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Irene Watts-Politza

E Pedagogy - 2 views

  •   E-Pedagogy: Does e-learning require a new pedagogy?  5 The emergence of e-learning  As part of the technological revolution, the use of e-learning, or blended learning, isincreasing. This is particularly true of Higher Education, which offers most programmespartly or wholly online. In the future, e-learning is likely to be more widely used in thetertiary and school sectors. Another driver for e-learning is life-long learning, whichrequires on-going training and re-training of the adult workforce.In many cases, e-learning is delivered through a virtual learning environment (VLE),which is a custom built environment designed for online learning. VLEs, such as  Blackboard and Moodle , typically provide all of the software tools required for onlinelearning such as communication and file sharing facilities. These environments are oftenmodelled around the traditional campus, providing ‘virtual staff rooms’ and ‘onlinecommon rooms’. E-portfolios provide the digital equivalent to the traditional paperportfolio; these typically provide online storage for a range of media types (such asdrawings, photos and videos). Dedicated e-assessment systems, such as Questionmark ,facilitate large-scale online testing, providing many of the question types that arefamiliar to teachers.Some academics have pointed out the potential of e-learning to improve current practice.Garrison and Anderson (2003) write:“E-learning has significantpotential to alter the nature of theteaching and learning transaction.In fact, it has caused us to face upto some of the current deficienciesof higher education, such as largelecturers, while providing somepossible solutions or ways tomitigate these shortcomings. Seenas part of pedagogical solution, e-learning becomes an opportunity toexamine and live up to the ideals of the educational transactiondescribed previously.” New learning opportunities The changing environment facilitates new kinds of learning. Teachers have traditionallyfocussed on content; indeed, many consider the identification and delivery of learningmaterial to be their prime role. But it has been argued that the traditional skill of contentcreation is redundant in the information-rich learning environment. Some of this contentis very high quality, even world class, and certainly superior to a hurriedly producedhandout of the type often used by busy teachers.It has been suggested that the contemporary teacher should be more “guide on the side”than “sage on the stage”. The ready availability of information makes  facilitation moreimportant than direction . The pedagogic issue is not too little information but too much:the contempora
  • changing learning landscape poses fundamental epistemological questions about thenature of knowledge and how it is acquired. Dede (2008) writes: “In the Classicalperspective, knowledge consists of accurate interrelationships among facts, based onunbiased research that produces compelling evidence about systematic causes […]Epistemologically, a single right answer is believed to underlie each phenomenon […]The epistemology that leads to validity of knowledge in Web 2.0 media such as Wikipedia  is peer review from people seen, by the community of contributors, as having unbiasedperspectives. Expertise involves understanding disputes in detail and proposingsyntheses that are widely accepted by the community
  • hatever new theory of learning emerges in thenext decade, it will likelybuild upon thesepedagogie
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  • George Siemens introduced this theory in his paper Connectivism: Learning as networkcreation (2004) to address “the shortcomings of behaviourist, cognivitist andconstructivist ideologies”.Connectivism conceptualises knowledge and learning as a network, consisting of nodesand connections. Knowledge, at any point in time, is a particular (probably temporary)configuration of nodes and connections (a sub-network). Learning creates newconnections between existing nodes (changes to existing knowledge) and/or creates newnodes (entirely new knowledge). Learning, therefore, is about network (node andconnection) creation.His theory differentiates between data, information, knowledge and meaning: •   Data : raw elements •   Information : data with intelligence applied •   Knowledge : information in context and internalised •   Meaning : comprehension of the nuances, value and implications of knowledge.“Learning is the process that occurs when knowledge is transformed into something of meaning.”Connectivism embraces eight principles:1.   Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinion.2.   Learning is a process of connecting specialised nodes or information sources.3.   Learning may reside in non-human applicances.4.   Capacity to know is more important that what is currently known.5.   Maintaining connections is needed for continual learning. (function() { var pageParams = {"origHeight": 1276, "origWidth": 902, "fonts": [3, 1, 2, 4, 0], "pageNum": 9}; pageParams.containerElem = document.getElementById("outer_page_9"); pageParams.contentUrl = "http://html2.scribdassets.com/4o2mjijnuo850n3/pages/9-7fefce237b.jsonp"; var page = docManager.addPage(pageParams); })(); Scribd.Ads.addBetweenPageUnit(9);   E-Pedagogy: Does e-learning require a new pedagogy? left: 3830px; top: 276px; color
  • Rote learning of factual information, which typifies behaviourism, isvalueless when students are one click away from Google and Wikipedia. The “teacher-knows-best” idiom of cognivitism is questionable in a time of “the wisdom of the crowd”.The constructivist approach (and, particularly, social constructivism) appears to be abetter fit for 21st century learning – but needs to be updated to embrace the modernlearning environment that includes virtual worlds such as Second Life. ‘Connectivism’,‘E-moderating’, ‘E-Learning 2.0’ and ‘Assessment 2.0’ may not provide the answer – butdo highlight the problems with the status quo and emphasise the need for a newapproach to teaching, learning and assessment
  •  
    "Does e-learning require a new approach to teaching and learning?" This is an interesting paper about pedagogical approaches to e-learning and e-teaching. Do you believe we need a new approach for online learning? What is your pedagogical approach to e-learning and e-teaching?
  •  
    What is your pedagogical approach to e-learning and e-teaching?
alexandra m. pickett

My Reflections in ETAP 640 - 0 views

  • it would be interesting to see the numbers for 2012,
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      I wish i had access to that data. When we decentralized in our move to ANGEL we lost access to system-wide data like this.
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • ...64 more annotations...
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were presen
  • study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were presen
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      I would have liked more detail and critical analysis of these reports.
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • this study and this study support that the most gains in online classroom learning from F2F learning were in areas where these technologies were present,
  • I miss the ability and opportunity to chat casually with students in an online course the same way I would before or after a F2F course, even if it doesn’t directly relate to my learning. 
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      are you not comfortable initiating that in the bulletin board created for that purpose?
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      your blog looks great Amy! check the blog roll. you are missing my blog from the list and george is no longer in the course. someone else is missing too.
  • I am following the directions.
  • Are there things that Moodle (or even Angel, per the courses for observation) can do that don’t replicate this structure? 
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      part of the problem is that the LMS imposes a pedagogy. They have embedded into their DNA a teacher-centric cultrure-specific pedagogy. just look at how they label things... you can't get any more teacher-centered that referring to things as "lessons!" Fortunately in ANGEL at least you can change that... not so in BB. i chaffe under that imposition. This imposed pedagogy is largely due, in my opinion, to the fact that it is application developers, not instructional designers, that developed the LMS. We are stuck having to use tools that are inadequate for the purposes to which we must apply them. They are NOT flexible, they do NOT allow for creativity and innovation. It is a constant fight/struggle to work around their limitations and constraints to get them to DO what you want need them to do. I hate all LMSs equally.
  • Reiss doesn’t believe that all children are or should be curious and that curiosity doesn’t always motivate student learning. 
  • Should every class be for every student?
  • developing the course isn’t enough, classroom management is required throughout the course, especially for students who drop in and out. 
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • earned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • learned that a lot of what I teach will be limited by the functionality of the LMS.  I learned that there is so much more.
  • I care.
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      the fact that you care about "her" and the fact that you understand that you are still learning mean it is highly unlikely that you will fail her  : ) 
efleonhardt

Microsoft Educator Network - Hot Topics : Personalized Learning : Flipped Learning: tec... - 0 views

  • . Understanding the details of the world in which a learner lives allows the learner to the ability to shape and manipulate that world to his advantage. Content mastery must be accompanied by healthy relationships in a learning community that fosters curiosity within learners. Focusing only upon content can lead to a cold, rote learning environments; spending all our energies on relationships can be done at the expense of content mastery; and developing curious learners without strong relationships can lead to learning in isolation. Essentially, the flipped learning approach allows teachers to spark interest, provide initial exposure, and deliver content through easy to make teacher created video so class time can be used to foster healthy relationships and engage students in higher levels of cognition to help ignite curiosity. Simply using video as a teaching tool will not fundamentally change a classroom. But rethinking how class time can be used for things other than direct instruction and lectures will transform a classroom from a teacher-centered instructional environment to a learner-centered laboratory of learning. Flipped learning is a transitional tool for teachers who know they want to move the attention away from themselves and on to student-centered learning. Flipped learning is not an end, but a means to greater teaching and deeper learning. You can read more about Flipped Learning in our upcoming book: Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Achievement which can be pre-ordered here: Jonathan Bergmann &amp; Aaron Sams Flipped Learning, Gateway to Student Achievement, Bergmann, Sams piln.hottopic.onPostDisplayInLineLoaded(); Pictures and videos var thumbRatio = [1, 1]; $(function () { initializeGallery('/Gallery/Media/', '138408f4-616a-4cc9-ab2c-9e7543cf50e4') }); Cover of Jon Bergmann &amp; Aaron Sams' book: Flipped Learning $('.galleryDescription').hide(); $('#bigImage').load(function () { var newHeight = $('#bigImage').height() + $('.galleryDescription').height() + 60; if (newHeight < 360) { newHeight = 360; } $('#progressbar').hide('blind', {}, 300); $('#loading').animate({ height: newHeight + 'px' }, 300); $(this).fadeIn('slow'); }); $('.galleryDescription').fadeIn('slow'); gallery created by Jon Bergmann {{if error}} ${name} ${sizef} Error: {{if error === 1}}File exceeds upload_max_filesize (php.ini directive) {{else error === 2}}File exceeds MAX_FILE_SIZE (HTML form directive) {{else error === 3}}File was only partially uploaded {{else error === 4}}No File was uploaded {{else error === 5}}Missing a temporary folder {{else error === 6}}Failed to write file to disk {{else error === 7}}File upload stopped by extension {{else error === 'maxFileSize'}}}The resolution of this image is too big {{else error === 'minFileSize'}}The resolution of this image is a little small. The minimum size is 160x160 {{else error === 'minResolutionSize'}}The resolution of this image is a little small. The minimum size is 160x160 {{else error === 'tooWide'}}This image is too wide for our gallery to display correctly. You will need to replace it with something that is proportional to your monitor. {{else error === 'tooTall'}}This image is too tall for our gallery to display correctly. You will need to replace it with something that is proportional to your monitor. {{else error === 'acceptFileTypes'}}Filetype not allowed {{else error === 'maxNumberOfFiles'}}Max number of files exceeded {{else error === 'uploadedBytes'}}Uploaded bytes exceed file size {{else error === 'emptyResult'}}Empty file upload result {{else}}${error} {{/if}} {{else}} {{if thumbnail_url}} {{/if}} {{/if}} {{if type === 'image'}} ${description} $('.galleryDescription').hide(); $('#bigImage').load(function () { var newHeight = $('#bigImage').height() + $('.galleryDescription').height() + 60; if (newHeight < 360) { newHeight = 360; } $('#progressbar').hide('blind', {}, 300); $('#loading').animate({ height: newHeight + 'px' }, 300); $(this).fadeIn('slow'); }); $('.galleryDescription').fadeIn('slow'); {{html ""}} {{else}} ${description}
  • a situation in which lower order thinking is removed from whole-class teaching time and placed upon the individual regardless of whether video or any other technologies are being used.
  • Content is important in that it is the structure upon which learning is built
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  • Content mastery must be accompanied by healthy relationships in a learning community that fosters curiosity within learners.
  • so class time can be used to foster healthy relationships and engage students in higher levels of cognition to help ignite curiosity
Danielle Melia

Preparing Teachers to Teach Online - 0 views

  • Online teaching effectiveness The following behaviors are associated with effective online teaching: n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; providing timely and meaningful feedback, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; creating learning activities that engage students, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; keeping students interested and motivated, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ensuring students interact with each other, and n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; encouraging students to be critical and reflective. These behaviors constitute criteria for evaluation of online teaching. For each behavior there needs to be a definition of minimal acceptable performance as well as exemplary performance. To assess online teaching effectiveness, these behaviors need to be evaluated during the delivery of online classes. Most existing teaching evaluation does not assess these kinds of factors.
  • Online teaching
  • Online teaching effectiveness The following behaviors are associated with effective online teaching: n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; providing timely and meaningful feedback, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; creating learning activities that engage students, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; keeping students interested and motivated, n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ensuring students interact with each other, and n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; encouraging students to be critical and reflective. These behaviors constitute criteria for evaluation of online teaching. For each behavior there needs to be a definition of minimal acceptable performance as well as exemplary performance. To assess online teaching effectiveness, these behaviors need to be evaluated during the delivery of online classes. Most existing teaching evaluation does not assess these kinds of factors.
    • Kristina Lattanzio
       
      Nessary characteristics to create a nurturing classroom environment. Feedback, both timely and meaningful, shows a dedicated instructor.
  •  
    Online courses have become very popular in higher education and with the emergence of virtual schools are becoming common at the K-12 level (see Clark, 2001; Vail 2001). While most universities and colleges have established training programs to prepare their faculty to teach online, school systems are just beginning to address this need.  As McKenzie (2001) notes, preparing teachers to teach online needs to involve a lot more than the short workshops typical of inservice training. Hannum (2001) describes an extensive state-wide initiative in Colorado. The Concord Consortium and Illinois Online Network both have successful online teacher training programs. A number of online learning system vendors such as Apex Learning, Blackboard Inc., and eCollege also offer online teacher training programs, although these tend to be tailored to their systems.  
alexandra m. pickett

JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching - 0 views

  • In the second phase, 13 of the 22 respondents to the first phase were sent follow-up questions to elicit their perspectives as to whether the use of VoiceThread satisfied Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.
  • Results Out of a total of 61 students in two online sections of the business policy course, 22 students – 14 females and eight males – took part in the exam review and VoiceThread survey (i.e., the first phase of the study). The participants were graduating seniors, and as part of the course, they had participated in weekly discussion board activities within the University’s LMS, Blackboard. None of them had used VoiceThread prior to their involvement in the study. The survey results are presented in Tables 1, 2, and 3. Table 1. Survey responses – "yes/no" items (N = 22)
    • Diana Cary
       
      I will also use this article in my course as a required reading.
    • Diana Cary
       
      This resource as well be a good article to show the relationship of Voicethread with student-student and student-teacher interaction. This article also ties back to Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles.
    • alexandra m. pickett
       
      ok. got it! very good diana!! : )
  • Question Yes No Comments 1. Did you comment on the VoiceThread? 22 0 &nbsp; 2. Was it difficult to comment? 1 21 "A little, text box small." 3. Would you like to use VoiceThread for future exam reviews and discussion of chapter concepts? 14 8 "Yes. [It is] More interactive, [and involves] not just reading text, but actually listening, and picking up information that way." "Yes. By then I will know how to use the microphone." "No. [It] Take[s] less time to read answers on Blackboard's discussion board as opposed to listening to people's answers on VoiceThread. It was difficult to read the small text." (This student liked participating in the exam review on VoiceThread for the extra credit, and she would do it again if extra credit were given.) "No. I won't be able to use it with my other devices such as my iPad and iPhone." "No. It's easier to read the review questions and find the answers in the book." 4. Would you like to use VoiceThread to make a presentation for a course in the future? 14 8 "Yes. Sure! That would probably work out pretty well!" "Not really! Not unless I have to." 5. Would you suggest to your peers the use of VoiceThread for making their own presentations? 16 6 &nbsp;
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Table 2. Survey responses – rating-scale item (N = 22) Question Very Easy (1) Easy (2) No Problems (3) Some Issues (4) Very Difficult (5) 6. How difficult was it to create your VoiceThread account? 19 3 0 0
  • Table 3.Survey responses – open-ended item (N = 18) Question Comments 7. Anything you would like to share about VoiceThread? Positive comments (n = 12) "Very easy and convenient." "I think that once I was able to get into the system it was easy to use. Now I need to understand why the mic[rophone] does not work, maybe my laptop." "It was actually very interesting to learning [sic] how to use VoiceThread. It was something different." "I like the way I can participate by using text. As English is my second language, speaking is really difficult for me. Also, VoiceThread is really easy and simple to use." "It was really easy to navigate and use." "VoiceThread was very easy to use and it could be beneficial in the future." "VoiceThread is easy and pretty interesting!" "I like that it is very easy to use." "It seems like a good tool to utilize for some classes." "Easy to navigate and good review before the exam." "Never done it before but I think it's pretty good tool." "Seems like a great tool we can use." Comments expressing reservations (n = 4) "I think it was very easy to figure out. My hesitation about using in the future for a course to do a presentation or recommending my peers to use it is that I don't really know much about it so that is why I responded no to those questions. I don't know how to add graphics and things of that nature like on PowerPoint." "VoiceThread is easy to register [on]. However, I'm not too sure about making a presentation." "I think it's a good form of technology. It's not my first choice of communication though. Plus if you're typing your answer the font is super small, not sure if I can change this setting." "[There needs to be a] bigger text box" Unfavorable comments (n = 2) "I do not like the interface of the VoiceThread ... [The interface] makes it hard to use on anything besides a computer." One student found it slightly difficult to "figure out how to answer the questions or how to comment on others' answers."
Diana Cary

Educational Leadership:Teaching for Multiple Intelligences:Integrating Learning Styles ... - 0 views

  • Learning-style theory begins with Carl Jung (1927), who noted major differences in the way people perceived (sensation versus intuition), the way they made decisions (logical thinking versus imaginative feelings), and how active or reflective they were while interacting (extroversion versus introversion)
  • Most learning-style theorists have settled on four basic styles. Our own model, for instance, describes the following four styles: The Mastery style learner absorbs information concretely; processes information sequentially, in a step-by-step manner; and judges the value of learning in terms of its clarity and practicality. The Understanding style learner focuses more on ideas and abstractions; learns through a process of questioning, reasoning, and testing; and evaluates learning by standards of logic and the use of evidence. The Self-Expressive style learner looks for images implied in learning; uses feelings and emotions to construct new ideas and products; and judges the learning process according to its originality, aesthetics, and capacity to surprise or delight. The Interpersonal style learner,1&nbsp; like the Mastery learner, focuses on concrete, palpable information; prefers to learn socially; and judges learning in terms of its potential use in helping others.
  • Student Choice: Assessment Products by Intelligence and Style
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • In integrating these major theories of knowledge, we moved through three steps. First, we attempted to describe, for each of Gardner's intelligences, a set of four learning processes or abilities, one for each of the four learning styles. For linguistic intelligence, for example, the Mastery style represents the ability to use language to describe events and sequence activities; the Interpersonal style, the ability to use language to build trust and rapport; the Understanding style, the ability to develop logical arguments and use rhetoric; and the Self-expressive style, the ability to use metaphoric and expressive language.
  • In MI theory, I begin with a human organism that responds (or fails to respond) to different kinds of contents in the world. . . . Those who speak of learning styles are searching for approaches that ought to characterize all contents (p. 45).
  • Learning styles are not fixed throughout life, but develop as a person learns and grows.
  • The following are some strengths of learning-style models
  • They tend to focus on how different individuals process information across many content areas.
  • They recognize the role of cognitive and affective processes in learning and, therefore, can significantly deepen our insights into issues related to motivation.
  • They tend to emphasize thought as a vital component of learning, thereby avoiding reliance on basic and lower-level learning activities.
  • Learning-styles models have a couple of limitations. First, they may fail to recognize how styles vary in different content areas and disciplines.
  • Second, these models are sometimes less sensitive than they should be to the effects of context on learning.
  • Emerging from a tradition that viewed style as relatively permanent, many learning-style advocates advised altering learning environments to match or challenge a learner's style. Either way, learning-style models have largely left unanswered the question of how context and purpose affect learning.
  • But learning styles emphasize the different ways people think and feel as they solve problems, create products, and interact.
  • The theory of multiple intelligences is an effort to understand how cultures and disciplines shape human potential
  • Though both theories claim that dominant ideologies of intelligence inhibit our understanding of human differences, learning styles are concerned with differences in the process of learning, whereas multiple intelligences center on the content and products of learning. Until now, neither theory has had much to do with the other
  •  
    This article discusses integrating learning styles with multiple intelligences
Diane Gusa

Adult Education FAQS - 0 views

  • Dunn and Griggs (2000) offer us another definition: “Learning style addresses the biological uniqueness and developmental changes that make one person learn differently from another. Individuals do change in the way they learn…Similarly, developmental aspects relate to how we learn but, more predictable, follow a recognizable pattern.” (p. 136)
  • Perceptual modalities
  • The Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model and PEPS
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Understanding our perceptual style will help us to seek information arranged in the way that we process most directly.
  • Information processing is
  • personality factors.
  • includes their motivation, values, emotional preferences and decision-making styles.
  • physiological in nature (i.e. auditory, visual kinesthetic, tactile)
  • 5 main categories and 21 elements in
  • nsist of the following: 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Environmental (Sound, Light, Temperature, Design) 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Emotional (Motivation, Persistence, Responsibility, Structure) 3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sociological (Self, Pair, Peers, Team, Adult, Varied) 4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Physiological (Perceptual, Intake, Time, Mobility) 5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Psychological (Global/Analytic, Hemisphericity, Impulsive/Reflective)
  • The Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model is a comprehensive and extensive model that incorporates many internal and external factors in the learner’s environment to create an optimal learning experience.
  • Kolb’s Experiential Learning Mode
  • ccording to Kolb, the learning cycle involves four processes that must be present for learning to occur
  • Concrete Experience: Feeling/Sensing; being involved in a new experience Reflective Observation: Watching; developing observations about own experience Abstract Conceptualization: Thinking; creating theories to explain observations
  • Diverger: combines preferences for experiencing and reflecting Assimilator: combines preferences for reflecting and thinking Converger: combines preferences for thinking and doing Accommodator: combines preferences for doing and experiencing
Diane Gusa

The Application of Learning Style Theory in Higher Education Teaching - 0 views

  • A learning style is: "A complexus of related characteristics in which the whole is greater than its parts. Learning style is a gestalt combining internal and external operations derived from the individual's neurobiology, personality and development, and reflected in learner behaviour" (Keefe &amp; Ferrell 1990, p. 16).
  • general tendency towards a particular learning approach displayed by an individual.
  • Riding &amp; Cheema (1991), from an extensive review of the literature, conclude there are only two principal styles "families", the holist-analytic, and the verbaliser-imager. These two broad groupings relate to the type of cognitive activities normally ascribed to the two hemispheres of the brain. Curry (1983) suggests there are three different perspectives on styles: those relating to a preference for a particular instructional approach, those relating to the individual's intellectual approach to assimilating information independently of the environment, and those relating to the individual's intellectual approach to assimilating information with the environment.
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  • Dunn, Deckinger, Withers &amp; Katzenstein (1990), who found that teaching students based on their diagnosed learning style did significantly increase their achievement level (see also Napolitano 1986).
  • Research indicates learning style is not a stable construct, so one may alter instructional style to meet a learning style that will itself change, requiring a further change in instructional strategy.
  • Researchers have failed to address the question of how it is possible to achieve a tailoring of instructional approaches on anything other than an individual level.
  • What may be possible is to promote an educational environment developed for flexibility at the individual student level.
  • What is required is a stimulus-stimulus approach, where the student and the lecturer are actively involved in both learning and the mechanics of the learning process, the aim being to facilitate learner empowerment by developing in students a critical awareness of material studied and the delivery and structure of the material. Learners can then tailor flexible education strategies to their requirements to optimise the quality of the learning experience.
  • his ability of an individual to actively select from a personal style or skills portfolio, is part of what can be termed self-directed learning
  • In an educational setting, a self-directed learner no longer operates as a passive receiver of information, but takes responsibility for the achievement, and ultimately setting, of learning outcomes. In essence, the traditional lecturer-student divide becomes increasingly blurred, as the learner begins to pro-actively structure the programme to match their own learning attributes.
  • facilitator, and finally to that of a resource to be tapped
  • lecturer's role
  • Under such an approach, higher education ceases to be simply something that is done to people, and becomes a platform from which individuals can go on to, in effect, educate themselves
  • "causer of learning".
  • This approach will tend to create learned helplessness in people
  • Higher education should be concerned with not only enhancing learning in a specific situation, but should also constitute a catalyst for further self-initiated development of the individual, above and beyond the contents and aims of a particular course. T
  • The lecturer must avoid removing traditional barriers to self-direction, such as a rigid programme structure, only to erect new barriers through the use of prescriptive self-direction strategies imposed on the student.
  • allow the individual the freedom to define and devise learning strategies, and to make mistakes. T
  • The role of the lecturer must be essentially non-interventionist, unless the student seeks guidance
  • as people may still not choose to direct their own learning due to: a lack of belief in their own ability, a failure by them to recognise that self-direction is needed or preferable, the setting of an inappropriate learning goal(s) that fails to act as a motivator, and previous learning and education experiences.
  • That educational system primarily tends to concentrate on didactic approaches that often view learning as being of secondary importance to memory, where information acquisition and subsequent information regurgitation predominate.
  • This will require that the lecturer breaks down barriers to learning and self-direction that may be present. This covers: those barriers created by the student during the course (wrong choice of learning approach, poor motivation, lack of confidence), those barriers that the course itself may indirectly create (lack of flexibility, lack of direction and guidance, poor structure), and those barriers that the student brings to the course (reason for attending the course, poor learning skills, previous bad learning experiences).
  • In the initial stages of a programme, the lecturer will need to ensure the existence of an appropriate control structure, as students undergo the transition from being other-directed in their learning by external influences, to being self-directed.
  • caffold structure
  • clearly communicated and understood aims and objectives for the students at regular intervals.
  • allows students to progressively take control of their learning,
  • but that also offers sufficient guidance and direction in the early stages to prevent individuals from becoming lost.
  • The application of learning style theory in higher education teaching
    • Diane Gusa
       
      This would take a very brave instructor to do this. However, I know of colleges (Goddard for one) that does exactly this in their graduate program.
Jessica M

Enabling Students with Disabilities with Computing Interaction and Empowerment though E... - 0 views

  • or many centuries, education has been focused on the learning of course content, but the learning styles of the students have been ignored .
  • While most of the academic approaches have been centered on the mastery of course content knowledge, not all learners learn in the same way.
  • As a result, different teaching techniques, strategies, and tools may be needed to help all students acquire, understand, and apply learning gained from the course content.
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  • visual learners were able to benefit from applications in PowerPoint and Flash Multi-Media technology.
  • students with disabilities are finding technology to be more enabling than disabling at times.
  • us, more students with disabilities are enrolling in online courses. O
  • Auditory learners could benefit from online classrooms with auditory lectures, Podcasts for students, as well as live chats
  •  
    - need to teach students use of technology for future - work place - needs of different type of learners - online classes offer varying opportunities (accommodate different learning styles and strategies) - increase in students with disabilities enrolling in online courses - less barriers for students with disabilities
Hedy Lowenheim

kolb's learning styles, experiential learning theory, kolb's learning styles inventory ... - 0 views

  • Despite this, (and this is my personal view, not the view of the 'anti-Learning Styles lobby'), many teachers and educators continue to find value and benefit by using Learning Styles theory in one way or another, and as often applies in such situations, there is likely to be usage which is appropriate, and other usage which is not.
  • Education is big business. Much is at stake commercially and reputationally, and so it is not surprising that debate can become quite fierce as to which methods work and which don't. So try to temper what you read with what you know and feel and experience. Personal local situations can be quite different to highly generalised averages, or national 'statistics'. Often your own experiences are likely to be more useful to you than much of the remote 'research' that you encounter through life. You must be careful how you use systems and methods with others, and be careful how you assess research and what it actually means to you for your own purposes.
  • A note about Learning Styles in young people's education: Towards the end of the first decade of the 2000s a lobby seems to have grown among certain educationalists and educational researchers, which I summarise very briefly as follows: that in terms of substantial large-scale scientific research into young people's education, 'Learning Styles' theories, models, instruments, etc., remain largely unproven methodologies. Moreover Learning Styles objectors and opponents assert that heavy relience upon Learning Styles theory in developing and conducting young people's education, is of questionable benefit, and may in some cases be counter-productive. Despite this, (and this is my personal view, not the view of the 'anti-Learning Styles lobby'), many teachers and educators continue to find value and benefit by using Learning Styles theory in one way or another, and as often applies in such situations, there is likely to be usage which is appropriate, and other usage which is not.
  •  
    "A note about Learning Styles in young people's education, and by implication potentially elsewhere too: I am grateful to the anonymous person who pointed me towards a seemingly growing lobby among educationalists and educational researchers, towards the end of the first decade of the 2000s, which I summarise very briefly as follows: that in terms of substantial large-scale scientific research into young people's education, 'Learning Styles' theories, models, instruments, etc., remain largely unproven methodologies. Moreover, Learning Styles objectors and opponents assert that the use of, and certainly the heavy reliance upon, Learning Styles theory in formulating young people's education strategies, is of questionable benefit, and may in some cases be counter-productive."
J Robin Ward

Preparing Instructors for Quality Online Instruction - 1 views

  • The major concerns are centering on the following questions: What will be the new role for instructors in online education? How will students' learning outcomes be assured and improved in online learning environment? How will effective communication and interaction be established with students in the absence of face-to-face instruction? How will instructors motivate students to learn in the online learning environment?
  • Instructors have many concerns about online education. Their primary concern is how online education changes their roles and responsibilities, and how they can adapt to this change. Online education is widely accepted as student-centered education, and the traditional education is regarded as professor-centered education. Due to a shift to online education, the instructor's role has become more of a facilitator than a traditional lecturer. Therefore, the traditional professor-centered educational environment and student-centered online educational environment will have many differences. Besides their role shifting, the role of the virtual instructor is to select and filter information for student consideration, to provide thought-provoking questions, and to facilitate well-considered discussion (Kettner-Polley, 1999).
  • Clark (2002) pointed out that online learner must be a constructivist learner. This suggests that the learner must be active in the process, cognitively complex and motivated. According to Clark , motivating factors in the learning process include self-reference, personal goals, control and autonomy . Howland &amp; Moore's (2002) study examined 48 students' experiences in online environments. Their results confirmed that the students who were the most positive in their perceptions of online learning were those with attributes consistent with constructivist learners. The most positive students were more independent, proactive and responsible for their learning.
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  • Alley and Jansak (2001) have also identified 10 keys to quality online learning. The authors suggested that online courses will be high quality when they are student-centered and when: Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. Students can take full responsibility for their own learning. Students are motivated to want to learn. The course provides “mental white space” for reflection. Learning activities appropriately match student learning styles. Experiential, active learning augments the Web site learning environment, Solitary and interpersonal learning activities are interspersed. Inaccurate prior learning is identified and corrected. “Spiral learning” provides for revisiting and expanding prior lessons, The master teacher is able to guide the overall learning process. (p. 6-17)
  • nstructors may lack sufficient information on how well learners actually perform
  • how to appropriately use technology to serve an instructional purpose tends
  • they have to face the challenge of lack of direct interpersonal contact with students
  • the instructor to motivate students to adjust their roles when becoming an online learner
  • Since face to face instruction is usually eliminated in online classes, i
  • While arguments have been made in opposition to online education, there are proponents who are in support of this mode of instruction. They suggest that the lack of face-to-face interaction can be substituted by online discussions in bulletin board systems, online video conferences or on listservs (Blake, 2000). Online education can also promote students' critical thinking skills, deep learning, collaborative learning, and problem-solving skills (Ascough, 2002; Rosie, 2000). Donlevy (2003) asserted that online education may help schools expand curricula offerings with less cost and can help graduates gain important technology skills to improve their marketability. Proponents also argue that online education can encourage non-discriminatory teaching and learning practices since the teachers and students, as well as students and their classmates typically do not meet face-to-face. Palloff and Pratt (1999) have concluded that because students cannot tell the race, gender, physical characteristics of each other and their teachers, online education presents a bias-free teaching and learning environment for instructors and students.
  • academic dishonesty of online learners (Muirhead, 2000)
    • J Robin Ward
       
      This is one of the topics I expressed interest in -- need to take a look at the source.
  • several factors that may deter faculty from teaching online.
  • lack of professional prestige
    • J Robin Ward
       
      Similar to Rogers 2003.
  • While many critics have suggested that there is no sure way to hold students accountable for academic dishonesty, Heberling (2002) concluded that while maintaining academic integrity in the online instructional setting may be a challenging, many strategies may be employed to detect and prevent plagiarism, such as reversing an Internet search, tracking back to an original source.
  • 10 keys to quality online learning
  • Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted. Students can take full responsibility for their own learning. Students are motivated to want to learn. The course provides “mental white space” for reflection. Learning activities appropriately match student learning styles. Experiential, active learning augments the Web site learning environment, Solitary and interpersonal learning activities are interspersed. Inaccurate prior learning is identified and corrected. “Spiral learning” provides for revisiting and expanding prior lessons, The master teacher is able to guide the overall learning process. (p. 6-17)
  • Alley and Jansak (2001)
ian august

Review of Weimer, Learning-Centered Teaching - 0 views

  • Chapter two examines the effects of too much teacher control and its adverse effects on student motivation, confidence, and enthusiasm for learning. Students are more likely to become self-regulated learners when some of the conditions of their learning are more in their control. Weimer does not advocate abandoning our professional responsibility and letting students determine course content or whether they will do assignments; instead she recommends that teachers establish parameters within which their students will select options. Increasing the decisions students can make about assignments and activities more fully engages them in the course and its content. Among Weimer’s suggestions are providing a variety of assignments to demonstrate learning the course outcomes (students choose a combination), negotiating policies about class participation, and letting students choose which material the teacher will review in class the period before a major test.&nbsp;
  • . The function of content in a learner-centered course changes from covering content to using content
  • describes the changed role of the teacher in a learner-centered classroom from sage on stage to guide on the side
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  • When the teacher dominates the learning, students take shallow approaches to learning.
  • 1.&nbsp; Teachers do learning tasks less. Assign to students some of the tasks of organizing the content, giving examples, summarizing discussions, solving problems, and drawing diagrams, charts, and graphs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; Teachers do less telling; students do more discovering. Give a quiz on your syllabus and policies without going over it first. Let students discover information in assigned readings without presenting it first or summarizing it later. &nbsp;3.&nbsp; Teachers do more design work. Design activities and assignments that move students to new skill levels, motivate engagement in the course content by doing the work of practitioners in the discipline, and that develop self-awareness of their learning of the content. 4.&nbsp;&nbsp; Faculty do more modeling. Demonstrate how a skilled learner (the teacher) continues to learn. Show them drafts of your articles, notes on your own reading in professional journals; talk aloud as you solve a problem, thereby revealing&nbsp; and modeling your thinking process. 5.&nbsp; Faculty do more to get students learning from and with each other. Create work for small groups to do in class. 6.&nbsp; Faculty work to create climates for learning. Create a climate that promotes interaction, autonomy, and responsibility (more in chapter five). 7.&nbsp; Faculty do more with feedback. In addition to assigning grades, use other means of providing frequent feedback (more in chapter six).
  • focuses on student responsibility for learning and how to promote it.
  • transforming passive students into autonomous learners
  • The more structured we make the environment, the more structure students need
  • The more motivation we provide, the less they find within themselves. The more responsibility for learning we try to assume, the less they accept on their own. The more control we exert, the more restive their response. We end up with students who have little commitment to and almost no respect for learning and who cannot function without structure and imposed control. (p. 98)
  • The more we decide for students, the more they expect us to decide.
  • eimer explains several strategies for creating a climate that produces self-regulated intrinsically motivated learners:&nbsp;
  • The instructor should “make the content relevant, demonstrate its power to answer questions, and otherwise show its apparent intrigue.” Make the student responsible for learning decisions by relying on logical consequences of action and inaction, rather than punishment. For example, to deal with lateness, present important material or assignments early in the period that you do not repeat, rather than deduct attendance points for lateness. Do not summarize chapters if students have not read them. If they arrive unprepared, put the unread material on a test; give frequent tests. Be consistent in administering policies. If your syllabus says late homework is not accepted, never accept late homework despite the heart-wrenching excuse offered by the student. Involve students in a discussion of creating a climate that promotes learning. Have this discussion early in the semester.&nbsp;Weimer’s suggestion for starting the discussion is to have students complete sentence stems such as “In the best class I ever had, teachers . . .” “In the best class I ever had, students . . .” “I learn best when . . .” “I feel most confident as a learner when . . .” (p. 108) Obtain feedback on the classroom climate occasionally and revisit the discussion of policies and procedures. Employ practices that “encourage students to encounter themselves as learners” (p. 111). Explain the purposes and benefits of assignments and projects; tell students what problems they might run into in doing the assignments and suggest remedies. Help them with time management. With group projects, provide guidance in managing the project, handling group dynamics, and assigning individual responsibilities.
  • helps us deal with the fact that almost all students will resist their teacher’s learning-centered approaches. Most of the learner-centered strategies recommended in this book change what students have become accustomed to. Understanding the reasons will help teachers deal with the inevitable student resistance when they present learner-centered practices and policies that withdraw the support students have become dependent upon during their first twelve years of schooling. The good news is that most students see the benefits of learner-centered approaches and benefit from them.
  • , why do students resist it? Based on her research, Weimer lists four reasons: Learner-centered approaches are more work. When the teacher does not summarize the important points in the chapter, the students will have to read it for themselves. When the teacher asks small groups to produce five applications of a concept, rather than supply it in a handout, the students have to do more work. Learner-centered approaches are more threatening. Students who lack confidence in themselves as learners become filled with anxiety at the prospect of becoming responsible for decisions that might be wrong. Students who are not used to questions with no single, authority-approved right answer are fearful of being wrong. Learner-centered approaches involve losses. The strategies recommended in this book are designed to move students to higher stages of self-directedness and higher stages of intellectual development. Moving from one stage to another requires a loss of certainty and the comfort that certainty brings. Learner-centered approaches may be beyond students. Some students’ lack of self-confidence or intellectual immaturity may prevent their accepting responsibility for their own learning.
  • overcome student resistance to learner-centered approache
  • The communication is frequent and explicit The communication encourages and positively reinforces The communication solicits feedback from students The communication resists their resistance.
  • developmental approach to transforming passive dependent learners into self-confident autonomous learners. Learners become self-directed in stages, not in one sin
  • moment of transformatio
Heather Kurto

The Myth of Learning Styles - 0 views

  • . While many of those scientists seek to discover general principles of learning, we all acknowledge that there are differences among students. Understanding these differences and applying that understanding in the classroom can improve everyone's education
  • First, whether we call it talent, ability, or intelligence, people vary in their capacity to learn different areas of content
  • Second, and often intertwined with ability, students differ in their interests. If a student loves the piano, or basketball, or chess, or the biology of frogs, that student will no doubt learn material related to that subject faster than another one who does not share that fascination.
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  • Third, students differ in their background knowledge, and that difference influences their learning
  • Many students will report preferring to study visually and others through an auditory channel. However, when these tendencies are put to the test under controlled conditions, they make no difference—learning is equivalent whether students learn in the preferred mode or not
  • The emphasis on learning styles, we think, often comes at the cost of attention to these other important dimension
  • just as our social selves have personalities, so do our memories.
  • Finally, some students have specific learning disabilities, and these affect their learning in specific ways.
  • The proof that the learning-styles theorist must find is that for some sort of content—whether it be math, poetry, or dodgeball—changing the mode of presentation to match the learning styles helps people learn. That evidence has simply not been found.
  • While such evidence of learning styles would serve as a proof that they exist, the lack of evidence does not prove definitively that they do not exist
  • Teachers should take into account the differences in learners' abilities. And adjusting a lesson not just to be appropriately pitched at the students' level of ability but to take into account their background knowledge and interests is surely an important first step in fostering learning.
  • if a student believes she is a visual learner and therefore disengages and daydreams when a lecturer turns off the PowerPoint and tells a story, this will prevent her from learning the concept through a compelling narrative. And while these beliefs may not have as direct an impact on performance reviews as they do in K-12 settings, a belief in learning styles occasionally shows up in student evaluations of teaching:
  • (can the auditory learner learn geography through hearing it? Can the visual learner become better at music by seeing it?)
  • Third, learning-styles theory has succeeded in becoming “common knowledge.” Its widespread acceptance serves as an unfortunately compelling reason to believe it
  • econd, learning-styles theory is sometimes offered as a reason to include digital media in the classroom.
  • . We shouldn't congratulate ourselves for showing a video to engage the visual learners or offering podcasts to the auditory learners. Rather, we should realize that the value of the video or audio will be determined by how it suits the content that we are asking students to learn and the background knowledge, interests, and abilities that they bring to i
  • Assessment of student interest can also be a useful tool for deciding how to approach the material in a given class
  • Students differ in their abilities, interests, and background knowledge, but not in their learning styles. Students may have preferences about how to learn, but no evidence suggests that catering to those preferences will lead to better learning. As college educators, we should apply this to the classroom by continuing to present information in the most appropriate manner for our content and for the level of prior knowledge, ability, and interests of that particular set of students.
  •  
    Great article for all teachers. Thank you!
Donna Angley

A Constructivist Approach to Teaching - 1 views

  • Presenting instructional content online requires faculty to consider course objectives and the learning outcomes that are produced. How those outcomes are achieved and by how many students are important concerns of higher education institutions and their faculty members
  • Constructivism, on the other hand, is founded on the notion that “the only important reality is in the learner’s mind, and the goal of learning is to construct in the learner’s mind its own, unique conception of events”
  • learner is not a passive recipient but rather the center of instruction
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  • constructivists believe in independent exploration by students that will lead to a deeper understanding of the content
  • cooperative/collaborative approach
  • socio-cultural model
  • cooperative or collaborative model of learning argues that learning occurs as an individual interacts with other individuals
  • socio-cultural model of learning argues that learning best occurs when the learning event is meaningful, more deeply or elaborately processed, situated in context, and rooted in the learner’s cultural background and personal knowledge
  • one goal is to create a meaningful environment that includes communication and collaboration
  • New technologies allow for construction of knowledge through what is actually deeper reflection by the learner
  • Through groups and other learning interactions with their online peers, students acquire deeper understanding because of the “opportunities for exposure to multiple perspectives and interpretations
  • Learning involves active cognitive processing
  • Learning is adaptive
  • &nbsp; Learning is subjective, not objective
    • jessica mascle
       
      again, does it need to be balanced?
  • Learning involves both social/cultural and individual processes
  • socializing function by fostering a friendly environment
  • Organizing involves setting the objectives, procedural rules, and timetables
  • intellectual role, guide the students’ journey to understanding. This is accomplished by probing and questioning students about their responses, by summarizing main themes, and by linking these to assignments such as readings, written responses, and independent and group projects.
  • discussion board posts serve as learning artifacts as well as springboards for more learning and the development of community
  • social negotiation and mediation
  • authentic and real-world environments
  • Teachers serve primarily as guides and facilitators
  • prompting students to develop their own inquiry questions
  • allowing students to express their knowledge through multiple avenues
  • encouraging group projects and collaborative learning
  • If, on the other hand, we believe that learners actively construct knowledge in their attempts to make sense of their world, then learning will likely emphasize the development of meaning and understanding
  • use of discussion boards
  • provide forums that require students to research an area of interest and report back to the class in the forum
  • incorporates collaborative elements
  • instructor should build in as many collaborative opportunities for group work
  •  
    ooooh execllent tags highlighting and comments!!
  •  
    The author contends that using a learning-centered, or constructivist, approach in online courses is critical to student success.
alexandra m. pickett

VIRTUAL TRANSFORMATION: WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY AND PEDAGOGICAL CHANGE - 2 views

  • One online instructor (Alley 1996) has described this changing pedagogical consciousness as an �instructional epiphany�.� Alley tells of a personal transformation, stimulated by online instruction, marked by two "milestones". First, he had to totally redesign his course to fit and leverage the new learning environment. Second, he had to rethink what he calls his �basic approach�: �As long as I held on to the traditional �sage-on-stage� style of teaching, I would keep reinventing ways for students to be a passive audience� (1996:51).� Similar changes in pedagogical belief and practice have been reported by other faculty who have taught web-based courses (Brown 1998; Jaffee 1997; Cremer 1998) as well as researchers who have interviewed online instructors (Frank 2000).�� There are clearly some �structural constraints� built into the virtual classroom ecology that make it difficult to implement traditional modes of delivery and, in this sense, almost force instructors to entertain active learning strategies. As Frank (2000) discovered in her study of online instructors, "All of the participants saw online learning as empowering for students. The most valuable benefits were the facilitation of active learning, critical thinking, collaboration, confidence, and lifelong learning habits. A common theme was the way in which the teacher is forced to give up the control that one has in a face-to-face environment and re-examine the traditional role of content deliverer".� Just as the physical classroom architecture imposes constraints on, and opportunities for, particular pedagogical practices, so too does the virtual classroom. John Seely Brown (2000) has described the environment of the world-wide-web as a �learning ecology� that is a self-organized evolving collection of cross-pollinating overlapping communities of interest.� Asynchronous web-based courses that include a discussion forum possess many of the same ecological features. All members of the class can receive and broadcast information at any time. This critical communication feature distinguishes the virtual classroom from prior forms of instructional technology.�� While instructors can mediate and guide, they cannot entirely control the flow of communication. Thus, instructor and student roles and relations are less hierarchical and more overlapping and interactive. These greater opportunities for participation can contribute to a greater diversity of opinion and perspective. It is hard work to establish these social dynamics in a physical classroom constrained by a fixed space, a designated time block, and trained inhibitions. The virtual classroom, in contrast, has the potential to establish new patterns of instructor and student interaction and, accordingly, different teaching and learning roles and practices (Girod and Cavanaugh 2001; Becker and Ravitz 1999). ��������� In making comparisons between the physical and virtual classroom, it is important to emphasize a cautionary caveat. The pedagogical ecology, be it a physical classroom or a virtual interface, cannot entirely determine a particular pedagogical practice or learning outcome. The pedagogical ecology offers opportunities and constraints that will shape and influence classroom dynamics and learning outcomes, but much will also depend on the principles informing, and the actual design of, the teaching and learning process (see Chamberlin 2001). The various practices that are employed in both a physical and a virtual classroom indicate the range of possibilities. However, if we believe that, for the purpose of student learning, active student engagement and interaction is preferable to the passive reception of information, we should consider the degree to which this principle is advanced or facilitated by the expanding virtual learning ecology.�
  • Sociological theories and concepts have an important role to play in analyzing and interpreting these developments. A central sociological proposition is that structural environments influence the social perceptions, roles, and relations of human actors.� As increasing numbers of students and faculty find themselves operating in virtual learning environments, we might also expect to find some changing instructional dynamics. More specifically, there are a number of questions worth exploring. What are the relationships between the technical, the social, and the pedagogical infrastructures?� How has the introduction of new instructional technologies influenced established pedagogical practices? How does the shift from a physical classroom to a virtual learning environment shape and reconfigure the social roles and relations among faculty and students? What consequences will these technologies have for developing pedagogical practices?
  • have less to do with the proven effectiveness of the particular practice than the desire to appear legitimate or conform to normative expectations.�
  •  
    "eaching Sociology"
Joy Quah Yien-ling

MODELS FOR ACTIVITIES AND COLLABORATION IN WIKI ENVIRONMENTS IN ACADEMIC COURSES - 1 views

  • Cooperation (1): the simplest collaborative model (Dillenbourg, 1999; Schneider et. al, 2003) and the basis for all the other models.&nbsp;&nbsp; In this model, most of the work is performed individually. Every student creates a Wiki page, writing and editing only his/her page and share his/her product with his peers.
  • Collaboration and Cooperation (2): in this model, the degree of collaboration is higher than in the previous model, because all students are required to work together on the same content, in groups or as one group, and to edit and improve it together (Dillenbourg, 1999; Schneider et. al, 2003).
  • Cooperation, Collaboration and&nbsp; Peer-Assessment (3): in the final model,&nbsp; the most complex of all, collaboration is implemented with respect to all dimensions: product, process and assessment. Students work in groups or alone, upload information to Wiki, edit each other’s products and provide peer feedback about the parts that they did not write (Dominick, Reilly &amp; McGourty, 1997; Morgan &amp; O’reilly, 1999).
  •  
    The article proposes three models for cooperation in Wiki environments. But this is also salient for online collaboration.
Irene Watts-Politza

Online Teaching Effectiveness: A Tale of Two Instructors | Gorsky | The International R... - 0 views

  • We propose, as have others (i.e., Shea, Pickett, &amp; Pelz, 2003), that the community of inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson, &amp; Archer, 2000) reflects the principles of good practice in undergraduate education and can accurately quantify them.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      Go, Dr. Pickett!
  • issues of pedagogy, dialogue, and interaction
  • guide the coding of transcripts.
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  • Social presence is the perceived presence of others in mediated communication (Rourke, Garrison, &amp; Archer, 1999), which Garrison et al. (2000) contend supports both cognitive and teaching presence through its ability to instigate, to sustain, and to support interaction. It had its genesis in the work of John Dewey and is consistent with all theoretical approaches to learning in higher education.
  • Teaching presence is defined as “the design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing [students’] personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile outcomes” (Anderson et al., 2001, p.5). Vygotsky’s (1978) scaffolding analogies illustrate an assistive role for teachers in providing instructional support to students from their position of greater content knowledge. Although many authors recommend a “guide on the side” approach to moderating student discussions, a key feature of this social cognition model is the adult, the expert, or the more skilled peer who scaffolds a novice’s learning
  • Shea, Pickett, &amp; Pelz , 2004
  • Each category of a tutor’s presence is vital to learning and to the establishment of the learning community; tutors' behavior must be such that they are seen to be “posting regularly, responding in a timely manner and modeling good online communication and interaction” (Palloff &amp; Pratt, 2003, p.118). Without an instructor’s explicit guidance and “teaching presence,” students were found to engage primarily in “serial monologues” (Pawan et al., 2003). Baker (2004) discovered that “instructor immediacy, i.e., teaching presence (Rourke et al., 1999), was a more reliable predictor of effective cognitive learning than whether students felt close to each other. Studies have demonstrated that instructor participation in threaded discussion is critical to the development of social presence (Shea, Li, Swan, &amp; Pickett, 2005; Swan &amp; Shih, 2005) and sometimes not fully appreciated by online faculty (Liu, Bonk, Magjuka, Lee, &amp; Su, 2005). Shea, Li, and Pickett (2006) proposed that teaching presence – viewed as the core role of the online instructor – is a promising mechanism for developing learning community in online environments.
  • students ranked instructor modeling as the most important element in building online community, while instructors ranked it fourth.
  • Shea (2006), who completed an extensive study of teaching presence and online learning, concluded that two categories (“design” and “directed facilitation”) sufficed to define the construct.
  • Kalman, Ravid, Raban, and Rafaeli (2006) argued that interactivity is an essential characteristic of effective online communication and plays an important role in keeping message threads and their authors together. Interactive communication (online as well as in traditional settings) is engaging, and loss of interactivity results in a breakdown of the communicative process.
  • Research indicates the existence of a relationship between learners’ perceptions of social presence and their motivation for participation in online discussions (Weaver &amp; Albion, 2005).
  • Northrup (2002) found that online learners felt it was important for instructors to promote collaboration and conversation. When interactive activities are carefully planned, they lead not only to greater learning but also to enhanced motivation (Berge 1999; Northrup, 2002).
  • Researchers have suggested that timing of messages can serve as a proxy for a sense of social presence (Blanchard, 2004), as an indication of attentiveness (Walther &amp; Bunz, 2005) or respect (Bargh &amp; McKenna, 2004), and as a clue to the sociability of a community (Maloney-Krichmar &amp; Preece, 2005). As such, the frequency of messages may serve as a signal for how engaged participants are with the community.
    • Irene Watts-Politza
       
      Agreed.
  • Eom found that the most significant factors for increasing student satisfaction with online classes are paying attention to students and responding to their concerns.
  • The highly esteemed instructor was especially active from semester midpoint to semester end; she more than doubled her active participation in both teaching presence (especially discourse and instruction) and social presence (all three categories).
  • the lack of specific, progressively structured inquiry tasks and/or the lack of facilitation skills (teaching presence/facilitating discourse) may have contributed to the relatively limited occurrences of cognitive presence.
  • something else accounted for the extreme satisfaction and dissatisfaction experienced by students in the two forums. The something else may be the two exceptional events that occurred during the third month: The instructor held in low esteem became nearly dysfunctional, while the highly esteemed instructor exhibited very high teacher presence and social presence (see Table 3 and 4).
  • Shea, Pickett, and Pelt (2003) found that students’ perceived teacher presence also correlates with perceived learning as well as with students’ satisfaction with the forum. This correlation points to the tentative conclusion that teaching presence affords learning by setting a convenient climate.
  • we suggest that students’ perceived learning in course forums has a significant impact on their participation
  • the table is suggestive of the eventual possibility of having an “objective” tool for evaluating the quality of a given forum.
  • (Anderson et al., 2001).
  • Teaching effectiveness may be defined as how an instructor can best direct, facilitate, and support students toward certain academic ends, such as achievement and satisfaction. Teaching effectiveness has been investigated extensively in traditional classrooms for more than seven decades (for a meta-analysis of empirical studies from 1995-2004, see Seidel &amp; Shavelson, 2007). Over the past five years, research has become directed toward teaching effectiveness in online or virtual classes. As a preface to our study, we discuss findings and conclusions concerning teaching effectiveness in traditional classrooms.
  • Journal Help ISSN: 1492-3831 Journal Content Search All Authors Title Abstract Index terms Full Text Browse By Issue By Author By Title User Username Password Remember me Article Tools Abstract Print this article Indexing metadata How to cite item Review policy Email this article (Login required) Email the author (Login required) Post a Comment (Login required) Font Size Make font size smaller Make font size default Make font size larger SUBSCRIBE TO MAILING LIST 5,591&nbsp; subscribers Select Language​▼ function googleTranslateElementInit() { new google.translate.TranslateElement({ pageLanguage: 'en', autoDisplay: false, layout: google.translate.TranslateElement.InlineLayout.SIMPLE }, 'google_translate_element'); } Home About Register Archives Announcements Resources Submissions http://www.irrodl.org/
  • One of the most widely cited sources for teacher effectiveness in traditional classrooms is Chickering and Gamson (1987), who suggested seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.
  • encourages student-faculty contact, encourages cooperation among students, encourages active learning, gives prompt feedback, emphasizes time on task, communicates high expectations, respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
diane hamilton

Teach - 0 views

  • The M-BOD scenarios sketched out above differ from those described in the EL section in that the former take seriously the role of desire in student learning. In the M-BOD scenarios, students resource their creative and dramatic selves to become their own guides in working out the meaning(s) of History, ethics, bullying, etc. This learning is “deep” because it involves the body in several ways: Sometimes bodies actually get up and move through space (i.e., the walking dance or doing field research) Students are prompted to respond to situations more than follow directions; these situations require them to “read” other people and multiple texts and contexts Students’ formal presentations (their strategic, other-directed productions) elicit actual responses from people, which (whether good or bad, or a mix) then require some expression and reflection Back to Discussion of "Situating M-BOD" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Preface One: Situating Embodied Learning Two: Case Study: Oliver Identity and Learning: “Follow What I Am Doing: Do The Rules That I’m Doing: It’s Very CoM-pli-cated” Improvisational/Feedback "1,2,3...16, 17,18, NineTEEN" Innovation: “I Can Look At Your Cards” Producelike Behavior: "Why Do The Make Queen Better Than Jack?" Conclusion: "The Bricolage, The Music, The Movement" Three: Implications for the Literacy Autobiography Assignment &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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    example of embodied learning and distinguishing it from traditional learning and experiential learning
Heather Kurto

Analysis of a Rubric for Assessing Depth of Classroom Reflections - 0 views

  • Retention and transfer of learned material are important—although too often merely implicit—goals of classes at the university level. Factors that enhance retention and transfer of learning are now key areas of research, and one frequently recommended method of enhancing these goals is to incorporate reflection into classroom practices (Saito &amp; Miwa, 2007
  • Boyle, Duffy, and Dunleavy (2003) demonstrated that deep learners are characterized by being intrinsically motivated, able to relate new materials to previously learned information, and able to critically evaluate information; deep learning is also positively related to grade point average (GPA) and average exam scores
  • Finally, reflection has been linked
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • incorporating reflections into the classroom is an important opportunity to increase depth of learning in the classroom. This study adds to this growing body of literature by presenting a new method for collecting and assessing reflections to make this incorporation more feasible
  • to deeper thinking (Short &amp; Rinehart, 1993
  • Retention and transfer of learning are two variables related to knowledge, and their relationship to reflections should be studied explicitly rather than inferred from correlates (e.g., the relationship between reflection depth and GPA)
Danielle Melia

EBSCOhost: The Relationship between Flexible and Self-Regulated Learning in Open and D... - 0 views

  •  
    Flexibility in learning provides a student room for volitional control and an array of strategies and encourages persistence in the face of difficulties. Autonomy in and control over one's learning process can be seen as a condition for self-regulated learning. There are a number of categories and dimensions for flexible learning; following professional publications, time, location, lesson content, pedagogy method, learning style, organization, and course requirements are all elements to consider. Using these categories and the dimensions of flexible learning, we developed and validated a questionnaire for an open and distance learning setting. This article reports on the results from a study investigating the relationship between flexible learning and self-regulated learning strategies. The results show the positive effects of flexible learning and its three factors, time management, teacher contact, and content, on self-regulated learning strategies (cognitive, metacognitive, and resource-based). Groups that have high flexibility in learning indicate that they use more learning strategies than groups with low flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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