ABSTRACT This article outlines a learning intervention which the authors call Learning by Design.
The goal of this intervention is classroom and curriculum transformation, and the professional learning
of teachers. The experiment involves the practical application of the learning theory to everyday
classroom practice. Its ideas are grounded in pedagogical principles originally articulated in the
Multiliteracies project, an approach to teaching and learning that addresses literacy and learning in the
context of new media and the globalizing knowledge economy. The need for a new approach to
learning arises from a complex range of factors - among them, changes in society and the economy;
the potential for new forms of communication made possible by emerging technologies; and rising
expectations amongst learners that education will maximize their potential for personal fulfillment,
civic participation and access to work. The authors first brought together the Learning by Design team
of researchers and teachers in 2003 in order to reflect upon and create new and dynamic learning
environments. A series of research and development activities were embarked upon in Australia and,
more recently, in the United States, exploring the potentials of new pedagogical approaches, assisted by
digital technologies, to transform today's learning environments and create learning for the future -
learning environments which could be more relevant to a changing world, more effective in meeting
community expectations and which manage educational resources more efficiently. One of the key
challenges was to create learning environments which engaged the sensibilities of learners who are
increasingly immersed in digital and global lifestyles - from the entertainment sources they choose to
the way they work and learn. It was also about enabling teachers to explicitly track and be aware of the
relationship between their pedagogical choices and their students' learning outcomes.
"Google Maps has been out for 10 years now. Digital maps…starting with Mapquest has been out since 1996 (technically 1993 but mapquest was the first main stream map most people remember). For those of you keeping track that puts us almost 20 years into the digital mapping word. 20 years we have been using digital maps and yet for some reason digital maps have not replaced (there's that word again) mapping in our schools.
In 2007…8 years ago now….Apple put a map in our pocket. Fast forward to 2015 and almost everyone has a digital map in their pocket. Pilots now fly with iPads, ship captains now navigate with GPS and digital maps. Truck drivers now drive via digital maps and GPS location. So basically every professional that needs to use maps is using digital maps. I'm not saying we need to stop teaching how to read a paper map…but really…that should be 10% of the mapping work a student does not 99%.
With that in mind here are 10 ways you could use Google Maps in the classroom."
The importance of intellectual talent to achievement in all professional domains is well established, but less is known about other individual differences that predict success. The authors tested the importance of 1noncognitive trait: grit. Drive and energy in childhood are more predictive of success, if not creativity, than is IQ or some other more domain-specific ability" (p. 293)
This is the case for instructional coaches. 90% retention vs. 10% retention. Incredible.
up to 90% of what teachers learn alongside coaches will be retained. This means, that unlike traditional professional development where Knight's research shows that teachers lose 90% of what they learn, coaching can provide an enormous impact.