Change/reflection

Change is inevitable and as teachers we need to be flexible and positive about new ideas and approaches to teaching. Teaching is a challenging job where we need to know our content and find ways to make learning fun. Lately, I have been asking students about how they feel about the subject and what we can do as a faculty to make learning more accessible to them. This has led me back to my blog and I am now sitting here thinking of new ways to deliver content:


1. Make learning more relevant. This year we have been looking at Environmental Issues and Street Art with Stage 5 (Year 9/10). However, compared to previous year, this particular cohort seem to find the projects less engaging. My faculty plans to create four shorter projects for 2020. We need to provide them with topics/issues that are more RELEVANT to them. Make them interested and CURIOUS. Give opportunities for students to generate their own research questions and search for explanations.

2. Make learning clear. Students need a variety of teacher samples/student samples/artist samples.

3. Make learning collaborative (to consider Project Based Learning). Students will work independently to research materials and then come back to collaborate to share information and work together on a problem. In small groups they will investigate:

• What they think they already know
• What they need to find out
• How they will proceed to investigate the questions
• What they are learning
• How and where they can apply the results of their investigations

3. A variety of assessment tasks. We need to look at different assessment methods, research projects etc.

Our school is also looking at innovative ways to deliver Stage 4 (Year 7). We will be modelling it off Kurri Kurri high School. We will be looking at:

• Timetable structuring
• Physical spaces (removing of walls to allow for a space of 60 students)
• Curriculum (links across Stage 4)

More information will be provided to us on Monday during the long extended meeting. We are looking at making project cycles for 10 weeks in length, with the opportunities for Peer Critique and Feedback included through a project cycle.