Learner Focused Solutions - Vignette


“In my practice, if anything was possible I would love to shift towards a learner focused program. I imagine this could look like...”.


It is term 4 at 8.30 in the morning and I enter into the senior classroom of Year 4 to 8 students. There are a group of students on devices being entertained with Mindcraft. I hear lots of dialogue about who is in what world, what should be built, and comments about one another's building projects. Some students are out of their seats helping younger classroom members.
The bell rings to start the day and the students in the senior class automatically begin their days lessons that have been posted on Microsoft Teams. The morning starts off with the normal Maths and Literacy, however, all instruction is given within the Microsoft Teams. I work with the Year 4 students and those who are still low according to the National Progressions. These student are still learning strategies in both learning areas which will help them to work more independently in their Project Based Student Centered Program.
After morning tea, all students begin working on their Project Based Student Centered Program that has been collaboratively planned between myself and them. Students are engaged and motivated in this learning, and they are able to apply their prior knowledge of skills and tools that will help them to carry out a range of learning tasks. As students work through this program, they are continually assessing  themselves against Learning Intentions and Success Criteria that has been constructed together as a class, or for some students, individually - depending on their individual abilities.
I look around the class and see the students spread around working in a range of different areas of the class and with a range of different peers. The students know who they can go to for different support and feedback. I notice I have a couple of students away today so I decide to log into Microsoft Teams to see if they are connected on Chat. I find they are logged in and happily working away engaged in collaborative dialogue through Chat with students present in class.
While providing support to students and work-shopping with those who need it, I think back to when these students first started school at the age of 5. At 5 years of age, many of these students entered the school grounds shy and unfamiliar to school life. As they have grown accustom to school routines, their curiosity kicks in and they are happy to explore  through Play Based Learning. As these young students have moved up through the school years, they have displayed increases in inquisitiveness, role play, using play materials creatively, better memory skills, improved oral language, developed problem solving skills, and a sound ability to communicate with their peers providing support in a nurturing way. 
These skills from such an early age have helped these young students to develop independence in their learning. This has allowed me as the senior teacher, to see learning through their eyes and become a learner myself.





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