It was another enjoyable and enriching day. This time the focus was on programming for Year's 8 and 10. I thought the most interesting aspect of the day was the presentation by Roselyn Thomas on incorporating Indigenous elements into our history teaching but even strategies in applying it across the broader curriculum e.g. Welcome to Country ceremonies at school assemblies.
I liked the idea of the visual note taking being mentioned to the group. Virtually none of the other people there were there the previous month (bar one person), and they got a chance to apply it. I will post the video because it might interest those who didn't attend.
Watching the video at both presentations made me think of a teacher from my days at Marist College Kogarah as a student. His name was Mr Jordan, a visual arts teacher and pastoral coordinator to the Year 11 and 12's. I remember he spoke about why he never reprimanded boys who doodled in their dairies. He felt it encouraged people to be creative. Visual note taking allows people to be creative but also supports visual learners who may benefit from expressing their information in a format other than a linguistic form.
Also we were reminded to focus on planning units of work that reflect the interests of the students but also cultural backgrounds, especially the elective units.
The day also helped me build on my understanding of what I learn't a month earlier on Inquiry learning, particularly development of historical inquiry skills, historical literacy skills and providing authentic assessment in history.
I think after attending the two days, I'd apply the following in my teaching practice, whether as a T/L or in the classroom:
- Recommend units of work around student interest and needs in history.
- Apply the Understanding by Design model to units of work and assessment tasks to ensure that the learning experience is enriching and relevant.
- Encourage development of historical inquiry skills and historical literacy skills across other key learning areas. I believe it can be done e.g. analyzing a photo in geography to identify purpose and usefulness.
- Offer professional development opportunities for colleagues e.g. programming, assessment task creation or resourcing.
