In The Learners Shoes

Today I was privileged to spend the day out on Professional Development at a workshop led by The University of Auckland and Team Solutions. The workshop, "Building Blocks of Effective Practice", was based around student centred learning, targeting students Health, PE and Home Economics. Our overall aim was to develop an understanding and appreciation of various tools and models used in education to increase student centred learning and decrease teacher directed learning.

The day was separated into 5 rotations, to gain an understanding of a model at surface level before moving on. To enable us to  understand what we learnt at a deep level, we were provided with copious resources to progress our learning, and share with our colleagues. The first rotation (what is student centred learning and why is it important?) we all completed, as well as the last rotation (post-it box method).

Rotations 2, 3 and 4 were electives, we were able to choose what stations we wanted to work at and learn about. I chose to focus on challenging assumptions and critical thinking, learning for learning not for assessment and student voice. I found the day insightful, engaging and useful, and will definitely recommend the workshop to others for next year.

I regularly put my name down for Professional Development opportunities, because I think it is important to be up to date with current practices, as well as continue to learn. Although I only finished my degree last year, education continues to develop and evolve, thus I value any PD thrown my way. I am most looking forward to PENZ in July, a 3 day national conference. 

Read more about PENZ here!