Seminar08

Investigating prospective teachers as learning design authors

SLIDE 1

BACKGROUND

Learning designs

Coordinated, web-based learning sequence that makes accessible effective learning strategies, supported by appropriate structures and resources to provide guidance and feedback to learners (Oliver & Herrington, 2003).

Background research

SLIDE 2

THE STUDY

Primary research question:

How do pre-service teachers’ authoring and use of contextualised online LDs enhance their development as teachers?

SLIDE 3

THE STUDY

Subsidiary questions:

a) To what extent do pre-service teachers develop knowledge of (online and f2f) teaching and learning?

b) To what extent is their understanding of specific learning strategies enhanced?

c) What were the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of LAMS as a teaching tool?SLIDE 4

THE STUDY

Approach

Qualitative case study over two University semesters (2006)

Participants

17 pre-service teachers from UTS

SLIDE 5

THE STUDY

Learning Design Authoring tool

Learner Activity Management System(LAMS) (version 1.0)

SLIDE 6

THE STUDYPhase Activity Data collection

1 Familiarisation with LAMS and learning strategies

initial survey

e-Journals

2 Design learning activity e-Journals

informal interviews

written rationale

3 Implement learning activityNB. Most participants chose to implement their tasks in a f2f, school-based setting

e-Journals

observations

informal post-lesson interviews

4 Reflection on process and learning

final focus group interviews

final survey

evaluation of LAMS artefactsSLIDE 7

THE STUDY

3 Learning strategies used to underpin learning designs

a) Analogical reasoning (AR) strategy eg. Harrison & Treagust, 2006b) Predict–observe–explain (POE) strategy eg. White & Gunstone, 1992c) Learners’ questions (LQ) approach-from the (broader) ‘interactive teaching’ mode (Biddulph, 1990)-e.g. see Baird & Northfield, 1995, p.240)

SLIDE 8

Model Analogical Reasoning Task: Exploring Wave Properties

THE STUDY

SLIDE 9

Model POE Task: Exploring forces

THE STUDY

SLIDE 10

Model POE Task: Exploring forces

THE STUDY

SLIDE 11

Model POE Task: Exploring forces

THE STUDY

SLIDE 12

FINDINGS

1. Teachers developing understanding of online and f2f teaching issues

* Unit planning and programming* Promoting independent learning in an e-learning environment* Classroom strategies to facilitate online learning* Strategic use of digital media and web-based resources

SLIDE 13

“I want to include so much [in the LAMS task] because I keep forgetting that this is only one tool to teach and that I can add to the lesson outside the program.” (Yasmine, journal).

“…one of the strengths … was being able to collect and store students’ responses for further scrutiny at a later date …” (Mike, final survey).

SLIDE 14

“… I think that online and face-to-face teaching could be effectively sandwiched throughout a lesson rather than devoting lessons to one or the other.”

(Elizabeth, final survey).

SLIDE 15

“It’s hard for students to have input in the direction the task takes …There is not as much room for lateral movement in the task.” (Lucy, final survey)

“They [the students] get no choice in the sequence of events, nor a chance to investigate any misunderstood concept any further than the information presented to them. The program seems to speak to them, but cannot read their answers/responses and adapt the following sequence accordingly like a teacher could.” (Eleanor, focus group)

SLIDE 16

“…although very accommodating, computer technology is not able to deal with spontaneous learning that happens in the classroom, it can only aid it” (Laura, final survey).

“I have found that such [online] activities need to … be designed to guide, but not excessively constrain, the students’ exploration… promoting lines of inquiry that help students develop their understanding of the important concepts.”(Anna, Rationale / Reflection) SLIDE 17

FINDINGS cont.

2. Teachers developing understanding and value of specific learning strategies

* Predict-observe-explain strategy* Learners’ questions approach* Analogical reasoning strategy

SLIDE 18

“Using this teaching strategy [POE] gave me an insight into the importance of asking children to explain their answers and how many children actually have great difficulties answering why they think a certain way.” (Laura, survey).

“I think the questioning (predict and explain sections) of learners was very valuable in truly understanding my students” (Elizabeth, final survey).

SLIDE 19

“In doing this [design process] you need to place yourself in the children’s shoes and really think about what they think…” (Alice, survey).

“Students need to be coached in the fact that they can learn from identifying wrong perceptions as much or even more than confirming right ones.”(Elizabeth, interview).

SLIDE 20

Hope valued the authentic nature of LQ approach:

“It would demonstrate to students what it is like to answer real-life problems by themselves, through thinking through what they know, what gaps in their knowledge are… and thinking of how they would carry it out.” (Hope, survey).

SLIDE 21

“This project has really made me realise how hard it is to use analogies well in the classroom and how important it is to get students involved in creating them and talking about what the differences are.”(Lucy, interview)

“It [the project] really made me think about how much we develop the

analogies for the kids and how much they should develop it themselves...”

(Lucy, interview) SLIDE 22

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SLIDE 24

MappingStage

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SLIDE 28

DISCUSSION

* Overview* Implications* Future research

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CONCLUSION

SLIDE 34

IMAGE SOURCESImages on slides 3, 6, 11,12,23,32 (bottom LH corner) and 34 (bottom center) were images from our project. Other images were available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ available at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/41087714@N00/250121512

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldendragon613/250121658/in/set-72157594295677848/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldendragon613/250122485/in/set-72157594295677848/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldendragon613/250122345/in/set-72157594295677848/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phitar/89287777/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/extraketchup/622612084/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreversouls/7318906/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreversouls/5778963/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perspicacious/303144538/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21667736@N00/81346047/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkarakatsanis/2338817026/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amunivers/117725027/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter/7340093/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vegiemince/175400554/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blendededu/294192415/