Learner/Student centred learning

Many students coming into Secondary School will find that technology is nothing new to them as most have used a computer from the day they were born. This then makes them a digital native, on the other hand I myself never saw a computer until I hit grade 10. This meant that I was a digital immigrant however over time I have worked alot with computers (due to the fact my brother is a massive computer geek) haha. Thanks to this chapter I feel even more of a digital immigrant than I did before.

With regards to Internet safety i feel that there are many issues related to this topic. Students in this day and age are easily exposed to inappropriate material on the internet and it is important that students are protected under the duty of care policy. Issues such as chatting with older people, porn and cyberbullying are eliminated as schools have restricted access to these materials.

When working with children of differing abilities it is important that every student is able to access materials which are both challenging and useful. I have worked with a wide range of indigenous students over the years and I have found that these two aspects are what brings the best out of each individual.

As Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) state that 'learning with ICT's must be related to a real world authentic problem scenario that is messy and ill-structered. They need to, in small teams, CREATE solutions to this problem and then DONATE the solution back into the real world. In other words students are given a problem which they must work together to solve and in order to gain a greater understanding relate it back to the real world.

When it comes to behaviour management strategies at my school I have a fairly good knowledge of the processes which they have put in place. The most common I have found is the RBC (Responsible Behaviour Classroom). This classroom is for students who are not compylying with the class rules. They are asked a group of questions for example:

What are you doing?

What should you be doing?

What are you going to do now?

What happens if you do it again?

This in turn gives the students the responsibility as to whether they want to disrupt the class again. If they decide to continue they are then sent to the RBC where they will complete a re-engagement plan to re-enter the classroom. They will also have to negotiate a time to with their teacher to discuss this re-engagement plan. This process has proven to be a success at the school.

After watching the video featuring George Lucas and Edutopia it really made me realise how right he is. The idea of being a facilitator instead of a teacher is rather interesting. Giving the students a choice and working with them to achieve their interests is what will definitely get positive results in the schooling environment. Students can then take that knowledge and use it in an everyday sense.

Lastly I would like to make a quick mention on that of the learner/student-centred learning processes and how much I love this approach. By giving the students both options and ownership it gives them some meaning. This provides motivation and there is nothing more exciting when working with children then seeing them rip in and have a go.

References

Kearsley, G,. & Shneidermann, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm