Learner Bytes

Post #7 – where a change in focus takes place

I think I may have got a bit serious in yesterday’s post, so have decided to chill a little and behave like it’s the weekend. You know, that time when you get up a little later, newspapers and coffee after breakfast and a slow morning – lovely. Love my coffee with some (dark) chocolate or apple crumble & cream, and enjoy dipping in & out of the paper – checking a few favourites like Leunig, the ‘Get it’, the Travel & Drive sections, the magazines etc. (yes, still get the print version on the weekends). Then it might on to the chores or out for an excursion. 

For something different after lunch we went to the community centre and participated in a paper lantern making activity. Lots of mums & children and a good number of facilitators to help guide us in putting our bamboo frames together with masking tape, and then coat them with paper that had been painted with pva glue & water mix. We even had a break and some afternoon tea half way through the construction (a great idea as it gave the kids a break and the parents could get on and have a chat). 

What was interesting for me is what can happen when you engage in conversation. You find out that it’s a small world – had friends in common with one person, find out that you work in the same place with another and then realise that you all know a close relative mine! Very interesting to think about those degrees of separation and how sometimes the first one or two can take you completely by surprise. So, new connections were made and commitments were made to say hi to friends in common. Excellent!

Don’t you just love the tulip season?

Our Word of the Day is: ‘crapulous’… 

PS – I was relieved and happy that the Cats got up last night…

Post #5 for #blogjune – where I reflect on makers and making

This evening I went along to the opening of the Scarf Festival 2014 exhibition being held at the National Wool Museum in Geelong. This is a popular event for those who have an appreciation of things crafty, and there’s always some amazing scarves to be seen. What struck me in the opening remarks was that the festival is a celebration of the maker, the person who makes things by hand. The person who is creative and works through that process of concept, design, & creation to finish with an artefact or product. This piece has a personal investment, it reflects some of the maker, it will have an aesthetic, have significant time invested, and usually has a function. Any visit to a craft/night market will provide an insight to the huge range of (some) hand made things, and it’s encouraging to see. I like the idea of buying something that someone has made, something of quality, and something unique. Yes, is easy to by a mass produced cheap product off the shelf, but it just not the same – that product just doesn’t have enough soul. 

I also wanted to recognise the maker movement/culture that highlights a growing movement of people inventing their own products and services using cheap and accessible technology. This is also an interesting development, and I believe something we could encourage in education. I guess you can’t go past what Sir Ken Robinson says about creativity in schools. If you are one of the nearly 27 million people who has seen his TED talk you’ll know what I mean, if you haven’t seen it yet – spend the next 20 minutes watching it now. 

Still, I want to try and relate this to education and #highered and I want to ask what we expect our students to make. I guess most of the opportunities we give students to be makers and to create, are in assessment. Do we allow them to be creative, to be expressive and add their personality to their making? Do we develop rubrics and marking guides that allow for difference and creativity and, dare I say it – what about levels of subjectivity in making and grading? I think we should be able to build the concept of maker into learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Wouldn’t students still be able to demonstrate a competency and of assurance of learning. What do you think?

329 scarves on display at the Scarf Festival 2014 exhibition.

Our very special Word of the Day is: ‘onomasticon’, Hey, Jake, Frank, Jane, Sue, George, Sylvia, & Stephen – do you like it?