My vision on ‘R’ ‘E’ ‘F’ ‘L’ ‘E’ ‘C’ ‘T’

During the course ‘pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology’ I learned a lot about the relation between content, pedagogy and technology. Nowadays, the last term is often forgotten in education because teachers don’t have the knowledge, skills and time to use technology in their lessons. In the course we learned what the advantages of technologies can be and how we can make the integration of ICT possible.

In this post, I will reflect on several aspects of the course and I will use the term ‘REFLECT’ as a recurring theme. I will describe my experiences, feelings and skills that I’ve attained during this course by referring it to the several letters of the word ‘reflect’.

R refers to readjustment, relation and ready.

When I first heard of the course name, I thought we would learn a lot about different kinds of technologies and how they work. But I had to readjust my first vision because we didn’t only learn which kinds of technologies are available, but also how you can use these technologies to make lessons more effective. The term ‘supportive’ was very important in this case because technology didn’t only support a kind of pedagogy, but also the other way around: pedagogies can support a specific kind of technology and that was really new for me. This vision was based on the TPACK framework, which I’ve never heard before in other courses. The TPACK-framework gave me new insights in how to integrate content, pedagogy and technology in such a way that lessons will be very effective. The three elements have to support each other, so there has to be a relation between these three elements. During the lesson we also learned how to integrate these TPACK aspects in practice. And this is also where our final assignment was about: designing based on TPACK. There was an option to choose between designing a TPACK-based lesson and designing a professional development program for teachers. I choose to do the latter, because during my previous education I designed a lot lessons for pupils. To develop something for teachers instead of pupils was quite a new experience for me. Teachers are, most of the time, not motivated for new interventions in education because they don’t have the time to deal with it in practice. Teachers also don’t have the skills and knowledge to use technology. So it’s very hard to motivate and prepare teachers to use technology in their daily lessons. In our final assignment we wanted to make the teachers feel ready about using technology by motivating them in a practical way. We designed a professional development program in which teachers see how easy it is to us a kind of ICT that is integrated in their lessons. Teachers don’t want to teach additional lessons because they don’t have the time. But when technology is integrated in a simple way, they will be open to integrate it because they won’t have to do additional things. But how to reach that goal?

E refers to embedded, eye-opener and effective.

In my opinion it’s important that teachers see the need of the use of technology. When they are obliged to use ICT, they won’t use it in their lessons because they like it or see the advantages. That’s why we choose to use the lessons of the teachers and integrate some kind of technology in it. In this way, teachers are able to integrate and choose the kind of technology themselves. They can adapt the kind of technology to their own lessons and their own class situation. When teachers are able to do this, they will integrate technology more and more often so technology is embedded in their lessons without a lot effort. The kind of technology that will be used by teachers depends on the context in which the teacher teaches his/her lesson. It was quite an eye-opener to me that a book and pencil are also kinds of technologies. When I heard of the term ‘technology’ I directly associated it with computers, digital whiteboards, laptops etc. But during this course I learned that other materials can also be a kind of technology. During the lessons about TPACK I discovered that a lot emphasis was on the technology part. I also discovered that the technology can make lessons more effective because pupils learn in a different way. Technology can also make things clear in such a way a book could never do. The technology part can support the pedagogy, but also the other way around, as a said before. But how would this work out in practice?

F refers to flexibility, fit and functional.

During the first session of the course, we learned about different kinds of flexibility. We talked about the way in which lessons could be made more flexible by adapting the pedagogy, content and technology. These three aspects of the TPACK model are influencing the flexibility all the time. When, for example, the technology supports the pedagogy the teacher has to be more flexible. When a teacher has 4 digital photo cameras, the pupils have to be split up in groups so the pedagogy changes: there will be a lot more collaboration and the teacher has to deal with it. He/she has to have the skills and knowledge how to deal with groups of pupils that work collaboratively on a task. But it can also be the other way around, for example: when the pedagogy supports the technology it can be possible that pupils perform a kind of discovery learning. The kind of technology that fits with this pedagogy is for example an online learning environment. The elements have to fit with each other. When a certain kind of pedagogy doesn’t fit with the technology or content, the effects will be low. It’s also important that the use of technology has to be functional. Teachers are not capable of managing difficult and complex tasks with technologies, so the way teachers use and implement the technologies has to be very simple and functional. The teacher must have the opportunity to integrate the technology very quick, without much effort, not time-consuming and with high results. It’s important that the school supports the use of ICT and supports teachers to reach high results. But how can a school support this?

L refers to leader, learning by design and long-lasting.

The integration of a school-wide ICT implementation is largely dependent of the attitude of the management of a school. When the school management doesn’t support and guide teachers in how to integrate ICT, they won’t be motivated. The school leader plays a major role in this implementation process. That’s why we choose to involve all the team members of a school in the professional development program. When only the teachers are involved, there’s no overall goal for the school and there will be no monitoring by the school management. During the sessions in the professional development program we decided that the teachers must be involved actively. This active process can be supported when teachers work together in teams, so called teacher design teams. These teams design their lessons based on the TPACK framework. This active and collaborative process is called the learning by design principle. It’s also important that the implementation of the ICT-use will be long-lasting, that’s why teachers need to develop themselves constantly. In my opinion it’s important that teachers will be monitored by the school management and that they will be involved in several training sessions so their knowledge and skills will be up-to-date. This long-lasting development should not only focus on the integration of ICT, but should also stimulate the maintenance of the knowledge and skills of content and pedagogy. But how to accomplish the long-lasting training?

E refers to encourage, experience and educational results.

Nowadays, teachers have a lot of training days: each with a different subject and goal. But when the TPACK training comes in, they will be trained in several aspects. The teachers will not acquire knowledge and skills in content, pedagogy or technology. But they develop themselves in these three elements at the same time because they develop themselves in TPACK: an integration of content, pedagogy and technology. It will be quite an experience for the teachers to deal with something that is not familiar to them. They should be encouraged by the school management and other teachers. The encouragement comes also from the pupils that achieve better when the lessons become more effective because of the use of ICT. That’s where the overall goal of ICT-integration comes in: the educational results of pupils will rise when the component of ICT is well implemented in a lesson. When teachers see the results of an intervention, they would be motivated to use and integrate it. But in my opinion, teachers first need some proof of the effectiveness.

C refers to collaborate, commitment and context.

When teachers work together in teams, they learn from each other and they give each other feedback. Maybe this is something that teachers are not familiar with, this depends on the characteristics of the school but also on the individual characteristics of the teachers. Before teachers can work effectively together in teams, they need to know how to collaborate with each other. The other factor of this basis for designing in teams is associated with the relationship between teachers. They have to see the needs and the overall goal of the training so every teacher has to be committed. Maybe a preliminary training for working in teams in required before the teachers can work together according to the principles of the teacher design teams. The whole effectiveness of the professional development program depends on the context in which this takes place. The context also determines what kind of content, pedagogy and technology will be used and how it will be implemented in a school. But how can a professional development program be adjusted to a specific context?

T refers to total conclusion.

After following this course and reflection on the several sessions, the final assignment and the implementation, I learned a lot about TPACK and especially about how to deal with technology. It was a big experience for me to deal with it from a different perspective: the development of teachers. In advance, I thought I knew a lot about technology, but this course gave me a lot of new insights that I never thought of before. It also gave me some ideas of how to integrate technology in my own class because I’m a teacher in primary education myself and the results were promising. I experienced that I, and my pupils, had a lot of fun while working with technologies and that we learned a lot. I think, when both teachers and pupils, learn from a new intervention it’s the optimal effect that you want to reach.

I will recommend this course to other students because we all learned a lot from this course. Even when you’re a teacher or designer yourself.

Teaching in the 21st century

Nowadays, technology plays a major role in the way content is delivered. A lot of teachers have concerns about this new way of teaching, but they have to adapt themselves to the 21st century: to the students, the technologies, the environments etc.

This movie gives a very clear picture of the way teachers can handle the 21st century in their classrooms and schools. Maybe it can take away some concerns of the teachers that have negative feelings with the new technologies that play a role nowadays.

It used to be an abbreviation, but now it’s more than that!

During my pre-master study of last year, we’ve had some lesson about the professionalization of teachers. During one of the courses, the definition TPACK passed. For me, it was like the thousandth abbreviation that I’ve heard in one year at the University. During that year I’ve never deepened this subject because I didn’t know what it was all about. When the introduction courses of ‘Themes and Approaches’ took place, I heard the abbreviation TPACK for the second time. I was interested in the framework and would like to know more about it. That’s why I choose this course and after a couple of weeks I’ve learned a lot already.

For me, the course name ‘Pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology’ consists of three main subjects:

- Pedagogies

- Flexible learning

- Technology

In the first lecture we’ve learned a lot about flexible learning styles and what consequences they have for the teachers, organizations and other involved people. Flexible learning gives students a choice in which they get more independence, but there needs to be also more self-direction and self-motivation. The degree in which flexibility is offered can be distinguished in four main categories:

- Back to the basics

- The global campus

- Stretching the mold

- The new economy

Nowadays the students can choose their degree of flexibility. They often say that they like more freedom in cases of time, content, requirements, instructional approach and logistics. But in practice, it often shows up that the students need some kind of guidance, face-to-face meetings etc. The way in which flexibility can be offered, is described in one of my first posts: click here.

During the second lecture we’ve discussed the main pedagogical approaches that are used by teachers. Most of the time, teachers use the same kind of pedagogical approach because of organizational benefits and fear to fail in unorganized situations. The teacher can teach their subject-matter in different ways that fit to the pupils, to his/her own teaching style and to the external context factors. The different kinds of pedagogical approaches are described in one of my posts on this blog: click here.

The last main word is ‘technology’. This is an element that is very important nowadays. We’ve learned a lot about different kinds of technology. At first I thought of computers, interactive whiteboards etc. But I realized, during this lectures, that a book and a pencil are also kinds of technologies that are used in the classroom. Technology often supports the teaching style and the subject-matter in a course. 

These elements are all part of the TPACK model that is discussed during the last lecture. The TPACK framework is teacher-centered and has three main components: technology, content and pedagogy. According to Harris, Mishra and Koehler (2009) approaches that teach skills only, are insufficient. But when teachers only learn how to use some kind of technology, you don’t know if the teachers are able to work with it themselves. That’s where the TPACK model comes in. It integrates the knowledge, skills and competence to reach TPACK: how to use technology in the right way to teach more effectively? Every teacher can have his/her own way of using TPACK. One teacher will integrate technology by letting students use the internet to find information about a subject, while another teacher will let students develop their own websites about topics concerning the content. Some teachers will decide that they want to use the interactive whiteboard, and then decide which content and pedagogical approach fits best with this technology. Other teachers want to teach content which can be supported by technology, for example with the interactive whiteboard. This concerns the starting point of the teacher. I’ve posted my vision about this ‘starting point’ on my weblog: click here.

TPACK is most helpful when the attention is payed to the interaction between technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. Those aspects have to interact and should not be used isolated. Teachers should have the knowledge how to combine these aspects and interactions within a lesson to gain optimal results.

The added value

Most of the teachers have a very common pattern in which they teach their lessons. The TPACK model opens their eyes and let them experience what it’s like to use a different pedagogical approach, within a different subject-matter that is supported by a kind of technology. Of course it can be the other way around. Nowadays teachers are forced to use some kind of technology that fits within the school system. Teachers are often afraid to fail and won’t use that kind of technology because they’re not used to it. TPACK gives these teachers new insights and let them experience what it’s like to start from another perspective, like the use of technology.

Another important aspect of the TPACK framework is the teacher-centered approach. In most of the educational settings, the pupils/students are the most important factor for success. But now it’s the other way around. TPACK offers a framework for teachers how they can optimalize their lesson with the integration of technology. When the lesson is well constructed, the learning results will increase.
This is a whole new experience for teachers because most of the time the students, books or other materials are the key for success.

TPACK let teachers think about their decisions. Most of the time the teacher uses an old-fashioned way of decision making because they think: Well, it worked 20 years ago so it still works nowadays. That’s a mistake that often shows up in practice. It’s important that teachers are aware of their decision-making processes when they prepare, perform or evaluate a lesson.

So, a lot of awareness is created by teachers because of the TPACK model. Hopefully the teachers will not only be aware of their skills, knowledge and decisions. But also put the knowledge into practice. The current TPACK model doesn’t describe how this knowledge can be implemented in a very practical way. In my opinion, teachers DO need some kind of practical suggestions for putting it into practice. It’s difficult for them to translate the knowledge into their own classroom. That’s why I would like to design a suggestion for a professional development plan for teachers in order to complete the final assignment. I think it would be a challenge to put a theoretical framework into practice!

References:

Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416.

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. 

TPACK: that’s not an easy job

http://www.tpack.org/

During the last few weeks I’ve learned a lot about different kinds of flexibility, pedagogical approaches and how this can be supported by technology. The last lecture was about combining these aspects with the addition of ‘content’ into a framework, called TPACK.

It’s important to know that this framework supports teachers for technology integration, and not students. The goal for teachers is to reach TPACK in their lessons. But how can teachers reach this ultimate goal? I’ll explain the framework by using an example of a geography lesson in which pupils are encouraged to read and construct a map of their neighbourhood.

The TPACK-model is shown below and consists of three main circles:

- Technological Knowledge (TK)

- Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)

- Content Knowledge (CK)

The Technological Knowledge (TK) is the knowledge about all different kinds of technology that can be used in and outside the classroom. The teacher needs to have some skills in how to operate with particular technologies. Some teachers can deal with these technologies very quick and easily, but some teachers find it hard. That’s why they must have the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies. When they’re willing to learn something about technology, they’ll construct a functional understanding of technologies. This functional understanding is necessary to know how to operate with different kinds of technology.  

In the example of the geography lesson the teacher uses a computer and an interactive whiteboard to show and explore the use of a map. He/she has to deal with Google Streetview and Google Maps to give the pupils a clear idea of a map.

The Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) is the knowledge about different pedagogical approaches that a teacher can use during a lesson. Teachers know a lot of different approaches, but often use some of them because of organizational reasons. The pedagogical approach that is used by a teacher must fit to the prior knowledge of the pupils. They also have to know which resources can be helpful and meaningful during the lesson. They also have to know how they organize their classroom management. When a teacher uses inquiry learning, he/she has to know how to deal with this pedagogical approach.

In the example of the geography lesson, the teacher uses inquiry learning in the real world with a combination of collaborative learning. The pupils will be divided in groups and they will walk the route from the school to their houses. After that they’ll view their walk in Google Streetview and Google Maps. It’s important that the pupils know how to work together and how to use the computer. But it’s more important how the teacher deals with this pedagogical approach.

The Content Knowledge (CK) is the final main circle in the TPACK framework. It suggests the teacher to have a knowledge base about the subject-matter that he/she teaches. This knowledge base consists of facts, concepts, theories and procedures. He/she also has to know which frameworks are important to a certain subject-matter and how to explain the theory behind it.

In the example of the geography lesson it is important that the teacher has a knowledge base about all aspects of a map. He/she has to know for example that it’s a 2D drawing in which static objects are showed, what the meaning of a legend is and that a map is more abstract when you show a city instead of a neighbourhood.

But combining these three aspects isn’t enough to reach TPACK. That’s why there’s an overlap between all the three circles. These overlaps will result in the following elements of the TPACK framework:

- Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)

- Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK)

- Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

The Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) is the way in which technology can support the content or subject-matter of a lesson. It can also be the other way around: how does the subject-matter change because of the use of technology? These approaches are often overlooked when a teacher implements a kind of technology in his/her lesson. He/she knows what he/she is going to teach and knows a lot about the content. He/she also know that there is an interesting movie on the Internet that he/she can use during their lesson. But there must also be a connection between these two elements: the TCK. The teacher must be aware why he/she shows a movie during a certain lesson and how it influences the content of the lesson.

In the example of the geography lesson, the use of technology is very important because it visualizes the subject-matter, namely the map. The pupils walk through their neighbourhood first and after that the technology simulates the same thing by using Google Streetview. After that the students don’t know how to construct a map in 2D because they only experienced it in 3D. At that point, the technology plays a big and important role because it visualizes the construct of a map by ‘zooming out’ in Google Streetview. The pupils see and experience themselves what happens when you ‘zoom out’ your 3D view to a more abstract level like a map.

The Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) is the knowledge about the interaction between technology and pedagogy. It deals with questions like: How can pedagogies be changed because of the use of technology? Or how can technology support a certain pedagogy? These questions can be answered when a teacher is aware of the use of technology in combination within a certain pedagogical approach. He/she knows which kind of approach he/she uses during the lesson and how technology can be implemented in this lesson. It’s also the other way around: when the teacher knows what kind of technology will be used during the lesson, he/she can adapt his/her teaching style to the way the pupils use the technology.

In the example of the geography lesson, the TPK is a very important aspect. The use of Google Streetview and Google Maps supports the inquiry learning approach that the teacher uses during the lesson. First, the pupils go out and experience the subject-matter by inquiry learning. After that, the experiences are visualized by the technology that is used. So there’s a lot of interaction and cohesion between the experiences in the real environment and the visualizations because of the use of technology.

The last component is the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). This element covers the knowledge about how particular aspects of the content are organized, adapted and represented for a pedagogical approach. This means that the teacher has to know how to teach the pupils about certain subjects. When the teacher gives a lesson about the ‘autumn’, it’s very useful to go outside the school and collect leaves etc so the pupils can experience it themselves. When the pupils have to learn how to create an electricity circuit, then it’s very useful to give them some wires, lamps and batteries. The pupils can explore it themselves and learn a lot from it when they work together in groups.

In the example of the geography lesson, the pupils go outside and experience the route from the school to their houses themselves. They learn by doing and construct their own knowledge by exploring. It is not effective when the teacher wants to learn something about maps and let the pupils sit in the classroom and let them read a text about maps. So it’s important that the teacher adapts his/her learning style to the subject-matter that has to be teached.

These different aspects are constantly interacting and that’s where the difficulty comes in. It’s sometimes very difficult to pay attention to all the different elements of the TPACK framework. But when the teacher can pay attention to all the elements, the teacher will reach TPACK. This goal is different for every individual teacher within his/her own environment, a specific subject-matter, a preference for a teaching style etc. This is where the aspect ‘context’ comes in. The context is a very important aspect that influences the way teachers reach TPACK.

In the case of the geography lesson, it’s important that children can walk safely through their neighbourhood. There have to be parents who will guide the different groups of pupils during their walk through the neighbourhood. There are a lot of external factors that influences the way the geography lesson can be teached.

The heading of this blogpost says: ‘it is not an easy job’. It’s a job that is different in all kinds of environments, schools and with different kind of teachers.

References:

Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416.

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. 

Where to start? The combination of flexibility, pedagogy and technology

The last few weeks I’ve posted some information on my weblog. This information can easily be split in three main topics:

- flexibility

- pedagogy

- technology

These different topics interact and influence each other because you (as a teacher) use them all during your lessons. The main question that rises is: How can you combine these three aspects to get the best results? I’ll explain my vision in the following section.

When I thought of a combination of flexibility, pedagogy and technology I always chose pedagogy as my main starting point. I chose for example inquiry learning, thought of the characteristics and how it could be made more flexible and how it could be supported by technology. But I experienced that you could also take another starting point, for example the technology part.

I used to think that technology should be adapted to the pedagogy a teacher uses, but the way technology is used can also influence the pedagogy of the teacher. When for example some difficult topics can be practiced in an online game, rather than in a book, the teacher has to adapt her pedagogy to the technology that is given. When he/she has to adapt his/her teaching style, he/she also has to decide which degree of flexibility he/she offers to the students. When he/she is used to work with online learning games, he/she would give more freedom than when it’s completely new to him/her.

The phenomenon of technology as a starting point was experienced by us in the last lecture about technology. Petra gave us a digital camera and we had to think how we could implement this kind of technology in several subjects and the teaching style of teachers.

You can also look from a different perspective, namely the flexibility part. When students need more freedom and flexibility because they want to study in their own pace, they have to travel a lot etc, you have to adapt your degree of flexibility to the wishes of the students. It also happens that a University wants to promote their flexibility, for example to students from abroad. In that case, the pedagogy needs to be adapted to the degree of flexibility that is promised to the students. When the pedagogy is adapted to the kind of flexibility, you also have to adapt your technology to the flexibility and the kind of pedagogy that is used.

So, the combination of these three main elements can be interpreted in very many ways. I think it’s important to look at the context and circumstances because they play a main role. When your context is clear, you can decide what your starting point will be. After that you will adapt the other two elements to this basic starting point. There’s also a possibility that this starting point can change over time because the context and the participants will change along the way. A regular update of your context and needs will be necessary to create and to make a good combination of the three factors for the most successful results.

Alight learning

http://www.alightlearning.com

Alight learning is an internet application that personally engages middle and high school students, catalyzes better teachers, keeps parents informed and reports to administrators the data they worry about so they can focus on the teachers they care about.

It's a very modern and well-thought online program with the following basic principles:

- Real-time learning environments. In the Alight learning center there are synchronous activities where students and teachers securely collaborate on projects or assignments. They have access to relevant resources, a slew of useful modern web tools and real-time communication with each other.

- Always the best resources. All participants of an activity, use relevant resources (links, files, videos etc.). Only the best, most relevant, appropriate and functional resources rise to the top, as decided by the other group members. They vote to the best and ban the broken, so there’s no more information overload and irrelevant links.

- Knowledge is never wasted. The core of content of resources and activities are anonymously shared among everyone using Alight Learning. Our recommendation engine invokes discovery as the best resources and activities are shared with everyone.

- Personalized learning. One size teaching does not fit all. Alight learning activities can easily be modified to reflect the individual needs of every student. All personalizations are simply tracked and can be seen at a glance.

- Organized curriculum and activity reuse. On alight learning, every time activities are re-used, they can be preloaded with the knowledge of years past. Teachers have records of all prior work while quickly flipping through student work of only the most relevant ones.

I think Alight learning is a very well thought-through learning program. It is a place where students and teachers can work together in and out of the classroom. So a lot of collaborative learning takes places with a lot of interaction. This seems very effective to me.

It also seems very organized to me with a lot of resources and options for recording the work of learners from the past. It also offers personal guidance for learners who need it. The assignments can be modified very easily so the teacher can support the learner in the way he/she likes. It addresses the individual needs of the learners and that’s very important.

A final quality of the Alight learning program is the improving collaboration among students, among teachers, but also among students and teachers.

References:

URL: http://www.alightlearning.com/

Different ways of teaching, different pedagogical approaches

Every teacher develops his/her own way of teaching, he/she uses a personal pedagogy. This is often defined as the way teachers teach their pupils. According to the literature, there are different kinds of pedagogies. The pedagogies I find interesting, are:

- Learning by listening

- Discovery learning

- Learning by doing

- Learning through discussion and debate

- Blended learning

These pedagogical constructs are used in varying degrees and in different ways in different disciplines and in varying amounts. I’ll describe every kind of pedagogy and the way it can be implemented in a digital environment, like Blackboard.

Learning by listening

This kind of pedagogy is also called the ‘learning by being told’ model (Bourne et al, 1997). It’s a very traditional form with lectures as the main activity. This way of teaching is economical for the lecturer but rarely useful for the learner. It only succeeds when the instruction is very dynamic, but often the learners think that the lectures are dull. When the traditional lecture is recorded, it can be put on a digital environment so the students can view it online. It can be viewed by a lot of students and you only need one lecturer. However, people who view these on-line lectures think that the lectures in this format are not very useful (Bourne et al, 1997). There is no interaction with the instructor, so little learning takes place. Although it isn’t effective for the learning outcomes, it has the possibility to replay the lectures. This isn’t possible in a traditional face-to-face setting.

Discovery learning

This kind of learning used to be associated with searching for information in a library. Students came to the library, searched for literature and discovered solutions to solve an authentic problem. Nowadays, with the use of the Internet, a lot of searching is done on the Web. According to the literature of Bourne et al (1997), Web searches are often much better than traditional library searching.

Discovery learning is also defined as a highly self-directed and constructivistic form of learning (de Jong & van Joolingen, 1998). A constructivistic form of learning calls for a multiplicity of perspectives so that learners have a full range of options from which to construct their own knowledge. The instructor provides coaching or scaffolding to assist students in their discovery, but he/she would not overly direct the learning process (Reeves, 1994). This also relates to the choices that the learners make with regards to their learning routes as well as their place and pace of learning. The learners often use a ‘self-study’ way in combination with discovery learning. This type of learning is mostly designed for individual students and focuses on reading. Assessment can be self-organized via Web-based tests and communication with other students and/or instructors in limited (de Boer, 2004).

Learning by doing

Learning by doing is a kind of a ‘hands-on experience’, so it’s a very practical form of learning. This kind of learning is often adopted in science studies where students gain their knowledge in laboratories. They practice their skills and test their knowledge in a very practical setting. With the use of the Web, the practical settings are also offered in online-learning environments. The students can do the simulations in the online environment and write their knowledge, questions and critique and can get feedback from a lot of people. But practicing things on a screen isn’t practical enough. The ‘learning by doing’ pedagogy is the most effective in a traditional setting where students can create their own things. The writing and critiquing part, is of course very effective in an online-learning setting because a lot of students and experts have access to give and get feedback.

Learning through discussion and debate

The effectiveness of this kind of learning depends most on the context factors, like the group size and the role of the instructor. In the past, discussions and debates were organized in real settings with real people. The most effective learning outcomes were gained in a small class with an effective instructor. Nowadays, the discussions and debates are very popular because they are used in online environments. This kind of learning has become very effective because of using Web technology in educational settings. There’s a lot of interaction involved in this kind of learning, and this is very effective. Students can use the discussion part to chat with each other, but also to share documents. They can communicate and collaborate with each other in a very flexible way.

Blended learning

It seems that a lot of social interactivity like body language, greeting, socializing and face-to-face contact are very important in education. So the question rises whether the use of web technology is always the best solution. To answer this question, blended learning comes up. This kind of learning is a new development in technology based and/or supported learning. It can be defined as a way to design courses that blends different kinds of delivery and learning methods that can be enabled and/or supported by technology with traditional teaching methods (de Boer, 2004). The way blended learning is implemented, can be associated with the ‘stretching-the-mold’ approach. The traditional sort of lectures, assignments and study expectation can be the basic elements within this approach. But what becomes more flexible, or ‘stretched’, is the way in which students can carry out or participate in these. (de Boer, 2004)

A lot of pedagogies can be distinguished, but I think that a lot of teachers use some elements of all these pedagogies. They can create their own pedagogical approach with their own important elements. The blended learning approach is my favorite because it combines different teaching approaches and learning styles. It is a rather flexible approach in which every teacher and every learner can regulate his/her own way of teaching and learning.

                                                   

References: 

Boer, W.F. de (2004). Flexibility support for a changing university. Doctoral dissertation. Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, Univeristy of Twente. Enschede, NL: Twente University Press.

Bourne, J.R., McMaster, E., Rieger, J., & Campbell, J.O. (1997). Paradigms for on-line learning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 1(2). [http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/issue2/assee.htm]

Jong, T. de & Joolingen, W.R. van (1998). Scientific discovery learning with computer simulations of conceptual domains. Review of Educational Research, (68), 179-202.

Reeves, T. C. (1994). Evaluating What Really Matters In Computer-Based Education. In: M. Wild & D. Kirkpatrick (Eds.), Computer Education: New perspectives, pp. 219-246.

A pedagogical approach

Approach: Discovery learning
Article:  Scientific Discovery Learning with Computer Simulations of Conceptual Domains
Authors: Ton de Jong & Wouter R. van Joolingen


Based on the articles that I've read as a preparation for lecture 3, I've searched for a pedagogical approach that was mentioned one of the articles. The pedagogical approach that I found interesting was 'discovery learning'. I've found an article about that specific pedagogical approach.
The article is about 'scientific discovery learning' in simulation environments. It's a highly self-directed and constructivistic form of learning. Constructivistic means that there is a strong emphasis on the learner as an active agent in the knowledge acquisition process. The task of the learner is to discover, through experimentation, the model underlying the simulations. There are a lot of problems that the learner can encounter. The article sums these problems up and give some solutions how to overcome these problems. The solutions will be given in a kind of instruction that is combined with the simulations.


http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.83.7865&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Different kinds of flexible learning

Nowadays flexible learning is a hot issue, and many people think it has something to do with distance education. This vision is very limited because flexible learning can involve many dimensions. Collis and Moonen (2001) describe different kinds of flexible learning, and the problems and challenges involved.

According to Collis and Moonen (2001) these 5 kinds of flexibility can be distinguished:

1. Flexibility related to time.

2. Flexibility related to content.

3. Flexibility related to entry requirements.

4. Flexibility related to instructional approach and resources.

5. Flexibility related to delivery and logistics.

I will describe these different dimensions by giving some examples and I will describe some advantages and disadvantages.

1. Flexibility related to time

Time limits are a big problem in the educational world nowadays. A question that rises immediately is: Will there be more time left when you give students and teachers more flexibility?

The flexibility of time can be divided into 4 sub factors, namely:

- Times for starting and finishing a course

- Times for submitting assignments and interacting within the course

- Tempo/pace of studying

- Moments of assessment

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: they can alter their own times of working.

Disadvantage: the time burden on the instructor and support provider will become constraints on the goal of flexible support for the learner. It’s more time consuming when the instructor has to train all the students in an individual way then in a standardized approach. It becomes almost unmanageable.

The learner:

Advantage: the learner can schedule his/her own lectures, assignments and can work in a pace that he/she likes.

Disadvantage: the learner who can work perfectly on his own, won’t come to the lectures in class so there’s no interaction between students. He/she is not motivated at all.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students from abroad because of the flexible learning style that is offered to them.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter conflicts in delivery and organization, like the times that lectures are scheduled and the time-tabling of rooms. Another issue is the scheduling of final examinations.

2. Flexibility related to content

The content of a study program never fits to everyone’s needs and thoughts within the program. The question that accompanies this idea is: When the content of a study program can be composed by the learners and the teachers, will it fit the student’s needs towards the study?

The flexibility of content can be divided into 5 sub factors, namely:

- Topics of the course

- Sequence of different parts of a course

- Orientation of the course (theoretical, practical)

- Key learning materials of the course

- Assessment standards and completion requirements

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: they can choose from a wider range of approaches, material and learning settings in order to make these options available in response to the wishes of different learners.

Disadvantage: the more choices the learner has, the more demands and thus challenges there are for the instructor. There’s no teacher who can adapt his content and way of teaching to 30 individual students.

The learner:

Advantage: the learner can choose which content he/she thinks is important and interesting for the study. This means that the learner has more responsibilities.

Disadvantage: more flexibility brings with it more independence but also the need for more self-direction and more self-motivation. Some students can’t do this on their own.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to compose their own learning program that contributes to their needs and wishes.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter conflicts and complaints from students because they didn’t attend to a certain course and don’t have the knowledge that is required for the final examination.

3. Flexibility related to entry requirements

A lot of students like to go to a school they like, but very often they can’t go to that school because of entry requirements. The question that rises, is: Can every student attend a study program he/she likes by making the entry requirements very flexible?

The flexibility of entry requirements has one sub factor, namely:

- Conditions for participation

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the students in the classroom of a specific course are very interested and are committed to the subject-matter because they can follow courses that fit their needs.

Disadvantage: the students in the classroom don’t have the same prior knowledge so it’s a big challenge for the instructor to address the instruction to all the needs of the students. It also can result in negative results because of students who fail for an assignment.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can develop his/her own competencies by following courses of another study program. It also addresses their whishes when they can follow some other courses they’re interested in.

Disadvantage: a lot of students can’t estimate their own level of competencies for a specific study program. Maybe they’re very interested, but don’t have the knowledge to pass the examinations.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to compose their own learning program that contributes to their needs and wishes. When the entry requirements are very flexible, there will be a lot of students on your school.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter a lot of demotivated and failing students because of the flexible entry requirements. When they make the entry requirements very strict, it can be that almost no one would come to your school.

4. Flexibility related to instructional approach and resources

Nowadays there are a lot of ways to construct your knowledge and to get instruction. The question that is accompanied by this kind of flexibility, is: Can every student choose his/her own instructional preferences and resources when it’s presented flexible to them?

The flexibility of instructional approach and resources has 4 sub factors, namely:

- Social organization of learning (face-to-face, group, individual)

- Language to be used during the course

- Learning resources: modality, origin (instructor, learners, library, WWW)

- Instructional organization of learning (assignments, monitoring)

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the instructor has a wide range of teaching opportunities, like face-to-face, group and individual.

Disadvantage: the instructor has to deal with too many options when the student can choose his/her own organization, language, resources and instruction. It’s unmanageable for a teacher to do that.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can address the instructional and social organization to his/her own needs and wishes. He/she can learn the subject-matter in a language he/she can understand very well. Besides that he/she can learn in a way that fits their way of learning.

Disadvantage: when all the students of a class study the subject-matter at home, using the WWW. There will be no interaction and face-to-face lessons for the individual student who needs this. So there has to be a combination of teacher-leaded lessons and self-study.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to deal with the social and instructional organizations in a way that they feel comfortable with.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter a lot of demotivated and failing students because they need to have the face-to-face lectures, but didn’t get it because the classes where too small.  

5. Flexibility related to delivery and logistics

Thanks to the technology of today, students can give shape to their own study program in a way they can manage because of distance constraints. The questions that rises, is: Can a student, that lives abroad, follow the same courses and pass the final exam as a regular student when it’s offered in a flexible way?

The flexibility of delivery and logistics has 5 sub factors, namely:

- Time & place where contact with instructor and other students occurs

- Methods, technology for obtaining support, and making contact

- Types of help, communication available, technology required

- Location, technology for participating in various aspects of the course

- Delivery channels for course information, content, communication

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the instructor has a wide range of teaching places, like classrooms, the real environment etc.

Disadvantage: the instructor has to deal with too many options when the student can choose his/her own way and location of learning. He also has to deal with different kinds of help, time and communication.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can follow the lessons, get help and communicate with other students without going to the university. They can also study form abroad and use the WWW as an important way to construct the knowledge of the courses.

Disadvantage: when all the students of a class study the subject-matter at home, using the WWW. There will be no interaction and face-to-face lessons for the individual student who needs this. The communication is also less personal and often less interactive.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students from abroad who don’t want to emigrate (for a while). They also will attract students who have a job and will study in the evening using the online learning environments that hare available.

Disadvantage: the institution doesn’t have a clear vision of the way the students are studying and making their assignments. They can only test their knowledge by using exams etc.

Like I’ve said in the introduction part, flexible learning is not as simple as you think. The flexibility needs to be limited to a level so that every teacher and every student can benefit from it, but can work with it very easily and flexible.

Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning in a digital world: Experiences and expectations. London: Kogan Page.