Revamping iExplore
If you have been reading my previous posts, you may have noticed a trend towards developing the curiosity and innovative thinking within our learners. Over the past few months, I have been ideating my own exploration through the vast range of online resources that are currently available in:
- Design Thinking
- Problem Solving
- STEM & STEAM
- Maker Movement
The following TEDx video of Co Barry illustrates very clearly how educators may not be challenging and extending every learner in the classroom. This is where design thinking comes in. It's exciting to think about providing complex and challenging experiences for my learners with opportunities to be problem solvers, innovators, designers, collaborators - and all the other catch-phrases that we use when considering the 21st-century learner.
Watch the video and reflect on your learners. Are you catering for their real-world needs?
Towards the end of Term 2, I visited Nick Pattison at Kauri Flats School. This is a newly opened school which is still in its development stages. Nick (formerly with Rongomai School) is spearheading design thinking (and learning) at Kauri Flats with amazing authentic projects such as breeding flounder and placing locator chips on wheelie bins. This is powerful learning - working directly with an industry in the real world.
I was blown away by the level of learning that was taking place - under Nick's guidance and obviously as a result of his connections with various industries. The learners (at many age levels) could articulate their thinking and were excited to share how they progressed through the 'design thinking' pathway. I could clearly see that many of the learners were designing their own learning and taking ownership of their education.
Learners valuing and leading their learning would be my utopia learning environment. We aren't there yet, but the path is becoming clearer.
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