Learning and Teaching

WHY WONDER?

In 2019 students told us in surveys that they were not really excited or engaged in their learning!! They also told us that they didn’t have much of a voice in how they learned or what they learned. Then in 2020 when we went into our first lockdown, we gave students the chance to learn what they wanted to learn in a one term passion project. Teachers were absolutely amazed and excited by the quality and variety of things that students made and did. In 2021 teachers started looking at ways to give students more choice and voice in how and what they learn about.

ENGAGEMENT AS A WAY TO ENHANCE LEARNING

Generally, Killester students are engaged cognitively in their learning. Killester classrooms are cooperative places where students listen and learn, which is by definition cognitive engagement. But students and teachers want more. We all want to be engaged behaviourally and emotionally. Generally our students have extremely high attendance rates and they respect their peers and teachers so that learning can occur in the classroom; this is behavioural engagement.

The official Catholic Education survey (MACSSIS) data told us that students were not emotionally engaged. To be emotionally engaged students have to enjoy their learning or at least be profoundly affected by it so that they remember it beyond ‘the assessment test’. They also have to have some say in what and how they learn in order to “make the learning stick”.

In the Wonder Program teachers are beginning to use strategies for engaging students. These include the 8C’s of engagement:

Competition
Challenge
Curiosity
Controversy
Choice
Creativity
Cooperation
Connection

Higher engagement leads to higher self motivation. If you are more engaged, like or even love what you’re doing, then it’ll help you learn. Students will find what they're good at more easily. And hopefully, they’ll be MOTIVATED to want to learn. Consequently they will:

Show more initiative - the single most difficult thing to teach
Stay focused and on task because they like it
Pay attention because it captures their imagination
Ask more questions because they genuinely want to know the answers
Take more risks
Find their own mistakes
Develop their own ideas and perspectives
Do their homework because they want to not because they have to
Take more time to think
Be more excited about coming to school

STUDENT VOICE AS A WAY TO ENHANCE LEARNING

Historically, teachers have made most of the decisions about learning in schools. Teachers, who are experts in learning and teaching strategies, and also know a great deal about their subject areas, will still make decisions to guide, support and facilitate learning in the Wonder Program. But we put the following scenario to students in their early Wonder classes. What if you had the voice to decide, with your teachers:

what you learn
the resources you use
the questions that are asked
the instructions on how to learn
a choice about the activities
the goals or learning intentions
if the work you do is good

In Wonder Week 2, students were asked to write a spontaneous blog answering how their surroundings could be enhanced to benefit their learning. The following response from Lily Bowyer-Smith in Year 9, is an outstanding example of the power of enabling students to have a voice in their learning:

What do I notice from my surroundings that could benefit from being enriched?

Killester College:

Although I’ve only been at Killester for a few years, I’ve noticed that not a lot of people seem excited to be here, especially the senior students. I believe learning should not only be educational and helpful in the future, but motivating, fun and the root and inspiration of our creativity. I want to see school as a new chance and opportunity to not only learn, but evolve and expand the branches of my intellectuality and creativity. I see school as a chance to bond with others and find more collaborative and efficient solutions to problems that don’t have one. Not to mention the buildings, what an eyesore. Our school buildings should feel welcoming, not a prison! I believe we could definitely improve our buildings to make them feel more welcoming, visually appealing and fun to the point where students are motivated to learn. Forget about checking the clock every ten minutes, or daydreaming about finishing school, we should make our school environment and community a place to learn the right way. And with the Wonder Program, I’m ready to captivate the attention of students and make a real change for the better!

Steve McPhail

Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching