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.