Week 30: The Broader professional context - Contemporary trend in New Zealand or internationally

This week I am going to reflect on a contemporary trend in both New Zealand and Internationally and use Rolfe’s (2001) model of reflection as a scaffold. 

Since 2007 I have followed CORE Education's research and innovation 'Ten Trends' 
"Each year, CORE Education’s experienced staff of researchers, educators, and digital technology experts pool their expertise and combine their understanding and evidence of the ways that digital technologies are influencing all aspects of education. The result is CORE’s list of the ten trends that are expected to make a growing impact upon education in New Zealand in the coming year."

I will use the 2018 Ten Trends model to direct and support my reflection.

Step 1 (What): Currently the trend 'STEM'  captivates my attention. There is currently rapid growing interest in programmes targeting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM), which focus on educators and others looking at preparing students for jobs in the future. I facilitate a dedicated Makerspace where STEM/STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics is at the core of student learning. The science purists tend to frown on the arts being embedded but I believe all of these disciplines draw on design as well as creative concepts and the arts should sit seamlessly with them. I also run our Makerspace differently as the challenges and passion projects are ignited by the use of a picture book, my initial research into the maker movement found significant negative critique relating to the growth of making and demise of reading and literacy skills so I developed a way of fostering and nurturing both. 

Step 2 (So What): As stated within the Ten Trends resource "The critical thing about STEM education is that it is intended to be an interdisciplinary curriculum. Rather than teach these four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates into “interdependent” learning units based on real-world applications". In a Makerspace the lines often blur within a challenge station, for example I run 4 or 5 challenge stations in every session, where the students choose their station but rather than these just being standalone Science, Technology, Engineering, Art or Maths, they may in fact be a Science station with an Art infusion or an Engineering station where building and mathematics play an integral role.

See below for an example of a Science experiment adapted to produce stunning pieces of Art that while producing, students not only learnt the concept of 'change and reaction' but also took it to another level by gaining an awareness and understanding that art is a process of exploring ideas and using a variety of skills, techniques and media while persevering to create a quality finished product for an audience to appreciate.

Visit my Makerspace reflective blog, Whare Waihanga for more authentic examples 
http://www.takpmakerspace.co.nz/blog

This integration into 'interdependent' learning units changes the way that teachers have previously looked at the curriculum which was subjects in isolation, this will pose a challenge to many teachers. Those that grasped the previous trend of curriculum integration, as discussed by Fraser and Deane (2010), will be better equipped for this change.

Step 3 (Now What): Although the Maker movement and STEM and STEAM appear to be just taking hold in Aotearoa, when reviewing Dale Dougherty’s (widely considered the father of the maker movement) timeline it has clearly been established and embraced across the United States of America much earlier (see diagram below).  

Roffey, Sverko and Therien (2016) on both their website and the accompanying guide go into depth with practical support and strategies for educators embarking on the journey of developing and implementing a Makerspace and the concepts of STEM and STEAM.

The newly introduced Digital Technologies Curriculum (2017) will go someway to addressing the infusion of technology into the classroom but I believe this still needs to be adapted to address this trend. It is important that educators in New Zealand working with and in environments fostering STEM and STEAM share their knowledge, experiences and resources to better equip our own teachers and as a result better prepare our students for their futures.

References

Core Education. Ten Trends 2018. Retrieved 11 March, 2018. http://core-ed.org/research-and-innovation/ten-trends/2017/

Fraser, D., & Deane, P. (2010). Making a difference: Agents of change through curriculum integration. set: Research Information for Teachers, 3, 10–14.

​Jamieson, P. (2017).  Whare Waihanga - Makerspace. Website http://www.takpmakerspace.co.nz/blog

Minstry of Education. (2017).  Digital Technologies. Retrieved 11 March, 2018. https://education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/consultations/DT-consultation/DTCP1701-Digital-Technologies-Hangarau-Matihiko-ENG.pdf

Roffey, Sverko and Therien (2016).  The Making of a Makerspace: Pedagogical and Physical Transformations of teaching and Learning. Retrieved, 4 February, 2018. http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/uploads/4/1/6/4/41640463/makerspace_for_education_curriculum_guide.pdf

​Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001) Critical Reflection Model. Retrieved from: https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/ReflectiveModelRolfe.pdf