VOC I - session 4

Session 4: 29.10.2013

For the fourth and final virtual session of VOC I, the Chair Group was Vygotsky, meaning ourselves and the two other groups presented during the 55-minute long sessions. I will begin by reporting on our own group…

Team Piaget – Group Dynamics

For me, this was arguably the most interesting subject to deal with during the whole of the VOC I virtual session course. I have for a long time been interested in this subject and have had some experience working with a consultancy firm in Oslo, dealing with such matters as how teams can best work together.

During the research phase for our presentation, I was able to lean on my Norwegian counterparts for some tips about which thinkers they are using and they suggested I go back to Belbin and his models of teamwork, which I was happy to do.

We also looked at Tuckman’s model of the stages of team development, which was another eye-opening experience for those taking part.

The discussions were fruitful and insightful. Everyone has experience of working in a team and people instinctively understand the challenges that came come from that, so there’s real gratitude when tools for dealing with teamwork are presented. For me, this is such a key component to successful classroom productivity that I want to work on this more and more in my own time, too.

References:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKaubUhHOGRBSGZCanc/edit (Where you can find the whole presentation PowerPoint as well as all of the sources)

Team Dewey – The role of vocational education in the whole of Finnish education

The subject matter for Team Dewey was a complicated one, but they dealt with it well. They had one interview with one project manager, Leena Happonen, who was able to lay out the significance of vocational education in the bigger picture, with specific reference to the use of having those close ties to the working community.

Looking at the challenges that face vocational education brought about through maximizing the working-life connection, there appear to many and all of them significant. For my part, it was interesting to listen to this kind of thing as I have personally found many challenges in my own work in trying to foster good, working relationships with work practice places. 

The greatest challenge for me has been a lack of resources, meaning that there just hasn’t been enough time to go to all the places and strike up a solid working relationship with the people there. It’s good to know I’m not alone and others also feel that this challenge needs attention.

And we watched this video:

Team Freire – What is expected of a vocational teacher?

The kicking off point for this discussion was the core competences for the vocational teacher, as laid out by our own school.

This is something that we have covered before, but it’s really useful, I find, to go back and look at things again and see that the meanings have changed or become clearer over time and also that what you focused on a few months ago might be different to now. This is a sign of good progress, I think, when understanding is developing and changing due to studies.

Some other topics which came up in this discussion were equality and sustainability, which is important for everyone in all walks of life, not just teachers. This is something that gets covered later on in greater detail, too.

References:

http://www.oamk.fi/docs/flippingbook/amok/study-guide/2014-2015/files/assets/basic-html/page5.html

VOC II update

Having completed all of the assignments in the VOC II course, I have now compiled them, as well as the assignment that my own group created, in the VOC II page.

There you will also be able to access the Prezi that we made about Entrepreneurship in Vocational Education, which I am sure you will find very interesting, as well as all the references.

You can go to the Prezi here. Below is a picture of it, not the actual Prezi.

Hope you enjoy the Prezi, any feedback is welcome!

VOC I - session 3

And now for the third session, condensed like a can of condensed milk and just as delicious...

Session 3: 16.10.2013

For the third session, the Chair Group was Team Freire and the other three groups, mine included, had presentations to make on various interesting subjects. by this stage, I would say that the whole virtual session flow had settled down as everyone now knew how things went and everyone’s own presentations were developing and adapting according to what appeared to have worked in the previous two sessions. Also, we had all begun to know each other better now, so that helped make a nice, productive session.

Team Piaget: Portfolios and everything about them!

Our presentation was divided into three subsections: What is a portfolio, what is a good portfolio process and lastly, what is a digital portfolio.

Our jumping off point was to see how and how much others have used portfolios. We found that it is actually something that most people are aware of, but haven’t for whatever reason been active with and are keen to know more about, which is great for us.

For me, during the researching phase and in hosting the session, maybe the most useful tool was concerned with what was a good process. It includes being selective about what you put it your portfolio, putting your own personality in there, being sure to put projects and work into context in terms of what you’ve learnt and constantly refreshing the whole portfolio based on new developments or the current purpose of it.

I have in the past taught portfolio classes to students about to graduate and there’s some real gold tips in there that I will use in future.

In the end were able to give a hint about one digital portfolio website, Wix, which allows you set up your own easily customizable portfolio, with many templates to choose from, with a freemium level entry, which is something that I got the impression many people were genuinely excited about.

References:

Our whole presentations and the references can be found here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKauOHpTYVNHamRuNkE/edit

http://www.wix.com/

Team Dewey: How to evaluate and asses learning

We started by discussing our own experiences of evaluation methods and then went on to think about the comparison between peer and self evaluation.

One of the really interesting things to come out of this session was the model by John Biggs: Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO), which you can see below:

What I think this is telling us simply to aim for a much more nuanced and ambitious way of evaluating, beyond something as simple as (can the student do one simple task) towards something much more holistic and involving the student actively engaging in the subject. That, for me, is the key thing, the student involvement.

References:

http://www.johnbiggs.com.au/academic/solo-taxonomy/

http://www.pontydysgu.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/eva_europe_vol2_prefinal.pdf (a guide to the evaluation of e-learning, by Attwell)

Team Vygotsky: The student’s role in self-evaluation

In this presentation we covered such issues as what is self-evaluation, why it can be useful and how it works best. I must say that I remain yet to be convinced about the role and benefits of self-evaluation beyond the obvious idea that one ought to have a decent enough idea if one is learning or not, but then isn’t that automatically folded into the very concept of learning?

Well, maybe it isn’t. Maybe it is possible for people to blindly go through a learning process without giving much thought to whether they are developing in the right way and at the right speed. And the benefit of becoming aware of this as a learner is that it can take some of the burden off the teacher, so that there’s more than one party involved in evaluating the process.

And this seems to be the real key benefit to self-evaluation: independence! 

References:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Evaluation-Global-Classroom-Whats-Schools/dp/041525826X

VOC I - session 2

Continuing my recap of the VOC I sessions, here's the latest installment, which can also be found from the VOC I page...

Session 2: 1.10.2013

For the second session of the VOC I course, my own group, Piaget, and two others, Freire and Vygotsky, contributed to the working session, whilst the forth group, Dewey, acted as Chair Group.

Team Freire: What is learning through discussion?

In terms of valuing and preparing well for discussion as a tool for education at vocational level, were provided an interesting and comprehensive list of tips and checklists for the method.

There were tips about how to help create productive discussion, such as:

• Create a safe environment
• Have clear objectives
• Inform about expectations
• Don’t fear silence
• Organise the room appropriately
• Give positive feedback for participation
• Show enthusiasm for the subject
• Manage the process and the content
• Listen, learn and adapt

For me, these are all good tips and every single one is important. If I had to pick out a couple that for me and really significant, I’d say those would be the set-up of the room, the positivity for contribution and the enthusiasm for the subject. I find that when I am teaching in any kind of unfamiliar space, I always want to be there early, so that the room is organized in the optimal way. If I turn up and it’s not, in my opinion, conducive to good learning, I will ask the student to help me rearrange the tables and chairs before we begin. 

Spending five minutes of a class getting the set up right is far better than spending a whole class time with a disjointed environment that can a hindrance to the flow of knowledge or a distraction for anybody.
 

We also looked at the benefits of discussion as an educational tool. Freire pointed out that it can help students learn for various reasons:

• It encourages them to engage with the subject
• It forces them to evaluate their own logic and the positions of others
• Students become aware of and formulate problems around the subject
• The students have the opportunity to apply their own principles
• It uses the resources of those in the room

For me, this last point is really relevant. When one considers that every student has their own areas of knowledge and expertise, we can really benefit as a group when we come together in this kind of exercise, as long as the discussion has been set up properly in the first place.

References:

http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2009/02/discussion-or-dialogue-theres-a-difference.html

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Effective-Classroom-Discussions.aspx

The second reference is significant for me as it provides further tips about best practice in classroom discussions. One that I find particularly useful is to do with clarification:

“Some students have great ideas, but they experience difficulty expressing those ideas clearly. (Adults may have this problem as well!) If understanding is elusive, how can a teacher respond productively? One option is to call for clarification. For example,

Can you help me out here, William? I'm not sure I've understood you.

Frances, I'm going to try to say that back to you, and you tell me whether I've understood you correctly.

In these examples, the teacher assumes responsibility for not understanding. Such questions do not penalize students or make them feel stupid; they simply give students another opportunity to help the teacher understand. In addition, such questions give students practice framing their ideas into comprehensible statements.

Once the teacher fully grasps what the student is trying to say, that teacher can formulate an appropriate response so that the dialogue can continue on a productive course.”

Team Vygotsky:  Virtual teaching

The subject here was very relevant, given the way we are all learning on this course: virtually! Haha, I made a joke; that we are virtually learning. :)

One of the things that we discussed was the idea of simulation games in education. In this area, progress is being made all the time and research is showing how we can use technology to help student to learn in a more active way, rather than passively learning in the classroom.

Other good points were made about abilities in using technology in education and, closely connected to that, attitudes. Learners will take a cue from the educator, so they themselves should be competently aware and enthusiastic about virtual learning environments.

On the issue of games in education, I am reminded of one very interesting book I read a few years ago, What Video GamesHave To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy by James Paul Gee. I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone interested in video games and education or even just one of those topics.

References:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019171854.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Video-Games-Teach-Learning-Literacy/dp/1403961697

http://www.jamespaulgee.com/publications (lots of interesting articles around the subject of video games and learning)

Team Piaget: What is a curriculum?

Finally, my own group had the opportunity to hold a workshop during the session and from my perspective, it was really quite exciting and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think that comes largely from having prepared well in our group beforehand, so I knew what I was talking about.

Our jumping off point was to canvass for views on what came into people’s minds when they hear the word “curriculum”. Words that came up were “plan, advice, content, direction, map…”, which seems like a good way to start.

We showed the following video as part of our session, looking at new ideas around curriculum:

What came up during the discussion was that many people had not really given much thought to the idea of curriculum before, so it was refreshing to present some ideas about it. In our discussions we asked questions about how much influence a teacher can have on curriculum, should there be variations between regions and do you like the idea of variety in the curriculum?

We examined three different ways of thinking about it, as can be seen in the following image:

All in all, it was a very nice and fruitful discussion and you can find the whole presentation as well as all the relevant resources in PowerPoint form here.

References:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByzDy4uXDKauLXk0Q3FkSHEyNHc/edit

Global Education

As I go through my blog and refresh the look and content, I have added in one page for the Global Education course. In that page, I tell about the documentary that Anna and I made in Nepal.

Here's the video, if you are interested. And even if you aren't, here it is anyway.

Reference

http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/index.html

VOC I - session 1

As I go back over the sessions we had in VOC I, here I report on what my findings were, what the groups presented and how I find it relevant to my own pedagogical learning and working life. All of these session reports will also be found here, from my own blog's VOC I page.

Session 1, 17.9.2013

For the first session, we acted as the Chair Group, which simply meant that we had to supervise the other groups in terms of timekeeping and making sure that things flowed technically. For me, it wasn’t difficult and I even found it enjoyable as there was no heavy burden to present anything, so in that sense it was an easy start. At the same time, I was able to follow and participate in the other groups’ presentations.

Team Dewey: What is learning?

This proved to be a wide-ranging look at many different theories and theorists. We learned about Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, David A. Kolb’s Experimental Learning, Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, Behaviourism & Cognitivism and Humanism & Constructivism. To cover so much in such a short session was ambitious, but there was still space to discuss and digest these ideas. A lot of things at this stage fall into the category of being at the same time new and familiar, because they are grounded in common sense, so we can immediately understand what is being discussed and why it is relevant.

Multiple Intelligences is one subject we covered during the contact session and that’s also something that I have some to appreciate in my own teaching. I think I am keeping it more firmly at the front of my mind that students just do have different ways of learning and that there’s real empirical value in tailoring the studies to best fit different styles. For me, the significance of this cannot be overstated.

References:

http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm (an interesting site where you can take a test to see what your own style of intelligence is)

Team Freire: The role of learning styles in teaching/tutoring

After covering some basics of education/learning theory, Team Freire concentrated on developing an understanding of McCarthy’s 4mat Theory of learning styles.

To summarize, this involves four basic styles of learning as follows:

Type One
Imaginative Learning–Feeling and watching, seeking personal associations, meaning, involvement.
Making connections. Key question: Why?

Type Two
Analytic Learning–Listening to and thinking about information; seeking facts, thinking through ideas; learning what the experts think. Formulating ideas. Key question: What?

Type Three
Common Sense Learning–Thinking and doing. Experimenting, building, creating usability. Tinkering.
Applying ideas. Key question: How?

Type Four
Dynamic Learning–Doing and feeling. Seeking hidden possibilities, exploring, learning by trial and error, self-discovery. Creating original adaptations. Key question: If?

Again, for me this is something I can accept without friction. If I had to bracket myself into one of these styles, I think I would go along with either Two or Three. I always want to know what the smart folks have thought about the issues before, so I want to be quite academic in my reseach and read lots of books. Then, I find real value in playing with subject, experimenting, tinkering with ideas and testing things in (sometimes very tight) frames, to see how they work under pressure and if I can really get my head around them.

One real challenge in here is finding out what makes the students tick and that can often be a case of trial and error. I think it’s important, especially when you don’t know the learners well enough, to present a wide variety of different styles and then pay close attention to what they seem to respond best to.

References:

http://www.4mationweb.com/4mationweb/4mat.php

http://www.aboutlearning.com/what-is-4mat

Team Vygotsky: What is progressive learning?

The last session, from Team Vygotsky was just as interesting and informative as the other two. To tackle this issue, we looked at Kai Hakkarainen’s model of Progressive Inquiry and compared it to Kolb’s Experiential Learning.

Below you can see roughly what it looks like and how it seeks to mirror the same methods employed in the scientific community. This is especially useful in learning when it takes place within a  group and the target is problem solving and knowledge building. In my own experience, I have employed something similar when working with groups of students in game design project and it’s much better (and I feel much more confident with it) if I have a concrete theory to fall back on and a good working plan.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_inquiry

Summer 2014 update

In the interest of continuing on from what has been achieved so far and developing my understanding of my own position as a pedagogical student, I here address a series of questions posed by Juha, our tutor.

My most memorable learning experiences

If I think back to what were formative learning experiences for me growing up, I would say that they involved those school subjects where I both had an intuitive interest in the subject and the right kind of person teaching it. 

The subjects I enjoyed most as school were English and Modern Studies (which is kind of like media, politics, global events etc.). In both cases I had teachers who were incredibly knowledgeable as well as passionate about the subjects. For whatever reason, I got on well with those teachers and that meant I was able to feed off their enthusiasm and also approach them with side issues relating to the subjects. They always had time for that.

Upon going to university I also found that the best rapport I had with my lecturers was when I found them approachable.

I find that those things are important for me in making a good teacher: knowledge, passion and approachability. 

My formal studies & learning history (classroom and virtual)

My formal education started in Scotland. Having completed my Standard Grades (at age 15/16) I did what was expected and stayed on for the Highers (like the English equivalent A Levels). I completed Highers in Maths, English, French, Computing Science, Marketing and Modern Studies, earning me the right to attend university, studying a joint degree in Philosophy and Film & Media.

In Finland I have completed a Masters degree in Visual Culture at Taik (now Aalto University), making my final work about writing and directing comedy for short fiction films.

Until the OAMK pedagogical studies, I had had no experience of virtual learning environments, aside from using Moodle to set up a course for my own students in my own working life.

My personal teaching history

I started working as a teacher of English as a second language in 2003. It was never my intention to work as a teacher; my education was in film and TV. I did it for the money. After a while I found that I enjoyed it and I was good at it. That continued for a number of years and eventually I switched my teaching profession away from a Folk High-School and started teaching in a Vocational school, teaching the subjects I was genuinely passionate about, in the audiovisual communication department in SATAEDU.

In all, I have been working full-time as a teacher in Finland for approximately 11 years and whilst the subjects have changed, I feel confident in my ability as a teacher, though I hope I will always be improving.

How do people learn the best in vocational settings?

In my opinion, people learn best by doing things, working on projects and having the people and facilities around them to support and encourage them in their learning. There should be space for making mistakes and learning on one’s own should be actively encouraged. It is a well-known phenomenon that the best students learn outside of the classroom as well as inside it.

My preferred learning styles

In terms of learning styles, I prefer to work with other people. I like having clear goals and clear frames in place. There has to be a challenge, too. It always helps to motivate me if I can see the bigger picture of why I am learning something.

 What makes an effective (vocational) teacher?

There are many things which make effective vocational teachers and they don’t have to be the same things for everyone. In a proper vocational school environment, the teaching staff should basically work together to form a whole collective which is able to deal with delivering effective education as a team. This means that someone should be like a student councellor, someone should have good organizational skills, someone should be very technical, someone should have lots of contacts in the professional field, someone should have the ideas, someone should lead the others… Not everyone has to have all of the attributes.

In this respect, I think the qualities of teamwork and important, so that whatever the skills of the teacher, they can be employed appropriately and appreciated by the whole group. 

How the curriculum directs the development of studies (and teaching)?

Curriculum has, of course, a significant effect on studies and teaching. When setting up any kind of course, understanding the content in terms of context is vital. If I am asked to teach something I am unfamiliar with, the first thing I do is ask the person I consider to be most knowledgeable a series of question:

What are the students supposed to get from the course (according to the curriculum)? 
 How has this been taught before? 
What worked best and what could have worked better in the previous approach? 
What are the special challenges that could come up in teaching this? 
How will this be evaluated?
 

Then once I have the answers to those questions, I come up with a rough plan for the course and go back to the same teacher to look at it and see if they think it will work, what changes will be made.

But the first question is always just simply a question of asking what, according to the curriculum, they are supposed to be learning and that influences everything else that follows.

What methods of assessment can I use and in which contexts?

There are, of course, many methods of assessment. The method used is always decided upon in relation to the subject and the students. If I am teaching scriptwriting, there is always a series of theoretical sections followed by short exercises to demonstrate understanding. Then the students have to produce their own script, employing the theory which has been imparted. This is normally an individual process and through rewrites and dialogue with myself, it can be seen how much they are grasping the subject. What’s important for me is that they demonstrate learning by doing the thing, not passing a test which asks abstract questions about scriptwriting.

How do I use technology in my field of pedagogy?

I use technology in my field of pedagogy in various ways. I communicate with colleagues and students alike using the technology of electronic mail as well as the telephone (which is older technology, but technology all the same).

When I am teaching I often use Prezi for making presentations (and make them available to the students to use for future reference) and I have also started using Padlet sometimes. I have been using a SmartBoard for a couple of years and find that a very useful piece of technology. Then there are the tools of the trade, which for me are mostly editing software for video (Adobe Premiere), photo editing (Photoshop and Lightroom) as well as the free scriptwriting software Celtx.

Analysis of my competences in teaching

I would say my competences are in the areas of cooperation, organization and motivation. There are some fields that I am more expert in and some that I could certainly improve in. I have found myself teaching Dreamweaver for web design and that’s something I only know the basics of, so very quickly the students know as much as me. I also feel I am lacking in sound techniques.

Familiarizing myself with the studies and planning ahead

As far as the studies are concerned, I am confident now about what I have done and fairly confident about what still has to be done. The key thing that remains in the teaching practice and that’s really the next goal for me in completing the whole course. I hope that I can do that this coming autumn here in Tampere.

My future as a vocational teacher

My future as a vocational teacher is somewhat up in the air right now. I no longer work in SATAEDU, so I am currently looking for similar employment in the same field but closer to home. I am also open to other kinds of challenges, so it really remains to be seen what will happen in my professional life.