A great leader in action!

Tracy Moxley, Associate Principal at GEMS Wellington Academy - Dubai Silicon Oasis, is not just a great leader of learning, but also a wonderful example of Lee and Broadie's Chief Digital Officer in action.

Great to see this thought piece going out to the whole community this week, through the My Learning school blog.

It is so important to engage our communities in a continuous learning conversation around the digital transformation that is on-going in schools around the world.

Tracy understands this. She is, as Lee and Broadie put it, 'a high level, professional educator'...and NOT the IT guy!

Looking forward to seeing more of this from our senior leaders, principals and CDOs across the group.

Well done, Tracy!

Blended Learning Plaza, GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis

WSO AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF EDUCATION!

 WSO is at the cutting edge of education….it really is!

Many educational institutions are grappling with the necessary introduction of new ways of teaching and learning – an educational revolution as it has been termed!

The digital world has been described as alluring, irresistable and engaging. (Fullan 2013) and we all know that it is! The time spent in the virtual world, that is also a part of our reality, is difficult to distinguish anymore! It is positively enhancing and disrupting all aspects of our lives including education. 

When I say ‘positively disrupting’ I mean this in the way that it is challenging and promoting change, to enhance the experience of the learner. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that WSO is at the forefront of developing new strategies that enhance teaching and learning and we are focused on integrating three key aspects of real and meaningful learning. These have been described as deep learning goals, new pedagogies and technology. The continuing development of ‘new’ knowledge available through new technologies means that learners must be helped to organise and manage that knowledge, to find, select, analyse, evaluate and apply knowledge.

New Technologies have provided not only access at any time, but the creation and sharing of knowledge. The impact of this is on how teaching is structured and how learners interact both inside and outside the classroom.

Recent research into how enthusiastic students are about school shows that their interest decreases from 95% in KG until satisfaction decreases, by Year 8, and is reported at 37%. (Lee Jenkins Toronto University). In fact, it has been reported that students’ brains are more asleep when passively listening to the teacher, than when they are, in fact, really asleep!

Active learning is what engages all of us.  Real-life problem solving makes learning relevant and meaningful. Using Information at your fingertips to help. Peers to collaborate with. Knowledge of how to harness the power of technology to reach your learning goals is key.

As the digital world grows outside school, education must not ignore what is happening outside. The deep learning goals that are integral to the current learning revolution – known as the 6c’s of education: Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, Creative thinking and imagination, Character education, and Citizenship (Fullan 2013b).

This is most apparent in WSO at P16 with our cutting edge blended learning programme, but can also be found both the secondary and primary phases. This doesn’t mean that traditional teaching is lost - far from it! It is enhanced and, with the improvements, emerges a new partnership – a new learning relationship between and among students and their teachers. It is clear from this assertion that students must take on a greater share of learning as partners in the classroom. 

So, watch this space and all other social platforms to see what’s happening in our classrooms at WSO!

Tracy Moxley Associate Principal 

References:

Fullan, M. (2013a). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge.Toronto: Pearson.

Fullan, M. (2013b). Great to excellent: Launching

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers. London: Routledge.

Homework Questions... and Dangerous Biscuits

Today, I was asked to provide some answers for an article on homework in schools for one of the UAE national newspapers. The stimulus for the article was the big story out of the UK this week:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/secondary-school-philip-morant-college-catherine-hutley-bans-homework-time-improve-lessons-a7334401.html

I won't comment on that school's decision, except that I am obviously in favour of schools doing something to change the status quo if things clearly aren't working. I am sure they will monitor the impact of the decision and keep innovating based on the data. It's easy to criticise but it's easier to do nothing...

I must admit that I did chuckle (or LOL if I was trendy) when I Googled that story and was reminded of another tale that came out of Essex recently, concerning a school that banned flapjacks. Try Googling 'Essex school bans...' if you would like to replicate my mild mirth...

Anyway, here are my answers:

1.       What is the homework policy at GEMS?

All GEMS schools are free to set their own home learning policies and we rely on the high level of professional judgment of our school leaders and teachers to ensure that home learning adds value. This is monitored through school reviews and via the GEMS Digital Ecosystem, which provides rich data on the learning that is taking place across the group. Effective practice is shared and celebrated across the network. GEMS also engages with parents and students, eliciting their valuable feedback through the annual stakeholder survey, complementing the continuous engagement throughout the year at school level.

2.       Would GEMS ever explore the idea of issuing a blanket ban on conventional homework?

Rather than issuing a blanket ban, we look at the impact of different types of out-of-school learning and emerging models of learning, sharing the most effective practice across our schools. As digital technologies and flexible schedules provide unprecedented opportunities to organize learning more effectively, new models are taking hold, blurring the boundaries between home and school. Flipped learning, where students access materials at home and then complete what would have been homework in class with the teacher, is already evolving into a more continuous model of active learning. Thus, we are seeing innovative teachers in GEMS schools running their own blended courses through the GEMS ecosystem, putting the students in control of their own learning. We are already seeing amazing results from this approach, with students learning to manage their own time, meet deadlines and collaborate online with their teachers and peers. This real world learning is also resulting in the time spent with teachers in class being more productive and also greater personalized learning, as students work at their own pace and explore their own pathways. It also empowers teachers to make more effective interventions, supporting those in need and extending others who are powering ahead. And, since all this learning is now more visible to parents, we are seeing increased levels of parent engagement in the learning process.  

3.       What would you say are the pros and cons of homework?

The findings of Professor John Hattie that homework in primary school has an ‘effect size of zero” have been well-publicised. Indeed, the wrong kind of homework can negatively impact progress and students’ attitudes to learning, notably when it becomes a chore and a cause of conflict between children and their parents. Children need time to unwind, play, exercise, be happy, socialise and explore their own interests outside of school – and spend quality time with their families and friends. So, by the way, do parents!  It is imperative that we make room for these things and avoid ‘over-scheduling’ our children – and ourselves.

The impact of homework on older students is generally more positive and, whilst the traditional format of public examinations persists, we will not see an end to the need for students to put in long hours of revision out of school. Hattie is clear that we need to get homework right, rather than getting rid of it. We see two key drivers in the transformation of home learning in the future. The first is that the format of public examinations simply has to change – we cannot persist in assessing ‘Career, College and Life Readiness’ through what is still largely a series of handwritten exams. This is already changing and, as it does, the nature of how students prepare for assessments will also change dramatically. Students will still work hard, as they should, but they will be working ‘smarter’. The second driver is being seen in the new models of learning already mentioned. When learning is organized effectively, giving ownership and accountability to the students within a flexible schedule, we begin to see a blurring of the home-school boundary and more independent learners managing their time effectively to complete tasks and meet deadlines. This is real life learning.