Digital Literacy
Whether you like it or not, educational pedagogies are being driven at an alarming rate by technology. It is more than just a truism that this current generation of children will have far more facility with technology than we did. By virtue of the simple fact that more and more new parents are introducing children to various digital tools at an earlier age, in short order, it will become the norm that we provide ubiquitous access in technology in all our classrooms. We simply cannot ignore this if we wish to close the gap between the worlds which kids live – and will live – and our classrooms. Therefore our teachers need to know how to live in that world.
We should be comforted by the scary but very real fact that when it comes to technology we will never be able to keep up with our students. That ship has sailed. The critically important thing that we must impart to our children in relation to digital tools is judgment. Not that we don't need a passing understanding of these tools to accomplish this task. In fact, we do need to ready access to, and facility in, a number of tools critical to this endeavour. I won't go into which tools here (perhaps another time), but suffice it to say that teachers will need how to manage when every one of their students will bring their own device into their classrooms, in much the same way as they bring their own pens and pencils now. Our currency will rest with teaching students to wisely use technologies to solve the problems they face.
Self-regulated Learning
Without oversimplifying it, self-regulation is all about ownership, taking responsibility for one's own learning. Mature, experienced learners do this all the time. We are aware of our intellectual, physical and socio-emotional needs, and modulate them to ensure that we learn successfully. This disposition starts at an early age. It is fundamentally important that our school systems deliberately help children cultivate the mindsets, habits, and affective skills that will allow them to become experienced learners. The term 'life-long learner' is not reserved only for those moments when we are drafting our school's mission statement. We need to breathe life into this term by equipping students with competencies to become so.
Our primary classrooms have become more and more adept at helping young children to self-regulate, but we sometimes assume that as children reach adolescence that they should be regulated. However, the kind of learning required by the new curriculum (where students are highly engaged critical, creative, collaborative thinkers solving authentic problems), requires that schools actively and consistently teach students throughout the grades.
An Example
As I mentioned earlier, the four features above do not work in isolation of each other. I am suggesting that they are inextricably connected. You cannot be truly engaged in authentic learning without engaging your critical thinking. You cannot do your best work unless you are self-regulated. The right digital tools, used just in time, will accentuate your ability to resolve these problems. I recently received the following email from a group of students from Abbotsford Middle:
“We are Gr. 8 students at Abbotsford Middle School. For our IB-MYP Community project, we were asked to find a need in a community and try to improve it. Our project goal is to decrease sick days among everyone in the school community. In order to decrease sick days our proposal is to introduce hand sanitizers to schools. We have created a presentation on why hand sanitizers should be in schools. We hope that our research will persuade you to put hand sanitizers in Abbotsford schools and improve the health of all.”
After reviewing their research, which they had collaboratively created and posted on a Google Doc, I met with them to learn more about their thinking and learning path. These boys were doing real work, and they were engaged by it. They were serious about securing my support for their initiative. It was a living example of exactly what I have been discussing here, and what Garfield shared with us. Kudos to their teachers for embracing the renovation.
~ Kevin
Kevin Godden
Superintendent of Schools/CEO
Abbotsford School District
