Module 6 - Webquests and Projects

In an earlier blog, I spoke about projects (Project Based Learning).  Webquests are essentially projects whose primary source of information is facilitated by the internet i.e. the web.  Therefore a webquest is really a learning quest that uses the internet to facilitate learning.

Most elements of a regular project remain the same such as timeframe, research, scope of investigation, using experts etc. However, some new issues are presented.  The internet is so vast that learners may be lost on just were to begin or where to get information, they may even struggle to figure out what information is legitimate.  Therefore, a webquest creator has to spend a lot of time adequately framing questions and finding targeted resources which can be used by students in the quest.

Some elements of a quest include the overview or introduction of the project, the outlying of the tasks to be carried out, the actual process to be followed, step by step, to effectively carry out the quest, a set of resource materials/websites, an outline of how the learner would be assessed in the quest, and finally a conclusion.  Each of these elements need to be carefully thought out by the creator to ensure the learner can effectively carry out the quest without frustration, and for learning to actually take place.  Quests need to be interesting, logical, applicable to the learner, thorough, and visually appealing.

Module 6 - Activity 5 - Curriculum Framing Questions

Curriculum Framing Questions (CFQs) are a vital part of creating any project.  These questions are used to help the creator focus on the objectives of the project and how they actually fit the curriculum requirements.  In addition, they guide the learner through aspects of the project in a structured way, by answering a variety of questions that build a conclusion of the overarching question.

CFQs are broken into:
The Essential Question
Unit Questions
Content Questions

The Essential Question is the big question that needs to be answered.  The Unit Question(s) is a supporting question(s) that narrows the Essential Question down to a more manageable size.  From the Unit Questions come the Content Questions which are to be quite varied.  There should be several Content Questions which build towards answers of the Unit Questions.  Having answered the Unit Questions, conclusions can be drawn for the Essential Question through critical thinking and analysis.

Module 6 - Project Based Learning Activity 1-3

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a great way for learners to be involved in the learning process.  In it, learners address a broad-based question which calls for them to use higher thinking skills in an investigative approach in order to come to some conclusion.  PBL puts more of the responsibility for learning on the students therefore making it a student-centered approach.

In PBL, students typically work as part of a team, and the team can then utilize the individual strengths of each member.  This promotes greater interactivity and collaboration, critical thinking, exposure for members who may be introverted, and self reliance.

Since they address the overarching question using an investigative approach, students have a greater chance of retaining the content learned - the content comes alive in their minds.  Many projects also have real-world application which makes learning relevant.

Many curriculum objectives can be addressed through the use of PBL.  It can be useful to review some previous projects and topics to see how they can be revamped to take advantage of the benefits of PBL.

New Module - Module 6

For some strange reason this post never went live before!

So here we are once more.  The beginning of another module.  Here I am once more.  Many things on my plate.

It's the month of our national Independence celebrations so it's busy times at school with regular classes plus getting students ready for our Independence school concert.  Then there is preparing the Cadet band for the military parade, and the parade rehearsals which begin this week.  

No doubt other rehearsals will be called soon for shows marking our celebrations.  My hair is already falling out (being pulled out is the same as falling out, right?).

So here we are once more.  The beginning of another module.

Module 8 - Activity 10: The Flipped Classroom Approach

The flipped classroom approach is one in which the teacher prepares video or audio lectures and makes them available to students (most often online) for home study.  The studying of the content at home really frees up the regular class time to do a lot more than would generally be possible by the time lectures are completed.  When the students come to class, they work on problem solving assignments, projects, have discussions and more.   In a way, its like having the students do their regular class lectures at home, and do their homework at school.  In so doing, students get to work more at their pace.  They can pause, rewind, and rush through video/audio lessons as best suits them, then in class as they work, they can collaborate more with other students and put more of what they are learning into practice.  They also get to interact with the teacher on more specific issues that they have with their learning as an individual.  For instance Student A might have problems with concept 1 and 3, while Student B has problems with concept 2 and 5 and so on.  Rather than each of those students sitting through a general class explanation on concepts they are comfortable with, they can go ahead working and get tailored help for their specific problem areas.

For this approach to be effective, the necessary infrastructure must be available to the student - media access at home (computer, smart device, internet etc.), or portable media (flash drives, CD ROM, etc) so students can take material home.  Parents also have to be educated about the process so they can support the students when working at home.  Teachers must also prepare a variety of interesting activities to keep students engaged for the duration of face-to-face classes.  These must revolve around the video/audio concepts studied at home.  They also need to have room for exploration and critical thinking.  Multiple activities must be available at any given time to accommodate the different paces at which students are working.  It is also important that students have access to teachers and peers while away from the classroom so they can seek clarity, engage in discussions and so on while away from the classroom.  This can be achieved through social networking portals.

The flipped classroom is not as easy as it may appear.  Teachers have to invest a great deal of planning time to prepare the materials, class activities and projects.  Added to which, the classroom becomes a space where all students may be working on different aspects of their learning rather than the whole class doing the same activities or being at the same place in their course.  This calls for excellent management and juggling skills by the tutor to be able to: harness the students creativity and energy; address problems spanning multiple topics or multiple subtopics in a single class; to prepare activities to keep all students actively involved during class time.

This approach is very interesting but must be carefully thought out and systematically applied for best results.

Module 8 - Activity 8: Managing Online Communication and Collaboration

Social networking is one of the major trends today and has become one of the major uses of the internet, especially among young people.  The fact that it is used so much by students to communicate, share, and collaborate in their personal lives shows that it has the potential to be used to support education.  Social networking can be used effectively to keep students connected with their peers and educational content in and out of classrooms.  They are able to keep up-to-date with new information especially in courses that may involve keeping track of current happenings such as journalism studies, media studies, social studies, information technology studies, music and more.  It is very easy to share information on these network platforms and their very design encourages discussion.  The average social networking platform today handles a variety of multimedia and when used with smart devices like tablets and phones, users can share audio and video recordings within minutes of them happening and some may even allow for live streaming of content.  Therefore, a student could be out hiking on the weekend and film some of the natural phenomena that is seen that connects with the work being done in Geography class for instance.  This can be uploaded for the benefit of classmates and be seen/reviewed/discussed even before getting back to the physical classroom.  Even with the benefits and avenues available through social networking, e-safety must be given due attention.

e-Safety (electronic safety) is a major concern in today's world, or at least it should be.  In an age where the world has seemingly gotten so much smaller because of how connected we have become through the internet, many persons slight the dangers that exist since they are enraptured in the amazing opportunities that dazzle us in the technologies we have available.  Increasingly, it is difficult to exist today without being a part of this grid in many ways - email, social networking, blogging, music, videos, film, instant messaging, online collaboration, and much more.  With all of this connectivity, we expose many details about our lives, sometimes absentmindedly or unwittingly, other times naively.  Our table and smartphone devices often have very private data stored on them, or the ability to access our private data - everything from personal emails to medical records to financial dealings, almost all of our lives are sometimes accessible.  Yet, many persons fail to practice adequate e-Safety.  When using technology in the classroom, teachers (and by extension, schools) must take responsibility for the education of students in the area of e-Safety.  Students must be taught how to practice appropriate online behaviour as well as how to spot inappropriate and harmful behaviours, especially behaviours that could put their personal safety at risk.  Students need to be able to identify things like cyber-bullying, signs of sexual predators, offensive online conduct, inappropriate content and so forth.  Schools also need effective e-Safety policies to manage the use of the internet, communication devices, web traffic and so on.  Investing in management software designed for this purpose can be very important and effective - some software will allow the filtering of internet traffic on the network to avoid inappropriate content passing through, some will allow teachers to view what is taking place on the computer/device screens in their classroom to ensure students are on task, some may even allow the teacher to disable the devices when there are not to be in use.  Yet above all this, I believe students education about safety is most critical since when all is said and done, much of their habits and experiences online will rest squarely on their shoulders.

Module 8: Activity 7 - Table devices in the classroom

Tablets offer another dimension to learning in the classroom.  There is a lot of information and tools at the fingertips.  For the majority of things you want to get done, as Apple phrased it, 'there is an app for that'.  Even if there isn't an app currently available, with a bit of training, a teacher may well create an app to suit their needs.  Tablets can replace the need for taking many textbooks to school each day by having the books available on the device itself, all in one place, ALL THE TIME.  Furthermore, certain apps will afford the student the ability to make notes, and highlight important parts of the book so these things are always available when re-reading.  Digital eBooks also allow for the embedding of multimedia within the books so students have enriched content of audio and video in addition to text and pictures.  Tablets can offer opportunities for virtual tours, many interactive problem solving activities/games, collaboration, cheap application resources, student portfolio tracking and more.

Management of these devices can be difficult though.  They are quiet fragile and need to be handled with care especially with younger students.  In light of their portability and lightweight, the can be easily stolen as well.  A great amount of monitoring would be necessary to safeguard against damage and theft, but also against misuse by the students.

Tablets are relatively inexpensive when compared to laptops especially when the low cost of software is taken into account.  Further the tremendous amount of apps available is a great plus.

Module 8 - Activities 6: One-to-one Computing

There are wide ranging considerations when it comes to one-to-one computing.  Schools and teachers must pay careful attention to issues such as classroom layout, classroom rules (especially those specific to computer usage), classroom management, lesson planning for computer integration (and back up plans), e-safety (paying special attention to online child safety, cyber-bullying, and sexual predators), teacher training, modelling desired behaviours.

At the end of the day, the most important element of school is that students are actually learning and growing.  One-to-one computing may help this along or hurt the process.  Each school needs to evaluate it's objectives to see if this is ideal for their environment, how best to go about it, and how much they should be included.  With or without this level of computer access, it is imperative that teachers plan interesting lessons and not fall into the trap of relying on the allure of the technology to "make" the lesson.  If properly balanced and carefully crafted into the curriculum, one-to-one computing could provide a wonderful teaching/learning environment.

Module 8 - Activity 5: Interactive Whiteboards

There is a fine line between the balancing of technology, necessity, practicality, true interactivity, and cost of Interactive Whiteboards.  The video lessons reviewed in this unit showed differing levels of interactivity.  Some did little more than have the students answer questions for the teacher to manipulate data. Other lessons did more. The presentation on electrical circuits allowed the students to interact with the content and they were also given the opportunity to physically create circuits instead of relying solely on the simulated content.  At the end of this video (in reference to the WB in my interpretation), the teacher commented that "...it just gets all the children involved...allows me to check the understanding...bringing the fun in and keeping the children enjoying science."  While all of this may be evident in the lesson, I contend that this had more to do with the scope of and overarching activities planned by the teacher than with the presence of a WB.  

In my view, much of what is done using IWBs can be done without them; teachers can used physical items rather than virtual ones and the interaction could be just as effective.  In other cases, a projector, a computer, and other pointing devices can be used to achieve similar results at a fraction of the cost of an IWB.

Additionally, while IWBs are considered 'interactive', students typically interact with the board rather than actually interacting with other students, therefore true interactivity is limited.  Also, IWBs encourage the setup of having the teacher at the front of the class in a lecturing style, as opposed to making the room learner oriented.

IWBs, in my opinion, are nice to have but not necessarily worth the expense, especially in countries like mine where funding is quite limited for projects such as these.  Such monies can be spent on other technologies/equipment that can have greater impact for students.

Module 8: Activity 3b - Procedures for Learning Labs

Computer learning labs are designed primarily for teaching information technology as a subject.  They dont really integrate ICT into the curriculum since the isolation of the lab in one area of the school for IT class can be seen as separating technology from other subject areas.  Their layout is typically inflexible due to the location of electrical outlets etc. in the room.  Teachers need to set out rules for student usage of the lab during sessions and guide students on the appropriate usage practices of the lab and the internet.  Once students are clear on these rules and how to observe them, management would be made easier.  Teachers also need to plan lessons well and have backup plans in case of any equipment failure, power loss etc.  Further, it is important to vet software, websites, applications, multimedia and so on before using them with the class - avoid unpleasant surprises which can embarrass the teacher and which may even be inappropriate for the students.

Computer labs cater primarily to specialized computer literacy training, typically with enough computers for each student to be assigned to one, thereby making their sessions more effective. Typically, there is one teacher in the lab per class which makes monitoring a major challenge.  Yet, it is critical that students are monitored well to ensure they stay on task and are not doing other activities while they should be working.  For schools with limited budgets, labs can be a good way to get computers in the school even if it cannot be spread throughout the whole school.

Module 8: Activity 3a - Pros and cons of Computer Labs

High density labs are really good for learning about computer software and hardware in Information Technology and related subjects.  This generally helps students in their technical competencies with computers.  However, many other subject areas have limited use to the lab space and therefore greater limitations in the ability of the teacher to incorporate computer usage in their sessions.  The ability for students to practice individual study is also impacted since they can only access the lab during specific lab sessions geared towards  their IT classes, or if lucky, get to use the lab at the discretion of the lab tech/IT teacher occasionally.  Scheduling can be a tremendous challenge for teachers hoping to use the lab since there classes may well clash with an IT session taking place in the lab at the same time.

Even with these limitations, high density labs afford greater levels of monitoring by teachers/techs.  Labs are often outfitted with specialist software for this purpose and also to restrict the online usage of the computers (such as blocking specific websites/content).  They also support greater hardware management since the lab techs can monitor and maintain software and hardware issues quite easily.

These labs serve a specific purpose, one that I dont believe takes full advantage of the possibilities of ICT integration.  1-to-1 computing offers the opportunity to embrace the possibilities more, however, that too comes with its own parameters and issues.

Module 8 - Activity 2 - ICT in the Classroom

This activity encouraged a more detailed analysis of how ICT impacts the classroom and the teaching/learning process.  ICT has great potential for improving the learning standard of our classrooms in the 21st Century world.  The world in which we now exist is heavily reliant on ICT and we are increasingly connected to the grid (for better or worst).  Since our students have so much interaction with the day's technology in the other spheres of their lives, it is only fitting that our classrooms tap into the positives of that and enrich the learning experiences.

ICT in the classroom creates a shift from teacher centered learning and vests more power in the students to take responsibility for their education.  There is a wealth of information available on the internet, through social networks, blogs, apps and other software that allows for a wider experience on any subject, beyond that which is brought to class by the teacher - the students now have more they can seek out on their own and bring to bear on their whole class.  Students are less bogged down to the 'classroom' as well since some elements of their class may be virtual and accessible even away from school; this means they can practice aspects of 'anywhere/anytime' learning.  There is also the ability to collaborate with others, near and afar, to learn more, share ideas and information, and get feedback.  Additionally, students have more learning options.  Their content can range from peer teaching, reading online textbooks, listening to podcasts, and watching applicable films, to following the work of experts in the fields, subscribing to newsgroups, following blogs, writing their own blogs and more.  All these avenues appeal to different learning intelligences that are varied from person to person.

All these benefits do come with challenges however.  With so much information at hand and so many opportunities for learning now being afforded through ICT, it can be tremendously difficulty to ascertain what information is credible and current.  This is a skill that would need work in both teachers and students of the ICT age.  Going further, there are tremendous security issues with incorporating ICT in the classroom.  Students must be monitored to ensure they are accessing content that is safe for their use and administrators have to work hard to safeguard students against issues like online bullying and harassment, and from internet predators.  Even with these concerns met, working with ICT requires very detailed and careful planning to ensure that its use is maximized effectively and does not serve as a crutch for the teacher or as a distraction for the students.  Teachers also have to guard against intellectual dishonesty by their students. I recall giving a research assignment once and in assessing the first paper, the writing seemed all too familiar.  Further investigation revealed that I read an article a few weeks earlier that the student now wrote back large sections verbatim.  I had at least five submissions using the very same article.

All in all, ICT in the classroom has rich possibilities that can serve the learning environment well.  The pros of its implementation only need to be thought out carefully and measures put in place to adequately administer and monitor its usage.  Apart from content, students also learn valuable tool tech-wise, and more importantly, they learn to be more self-reliant, to think critically, to harness research skills, to be able to investigate and assess data for credibility, to collaborate with others and network; all very valuable skills in the current age.

Module 8 - Activity 1: Classroom management - with and without ICT

There were a number of interesting points that came out in this activity.  I especially liked Harry and Rosemary Wong's illustration of 'The Problem is not the Pizza' - the idea of a pizzeria with a good product but one that was still was unsuccessful because the staff really were not trained in the PROCEDURES of what they do.  This brought home the point of how important procedures really are in the classroom.

Procedures establishes routine.  Routine allows classrooms to operate in the same general way all the time which is very helpful when dealing with children.  It gives them a clear sense of what is to be done, how it is to be done, and when it is to be done.

The Wong's also pointed out that discipline and classroom management are not the same thing - ooohhh...  That one hit home for me.  This was definitely walking the plank with this one!  My school has a generally disruptive student body stemming from their external environmental conditioning.  I struggle on some days to 'manage' my classes due to many disruptions that occur.  This happens even in the most well planned out of my classes.  My experience in the past year has suggested that some routines would help and I tried implementing some, but no doubt that was too late in the school year.  I recognize now that it is necessary for me to establish clear procedures and rules from day one of the school year and to go beyond just establishing them (I do have rules for my classes all the time in case that wasn't clear).  I need to TEACH the procedures and rules as well.  That way students are quite clear about it all from the beginning, thereby minimizing the level of problems that I have been having.

"Students readily accept the idea of having a uniform set of classroom procedures, because it simplifies their task of succeeding in school. Efficient and workable procedures allow a great variety of activities to take place during a school day, and often several activities at a given time, with a minimum of confusion and wasted time. If no procedures are established, much time will be wasted organizing each activity and students will have to guess what to do. As a result, undesirable work habits and behaviors could develop which would be hard to correct. 

Procedures are the foundation that set the class up for achievement. Student achievement at the end of the school year is directly related to the degree to which the teacher establishes good control of the classroom procedures in the very first week of the school year.

When a class is managed with procedures and the students know these procedures, they will more willingly do whatever you want them to do.You can then be an exciting, creative, and informative teacher with a well-oiled learning environment."   

Harry and Rosemary Wong.

All of these ideas hold true for integrating ICT.  However, ICT naturally introduces additional management challenges, therefore, more care is needed when ICT is involved.  There are further considerations that impact safety of the students and the equipment used and thus more specific rules and procedures need to be tailored - procedures for using the equipment and how students interact with each other when dealing with the equipment (sometimes equipment has to be rotated or shared).  Teachers must ensure the software and materials used are appropriate for the students' levels and competencies as well as ensuring that careful monitoring is carried out of all activities.

There are many useful ideas in this activity that will make their way into my classroom on DAY 1!

Another Module Has Begun

Well, it has been a while since I've blogged.  The last module didn't end well but I'm not surprised.  The last few months have been really tight.  Health issues - had to face that dreaded MRI machine another time.  Then being overwhelmingly busy with the premier cultural season of our national calendar, Vincy Mas.  It really is tough when there are so few horn players to spread throughout the activities for the season - playing for over 50 calypsonians during the season as well as legends like Becket and Black Stalin - so many late nights in rehearsals, and teaching the following day.  Then came the food poisoning near the end of the season - and the removal of the IV from my arm a half hour before the band went on stage for the roughest gig of the season, the Junior Calypso/Soca competition, that was a really tough evening.  Finally, the season ended and the school break began, welcome the flu.

So module 8 has begun and I'm hoping to stay abreast of this one. Travelling in a few days and its gonna be tight again, lots more rehearsals where I'm headed.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hoping for a successful module.

Activity 3b: Reviewing educational software

In almost two decades of internet usage, I have sought out online resource materials for my own development, for friends, and, most recently, for students.  Some of what I've read in this unit reflects the way in which I subconsciously evaluate both web resources and software packages.  Elements such as affordability, content, layout, activities, appropriate language and level, are all things I've looked for.  Some things pointed out in this unit were also new.  For instance, I didn't put tremendous focus on feedback, the explanation of the importance to the learner, or having the learning outcomes clearly stated.

This unit has allowed me to look at this process in more detail and to give me a more structured and objective method of evaluating the software/websites I use and recommend.

Activity 2 - Experiencing Educational Software

The use of educational software in the teaching-learning relationship (whether offline, online or mobile oriented software applications) can be of significant advantage to all involved if used and managed carefully.  There are many software packages dedicated to different fields of learning that are available to students, teachers and institutions.  I fondly remember the Microsoft Encarta digital multimedia encyclopedia of the 1990s which was filled with photographs, sound clips, videos, atlases and more.  It provided an exciting way to learn.  Today we have software packages like Rosetta Stone for learning languages, software to aid in mathematics and reading and so on.  Some of these are inexpensive while others, often geared towards educational institutions, are quite expensive.  Most of these packages were/are aimed at being limited to one computer system or a specific number of systems.

With the increasingly important role of the internet in all spheres of our lives, there is an ever increasing pool of online software that can be used by students and educators alike.  Internet oriented software platforms like Flash brought new leverage to software designers to produce storage-light software that can be easily run over the internet.  Added to this, the internet speeds available in many places today also support greater data transmission than was possible a decade ago.

Many foundations, universities and even regular teachers and students now create online applications and mobile applications that can be used to aid learners and teachers both in and out of the classroom.  Some software puts learning entirely in the hands of the students and the software takes on the role of the teacher - it explains the concepts, provides examples and even tests knowledge with quizzes.  Of course, it means that the software engineers needed to have knowledgeable individuals provide the content used.

This brings me to perhaps what is one of the major challenges or more so major concerns about the wealth of educational software available both off and online today, credibility.  Just how credible is much of the software available? The answer is often left up to the individual using it.  Therefore, it is imperative that educators adequately examine educational software that they will use with their students. Not all applications are created equally, some are excellent, some are horrendous, and some fall in between.  Even bad software can have some useful aspects, therefore, a teacher may still use certain features of a poor software package to specific purposes while dismissing the remaining features.

All in all, much reinforcement can be had from software packages to support learning.  In the classroom, its for support, not to replace the teacher, manage it well.

Module 5 Activity 1: Refection on the value of social bookmarking’

In the vast expanse of the World Wide Web, bookmarking has proven to be a very useful and efficient feature/practice, especially for very active netizens.  As the internet expands, there are increasing numbers of websites that cater to productivity in various fields of endeavour, provides many resource centres, and cater to inter-connectivity and collaboration between individuals and groups across the globe.  According to Internet Live Stats (http://www.internetlivestats.com/total-number-of-websites/), there are just under one billion websites online today and it is expected that by the end of 2014, the one billion mark will be reached.

With so many websites available, users can be forced to either memorize the URL of the sites that are important to them, use a search engine to locate these sites each time they are needed, or write them down in some form.  The process of bookmarking uses the last method.  Users write down the website's address electronically. Most, if not all, web browsers have a bookmarking feature that many users make use of.  It allows them to save and organize addresses in the bookmarks folder for easy access when needed; with a single click on an item in this list, the browser will load the required website.  This process has a major limitation, it is browser specific!  Therefore, if you use different browsers (for instance Chrome, Safari, and Firefox) on the same computer, each browser will have its own bookmark folder containing only the bookmarks created when that browser was being used.  This results in bookmarked items being scattered between browsers and therefore not always immediately available to the user.

Social bookmarking takes the process of bookmarking to a new level of efficiency.  Instead of being browser specific, bookmarking sites like Diigo allow users to create an account with the site, add a small app to each of their browsers, and then use that app to save their bookmarks to that online site (ie Diigo).  Regardless of the browser used, the app stores the bookmarks in one place.  Users can then organize their bookmarks and access them all from that main site.  These sites also generally allow for group collaboration in the creation and usage of bookmarks, and moreover, allow users to share their bookmarks with others online simply by giving them the URL of the list of bookmarks they want to share.  This means that a large pool of internet resources can be shared, as bookmarked sites, with a single link.  This is tremendously valuable to individuals working in similar fields or who have the same interests and so on.  Interestingly, if bookmark lists are created to be publicly view-able, random users searching the internet can happen upon them and find these useful gems in one place rather than searching through the vast expanses of the WWW.

Module 1 Concludes

Module 1 has been very informative and really helped me grow in my teaching over this term.  Much of what was covered in terms of how people learn, how behaviour affects learning, how development affects learning, and cooperative learning, had direct effect on my teaching practices this term.  These things helped me to better plan classes by taking these various elements into consideration.  It all made for an interesting and rewarding teaching term.

It was however, a challenging and demanding module.  All in all, its one more successfully completed and new knowledge gained.

Activity 7 - Cooperative Learning

Reading through Vygotsky's thoughts on cooperative learning highlighted the importance of using varied teaching strategies.  Rather than always 'talking to' the class, it is important to also have the class 'talk among themselves'.  By having students work in small groups, they can be given the opportunity to discover things on their own with some guidance from the tutor.  Students get to share ideas with their group, explore and build on those ideas, and often times arrive at solutions without have to be 'told' what the solution is.  Cooperative learning affords students the opportunity to think things through.

However, this method of instruction does require careful planning to be effective.  Tasks must be clearly defined and enough 'clues' or pointers must be available to students so they can connect the dots and find their way.  This type of learning doesn't take teachers out of the equation, they don't simply assign work and leave children to their own devices.  The teacher must monitor what each group is doing and provide guidance as they move from group to group.  Classroom management is also critical here since some groups can become sidetracked and not focus on the tasks at hand.

I have tried cooperative learning in my classes a few times since reading this topic.  I've found that some students applied themselves more than they did previously.  Since they were in a small group working there was now responsibility not just to the teacher to get tasks done, but also to their peers.  Many students didn't like having their peers accuse them of 'doing nothing' in the group so they made some effort.  It is my opinion that some persons also applied themselves more from a perspective of wanting to be able to boast that their group did a better job than the other groups.

One of the major positives was seeing the stronger students explain certain concepts to the weaker students.  I believe this helped all concerned; it meant that the strong students got to take on some leadership responsibility; the weaker students got another opportunity to learn about a concept they didn't understand before (in some cases they understood more easily from their peers than they did from me); I didn't have to explain to weaker students many times again, their peers helped with that.  Students got to have more socialization take place when they were in groups since they were communicating a lot, however, unlike what typically happens in my classroom, they were communicating positively and in a focused manner most of the time instead of engaging in disruptive chatter.

I did have one major concern though, and this was where some students, usually from among those who understood the concepts best, became like mini dictators and rather than explain to the weaker students, tried to bullly them by calling them names because they didn't understand.  This is something that I will have to keep a keen lookout for.  Classroom management (group management) will be critical in ensuring students stay on point and treat each other with respect and support.

Above all, I like this approach because a lot more thinking takes place among the students.

Activity 6 - Vygotsky 's Understanding of Cognitive Development

For a man who lived to be only 38, Vygotsky studied cognitive development extensively and has left a body of work that heavily informs the educational theories of today.

The Social Construction of Learning
Through his observations, Vygotsky concluded that social processes and interactions in the environment are transformed to become internal processes within the child.  It asserts that people first interact with others around them by engaging in shared activities.  Through these interactions, a child learns how to appropriately use material tools (the physical things in their environment) to assist them and also the appropriate use of psychological tools (such as socially acceptable behaviours, and language use).  In essence, the older, more knowledgeable persons with whom the child interacts, guides them in learning this things.  In the classroom, teachers are to provide a similar function in helping students to develop - a person with more knowledge/experience assisting a child with less knowledge/experience.  Vygotsky considered this 'assisted performance' and viewed teaching as mediation (assisting a learner through step-by-step explanation, demonstration, guided questioning, and feedback).  This mediation process that involves the interaction of more experienced persons with less experienced persons means that a learner's capabilities are socially facilitated.

From Speaking to Thinking - Internalization
Vygotsky observed that children regularly spoke to themselves aloud (egocentric speech) and found this to resemble speaking to another person or repeating a lot of what they have heard.  As children grew, egocentric speech grew more infrequent.  This, he believed, signaled a change from talking aloud to talking silently to themselves, and referred to this process as the internalization of words to become thoughts.

When conceptualize things through their internalized speech or thoughts, they see a big picture.  Verbalizing this picture can often prove difficult especially for children when they have limited time in which to do so.  Teachers should therefore allow children time to reflect before they are expected to answer questions, further, since children become very vulnerable when they share their thoughts in a full classroom, teachers should help them grow more confident in doing so by allowing them to share ideas in small groups of peers before having to do so to their whole class.

The Complex Links Between Thinking and Speaking
Speech is analytical.  By talking about an event, we help to organize out thoughts about it and perhaps even lead to new realizations since it helps us to look at things in new ways.  Vygotsky said "Every sentence we say in real life has some kind of subtext, a thought hidden behind it."  Students must always be encouraged to talk about their learning, it helps to make the connection between the new information going into their brains and things they already know.  Moreover, it helps them to sort through the growing data in their heads, shape it, label it, store and use it.

The Zone of Proximal Development
This is the gap between what a learner can learn on their own and what they can learn with assistance from someone else.  Vygotsky believed that all good learning takes place in this zone.  Through mediation (guidance), learners are helped to stretch a little beyond what they can manage to achieve on their own.  Responsibility still rests on the learner's shoulders to apply themselves to learning, but when things get a little beyond their own reach, educators swoop in to give them a springboard of guidance to get to the next level.  The inability of a student to learn at a desired pace does not mean they are incapable of learning, therefore educators need to provide them with the necessary support, feedback, guidance, and encouragement to enable them to stay motivated to progress.  They should be strongly encouraged to talk about their learning.

Activity 5 - Development Psychology

A person's development is critical to their ability to and pace of learning.  When we think of where children are in their development, we often view it from the point of view of age, however, development goes beyond this.  Development psychology studies how individuals change over time and what factors affect these changes.  It examines development in a variety of areas including physical development, social relations, emotional development, personality development, moral development and cognitive skills.

A variety of studies have shown that people generally develop in similar regards at similar periods in life such as learning to walk and talk.  However, other factors such as physical development, the home environment, the cultural background and so on would affect these things among people.  Therefore, when we are aware of certain timelines for general development, any serious deviation from the timeline in a student raises concerns and calls for investigation into the other factors outside of the student's age.  Uncovering the other elements in the student's life which affect them then helps teachers to better plan and execute classes to meet their needs.

It is also important to remember that development is a collective change over time in a holistic manner.  Therefore, there may be times of sharp growth in development and times of little growth in the development of a person. This is to be expected as part of the dynamic of developing as a person.

Studies have shown that when children grow up in environments in which they are well-liked by others, had a high activity level, had problem-solving and reading skills, and the ability to concentrate on assignments/tasks among other things, helped them to be resilient against the challenges and stresses of life.  In addition, factors such as being from a small family, having teachers who they viewed as positive role models, and finding emotional support outside of immediate family all helped them to grow positively.

Development Psychology - Self Activity 1 - Who am I?

I am a 6'2" introvert with a gentle spirit. I spend a lot of time in though and thrive on intellectual conversations about philosophical ideas, the social and political constructs of the human existence, and the complexities of our universe.  I have increasingly liberal views that are juxtaposed with my conservative demeanor.  I've always loved music, but had a difficult time learning it, this has given me a desire to help others to learn and perhaps avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into.  I also have an interest in teaching as a way to help young people to grow in to responsible adults.  Having been a victim of bullying as a teen, I developed an affinity to the underdogs, and to those who are treated as outcasts in a group.  This has lead to me be very accepting of the difference we find existing among people everywhere - political beliefs, religions, customs, sexuality, race, they are all just varying aspects of the human condition.  The strength and determination of my mother in a single parent household demonstrated to me at a young age, just how much can be achieved if you are willing to work hard and push towards your dreams.  This lesson has kept me focused on my pursuits as a musician in the face of all difficulties.

Group Activity 4 - Behavourism

Behaviourism deals with the links between behaviour and its consequences.  In Group Activity 4, teachers shared several new strategies they were exploring to change behaviours in their classrooms.  These ranged from the way learns were perceived to think (active and passive thinkers), to returning to class on time after breaks, to classroom disruptions.  Most, if not all, of the strategies provided were said to have had positive effects on the class.  A variety of them look promising as strategies I will try out in my classrooms as well.  I will outline some of these below.

1.  Positive reinforcement of good students.  In many cases, ill-disciplined students get a lot of attention in the classroom.  By focusing on commending students who behave well in a class (such as answering questions, being attentive, taking their notes) instead of constantly rebuking those who misbehave, positive behaviour is reinforced.  Those students are then encouraged to keep doing well.  The students who are ill-disciplined subsequently strive to do better in an effort to get some of the attention that the good students are - the bad try to emulate the good.

2.  Giving students responsibility for chores around the school instead of suspending them for infractions.  This includes keeping the environment clean and tidy after break and lunch.  This way, students remain in school and get to attend classes while being punished for their infractions.

3. Planning lessons that require more group collaboration.  In this way, students who like to talk a lot during class have a way of focusing their discussions positively rather than disruptively.

4.  My own change of strategy involved having students determine what behaviour is appropriate in the classroom.  I held discussions about how they should behave after the bell rings to signal the start of a session.  Instead of telling them what is to be expected, I allowed them to discuss and suggest appropriate behaviours ranging from getting to class and picking up classroom litter, to raising their hands to ask questions and focusing on the lesson instead of cross-talking.  I pointed out that these things were their ideas and that I expect to see them in action.

Group Activity - 3

In this activity, my group members shared what they have learned about learning and teaching through their students' reactions over the years.  Several themes were prominent:

1.  Students are very observant and they note what teachers say, teach and practice.  They detect any duplicity in teachers and this undermines the credibility of the instructor.  Therefore, teachers ought to 'practice what they preach' and lead by example.

2.  It is important to recognize the backgrounds of learners and respect where they are coming from in order to get a better understanding of the factors at play in their lives.  This helps to break down the adversarial attitudes that often exists in the teacher/learner relationship.  It helps to build rapport.

3.   Students need to feel rewarded for their achievements.  They must be celebrated.  This extends even beyond the students' academic achievements to their achievements in other spheres.  Learners like to feel appreciated.

Self-activity - Social Cognitive Theory - Learning Through Observation

Consider what you have read so far in this activity with the following questions in mind:
1. How might these ideas be applied in the classroom?
2. How might I use these ideas of modeling in my teaching?


1.  Observation is a innate method of learning.  Therefore, in the classroom, if learners can keenly observe the behaviours of a model, then they should be able to imitate these behaviours over time and demonstrate learning.

Attention is the first and perhaps most critical step in the observation process; 'Without attention, there can be no learning.' Gage and Berliner (1991, p258). Students have to be focused and attentive to the classroom model to 'take in' what is being demonstrated.  Thereafter, the stimuli go to their short term memory/working memory for encoding in long term memory - retention.  This may be aided by the educator through the use of code words, visual stimuli, jingles and so on, that support the connection of ideas in the students' minds.

The educator must facilitate the production phase by creating opportunities for the student(s) to demonstrate the behaviours they observed. This has to be followed up with feedback to the student(s).  Appropriate feedback serves as an indicator to the student(s) as to whether or not they have done well.  Positive feedback motivates students to carry out and improve upon the behaviour while negative feedback or harsh criticism may demotivate them to continue.  It must be noted, though, that negative feedback with positive reinforcement can motivate the student(s) to observe afresh, pay greater attention and better their retention process.

2.  I can use the ideas of modeling to assist my students in various ways.  By having positive attitudes towards the material being taught I can ignite their own interests in the material.  My demonstrations of the step by step process of achieving positive outcomes can help them to retain much of the material.  In addition, partnering with students to critically think through concepts and find linkages to concepts they already know in other areas, can enrich the entire experience and help the students to feel 'closer' to what they are learning and by extension create more familiar steps to the retention process.  When students get the opportunity to produce, my focus should not be solely on correct answers but also on the process of getting to these answers based on what they observed.  Feedback ought to be encouraged from their peers and I too must provide feedback.  The aim of providing feedback should be to encourage positive progress.  Therefore, I should praise students who have done well and as this encourages them to perpetuate the behaviours they have observed.  I must also advise students who have done poorly on ways in which they can have more positive outcomes, and I should highlight the positive aspects that they managed to achieve as well.

Self - Activity 1 - Summary of Whitaker's Readings

Four ideas contained in the 'traditional' views:

1. Learning is a process that is initiated by others, not by the learner themselves. Therefore, it requires that other persons push learning onto the individual rather than the individual doing it for themselves.

2. Children are empty vessels who are waiting to be filled by 'all-knowing' adults over time. It ignores previous knowledge/ideas that a child already possesses.

3. Success in learning is judged by how quickly and fully a child is able to absorb information passed to them.

4. Children are incapable of charting their own way in life. Teachers are not seen as guides but instead as the ones who crafts a child's world.

Day & Baskett's 10 Guidelines for Designing Educational Experience:

1. Children make a choice to actively participate in learning. While it may be mandatory for them to attend lessons, they must make the choice to participate and learn.

2. Teachers and learners are equal partners in the education process. Both bring experiences and knowledge with them that may serve all involved. When both parties are operating on a basis of respect where the teacher is not viewed as all-powerful, and where students have a say, the education process will be more fruitful.

3. Organized learning relies on the establishment of relationships and trust between teachers and students. Teachers must realize and foster this in order to enrich the collective experience.

4. There must be regular review of actions taken in the learning process. Through reviewing, better decisions can be made for future directions.

5. The process of change (ie. learning) is made more complex in formal learning because it takes place in an organizational setting. There are factors such as the specified structure of programs, policies, and processes which present added challenges in the learning process that are not present in informal learning.

6. Children come to the classroom with different experiences. Some children may react differently to a range of approaches to learning, with some of them finding it difficult to accept help and guidance. In some cases, their confidence and self esteem can be undermined if they ways of working are changed.

7. In developing learning activities, it important to consider and respect the variances in children's social, economic and cultural backgrounds.

8. Teachers must understand what motivates their students to learn. Since students come with different aspirations, it will help the teacher to target areas and craft activities in a way that will target those aspirations.

9. Critical thinking is, well, critical! Teachers must always learners to examine their thoughts about what they learn and to think about the content in more detail that simply accepting it at face value with the hope of passing assessments.

10. Learners are to be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. This prepares the student for life-long learning and self-sufficiency. By encouraging critical thinking and personal responsibility in the students, the teacher can gradually decrease the dependence of students on teachers.

What Are Some of the Factors Which Contribute to Learning from Experience?

New experiences are stored in memory with varying degrees of positiveness or negativeness attached to them. If an experience was enjoyable and rewarding then it's positive level increases. If instead it was not enjoyed and did not bring reward to the individual, the experience is remembered more negatively. If learning proves difficult or makes the learner feel incompetent, then the learner is more likely to view that learning experience negatively and be less inclined to participate in that particular area or similar areas again. Therefore the motivational and emotional factors affecting the learning process must be carefully addressed.

Eight Factors That Influence the Process of Learning

Personality – This is how children view themselves based on the positive learning experiences they have had, both formally and informally.

Aspirations – Learners are encouraged to reflect on what their goals and desires are and they are encouraged to pursue them and to see the relevance of curriculum of the school in helping them to progress to those things.

Needs – aside from course content, students ought to be given emotional and psychological support and encouragement to help them build self-esteem and the wherewithal to achieve their learning potential.

Relationships – the collaborative skills of learners should be engendered amongst themselves. Further, the teachers should foster a mentoring partnership with the learners to ensure continuous development takes place.

Interactions – learners ought to communicate with their peers and teachers about the learning process. In examining the challenges, the positives and what they have achieved, they become aware of the development taking place in their abilities.

Values – an attitude of value and respect for education must be developed in learners. This would encourage them to be active life-long learners who take responsibility for the learning and who strive to enrich their lives through education.

Behaviours – Learners should be encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, the choices they make and consequences of those choices. They should be supported in this process by the teacher. This kind of awareness of their personal responsibility for their learning and their lives is important to their development as mature adults.

Experiences – Learners should be given the opportunity to engage in experiences that reflect their learning in a practical and meaningful way that shows the relevance of what they are being or have been taught. The positiveness or negativeness of these experiences will inform their future choices in learning behaviour.

Self-Activity 1.4 - Myself as a Learner.

I learn slowly when a lot of reading is involved.
I learn quickly when I view documentary films.
I find learning easy when I am interested in the subject matter, when the instructor has an easy presence, and when they stimulate my thinking.
Learning in groups is not my method of choice.  I like to toss ideas around from many vantage points and this can be tedious in a group setting, not to mention lengthy.
Learning from books is challenging since I have a very active mind.  Staying focused is very difficult.
I learn well from someone who is enthusiastic, clearly knowledgeable, empathetic, and encourages critical thinking.
I enjoy learning when its something I'm interested in, when its intellectually stimulating and especially not mainstream topics.
I find learning difficult when when I'm not interested in the subject matter, and when heavy reading is the main source of information.

[UNESCO (1993)]

Self Activity 1.3 - Old vs. New Learning Paradigm Principles

The old (traditional) learning paradigm principles are listed.  Below each is a new paradigm principle based on my interpretation of the readings in the first two units.

Old:  Emphasis on content, acquiring a body of right information.
New:  Emphasis on relevance and learning for life.

Old: Learning as a product, a destination.
New: Learning as a process, as 'how to'.

Old: Hierarchical and authoritarian structure. Rewards conformity, discourages disagreement.
New: Teacher and students as partners in learning.  Embracing differences and encourage critical thinking

Old: Relatively rigid structure, prescribed curriculum.
New: Flexible structure that is cross curricula.

Old: Learning determined by learner’s age.
New: Learning determined by abilities and learning styles.

Old: Priority on performance.
New: Priority on comprehension, participation and interaction.

Old: Emphasis on external world. Inner experience considered inappropriate in school setting.
New: Emphasis on self-conceptualization.  Helping students to identify who they are so they can better understand their own learning process.

Old: Guessing and divergent thinking discouraged.
New: Students encouraged to think outside the box and to rationalize their thoughts.

Old: Emphasis on analytical, left brain thinking.
New: Encourage both analytical thinking and creativity, embrace dreams.

Old: Classroom designed for efficiency, convenience.
New: Classroom designed to immerse students in ideas and learning.

Old: Education seen as a social necessity for control.
New: Education seen as a means of enriching the lives of members of society and a means of liberation from the established boxes of thought.

Old: Teacher as instructor and imparter of knowledge.
New: Teacher as guide and partner in the learning partner in the learning process, assisting students on their way to revelation.

Module 1 - Activity 1

Activity 1 required reflection on my development as a teacher.  

In the past I have taught informally, usually no more than a small group of students at a time and perhaps most notably, within the framework of a paramilitary group.  At present, I am into my fourth school term as a secondary school teacher and it has been interesting and very challenging; so much to learn about teaching my subject (music) in public school, and so much to learn about teaching on a whole!

In reflecting on my first year, I knew that things were not going as well as I hoped so I sought the advice of more experienced teachers in my field on their approaches.  It was suggested that I incorporate more games as ways of immersing the students in the concepts being taught and reinforcing those concepts. Using these approaches in this past term, I was stunned by how the level of student engagement rose. I realized then, just how different my own learning style was from many of my students. In my own learning, I've loathed games and activities that forced me to be 'visible' in classes. I preferred lectures and explanations that examined the material from every which way so I could understand clearly. During this past term, I found some students that shared that approach, but most were only too happy to be learning through games, even the those students who were always 'trouble makers' before. In some instances, concepts were received with far less challenges than the previous year.

Incidentally, the module that we were doing as part of the ICT course during that term, was discussing the need to recognize that students come to us with different intelligences, experiences and learning styles that affect how they learn, and the need for us to take that into consideration at the planning phase and throughout the learning process when we teach, assess and make new decisions on what courses of action to take. So, I believe the last term has been very beneficial in colouring my outlook on delivery.
A common theme among the other group participants in this course is that of seeing things from the students' perspectives, i.e. understand the cultural background, socialization etc of the students as this helps guide the teacher on how this affects their learning and how interactions can be fostered to relate material to the students.  Also, students bring knowledge and experience to the classroom, they are not empty vessels.  Students can even bring across concepts to other students in a way the teacher may not, thus helping the students to understand/relate to concepts even more.  In addition, students can become more enthusiastic and organized if they are given various tasks in the day to day operation of the classroom.
There is a lot to learn yet.  Observing other teachers, researching methods, and thinking critically about the differences in the student makeup, can help me to better meet my students' needs.

New Module - Module 1

Well it's another new year. 2014 has begun.  For us in St. Vincent & the Grenadines 2013 has ended tragically and 2014 has begun on a troubling note.  What has been called The Christmas Eve Rains, has resulted in the deaths of at least nine people; from children to he elderly, including a family of five (spanning three generations).

As this year dawns, estimates of damage is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  With the economy already in poor shape, the next few years look very troubling indeed.

It's back to the classroom.  New top management this term.  A busy term ahead too, sports and other activities in addition to new policies and strategies from the top.

Of course, the ICT course has also resumed.  My previous module on Assessing was really good and I found it very applicable immediately.  This new module 'Learning, Teaching and Thinking with ICT" seems to be reading intensive.  I'm not looking forward to all that reading.  Oh how I wish some of these readings could have been audio tutorials.  With a mind as over active as mine, academic reading is such a lengthy process.  These 2-5 hour readings can only be done in short bursts and would easily take me twice as long to get through.  Has to be done though.  So between school and instrumental practices, the reading and activities have to get done!

Hoping for continued positives going forward with the course and hope all my course mates would find this module of benefit and complete it successfully.