The Contemporary Learner

Who is the contemporary learner?

How will the characteristics of our Gen Z learners depicted in the Meet Gen Z video define their engagement in the traditional classroom snippet?

The students in this video are disengaged. The teacher is not working collaboratively with the students. There is also no involvement of the students in the discussion or any need for them to participate. He is not using the current teaching standards (APST) (AITSL) i.e., ‘Know your students and how they learn’. Gen Z live in a world where they are constantly stimulated, meaning there is constantly more than one thing going on. If Gen Z students were taught in the way this video displays, they would not actively learn and would become bored very quickly, as seen in the video.

Referring to the ideas presented by Willis and Robinson, is this level of creativity in evidence in the schools you have attended, both as a student, and as a preservice teacher? Furthermore, is this level of creativity in evidence in your University units? As secondary pre-service teaching students, you will experience a variety of approaches to teaching, learning and course design in your discipline studies. Why were your previous studies presented in that particular way? How could they have been presented?

In my opinion, the level of creativity was not as evident when I was at school compared with how I see it today as a pre-service teacher. Creativity has many more avenues today for students to explore and learn from. The Professional Teaching Standards have since changed and evolved and become more related to students as the core structure to how planning for teaching and learning is based on.

What do you think the implications are of a curriculum that is linear, progressive, aimed at a single learning outcome for the development of both individuals and the society we live in?

When only aiming for a single learning outcome, many students who learn differently, are thus left out. When allowing students to show their knowledge in varying ways and through different measures, they can feel success and can be included when assessing capabilities. The society we live in today allows citizens to work in many capacities and thrive in creativity. To consider this, educational settings must prepare them for this and allow flexible learning.

How can ICTs help you in the development of a professional learning network? How are you feeling about this?

One example of networking professionally, is right now as a pre-service teacher, connecting with other pre-service teachers. As a ‘distant/online’ student, my main form of contact is through online forms and interreacting with recorded lectures and tutorial meetings. So far, I have already connected with many students who are in the same learning journey as me and have received and given advice that has been beneficial towards my Teaching Degree.