Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning - Reflection on my own practice

Undertaking this course has allowed me to critically evaluate the way I teach and the opportunities I provide my students to develop digital and collaborative skills. As I currently teach in a year one classroom I have found that a lot of the pedagogical ideas associated with digital and collaborative learning approaches appear, at first, to not fit within this setting. However closer inspection and evaluation has led me to feel that, although we do not necessarily explicitly use these skills and approaches, the foundation skills necessary for them are being laid through our daily interactions and instruction. I am going to discuss my thoughts and observations on collaboration, learning styles, cultural sustainability and the use of digital practices within my own teaching.

COLLABORATION

The skills required to successfully collaborate are so critical in our modern world that it is important that the foundations for these skills are set right from when students start at school. Collaboration between individuals allows them to see things from a different point of view, to benefit from the knowledge and skills of others and creates an environment where it is ok to take risks in our learning. This is as much true for myself as a teacher as it is for my students. Research shows that teachers who work together and learn from each other are more successful in improving student outcomes than those who work alone. Feedback, new information and ideas largely spring from dialogue and interaction with other people, rather than from individual learning (Gonski et al, March 2018). On a daily basis I am discussing my thoughts and observations with my colleagues, as well as analysing what is going well or not so well within my practice, in order to provide the best teaching I can.  Chelsea Waite, a researcher with The Christenson Institute states that “Classroom collaboration, done well, not only enhances academic learning and social and emotional skills, but also develops students’ social capital” (Paterson, 2021)

The students that I teach are very much still learning the skills they need to successfully collaborate. They are provided with time to practice these skills during learning and through play and are being guided and supported in these interactions; successful cooperation and collaboration does not happen automatically. Through class discussion, modelling, and planned learning activities, I am explicitly teaching the foundation needed for them to develop the skills laid out in the 21st Century Learning Design Rubric and providing a foundation for future collaboration. 

LEARNING STYLES AND MINDSET DEVELOPMENT

I have found it is increasingly necessary to encourage a growth mindset within the class so that students approach tasks with an open mind. I have noticed that many children enter the classroom with ideas fixed about what they can and can’t do and can be unwilling to take risks when faced with something they are unsure about or find hard. I can see that a growth mindset is crucial to successful collaboration and deeper learning; if you are unwilling to give things a go or are quick to give up when things get challenging then you will find it extremely hard to acquire a new skill or obtain a deeper understanding of a concept. “We must allow students ample opportunity to fail and grow, allowing for revisions, retakes, second and third submissions, encouraging students to reach new heights as teachers act as mentors” (Chandler, 2015), it is also important to reassure them that failure is ok, fail means “first attempt at learning”.

With this in mind I have found that it is essential to make learning during the early years at school hands on, so much of my students' learning is undertaken through an experiential lens, learning by doing. "Experiential learning is an active student-led learning process through direct engagement supported by experience, analysis, and reflections; it focuses on developing competencies, and builds-up added values, such as creative and critical thinking skills, with the aim of improving the quality of learning" (Habib et al, 2021). When teachers and schools make use of experiential activities, they are more likely to create effective educational programs which foster an educational and cultural climate for students, and create a positive learning environment (Uyon, 2022). Studies, especially in the field of mathematics, have found that this approach to learning can improve problem solving and critical thinking skills, necessary skills in the modern world. As a teacher I will explain a concept but that learning is always then supported through activities and experiences that will allow the children to explore and make sense of a concept for themselves. We will share our findings with each other and further develop our understanding through this discussion and reflection. This discussion is a chance for the students to build on each other's thinking, to make connections and provide meaning to their learning.

CONTEXT AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY

It is important to place the learning within meaningful contexts for our students. I will regularly use the students interests and passions to encourage engagement and purpose for the students. With this in mind I find discussion around cultural and environmental sustainability extremely thought provoking. It was a good reminder that we need to provide more than lip service to these in our teaching and classroom practice. As someone born and raised in the United Kingdom I know I can suffer from the Pākehā paralysis Alex Hotere-Barnes talks about and that it is important to step out of our comfort zones, trying with an open mind to the meaning and reasoning behind the tikanga. The classroom should be somewhere it is safe for our learners to be their authentic selves, “classrooms are places where learners can bring “who they are” to the learning interactions in complete safety, and where their knowledges are “acceptable” and “legitimate” (Bishop & Glynn, 2000). 

DIGITAL PRACTICES

Digital tools have made collaboration so much easier as we are no longer constrained by needing to physically meet or even to work on a project at the same time. They allow us to share our culture in new and dynamic ways. They also provide experiences that previously wouldn’t have been possible, for example connecting with an author via zoom or exploring a museum’s collection in another country. Students today are accustomed to the usage of digital media, incorporating them into schooling would undoubtedly assist in piquing their interest and enhancing their involvement levels. I only have to see my own children’s level of engagement when given a problem to solve on a platform like Minecraft to see how engaging digital technologies can be. "Digital learning fosters creativity and gives students a sense of success, encouraging additional learning by thinking outside traditional techniques more than any traditional method can" (Haleen et al. 2022).

We currently do not make much use of digital technologies within the junior classrooms at my school. In part this is due to time pressures and the need to cover “the basics”. Digital tools need to be simple and easy to teach and use if they are going to be an effective use of the learning time we have available, there often simply isn’t the time to guide students through the process of using technology effectively. Students can often become distracted by the technology itself as they may have only had limited access at home and the novelty that is such a plus can actually lead to over excitement for the children. I have personally also found that there is often push back from the community when it comes to use of devices in the junior years. Each year we will hear the questions “how much screen time do they get?”, “what do they do on the screens?” and there is a perception that this is not effective teaching but instead “busy” work. A study in the US found that just over half of parents (54%) felt that younger kids’ engagement with devices will hurt their ability to do well in school and 71% of parents of a child under the age of 12 say they are at least somewhat concerned their child might spend too much time in front of screens (Auxier et al. 2020). In order to progress, there is a need for education of our community into the benefits of using technology within the class.  On top of this there is the issue of cost, both of the devices and of the software and programmes themselves. A programme such as Reading Eggs may well be an engaging and effective tool but the cost can make it prohibitive. We currently have only 20 iPads to cover approximately 50 children spread over three classes presenting a further challenge to making effective and worthwhile use of them within our teaching programme.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The first few weeks of the course have very much focused my mind on what I do and why I do it. It has been interesting to explore different pedagogical ideas and consider the elements that I am using within the classroom already. I have found it challenging to make links to my Year 1 class at times. They are very much at the beginning of their journeys and only just starting to learn the skills they will need throughout their schooling and then on into the work place. It is a reminder to be mindful of the key competencies when planning my lessons, not just on the learning I want the students to achieve. I am also inspired to take more risks and try new things, particularly with digital technologies. As part of this I am prepared to help educate the community on the benefits of using these tools both for engagement and for learning.

REFERENCES

Auxier et al. (2020) “Parenting Children in the Age of Screens” Pew Research Center.

Bishop, R and Glynn, T. (2000) “Kaupapa Maori messages for the mainstream” NZCER, Set 2000, No. 1 (DOI https://doi.org/10.18296/set.0785)

Chandler, A (2015) “What Growth, Innovation and Collaborative Mindsets look like for Students and Teachers”. Getting Smart. https://www.gettingsmart.com/2015/09/17/what-growth-innovation-and-collaborative-mindsets-look-like-for-students-and-teachers/

Gonski et al. (March 2018) “Through Growth to Achievement: Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools”, Australian Government.

Habib et al. (2021) “Mechatronics: Experiential Learning and the Stimulation of Thinking Skills”. Educ. Sci. 2021, 11, 46.

Haleen et al. (2022) “Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review” Sustainable Operations and Computers Volume 3, 2022, Pages 275-285

ITL Research. (2012). 21CLD Learning Activity Rubrics

Paterson, J. (11/92021) “Building a Culture of Classroom Collaboration.” NEA Today

Uyen BP, Tong DH and Lien NB (2022) The Effectiveness of Experiential Learning in Teaching Arithmetic and Geometry in Sixth Grade. Front. Educ.

Image credit: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber