Research has shown that education in the 21st century should not just focus on the ‘what’ but also on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of learning.
At Al-Hidayah Islamic School we have been engaging our students in inquiring into how they learn by teaching Learning Assets. Learning assets are lifelong tools that are commonly needed for learning. This includes: thinking, collaborating, self-managing, researching, and communicating. Each of these assets helps us to develop skills (What are we learning to do?) and dispositions (What are we learning to be?). This helps the students and educators to focus not only on the end result of a task but also on the learning challenges and opportunities that may come up within a task. We focus on the journey of learning, not just the destination. (Kath Murdoch / The Power of Inquiry).
This term we have been focusing on being good COMMUNICATORS and COLLABORATORS.
As a good communicator:
- We can communicate ideas confidently.
- We can actively listen.
- We can listen thoughtfully.
- We can change and adapt the way we communicate to suit different situations.
- We are being confident, responsive, and respectful.
As a good collaborator:
- We can work with others on a shared goal.
- We know how to be part of a team.
- We can actively listen and respect other’s views.
- We understand how our behaviour affects others.
- We are BEING empathetic, compassionate and reliable.
Loose parts is the perfect example of the students learning, practicing, and developing their communication and collaboration skills. Through play and construction, the students are learning all of the above skills and so much more. As the different year levels work together in Loose parts, the students are learning how to communicate and collaborate with students of different ages. We have watched in amazement as we continuously see our students grow to be confident, respectful, empathetic, and compassionate human beings. (Nature Play WA)
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