Learning to teach in innovative spaces [1683] Home : Annual Conference 2017

Public Group active 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Wed, Sep 6 2017, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Authors: Pippa Yeoman, and Lucila Carvalho
Room: Gilmour Rm (G)
Theme: Learning Spaces
Type: 20-minute session

Description

The knowledge that innovation is fuelled by collaboration (Sawyer, 2006), is driving schools and universities to change how and where they teach in order to offer students opportunities to experience collaborative knowledge building, group creation and teamwork. Across the globe emerging educational trends reflect this shift: students are no longer seen as passive consumers but as active creators (Johnson et al, 2016; Moyle, 2010). The question that is yet to be convincingly answered is – how do educators effectively design for learning in the innovative spaces that are the product of these times?

This presentation will discuss two case studies in innovative learning spaces, which were analysed as place-based spaces for networked learning (Carvalho et al, 2017). Theoretical ideas from the learning sciences, anthropology and design, framed our search for key re-usable educational design elements including showing a combination of pedagogical, digital and material resources, and people in these two innovative learning environments.

In this presentation we will outline useful concepts and demonstrate the use of analytical tools that facilitate connections between elements of the designed environment and emergent learning activity. Our aim is to support educators navigate the complex task of designing for learning by providing theoretically informed guidance on selecting appropriate digital and material resources as part of their design process, and by liberating task design and the designed environment through sympathetic and adaptive social arrangements that support valued learning activity.

Networked communications facilitate access and reach on a global scale, supporting social practices that connect people to one another, information and learning resources at the blink of an eye or the touch of a finger. But as these practices evolve they highlight a discontinuity between the demands of the 21^st century economy and the manner in which students are being prepared to participate in a networked world. It is not enough to identify key 21^st century learner attributes – such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and self-directed learning (Johnson et al, 2016). Our research is practice oriented. It moves beyond the identification of skills and qualities of 21^st century learners, to provide actionable knowledge about how to prepare learners to assume productive roles in the knowledge economy. It also explores the processes through which educational designers create environments that support learners to become increasingly creative in how they communicate knowledge and information, innovate things and processes, and work effectively on their own and in collaboration with others.

References:

Carvalho, L., Goodyear, P. & de Laat, M. (Eds.) (2017). Place-Based Spaces for Networked Learning. New York: Routledge

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V.,Freeman, A., & Hall, C. (2016). NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Moyle, K. (2010). Building innovation: Learning with technologies. Australian Education Review, 56. Australian Council for Educational Research.

Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Educating for Innovation. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 1(1), 41-48.

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