaiako need to be aware of seeing the task through multiple cultural lenses at once. For example, when asked if the wind is living or non living ākonga Māori might think of Tāwhirimātea, god of the weather, and place so place the wind in the living category. In doing this ākonga will come to see that multiple perspectives can coexist.
As with the above activities, this information could then be used to develop a series of lessons that engage and meet identified learning needs of ākonga.