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Outlining some core elements of balanced life and wellbeing. By no means is this everything, but it’s a start.

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Fluid Learning.pres

Last week was my long-awaited, first presentation of Fluid Learning (FL) to teachers. My presentation concluded a Personalised Learning Inset session that had been arranged by trainee headteachers at Barham Primary School in Wembley, Jayshree Thakore and Baljinder Barum.

I’d met with Jayshree and Baljinder prior to the Inset to discuss what they intended to deliver to the teachers - an interactive session exploring personalisation, retention, application and mastery opportunities (PRAM) for each individual child. The personal element of this tied in nicely with my concept of FL which I then explained. It was heartening to receive such an enthusiastic response from experienced members of the field, and even more so to find that I’d inspired them to model the Inset around the FL structure.

The Inset session was a great display of the versatility of FL. Jayshree and Baljinder implemented it well, with the teachers  discussing the given areas of PRAM and really engaging in the response stage where they had a range of materials to create physical representations of their thoughts. One group even scripting a short role play.

We ended with my presentation of FL; I explained what had driven me to develop the concept and how one would facilitate a FL session, it was essentially a call to volunteers to trial it with their class. I’d left it open for any teachers to get in touch with me if they needed any assistance with the facilitation in their own time, however the teacher of the EAL class approached me at the end of session. Being a school based in the most multicultural borough of London, if not the UK, there are a large number of learners of English as an additional language (EAL); Laura Alexander teaches the EAL class at Barham and considered FL to be a good learning format for these children. She explained that the current FL topics may be too advanced for them however this could be adjusted with some foundational topics instead. I agreed, FL should be adapted to cater to the participants. I’ll be going back to Barham in the new year to work with Laura on facilitating these sessions with her class.

My presentation of Fluid Learning didn’t receive immediate responses of teachers keen to start using it the next day, probably due to the Inset being held at the end of a long day of teaching. Despite this, we garnered some pleasing feedback left on post-its: some mentioned the emphasis on ownership of learning and fluidity in learning; others mentioned the autonomy in individual research styles and presentation or response mediums; and finally, that FL had been thought-provoking and inspiring. This final point is key to me, being able to create a spark in the regular thinking processes of these teachers is what I ultimately intended. Setting in motion a shift in the approach to learning for the future of digital natives.

I’ll be checking in at Barham further through the year to see what kinds of changes the teachers have been implementing in relation to FL. And for now, I’ll pick up my research into physical movement and it’s involvement in schools and learning.

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oct16.update

An innate human inclination is to learn; intended or involuntary, it’s something we do every day. It’s a key part of our experience as living organisms however I feel our attitude towards it has become that of a commodity. Centres for learning - educational institutions - exchange fees for knowledge. We gather information as a resource and are given qualifications to prove our attainment. Post-industrial society does require this to an extent, however a blanket approach to the majority of learning in this way will hinder our experience. 

The quantification of all information creates a facile representation of life - this simply cannot portray all aspects of the human experience. The vast, globally connected bank of this, is the internet. Bytes, comprising of ones and zeros, link people to each other and the stores of information that cover every subject matter imaginable. It grows continuously while becoming increasingly intertwined with our lives. The collaboration of knowledge this relationship facilitates has spurred an exponential shift in our evolution. An example being: a one-off incident fifty years ago that may have been experienced by those in the vicinity and passed on by media outlets, can now be observed and discussed amongst a global audience immediately after it occurs. I believe this new characteristic of information allows the opportunity to reassess our approach to learning. Learning as a means of exploring the human experience; an individual growth that involves stages of progression, and regression, which form our perceptions of the world and inform our interactions with it. 

This is at the core of my Fluid Learning sessions which I hope to introduce to local primary schools for teachers to begin to employ regularly with their classes. Critiquing the state of the education system and it’s attitude to learning can only be useful if followed by an action - in this case, an attempt at intervention. This practise of gathering information and then acting upon it is another critical aspect of the sessions which are to be initially presented to 10 and 11 year olds. My own practice of imagining ideals and then designing real-life interventions to address them, is a key element of merging the virtual plane of the internet with the physical plane of day-to-day life. Creating more human experiences from those ones and O’s, one step at a time.

The next stage would be to further incorporate the physical body into the human experience. It’s current sedentary state continues to expose it’s flaws as we sink deeper into the virtual plane, seeking contentment in external bodies. Exploring body movement and how this can be further integrated into education will be my next step in the evolution of attitudes to learning.

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www.rishilparekh.com

Updated and live. I’m done with formal education now, time to live.

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Where + how do you feel that you learn best?

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thought.project

How much of the key stage 2 curriculum can a child learn online?

Various resources exist which aid learning in this stage. For example, BBC Bitesize. However, are these effective? If children can engage in these activities for homework, can we bring more time in which children can identify and develop their strengths in school while also making them aware of the need for balance.

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The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds

This programme observes the behaviour and interactions of school-starters. It is clear to see that this stage in the development of children is important in regards to their learning but also the introduction of a daily social environment external to their homes. They begin to learn how to navigate in the world and adapt to their surroundings; creating and maintaining relationships is the prominent aspect of the programme. The children are becoming aware of empathy and similar abilities.

In regards to my project aims, I realise that the first key stage of schooling is focussed upon an introduction to social skills and basic literacy and numeracy - which are essential in communication. This period seems to be too early for the children to identify their particular strengths in relation to the physical-cognitive scale, they will use this time to experiment freely. I believe that the next stage is more focussed on individual subjects and children will be more comfortable with the environment and their communication skills. Their age and level of understanding will allow them to identify their own strengths and interests.

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routines.research

I am investigating the tasks individuals carry out during their daily routines. Each of these tasks can be placed on a scale of physically-focussed tasks to cognitively-focussed tasks. I have invited people to complete this table with their regular routine; filling in the time on the left and the corresponding task in one of the five boxes along the scale.

Conclusion: There is variation in how the subjects have selected their personal focus for the same tasks. I feel that this may be due to different interpretations of ‘cognitive’ and the idea of the scale.

Next Step: Gather data on different learning techniques+environments which will fit along the scale.

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The end of capitalism has begun

How can I have forgetten about this book! Too much madness. Must order.

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routines.research

To address the balance of time spent engaging in physically-focussed or cognitively-focussed activity, I will gather data on lifestyles and daily routines. I understand that these complementary components of life are two ends of a scale. Locating the points at which one learns is the crucial factor and each individual will have unique responses.

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future_learning_environments.thoughts

A deeper involvement of the internet in education environments means that the physical structure of classrooms will change. If children are categorised in terms of progress and not attainment or age, what will the physical design of the classroom be like.

This article discusses how libraries can transition from archives into learning commons, creating “an environment for "collaboration and knowledge co-construction."”

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sugata_mitra.research

Mitra developed the concept of Self Organising Learning Environments and started the School in the Cloud initiative. He sees the scope of the internet in learning and education.

He is Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University and teaches an MA module, EDU8213, titled “The Future of Learning”.

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Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

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Phenomenology, a philosophical movement originating in the 20th century, the primary objective of which is the direct investigation and description of phenomenas consciously experienced, without theories about their causal explanation and as free as possible from unexamined preconceptions and presuppositions. 

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education.timeline

This compilation of research into the education systems of the past from around the world shows us how we have developed our current structures. Early schools were formed as a way to teach written language as a way of recording the finances of civilisation. Ancient asian cultures began to teach practical skills, science, logic, as well as philosophy. Despite this, apprenticeship was the most widespread form of education. Until the industrial revolution when the gradual need for all to become literate was required. The British Empire used this system to create a machine built of humans. Today we operate within the remnants of this western system which has become the global idea of education.

The internet introduced a new layer to this structure. It allows one to drive their personal learning at their own pace. Various online resources exist however one which has taken centre stage recently is Khan Academy. By allowing students to learn and practice theory outside of the classroom, the classroom environment becomes a space to discuss, question and expand on knowledge with peers and teachers. The creator, Salman Khan, describes this as humanising the classroom.

Other initiaves:

Zing

Mathematics Mastery

Ark Schools

Montesorri

Steiner

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territory.gif

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What are the big challenges in education around the World? How do we ensure everyone learns to the best of their ability? Is new technology the answer? And what does it mean for teachers and pupils? Exploring future learning, educational and creative leader Sir Ken Robinson, Professor of educational technology Sugata Mitra and Professor of cognitive science and computer science and engineering Scott Klemmer.

Question: How do we create the conditions for learning to happen?