A "live" classroom environment with "live" demonstration of a learning methodology and outcomes based integrated IT global curriculum was a first for educational conferencing in Australia. "It was fantastic. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t!" said learner Tim "It was really good, 'cos you learn’t more than you thought you would." said learner Chris

Children are the stars of the show

A LIVE demonstration, the first ever in Australia…

"The World in My Classroom" conference hosted by John XXIII College, Mt Claremont, Western Australia on 13 and 14 April 2000 saw the first ever "LIVE" demonstration of a new learning methodology - a first for educational conferencing in Australia.

Eight children from the Year 6 classes at John XXIII College were the stars of the show. During the one and a half hour demonstration lead by Chris Marley of John XXIII College, the children showed educators in the audience how the learning methodology ILAMM™ (integrated learning and mentoring methodology) works in a real classroom situation.

Accelerated, incidental learning, generic coping skills, creativity, lateral thinking, development of logic, problem-solving ability, IT and life skills, some of the key phrases used when describing ILAMM™, became very real and measurable during the demonstration.

Chris Marley, in answer to one of the questions from the audience about the methodology, said "It works." 

During the demonstration the statement that "it works" was proven by the eight eager learners. The questions they asked, their grasp of difficult concepts, concentration during the brief by Chris Marley and the fact that they did not want to leave their workstations after the demonstration amazed the audience.

The learning methodology is used with the outcomes based integrated IT global learning curriculum developed by Knowledge Network. Educators Chris Marley and Michelle Debuf were trained in the methodology and will be attending regular training sessions to present the curriculum at John XXIII College, the trial site for Australia.

The curriculum project selected for the "LIVE" demonstration involved the use of Excel to setup a small T-shirt shop which would sell T-shirts at one of the Sydney Olympic venues. The spreadsheet would be used to record T-shirt prices, the selling price after GST had been added, and the cost of the T-shirts in different currencies. The Internet was used to find a currency converter and to look up the daily exchange rates. Some of the learners had only used Excel once before and achieved the same results as those who had never used Excel prior to the "LIVE" demonstration.

Chris Marley told the audience that he would take the learners through the entire process, however he would break it down into short and easy to understand briefs. Following each brief he would request the children to go and do the steps themselves. This would happen in 10 minute "bursts" until the project had been completed.

"Off you go and do it. Do you think you can do it?" "Yeah", they answered casually, to the grins of the audience.

The exercise progressed from what Chris Marley termed as a simple process, to more advanced tasks. "This is not easy for the kids, it isn’t easy for the adults!" Chris said, "But they’re coping", meaning the kids of course.

(For readers of this article, below is the spreadsheet completed by the 8 learners aged between 10 and 11 years. The duration for the project brief, interpretation of the task, creative input, discussion, questions, research, and completion of the project, ready for final printing, was 60 minutes.)

Teachers in the audience were initially sceptical, and had a number of questions for Chris Marley: How do you cope with kids who are very technologically advanced and feel that they know it all? How can teachers teach this if they don’t know it themselves? Being so student-centered, won't teachers lose control?

Chris explained that it was the methodology that made learning effective. Children who were technologically advanced found the projects stimulating, meeting them at their own level because the session allowed them to experiment within the parameters that had been set at the beginning of the lesson by the mentor, or teacher.

"With this methodology, the children become motivated to learn quickly. They’re not just learning about Excel but about GST, currencies, the value of money in different currencies, what different money looks like, how to use the Internet effectively, how to find and use currency converters and pricing."

Chris also explained that the approach to learning was part of the Knowledge Network methodology. Teachers themselves gained technological experience by working from Session Plans which coached them, in precise detail, through the session. Not only would the teacher examine how to use the methodology, but would gain exact knowledge about what was being taught. The teacher does not need to be technologically advanced to deliver the session.

After the "LIVE" demonstration, all the kids felt surprised, as if they had had more fun learning than they thought they would. Annie and Stephanie thought "it was lots of fun" and another kid, Chris, who had said at the beginning of the lesson, when things were still rather intimidating, "hey I don’t get it" said afterwards: "It was really good, 'cos you learn’t more than you thought you would."

Learner Dan realised that his knowledge had somehow grown and that meant he knew even more than before. Learner Jack said "It was alright, I reckon" but he had a big grin on his face.

At the end of the "LIVE" demonstration some of the children summoned Jil Hrdliczka, MD of Knowledge Network and the developer of ILAMM™, over to their workstations to proudly show their own versions of the T-shirt Shop completed and ready for printing.

Eight unique spreadsheets, all with the same base and concepts were viewed - some with creative use of colour, others with different currencies, others with a splash of colour in the borders and cell shading. The only common denominator being that all spreadsheets were complete, all formulas were correct, and all of the children walked away with a good understanding of the purpose of the project, content and tools used to achieve the outcome.

They also walked away with their own understanding of how GST will change pricing structures and why people from different countries may find the price of T-shirts a little expensive, the same as the price of T-shirts in their own countries or alternatively very affordable. They also agreed that the price of T-shirts for the Sydney Olympic games could be a little higher than normal because it is a special event and T-shirts featuring the games would be in demand.