A Change in My Practice Towards Future-oriented Learning and Teaching

Reflecting on Personalising Learning

The 21st century has opened us, like it or not, to a world of rapid change and development. It seems like new ideas, technology, policies and procedures are assailing us everyday.
While it is an exciting time to be alive it is also one fraught with its own problems or issues.
The traditional model of Education, while still holding on to a greater degree, is coming under more and more pressure to reform or be replaced. 21 century learning, future focussed learning are the key terms and ideas that are talked about with increasing frequency.
As educators we must realise that this is a time of change and that we must change as well. Not just what we do but also who we are and how we approach teaching and learning in our classrooms.
One of the aspects of future focussed learning that I have found most interesting is that of Personalised Learning. That is putting students and their choices and desired directions or pathways to the forefront of the content and skills development programs that I as a teacher implement, direct or oversee.
Every child is different and thus personalised learning makes a lot of sense.
The scary part for a teacher is "how do I make this work?" Does it mean that I have to teach 30 different lessons? Does it mean I have to differentiate my lessons for 30 different individual perspectives?
These ideas can be daunting if not downright depressing.
Technology however provides some of the possible ways to deal with these challenges.
In my classroom one of the areas where I have developed personalised learning is around students learning the skill of writing program code.
Traditionally this would have been done by writing code examples up on the whiteboard or showing them on a data projector and explaining what each line or command was doing. Then have the students replicate this and perhaps make changes to see how those changes affect the outcome.
Instead this year I introduced my students to a cloud based (5 Technologies that Will change Classroom education - Video) learning environment called 'Code Avengers'. This environment has a range of tasks that students can access anywhere at any time. It allows individual students to explore, practice and develop coding skills at their own pace. Both challenging and encouraging them through a points system and simultaneously allowing me as the teacher to track where each student is up to. My role shifted therefore to being 'the sage on the stage' to one of facilitator or perhaps guide. This type of learning I believe is a move more towards the deep personalisation that is talked about by future focussed educationalists (Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching: A New Zealand perspective - Report R Bolstad & J Gilbert with S McDowall, A Bull, S Boyd & R Hipkins).

How is it different from traditional tools?
Firstly, it is not limiting in terms of where and when learning can take place. Conversations about the learning can also take place outside of traditional locations and times. The points system adds a competitive or game like aspect to learning which can help motivate students. 
Secondly, the content is adaptable and can be changed quickly to meet to the requirements of students and the skills they need or want to learn.

Is this the be all and end all. By no means yes. However, I think that I going down this pathway I am providing my students with a far more flexible and personal educational experience. This will in turn hopefully fostered more self-directed and self-aware students, who will continue to learn and develop these skills.

References

Bolstad, R., Gilbert, J., McDowall, S., Bull, A., Boyd, S., & Hipkins, R. (2012). Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching: A New Zealand perspective. Wellington: Ministry of Education. Retrieved from:
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/109317/994_Future-oriented-07062012.pdf

AJ+ 5. (2015, Sep 16). Technologies that Will change Classroom education  [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loFL5gT_m8I