Session 1 - Fun with Playdoh

How to Conceptualise the NZ Curriculum

Part 1:  The Purpose of Education:

The course has started and almost immediately, it was refreshing to note the following:

1.  Pedagogy comes first and this is the focus of the course.  
2.  Technology is a tool/means for delivering that pedagogy.
3.  You do not not have to be up with all the latest apps and software to engage.
4.  The course is highly reflective.

It started out with a consideration of knowledge and what the purpose of education happens to be.

Our initial playdoh construction had us considering knowledge as being an infinite loop of information.  Some of which we pick up along out journey and some we do not.  The 'divergent tree' represented that knowledge taking us in different directions.

However, it soon became apparent after considering what knowledge is that information requires us to interact with it and filter it in various ways in order to become "knowledge".  Knowledge requires a degree of understanding.  As a result, we changed our concept of knowledge to a more scientific view.  In the case of the conceptualization below, the purple blobs represent information that is filtered through the funnel.  The filter s are our values, schools, peers, social media, education, culture etc.  Out the other end, comes knowledge.

The other group considered the purpose of education.  Their conceptualization involved education as developing a toolkit to prepare young people to be well rounded members of wider society - explained in the video below.

Biesta's assertion that the purpose of education is concerned with preparing young people to be able to engage with the adult world was succinct and honest.  The question now becomes, "what is our role in this"?  This prompted some interesting discussion around how Primary and Senior Secondary differ in this respect.  Senior Secondary is very qualification driven and has less of the qualitative values of education in it compared to Primary.  It is very content and outcome driven.

 Part 2:  Leadership:

A consideration of the basics of leadership and followship.  We are leaders but we also need to be followers at some stage so we can see things from the perspective of others and give others the opportunity to lead.  We can be more dynamic in that case.

PTC Integration:

Teaching:

Use an increasing repertoire of teaching strategies, approaches, learning activities, technologies and assessment for learning strategies and modify these in response to the needs of individuals and groups of learners.

Professional learning:

Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice.