Week 2 - Pedagogical Principles, Higher Order Thinking, SAMR, & Legal, safe and ethical practice

 Pedagogical Principles

What are the Pedagogical Principles (defined in the Learning Materials)?

1. Facilitating deep knowledge through higher-order thinking.  

2. Facilitating collaborative learning in which conversations are important.  

3. Supporting students in knowing how they learn best.  

4. Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real-life contexts.  

5. Is relevant to students, and connects to their background knowledge.  

6. Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves.  

7. Is socially supportive, engaging, and values cultural knowledge 

8. Is supportive of the development of active citizenship, and strong group identity.

What do the Pedagogical Principles mean to you in common language?

In order to develop this fundamental information and provide assistance when applying higher-order thinking skills, a collaboration between the teacher and the students is crucial. Feedback from instructors and peers can aid in the learning process and solidify concepts while preserving a sense of originality.  Students can approach a topic from a variety of angles, collaborate with others to explore new techniques, and grasp how theoretical or classroom concepts might be represented in the real world by being given opportunities for creativity and challenge. This maintains learning engaging and fun, especially when it relates to concepts that students find significant. In order to differentiate instruction and meet each student's needs, teachers need to be aware of how students learn.  Because of their high levels of social interaction, teens can employ a variety of experiences—both their own and those of others—while collaborating to build and develop ideas on particular topics. Open communication and continuous feedback can come from the development of positive relationships between educators and learners as well as between the students themselves. This gives the idea of creating identities—both individually and collectively—as engaged individuals of society more support.   

Consider whether the Pedagogical Principles make sense to you in terms of your own experience in learning that has a) been pedagogically sound, and b) been pedagogically woeful?

I have direct experience with successful pedagogy, and I can identify instances in which certain pedagogical ideas have been successfully used. The teacher in this case prioritised group projects, individualised education, and social support for the students.  As it was relevant to students' use of technology and gave more time in class for discussions and collaboration, the usage of an online platform was a well-received ICT skill. I was therefore equipped with the information to own, control, and govern my own learning, particularly with regard to summative assessment tasks, thanks to this type of pedagogy.  Certain pedagogical principles were either not employed at all or only partially in my own experience with a badly implemented pedagogy. In this situation, the teacher would try to let the students take charge of understanding things that previously required explicit teaching. Several students would not comprehend basic ideas or problems until they were guided step-by-step through them. Students had difficulty understanding the material, and teachers frequently made the assumption that all students already knew it. In addition, there was little emphasis on collaborative learning, supporting students with special needs, making connections to prior knowledge, or providing social support. When I questioned the teacher about connection to the real world and connections to background knowledge, I typically received a question back or an answer that veered off-topic, leaving me even more bewildered.   

Can you recognise these pedagogies in the experiences you have identified in the sound category? Elaborate.

Through the use of ICT, students were able to own, control and manage their individual learning experiences. Learning was connected to their background knowledge and was engaging,

Beyond this, can you identify the links between Judy Willis' knowledge of the brain and learning, Sir Ken Robinson's perspective on creativity, the needs of your contemporary learners and these pedagogical principles?

According to Judy Willis, teachers who are able to maintain students' attention can create an exciting learning atmosphere where they can develop their critical thinking skills. When students are emotionally upbeat, their brains function well. By strengthening neural networks as a result of this activation, creativity can be exercised.  In addition, Ken Robinson thinks that helping students discover their personal learning styles encourages a higher level of thinking and creativity in them. He maintains that academic performance is frequently equated in schools with intelligence and success in the real world. Intelligent people are unique, diversified, and dynamic. Higher-order thinking skills can be attained through educating students to strengthen their creative faculties that enable learning that is owned, controlled, and managed by students themselves.

Why is it important to engage in social interaction and prior knowledge, and plan for individualised and socially supportive, valued learning?

Adolescents enjoy socialising and engaging with others to find solutions to problems. Students can develop concepts and connect them to prior knowledge, learning experiences, and real-world situations through listening to and understanding many experiences from others when applying to a topic for learning. With differentiated instruction, all students can make an effort to comprehend a subject while being able to demonstrate their understanding by utilising a range of tools or methods, such as written, oral, and kinesthetic learning styles, which aim to maximise learning achievement for all students.

Reflect on your experiences of pedagogy as a learner. How many of these pedagogies are you familiar with?

As I am currently employed in a school as a Permission to Teach Teacher I am familiar with all of these pedagogies. These concepts, in my view also have some relevance to the unit studies that we are currently taking at our university. Through the use of our weekly unit tiles, we are provided with the fundamental background knowledge and then urged to learn more by way of important reading, document links, and other helpful resources.

Reflecting on higher order thinking

Secondary discipline areas are often content-laden. Use Robyn Collins Curriculum and Leadership as a foundation, and consider the Australian Curriculum in your selected junior discipline area. Identify the process/research/inquiry skills that are required. They are skills that, according to Collins, are best developed through application to real-life contexts. Use the Aims, rationale and structure of the curriculum to uncover the global approaches of importance, as well as the content.

According to Robyn Collins' Curriculum and Leadership, teaching secondary discipline students must emphasise research skills. The greatest way to develop these skills is through practical applications. One curriculum that stresses these qualities is the Australian Curriculum. Students must learn process skills like investigating, analysing, evaluating, and communicating as part of the Australian Curriculum. These abilities are necessary for students to develop critical thinking abilities, solve problems, and make well-informed judgements. The concept of inquiry-based learning, which involves students examining and researching issues from the outside world, is also emphasised in the curriculum.  Students are expected to develop abilities like questioning, planning, conducting, analysing, and evaluating in the junior science field, for instance. These abilities are used when doing scientific research and enquiry. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on the value of acquiring scientific literacy, which entails comprehending the nature and methods of science as well as how science affects society and the environment. The Australian Curriculum places a high priority on promoting multicultural understanding, sustainability, and digital literacy. They are included in the curriculum and are crucial for students to develop into responsible citizens of the world. The Australian Curriculum offers a framework for learning across a range of subject areas, including English, mathematics, science, humanities, and social sciences, languages, the arts, health and physical education, and technologies, in terms of its content. The three interconnected strands of knowledge and understanding, skills, values and attitudes serve as the framework for the curriculum.  In general, the Australian Curriculum places a strong emphasis on the development of enquiry skills in the context of real-world applications, as well as the significance of global perspectives and subject-specific content knowledge.

SAMR Drawing it all together

Write a reflection that draws together Bloom's Taxonomy, your understanding of ICT pedagogy and the SAMR model as it relates to your teaching context.  Rather than think about what you have experienced in schools, try to take an aspirational position on this reflection. Examine not what currently exists, but what is possible. This will become the foundation of your own pedagogical framework which will later be mapped against a learning design.

With regard to teaching and learning, Bloom's Taxonomy offers teachers a framework for categorising the many degrees of cognitive abilities that students might acquire. The six levels are recall, comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. By utilising digital tools to aid learning, increase engagement, and foster creativity, information and communication technology (ICT) pedagogy can improve and transform traditional teaching methods. Educators can encourage collaborative learning, active learning, and knowledge development by implementing ICT resources.  A helpful framework for evaluating how educators are incorporating technology into their teaching methods is the SAMR model. Substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition are the SAMR model's four levels. This concept pushes educators to redefine and transform the learning process rather than simply substituting technology for conventional teaching techniques. These three frameworks can be combined to design efficient and interesting classes that encourage higher-order thinking abilities, encourage creativity, and effectively incorporate technology. A teacher might, for instance, begin the process of creating a lesson by selecting the learning objective and figuring out which level of Bloom's Taxonomy it corresponds to. Next, they could employ ICT technologies to design group projects or online conversations that encourage collaboration and active learning.  Finally, the teacher could evaluate their use of technology in the classroom using the SAMR paradigm. Are they merely replacing conventional techniques with digital tools, or are they changing the learning process by enabling novel and creative approaches to learning through the use of technology? Using these three frameworks will enable teachers to design interesting classes that enhance higher-order thinking abilities, encourage creativity, and effectively incorporate technology.

Legal, safe and ethical practice and what it means for you

What are the dimensions of legal, safe and ethical practice outlined in the Australian Curriculum: ICT as a General Capability?

The Australian Curriculum: ICT as a General Capability outlines three dimensions of legal, safe, and ethical practice that students should develop in order to become proficient in using digital technologies. These dimensions are:  Legal and ethical practices: This dimension focuses on understanding the legal and ethical implications of using digital technologies. Students are expected to understand issues such as copyright, plagiarism, privacy, and security. They should also be able to identify and avoid illegal and unethical activities such as cyberbullying, hacking, and identity theft.  Personal and social capability: This dimension focuses on the development of social and emotional skills required to use digital technologies in a responsible and respectful manner. Students are expected to develop skills such as communication, collaboration, empathy, and self-awareness. They should also be able to manage their digital footprint and understand the impact of their actions on themselves and others.  ICT literacy: This dimension focuses on developing the technical skills required to use digital technologies effectively and efficiently. Students are expected to develop skills such as digital communication, digital creation, digital data management, and digital problem-solving. They should also be able to evaluate digital information and use it to make informed decisions.  Overall, these dimensions aim to prepare students to become responsible, ethical, and safe digital citizens who are able to use digital technologies to enhance their learning and contribute positively to society.

What will you need to consider in your curriculum learning areas?

There are several key factors that should be considered when developing a curriculum for any given learning area. These factors will help ensure that the curriculum is comprehensive, effective, and tailored to the needs of the learners. Some of the most important considerations include Learning goals: The curriculum should be designed with specific learning goals in mind. These goals should be clear, measurable, and achievable, and should guide the selection of learning activities and assessment strategies.  Learner needs: The curriculum should be tailored to the needs of the learners, taking into account their age, background, and learning styles. This may involve incorporating a range of teaching methods and resources to engage and support different types of learners.  Content selection: The curriculum should be based on a clear understanding of the subject matter and its relevance to the learners. This may involve selecting content that is both engaging and relevant, and that aligns with the broader goals and objectives of the curriculum.  Sequencing of content: The curriculum should be structured in a logical and progressive way, with content arranged in a sequence that builds on prior knowledge and skills. This will help learners develop a deep and integrated understanding of the subject matter.  Assessment: The curriculum should include a range of assessment strategies that are aligned with the learning goals and content. These may include formative assessments to support ongoing learning, as well as summative assessments to measure progress and achievement.  Feedback and reflection: The curriculum should provide opportunities for learners to receive feedback on their learning and to reflect on their progress. This can help learners identify areas for improvement and develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.  Implementation: The curriculum should be designed to be practical and feasible to implement, taking into account available resources, time constraints, and other logistical considerations.  By considering these factors when developing a curriculum, educators can help ensure that the curriculum is effective, engaging, and tailored to the needs of the learners.