In this day and age, contemporary learning has to be a balance of best practice and next practice. Best practice is what we know works well. A mix of teacher directed learning, especially in the early years, balanced with play and inquiry where students learn through doing, allows students to attain the necessary foundations of literacy, numeracy and core knowledge. They are the foundations which unlock the potential for each child’s future. However, they are no longer enough to sustain a young adult as they strive for a post school life of contentment and fulfilment.
The nature and pace of change in and across countries has brought into hard focus an acceptance that the skills students need for a fulfilling life extend far beyond those required by young people from previous times.
Dr Phil Lambert – SMH, October 8, 2018.
The education system as we know it does not greatly assist students prepare for this rapidly changing world. For those of us in schools, we need to wrestle more with ‘next practice’, rather than perfect ‘best practice’, and we all need to do it now!
The possibilities of ‘next practice’ are many, but for me it has to be about using individualised data mapped to the Australian general capabilities for each student so they can better understand who they and are and what their strengths are. The explicit teaching and assessing of the ACARA General Capabilities needs to be embedded into the daily practice of learning.
‘Next practice’ learning is also about teachers harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to personalise learning. AI, when when used by discerning teachers, can accelerate feedback processes for students as well as assist students to self pace and self direct their own learning.
I realise that ‘next practice’ learning is about far more than the two big ticket items of AI and general capabilities, but whatever mainstream ‘next practice’ looks like, general capabilities will be embedded into a curriculum and there will be much personalised learning facilitated by teachers using sophisticated artificial intelligence tools.
Since St Luke’s Marsden Park commenced in 2017, a strong priority has been for each student to develop the capabilities required for a changing world as expressed through our 6 Pillars of Learning. Our twice yearly reports and student-led conferences reflect this commitment. Furthermore, as part of our Pathways Program in Year 7 & 8, we partner with life coaches from Innerzone to ensure students can more accurately learn about their Strengths, Interests and Motivations – SIM, so that they can more deeply understand who they are, what they can do and what problems they want to solve. Our Year 8 students will soon articulate their life purpose statement. This will serve as the basis for their first draft post school pathways plan by the end of this year.
In the area of artificial intelligence, one programme we use is called ‘Scribo’. Scribo is a writing analysis platform which provides unique insights into who needs specific help to improve their writing. At St Luke’s, teachers have used Scribo to assess the student writing samples and provide effective feedback at a quicker rate, hence accelerating improved writing over time.
Next practice learning has to be about what we value for our learners. By focusing on the development of capabilities and using AI, our young people will be better prepared for for a rapidly changing world.
LEARN AND LEAD 