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garth nichols

Beyond teacher egocentrism: design thinking | Granted, and... - 2 views

grantwiggins.wordpress.com/...er-egocentrism-design-thinking

Design education curriculum

shared by garth nichols on 27 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • As teachers we understandably believe that it is the ‘teaching’ that causes learning. But this is too egocentric a formulation. As I said in my previous post, the learner’s attempts to learn causes all learning.
  • From this viewpoint, the teacher is merely one resource for learning, no different from a book, a peer, an experience, or an experimental result.
  • It is the learner who decides to try to learn (or not) from what happens.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • We think like a designer, not like a teacher, when we say: the teacher is just one element in the design. The choice of task, pedagogy, groupings, flow of work, resources, furniture, light, noise level, role of people and text – all of these design elements are arguably as important as the teacher.
  • What are those conditions, in a nutshell? I would highlight the following: Thought-provoking intellectual challenges (inquiries, questions, problems) The challenge has been designed to optimize self-sustaining and productive work by learners, related to a clear and intellectually worthy goal The learners have become reasonably competent in classroom routines that foster productive goal-focused work The challenge cannot be accomplished by a worksheet, checklist or recipe. It requires strategic use of knowledge and skill, creative problem-solving, and critical thinking; and the eliciting of multiple perspectives on how to address the challenge and gauge progress. There is an unambiguous product or performance goal (even if there is ambiguity about how to achieve the goal), supported by clear criteria and standards, thus permitting ongoing student self-assessment and self-adjustment. There is enough feedback within the challenge (and resources) that the work can be maximally self-sustaining and productive. The teacher is therefore freed up to coach for a significant amount of time, permitting personalized feedback and guidance (as well as just-in-time mini-lessons). This coaching role also permits the teacher to determine what is and isn’t working in the challenge, and thus enables the teacher to quickly change gears if the desired learning is not occurring or the process is not working.
  • In other words, it is a poor design for learning that puts all the burden of teaching and processing on the teacher. Then, the teacher can neither coach nor understand what is going on in the minds of learners. Worse, endless teaching, no matter how expert, soon becomes passive and without much meaning to learners who must wait days, sometimes weeks, to get meaningful chances to interact with the content, to try out their ideas on others, and to get the feedback they need.
  • Group-worthy tasks – Focus on central concepts or big ideas that require active meaning-making The challenge itself has ambiguity or limited scaffold and prompting so that student meaning-making and different inferences about the task and how to address it will emerge. Are best accomplished by ensuring that multiple perspectives are found tried out in addressing the task. This not only rewards creative and non-formulaic thought but undercuts the likelihood that one strong student can do all the key work. Provide multiple ways of being competent in the task work and the task process Can only be done well by a group, but are designed to foster both individual and group autonomy. (The teacher’s role as teacher and direction-giver should be minimized to near zero). Demand both individual and group accountability Have clear evaluation criteria
Derek Doucet

What Project-Based Learning Is - and What It Isn't | MindShift - 3 views

blogs.kqed.org/...ect-based-learning-is-and-isnt

ProjectBasedLearning pedagogy collaboration Technology SAMR

shared by Derek Doucet on 22 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • For Terronez, the goal is to always connect classroom learning to its applications in the outside world.
  • If you inspire them to care about it and draw parallels with their world then they care and remember,”
  • takes a lot of diligent planning by the teacher to design projects that give students space to explore themes and real-world resonance to make it meaningful for them. And it takes trust in the students, as well.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • hen students arrived on the first day of school they found an empty classroom. The first project Terronez asked his students to undertake was designing their own learning space, one that would support experience-based, collaborative learning.
  • Terronez asked his students to design an iPod app that would solve a real-world problem. They came up with an idea, designed the display icon, figured out how users would navigate the app, prototyped sample tabs, then pitched their mock-up to an audience.
  • In a project exploring air pressure, Terronez’s students built their own hovercrafts using a leaf blower as the engine. When the hovercrafts worked, the students designed 3D representations of themes from “Freedom Fighters,” a Discovery School education video about racial struggles featuring the stories of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. Their creations were featured in a hovercraft parade on Election Day.
  • Take a look at High Tech High art teacher Jeff Robin’s video explaining the difference between project-oriented learning and project-based learning.
  • Derek Doucet on 22 Jan 15
     
    A good explanation of the importance of rooting learning in authenticity. It would be interesting to explore this all with the different lenses of TPACK, TIM, SAMR
garth nichols

Connected Learning: An Agenda for Research and Design | DML Hub - 1 views

dmlhub.net/...ing-agenda-research-and-design

curriculum education

shared by garth nichols on 09 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • garth nichols on 09 Apr 13
     
    Connected Learning: socially embedded, interest-driven and oriented learning.  You would want to read this if you are looking at how to break down your classroom walls and seek opportunities for PBL and IBL authentic learning experiences...
amacrae

The Third Teacher - 1 views

DIIGO_FILE_HOME/5qz9p/5nc2

shared by amacrae on 19 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • 2Getting Started with the Physical EnvironmentOVERALL ...It is both an art and a science to design (as opposed to decorate) a learning environment that responds to our ultimate goal as educators – to develop independent and rigorous thought. Therefore, if we want to foster discovery and reflection, dialogue and the sharing of ideas, the overall physical environment should include:•A large gathering space for whole-group work and discussions, located near whiteboards, easels and/or projector screens.•A gathering space for small-group and whole-group discussions – where students can see clearly the representations of learning that are posted on boards or screens and hear classmates as they share ideas.•Flexible and reconfigurable space for small-group collaborative work and inquiry – space must allow for groupings of various sizes, such as pairs, triads and groups of four or more.•Desks and tables configured to facilitate discussion by allowing eye contact with peers and teacher, the unencumbered flow of traffic and enough space for students to write collaboratively.•Active areas for inquiry, investigation and wonder and quiet areas for thinking and exploring technology – all areas need to be accessible to students for communicating and documenting their own learning (e.g., computers, computer software, tablets, digital cameras and video recorders, document cameras, interactive white boards).•Instructional materials organized in such a way as to provide easy selection and access for all students – materials may include computer software, educational web sites and applications, found materials, graphic organizers, newspapers and other media, resource texts, etc.FOR MATHEMATICS ...Mathematically literate students demonstrate the capacity to “formulate, employ and interpret mathematics” (OECD, 2012, p. 4); they view themselves as mathematicians, knowing that mathematics can be used to understand important issues and to solve meaningful problems, not just in school but in life. By extension, the physical environment for mathematics learning should include: •Spaces where students can use manipulatives to solve problems and record their solutions.•Board and/or wall space to display student solutions for Math Congress and Bansho – student solutions should be easily visible from the group gathering space.•Space to post co-created reference charts such as glossary terms and past and current summaries of learning that specifically support the development of the big ideas currently under study.•Instructional materials organized in such a way as to provide easy selection and access for all students; may include mathematics manipulatives, calculators and other mathematical tools, mathematical texts, hand-held technology.FOR LITERACY ... Today’s literate learners experience “a constant stream of ideas and information” – they need strategies for interpretation and making sense and lots of practice in identifying meaning, bias and perspective (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009, 2006). By extension, the physical environment for literacy learning should include: •Spaces where students can talk, listen, read and write.A place for wonder, mystery and discovery ...“We need to think about creating classroom environments that give children the opportunity for wonder, mystery and discovery; an environment that speaks to young children’s inherent curiosity and innate yearning for exploration is a classroom where children are passionate about learning and love school.” (Heard & McDonough, 2009)
  • maintain that the key to learning in today’s world is not just the physical space we provide for students but the social space as well (
  • A large gathering space
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • mall-
Justin Medved

How Do I Differentiate Through Project-Based Learning? - TeachThought PD - 3 views

wegrowteachers.com/...-a-project-based-learning-unit

PBL

shared by Justin Medved on 21 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Justin Medved on 21 Nov 16
     
    "There are many opportunities to differentiate from the start of a PBL unit to its climactic conclusion. In my book, So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide for Differentiation (February 2017), I explain that the key is to think of Differentiation as a lens that's used to view lessons and units for planned opportunities of supports that meet all learner needs. For PBL units, as with traditional units, lesson planning is where the learning experiences take shape. Here are some PBL strategies that can be differentiated to bring out the power of meeting learner needs, so all can learn. Strong PBL units include standard elements that make for rich experiences. They include: Authentic Purpose Entry Event Need to Know protocol Checkpoints Student Voice"
Justin Medved

Big Picture | 4.0 Schools - 0 views

4pt0.org/big-picture

shared by Justin Medved on 11 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • Justin Medved on 11 Sep 13
     
    "4.0 Schools launches ventures that solve tough problems in education. We bring educators, entrepreneurs and technologists together to deliver relevant solutions that reimagine the way we teach and learn. Our community has a bias toward products that aren't band-aids on an outdated system. Instead, they are anchored to new ways of thinking about a fundamental set of questions: What is school for? Where does learning happen? What should kids learn? Who delivers learning?"
Derek Doucet

4 Phases of Inquiry-Based Learning: A Guide For Teachers - 3 views

www.teachthought.com/...-based-learning-guide-teachers

IBL PBL personalized edtech

shared by Derek Doucet on 28 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • 4 Phases Of Inquiry-Based Learning: A Guide For Teachers
  • Learning focuses around a meaningful, ill-structured problem that demands consideration of diverse perspectives Academic content-learning occurs as a natural part of the process as students work towards finding solutions Learners, working collaboratively, assume an active role in the learning process Teachers provide learners with learning supports and rich multiple media sources of information to assist students in successfully finding solutions Learners share and defend solutions publicly in some manner”
  • Derek Doucet on 28 Apr 14
     
    A great guide complete with edtech that helps to facilitate each of the steps of the process.
Derek Doucet

BLU - 0 views

www.blendedlearning.org/directory

SAMR blended learning edtech

shared by Derek Doucet on 17 Jun 15 - No Cached
  • The Christensen Institute maintains a Blended Learning directory, a rapidly growing, searchable catalog of K–12 blended-learning programs worldwide. Use this tool to search for K–12 blended-learning programs.
  • Derek Doucet on 17 Jun 15
     
    Here is a site that highlights schools in the US that are using Blended Learning to engage and enrich the learning for students.
mmekraus

Educational Leadership:Feedback for Learning:Seven Keys to Effective Feedback - 3 views

www.ascd.org/...eys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx

feedback assessment Wiggins formative

shared by mmekraus on 17 Oct 15 - No Cached
  • Expert coaches uniformly avoid overloading performers with too much or too technical information. They tell the performers one important thing they noticed that, if changed, will likely yield immediate and noticeable improvement ("I was confused about who was talking in the dialogue you wrote in this paragraph"). They don't offer advice until they make sure the performer understands the importance of what they saw.
  • I say "in most cases" to allow for situations like playing a piano piece in a recital. I don't want my teacher or the audience barking out feedback as I perform. That's why it is more precise to say that good feedback is "timely" rather than "immediate."
    • Melissa Jolicoeur
      Melissa Jolicoeur on 17 Oct 15
       
      Interesting thoughts about the nature and speed of feedback. Connecting the ideas of coaching and learning new skills to in classroom learning.
    • Melissa Jolicoeur
      Melissa Jolicoeur on 17 Oct 15
       
      How do you provide feedback to your students? What is your most effective strategy both in terms of benefit to student learning and your own time? 
    • Melissa Jolicoeur
      Melissa Jolicoeur on 17 Oct 15
       
      How do you provide feedback to your students? What is your most effective strategy both in terms of benefit to student learning and your own time? 
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • eedback is often used to describe all kinds of comments made after the fact, including advice, praise, and evaluation
  • Whether the feedback was in the observable effects or from other people, in every case the information received was not advice,
  • Guidance would be premature; I first need to receive feedback on what I did or didn't do that would warrant such advice.
  • Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person,
  • Formative assessment, consisting of lots of feedback and opportunities to use that feedback, enhances performance and achievement
  • Decades of education research support the idea that by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning
  • Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent.
  • feedback is information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal.
  • by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning
  • The most ubiquitous form of evaluation, grading, is so much a part of the school landscape that we easily overlook its utter uselessness as actionable feedback.
  • Melissa Jolicoeur on 17 Oct 15
     
    Learning from coaching and learning in other situations to giving feedback in classrooms.
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  • alainarobcon on 17 Oct 15
     
    How to effectively feedback to students
  • Andrew McNiven on 17 Oct 15
     
    Great article to see the value of formative assessment and feedback
  • mmekraus on 17 Oct 15
     
    Useful for all teachers!
  • Ryan Archer on 19 Oct 15
     
    Worth checking out. Worth buying the journal.
garth nichols

An innovative pilot project in Alberta asks …"Do credit hours equal learning?... - 1 views

www.cea-ace.ca/...Cdo-credit-hours-equal-learnin

credit learning education

shared by garth nichols on 28 Feb 13 - No Cached
  • Many years ago we might have been able to argue that schools were organized in ways that fit with conventional knowledge about how young people learn. Our knowledge about learning has grown immensely since the turn of the twentieth century and yet the school day, especially in high schools, looks very much the same as it did 100 years ago.
  • Outcomes of the project will likely be available in 2013, but regular updates will be posted on the project website where you can also find a copy of the literature review written to stimulate thinking about innovative practices for high school redesign including, Increasing learning opportunities for students; Enhancing engagement of students in their learning; Addressing diverse learning needs of students; Enhancing relationships in the school community; and, Enhancing teacher collaboration.
  • garth nichols on 28 Feb 13
     
    Do credits = hours?
sallymastro

Mobile Tech in Classrooms Boost English Learners - New America Media - 0 views

newamericamedia.org/...-english-learners-a-leg-up.php

shared by sallymastro on 27 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • when a student asked Nieto if he could bring his iPod to class, Nieto agreed, and neither teacher nor student has looked back since.
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      Whether iphone or ereaders...allowing students to use technology to enhance the learning process is something I am starting to approach with a more open mind.
  • said mobile devices are particularly useful because of the many learning applications and basic language tools, such as spell check and grammar check, which increase the speed of learning. Rather than view the mobile applications as learning shortcuts tantamount to cheating, Nieto sees them as motivational tools that increase his students’ interest in reading and writing by giving them instant feedback. It’s a perspective most of his students seem to share.
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      Instant feedback is what I am looking for in the English classroom. I want to be able to provide constructive criticism more immediately, so the students can edit at the moment as opposed to waiting a day or two days to receive my comments on a writing piece.
  • as motivational tools that increase his students’ interest in reading and writing by giving them instant feedback.
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      When I indicated to my students that they could use kindles, kobos or ireaders/iphones for the ISU novel study unit, they were quite excited and quickly retained copies of ISU via this means. I am still using paper copies of the books as well, but I want to be able to have choice in their methods of acquiring texts and engaging in the reading process.
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  • Project Tomorrow survey of roughly 300,000 K-12 students, 42,000 parents, 38,000 teachers and librarians, and 3,500 administrators from over 6,500 public and private schools, on how they are using—and would like to be using —new technologies in the classroom.
  • “I know the main reasons mobile technology is not welcome in the classroom are fear and misunderstanding about the structure that it gives the learning,” said Reina Cabezas, a teacher at Cox Elementary in Oakland, Calif., who is also doing masters thesis research on the topic of mobile devices in the classroom.
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      Currently my students are participating in their ISU novel study. They are currently reading and annotating their novels. I have indicated to my students that ireaders or ereaders are the quickest means to accessing a text as opposed to waiting one to two weeks for a book if it has had to be ordered. With the ireaders and ereaders they can now annotate and highlight important or interesting passages as they read. I would like to be able to have the students bring these technology tools to class. I have indicated that this is the direction in which I am going with ISU study, and so far, my Director has indicated he will back in allowing the kids to bring ereaders/ireaders to class. Fingers crossed it will bring positive and engaging results.
  • The results show that while the majority of students—and, perhaps surprisingly, parents—are in favor of using mobile devices for learning as long as the school allows it, most school administrators remain opposed
  • “But I don't think we stop living because of fear, right? No, we educate ourselves and learn about the security measures, expectations of all stakeholders, and apply principles of successful models of mobile devices in the classroom. Most importantly, we realize that technology is a tool of efficacy for the teacher, not the teacher's replacement. Lastly, technology only engages and motivates students when teachers know how to use them strategically to keep the hook. Overuse of anything is never good.”
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      I am hoping that I will be able to show my Director and Head of School the successful incorporation of ereaders/ireaders into the English classroom.
    • sallymastro
      sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
       
      Ongoing concern within my school is the use of personal mobile devices in the classroom. Policy at our school is mobile phones are in the lockers and not used on school premises.
  • sallymastro on 27 Oct 12
     
    You should read this article because, like me, if you have been skeptical about the use of iphones in the classroom, you will be enlightened about how to proceed in a way that will make technologies in the classroom understandable to and meaningful for all stakeholders:administrators, teachers, parents and students. Stay tuned for my blog on incorporating ireaders/ereaders in the English classroom. 
Lisa Bettencourt

Personalized Learning | iTeach with iPads - 0 views

iteachwithipads.net/...personalized-learning-2

technology education cohort21 EdTech learning collaboration teaching ipads

shared by Lisa Bettencourt on 15 Oct 16 - No Cached
  • The real power of interactive technologies is that they let us learn in ways that aren’t otherwise possible or practical. – David Lassner
    • Lisa Bettencourt
      Lisa Bettencourt on 15 Oct 16
       
      One of my favourite quotes about technology use in the classroom. Make the impossible, possible.
  • I love sharing with others
  • The real power of interactive technologies is that they let us learn in ways that aren’t otherwise possible or practical. – David Lassner
  • Lisa Bettencourt on 15 Oct 16
     
    "Focus on the Learning!"
su11armstrong

Tips on building a personal learning network on Twitter | eSchool News | eSchool News - 2 views

www.eschoolnews.com/...personal-learning-network-304

tips personal learning network cohort21 collaboration

shared by su11armstrong on 20 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • su11armstrong on 20 Nov 13
     
    "Learn how to leverage Twitter's 140-character microblogging platform into your global Personal Learning Network (PLN)" This article (and its links) is a reminder of PLN benefits and a good place to start...
garth nichols

Change the Subject: Making the Case for Project-Based Learning | Edutopia - 0 views

www.edutopia.org/...s-larry-rosenstock-rob-riordan

project based learning staff_development learning projectbasedlearning

shared by garth nichols on 11 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • What should students learn in the 21st century? At first glance, this question divides into two: what should students know, and what should they be able to do? But there's more at issue than knowledge and skills.
  • For the innovation economy, dispositions come into play: readiness to collaborate, attention to multiple perspectives, initiative, persistence, and curiosity. While the content of any learning experience is important, the particular content is irrelevant. What really matters is how students react to it, shape it, or apply it. The purpose of learning in this century is not simply to recite inert knowledge, but, rather, to transform it.1 It is time to change the subject.
  • Expanding the "Big Four" Why not study anthropology, zoology, or environmental science? Why not integrate art with calculus, or chemistry with history? Why not pick up skills and understandings in all of these areas by uncovering and addressing real problems and sharing findings with authentic audiences? Why not invent a useful product that uses electricity, or devise solutions to community problems, all the while engaging in systematic observation, collaborative design, and public exhibitions of learning?
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  • What might students do in such schools, in the absence of prescribed subjects? They might work together in diverse teams to build robots, roller coasters, gardens, and human-powered submarines. They might write and publish a guide to the fauna and history of a nearby estuary, or an economics text illustrated with original woodcuts, or a children's astronomy book. They might produce original films, plays, and spoken word events on adolescent issues, Japanese internment, cross-border experiences, and a host of other topics. They might mount a crime scene exhibition linking art history and DNA analysis, or develop a museum exhibit of World War I as seen from various perspectives. They might celebrate returning warriors, emulating the bard in Beowulf, by interviewing local veterans and writing poems honoring their experiences. The possibilities are endless.
  • Changing the subject, then, means deriving the curriculum from the lived experience of the student. In this view, rather than a collection of fixed texts, the curriculum is more like a flow of events, accessible through tools that help students identify and extract rich academic content from the world: guidelines and templates for project development, along with activities and routines for observation and analysis, reflection, dialogue, critique, and negotiation.
garth nichols

What Students Will Learn In The Future - 0 views

www.teachthought.com/...dents-will-learn-in-the-future

21st Century Learning future

shared by garth nichols on 29 May 14 - No Cached
  • ust as advances in technology enabled the growth of science, the extremely rapid growth of technology we’re experiencing today is impacting our perspectives, tools, and priorities now. But beyond some mild clamor for a focus on “STEM,” there have been only minor changes in how we think of content–this is spite of extraordinary changes in how students connect, access data, and function on a daily basis.
  • What kind of changes might we expect in a perfect-but-still-classroom-and-content-based world? What might students learn in the future? Of course any response at all is pure speculation, but if we draw an arc from classical approaches to the Dewey approach to what might be next–factoring in technology change, social values, and criticisms of the current model–we may get a pretty decent answer. This assumes, of course a few things (all of which may be untrue): 1. We’ll still teach content 2. That content will be a mix of skills and knowledge 3. Said skills and knowledge will be thematically arranged into “content areas”
  • The Content Of The Future: 8 Content Areas For Tomorrow’s Students 1. Literacy Big Idea: Reading and writing in physical & digital spaces Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas included: Grammar, Word Parts, Greek & Latin Roots, The Writing Process, Fluency; all traditional content areas 2. Patterns Big Idea: How and why patterns emerge everywhere under careful study Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Grammar, Literature, Math, Geometry, Music, Art, Social Studies, Astronomy 3. Systems Big Idea: The universe—and every single thing in it–is made of systems, and systems are made of parts. Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Grammar, Law, Medicine, Science, Math, Music, Art, Social Studies, History, Anthropology, Engineering, Biology; all traditional content areas by definition (they’re systems, yes?) 4. Design Big Idea: Marrying creative and analytical thought Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Literature, Creativity, Art, Music, Engineering, Geometry 5. Citizenship Big Idea: Responding to interdependence Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Literature, Social Studies, History; Civics, Government, Theology 6. Data Big Idea: Recognizing & using information in traditional & non-traditional forms Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Math, Geometry, Science, Engineering, Biology; 7. Research Big Idea: Identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing diverse ideas Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: English, Math, Science; Humanities 8. Philosophy Big Idea: The nuance of thought Examples of traditional ideas and academic content areas include: Ethics, Literature/Poetry, Art, Music; Humanities
  • garth nichols on 29 May 14
     
    Great article to frame long term planning. What aspects of learning in the future do you already do? Set one as your goal for implementation next year...
anonymous

Discovery learning is the new higher learning - The Globe and Mail - 0 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article4610656

learning pedagogy

shared by anonymous on 07 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • anonymous on 07 Jan 14
     
    What type of learning is needed in high schools... globe and mail article
garth nichols

Why I'm Asking You Not to Use Laptops - Lingua Franca - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher... - 3 views

chronicle.com/...-asking-you-not-to-use-laptops

Laptops EdTech

shared by garth nichols on 05 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • On the first day of class, students and I spend the first 30-40 minutes learning something new about how language works (in order to set the tone for the class), and then we go over the syllabus. When we get to the laptop policy, I pause and say, “Let me tell you why I ask you generally not to use laptops in class.” And here’s the gist of what I say after that:
  • First, if you have your laptop open, it is almost impossible not to check email or briefly surf the Internet, even if you don’t mean to or have told yourself that you won’t. I have the same impulse if I have my laptop open in a meeting. The problem is that studies indicate that this kind of multitasking impairs learning; once we are on email/the web, we are no longer paying very good attention to what is happening in class. (And there is no evidence I know of that “practice” at doing this kind of multitasking is going to make you better at it!)
  • Now I know that one could argue that it is your choice about whether you want to use this hour and 20 minutes to engage actively with the material at hand, or whether you would like to multitask. You’re not bothering anyone (one could argue) as you quietly do your email or check Facebook. Here’s the problem with that theory: From what we can tell, you are actually damaging the learning environment for others, even if you’re being quiet about it. A study published in 2013 found that not only did the multitasking student in a classroom do worse on a postclass test on the material, so did the peers who could see the computer. In other words, the off-task laptop use distracted not just the laptop user but also the group of students behind the laptop user. (And I get it, believe me. I was once in a lecture where the woman in front of me was shoe shopping, and I found myself thinking at one point, “No, not the pink ones!” I don’t remember all that much else about the lecture.)
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • In addition, I can find your multitasking on a laptop a bit distracting as the instructor because sometimes you are not typing at the right times; I am not saying anything noteworthy and yet you are engrossed in typing, which suggests that you are doing something other than being fully engaged in our class. And that distracts my attention.
  • There’s also the issue of the classroom environment. I like to foster a sense of conversation here, even in a class of 100 students. If you are on a laptop, I and your peers are often looking at the back of your computer screen and the top of your head, rather than all of us making eye contact with each other. Learning happens best in a classroom when everyone is actively engaged with one another in the exchange of information. This can mean looking up from your notes to listen and to talk with others, which means you may need to make strategic decisions about what to write down. Note-taking is designed to support the learning and retention of material we talk about in class; note-taking itself is not learning. And speaking of what you choose to write down …
  • A study that came out in June—and which got a lot of buzz in the mainstream press—suggests that taking notes by hand rather than typing them on a laptop improves comprehension of the material. While students taking notes on a laptop (and only taking notes—they were not allowed to multitask) wrote down more of the material covered in class, they were often typing what the instructor said verbatim, which seems to have led to less processing of the material. The students taking notes by hand had to do more synthesizing and condensing as they wrote because they could not get everything down. As a result, they learned the material better.* I think there is also something to the ease with which one can create visual connections on a handwritten page through arrows, flow charts, etc.
  • I figure it is also good for all of us to break addictive patterns with email, texting, Facebook, etc. When you step back, it seems a bit silly that we can’t go for 80 minutes without checking our phones or other devices. Really, for most of us, what are the odds of an emergency that can’t wait an hour? We have developed the habit of checking, and you can see this class as a chance to create or reinforce a habit of not checking too.
  • Of course, if you need or strongly prefer a laptop for taking notes or accessing readings in class for any reason, please come talk with me, and I am happy to make that work. I’ll just ask you to commit to using the laptop only for class-related work.
  • garth nichols on 05 Jan 15
     
    Why we need a balanced approach to the use of computers in the classroom. This is a great partner-piece to Clay Shirky's from 2014...
Derek Doucet

Step by Step: Designing Personalized Learning Experiences For Students | MindShift | KQ... - 1 views

ww2.kqed.org/...rning-experiences-for-students

personalized learning learning vs. teaching collaboration

shared by Derek Doucet on 22 Oct 15 - No Cached
    • Derek Doucet
      Derek Doucet on 22 Oct 15
       
      What are your personal touches? How do you engage your students?
  • Educator Mia MacMeekin has put together a clear infographic hig
  • it’s referring to the personal touch of a teacher getting to know a student, learning about their interests and tailoring lessons to meet both their needs and their passion areas.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • hlighting some of the ways teachers design “personalized” curriculum.
Derek Doucet

CEFR and the DELF - 0 views

www.cpfalta.ab.ca/...CEFRandDELF.htm

CEFR DELF

shared by Derek Doucet on 22 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • The CEFR
  • was developed to promote language learning, to facilitate educational and occupational mobility, and to support plurilingualism and multiculturalism.
  • The CEFR is organized into six reference levels
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • A  Basic User B  Independent User C  Proficient User A1 Breakthrough A2 Waystage B1 Threshold B2 Vantage C1 Proficiency C2 Mastery
  • "The CEFR examines and values what an individual does know, based on their competencies. Its philosophical underpinning is that all individuals have the capacity to learn, there are many different ways to learn, that learning can continue throughout the life span.
  • Educators: learn more about the CEFR through an online professional learning workshop offered to members of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers. Contact mihaelavieru@caslt.org.
  • France has developed the Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) for levels A1 through B2 and the Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF) for levels C1 and C2. 
  • The DELF/DALF are offered in 154 countries to some 300,000 candidates each year.
  • A learner takes the level of assessment for which s/he feels confident (for students, the teacher normally assists in choosing the most appropriate level).  It is not required to take all of the tests, or to take them sequentially.
  • Having successfully passed one of the DALF / DELF exams, the candidate receives an official Diplôme issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale of France through the Centre International d'Études Pédagogiques (www.ciep.fr). The candidate also receives his/her marks for each portion of the exam.
  • This life-long certification is recognized internationally by employers and postsecondary institutions. For example, the B2 level is required for entrance into most universities in France. And, of course, the Diplôme and the accompanying proficiency descriptors are the perfect addition to any résumé, outlining in very practical terms what the individual is capable of doing in French.
  • In Canada, responsibility for the DELF/DALF rests with the Embassy of France. The DELF Scolaire is offered by a school district or a school in agreement with the Embassy, the DELF Junior by language schools such as the Alliance Française.
  • Each exam center receives the software and other materials required to conduct the exams. The center is responsible for logistical arrangements, assessors, registering candidates, printing the exams, marking the oral and written exams, and publishing the results.  The center establishes the fees it will charge for the exams.
  • A school or district can become an exam center through an agreement with the Embassy of France. Alternately, it can make arrangements with an existing exam center to administer the exams to interested students.
  • Derek Doucet on 22 Nov 12
     
    A website that explains the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and the Diplôme d'Éducation de la Langue Française. 
Christina Schindler

Learner-driven learning | SmartBrief - 3 views

smartbrief.com/...learner-driven-learning

learning environment student-centred questions differentiation

shared by Christina Schindler on 04 Nov 16 - No Cached
aross45 liked it
  • Christina Schindler on 04 Nov 16
     
    An interesting (and quick read) that reinforces the importance of a 'learner- driven' learning environment and how it can impact buy-in as well as student success.
  • aross45 on 07 Nov 16
     
    Thank you for the reference. Having the students drive the bus, instead of being passengers in learning is so important.
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