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Mornings With Laura :)


 * Laura:**Good morning and welcome to ‘Mornings with Laura’. Joining me today will be co-host, Leigh Gear. Our segment today will be focusing on ‘Education exposed’. Lately in the headlines we have been seeing a lot of criticism about Queensland’s education system and the role of learning managers; the 21st century teachers. This headline reflects the challenges that 21st century graduates are facing and the persistent call for lifelong learning.


 * Leigh:** Laura, 21st century education has seen the rise in many diverse pedagogical approaches, in your opinion, do you believe pedagogy is helpful for individual learners, and will it aid them in seeking their best possible learning outcome?


 * Laura:**During my time researching for this segment I found that there are many benefits from pedagogy approaches. Firstly I’d like to point out that each and every learning manager has experienced different methods when they were students, therefore their teaching methods as a professional reflect those experiences. This enables each teacher to form their own unique ways of teaching. However, I also need to acknowledge that these teaching techniques may not benefit each and every student and ensure a positive learning out come for each individual.


 * Leigh:** Could you perhaps give us an example of what you mean by different experiences?


 * Laura:** Well, during my own education I had a male teacher who had previously been in the army, in a way he saw us as his troops or his soldiers, his experiences in the army were noticeable through his teaching methods, and even in the way he addressed the class. However, if I were to step into a class room my teaching methods would be significantly different. I would be more likely to see the students as an audience, based on my talk show career.


 * Leigh:**Yes, I see what you mean Laura. Educators bring other influences with them as well as what they are formally taught. What other factors may influence teaching experiences in the 21st century?


 * Laura:** In the 21st century a teacher’s methods and experiences are also shaped by the criteria and the curriculum. They need to be able to determine and differentiate between knowing and teaching the curriculum but still catering to different learner's needs. Smith and Lynch, state that the Learning Management program was developed to counter what we believe are significant voids in the understanding of pedagogy and pedagogical practice in schools and in teacher education. From what I can see the program has achieved this.


 * Leigh:** Laura for the sake of the audiences understanding can you explain what pedagogy is please?


 * Laura:**Pedagogy is the framework in which teachers can decide and develop strategies in relation to what they teach it also allows teachers to reflect critically on their own work. (The State of Queensland (Department of Education) 2002). So insight of all this, yes the different pedagogical approaches will be helpful for individual learners, as educators, can change their approach depending on students needs.


 * Leigh:**To explore the development of 21st century teachers and their commitment to lifelong learning....... please welcome today’s guests: Professor Rachelle Taylor from Education Queensland, and Graduate learning management teacher Sarah Sehmish welcome to you both.


 * Laura:** welcome to the show Rachelle, can you please explain to us what the learning design concept is and why it is important?

R **achelle:**The learning design process is the scaffolding or framework teachers use to plan their lessons, in particular the use of the 8 learning management questions. There are 3 stages of the 8 LMQs. These are profiling, strategizing and ascertainment This pedagogical process of the 8 LMQs enables student learning managers and mentor teachers to use a planning framework to focus learning outcomes that enrich teaching and learning experiences in the classroom." (Knight & Bauer, 2010 p23)

"These questions are a set of sequential design-based questions that enable a learning manager to ’design learning experiences that produce intended learning outcomes" (Lynch & Smith, 2006).


 * Leigh:** Thank you Rachelle. Therefore, graduate teachers would spend a lot of time preparing and using these questions to assist with their lesson planning?


 * Rachelle: Yes Leigh they would. **


 * Leigh:** What other tools or resources does the education department provide for graduates to utilise when planning their lessons?


 * Rachelle:**Our early years teachers will be directed from the Queensland Early Years Curriculum Guidelines. Teachers will examine these guidelines in the learning management question number 2.In these guidelines it details the 5 contexts for learning which are important to consider in the planning phase. These are investigating, real life situations, play projects, routines and transitions and focused learning and teaching.

It is important that teachers are linking the learning design process with the curriculum.

With the planning focus on the ’learn-ing’ rather than the ’learn-er’, the teacher is able to see the desired learning outcomes achieved in the classroom. There are 5 early learning areas which are the focus for assessment, these being social and personal learning, health and physical learning, language learning and communication, early mathematical understandings and active learning processes. This framework shows just how important it is to look at each child holistically and use the learning design process to frame teaching environments to support and facilitate each child's learning and development." (p31)


 * Leigh:** These sound like valuable resources that learning managers are utilising today.


 * Rachelle:**I have seen this in action in the classroom. I have recently had the pleasure of visiting some of our new graduates in the classroom (Sarah) and I have seen first hand how the teachers incorporate the curriculum in the learning design process. I think it is great that we have Sarah on the show with us today, as I am sure she would agree that the learning design process is vital to a successful learning experience for her students.


 * Laura:** Sarah, as a 21st century learning manager how do you achieve learning outcomes for **__all__** of your learners?


 * Sarah:** There are three attributes that Ambrosetti discusses that I have found to be effective upon incorporating them into my classroom. The first one is the learning design process, which has already been mentioned by Professor Rachelle. Using those eight Learning Management Questions has really helped me to be able to know where each of my learners are at, what they already know and how to create effective lessons for each type of learner.

Also in this 21st century I have to ensure that I am being 'futures orientated'. The demands and challenges now are different to what they used to be (such as in other eras) and I am always trying to break out of the mindset of 'one-size fits all', as quoted by ???. This involves utilising effective strategies and pedagogies that each learner can connect with in order to be successful.

Lastly I engage in critical reflection. Critical reflection of each learning experience - which involves evaluating what went well / what did not go so well / did learning occur and why or why not these things happened. For my reflections to be critical and effective, I use a 'critical reflection plan' provided by Ambrosetti, which is great to have refer back to when designing the next learning experience, and gives me a record of what worked / did not work in the classroom.


 * Leigh:**Research has shown that teachers, and as a consequence, their students, benefit greatly from professional development days. Associate Professor Janette Bobis, from the University of Sydney suggests that by helping teachers develop their identity as a self-directed teacher- learner they are preparing teachers to know how to learn. This means that they are now helping teachers understand the processes and theoretical knowledge involved with how children learn, how, and in some cases where, learning best occurs to benefit all students in their learning journey.


 * Laura:**Sarah in reference to this - what does lifelong learning mean to you and how does it affect your role as a learning manager?


 * Sarah:** //Well the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development states that “An expert learner continually seeks out new information, updates their knowledge regularly and sees themselves as a lifelong learner.” So I try to ensure I am always learning and taking responsibility for my OWN learning. A university degree is great, but the learning process does not stop there. For me this involves going to Professional Workshops and any other opportunities that arise to enhance my career. A part of this too is knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and what I can do to improve these for the benefit of my students.// (awaiting changes)


 * Laura**: But don’t these teachers already have a teaching degree? Surely that is enough?


 * Leigh**: Laura, after listening to our guests this morning, and I think our audience would agree that it is unrealistic to believe that teachers graduate with all the knowledge they will require for the rest of their teaching careers. This is the ever-changing 21st century; information, technology, curriculum requirements, etc are continually being updated. Therefore wouldn't you want your child to be taught the most current knowledge available?


 * Laura:** yes, that’s very true Leigh, you would. Unfortunately that’s all we have time for today, but if you would like to participate in our online poll, or email your opinions we would love to hear from you, thank you to Rachelle and Sarah for joining us for this eye opening segment. Please join us after this break for the morning sports announcements.