The purpose of the presentation is to get aware of how learning theories and learning practices move hand-in-hand, and how some high schools have changed their design to support learner agency. I have been researching these practices as a part of a PhD on how learning institutions can transform to support and legitimize autonomous learning modes or learner agency. The list is not exhaustive. The presentation was given at the Robotic Telescopes, Student Research, and Education conference at the University of Melbourne.

1. Best practices in high
school education in
The 21st century
(and how you can adopt them)
JAYA RAMCHANDANI
December 11, 2019

3. 1920s
1960s
BEHAVIOURISM
(Guthrie, Hull, Pavlov, Skinner, Thorndike, Tolman,
Watson)
Learner is passive and responds to stimuli.
memorization, drills & practice, rote learning,
competency-based assessment
COGNITIVISM
(Ausubel, Bruner, Gagne, Koffka, Kohler, Lewin)
Learner acquires, stores and recalls information.
interactive lectures, visual maps, graphic organizers,
reinforcement, problem solving.
HUMANISM
(Maslow, Rogers)
Learner values autonomy and learns to fulfill needs.
experiential learning, collaborative learning,
self-actualization.
A brief history of modern learning

4. 1970s
1990s
2000s
SOCIAL LEARNING
(Bandura, Rotter, Engestrom, Eraut, Lave and Wenger,
Salomon)
Learner learns through interactions in a social context.
situated learning, communities of practice,
collaborative learning.
CONSTRUCTIVISM
(Candy, Dewey, Piaget, Rogoff, vonGlaserfeld,
Vygotsky, Boud, Illeris )
Learner is active and builds on personal experience.
discovery, collaborative learning, self-guided learning,
reflective practices
CONNECTIVISM
(Siemens, Downes)
Learner is self-directed and connects nodes.
self-directed quest, sharing of content, spontaneous
learning groups, collaborative knowledge production
Ashworth et al. (2004)

5. Learners encourage each other to be involved in networks, internet use,
and make use of their sensemaking (metacognition skills, thinking about
thinking), patterning (knowledge recognition), and way-finding (identifying
their goals and mission through those networks and community
involvement) and realizing the emergent knowledge (ontology, learning to
be) through an integration of informal learning with their formal education.
what is connectivism?
Sui Fai John Mak, WebBlog, Accessed 20195

6. “What are the needs of
the time?

7. OECD (2019)
GLOBALIZATION
Shifting global wealth
Artificial intelligence
R&D spending
Global consumption
E-waste
Clean energy
Air transport
Migration
Growing middle class
DEMOCRACY
Shifting demographics
Employment
Multiculturalism
Civil liberties
Sovereignty referendums
City networks
Online news
Voter turnout
Tax havens
Income gap
SECURITY
Climate change
Job security
Antibiotic resistance
Road safety
Data breaches
Nuclear testing
Air pollution
Natural disasters
War and conflict
MODERN CULTURE
Electric vehicles
Meat production
Online influencers
Share economy
Gig economy
Gender equality
Paternity leave
Labour force participation
New family structures
Youth empowerment
AGEING
Reskilling
Pensions
Purchasing power
Elder care
Active retirees
Digital fraud
Dementia
Loneliness
Medical advancements
Civic engagement

8. “All of us in the academy and in the culture as a whole
are called to renew our minds if we are to transform
educational institutions-and society-so that the way
we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy in cultural
diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of
freedom.
Bell Hooks

9. EDUCATION
for work and profit
TOP-DOWN
curriculum, predetermined
objectives
DIRECTED
structured, classroom-based,
same age
TESTS, EXAMS, GRADES
showing progression
LEARNING
for meeting individual & collective
needs
SHARED AGENCY
learning frameworks, co-created
objectives
FACILITATED
self-directed, self-regulated,
project-based, experiential
PORTFOLIOS, EXPERIENCE,
RECOMMENDATIONS
deepening practice
Why learn?
Who decides?
What is the learner
experience?
What is useful proof
of learning?
‘twas the 20th century... ‘tis the 21st century...

10. Expeditionary learning
Short courses Blended learningProject-based learning
Community-based
learning
Learning happens
everywhere
Self-directed learning
some best practices today...
Advisory AI interactionInformal interaction
Blank space
Shapeshifter
WAYS OF
LEARNING
WAYS OF
TEACHING
Portfolios Mastery TranscriptAuthentic ProductsGradeless
WAYS OF
PROOF
Decolonizing
knowledge
Collaborative
governance
Curriculum
co-creation
Student voice
& choice
WAYS OF
DECIDING
10

11. ...that lead to 21st century skills for
today & tomorrow :)
Critical Thinking
Creativity &
Imagination
Collaboration &
Teamwork
Communication Problem Solving Leadership
Compassion Citizenship Self-awareness
Environmental
Stewardship
Experimentation Governance
Readiness & Mindsets
Finance Industry
Environment &
Climate Change
Energy Agriculture Defense
Education
Health &
Wellbeing
Law & Justice Travel & Tourism
Science &
Technology
Religion &
Spirituality
On-Demand Knowledge & Practice
21st Century Skills and Dispositions

12. Expeditionary learning
Short courses
Blended learning
Project-based learning
Community-based
learning
Learning happens
everywhere
Self-directed learning
WAYS OF LEARNING
Blank space

13. self-directed learning
Social expectation that
education is the
learner’s
RESPONSIBILITY
UNLIMITED TIME TO
PLAY, explore, and
pursue one’s own
interests
Opportunity to play with
the TOOLS OF THE
CULTURE
Access to a variety of
caring adults, who are
HELPERS NOT JUDGES
FREE AGE MIXING among
learners of varying levels
Immersion in a stable,
supportive, and
respectful COMMUNITY
Gray (2016)

15. project-based learning
Student presents
their project
product to the
public or target
users
Student designs
their project plan
including their
desired product and
assessment
Student identifies
necessary
knowledge and
skills to understand
driving question
Student(s) ask a
driving question
within a knowledge
domain (challenge
by choice)
Coach / external mentors provide need to know
scaffolding driven by student questions
Student and coach
engage in a reflection
and feedback session to
map what was learned
15

16. What does it look like? Role of Educator
Structured
Destination, route, and pace decisions are
determined by the educator. Transmission
and application are key concepts.
As instructor provide scaffolding to
connect new and existing
knowledge to build skills and
capacity.
Guided
Blueprint of destinations and routes are
available. Learner selects the selects the
destination, route, and pace. Personal
discovery and inquiry are key concepts.
As coach aid learners in coming to
construct knowledge by questioning
and providing meta-structure.
Open
Problem or concept is explored by the
learner. Learner decides the destination,
route, pace. Exploration and autonomy are
key concepts.
As facilitator open opportunities to
learn autonomously with
self-direction.
Coaches can/should modulate their role based on the context of the project

17. 17
Innovation Institute

18. short courses
Interdisciplinary
Vocational /
Skills
Mastery Based
Relevant

19. 19
Logic In An Illogical World
Physical Science
Beautiful Data
Current Affairs
The Science and Art of Movement
Strategic Thinking
. . .

20. blended learning
FACE-TO-FACE DRIVE
Instructor drives the
instruction and augments
with digital tools
ROTATION
Students cycle through
independent online study
and face-to-face
classroom time
FLEX
Curriculum is largely
delivered via a digital
platform and teachers are
available for face-to-face
consultation
●
Friesen (2012)
LABS
All of the curriculum is
delivered via a digital
platform but in a
consistent physical
location
SELF-BLEND
Students choose to
augment their traditional
learning with online
course work
20

21. 21
The Kakuma Project

22. expeditionary learning
Learner(s)
Unique
environment
Problem-solving
tasks
A state of adaptive
dissonance
Mastery or
competence
Reorganization of
meaning and direction
of the experience
Learner continues to be
oriented to living and
learning
is placed into a then given
that
createleading to
which then
leads to
in this way
Walsh & Golins (1976)

23. 23
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL

24. community-based learning
Service /
Volunteer
Projects
Field trips
Citizen Action
Internships /
Mentorships

25. 25
BIGPICTURELEARNING
NASA STEM Engagement
25

26. learning happens everywhere
Role models National parks Wikis Social networking
Conferences Local villages Blogs Q&A Forums
Libraries Temples and shrines Podcasts Gaming and Simulations
Maker spaces City streets Videos Apps
Museums & galleries Festivals E-books Online communities
Habitats Community projects Webinars Opencourseware

27. BLANK SPACE

28. WAYS OF TEACHING
Advisory
AI interaction
Informal interaction
Shapeshifter

29. “You can give your whole attention
only when you care, which means
you really love.
J. Krishnamurti
29

30. Brown University, Accessed 2019
Teachers should develop a learning
environment that is relevant to and
reflective of their students' social,
cultural, and linguistic experiences.
They act as guides, mediators,
consultants, instructors, and
advocates for the students, helping to
effectively connect their culturally- and
community-based knowledge to the
classroom learning experiences.
teacher as SHAPESHIFTER
The Facilitator Role
The Subject Expert Role
The Standard-Setter /
Evaluator Role
The Coaching Role
30

31. coaching
LISTENING
4 ear model (von Thun)
7 levels of listening (Clutterbuck)
DIAGNOSIS & QUESTIONING
Coaching question mapping (Starr)
Phase model (Winklaar)
Coaching cycle structure (Flaherty)
Open and closed questions
Meta model questions (NLP)
1st & 2nd order learning (Sieler)
PROVOCATION
Provocative approach (Farelly)
Improvisation theatre
LEARNING & GROWTH
Experiential learning (Kolb)
Giving, receiving, implementing feedback
Learning styles (Honey, Mumford)
Resistance (De Galan)
Accountability
INTUITION & CONNECTION
Creating / breaking relationship
Practicing presence (Tolle, Pearks)
Conversational techniques
Constellation (Whittington)
Perceptual positions
DISTINCTIONS
Hierarchy of ideas
3 modeling mechanisms (NLP)
Perception & observation (Eagleman)
Old Vechte Foundation, Accessed 2019

32. advisory
WHAT
Social-emotional support
Academic support
Problem solving
Decision making
Life skills
Character development
HOW
Size
Frequency
Focus
Curriculum
WHY
Connection to adults
Connection to peers
Advocacy
Personal growth
Tom Vander Ark (2015)

33. informal interactions
Anywhere,
anytime
SpontaneityConversation
When we put conversation at the
centre of education something very
important happens. It is the
exchanges and the thoughts they
provoke that leads us – not some
predetermined curriculum or plan.
‘Going with the flow’ opens up all
sorts of possibilities for us as
educators. On one hand we may not
be prepared for what comes, on the
other we may get into rewarding
areas.
Such conversations and activities
can take place anywhere and at any
time. This could mean picking up on
something that is said in a
conversation and inviting those
involved to take it further.

34. Hello Siri / OK Google / Alexa / BIXBY...
SMART CONTENT
VIRTUAL FACILITATORS &
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
SMART SCHEDULING
INTELLIGENT TUTORING
SYSTEMS
PERSONALIZED PATHWAYS
(LIFELONG, LIFEWIDE)
PORTFOLIOS SYNTHESIZING
EVERYWHERE LEARNING
ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGIES
Woolf et al. (2013)

35. 35

36. WAYS OF DECIDING
Decolonizing
knowledge
Collaborative
governance
Curriculum
co-creation
Student voice
& choice

37. “In a society based on participation,
empowerment, and democracy,
shouldn't education be participatory,
empowering, and democratic?
Dana Bennis

39. student voice and choice
classroom → curriculum → school policies
INFORM CONSULT INVOLVE COLLABORATE EMPOWER
Learners are regularly
and reliably informed,
and made aware of
decisions.
Staff obtains views of
learners. Learners
receive feedback on
decisions taken.
Staff work with
learners throughout
the decision making
process to ensure
views are taken into
account
All aspects of
decision making
processes are taken
in partnership with
learners and shaped
by them.
Learners set agendas
for change.
Self-organization and
responsibility over
management is given
to learners.
Non-participation Tokenism Learner Empowerment
NFER, Futurelab (2008)

40. collaborative governance
Democratic Governance Distributed Leadership Sociocracy in Education
The school is run by staff and
students together in a
democratic fashion. A
meeting where members of
the community take
democratic decisions on
school policies, hiring, and
norm corrections.
Seeing all teachers as
leaders in the learning
process and facilitating both
formal (through committees)
and informal leadership
opportunities.
A systems approach to
redesigning structures from
top-down to circular. It is
distinguished by the use of
consent rather than majority
voting in decision-making.
40

41. Sociocracy 3.0, Accessed 2019

42. curriculum co-creation
Rust (2018)
Students in control
}
Students control
decision-making and have
substantial influence
Students
increasingly
active in
participation
Partnership - A negotiated curriculum
Students control some areas of choice
} Students have some
choice and influence
Students control prescribed areas
Wide choice from prescribed choices
}
Admin/teachers control
decision-making informed
by student feedbackLimited choice from prescribed choices
Participation claimed, tutor in control
} Admin/teachers control
decision-making
Dictated curriculum - no interaction

43. decolonization
I can no longer accept a narrative of education that sees my links to my land, to my local
languages, to my seeds, to my rivers, to my trees, to my histories and herstories, to my body,
to my inner voice, to the spirit world, to my community all as a barrier to modernization and
development which must at best be destroyed if we are to progress, and at worst be
condemned to a multicultural day festival in school.
I can no longer accept a narrative of education that teaches me that I have to compete against
others in my community and against peoples from other countries to survive.
I can no longer accept a narrative which teaches me that learning is a commodity (along with
the air, water, land, food) and that knowledge is the property of individuals through copyrights
and patents.
Excerpt from From Declaration of Decolonizing Education, Manish Jain, Accessed 2019

44. 44

45. WAYS OF PROOF
Portfolios
Mastery Credits
Authentic Products
Gradeless
45

46. ways of PROOF
INFERENCE
Anumāna
(अनुमान)
COMPARISON &
ANALOGY
Upamāna
(उपमान)
POSTULATION
Arthāpatti
(अथार्थाप त्ति)
PERCEPTION
Pratyakṣa
(प्रत्यक्ष)
NON-PERCEPTION
Anupalabdi
(अनुपलि ध)
NON-EXISTENCE
Abhava
(अभाव)
WORD OF
RELIABLE EXPERTS
Abhava
(अभाव)

47. gradeless
The best reason to go gradeless is to tap into intrinsic
motivation. There is no way to truly tap into authentic
learning if we are coercing students with rewards and
consequences. Authentic learning comes from an
innate desire to understand. Eliminating grades is a
step towards activating intrinsic motivation. However,
going gradeless is only the first step.
Teachers Going Gradeless, Accessed 2019

48. authentic products
Reports / publications
Video reports / storyboards
Photo stories
Business plan
Letter to editor / government
Architectural plans
Surveys
Design projects
Student research paper
Student teaching
Student-led conference
Podcasts / Vlogs
Product reviews
Article critiques
Concept mapping
Apps / Websites
Models / Constructing Objects
Wikis / Collaborative Writing
Media creation
Games / Simulations
Theatre / Role Play
Field Work
Finding solutions to real-world
problems
Lombardi (2007)

49. Portfolios
Thought Co, Accessed 2019
demonstrates
learning over the
course of time
provides an
opportunity to reflect
learning, to self
assess, and to
formulate a deeper
understanding of the
concepts
greater connection
with peers and
real-world
greater collaboration
between teacher and
student

50. 50

51. 51
what do i do?

52. HOW WILL YOU LEARN?
~50% student-regulated
Student is active and self-determined. Student learns through discovery,
experimentation, and practice. Coach provides coaching when asked.
1. Individual study using a host of resources
● Texts (Recommended - Tsokos, Hamper)
● Topic Slides
● StudyNova
● Inthinking Physics
● Chris Doner on YouTube
● Simulations & Apps
2. Collaborative group study
● Explain practice questions and topic tests
3. Coaching when asked - individual / groups
~50% faculty-regulated
Student is active and self-motivated. Students solve problems in investigative
situations. Coach scaffolds learners in coming to their own understanding by asking
questions and providing meta-structure and key skills.
1. Guided inquiry through interactive lectures, simulations, and activities to
build conceptual understanding
2. Prescribed practicals build lab skills
3. Mini-IAs build research and collaboration skills. Students culminate their
learning in some form of product like a report, a presentation, or teach a
class.
4. Practice assignments and topic tests serve as assessment as learning and
prepare for the summative assessment that determines mastery. Model
questions and answers from past papers serve as guides.
5. Field trips open connections to those outside the field
6. Group discussions explore questions related to knowledge acquisition
HOW WILL YOU KNOW AND SHOW WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED?
Formative assessment:
● Practice assignments and topic tests (self-marked and group discussed)
● Coach feedback on Mini-IAs and projects (e.g., presentations, papers, performances, posters)
● Peer feedback on groupwork and collaboration skills
● Coach feedback on efficacy of learning
Summative grading:
● Mock exams G11 (coach assessed)
● IB exams G12 (externally assessed)

53. 53
TOPS
Giving feedback;
Making us do more research on our own;
Bringing a different aspect to physics that is not IB focused
She encourages independence
She gives us a bunch of resources to learn from
She is friendly and nice. :)
Abundant knowledge of physics
Humour
Socratic method
Risk-taking, she is so curious in physics
Allow to make something fantastic but risky
We can study how we want
Chilled
Excited about physics and life
Very calming in how little stressed she is (makes me feel like it's ok and
ok not to be stressed and that it's not the most important thing in life)
TIPS
Speed of the inputs
More knowledge based classes
It would be helpful if we could review some past papers in the class
None
More lecture type (not too much) lessons.
Also more IB type questions to practice.
Nothing more
Less self-study. More lectures.
Maybe have more authority in class, have a stronger lead in class so that
it's more purposeful in its direction (but also, I am split between wanting
to have lectures or getting more self-disciplined (idk if possible though)
so that I can/want full-on self study)
More problems solving
More freedom is case group/single works
More exact tasks and assignments

54. IF I AM A 20TH CENTURY...
… secondary school educator
...high school educator
...university professor
...informal educator
How can i transform?

55. Who is learning?
Some guiding questions to creating a
new learning experience
Why are they learning
(individual and collective
needs)?
Are you
ready?
Where, how, and with
whom are they learning?
Who is deciding the who,
why, where, how, and with
whom are they learning?
Which best practices best suit
the needs and what resources
do you have access to?
55

56. ANDRAGOGY
(Knowles)
Adult is self-directed.
self-direction, informal, problem
solving, experiential, equal partners
1960s
1. Need to know: Adults need to know the reason
for learning something.
2. Foundation: Experience (including error)
provides the basis for learning activities.
3. Self-concept: Adults need to be responsible for
their decisions on education; involvement in the
planning and evaluation of their instruction.
4. Readiness: Adults are most interested in
learning subjects having immediate relevance to
their work and/or personal lives.
5. Orientation: Adult learning is problem-centered
rather than content-oriented.
6. Motivation: Adults respond better to internal
versus external motivators.

57. we learn best when
Willingness
to learn
Right
conditions to
learn

58. step 1: establish willingness
1. Survival
2. Vocational /
career relevance
3. Gender, class,
culture, race,
family norms
4. Natural desire to
find meaning /
self-fulfilment
5. Personal
relevance /
Improve quality of
life (e.g. health)
6. Opportunity to
increase capital
(social, economic,
cultural)
7. Meeting shared
goals (e.g.,
climate action)

59. step 2: engineer the right conditions
1. Freedom within a framework
/ Experimental practice
2. Safe spaces / Empathetic
listening /
3. Coaching for support.
Mentorship for depth.
4. Access to physical resources
for mastery
5. Shared motivation in
collective of learners

60. Thank YOU!
ANY QUESTIONS?
You can find me at @welearnwegrow &
scratchpost@gmail.com
60