Re-imagine Traditional Schooling...

Image Source: ISTE.org

As a result of reading the article Designing a Public School from Scratch

by Nora Fleming

September 19, 2018

I decided to use some foundation ideas from the article and then branched away into my own musings.

1. Foundation Ideas - from Design 39 Campus, Grades K-8, San Diego, California

Design 39 is known as a campus not a school

Teachers are called LED's - learning experience designers

Classrooms are called studios

Library is called the Loft

Front office is the Welcome Centre

2. My Ideas - based on a Prep to 12 private school in Victoria, Australia

An atmospheric environment is a crucial stimulant for learning.

The secondary field of English and Humanities, sadly, gets the interchanging classrooms, with little time or space to set up an 'environment'.

School Design

Prep Circle - rooms round courtyard and playground

Primary Tracks - Studios branch away from central outdoor amphitheatre style area - seating for lunch, outdoor displays or plays

Secondary Hubs - Year 7 + 8 Centre + large studio gathering for Years 7-8

Year 9 Centre + studios

Year 10 Centre + studios adjoining VCE Centre

VCE Centre - studios including study pods, lunch room and outdoor verandah

Music and Drama Hub + Performing Arts Centre

Art and Visual Technology Hub

Sports Centre

English and Humanities Hub - including a gallery of primary documents, old books etc

Languages Hub
The Loft - (Multi-Modal Centre? - for Media + 2 adjacent studios) + lined with study pods + books? + reading corner for primaries

Studio Design

Variety of movable furniture - tables on casters, wheeled chairs, bean bags, 3 seater lounge 

computer hubs along the walls 

LED's area central

Hub Design

Reflect elements of the teaching area including posters, screened films etc

Now for the big and prickly questions...

1. Have textbooks had their day? 

Surely there is enough free and regularly updated source material available on the internet...This particularly applies to Humanities...Students just need to be reminded to source their material...preferably in a Research Log...

2. Should students begin an ongoing, digital portfolio from Grade 1? 

Should students be the data keepers of learning progress and teachers have access to student portfolios of sample work (scanned or completed online) to see how they are travelling?

Teachers only record assessment/exam results?

New teachers simply access students' portfolios in their class?

3. Should senior students in Year 11 (or 12) be encouraged to complete a MOOCs course - appropriate to their line of career choice? An alternative default? 

A MOOC is a Massive Online Course, which is a free online course available to anyone that wants to take the course. They are similar to online courses in terms of teaching and learning methods videos, group chats, assignments and tests but they do not generally provide academic credit. If you want a certificate of completion, payment is required.

4. Should schools provide online courses? 

Is there a place for schools to indulge in online courses?

At what year level could they begin? Years 9 and 10 to profile and assist students to make informed/appropriate career choices?

REFLECTION

I feel that as educators, we have not moved far enough into the 21st century...

Some of the obstacles involve data tracking...the buzz words that highlight good teaching...ahem..

Data tracking is so absorbing, so over-whelming, so time consuming (my weekends are dominated by their demands) that the students' spark of delight in exploration is quenched and the energy of the teacher is depleted to keep pace...

Preparing innovative lessons and being creative is a whim, an 'on-the-fly' possibility, but often dies into a passing thought...

The mighty data wheel must be greased regularly...Sigh....

Remove the data regime and record the surprise of results as they happen...

All those inspiring 21st century environments bring results...

if the door is left wide open and the latch is broken...

To teach is to keep learning

Yes, yes, yes and more yes! There's far too much data and not enough of the 'spark' there. Education ought to be a weapon in the hand, not a gun to the head..... For students and teachers. So many thoughts about all this....

— D (@kvoldvaka) September 23, 2018