The ‘What’ and ‘How’ of Learning
Our school-based design teams continue to work energetically through the eight-lab design process within the unique context of their respective schools. During this 2018-19 Explore Year, participants are creating prototypes for three of the STARC systems:
- Spatial (where learning takes place) – see Exploring Space for resources
- Relational (who takes part in the learning) – see Reflecting on Relationships for resources
- Andragogy (the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of learning) – this blog post will focus on this system, providing food for thought and specific resources
When designing with the lens of the Andragogical System, NEXTschool participants are reminded that NEXTschool is not a curricular program in itself; rather it is a framework, a collection of intentional and integrated structures and systems that allow for a school to deliver a wide range of curricula, based on their community needs and objectives. The NEXTschool framework aims to help Quebec schools implement the Quebec Education Plan (QEP) (and other offered curricula, including IB, Sports-Études etc.) in the spirit in which it was created: competency and inquiry-based, flexible and personalized, and with great opportunity for experiential and transdisciplinary learning.
Here are the specific NEXTschool essential components of the Andragogical System to be integrated into each school-based model:
In addition to these components the following prompts can help designers explore this aspect of their NEXTschool model:
- How might curriculum be a living process?
- What teaching methods, outcomes, and assessment strategies best fulfill the NEXTschool objective of “engaging students and preparing them for the world ahead?”
- How might the disciplines be re-organized?
- How might we balance support, guidance and autonomy? (student voice and choice)
- How might curriculum be meaningful for students?
- How might we make the learning objectives and competencies transparent for students and parents?
- “Students” – “Teachers” – how might we share the roles?
In fact, one participating EXPLOREteam has articulated their andragogical challenge more specifically as follows:
“How might we help students be the hero of their own learning journey?”
We encourage NEXTschool participants (and all educators!) to allow these questions and the following resources to serve as a inspiration throughout the design process.
Resources
- Seven things that happen when students own their learning, Spencer, J., 2017
- Putting students in charge of their own learning, Pandolpho, B., 2018
- Transdisciplinarity: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box, Levinson, M., 2016
- Video: The Future of Education: Transdisciplinary Learning, School for Tomorrow, Shusterman, A., 2013.
- Video: 5 Keys to Project Based Learning ,via Edutopia
- More resources on Project-based Learning from the Buck Institute of Education
- Design Thinking in the Classroom: Easy-to-Use Teaching Tools to Foster Creativity, Encourage Innovation, and Unleash Potential in Every Student, by Lee, D., 2018.
- The Pedagogy of Confidence, Jackson, Y., 2011.
- Five Design Elements for Rethinking School: A Toolkit for Educators, Global Online Academy, 2018.
- Four Keys to success at the most innovative schools in the world, Ross, D., 2018
