Learning in the 21st Century

Introduction Recently I have been teaching a friend how to programme in the language called Python and I thought I would make the resources we have been using available to all. Most of the material is based on the book called Automate the Boring Stuff. I have adapted those open source materials as needed for our programme. Additional Resource Links Automate the Boring Stuff  with Python Python Tasks   Preface · A Byte of Python   PY4E - Python for Everybody Welcome to Data Analysis in Python! — Data Analysis in Python 0.1 documentation School of Data - Evidence is Power Trinket Tool  Data Analysis Tools from 2022 Pivot Tables in Google Sheets Tutorial  Kaggle - Machine Learning Data Analysis  How to Create a Dashboard in Google Sheets (10 steps) - Query Formula - YouTube How to Create Dropdown Filters on Google Sheets Dashboard Using QUERY Formula (ADVANCED TRICK) - YouTube How to Build a Professional Dashboard in Google Sheets (Query Formula Advanced Course) Step-by-Step - YouTube

Introduction Based on my belief that all students should have some exposure to modern learning methods such as PBL and Inquiry Based Learning. I have been trying to get a 20% Time Project Based Learning initiative off the ground in 2017 with my GR10 Maths class. One of the characteristics of these modern learning methods is increased freedom in the learning process. In this particular case,  students get a full 20% of their class time to explore new approaches to learning with only scaffolding and feedback provided by the teacher and outside experts. Students can initially find this freedom a little overwhelming, having been trained for so long to follow direct instructions when engaging in learning. What I will do for the rest of this post is summarise what we have managed to do so far this year and provide links to the various resources that have been created to guide the learning. My hope is by doing this, it will assist everyone involved in the project to reflect on the jo

Introduction At the beginning of 2017 a friend & colleague of mine who runs the Environmental Club at the school where I work, was invited to be part of a project with the WWF to reduce carbon emissions. The focus of project was environmentally sound changes in school transport. School transport is a major contributer to carbon emissions in the economy and the hope was that this project could generate insight into what changes or shifts could be effected to reduce emissions. I became involved in the project because of my connection to Carynn and my shared values as regards the importance of sustainable societies and preservation of the natural environment. I also felt like I could learn a lot from being involved in the Data Analysis component of the project. Getting Going Our first task was to assemble all the those involved for a physical meeting. This happened at WGHS in January 2017 and the main focus was to determine the project goals. The meeting included people f

After the success of the experiment in project based learning in 2015, I decided to try and scale it up from around 25 students (one class) to 200 students (eight classes) in 2017. I used the rough framework from 2015 that me and Carynn had built and adapted it for the time the school gave us this time round. I also made a number of structural changes to co-ordinate the much large number of people involved this time around. Website We Built to Run Discovery Week Student Assessment of Core Learning Objectives 

THE STORY OF PROJECT WEEK              Introduction  In September 2015 me and a colleague (C Underhill) decided we wanted to push the boundaries of our students learning. We wanted to give our learners a sense of what a more independent learning style looked like. A Project Based Learning week was the result, where learners were given far greater control over their learning than is normally the case. It was definitely an eye opener for us and we learnt a lot on the journey. Below are summaries and reflections of what happened and links to resources to assist any teachers who would like to try a similar initiative. Summary Video  Resources Podcast Reflecting on the Experience a Month After Folder with all Resources required for Preparation Examples of Work Produced   Individual Endeavour Instructions  Individual Endeavour Work Group Endeavour Instructions Part 1 Part 2 Part 3   Group Work Products Summary Doc from Groups 

Introduction As I am stimulated more and more by the incredible ideas floating around in places like twitter for educational reform, I am struck by what a sweet spot we seem to be in, in terms of the possibilities for real improvement in the standards and usefulness of the educational system over the next decade. However when I revert to my day job as a teacher and I see the educational landscape in the country I am struck by how many world’s apart we still are in terms of implementation. In fact my fear is despite the opportunities available, if we do not begin to create real action plans for the change we believe is necessary the system will continue on as it always has and the chance for real improvement will be lost. My belief is that a lot of the raw ideas being generated need to be further refined into realistic goals, action plans and targetable outcomes that can be measured and assessed going forward. The start of this process is this shared document which throu