The world we live in today is vastly different to the world we as educators experienced when we were growing up. Many students in today's classrooms have access to and experience using different technological devices that have the capacity to connect them to others locally, nationally and globally. There is a plethora of real-world and virtual experiences out there to helps students connect what they know and are learning to real problems, scenarios, situations etc. How often do we capitalise on the opportunities to connect learning with real-world situations? This is something that I myself have grappled with and don't feel like I have done my student's justice in the past. Don Wettrick (@DonWettrick) in his book Pure Genius explains that we need to amplify the learning experience by providing opportunities to create and collaborate with people. So how can we extend our learning beyond the walls of our classrooms? How might we create or improve the innovative ecosystem in our classrooms to make learning more purposeful and meaningful? Providing students with high quality learning experiences in relevant situations beyond the walls of the classroom is vital for helping students understand concepts in context and from a variety of perspectives. As I reflect on these questions and think about experiences I have offered my students, I came up with a short list, that is by no means exhuastive.
I used our visit to Canberra as the platform for exploring these mathematical concepts using Google Geo tools on Chromebook devices. The students engaged in learning experiences that asked them to:
Students then created their own communities using grid paper. What would have made this experience more valuable would have been to get a town planner from the local council to talk to the kids about:
Moving forward, I'd like to make better use of the resources, experiences and expertise beyond the four walls of my classroom to make learning more purposeful, meaningful and relevant for the learners I serve. I'd love to hear examples of how you move beyond the four walls in your educational context, so please feel free to leave a comment below.
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AuthorHi, I am Alice. I am a primary teacher and leader in New South Wales, Australia. I have been teaching for the past 14 years in both the Public and Catholic school systems. I am passionate about supporting and mentoring colleagues to think deeply about their efforts to cultivate thinking and learning opportunities for students. Read more Archives
August 2023
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