Virtual Learning Network

 

We built a shared understanding about why we wanted to hold such an event.  This became our vision statement and was initially drawn from our overarching cluster goals and implementation strategy.

Click here for more background information on the Tauranga Moana ICTPD Cluster

Over a period of weeks the underlying principles and ideas from Ka Hikitia, Te Reo Matatini and both NZC , Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and Effective Pedagogy were deconstructed to deepen our understandings about why we wanted to do this.  Snippets from all these documents , and more were recorded in the following wiki on Ultranet - From Vision and Values → Principles and Practices

 

Our Guiding Question

How can we Infuse ICT with all aspects of the Tamaiti Hui to further develop e-learning in the knowledge age incorporating a culturally responsive approach and a future focus?

By adding a 21st century literacy lens into the mix we were then able to unpack how ICTs could be integrated effectively into our Tamaiti Hui context in order to create an innovative and exciting learning environment for all students.

Jane Gilbert’s ideas from “Catching the Knowledge Wave" were great starting points.

“ICT’s can be useful to....

 

We also read two pieces of New Zealand based research which made links between conditions of learning, student engagement, literacy, and elearning.

Some of the key points from this research which resonated strongly with the goals of the Tamaiti Hui are identified as follows:

“.....e-Learning tools can motivate and engage students. These may be critical factors leading to improved educational outcomes.”

“..... Multiliteracies thus closely link to e-Learning affordances and provide opportunities for students to learn in ways that have become natural for them.”

“…....We saw evidence of students’ literacy learning as they built their capacity to: learn the code, make meaning, use texts, and analyse texts in a range of modes and with multimodal texts. Learning the code involves practices required to crack the codes and systems of language. Making meaning involves the practices required to construct cultural meanings of text. Using texts involves the practices required to use texts effectively in everyday, face-to-face situations. Analysing texts involves the practices required to analyse, critique and second-guess texts.

…...The e-fellows reported higher levels of student engagement during their e-fellow projects than in more traditional literacy activities. This was especially evident for students with a history of underachievement and lack of engagement.

 

Click hereto view the Online Tamaiti classrooms

120 Year 5 and 6 students from Greerton Village School, Merivale School, Te Kura o Matapihi, Bethlehem Primary School, Arataki School and Maungatapu School registered for their workshops and Virtual/ Online Classrooms were set up in the cluster Online Space - Ultranet, to facilitate a blended learning approach to the hui.  Students were able to view all the workshops online and were then encouraged to complete their workshop choices online at home with the support of their whanau.

Two school leaders, from each school, were also nominated to be Ambassadors for the Tamaiti Hui. Their role was to provide our visiting guests and teachers with a fabulous and fun experience.

How did these the inclusion of virtual classrooms support 21st century pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning?

These virtual classrooms provided a learning delivery platform which supported both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities and also encouraged the teachers to implement teaching approaches for their workshops that would have a positive impact on student learning as outlined in both NZC (Effective Pedagogy) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa ( Pakeha version pages 13 - 14)

Creating a supportive learning environment

Learning is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community.
The classroom culture exists within and alongside many other cultures, including the cultures of the wider school and the local community, the students’ peer culture, and the teacher’s professional culture.

• Each virtual class was set up as a learning community for the group of students. Students from all schools introduced themselves via video to build a sense of “learning community” prior to the hui.
• A large part of the conference was using the Tamaiti Hui Context as a professional learning opportunity for all the teachers in the Tauranga Moana Cluster. Release time was given to our six schools and teachers were invited to visit the hui throughout the 2 days and to the celebration evening to learn about the processses and technologies the students and teachers used throughout the 2 days.

Encouraging reflective thought and action

Students learn most effectively when they develop the ability to stand back from the information or ideas that they have engaged with and think about these objectively. Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking). Teachers encourage such thinking when they design tasks and opportunities that require students to critically evaluate the material they use and consider the purposes for which it was originally created.

• Teachers uploaded digital artefacts etc to their virtual class before the Tamaiti Hui and students were encouraged to familiarise themselves with their contexts for learning. Students were able to participate and interact with the material in a variety of ways participating in online discussions, polls and quizes, and using video to introduce themselves. Click on “Toku Kainga Authors Club” to view an example of a virtual classroom.
• Click on “A Tauranga Moana Twist on an Old Tale”  to see how this teacher has encouraged students to engage with the workshop content through the discussion module.

Enhancing the relevance of new learning

Students learn most effectively when they understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they will be able to use their new learning. Effective teachers stimulate the curiosity of their students, require them to search for relevant information and ideas, and challenge them to use or apply what they discover in new contexts or in new ways. They look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning. This encourages them to see what they are doing as relevant and to take greater ownership of their own learning.

• Click on “Workshop 7 - It Will Surprise You” to see how this teacher has stimulated the students curiosity through a pre workshop task and asked for student input with regards to the direction of the workshop

Facilitating shared learning

Students learn as they engage in shared activities and conversations with other people, including family members and people in the wider community. Teachers encourage this process by cultivating the class as a learning community. In such a community, everyone, including the teacher, is a learner; learning conversations and learning partnerships are encouraged; and challenge, support, and feedback are always available. As they engage in reflective discourse with others, students build the language that they need to take their learning further.

• A Tamaiti Hui Movie Crew was one of the workshop choices for the students. Click on “Snap, Whirr! Caught on Camera” to learn about the role the students played in capturing the essence of the Tamaiti Hui.  View the movies in the Media Gallery for more examples of student voice and interviews during the Tamaiti Hui

Making connections to prior learning and experience

Students learn best when they are able to integrate new learning with what they already understand. When teachers deliberately build on what their students know and have experienced, they maximise the use of learning time, anticipate students’ learning needs, and avoid unnecessary duplication of content. Teachers can help students to make connections across learning areas as well as to home practices and the wider world.

• Click on “Workshop 8 - Voices of Tauranga” to see how this teacher made links to prior knowledge and experience. Listen to the broadcasts in the media gallery.

Providing sufficient opportunities to learn

Students learn most effectively when they have time and opportunity to engage with, practise, and transfer new learning. This means that they need to encounter new learning a number of times and in a variety of different tasks or contexts. It also means that when curriculum coverage and student understanding are in competition, the teacher may decide to cover less but cover it in greater depth. Appropriate assessment helps the teacher to determine what “sufficient” opportunities mean for an individual student and to sequence students’ learning experiences over time.

• Click on “The Greatest Legends Ever Told” to see the variety of ways this teacher encouraged the students to make connections with their prior learning.  The learning intentions and success criteria have been shared with the students. Watch the News Report in the Media Gallery