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!