Page 75 - Linguistically Diverse Educational Contexts

(lecturers, learners, practitioners, researchers, etc.) identify with the community of practice and help bring new members into it.
autonomy
The way in which learners increasingly develop their abilities and confidence.
Learners take increasing responsibility for their own learning, which is best achieved through a structured and phased process of learning, planning, managing, and reflecting on the process and outcomes of learning.
conversations
The way in which learners engage independently and with others to develop deeper understanding.
Conversations about enquiry, knowledge, practice, learning, and teaching are essential for engagement between learners, teachers, practitioners, communities, researchers, and with self and texts. Conversation goes beyond chat or discussion and becomes a real dialogue that involves analysis, synthesis, critical thinking, and reflection. Effective conversations help build inclusive relationships, include questions and answers and facilitate the expression of different points of view. Conversations are situated in a given context, and relationships as well as technologies mediate and facilitate them.
(Order & Rata-Skudder, 2012, p. 2)
The Living Curriculum differs from backward design (instructional design approach) described above, which in recent decades has been considered the gold standard in educational development. Backward design focuses on forms of understanding that are well aligned with the concept of classical knowledge, and topics are chosen for their potential to transcend specific learning opportunities. Backward designers formulate "comprehension goals" – explicit statements about what the learner should understand – and design instruction targeted at these goals. Designing "from the end" helps to focus on the relevant learning outcomes. The backward design model has been recognised as a significant advancement in this field, and this accolade is well deserved. However, backward design also has its drawbacks. Although it avoids aimless learning, a predetermined learning process may deprive learners of the opportunity to consciously participate in the learning process. Furthermore, it emphasises what can be defined in advance, leaving aside intangibles and individualised results. A strict focus on conceiving of goals as outcomes can also prevent the important learning of learning, i.e., setting one's own learning path and thinking about how to pursue it (Grotzer et al., 2019).
Another method, the Living Learning Programme developed in Australia, draws on the concept of Ako, a Maori word that means "to learn, instruct, educate and advise". Ako describes a teaching and learning relationship in which the teacher also learns from the student, and learning practices and goals are based on research and reflection. The key aspects of Ako are:
• language, identity, and culture – knowing where students come from and building on their backgrounds (their life situations);
• productive partnerships – students, whānau (extended family) and teachers share knowledge and experiences to achieve better outcomes.
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