Agile Pedagogy

In many schools today, the phrase "computer-aided instruction" means making the computer teach the child. One might say the computer is being used to program the child. In my vision, the child programs the computer and, in doing so, both acquires a sense of mastery over a piece of the most modern and powerful technology and establishes an intimate contact with some of the deepest ideas from science, from mathematics, and from the art of intellectual model building.

I love technology, and in the main I dive straight in head first. Instruction manuals are for wimps…I feel like I have failed as a technophile if I have to consult it! Throughout my life I have been fascinated by new technology, and the ways it can impact upon our lives. To be quite honest I don’t think I have ever really gained much from being sat down and taught how to use ICT or technology, in most ICT lessons at school I remember being taught things that I personally was very comfortable with already, and in some cases methods and programs that were obsolete.

When I am learning a new ICT programme, I prefer to experiment with it first to see what I can work out for myself. I do this because the majority of the time I can work out the basics of the programme, without asking for help. If I do need help for more complicated tasks, I will usually ask someone.

I tended to use this approach during my Multimedia class at college, where I was forever being introduced to new media programmes. I used trial and error most of the time to see what the programme could do, this allowed me to use them reasonably well. If I need help I prefer visual demonstrations rather than brief verbal instructions.

For me, having an informed other to show you the basic ropes works best, after that there is nothing like a good old root around to increase the knowledge. Personally, I feel that the help buttons are always a good start when you are stuck, failing that, Google; there is always someone out there who can answer your question! I still remember someone telling me that it was really, really hard to break a computer through incompetence, and that little mantra has stayed with me ever since!

“Constructionism - the N word as opposed to the V word - shares contructivism’s view of learning as “building knowledge structures” through progressive internalization of actions... It then adds the idea that this happens especially felicitously in a context where the learner is consciously engaged in constructing a public entity, whether it’s a sand castle on the beach or a theory of the universe.

Papert, 1991

Many teachers have told me how frustrating and stressful it is to work in an environment of constant change – and I know that this sense of powerlessness and uncertainty has a major impact on workforce wellbeing.

Indeed, one of my greatest concerns about the QCDA’s 2007 reforms was that they actively promoted a state of perpetual revolution, encouraging constant change by contextualising concepts against current events – which then become obsolete almost immediately.

This will not be true for the new curriculum.

Core knowledge, by its very definition, does not need to be repeatedly revised to reflect changing fashions, or new current affairs.

Instead, the new curriculum will focus on the fundamentals that will give children today (and tomorrow) the best possible start to their future.

And I will count it as a success when teachers are able actually to laminate their lesson plans and recycle them from September to September.

Nick Gibb, 2012

In the arts anything goes; the imperative is to create a powerful experience for the audience. That is not true for teaching; it must do more than that. It also has a formally defined goal. The imperative for teaching is that learners develop their personal knowledge and capabilities… It is closer to the kind of science, like engineering, computer science, or architecture, whose imperative it is to make the world a better place: a design science.

Laurillard, 2012

Craftsmanship is built upon strong relationships. Focus on delivering value to your customer over advancing your own self-interests.

As a craftsman you are primarily building something that serves the needs of others, not indulging in artistic expression.

Hoover and Oshineye, 2009

Teachers acting as design scientists would observe four basic precepts, to

1.  keep improving their practice,

2.  have a principled way of designing and testing improvements in practice,

3.  build on the work of others,

4.  represent and share their pedagogic practice, the outcomes they achieved, and how these related to the elements of their design.

Laurillard, 2012

m.berry@roehampton.ac.uk

@mberry

milesberry.net

space

landscape

library

wiki

game

badges

design studio

objects

time

journey

lesson

blog

film

levels

call centre

procedures

After Wenger, 1999

Papert, 1980

“It is by fixing things that we often get to understand how they work.”

Sennett, 2009

I would describe programming as a craft, which is a kind of art, but not a fine art. Craft means making useful objects with perhaps decorative touches. Fine art means making things purely for their beauty

RMS

Agile Pedagogies

What teachers can learn from software developers

Miles Berry

University of Roehampton

Hoover and Ohineye, Apprenticeship Patterns

Don't be a slave to history.

Is there an easier way?

Am I solving the right problem?

Why is this a problem?

What makes it hard?

Do I have to do it this way?

Does it have to be done at all?

Stay aware of what you're doing.

Don't code blindfolded.

Proceed from a plan.

Rely only on reliable things.

Document your assumptions.

Test assumptions as well as code.

Prioritize your effort.

Pragmatic Programming

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable development.

The sponsors, developers, and users should be able

to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to technical excellence

and good design enhances agility.

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount

of work not done--is essential.

The best architectures, requirements, and designs

emerge from self-organizing teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how

to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts

its behavior accordingly.

Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer

through early and continuous delivery

of valuable software.

Welcome changing requirements, even late in

development. Agile processes harness change for

the customer's competitive advantage.

Deliver working software frequently, from a

couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a

preference to the shorter timescale.

Business people and developers must work

together daily throughout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals.

Give them the environment and support they need,

and trust them to get the job done.

The most efficient and effective method of

conveying information to and within a development

team is face-to-face conversation.

Papert, S. (1971) Teaching Children Thinking

http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/5835