Deep Learning

We are proud to celebrate 4 years of Deep Learning @OLPS

New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) is a global partnership where families, teachers, school leaders and policy makers worldwide seek ways to transform the art of teaching and provide conditions that foster deep learning. Deep learning aims to move from the traditional methods of teaching to innovative and creative ways to connect with students and their passions and their ability to solve real world problems. Deep Learning aims to be meaningful, relevant, engaging and purpose driven. The six  competencies (6 C’s) define what it means to be a deep learner. The competencies include: character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. The teachers at OLPS are themselves deep learners as they exercise these competencies daily to make a difference to their student’s learning, engagement and school.

Deep Learning at OLPS
Over the past 4 years, our students have had the opportunity to use the 6 C’s of Deep Learning to engage in real world problems.  Our student learning outcomes include high quality work and student engagement. Our Kindy classes have collaborated to make refugee welcome boxes, learnt where food comes from and the issues of waste.  In 2020, Year 4 students created an on line capsule of a historical home in West Pymble and our senior learning hub engaged in and created ideas to help firefighters after the devastating fires of 2020. In 2021, all classes at OLPS have a Deep Learning focus for one or more curriculum areas. Teachers are activators of learning as they enable students to have choice in and take responsibility for their learning.

As more schools come on board with Deep Learning, we are pleased to have taken this journey into a promising direction in education. Deep Learning has brought joy and success to students, parents and staff. It has touched the wider community in real and profound ways.

#withlovewegrow #deeplearning

“Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think” Albert Einstein

OLPS has begun on a journey of a new way of learning for our students. It is called New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) and it is a global partnership involving hundreds of schools from seven countries; Australia, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, United States and Uruguay. You will recognise that most of these countries lead the world in education. Throughout the world, Deep Learning has proven to transform schools and systems creating schools as places of learning for all, where engagement, purpose and passion are evident in all members of the community. Literacy and numeracy skills will continue to be a strong focus in Kindy to Year 6 as they are the foundation to all learning. OLPS along with other schools in the North Shore Cluster have partnered with NPDL to improve student outcomes and engagement in learning, preparing them for functioning successfully in the 21st century.

If we want learners who can thrive in turbulent and complex times, apply thinking to new situations and change the world, then we must re imagine learning; what’s important to be learned, how is learning fostered, where learning happens and how we measure success. This means creating environments that challenge, provoke, stimulate and celebrate learning. We call this new conceptualization of the learning process deep learning, and it must become the new purpose of education (Fullan, Quinn, Mc Eachen. 2018, p. 13).

Deep learning is about students engaging in learning that is meaningful, real world and challenging. Teachers are activators of learning and design deep learning experiences that build on learner strengths and needs, create new knowledge using real- life problem solving and help students identify their talents, purpose and passion. With the support of NPDL, we are seeking ways to transform learning and learners and to provide the conditions that will facilitate deep learning. New Pedagogies for Deep Learning provides a framework to situate the teaching and learning. The framework includes: Leveraging Digital, Learning Partnerships, Pedagogical Practice and Learning Environments.

An important outcome is for students to know that they can make a real difference and positively impact in our world. We are beginning to realise that graduates will not be paid for what they know but rather for what they can do. This is a movement away from set knowledge to the skills of entrepreneurship, creativity and problem solving, a new set of competencies necessary to thrive in an accelerating world.

Deep learning identifies six global competencies that describe the skills and attributes needed for learners to flourish as citizens of the world. Deep learning is the process of acquiring these six global competencies: character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.