ULearn 2012, Here We Come.

Wow, I can't believe the time has come already. I know I've been neglecting the blogoshpere, sorry for that. Things have been a little crazy round here.

It's been another busy term for everyone and, for me and 1500 odd others, ULearn conference has been looming ever closer.

You may remember that my darling principal had the bright idea that I should offer to present and with the carrot of attend ULearn and wide eye naivety thinking I wouldn't get chosen, I managed to drop myself right in it as usual.

Anyone who knows me, knows that this presentation has not been far from my mind for most of the year. It may seem small to some but the thought of presenting to a classroom of intelligent peers scares me rather more than a classroom of children. However, I'm also looking forward to sharing our school's journey and the knowledge I've gleaned along the way.

I've picked a topic that has also never been too far from my mind this year as we move ICT forward in our school. For the past 2 or so years, at TBCS we have been debating the need for ICT progressions. Should we have them at all? If so, what should the cover? What shouldn't they cover?

So enters... "The Art of Progression". Because it really is more of an art than a science.
Stay tuned for the presentation, cliff notes edition, here in the near future.

Meanwhile, preparing for this has reminded me of something I wanted to share with you all. I wanted to encourage you all to step outside your comfort zones and learn something new.

It's in presenting to peers that I feel what my students are feeling when they do their speeches. In fact, when I shared with them that I was presenting at ULearn, they felt much happier about attempting it themselves. They could see that;
1) There was a real context for this. They didn't have to become a politician or TV personality for it to have relevance in their future careers.
and;
2) I wasn't asking them to do something I wasn't prepared to do myself. We've all heard the  saying "Thems who can't do, teach." The fact may be, that it's totally false, (I'd like to see some of those who think they CAN do, teach!) But kids today have often heard that saying and believed it so it's important for them to see us "doing" as well as "teaching".

I find things like learning a language or reading my bible, help me to understand what it's like for them as they learn to read. I'm using all the strategies I want them to use, to help me to understand what I'm reading.

On occasion, I've photocopied a page with a word I don't know the meaning of and worked through the process of guessing and checking, with them. Doing it with a word I don't know shows them that I use the skills too. I'm not just being difficult and refusing to telling the the answer, which in their minds, and rightly so, would be so much simpler.

Awhile ago, at a teacher only day, our cluster turned the tables on ourselves. We had students come in and teach us things they were good at. Ripsticking, dancing, ICT programs, iPod games and the like. The kids loved being the experts and the teachers got a taste of their own medicine. I actually think that was a great thing to do. It gave the kids a peek into the struggles of teaching and teachers an insight into the world of their learners.

Now, I know I'm a learner strength. I love learning new things but even so, the challenge is to be aware of what it feels like when I'm learning and what I do to learn. For someone who doesn't have the learner strength, the value would probably be even be greater as you would see it from your struggling learner's perspective. I'm guessing though, most teachers probably do enjoy learning to some extent, so the challenge for you, is to take on something tough. Learn something that doesn't come naturally. Go to a Bunnings Warehouse workshop night, try out a craft, take a night class in something. Even a one night only class would be fine. Anything that would get you out of your comfort zone and learning some thing new. Then take a moment to notice how you are feeling, what strategies you are using to learn and what coping mechanisms and/or emotions come into play. Then you can remember back to your own experiences the next time you are struggling to get the point across and it might just help. And don't be afraid to share your experiences with your students. They love hearing about your life beyond the classroom walls. It makes you seem more human.

Happy Learning... 

ULearn 2012, HERE WE COME!!!