Core Module: Designing for learning in a Catholic context

What inspires your design for learning?

Aims

• To explore what it means to be a designer of learning in a Catholic context
• To develop deeper understanding of the Design Elements in Horizons of Hope and how they can inform learning design in a Catholic context.

Intended Outcomes

By the end of this module, participants will have:

• Developed an understanding of design for learning in a Catholic context
• Reflected on current practice and identified next steps

Learning Experience 1 - Ted Talk: 3 Rules to Spark Learning

• View the Ted Talk and consider:
  • What inspires Ramsey Mulallam’s learning design?
  • At the time of this presentation Ramsey was teaching at a Catholic school in San Francisco. What evidence is there that he has considered designing learning for a Catholic context? Does it matter?
• Type your key points into an online collaborative tool (e.g. MindMup 2.0 Tutorial here) This thinking will be built upon throughout this module.

Learning Experience 2 - Seeking different views: Exploring the Catholic tradition and other perspectives

2a. Individually read through the quotations about designing for learning.

• Which words or phrases connect with your thinking about design for learning in Catholic schools?
• Which words or phrases challenge or extend your thinking?

Share your thinking with others. Reflect back on your collated responses - add any new learnings (perhaps in a different colour). Have any of your previous understandings been challenged? Why? Do they need to be changed/tweaked/removed?

2b. As part of your school team, select two of the Design Elements, ensuring that all 9 elements will be explored at least once across the team. If you can meet with your team, discuss your understandings of the importance of these elements in learning design, recording key points. Share your ideas and understandings on the project google+ community, explaining your thinking.

2c. Reflect on the definitions of the Design Elements in the Horizons of Hope Curriculum Foundation Statement (pp 4-6).

• How do these definitions resonate with your key ideas?
• How might they extend your thinking even further?

Share your learning with your team to form an understanding of all 9 Design Elements. How does each element extend your understanding of learning design? Record key learnings on the MindMup. Notice/identify/highlight anything particularly important about learning design in a Catholic Context. What is at the heart of designing for learning in a Catholic context?

2d. Read page 3 of the Horizons of Hope Curriculum Foundation Statement and considering the quotes you read earlier. How might this support and how might this challenge/extend the statements read previously? Add your learnings to the MindMup.

Learning Experience 3 - Creating a new design

3a. What do we now believe about designing for learning in a Catholic context? How has your thinking changed? How have you been affirmed? In the Essentials: Curriculum module teams were asked to reflect on their stance towards curriculum. If you have completed that module, has your thinking about your stance changed?

• With your school team, reflect on your learning recorded on the MindMup; record your beliefs in any way you feel is appropriate (e.g. a statement, a series of key points, an image/metaphor). Consider not only what you believe but also why you believe it.

3b. How will you apply the learning from the group statement?

Consider how your thinking has changed. What is something you can design for in your context? (this can be for teacher professional learning, classroom learning)

• Where are your design strengths? How do you know? Where are your design challenges? How do you know? What questions do you still have? What might your next step/s be?

Resources and further reading

• Design Elements
• Design Support Module - ‘Teachers as Designers’
• Other modules within Designing for Learning - Assess, Learn, Monitor & Design
• Horizons of Hope Curriculum Foundation Statement