Who is my teacher? Who isn't my teacher?

This is the question a couple of my students could be asking themselves, having just been awarded third prize in a state-wide immunology competition. This is their entry...


The curious thing about this is that these students found out about the competition not from their "teacher" (in the official sense), but from one of our Virtual Experts, Dr Krystal. After these two girls signed up for the competition, I warned them that I wouldn't be able to help them out very much, and they would have to rely on Dr Krystal and another virtual expert, Fiona (a biology teacher in Bendigo).

The girls used our Virtual Learning Environment and Skype to get advice from the experts, totally independently from their two "teachers".



Aside from the skills these two students showed in understanding immunology (a subject not taught at Grade 5 and 6), the skills used in putting together the story, think of the skills they are learning in terms of broadening their understanding of where help can be sought. And of the skills they are developing in terms of being true, self-directed learners, empowered through authentic connections to people they've never met.

As I read recently, life is an open-book test. I believe these kids are on their way to being able to take full advantage.