The challenge of creating a space that encourages meaningful involvement in the classroom...

As a teacher, I'd think that it would be a very rewarding and satisfying thing if the learners in my class are actively involved in the learning experience and show eagerness to participate. To me this would be the ideal classroom situation, one where co-operative learning is embraced and participation is encouraged. It is in this ideal classroom that the teacher will create a space in which the involvement of the learners are meaningful. But as we all know, this is but a utopia of all teachers and the actual situation is the complete opposite. 

The reason for this is that there are so many other factors that hampers the opportunity to create a space like this, the main one being the behaviour of the learners. According to Wills this is an issue because as a result of the behaviour of the kids, activities in which meaningful involvement is facilitated, often does not take place. Logistical tasks that could be done in a matter of minutes takes up the time of these activities. 

Noise is also another issue that is an obstacle to a peaceful learning experience. A way in which to overcome these issues is to manage your pedagogy in a way that all these miscellaneous tasks are done more efficiently. Be innovative in order to change the situation so that there is more time for meaningful involvement on the part of the learners. Contemplate on what is working effectively in your classroom and what is not and distinguish between mundane tasks and those that promote creativity.

In this sense, your pedagogy as a teacher should then also undergo change. In order to adopt an Effective Pedagogy there are three steps to follow. They are namely pastoral care and learner well-being, effective teaching practices and school environment and lastly class resources. Pastoral care and learner well-being requires the teacher to be accessible, open communication, to provide solid foundation skills, showing empathy and understanding ect. Effective teaching incorporates academic, behavioural and social elements to create a positive classroom environment. Classroom resources can be used to assist learning and should therefore be understood fully.

 

In conclusion, meaningful involvement of learners in the classroom can be facilitated through effective pedagogy. By following the steps mentioned by Foley, each and every teacher will be able to create a space in which this type of involvement is possible. 

The Learner becomes the Teacher (To him/her -self)..

When it comes to learning, all of us have the urge some time or another to take learning into our own hands. In other words, to learn independently, at our own pace and according to our own rules. At the moment this is impossible and the reason for this is that fact that our learning is governed by the predetermined standards of education. These standards place emphasis on the role of the teacher who is the one who guides and controls the process of learning and the role of the learner as the 'becoming human being' whose purpose is to be receptive of what is being taught to them. 

This specific structure, in my opinion is limiting because it is assumed that the teacher already 'knows' everything, meaning that in the context of the classroom it is not expected of them to learn anything. My view is that, even though the teacher has been trained in the subject area, they are still susceptible to learning and that the learners with whom they are in contact from a day-to-day, can be seen as individuals from which they can learn. just as learners learn from teachers, teachers can learn from learners. And because learners can be recognized as knowledgeable, they are more than capable to take their learning into their own hands.

Tech-mediated self-directed distance learning speaks to this view. In this particular type of learning, learners take control of their education and learn through the employment of technology. They decide on a curriculum for themselves, one that is flexible and speaks to their specific interests. They are in charge of the direction that their learning takes and are not confined to physical environments in order to learn. The Independent Project is a practical example of this phenomenon.

The Independent Project is a school within a school which was started by a group of learners. These students saw a need for the project as they saw the traditional school environment to be restricting, a place defined by rules. It was a place in which they couldn't be creative and engage with the knowledge. They were expected to memorize the knowledge for the purposes of assessment. They established the project because they wanted to learn independently to this system. What they learned was decided upon by themselves and according to their choice, they could undertake individual projects in which they actively engaged in the topic. They were not bound by a curriculum and this exposed them to many more learning opportunities. In essence, they were learning through experiences.

Looking at how well the Project was working at that specific school, I feel that the potential of tech-mediated self-directed distance learning is great. It is an effective way of learning that is not restricting and embraces the creativity, interests and independence of the learners. I am all for it!!

Incorporating Social Media into the Classroom

INCORPORATING SOCIAL MEDIA IN HISTORY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

The common thought on incorporating social media into the classroom is that it would merely act as a distraction in the sense that the students’ attention would wane from the teacher and the content being taught, to the more interesting and exciting prospects Facebook, Twitter and SnapChat (among others) offer. This view is a rather negative one and can be seen as a complete myth. The reason for this is that social media can become a vital and extremely useful resource in the teaching of specific subjects. 

This is emphasized by Vicki Davis, who feels it is important to distinguish social media from the practice of socializing. According to her, if used appropriately, it could enhance the learning that takes place within the classroom and also introduce the students to what is currently happening in the world. It is also beneficial for teachers as they are also exposed to a broader context, thus allowing them to engage with other teachers in the field. She has therefore compiled 12 different ways in which social media is currently being used in the classroom (some of which I will mention with application to my specific subject areas).

Nicholas Provenzano agrees with Davis as he sees the use of social media as a tool to expand teaching and expanding the reach of learning to beyond the classroom. Admitting that he was at first hesitant about the use of social media in the classroom, he came to realize that it was also a means for the students to connect with others in the field of academics. In his opinion, applications such as Remind, Twitter and Instagram can play an instrumental role in the teaching as well as the learning of students. He also promotes the practice of blogging, as the comments of other students encourages the sharing of thoughts. 

With the guidance of Davis and Provenzano, it becomes a rather easy task to incorporate social media into the contexts of History and English Language teaching. For History specifically, online blogs, Twitter and YouTube will be particularly useful. The students can thus write blogs on the content presented in class and give feedback on each other’s work through commenting on the blogs or via Twitter. YouTube is useful in the sense that they can be exposed to other aspects of the subject area. English Language teaching can also benefit from blogging in the sense that the students can connect with each other and also others all over the world. 

Social Media is therefore the future of education and in my opinion, should be incorporated into the classroom right away!

DIGITAL PEDAGOGY IS ONLINE TEACHING, RIGHT? I THINK NOT…

Decoding digital pedagogy- Beyond the LMS and (Un)mapping the Terrain.

When thinking about the concept of digital pedagogy it is easy to assimilate it to online teaching. The reason for this is that the words “digital” and “online” are closely related and in the same way “pedagogy” and “teaching” are related too. To many it may seem that these words have basically the same meaning, so of course, when brought into relation, they have to be identical concepts, right? No, not right. Although they are in some way related, digital pedagogy and online teaching could not be more different. This assumption arises from the confusion about digital pedagogy, as explained by Sean Michael Morris in his article “Decoding Digital Pedagogy, PT. 1”.  It is further elaborated on by Jess Stommel in “Decoding Digital Pedagogy, PT. 2”.

 The main premise on which teaching and pedagogy differ is the fact that pedagogy, in itself is a scholarship which is different from the study of education. According to Morris, it has at its core “timelessness, mindfulness and improvisation”. Learning takes place instantaneously and momentarily within the context of a vital exchange. In this way pedagogy is not limited to the classroom in the way that teaching is. If we consider teaching, in the formal setting (schools), the learning that has to happen, happens within the context of the classroom and in this way creates certain limitations for the learners.

Pedagogy encourages learning that is lifelong, meaning that what is learnt can be sustained. It is therefore not concerned with teaching content that is important for assessment and that will most likely be forgotten after the assessment has been completed. The digital pedagogue thus teaches through inquiry and encourages the exploration of a landscape of learning that is mysterious.

Morris also makes mention of the LMS (Learning Management System), which was implemented as a resource to facilitate online teaching. According to him, its implementation was premature and did not reach a large part of the population. It also reduced digital pedagogy to being a “mere work of relocation”. Using the LMS, we can assume that we’re not ready to teach online.

Stommel further builds on the ideas of Morris and explains how digital pedagogy is an “active present principle” and a “way of engaging the world”. It can also be seen as a compass to learning, not an unknown pathway. Pedagogy can also not be defined and the reason for this is that it is responsive in nature.

Digital Pedagogy is therefore the practice of learning through many different means which encourage participation, engaging with the wider context, creativity, etc. Knowledge is achieved through the unknown and taught in a way that it can be sustained. 

Plugged In or Unplugged? Does it matter?

Plugged In or Unplugged? Does it matter?

For many digital pedagogy might be a term with which they have come across in other disciplines and different settings, but for me, this was not the case. The first time I was confronted with the term and what it meant was in my first Computer Use class in the PGCE program. As if the program itself was not strange to me already, seeing that my undergraduate degree differed somewhat as to what I will now be doing, being confronted with this term and being told that we would be actively be engaging in the practice of digital pedagogy, admittedly spurred a feeling of confusion, uncertainty and even fear within me. But all was not lost, in order to broaden my knowledge on this practice, I consulted a secondary source by Paul Fyfe and to much relief, the confusion, uncertainty and fear was put to rest. This is what the source states…

When thinking of digital pedagogy, the initial thought is that it is dependent on technology. Instruction, therefore, has to take place with the aid of technological equipment- this is a frequent misconception. According to Fyfe, for digital pedagogy to take place, technology is barely needed. This is particularly important within the South African context, as access to technology is limited in some areas. “Digital Pedagogy Unplugged” is therefore a means of conducting the practice in a context where the alternative is not always possible.

The concept of “Teaching Naked” comes into play here. No, it’s not meant in the physical sense, although that might be a daunting experience. The source speaks of teaching naked as the practice of teaching without technology. But with the increase of the prevalence of incorporating technological means into the field of education, “Teaching Naked” becomes somewhat irrelevant because of the educational benefits technology offers.

Focus is then shifted to Cultural Studies and the influence technology has on it. According to Sean Latham, whom Fyfe makes reference to, digital technology and cultural studies complement one another. The reason for this is that technology makes it possible for us to make sense of the density of culture with which we are faced in the general society. Digital resources also seem to aid the challenge teachers face, this being keeping the attention of the learners. In so doing, digital futures are imagined.

Fyfe concludes that teachers as well as their learners can be defined as digital humanists. The future of education is definitely digital and for this reason, it is irresponsible to teach with technology that does not portray digital pedagogy. To construct this pedagogy one needs to “pull the plug.”