Science Of Learning

 

The Science of Learning is a new American publication from the Deans of Impact. It summarises latest cognitive science research related to how students learn and connects the research to implications in the classroom.

It identifies six key questions about learning:

• How do students understand ideas?
• How do students learn and retain new information?
• How do students solve problems?
• How does learning transfer to new situations?
• What motivates students to learn?
• What are some common misconceptions about how students think and learn?

This is an excellent and easy to follow resource that I highly recommend to all teachers. Click on the image above to access.



 

Using Videos to Reflect and Refine Teaching Practice

I have often included Teaching Channel videos in my blog and via Teaching Channel this week I have come across two great resources from Harvard 's Centre for Education Policy Research that inform learning using videos.
The first resource is called Video Observation Toolkit. It includes a range of materials to support teachers in using videos for professional learning. It is suggested that they can be used for

• self reflection
• peer collaboration
• evaluation and coaching

The second resource is Teacher Video Selfie which is a self guided module for analyzing videos of your own teaching practice.

Keep these resources in mind for next year when you are thinking about your PLP's

Year 12 and Stress

This article was in the Canberra Times this week, reminding Year 12 students that there is life after Year 12 exams. A Sydney study of Year 12 students  has recently revealed that gifted girls suffer more stress and that 42% of students suffered from high level anxiety. To read the article and watch the video clip from ReachOut.com, click on the image above.

The GoldenTriangle of Happiness

A loving partner, up to $100,000 of household income and a social activity that offers a sense of purpose is the new "golden triangle of happiness" according to Deakin University psychologist Professor Robert Cummins.

Deakin University Research  has found that financial security, having a sense of purpose and good personal relationships were the key to happiness. Based on 29 Australian happiness surveys over the past 12 years, Professor Robert Cummins has revealed that to be happy it doesn't matter where you live ,if you are a white/blue collar worker or have children. Surprisingly the research also revealed our weight, health and happiness were usually unrelated. Also it was surprising to read that Tasmania was the happiest state.
To find out  more click on the links below:

Deakin Survey Reveals Golden Triangle of Happiness
Golden Triangle of Happiness

Media Consumer Survey 2015

This recently released fourth edition of Deloitte’s Media Consumer Survey provides a snapshot of how Australians are consuming different media and entertainment, using technology and devices, interacting with social networks and responding to advertising.

The Deloitte’s survey also reports on  how attitudes and behaviours have changed over the past four years.

 

Some of the survey's main points include:

• Using the internet has joined TV as our preferred source of entertainment
• Time spent watching TV and video has increased to 17.2 hours per week.
• Low cost subscriptions across multiple forms of entertainment are increasingly popular ( video, music)
• Wearable technology is starting to trend. After only two years on the market, fitness bands are already at the same level of adoption as tablets were in 2012
• 80% use social media, up from 65% in 2012.
• The smartphone is our favourite device
• 17%  read newspapers
• 15% listen to the radio
• 8% read magazines
• Click here to register for a copy of the Report

 

Social Implications of Social Media

With so many Australians using social media daily you do question the social ramifications of this behaviour. In the latest Media Consumer Survey mentioned in the post above, 51% survey respondents stated  that time spent connecting with friends through social media was just as valuable as face to face time. I must be one of the 15% who still listens to the radio and  last week I heard our Rev Rich Lanham  speak to ABC Gippsland's  Sian Gard about this very issue. His interview was part of "Mental As" week which has been the ABC's focus for the week. As you would expect, although he was agreeing that " internet friends " are important, he was recommending that individuals  develop their own identity and personalities  through real life relationships. It is here that they can practice and test their social skills and get a real feeling about their "place " in the world.

Psychologist Meredith Fuller is very pro social media connections, seeing many advantages of connecting online, considering most people's busy lives. To read more of what Meredith has to say, click on the image above.

 

 

TED Talks for Learning

Here are 5 TED Talks from some great  big thinkers on how we can design  for more engaging and meaningful learning experiences. I think most teachers would have already viewed Ken Robinson's "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"  but the others might be new to you and are worth viewing. Click here to view.

 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is now available as an app for Android and iphones.





Using these apps you can:

Learn anything — for free: Over 4,000  educational videos and explanations at your fingertips in math, science, economics, history, and much, much more.

Quickly find what you need: Redesigned navigation and search make it faster to find what you want.

Keep learning even when you’re offline: Bookmark your favorite content to “Your List” for easy access, and download it to keep learning even when you’re not connected to the internet.

Pick up where you left off: Your learning syncs between your Android/iPhone and khanacademy.org, so your progress is always up-to-date.

Click on the images above to install these apps.

 

Magic: The Gathering Tournament

At the end of last term, as a strategy to increase student centred activities in the ISC, we sponsored the Magic: The Gathering card game Tournament. The tournament was entirely organised by Riley Jones and Adam Judd and was a four rounder between 15 students. Held during lunchtimes in the Discussion Room,it ran very smoothly and those involved were certainly competitive and passionate about this game. Competition winner was Cordell Vollemaere. Second place went to Riley Jones and third was Campbell Pike.Prizes were vouchers from Sale's game shop "Puzzled". The students involved are very keen to run more tournaments in the future.

Preparing Students for Their Future

In preparing our students for an increasingly global and competitive world, it is necessary that they develop learning skills that go beyond traditional academic skills. As well as having a strong skill set in information, media and technology, they will need to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, creative and  innovative.

It was with much interest that I read in Education.hq about Frankston High's entrepreneurial course in Year 9. Having family living in the Mornington Peninsula, I have known for sometime  that Frankston High is regarded as an esteemed high performing government school. Families are actually paying premium property prices to ensure their children have the right postcode to be enrolled. The principal is John Albiston, a  fun loving guy I taught with at Sale High 30 years ago!
To access the article click on the image below.

Although this was published five years ago, the Future Work Skills 2020 Report is worth reading. This report from the University of Phoenix Research Institute looks at future work skills across different jobs and settings. It analyses drivers such as global connectivity and new media that are reshaping how we think about work and the skills students will need to be productive global citizens. Click on the image below to access the report.

Click on the image below to access the summary

ABC Maths Competition

 

ABC Splash has a great competition happening at the moment. Students using a smartphone, notebook or video recorder explain a maths idea in 30 seconds. The best 3 entries will be animated by ABC designers and published as a resource on the ABC Splash website. Competition closes 7th November. Click on the image above for competition details.

 

AITSL

Last Monday was World Teachers' Day. Click on the image above to access AITSL's latest newsletter.

Inclusion Strategies to Help ASD Students Succeed

Australian Curriculum Lessons has provided us with a very helpful video from autism teacher Maureen Ostrander. She talks about how her school supports students with autism and this video will help all teachers in determining strategies to help ASD students to succeed in the classroom. To view video click here