A Sense of Place

A Sense of Belonging
An ideal learning space gives students a sense of home, of belonging.Like a nest, it offers security and orientation,it is also a place from which one can stretch one's wings...

A 'sense of place' - an identity - is something all communities need, and indeed it can be argued that a principle cause of alienation, crime and dysfunction is the loss of this sense of identity.

http://www.sustainability.murdoch.edu.au/casestudies/Pilbara/socio-cultural/Sense_of_Place.htm

Our relationship with the land is one of belonging to, caring for, being cared for and growing up with: our land is our mother. The sense of place that is embedded within the souls of all aboriginal people is the obligation to ensure the very life and survival of our Mother Earth, the bearer of all creation.
http://www.urbanecology.org.au/ecocity2/senseofplace.html

Constructivist Learning

A constructivist approach
I envisage active, engaged learners, an enthusiastic teacher and a myriad of opportunities for the children to learn with and from each other,using quality resources.
"Constructivism does not claim to have made earth-shaking inventions in the area of education; it merely claims to provide a solid conceptual basis for some of the things that, until now, inspired teachers had to do without theoretical foundation. "von Glasersfeld see: Summary: http://www.cdli.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/cle6.html

I have chosen the image of a beehive to represent a place of interconnectedness. My ideal learning space would be home to a beehive of activity in a series of linked spaces. There would be a room with nothing at all in it besides musical instruments and a sound system. There would be a room like a conventional classroom with desks, chairs and computers. There would be smaller rooms leading off these, for group or individual work. Ideally, the space would include a kitchen and a garden, and doors wide open to community involvement. Bright colours,organic Gaudi-inspired architecture,big windows open to the world...

Education is not "teaching a fact for its own sake, but for teaching children to go on beyond what is given." It should never become "just a transmission of what we know, without a sense of what is possible." Jerome Bruner

Connectivism

Networked Learning , a Sense of Community

Creative learning brings about new and interesting ways of connecting quality content.
George Siemens can be heard here talking about Connectivism and its implications for education:
http://www.elearnspace.org/media/Connectivism_IOC/player.html

There is no one definition of a learning community; however, a common definition is:“Any one of a variety of curricular structures that link together several existing courses---or actually restructure the material entirely---so that students have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning, and more interaction with one another and their teachers as fellow participants in the learning enterprise.”
http://aaweb.lsu.edu/slc/whatIs.htm
See also:http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ent/home/index.cfm

Reflective Practice

Critical reflection is the process of analysing, reconsidering and questioning experiences within a broad context of issues. I have chosen this image from Dali because of its centering quality. True critical reflection comes about when a content has been internalised and given a new, meaningful context.

This is a source of useful strategies for good reflective practice:
http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/alo/critical4.htm

Deep Learning:
More than just the accumulation of information.
The students must have been in contact with meaningful content from all facets of life.This gives the necessary framework for deep learning to occur.
Deep, as opposed to superficial learning:

Focus is on “what is signified”
Focus is on the “signs” (or on the learning as a signifier of something else)
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Relates previous knowledge to new knowledge
Focus on unrelated parts of the task
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Relates knowledge from different courses
Information for assessment is simply memorised
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Relates theoretical ideas to everyday experience
Facts and concepts are associated unreflectively
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Relates and distinguishes evidence and argument
Principles are not distinguished from examples
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Organises and structures content into coherent whole Task is treated as an external imposition Emphasis is internal, from within the student
Emphasis is external, from demands of assessment

http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm
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Learner Diversity

Diversity and Differences:
Individuality requires flexibility in teaching. a teacher needs to attune his perception so that the individual needs of every learner are met. Multiple intelligences need to be catered to.So too talents and learning challenges and cultural perpectives.

See : Teaching with diversity checklist:
http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/tl/99TDChecklist.htm

Power and Freedom

Power and Freedom

Today's learners are strong individuals who need to be empowered to find their own paths. They need to be anchored in a secure sense of self in order to determine their optimal ways of learning. In an atmosphere of mutual respect and support, individual power and freedom enrich the learning potential of students.

See Glasser's theories on personal choice and responsibility:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Glasser

Creativity

Creativity -
a living approach to education which can enliven every facet of learning. This is a fundamental principle of Steiner education.
"I think that it is not exaggerated to say that no other educational system in the world gives such a central role to the arts as the Waldorf School Movement. Even mathematics is presented in an artistic fashion and related via dance, movement or drawing to the child as a whole."Konrad Oberhuber, Professor of Fine Arts, Harvard University
http://www.waldorfschool.com/results_of_a_waldorf_education.htm

"Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self." -- Erich Fromm

Transformation of the Individual

Transformation of the Individual
An ideal learning process would develop the potential of each learner and lay the foundations for curious, enthusiastic life-long learning. A creative educational process should become a well-spring of inspiration for later life, full of rich memories, a sense of mystery and a seach for meaning.
In the words of Howard Gardner:
I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do...

Transformation of Society

Transformation of Society

Students should beinspired to strive to make the world a better place and share the gifts of their talents in a way that promotes social justice and sustainability. These ideals cannot be imposed upon anyone but would ideally arise from each person in an expression of freedom and responsibility


All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth: Aristotle