As the end
of the school year approaches, I can’t help but reflect on the year that is
almost over. 2016 has been a particularly productive year and one in which I
have made significant gains. One important aspect of this year’s achievements that
particularly resonates with me are the relationships I have developed and how
they have benefitted the teaching and learning in my classroom.
We all know that
the relationships we develop with our students are key to gaining trust and
directly influence the learning that can happen in our classes. However, it’s
the relationships with others aside from students that have been beneficial to
my teaching and ultimately, beneficial to my students learning. Some of these
are:
·
Teacher
– Parent
·
Teacher
– Community
·
Teacher
– Teacher
·
Teacher
- Boss
Teacher – Parent
Parents can
be a challenge… but they can also be great allies, supporters, volunteers and
sources of expertise. By involving parents in some of my classes & design
thinking opportunities this year, I have found that they really want to know what
their kids are doing. Not just the conversations after school with their kids
like “What did you do at school today?” When I invited Parents top the learning
space they turned up in droves to see and participate in their child’s
learning. This then, sparked conversations between Parents and their children
about their shared learning experience.
Earlier this
year I hosted a 2 day design symposium for year 3 students where they got to
design & build the air travel experience of 2028. One group was working on
catering and early on the second morning a year 3 girl told me she had
discussed at length the night before with her Mum, the decisions her group had
made & the thinking that went behind those decisions. Her Mum had
apparently made all types of suggestions and things to think about. When I
asked her if she was going to make those changes she replied “I considered
them, but I told Mum it was my design and that she should find her own. Two
things resonated with me about that conversation. I LOVED that that girl had
gone home and discussed what she was doing in the design symposium. She was
engaged, excited, interested in what she was doing & without even
realising, went home & kept on learning through reflection with her mum. The
second is that through having that child engaged in the task, she went home
& wanted to explain & discussed her learning at home.
Teacher – Community
Some might
think that being a Design Technology Teacher lends itself to connections with
community and it probably does, but you still have to actively make those
connections. This year the theme for Morphing Week was ‘We Can Fly!’ so the
obvious community connection was the airport. I was lucky to meet someone from
BAC who put me in contact with some Project Managers and Engineers who happened
to use Design Thinking. What happened from there has been mutually beneficial
on so many levels. We both realised that the Design Models that we use are
essentially the same (although their budget is slightly bigger than ours) and
we both had human centred design as our focus. Through this connection, BAC
jointly facilitated our Design Symposium making the learning more authentic
than I could have thought possible. The students have since been on a guided
tour of the airport to see firsthand the sorts of things BAC deal with in their
planning of such a large scale and real life problems.
The off
shoot from this connection was the realisation of mutual interests, ie Design
Thinking and its possibilities. This in turn has had flow on effects in terms
of the concept being introduced to other people from within BAC and from other
outside agencies. Of course this produces more professional dialogue as well as
possible connections/opportunities for authentic learning for our students.
Teacher – Teacher
One of the things
I push with my Design students is the sharing of ideas. “Combine your ideas and
don’t be afraid to critique each other’s ideas. Your idea/ solution can only be
better for it!” Yet I am guilty of not practising what I preach within my own
department. We all get busy and some things get neglected but I think this is
really important. If it’s important to teach our kids, it has to be important
to practice ourselves.
How often do
you walk past a fellow teacher in the school yard and never take the time to
say more than good morning? These are people just like us that possibly teach
kids that we teach, have similar educational interests, goals and expectations
and are a possible source of knowledge and expertise at your fingertips. I have
been lucky enough this year to facilitate some staff training and have
essentially forced me to have professional conversations with people I don’t
normally. I can’t believe the wealth of knowledge and expertise I have missed
out on. The links between subjects in terms of similar thinking and the
learning opportunities through collaboration that are possible. These people
are in my backyard! One of IDEO’s(global design company) philosophies is to
meet and mix with a wide variety of people from all walks of life. Regardless
of the size of your school there is always someone that you haven’t met. Mental
note to self… Change that!
Teacher – Boss
The last
relationship I wanted to reflect on is that with your boss. Let them know
what’s happening in your class. Invite them to see the learning and
the teaching. They haven’t got to the position they are without experience on
their side. Draw on their knowledge and expertise in your lessons. They may be
able to nudge you in the right direction of assistance or advice. They may have
connections or know parents upon which you can draw on also as discussed above.
