Pedagogical Principles - What is my experience?

 

Pedagogical Principles

Even in high school I talked and told others about concepts or theories I was learning or trying to wrap my head around therefore when i first began my Secondary Education Bachelor i used the same approach. In the begin having an understanding of all these new words was very difficult, when i came across pedagogies in my first term I was at a lost for thought to what it could even mean. Since then i have come to learn it as the art of teaching and when using the word around others who ask me to explain I tell them in layman terms it means techniques to teach for example digital pedagogies = digital ways to teach or learn. During my digital pedagogies unit I have learnt the eight pedagogical principles. Deeper knowledge is the first and is crucial to facilitate higher order thinking, followed by collaborative learning which is mainly seen in class rooms as class conversation or elbow partner work. Third is Knowing you students and how they learn so as a teach you can best support them; this is also an Australian Professional teaching standard. Forth is planning lessons that are problem based with simulation from real life context for the students. The fifth and six pedagogical principles are centered around student identity with ensuring learning to be relevant to students and their background knowledge as well as giving them the owner ship of their learning. The seventh principle ties in with the past two however focuses more on the cultural aspects and backgrounds of the students within the classroom. Finally and perhaps the most important is the development of an active citizen with a strong identity.

In common language to me these principles mean; 

1. Giving students opportunities to gain further or deeper knowledge of subjects to their own accord 

2. Give student opportunities to conversate with peers and the teacher to further understanding 

3. Giving support to students in the ways they need for example having a kinesthetic learning in a English classroom could be difficult however as a teacher knowing my student learns this way means that I can create a more hands on activity to learn Romeo and Juliet perhaps having student get up and act out the play as a first reading rather then just sitting and becoming uninterested in the class. 

4. Giving students problem based activities which center around their life like in math instead of planning a budget trip around Europe students could plan budget for a trip to Brisbane or even for a new playground for the school.

 5. Giving students an assessment that relates to what has been learning in class or even in previous units. This circles back to principle one which asserts student having deep knowledge to higher order thinking

 6. Using a flipped classroom approach could be used to support the learning of students which is owned, managed and controlled by them. Students get to view the information and use the classroom as a place to get help. This also means students can progress at their own rate with out being rushed or left behind, Worth noting that digital pedagogies and access to technology makes the flipped classroom approach easy and very attainable for any school.

 7. Giving students opportunities to engage with knowledge about their culture and support them further by knowing the learner and their values.

 8. To me principle eight means supporting students in every way, not just academically but intellectually and individual as well. Seeing the student as a whole and not just a a brain to fill with knowledge. Respecting and helping student to grow their own identity. 

My personal experiences: The good and the bad

During high school from grades 9 to 12 I was lucky enough to have a teacher who used all eight of the pedagogical principles. One occasion which specifically stuck with me during out first class together that i can now identify as principle three is when she gave out a piece of paper not asking the basic questions of you name, age, some thing you like or some thing you dislike. She asked on the board "how do you learn". Even then when students were confused she talked through kinesthetic, auditory, reading and writing or visual learners explain and help student identify their own style. This not only helped her under stand the class as learners but helped us under stand ourselves. An experience of woeful pedagogies I remember was junior math, for a length of time my class had only subs which meant we learnt from a textbook every lesson and even when we did get a fulltime teacher this approach continued. No collaborative work, no understanding that the class had many students with learning difficulties or any life relevant content.

In my previously mentioned sound pedagogical experience I identified principle three as being used however it was not the only one. Through helping us identify are own style and giving us that knowledge about ourselves she was actively using principles two and six as she allowed as to collaborate as a class on identifying each others way of learning and giving us the ability to own and manage our way of learning.

 Referring back to my previous post discussing Judy Willis and Robinson educating perspectives -the pedagogical principles have clear correlation with Judy Wills knowledge of the brain and learning as well as Robinsons perspective on creativity. A majority of the principles focus on the students as a whole; how they learn, what they like, what problems are relevant and incorporate cultural knowledge and respect thus keep students engaged, interested and motivated to learn; actively avoiding boredom and stress which Judy Willis states causes the amygdala to flare and cause information to be stored in the animal brain which is only responsible for fight or flight. Therefore keeping students in low stress through using the pedagogical principles enhances learning. This approaches also often engage students creative side due to self controlled learning (principle six) which allows for self taught learning through research thus giving student control of their learning much like Ken Robinson states when talking about contemporary learnings and the importance of creative pedagogical principles.

Moreover, as both Willis and Robinson states along with the pedagogical principles social interaction allows development through collaboration which keep student positively engaged. This paired with acknowledgement to prior knowledge and individualized learning styles, creates an environment which is both socially and individual supportive allowing all student to value their own learning as well as others in a creative and positive way.

Personally, as a leaner I experienced woeful pedagogical practices however was also lucky enough to experiences sound practices as well. As previously mentioned I had an English teacher who from day one used a positive approach coupled with a legal teacher and home economics teacher who were shining examples of all eight principles.

Unit next time- Just keep learning ✌