New basic pedagogies that promote mulitliteracies

Susan Grieshaber, Queensland University of Technology
Noelene McBride, Central Queensland University
Gabrielle Matters, Queensland. Dpt of Education

Abstract

This work-in-progress paper focuses on pedagogical approaches within two multi-age New Basics classrooms (Years 1, 2 and 3) in two state schools in Queensland, and explores how these pedagogies encourage children to manipulate ideas and information. It depicts classroom and technology environments that enable students to solve problems and come to new meanings and understandings. Additionally, it raises issues for consideration such as the uncertainty of achieving instructional outcomes in classroom technologies environments. While teachers create for children activities or technologies environments that are aimed at achieving deeper understanding and enhancing higher order thinking, there can be no certainty that these cognitive outcomes will always be achieved. However, when teachers provide opportunities for children to investigate with technologies to research assigned topics, there is sharing of ideas that are 'unscripted' and evidence that these ideas are sustained and applied, thereby providing experience with tasks requiring higher order thinking and promoting the use of multi literacies. This paper traces ways that teachers and children in two New Basics classrooms use technologies to scaffold learning experiences that enable young children to engage in the construction of knowledge through substantive conversations about a range of topics. Video excerpts show children using simple and more sophisticated technical skills, including: exploring a range of programs, such as PowerPoint, HyperStudio, Appleworks, as well as the Internet to obtain information; making choices, both random and considered, by clicking a range of options within different programs; problem solving, with the capacity to describe what they are doing; using technical language and exploring the meaning of terms within programs (e.g., stack, new card, basic); collaborative working arrangements that enable substantive conversations between children as they discuss and share knowledge and information and create visual and verbal images.