Education
THEN & NOW
10 ways schools have changed. The face of schools and education in Australia is changing. Classrooms are changing. Learning is changing and it is not just about technology. How is education and learning different now to ‘back in my day’? We talk to Catherine Lunney, the Primary Learning Leader at Southern Cross Catholic College to find out what is changing and why! created and implemented, providing every Australian student the same educational entitlement.
‘hopefully’ holds the floor for 20%, allowing students 80% of the time to be engaged in their learning by doing.
CONTENT vs CONCEPT
PASSIVE vs ACTIVE LEARNING
In past generations, the learning focus in most classrooms (approaches like Montessori being the alternative) was all about the content i.e. the who, what, when and where. Students acquiring knowledge and practical skills was the lesson objectives.
THE CURRICULUM Since we became a nation each state has fought a battle (rivalling a State of Origin), over who had the best curriculum and hence the better education system and superior intellect. From the 1980s a conversation was initiated that discussed the creation of a national curriculum. This conversation turned into negotiation and hence the Australian Curriculum has been
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Your Local Families Magazine June/July 2017
Today we refer not to the lesson objective but the learning intention and the focus is placed on providing opportunities for students to move beyond knowing and doing to understanding; understanding not only the information, but more importantly the concept. Acquiring conceptual understanding provides a strong foundation for their future learning and life experiences.
TEACHING vs LEARNING In modern terminology, the classroom has been ‘flipped’. ‘Back in the day’ the teacher talked for approximately 80% of the lesson and the students worked for 20%. Today the teacher
The passive learner sits, listens, answers the teacher’s questions and does as told – this is typical of the learner ‘back then’. Today the active learner not only answers questions but also learns to pose open, fertile questions that will lead to in-depth investigations. The student is active in action and actively engaged in the learning process from co-constructing the learning intentions and success criteria, to taking ownership of the learning activities and assessment tasks.
DISCIPLINE Changes in school disciplinary practices are as much a result of global cultural change in regards to our understanding of societies responsibility towards children in general, as they are about changes within education. Gone is corporal punishment, the cane, verbal abuse,