Scaffolding

A few of your have asked about scaffolding - as this concept has come up several times in class. Here are a few resources you can review: Scaffolding and sequencing...Scaffolding (.doc file)

PowerPoint - Today's session

The PowerPoint file I'll be using for today's class is available here

Planning Effective Classroom Sessions

The role of theory is, obviously, to guide and inform practice. Theory provides a base on which we can build...or a resource on which we can "hook" our actions. As mentioned during our class this last week, effective instruction is not accidental. Our activities in a classroom should be intentional. How much support we provide, the method in which we introduce new materials, how we gradually withdraw support once learners are mastering key ideas, how we challenge learners beyond their comfort level, etc, are all activities that need to be intentional and planned. This is not to say that we become so structured in our courses that we lose the opportunity to adjust and react to learning opportunities as they arise - we need to always remain flexible enough to include the learners needs. However, it does mean that our classroom sessions move toward a clear target - as defined by the course outline.

Planning and preparing for an instructional session (i.e. a class) is a critical task, overlooked or treated casually by too many instructors. The class pre-readings, nature of interaction/discussion, key concepts to be reviewed, resources required (i.e. audio-visual equipment, markers, case studies, etc.), points of motivation, connections to previous lessons, and more, provide the basis of our pre-class planning activities. Following each class, we then pause and determine how well we achieved our objectivse. Based on learner response (I use journals in this course, but you can gauge reaction through more informal methods - such as observations), we then begin to craft our "areas of change" for the next lesson. For example, in this course, based on early responses in journals, I made a shift to spend more time in class focusing on practical application of material presented. Instead of spending too much time on what theorists stated about learning, I focused on classroom-level application sooner than I had initially planned. Or, due to reactions to the CMAP software, I added a few additional presentations in class to ensure the process was understood.

Simply put, we as educators need to attend to several aspects in "getting ready to teach":
1. The course material (as dictated by advisory board, course outline, etc.)
2. The learners understanding (are key ideas of the course being understood at the level required for successful functioning in the program as the learner moves on?)
3. The resources/activities required (for intentional use) to assist learners in understanding course material
4. The process of planning and re-planning...continually adjusting our activities based on how learners respond - providing and withdrawing support as needed, focusing on motivation, sensing learner's level of understanding, and so on.

Obvious questions arise:
How much material should I cover in class?
How should I present the course content (lecture, group discussion, collaborative or exploratory activities, etc.)?
How do I create a lesson plan?
At which points do I move from presenting material to getting learners to draw connections and see how new ideas relate to previous ideas?

Here are a few resources to make the process of preparation (teaching with intentionality) more vivid:

How to teach a lecture class

Planning a course (just complete the first section of links on "planning a course"...don't worry about the sections on professionalism, etc.).

While this will have been (or for some of you, will be) discussed in your other CAE courses, take a few minutes to review the RRC Learning Outcomes Resource. Intended outcomes influence our instructional activities...and the depth of learning and cognition we are seeking - i.e. according to Bloom's taxonomy - influences how we teach.

Here's a very simple lesson plan structure...we will spend time on class on Tues revising this approach - blending Gagne, Keller's ARCS model, and highlighting the importance of connecting new information to what is already known.

Powerpoint file - this week's lecture

Several individuals have asked for the powerpoint presentation in advance of the session so they can follow along and make notes. The presentation is available here.

Week 3: Lectures and alternatives

Lectures have long been a key aspect of education - teacher talks...learner listens. Over the last few decades - and you may recall this from some of the theorists we talked about last week - learning has increasingly been promoted as a function of "doing"...social in nature...and situated in a particular context.

During this time, lectures have been relegated to the zone of "don't do if you're cool". Unfortunately, much of the criticism is warranted. But, in the process, we are losing an exceptional tool for learning. This weeks reading starts with:
In Defence of Lectures. As one member of a listserv put it recently - "there are times when one should sit down to a really good meal prepared by someone else. A good lecture is like a well prepared meal."

With that affirmation of the importance of lectures, review the following readings on alternative approaches to teaching:
Common Teaching Methods (link doesn't always work)
Enhancing your teaching effectiveness (link doesn't always work)
Collaborative Learning - Berkeley
Conditions of Collaborative Learning
Cooperative Learning
Problem Based Learning

The readings present learning from a variety of approaches:
Direct, collaborative, problem/inquiry-based, and exploratory.

...finally, here's an important paper to consider: Why Minimally Guided Instruction Doesn't Work.

Week 2 Files

Powerpoint notes from week 2 are available here.

I mentioned the importance of creativity in education today. A recent TED Talks speaker, Sir Ken Robinson, offers rationale for the value of creativity today: watch the presentation

Powerpoint from week 1 is here

If you're bored

Optional: If you would like a bit more background on various views of learning (and the principles expressed by different theorists) you may find this presentation useful: Theories of Learning and Knowing

Reading for Week 2

This week, we will be exploring the philosophy of teaching and learning. This will form an important part of your portfolio (as detailed in the previous post). In our discussion, we will explore a variety of theorists, including Vygotsky, Gagne, Bloom, Piaget, Freire, Papert, and others.

Teaching is personal to the instructor. The approaches we adopt in our classrooms flow from our personal philosophy. How we view teaching, learning, knowledge...combined with the particular nature of our field or discipline...forms the back bone of the activities we undertake with our learners.

To prepare for Tuesday's class, review the following resources:

Philosophy of teaching statements (.pdf)

Gagne's Nine events of instruction

Applying the Seven Principles (Chickering and Gamson)

Please let me know if you have any questions...

Portfolio

As mentioned in our first class, the creation of a portfolio is an important part of this class. I have posted the portfolio requirements here.

Instructional Schedule

The instructional schedule for the next seven weeks is now available.

Concept Map

I mentioned on Tuesday that one of your key requirements was to create a concept map based on how the key ideas of the course make sense (or relate) to you. Start by downloading CMAP here. If you haven't used the tool before, play around with it - try some basic maps...making connections, etc. Then, after each week's class, make a list of the "big ideas" that resonated with you. What made sense? What would you like to include in your teaching? Which ideas are valuable for you to capture?

What does it mean to teach? or to implement a course?

As we discussed on Tuesday, teaching is about passion. The development stage of a course involves the process of determining what it is that learners need to know. We find the right resources, we look at different types of ideas, media, etc.

The implementation stage, however, is where all the fun occurs. It is at this level that a teacher is able to make the learning meaningful for the learners. This is where we can experiment with different approaches to make the content come alive - through lecturing, group work, learning activities, assignments, reflection, and more. Konrad Glogowski recently shared his views of learning and passion, essentially stating that a teacher must always be a learner. What are your thoughts? How are you being a learner while you are teaching?

Course Outline

The course outline, including learning outcomes, is available here...as an MS Word file...

Week 1

Hi Welcome,

If you're here, you've found the course blog for the Implementation course...

Feel free to post a comment, say hello...etc.

Later this evening, I will upload the course outline...and provide a series of links for additional reading.

For this week, your "homework" is to review the readings I'll post on the weekend...and send me your reflective journal...