PoLT Online Professional Learning Resource – Principle 6

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Guiding Questions

• 6.1 - The teacher supports students to engage with contemporary knowledge and practice.
• 6.2 - The teacher plans for students to interact with local and broader communities.
• 6.3 - The teacher uses technologies in ways that reflect professional and community practices.
• In the tables on this page
  • information under 'Getting Started' would be appropriate for those using the Resource who have had little or no experience with the Principles prior to using the Resource
  • 'Moving Forward' is appropriate for schools with some experience working with the support materials provided on the web, or who have undertaken PoLT training and have done some component mapping in their school.

6.1 - The teacher supports students to engage with contemporary knowledge and practice.

This component refers to the need to present ideas and their applications in a contemporary context. Conceptual and procedural understandings should be linked to their use in the community and by different professions. Contemporary understandings may of course be informed by consideration of their historical lineage.

Download worksheet: Guiding Questions: Principle 6.1 (Word - 158Kb)

Professional Learning Team Facilitator

Getting Started	Moving Forward
What contemporary knowledges are present in our current practice?	How can our learning be enhanced by contemporary knowledges? What learning and teaching strategies will we use? How authentic are the learning experiences - do they allow students to make strong connections between their experiences at school and the world?

Individual Teacher

Getting Started	Moving Forward
What contemporary knowledges are present in my current practice?	How can my learning be enhanced by contemporary knowledges? What learning and teaching strategies will I use? How authentic are the learning experiences - do they allow students to make strong connections between their experiences at school and the world?

6.2 - The teacher plans for students to interact with local and broader communities.

This component emphasises the importance of the connectedness of schools to the community and society more generally. It promotes the idea of the porous classroom. ‘Communities’ would include the parent community of the school and the school community in general, local communities, which might provide speakers or be the target of community environmental or aesthetic projects, through to national, international and interest based (eg scientific) communities accessed through the internet, guest speakers and other forums.

Download worksheet: Guiding Questions: Principle 6.2 (Word - 158Kb)

Professional Learning Team Facilitator

Getting Started	Moving Forward
Where do we take our students, and why?	Where could we take them and what are the possibilities along the way? What learning and teaching strategies will we use? Do the learning activities provide opportunities for students to make connections between learning and wider social issues that are drawn from a broader base of knowledge, skills and understanding?

Individual Teacher

Getting Started	Moving Forward
Where do I take my students, and why?	Where could I take them and what are the possibilities along the way? What learning and teaching strategies will I use? Do the learning activities provide opportunities for students to make connections between learning and wider social issues that are drawn from a broader base of knowledge, skills and understanding?

6.3 - The teacher uses technologies in ways that reflect professional and community practices.

New technology challenges and changes the way we behave and learn in our contemporary society. Learners need to develop a mastery of contemporary skills and techniques and their application through new media and new technologies. When used in ways that reflect their contemporary use, learning technologies can provide powerful stimulus for students to operate autonomously and develop expertise. Learners use a range of learning technologies to create new knowledge and understandings.

Download worksheet: Guiding Questions: Principle 6.3 (Word - 159Kb)

Professional Learning Team Facilitator

Getting Started	Moving Forward
In what ways do we use technology to connect our students with people and community practices?	How can we extend current practice to include a broader understanding of technologies, multiliteracies and community networks? What learning and teaching strategies will we use?

Individual Teacher

Getting Started	Moving Forward
In what ways do I use technology to connect my students with people and community practices?	How can I extend current practice to include a broader understanding of technologies, multiliteracies and community networks? What learning and teaching strategies will I use?