Designing Learning - My Experience with Online Learning

This entire course has taught me a whole lot of things I did not know before and never thought to accomplish in such a short time. From the start of the course it has been one road of discovery after discovery of the advantages and highlights of online learning vis-à-vis the problems and pitfalls. The info graph has been such a challenge but a welcome one at that, let alone knowing how to keep notes in an Evernote application. The Virtual school, the Flipped classroom has been yet another wonderful experience for me as a teacher and for my learners too after having taken them through one of the most interesting and engaging lesson online. Online learning requires the learner to visit wikis, webinars, blogs, podcasts, Khan Academy videos, YouTube videos and all the resource sites available on the Net. In reality, it looks like an ocean of knowledge where one would fear to venture because of the diversity of the information there. But once there, the learner will discover that it is easy to navigate through this ocean and get to the desired information in just a matter of minutes or seconds or utmost hours. And the most wonderful thing about it all is the fact that most of these sites, once you are connected to Internet, you access them free of charge.  

Advantages include;

·        Learner-centered with the teacher as a facilitator

·        Teacher's role as a monolithic node is taken away.

·        Learners can study from anywhere ie at home and in the confines of their bedrooms. 
·        No fear of being embarrassed.
·        Ability to view lesson as many times as one wishes for clarity and further perception of concepts.
·        The learners who have jobs can also find time to read and learn without worrying.
·        Tutoring is possible across continents
·        Supports the learner to take charge of their own learning and decide what they want to learn.
·        Allows learners to experience things in their own learning and construct knowledge basing on their own experiences.
·        Encourages collaboration amongst students/learners.
·        All learners are treated according to their abilities since online learning takes into account the multiple intelligences of the learners.
·        Promotes continuity of data.
·        Gives immediate feedback.
·        Does not affect the final grade.
·        Provides for an all inclusive environment.

Highlights

·        It is up to the learners to dream big in every community.
·        Be a learner and be willing to be transformed.
·        Let the learners decide what they want to learn.
·        Give the children a chance to realize themselves.
·        Ensure that children can make sense of the world, the images, the ideas, and information they are bombarded with every day.
·        Learning to accommodate the differences.
·        Understanding how TPACK's three domains of knowledge interact including the subject domains that are in actual fact essential to support effective technology integration in the learning process.
·        Use technology to humanize on a global scale what is happening in education.
Disadvantages and pitfalls include;
·        Requires a lot of time.
·        Reduces memory span.
·        Reduces the ability to think.
·        Reduces concentration since most of the time there is skimming through texts to get to what one is looking for.
·        The culture of reading is killed.
·        A sea of information that may be too much for the learner to digest all.
The disadvantages and pitfalls are minimal as compared to the advantages and highlights of online learning.  Technology allows learners to research, collaborate, create, network and present in all kinds of new ways.  

 

The Sweet Spot

The lesson has been carried out and it  has been all about the play Romeo and Juliet. The children have worked in groups to analyse the contents of the play in terms of plot, themes, character role and characterization, and Language and Style. Each of these topics has been allocated to two groups. In all there have been eight groups. All members have been very active and have been in a positively excited mood. They have all been ready to do what it takes to accomplish their tasks, which they have done so well. There has been animated discussions within the groups. They have viewed and re-viewed the play in certain areas where there  has been lack of clarity in the actions of the actors.

The students feed back is that it has given them the time to view and also go back and view some areas that have not been clear to them. It has given them a chance to watch at their own pace and to collaborate to get the required details. However, presentation could not be carried out to the end because of the time factor. Only two groups have managed to present out of the eight. We have failed to get an interactive whiteboard to use so the presentations  have been physical.

As a teacher I feel technology is the way to get the students to have an interest in what they are doing because it even excites them. It gives them a chance to utilize the online resources of some of the things they need to know more about. It provides them with a constant supply of information that is useful to their studies and helps them understand more.

However, i have discovered that online videos tend to be slow especially when you are working against time. Apart from the teacher's facilitation of the entire lesson, the groups need to have a leader to control the discussions and ensure that they listen to each other when they are carrying out the discussions. All in all, the lesson has been exciting and interesting.

When We were Trained as Teachers and Started Working in Schools

When we were trained to be teachers and started working in schools.	Our advice to you now
All learning done in class	Create an all inclusive environment
All students sat at desks in rows.	Use the space freely
Teacher was the all knowing	Learner centered
Chalk board, and textbooks	Use technology
Lessons Timetabled	Allow as much time as possible
Rigid curriculum	Students interests and allow them to experience tasks.
Individual tasks mostly.	Group and project work Encourage creativity and collaboration
Examinations a must at the end of term.	Continuous assessment.
Negative motivation through punishing, humiliation and harassment.	Positive motivation through encouraging and rewarding.

Creativity,Constructivism and Accommodation

Not all children have the same abilities. Each child has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is not necessarily true that if a child is weak in one subject they are also weak in the other. On several occasions children who fail in one area excel in another. There is need to help the children in areas where they are strong.
In creativity we employ our thinking as well as our hands. The mind chooses what it is interested in and will grasp the concepts of that very fast. The child is able to come up with different ways of dealing with a task that is of interest to them. Where they lack interest, they will be bored and probably will not even engage in such a task whole heartedly.That is why we view children differently in their respect strong points.
Creativity is linked to accommodation and constructivism approach. In a constructivism approach, children have interests in varying projects/areas, they are given chance to focus on that, they work in groups with the people who share the same interest, they are given chance to experience and discover for themselves, they share their ideas and end up creating and presenting something creative.
Accommodation allows students to focus on what is being taught but gives them some room to adjust to the task knowing that the students possess differing capabilities. While some are fast at learning and grasping concepts, there are those that take a longer time to do so. Creativity and constructivism let the students be in control of their own learning, accommodation on the other hand provides them with a task and guides them and gives them  chance to learn and understand things in their own time, in their own way.

High Tech High

In what ways has this school adopted a constructivist approach? and Do you believe this school promotes creativity?
This school is so much into the constructivist approach. This approach gives children chance to experience things, to learn what they are interested in learning, to collaborate, to ask questions in case of clarity, do research and project work. From the video, High Tech High offers all this. Every child is involved in projects and research work they are interested in and they have created things with their own hands. They love what they are doing, it is fun. Larry is just there to facilitate and motivate them on as seen in the incidence of where the children have come up with a wooden weigh on which they place oval objects. I cannot tell what their experiment is exactly about but I am sure it has something to do with gravity, or elasticity or even measurements. There are no restrictions to what they are doing. They work, laugh and have fun as they learn on their own. They think of things and share their ideas like the children who are using a pulley to raise a pole. There are also those who want to work on their own. They are also catered for in their own way. For instance, the girl/lady working on the board about theories or formulas is working alone but that does not stop her from getting help from another about an aspect. Then there is also a boy who is involved with an instrument of some sort that is throwing out ball- like objects from inside of it.

Does the school provide an inclusive environment? Do you believe that they are really able to cover their syllabus requirements?

I am amazed at the architect of the school. It is box in nature but when taken inside there are different sections that would stand for classes. The most amazing thing is that the divisions of these classes are made by glass and one wonders if children will not break the glass with all the activities and inventions taking place inside. Knowing how destructive children can decide to be. Larry says it is meant to give the children a view of the people going in and out so they don’t have to go out in order to see people. the space seems to be large enough to accommodate all sorts of activities. They work in an environment that is all inclusive. So many projects are going on and each child involved in what they like. The children definitely cover the syllabus requirements because they are only involved in what they want to learn and nothing else. They are driven by their interest, fun and curiosity and this takes them way ahead.

What is the role of technology in this school? and do you think the use of technology is making the students Stupid as Nicholas Carr would have us believe?

Technology in this school is used to create Art and designs, make conceptual work for the kids to do, and it is also used for engineering. Both the advantaged and disadvantaged are given equal opportunity to exercise their creativity and their minds at creating something useful in society. They are doing things that matter to them. The use of Technology is getting the students to use their creativity and create things, and demonstrate to the people what they are inventing. Larry says the school works together with the community and that the classroom is only used as a fulcrum.

Do you agree with Erica Mcwilliam? Should we as teachers be less ready to boost students' self esteem when they do not really deserve it? How does this promote or not promote creativity?

To some extent I do not agree with Erica McWilliam that teachers should be less ready to boost their students' self esteem when they do not really deserve it. Some of these students are strugglers and what can keep them going is the motivation they can get from the adults or the facilitators. The more they get good comments, the more they strive to do better. If she was against giving it to the highest level achievers I would support that because it tends to make them feel invincible. From my experience as a teacher, I have seen it produce results.

It very much promotes creativity through;

·        making the children feel they are doing something

·        making them feel important and part of everything.

·        believing in them makes them believe in themselves too.

·        motivates them.
And if we are interested in our learners learning, we should use words that encourage them. Don’t use over exaggerate though.

Do you think this is a realistic do-able approach that you could introduce to your School?
This is an approach that my school could use. It is do-able. There is enough space already. The only challenge are the tools required to engage in such a venture and the funds to get the tools. Already most of the students have been in position to give us a hint to what their interests are. It is easy to tell those who are interested in using their hands to create something like in the Art club, Science Club, Interact Club and so many others.

Processes I have Experienced

My experience with the Socratic approach is that I have mixed feelings. Whereas it is a good approach, it also has some negative consequences and this depends on how it is applied and to whom. Students who are timid may find it oppressive whereas those who are given to asserting themselves may find it a challenge and may enjoy it. In this approach a student is pushed to think and come up with various answers from various view points, and is made aware of the fact that there is no one correct and absolute answer. And that if a student thinks they have achieved the answer to a question they are actually deluding themselves because one answer opens up a string of questions and this is an endless process. This has given me something to ponder about and think of new ways I can get my students to think by themselves. I need to have questions that can get them to do things on their own. I am not saying that I have not been giving them questions but this new way of using questions to push the children to think could come in handy for most aspects of literature.

Some of the issues the Socratic process seeks to respond to include clarification, probing assumptions, probing rationale, questioning view points, probing consequences and questions on the question. These aspects lead the learner to think about thinking, learn how to think by themselves and even learn to do it well in order to do powerful things. Some of these things we take for granted were first thought of by the people who made it possible for us to live easy lives.

In the same lesson I have been rudely awakened to the fact that technology is also harmful to our minds. From experience this is true. I no longer read like I used to and even when I read I have to struggle to recall all that I have read. The television with its soaps and series of movies also cut off people's hospitality and interaction.  I am keeping my bank codes and account numbers on my Smartphone for easy access; I do not need to bother myself to remember them. Gosh! What hasn’t technology done? It gives you the good as well as the bad. What can I say! Dr. Alexis Carrel says

         "Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and sculptor"

Everything has a cost. Even technology has its shortcomings.
I have had a challenge with creating an infographic, oh my God! I had to eventually give up in despair after spending over five frustrated hours working on it. I first tried the sites given in the course and failed, so I resorted to creating one manually. Each time I would set, create or add a shape it would somehow disappear or would overlap and I would not be in position to decipher the wording myself. To make matters worse, I had other parts of the lesson to do in order to beat the deadline.  Any way just as we have already seen in this course, we have different multiple intelligence mix and I think this is where I draw the line.  Unless I am given an entire week free of other activities, I don’t think I am in position to achieve this task. I actually feel very bad that I have failed but I also hope that somewhere somehow I will eventually get it right. Otherwise I have enjoyed the other bits of creativity.

 

 

The Importance of Experience in My Learning and Teaching

Let us first ask ourselves this question, "what is 'experience'?" or "what do we understand by the word 'experience'?"

Experience could mean a lot of things. It could mean; the know-how, familiarity, practice or skill. It may also mean; the occurrence, incident, encounters happening, event and so on and so forth. It could also mean; feel, go through, live through, be subjected to, come across etc, etc. So when we talk about experience, which type of experience are we referring to? That doesn’t matter because they inform each other. You have to be subjected to or live through a certain event or occurrence in order for you to be able to get the know-how or skill or feel of it. You have to be allowed to feel things in order to become familiar with them.

Having been subjected to the traditional kind of learning and teaching, my experience has led me to somehow teach in the same way. The teacher has to be at the core of learning and teaching and the students have to listen and absorb knowledge from the teacher. Personally, I am a traditionalist with a bit of the progressive teacher too. I decide what my students learn most of the time and I tend to tell them what to do. Those who do what I tell them to do are rewarded with marks. This happens a lot in both the English language class and the literature in English Class and it has produced results most of the time.  But I find that they learn better if allowed to, for instance, suggest topics they wish to focus on. They get so engrossed in finding the information working in groups and it is amazing how much they can come up with. Take for instance Topics for debate, report writing, story- telling, acting or reciting poetry or reconstructing scenes in plays and novels or even relating the plays and novels to real life experiences. There are hurdles however and these include;
·       limited time for activities
·       rigid curriculum
·       competition
·       big numbers
·       lack of conducive environment
·       lack of administrative support
to mention but a few.
The reason I use the progressive approach is that;
·       it gets the students to experience what they are studying and they learn  a lot better.
·       it takes away the boredom the students may feel in certain topics.
·       gives them chance to share quality ideas hence foster learning.
·       gives them chance to satisfy their curiosity.
·       learners are actively involved in the learning process.
·       promotes collaboration while minimizing competition amongst the learners.
·       keeps them excited and interested.
·       allows them to relate what they are learning to real life experiences
I wish to learn more of the progressive approaches because the little experience I have had with it has shown that the teacher does not have to shoulder the heavy weight. The teaching is made easier and more fun.
What we experience in life becomes the spring board for our knowledge and learning. When we are allowed to go through something, we learn from it and therefore acquire knowledge. We learn better when we are allowed to feel, to practice, to live through or to familiarize ourselves with certain situations, events occurrences etc. Every experience is a reference for learning.

 

Feelings About Teaching

·       I feel that I am not doing enough to engage my students in their own explorations of topics that interest them and that probably I am hindering their learning about other things, related or not related to my subject.

·       I am sure that because of the nature of the curriculum a section of my learners are not catered for as I would have loved to and at this moment I cannot particularly say that I am proud of myself. Why? The section of the students that is not catered for is probably the section that is also failing and I am somehow to blame for their failure.

       It has opened my eyes to the fact that my learners have multiple intelligences and I need to put this into perspective for effective learning. Therefore I need to know my learners multiple intelligence mix

·       The constructivist approach encourages group activities and I find that at times I have gone on and on about some topics yet students would have grasped them better in group activities.

·       Not all aspects of my teaching subject can be subjected to group work. Some of them require individual tasks for instance writing, spelling and phonetics among others.

·       In some way the course has challenged  me to engage  my students more and more into exploring on their own and in groups, and I agree this would be very effective in literature in English where critical analysis is expected. Students can easily come up with different meanings and points of view about a piece that could be quite enlightening. As they share ideas, they register understanding of the texts and actually learn from them.

·       I need to give them more time to recreate the scenes in the novels/plays/poems through getting them to act or to rebuild the entire scene from the descriptions given in these books.