GROUP ACTIVITY
Divide up into your teams. Your task for the next thirty minutes is to reflect on the discussion that we just had.
Ask yourselves these questions:
If you had the opportunity to redesign education- design your own school, what would be the most important issues you would need to consider in order to achieve a sense of community and of student belongingness? How would the themes that we have consistently touched upon in our course discussions, identity, community and design, play a part in your considerations?
Each team will have a role, Team 1 will be the students, Team 3 will be the teachers and Team 4 will play the role of administrators. Now, you should look at this activity as an opportunity to redesign the current system, feel free to also move away from traditional language. For example, students can be labeled as “Learners”, teachers as “Guides” and administrators could be “Organizers”.
In each of your teams, develop a Vision or Mission, taking into consideration both your role and the issues that are most important and pertinent to your members. You will have 30 minutes for this activity. At the end, present your school vision. For next week, we will merge all of them together and post on the blog our unified vision for this “New School”.
Consider the following questions for discussion in your groups:
1. How could the design of the school/classroom lead to a more engaging environment?
2. What types of technology can help create a greater sense of belonging within, and
perhaps outside of, the classroom?
3. Does a sense of belonging increase engagement/productivity/learning?
Should a price tag be placed on education?
Individual Team discussion questions:
Team 1 (students/ learners)- When do you feel more belongingness at school? Which learning environment makes you feel more comfortable and productive?
Team 3 (teachers/guides) – Will you consider technologies as part of your community building and student belongingness objectives? How can technologies be integrated to facilitate links to communities and tie them to school lessons?
Team 4 (administrators/organizers)- How can you facilitate student belonging…transitioning to society/community? Would you create, adopt standards that include technology? What would be a common definition of “productivity” ? Should there be more relevant and meaningful measures of learning goals and costs?
Rethink learning, assessment and teaching
Overall Purpose: To create a school environment that helps students feel part of not only the school community, but as important members of larger society. (Help them become engaged, active members of a national and global community)
Consider…..
What kinds of technologies might be used to this end? (blogs, wikis allow parents, adult experts to contribute to students’ learning)
How would your added measures affect/contribute to learning?