Reflection of The Learning Space

The time has come to bring push hold on the postings, and consolidate all that I have learnt and gained from EDFD459; The Learning Space.

The concept of blogging, has been new to me, and this has definitely allowed me to not only understand, but also put into practice what it requires and is involved. It has let me develop skills such as tagging and categorising, and also creating new pages, which is definitely beneficial for the future.

Another key concept which I learnt about were the difference between the learning spaces. It broadened my knowledge about how they differ and affect the learner and teacher in regards to their understanding of knowledge, and taking the responsibility within their own hands of learning; through the individual learning space.

Liminality is also a term in which I was unfamiliar with, which got me thinking about how development occurs within my own thinking. I think that it is important for these moments to occur, as individuals require us to get our head around different ideas, and come to a final thorough conceptualisation of it.

Learning about Refugees, and being able to develop a learning space to benefit them was a surprising satisfying moment for me. I thought that it was extremely interesting and contextual to be able to have the opportunity to do this. It allowed me to deeply think about different ideas and things that I would be required to cater for, applying my personal knowledge, and challenge it to suit other circumstances outside of my comfort zone.

I also really enjoyed reading and commenting upon everyone’s perspectives within their blogs. I found it really interesting to discuss and develop their points of views on different topics, and also allowed for me to understand different topics better.

I want to conclude with saying that the information that I found and studied within this subject has allowed me to grow as a teacher, and I will be able to apply information such as the different learning spaces, blogging and PLN’s within my own classroom within the future. I will also be able to cater for diversity due to being exposed to new scenarios and situations, which is also a really important skills to have when being a teacher.

I want to finish with this quote, from an Anonymous source;

‘To live is to learn. To learn is to know. To know is to grow. To grow is to give. To give is to live.’

Georgia Lay

Eye-Opening Information!

I’d like to thank Fiona Moon, via twitter, (@FionaMoon68) for contributing towards the insight into the importance of educating those within developing countries, such as Syria. This puts more emphasis upon how this issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible!

The Liminal Space of Refugees

Hello followers!
I thought, for something different, I would post a link to a liminal space that majority of you wouldn’t be familiar with!

First of all, to summarise, a Liminal space is a time for evolution and change to occur. It is a place where development is a key feature, and gives us, and others a chance to gather our thoughts among different processes. Now this is definitely found within the classroom, and other learning spaces as discussed within the previous posting, but it can also be found within contextual situations and issues.

This is an example, in which how a liminal space affects Refugees and the EERA.

Hope you enjoy, and gives you some nice food for thought!

refugeesecer2015@gmail.com (2015) We need to talk about Europe Amplifying the Voices of Refugees Available from https://refugeesecer2015.wordpress.com/

Different Learning Environments

There are 5 main different learning spaces, in which everyone is able to gain knowledge and be exposed to different stimuli. These are known as the Classroom and school environment, Beyond the Classroom (incursions and excursions), The Electronic Learning space, Group Learning space and finally the Individual Learning space. These can be visited within more depth through this presentation I have created, looking at the different features, advantages and disadvantages of each one.

This can be found through this link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o27J2Dg-JGNDaNcFlsWAiCnaqljiWVDCTmel9vBA59w/edit?usp=sharing

Curriculum and Pedagogy, and Teaching and Students

Curriculum, pedagogy, teaching and students; all so different, yet all so interconnected.

The way that curriculum and pedagogy are presented, they give the foundations of what are to be brought within the classroom. It allows for the teachers to become inventive, and plan interesting lessons based on the core curriculum for Victoria. AusVels, gives the indication into what must be covered, so that all students are on similar levels, to one another. Teaching this curriculum to the students, can be brought upon through online, individual and interactive ideas, allowing for things to be explored and developed.  This all occurs within the classroom setting; where all the magic happens. To be able to achieve this, a lot of hard work from both the teachers and students must occur, especially to achieve community and practice.

To apply this into a community setting, students need to become involved and intrigued with the content knowledge, giving them intention to use it within the world outside of school, and put it into practice. The ability to apply the pedagogy knowledge and curriculum is the meaning within the school system, therefore it is imperative to achieve this.

Classroom Design

Researching into informing classroom design brings a lot of responsibility the future prospect of having a classroom. As a teacher, you must consider the learning of students, and how they will learn under the circumstances they are in. The design principles and elements need to be applied whilst designing in the context of the manufacturing of materials. For example, circles can be seen as being calm and more inviting. Furniture elements are also considered whilst evaluating a classroom, as they assist with the space and how students are distributed amongst it. This also allows for the students to have a voice, as it can be changed around, and if they don’t seem to be enjoying it, or complaining, then they are able to raise it with the teacher. It is also important tot ensure that the classroom is accessible for all, especially for students who have disabilities, so they don’t feel excluded if they are unable to sit with everyone etc. There are many considerations one must take to before finalising a classroom design, however it is handy, as it can be changed a lot of the time.

5 Stage Model

5 Stage Model

Within this text, I enjoyed the visual that was provided. I find it a lot easier and clearer to be able to understand what the 5 stages of teaching and learning online are, by this diagram. I found it interesting looking at how it is a staircase, and how learning at each stage helps with the overall development (as shown at the top of the stairs).

I was challenged by the amount of actual text provided, as it was a big chunk, however it did provide some important information in relation to each of the stages of the models. It goes into detail about each, however it is a lot of words to take in at once.

I’m intrigued to see how the model works, in a classroom setting. After reading about the different studies, positives and negatives, I would like to be able to go to placement having all this in mind, for my students to be able to reach their full development.

Reference:

Salmon, G. (2011). E-moderating: The key to Teaching and Learning Online (3rd ed.) (pp. 31-59). London: Routledge.

What is a Blog?

What is a Blog?

John Saddington’s post about blogs gives a good definition and ideas of what a blog consists of. Within this text, I liked how it gave a good indication of a blog, and goes into further detail within each section if you require a further understanding. I also liked how it was set out in point form, as it is a lot easier to read.

I was challenged by some of the vocabulary and sentence structure used within the ‘super geeky definitions’. I couldn’t seem to grasp the concepts that he was trying put across.

Some of the comments on the post gave insight into other’s perceptions, which leads me to be curious about what further lies within what these people think, and whether or not they say what their entire thoughts.

Reference:

http://john.do/blog-blogger-blogging/

What is a PLN?

What is a PLN?

Within this text, I enjoyed learning about PLN’s (Personal Learning Networks) and how they have developed through the different decades. I thought it was interesting, how the author discussed her personal uses of PLN’s, and how she shared her views on the different PLN’s such as twitter, discussion groups and the positives and negatives associated with each one.

I was challenged by her description of PLN’s in the ‘Pre-Internet 80s’. She discusses how there was internet in the 80s, but doesn’t go into depth about how it was used, and suggests that it was mainly face to face when sharing information. This therefore confused me a bit.

From this text, I am now wondering how much further PLNs are going to evolve, and work within different settings, especially in the classroom. It makes me question whether or not there will be classes in the future, as it could all be done online, drawing references to her comment about being able to attend a lot more conferences with little travelling.

Reference:
http://www.teachingvillage.org/2012/01/03/what-is-a-pln-anyway/