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How teachers collaborate

In knowledge building. I thought is is easy for teacher to discuss verbally followed by keying in what they understand from the verbal discussion. Today, when ask how the T&L framework can be used? They perfer to do it on the own with verbal discussion. Interesting.  Good that clarification made about the meaning of discursive practice and how the progress can be repreated and does it has to be the whole process. So the interaction is between me and the participant rather than among the participant. 

How teachers collaborate

2024 Thrive 1 - Leadership and how it get translated into the classroom

Taking the lens of a researcher, a visionary leader keeps talking. How one talks and the content he uses can quickly change the school's tone. A leader has a strong belief in something and he peaches consistently. This strong belief about something is reinforced by 20 years of principalship. What works and does not work. Respect and sincerity can be seen. Changes are meaningful. People will work hard and follow. To me, content is not new but the sincerity is felt. The attempt to unpack and make things easy to understand is important. If teachers can relate to what a principal says, the words get repeated in the classroom. Don't disqualify yourself, we are here with you. Another interesting phenomenon is the wearing of the tie. There is no need for discussion and there is no need for explanation. We know why it is important for all gentle and ladies to dress up. The students see the change. With more recess breaks, the students see it. It has been wise to make changes that care ...

2023 Thrive 8 - The use of AI to create own learning resources

 We learn a skill, and then we apply what we learn. The duration between acquiring a skill to applying a skill has shortened to the extent that we now are learning on the go. It is no longer about attending courses and then applying what you learn. It is about exploring new technology and seeing what the possibilities are. In a class of 21 students. One student has demonstrated that capability. Similar to the capability that I possess. I shared this with the fraternity that in coursework facilitation, students will have to create their own learning resources and the role of the teacher is no longer just about preparing resources, but to teach students how to prepare their own learning resources.

2023 Thrive 7 Self-assessment in the context of D&T high-stake examination

 Self-assessment is always seen as formative and high-stakes examination is seen as summative. Can these two concepts get well together? Yes. definitely. What we need to do it to conceptual the term planning and monitoring. Monitoring is no longer about project progress. Whether you complete or not, it is about the tracking of you thinking while working on the project so that you complete a project of good quality.

2023 Thrive 6 - Philosophy of D&T

(1) The nature of objects in D&T (a) Visual representation - What differentiate D&T from Science and humanities? D&T - Sketching and drawings (presentation drawing or working drawing)  as a means to create products that benefit the society SS - Sketching and drawing as a means for interpretation of the political situation Science - Sketching and drawing as a means to explain nature phenenomon (2) The way of thinking through objects (a) Objects as tools, machines, knowledge, technique, processes and systems - what are D&T unique ways of thinking? I have been demonstrating how to use a coping saw to cut wood and I have got it wrong for more than 20 years. While it is definitely important to teach students to use to right tools, I should be teaching with the understanding of why we teach what we teach. The Way of thinking through Objects by Carl Mitchan in 1984 tells me that I should engage students in thinking through objects. So now, I will take out and display three...

2023 - Thrive 6 - School as knowledge creation organization

The structure of the school is predominately driven by learning and assessment. What would a school as a knowledge creation organisation looks like? Term 1 - 3: Knowledge building with a concurrent, embedded assessment where evidence of knowledge building, its processes and outcomes were captured in technology that serves the dual purpose of formative and summative assessment.  Term 4: Research and development of reviews of Term 1 and Term 3: Critical act for teachers in D&T in collaboration with students. That is, students have a stake in the design curriculum for the next year.  This will result in cyclic improvement of curriculum and could redefine the role of instructional programme heads of departments (IPHODs).

2023 - Thrive 5 - The potential use of Chat GPT

(1) organization of knowledge - chat GPT help you to (a) unpack and classify knowledge and (b) when prompted direct you with your sources to ensure that it is valid (2) work with other AI tools by providing prompts see more in  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RRaYx205Pm-l4XPd_mAWT0NjwOgSI8W8WSl7qH3xTv8/edit#slide=id.g22d348d69c7_0_94  In Design Generate authentic problems that students can work on to develop their knowledge-building skills

2023 - Thrive 5 Demonstrating intentional learning as an adults in a D&T course, how does it looks like

I did not go to the course intentionally to set learning goals initially. I just got involved in the activity. philosophy writing, AI, open-ended shape borrowing, middle and closed-ended shape borrowing. I then add in my experience and set my objectives. Intentional learning is about going beyond the instructional goal of what a teacher asks for in the classroom.  It is the epistemic agency that a student exhibits. As an adult, I reflected on how my EdD has already subconsciously changed the way I learn in an in-service course. The slide shows what I did (this slide is not ant requirement if we choose to sketch on paper). The intention to co-design with AI is to experience the process so that I can share my experience on 25 May. The intention to come out with something different is to understand the effect of knowledge building on my (I applied the knowledge building pedagogy to myself) outcome.  I wonder if we could set high-level goals and work as a group or allow collaborat...

2023 - Thrive 5 - When disruptive student has their ways, there is no way for teachers

I tried dialogic teaching today and find that NT students in particular k, y sh have been disrupting the class.  I wonder what could be the way for that few. To let go of them so that the rest can learn? Cannot let them have their way as there are many who "suffering" in silence not knowing how much they deserve to have more because of the few that are robbing their opportunities to learn. Current solution: monitor their behaviour very closely with parents with book

2023 Thrive 5 - Feedback cycle and knowledge building

 The principle of improvable idea has direct relationship with feedback cycle

2023 Thrive 4 - the intent resources response and outcome for knowledge building lesson 1

Explain briefly our intent for students to learn what matters most to them Start with who matters to them Assumption: the profile of the students are emtionally driven They will have a say in term 2 what they want for term 3 while term 2 is technology aspect of learning. 

2023 Thrive 4 - Learning Technologies and making of prototypes

 When it comes to the making of prototype, it appears that there are no requirements for any form of learning technologies that could support the making processes. Should students learn how to make it by viewing DIY Youtube on the internet? Will safety be an issue? Should the workshop equip with individual cameras to record the making process so students could reflect on their making process

2023 Thrive 3 - Knowledge building and Technical Drawing

 Technical Drawing is a means to communicate according to a convention one's idea to another person. What is there to knowledge build? So when dealing with cases where one needs to acquire certain technical drawing skills. Will knowledge building pedagogy cease to function? Or are students seeking a convention that works for them at their level and continues to work towards a convention that is accepted in the industry. Again, this is a part of developing one's capacity. Instead of the capacity of knowledge building, it is the competency in technical drawing skills. As knowledge creation is different from acquisition and participation, should we be clear not to force fit the pedagogy? First, let's start with understanding issues related to the acquisition of this factual knowledge called working drawing. Students usually missed out on dimensions in their working drawings. So this is a knowledge problem. They can then brainstorm how to ensure that their working drawing is co...

2023 Thrive 2 - Knowledge building - Design to democratize knowledge

Democratizing knowledge is one of the principles of knowledge building. It is important the understand the context where democratizing knowledge would lead to knowledge-creation. " The creation of knowledge is no longer confined to a few. Instead, all are empowered to create and recognised as valid contributors to advance the knowledge of the community." from https://www.kbsingapore.org/12-principles-of-kb In the design of a thoughtful gift, students' (childhood) experience of receiving a gift will make everyone a valid contributor to an interesting set of design specifications from the social and emotional dimensions.

2023 Thrive 1 - Knowledge Building - Crafting high-level goals

In knowledge building, school is seen as a knowledge-creating organization. How can we create new experiences for our students? A knowledge-building experience. In Sec 2E, I crafted a high-level goal of producing a commercially viable product. Now, in designing 3NT / NA curriculum. I will need to create new knowledge in the designing of SOW. What could then be a high-level goal? Initially, it could be a commercially viable product. However, in trying to understand the concept of social need in gift design, the high-level goal becomes " To design and make a thoughtful gift that could change the gift-giving experience" The problem statement becomes how the gift is often disconnected from a particular meaning. The high-level goal will then be a task for our critical act. How will a teacher design a thoughtful gift? As part of a pedagogical framework, a tentative definition for high-level goal will be "A goal that provides opportunities for innovation by both the teachers an...

The humanistic and emotional aspect of learning for lower achieving students

Strategy 1: Digital moments of success for NT students Empirical support "Barber et al. (2014) reported the strategy of participants sharing “digital moments”, which “represent an emotion, a moment from their week, a quotation, YouTube clip or art work” (p. 130). Barber et al. held that creating these digital moments helped to build relationships, trust, and developed a sense of ownership of the online community among the students." extracted from Tan (2022) What we can do? We can allow phones once a week just to celebrate, recognise and capture their success and reflect on the week progress

Principled vs procedural approach in design journalling

In a knowledge-building environment, students should have the epistemic agency to write their own stories about their design journey.  How can we build up students competency using knowledge building principles by integrating assessment into their learning How can we start them off with strategies like random lines? 

Thrive 70 - Collaboration - the dynamic of grouping in real worklife

A quick note for future reflections In the classroom, the main purpose of collaboration is for deep learning. In real-life, situations often put us to test how well we collaborate in time of "crisis".  This week, I managed three "crisis" and it has to be resolved through collaboration. Interestingly I played very different roles in all these situations.  In the first scenario, I am the leader with a team of experts. In the second scenario, I was as lost as my team members, who are very diverse in experience. Third, I was the novice under an expert or more competent others. A work-life experience of a homogeneous high achiever group As a leader with an expert team, I work together to coordinate decision-making rather than making decisions; the crisis was resolved with a stroke of luck. So in the classroom, in a heterogeneous group of high achievers, the leader just has to be a listener to help coordinate decisions to resolve a learning problem.  A work-life experienc...

Thrive 69 - Transforming D&T education with knowledge building

Knowledge building by Scardamalia has research findings over 30 years. The principles are very apt to Design and Technology and coursework-based subjects. While Knowledge Forum is mainly text-based, it can be transformed into a visual form.  How can peer feedback promote community participation, idea improvement, student agency, designerly discourse and trend-setting? While the current argument looks at the process of knowledge building rather than the outcome (which is deem not possible by some critiques in schools), we do see students design products that impressed industrial players and design education. Can D&T/NFS/ART take the lead then? Aren't these subjects about knowledge creation which is argued to be much needed in the knowledge society? The current roadblock is the assessment of individuals in design which is very different from the concept of community knowledge.