Reflections on Future Focused Learning with Dr Brian Annan and Learner Agency

I am a big believer in being open and transparent about learning and have found that blogs and Twitter are ideal platforms for publicly sharing knowledge as well as learning globally from others. They also contribute to making knowledge equitable, when resourcing constraints can become barriers to learning. As long as you accept that my words are my interpretation and reflection of my experiences, then together we can create and drive positive learning and change. I also welcome suggestions, views or feedback that will support my learning. Please comment below.

I was privileged to be invited by Margaret-Anne Barnett (MOE Principal Adviser Future-Focused Learning & Digital learning Technologies) to a Building Capability in Modern Learning Practices Workshop held in Dunedin on the 3rd July 2014. 

Preparation for the workshop and discussion required us to share a 5 minute reflection on the following:
1. What got you started?
2. What were the drivers?
3. What were the barriers?
4. What are you learning about the process of change?
5. How could change of this magnitude be supported across the system – what would you have found most useful?

Some pre-workshop reading recommendations were also shared with us:

• The A3 summary of the NZCER report, Supporting Future-oriented Learning and Teaching: A New Zealand Perspective http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-resources/NZC-Updates/Issue-26-October-2012

• For the very keen beans, the full NZCER publication is here http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/109317/994_Future-oriented-07062012.pdf

The workshop was facilitated by Dr Brian Annan, Programme Director of Learning & Change Networks (LCN), Faculty of Education Auckland University. An important aspect of Brian’s leadership is to encourage participants to link into global networks so as not to reinvent the wheel.

I had already worked with Brian as part of the Southern Regional LCN and Whitestone LCN networks. Brian also provided feedback for me on my sabbatical report.

Brian presenting the first activity

In the first interactive activity, Brian encouraged us to share our answers to the questions above in just 60 seconds. Brian actually timed us ! We then had to compare our experience with the demand in the current digital world for "just now" learning.

Brian asked me to share the 4 minute video that I had created to encapsulate my 6,000 word sabbatical report around deep engagement in learning. Here is the link to the video.

The question was posed - Could our learners create a one minute video to share their learning and change priorities as a form of self-evaluation ?

Brian's question was a challenge for me to share my learning from the day in a one minute video. 

Here is a link to the video I created in response to this challenge.

Here is a link to a video I created about the purpose and benefit of the NZ Learning and Change Network strategy for another task that Brian challenged me with.

Brian emphasised that the term "21st Century learning" was outdated and that it was time to make reference to "future focused learning".

A discussion evolved around the place of the instructional core in the ecology of learning.

Below is the diagram ( I created for my original video) that we discussed that shows where the instructional core fits into the ecology of learning.

Screenshot from my video 

When we all shared key words from our learning by writing them onto the whiteboard, we were challenged further through role plays. In groups of three we were asked to sit in front of the whiteboard and discuss the messages on the board in our roles as students, teachers, board members and parents. This added a rich insight into our discussions and motivated participants to carry out the same activity back in their own workplaces with real students, staff and whanau.

Photo taken during the workshop

Brian explained a frame for thinking about evaluation of learning in practice. He shared an example of this based on his own experience of learning to surf. I captured this part of the session in the screenshot that I created below. Brian also referred to the value of ongoing informal 'interactive reflections' on learning that need to happen between students, parents and teachers.

Screenshot from my video

Brian emphasized the power of student agency that shouldn't be confused with student voice. Student's learning must be driven by their own evaluation. They must be able to articulate what they need to change to take their learning forward. This is what must drive 'teaching as inquiry'. We need to move away from teacher ownership of the learning and change ideas and practices that we believe will support change. Instead we need to enable the students to articulate and action these.

I discussed this with Lorraine Frances-Rees, a colleague who happened to be at school during the recent term break ! She responded with these challenging questions for our learners.

Screenshot from Lorraine's email

This is already food for thought. We will share these questions after collaboration with all staff and learners early next term.

Finally, Brian spent the last part of the day discussing and sharing ways to evaluate engagement in learning. The learning map is a way of understanding the impact of the learning environment on learners. There is an article here that explains more about learning maps in action. The idea is that we use the learning from these maps to bring about change that will lead to deeper learning and achievement. The focus of these maps is on learning to learn.

 Screenshot from the LCN  Prezie by  R Burton & B Annan

Screenshot of children drawing learning maps from Issue 4 LCN Newsletter

As Brian emphasized, 'The knowledge is within the group. We need to draw it out.'

In a few weeks time, we will be bringing the staff from three schools together and creating an informal, social learning environment to activate learning and change. We will indeed have a large group of skilled staff to learn and change with and draw our knowledge and learning from. This is only the beginning. Further learning workshops bringing students and families together are in the pipeline.

Together,  our ripples will travel further than if we were on our own, as we work collaboratively to engage and activate deep learning and change in a future focused learning environment for all of us.