Editorial: From the Leader of Curriculum & Pedagogy
A Brave New World
Our recent experiences with the global pandemic, lockdown and online learning have ushered in a new technological age for many of us. The need for physical distancing, quarantine and social connections have boosted technology adoption in many areas of our lives. Today, thankfully, the lockdowns are beginning to lift or have been relaxed in many countries, but the remnants of the pandemic are here to stay.
The virus has pushed us to overcome barriers with technology. For parents, teachers and students, Zoom, Google classroom, Class Dojo and Loom lessons have all become part of our everyday lives. Platforms such as these have maintained essential connectivity. As teachers, we have witnessed the amazing speed at which our students have adapted and mastered this technology. For some of us as parents, it may have taken a little longer! There may have been times when we have felt out of our depth and many children now are far more experienced in technology than we are. Love it or loath it, technology is here to stay and is an intrinsic part of our teaching and learning at school.
But how is technology changing how children learn and even the way in which young children develop? I was fortunate enough to listen to a keynote speaker at an Early Learning conference recently, Dr. Kristy Goodwin. Dr. Goodwin is looking at current research and provides practical ideas to help parents and teachers navigate their way around technology. What struck me was her comment that research on the impact of technological advancements has not been able to keep pace with the changes, and that we are currently conducting ‘a living experiment’. However, there are some key ideas that are emerging: concerns about reduced levels of physical activity, the impact of technology on our attention spans and the effect on fundamental skills as handwriting, spelling and long-term memory.
Research is already demonstrating that time in nature is the perfect antidote to the fast pace of technology. How wonderful that our school environment affords us so many ways in which to recharge in nature, through recent camps, Wilderness education or a trip down to the adventure playground in the Junior Schools. 'Green after screen’ is a well-used principle with our younger students.
Goodwin states, ‘Learning to manage attention is the most vital skill students need to develop to thrive in the 21st century.’ Today’s world of technology is full of distractions- email and text alerts, working with multiple applications the continued consumption of new information. Therefore, gaining and maintaining students’ attention developing clarity of purpose and focused attention on one task is paramount.
As for students’ handwriting and spelling? While we abbreviate our writing in the form of texts and Tweets and use Siri to check our spelling, what long term impact will this have on our students’ written communication in more formal contexts? Literacy expert Dr Jennifer Buckingham, says there is little current research that yet shows a link between social media use and falling spelling standards. However, she states that ‘there is a lot of evidence that handwriting is very important for learning spelling’ through practising letter patterns that contribute to spelling. Even our oldest students, despite technology being used across the curriculum, are still required to handwrite the majority of HSC exam responses. With this in mind, we are continuing to develop our whole school explicit approach to spelling and writing, and continue to ensure a careful balance between using technology and hand-written responses. Our students welcome the rapid advancement of technology that leads to a rich, exciting and accessible curriculum. It is up to us as educators and parents to look for ways to support them in the complicated navigation and to ensure healthy leverage while embracing new opportunities.
Mrs Bronwen Knebel
Leader of Curriculum & Pedagogy
Dr Jennifer Buckingham is a Senior Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies and director of the FIVE from FIVE reading project.
Dr Kristy Goodwin is one of Australia's leading digital wellbeing and performance experts (and mum who also deals with her kids' techno-tantrums!) She's a researcher, author, speaker and media commentator who provides science-backed solutions to optimise wellbeing and productivity in a digital world.