At the beginning of this module, we watched a number of videos which gave us the opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers who shared their innovative ideas about the future of schooling.  Many highlighted that the traditional classroom environment with students sat in rows quietly listening to a teacher's lecture is no longer feasible in the modern world and does not provide opportunities for students to develop their creative abilities.  We then discussed how the laws or policies of the country or school within which we work can affect our teaching.  I chose to focus on the college entrance exam that is conducted every year in Korea and is not only a source of great stress for high school students, but it is a policy that has a ripple effect across the entire education system in Korea.  Another important topic we covered was that of digital citizenship.  As the use of technology in education is constantly growing, it is important that we prepare our students to become good digital citizens and help them learn about appropriate behaviour when using technology and how to protect themselves online.

   We then explored Hattie's research on the influences and effect sizes for conditions and strategies that most positively  and negatively affect student achievement.  By focusing on the strategies that have the highest effect size, we are better able to foster an environment that is most conducive to student achievement. Based on this information, we explored the influences that would have the most effect in our own current teaching contexts and on the students we teach.  We then explored student diversity and discussed ways that we can adapt our teaching and learning environment to best suit students of varying learning needs, abilities and preferences.

   In the final unit we began by examining how to identify students who are struggling and the referral process for special education in different schools around the world.  Based on our research we then put together our own ideas of what we think a referral process should look like in our own classrooms. We then explored the 14 categories of disability identified by IDEA and we researched the various examples of assistive technology and accommodations that can be implemented to support students with different disabilities.  We finished off the module by creating a podcast highlighting what we envision the future of schooling will look like.  Technology will clearly have a significant influence, and schools must prepare students by helping them develop the skills they are most likely to need in the modern world i.e. problem-solving, critical-thinking, creativity, and social-emotional skills. 

Student Data Analysis