Transforming Learning | doug woods

Archive for the ‘Transforming Learning’ Category

Reflective Practice and Teacher Development

Monday, August 1st, 2011

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Sometimes it’s best to see yourself through the eyes of others.

I have to admit that, as a teacher, I used to hate being observed. Which was strange because I could always be very critical of my own teaching and my own performance as viewed with hindsight by myself. Having someone else view my teaching was, however, more intimidating.

I think the point was that when someone else was observing me, I no longer felt in control of the situation. The lesson and its setting was often artificially contrived either to show off the best or to avoid the worst of my teaching. Even just having someone else in the room would have an effect upon the pupil behaviour. I think, though, the bottom line was that I rarely felt that the observer was there in a supportive role; they were usually there to catch me out or there to support their subject agenda.

I daresay that no everyone feels the same about being observed. There are certainly positive benefits to be gained from having someone observe your teaching. An independent eye may often pick up things you may not notice yourself, they may notice things you did not even feel were an issue. Even if the independent observer does notice the same things you have noticed yourself, having someone else notice them tends to give them more weight or significance. Having someone else notice things makes them more difficult to ignore or push to one side, as you might be tempted to do yourself.

Of course, any observer is there, hopefully, not just to notice the negative things but also to report to you on the positive aspects of your teaching. Positive things which, again, you yourself may not have noticed or thought worthy of note. Yet positive aspects are ones that you can contribute to the school and maybe help influence the teaching of colleagues.

Despite all the possible benefits of observation, it is still usually the case that the teacher does not feel in charge of the event. Could this be changed by the teacher inviting a colleague to observe a lesson? How many of us have done that? In such an arrangement, wouldn’t the teacher be in a better position and the observer, having accepted the invitation, be in a supportive role rather than merely carrying out a duty? If the teacher not only invited a colleague to observe a lesson but also invited the observer to comment upon particular aspects of their teaching, wouldn’t this be a more professional and beneficial use of lesson observation?

In a traditional observation arrangement, the observer observes a teacher and at a later time feeds back to that teacher. Couldn’t we utilise technology in some way to enable the observer to feedback to the teacher in real time and perhaps suggest changes to try while a lesson is in progress? Sure, we would not want to disrupt the lesson more than necessary but what I have in mind is some form of audio feedback perhaps via an earpiece or maybe text feedback to a teacher’s laptop. Similar, I guess to being a TV presenter?

While on the subject of a TV presenter, many of us do not like being in front of a video camera and we would certainly not regard ourselves as presenters. Nevertheless, videoing a session, instead of or in addition to physical observation, can also have great benefit in affecting teaching performance. A simple video camera stood in the corner of a room or maybe even in the hands of pupils, can provide a fascinating insight into one’s teaching even without any added commentary or feedback. It can also be used to provide ongoing records of improvement or changes for the teacher and maybe even provide some evidence of the effectiveness, or otherwise, of such changes.

For me, the key in all of this is that the teacher should be in charge of all of it. It is used as part of their reflective practice and ongoing development more than as an intrusion imposed upon them.

Iris Connect – lesson observation with video (whiteboardblog.co.uk)
Struggling teachers can improve by watching great teachers in action (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
How to Teach with Reflective Teaching (brighthub.com)
Schools that go it alone do best – report (guardian.co.uk)
IRIS Connect
How does IRIS Connect work

Reflective Practice and Teacher Development

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Tags: Lesson, lesson Observation, Observation, Teacher
Posted in Training INSET and CPD, Transforming Learning | 6 Comments »

When I Met the Old Teachers

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

The other day, I met with a group of senior teachers; not ‘senior’ in terms of their position but ‘senior’ in terms of their age and length of service. Amongst other topics, we discussed educational technology, ICT and various approaches to teaching or learning. It was an interesting group within which to discuss technology because this group had been in the profession from the very onset of educational technology, some of them could recall their teaching days before technology, and all could talk about the changing technology they had seen.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were only two members who admitted to not making much use of technology in their current teaching. Both of them felt that they ‘should’ be using technology more. A third member added that it was not simply a case of using technology more but, for them, it was a case of using technology more effectively. There were nods and murmurs of agreement from several others regarding this latter point. There was one ‘wag’ who chimed in that we needn’t worry about using technology as the new government would ensure that pretty soon there’d be no technology in the classroom.

To try to deflect the discussion away from politics, I asked the group whether all their teaching was done in classrooms. This question seemed at first to draw some puzzled looks, until one teacher, who taught science and PE, stated that part of his teaching was done in a gym or a field. It transpired that none of the group had been involved in team teaching, only one had experience of open-plan schools (and not a positive experience, it seemed) and none had experience of working with pupils in ‘learning spaces’. So it seemed that almost all their teaching had been in a traditional classroom, unless, as one chimed in, you count ‘taking assembly’ or ‘residential visits’; it was felt by a few, though, that such activities were not really ‘teaching’.

I wasn’t sure what sort of response I’d get when I asked about Virtual Learning Environments and whether any had used one of these. I was pleasantly surprised though when the immediate response was ‘oh, you mean Learning Platform. Yes we have one of those.’ It turned out that almost all the group were aware of Learning Platforms and were making some use of them. In fact the group seemed quite knowledgable regarding which learning platform their school or Local Authority was using; Fronter, Frog, It’s Learning, Uniservity and Merlin, though those using Merlin were not quite sure it was a learning platform in the same way as others were describing theirs. One member said that her school ‘had a Moodle’ but wasn’t sure whether that was a learning platform as such. Another asked whether Education City and Espresso, things she used to use at her former primary school, could be counted as learning platforms?

Okay, so the group wasn’t always clear about what constituted a VLE, or Learning Platform, but their responses didn’t quite reflect the ‘doom and gloom’ often expressed regarding learning platforms, the way in which they have been implemented, their cost and the limited use being made of them. When the discussion turned to how they used learning platforms, there was a wide response. Almost all said they do, or had, used them for storing lesson plans, worksheets and tests. One member talked about creating geography materials as a follow up to lessons, which pupils could access from home. I asked if anyone had any online courses for pupils to follow, to which only the person whose school used Moodle responded that she had worked with another staff member to create a course.

Finally, as the group wasn’t just there to discuss technology, we talked about other types of technology being used by the group. All now used a laptop computer whereas some had previously used only a desktop and all seemed to feel that this was an improvement. All were using Windows ® based machines and none had used Apple or Linux based computers. All had used a whiteboard and data projector, all bar two, who had just a plain whiteboard, used interactive whiteboards (which seemed to be used mostly to display an image from the projector and were placed at the front of the classroom)

Each member of the group had a mobile phone, which they mostly used to make voice calls, though a few also used txt. None had used their mobile phone to take pictures or video, most said they did not think their phone had that facility. Although most said that their pupils had and knew how to use a mobile phone, none allowed mobile phones to be used in a lesson and most said their school either barred or had some system for collecting mobile phones centrally during the school day. The ‘only acceptable’ use of mobile phones which this group would countenance would be in emergency cases or, possibly just possibly, on a field trip to maintain contact. The group felt there was no place at all for handheld or games consoles in education!

The group also discussed many other aspects of education, including school buildings and design. All were aware of BSF and two said that their schools were included in a future wave of BSF. None were aware of the Primary Capital Programme. All seemed to believe that the purpose of BSF was to replace dilapidated school buildings; something which they felt was of ‘high’ priority. None seemed aware of the significant ICT role in BSF.

Of course, this group met before the recent announcements from the government regarding the cessation of the BSF programme; which only makes the point I made in another post, that working with what you’ve already got is paramount.

One thing that did clearly emerge from the discussion with the senior teachers is the belief that things in education go round in circles, or cycles. Some felt that the call for ‘personalised learning’ was just the return of ‘child-centred teaching’ in a slightly different guise. Others expressed bemusement at the way ‘topic webs’ seemed to have gained in favour in recent years. So I guess none would be surprised at the demise of ICT from the spotlight.

It was clear, though, that all of them were using ICT; even the couple who felt they weren’t, seemed to accept that they ‘should’ be. I feel none of them would welcome a return to teaching without the support of technology. That last statement, though, is possibly indicative of the way in which this group, and many other teachers, view both technology and teaching. Technology is all too often viewed as a tool or a support. Teaching is too often planned as something to be ‘delivered’ from the front of a class. Technology is rarely seen as a tool to access learning, unless the teacher says so.

For those members of the profession who have been teaching for many, say 20 or 30, years, to be told that the methods and approaches you use are no longer appropriate can be very annoying. Yet, as I have written elsewhere, that is the essence of learning transformation. Being aware of and using modern technology is not enough; this is something that was made clear to me from the discussions within the group of senior teachers.

Does ICT Improve Learning? (ictineducation.org)
SWGFL ICT Conferences – Torquay & Bristol (dougdickinson.co.uk)

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Tags: Apple, E-Learning, Education, ICT, Linux, Moodle, primary school, Virtual learning environment
Posted in Classroom Technology, Transforming Learning | 3 Comments »

ICT in Education and Five Stages of Grief

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Those of us involved in counselling or in change management will be familiar with the five stages of grief. These constitute the Kubler-Ross theory or model of change and adjustment. It is not uncommon to see people go through these stages as part of the grieving process following the death of another person. It is also recognised that people involved in organisations or companies can go through a similar process when the company is changed following, say, a takeover or a closure.

The five stages of the Kubler-Ross model are;

Denial, Anger, Bargaining (or negotiation), Despair (or Depression), and Acceptance

I bring this up here because it appears to me that many people and organisations involved in education technology, or ICT, in the UK have recently been going (or are still going) through this process.

This has been brought about, I feel certain, by the recent government announcement of the closure of Becta, the early termination of BSF programmes and a lack of clear government policy toward the use of technology in education. This has led to many people being made redundant or, at the least, uncertain about their future, it has also led to many groups, schools and professionals feeling uncertain about their position and the continuing role of ICT in schools.

It is hardly surprising that many individuals will have been experiencing these stages of grief, or change, what may be less clear is how organisations may also be experiencing these stages as they try to reposition themselves for the future.

I shall not here go through a description of each of the stages but I feel it has been understandable how some people have at first expressed some disbelief at the decisions that have been made by the new government and also some anger. I feel the protests seen outside parliament on July 19th were conceived out of both disbelief and anger. Other groups have tried to approach the government minister to try to bargain or negotiate on their position, with very little success it would appear. Perhaps now we are at the stage of despair moving into acceptance.

It is important that we all, individuals and organisations, come to the point of acceptance, for it is only when we reach that point that we can start to move forward again.

Moving forward is what we really need to be doing at this time. It seems to ne that the new government has given us two issues to tackle;

Firstly, ICT in education is not important

and,

Secondly that central government shall have no role to play in the decision making as to how schools use ICT, such decisions shall be made by schools themselves, parents their communities and ‘big’ society.

It is my belief that the first issue is NOT the one we should be addressing. The message that ICT is not important has been put across as a result of decisions to axe BSF (Building Schools for the Future), the lack of any ‘policy’ toward education technology (either before or since the election) and a rather ill-informed speech on education given by a minister. At worst this is just an inference of the government’s failure to understand the role and importance of ICT. People failing to understand the significance of ICT in education is something we have probably all had to face for years from colleagues and sceptics, while it is disappointing that the government has appeared to side with the sceptics, our task here is simply to continue with vigour the training and promoting of ICT that we have all been doing for so long.

It is the second issue that we need to address with more urgency and import. This government is set upon a course of reducing or removing the role of central government in many aspects of our lives and giving power to a more local level. In the case of education, this appears to be to schools and parents. For those of us in ICT and education ,this would appear to mean that instead of dealing, as had previously been the case, with central government via its agency, Becta, we shall have to deal with schools more directly. It may also mean that schools, who may previously have relied upon Becta or their Local Authority for support and guidance may have to become more self-reliant or rely upon each other.

I feel that there is a future need for structures or mechanisms of support and guidance to be put in place for schools in terms of ICT progression. Such structures would not just be for schools but also for parents, communities, education suppliers and individuals. I do not believe that they need to be rigid structures but flexible structures that can be utilised to meet the needs of schools etc. as and when required. I do not believe, therefore, that we need a new body to replace Becta, which may always have been too far distant from schools, but for new organisations or groups and new ways of working to be brought into play.

I do believe at the present that the organisation, NAACE, could be in the best position to start fulfilling some of those roles. Its membership not only includes local authority advisors but also independent ICT consultants, schools and teachers, it also has links within the industry and suppliers. There is certainly the knowledge and skills within the organisation to take on new roles if its constitution, budgets and membership decisions allow.

So we need not despair about the future, we should accept the situation and begin to build for the future.

The 5 Stages of Dealing with Grief and Sorrow (lifescript.com)
ICT: A Whole New World (ictineducation.org)
What Are The Big Issues for Ed Tech Leaders? (ictineducation.org)
The future of ICT in the curriculum? (mrkp.edublogs.org)

ICT in Education and Five Stages of Grief

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Tags: Becta, Change management, Education, ICT, Information and communication technologies in education, Local Authority, Local government, Policy
Posted in Transforming Learning | 5 Comments »

John Davitt speaks

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

It’s always a pleasure to watch John Davitt giving his presentation. Unfortunately I missed it at this year’s Handheld Learning Conference, so it was great to see the video made available on the web.

You can find more videos of the handheld learning conference here

May 2010 update.

I’ve heard John speak a few times now and each time I seem to find something new in what he says. This is partly why I recommend anyone to go listen to him.

Below, I have listed some of the things I have got from John’s presentations. I daresay there are more I could have got and I guess other people may have got a different interpretation or message from John’s presentations, nevertheless, here is what I have got so far…

We should be using technology more creatively … no, I’ll rephrase that, we need to allow and support learners to use technology more creatively. For so long, pupils have been passive consumers (I think he actually uses that phrase) of technology, we ned to move them on to becoming creative uses of the tech. Instead of just sitting down in front of a monitor, pupils can be allowed to use a wide range ofd devices to create their own digital material and resources.

There are so many ways in which a pupil can demonstarte their work and their learning, so why, when we use technology, do we demand they use only a few? If you think about it, technology in the classroom has been very much a ‘visual’ tool, even when we consider Audio Visual or Multimedia aspects it seems that the Visual aspect dominates. Learners employ different senses and different styles of learning, even traditional teaching was not just visual, so we need to use technology in much more creative ways to reach out and support the different learning styles of individuals.

We’re each different. Some of us like our toast nicely buttered with the butter evenly spread across the slice and into each corner ( I had a girlfriend like that once, it nearly drove me mad; not her obsession with having the butter evenly spread but the fact that she was still around at breakfast time!). In the past, computers might have been seen as the preserve of neat and tidy people who liked organising databases, populating spreadsheets, or producing nicely word-processed documents. Nowadays, technology should be in the hands of everybody, not just the neat and tid, organised people. Being neat and organised, despite what your mother or your employer might think, is not a positive attribute; it is simply a personal characteristic and does not make you a better person that someone less organised or untidy.

Then there’s the story John tells about the Banda machine ( a primitive copier that used an analogue method of turning a handle to produce copies, for those of you too young to recall such a device) and how this one person had charge of the machine. It took me a while to realise any significance in this story but I do recall how in the early days, computers were seen as the territory of the IT co-ordinator in a school and no-one else was allowed to touch them without his permission or without prior signing of a book to say that you had it and signing again to say you had returned it. Nowadays, such petty empire building is not acceptable, all teachers now should have easy and ready access to technology for their lessons. In fact, we have gone much further than that, no longer should all teachers have access to technology for the lesson but all pupils should have access to, and that access should be available whereever the pupil is and wherever the learning takes place.

Okay, I’ll stop there but there is much more to be gained from listening to John Davitt or reading his book or following him on twitter. So do so!

As I right this, John is apparently on a beach somewhere, not sunning himself like any normal person would but running a training course!

Education World (flatchat.wordpress.com)
Technology Isn’t Keeping Up With Education (lockergnome.com)
Review of the RM Strategic Forum (ictineducation.org)
Technology in the classroom simms (slideshare.net)
Technology summative (slideshare.net)
Technology in the classroom! (slideshare.net)
100 ways to use a VLE – #4 Having an online chat (elearningstuff.wordpress.com)
Create, collaborate, communitcate (John Trealor, DEANZ 2010) (ictelt.blogspot.com)
Reflections on Handheld Learning: Authenticity vs Karaoke, and Magnificent Failure vs Benign Success (ictineducation.org)
Managing Change: Engaging The Teachers (ictineducation.org)
Teach with Twitter (flatchat.wordpress.com)
Ubiquitous Technology in Learning – a myth (deangroom.wordpress.com)
Reflections from Games Based Learning 2010 (#GBL10) – Introduction (olliebray.typepad.com)
[#RMForums2010] RM Strategic Forums: a vision of future of learning (8 of 10) – Panel Discussion (olliebray.typepad.com)
Risk assessing new technology (creativeict.typepad.com)
Seven types of ambiguity and new literacies (dougbelshaw.com)

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Tags: John Davitt, Technology/Internet
Posted in Classroom Technology, Handheld Learning, Transforming Learning | 2 Comments »

The Future of Teaching is Online

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

I came across this article on the Mashable website which looked at the future of teaching. It is not often that you find an article about education on this site, so I was intrigued. The article is titled The Future of teaching, so I was doubly intrigued.

The article claims that research has shown that online teaching appears to be more effective than face-to-face teaching. My own experience of learning online would tend to disagree with that but let’s hope that online tuition has improved, I’m sure it has, since my last experience of online learning.

The key message appears to be that online learning needs to be used in combination with other methods to be most effective. Well, I guess that is not a new or an earth shattering message.

However, I do feel that the article has a positive message for the future of education. It shows that online tuition can be effective and most certainly has a role to play in the future of education. For me., this is an important message as we move forward with Home Access. It not only tells us that online learning can be effective, it also emphasises that those learners without access are at a disadvantage.

Many of you will know that I have been involved in Becta’s Home access programme. Articles like this only help reinforce my view that a successful implementation of home access is important for improving the learning outcomes for all learners.

Education Technology; Teaching Tool or Learning Tool?

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

: Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday, I read this great short blog post from @kylepace entitled Good Vs Great Teachers. In the article, Kyle criticises another author who appeared to believe that educational technology was a waste of time because it would never replace good teachers. All in all I would agree very much with Kyle’s response, which is basically that good teachers embrace the technology and what it offers, to become Great teachers.

I posted a tweet on Twitter, inviting my followers to take a look at the article but I also posed the question, does the article still look upon education technology as a teaching tool rather than a learning tool? The purpose of this post on my blog is to attempt to explain what I meant by that.

We’ve had computers in schools for around 30 years now. I’m still surprised when I encounter a colleague who still questions whether we should have computers in schools. I remind them just how long they have been around in education and, if I’m feeling particularly narked, I ask what my colleague has been doing all this time? (I wonder why I have no friends!)

As I say, we’ve had computers for around 30 years and, in that time, the nature of the technology and its uses have changed considerably. No longer is a computer a device which only one, or possibly two, people could use at a time when sat at a monitor screen. Nowadays, we can project computer images to large groups and classes via interactive whiteboards. The computer in the classroom is no longer the sole preserve of the teacher, who says who can use it and when. Now each pupil can have their own computer, on a desk, on their lap or in their pocket.

Originally, pupils could engage in the learning software that their teacher presented to them. Nowadays, pupils can locate their own resources and share them with peers. They can use computers to collaborate on projects and other learning work. They can create their own materials and display or broadcast them to an audience. Their audience, or their peer group, is no longer confined to the members of their own school, year or class group, that audience is now to be found beyond school or even national boundaries.

What is echoing in my mind, are the words I first heard from John Davitt, “we need to move learners from being passive consumers of technology into becoming creative users of that technology” . I feel that this shift has been happening over the years and needs to continue to progress. The technology is no longer just a tool for the teacher, it is no a tool for the learner.

I sometimes find myself saying to teachers, particularly those who have some reticence or lack confidence in using ICT, that it does not matter so much how you use technology, what matters most is how you allow and enable your learners to use technology.

So, for me, educational technology is a tool more for the learner than the teacher. That is not to deny the role that technology has in supporting the teacher in their work and in their approaches to learning but that it is the use of technology by the learner that is key to the future of education.

For me, a good teacher is one who uses technology in their work ( see my article elsewhere on good teachers and technology), a great teacher is one who extends that to encourage, support and develop their learners’ use of technology in their learning.

Technology Everywhere (slideshare.net)
Action plan for integration of technology (slideshare.net)
Students as Creators of Multimedia Instruction (boisebarbara.org)
SWGFL ICT Conferences – Torquay & Bristol (dougdickinson.co.uk)
Does ICT Improve Learning? (ictineducation.org)
New Technology and Outdoor Learning: Introduction (olliebray.typepad.com)
Outfitting 21st Century Classrooms with 21st Century Teachers (isteconnects.org)

Education Technology; Teaching Tool or Learning Tool?

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Tags: Author, Education, Information and communication technologies in education, Interactive whiteboard, K through 12, Learning, Technology, Twitter
Posted in Classroom Technology, Transforming Learning | 2 Comments »

Disappearing from the Radar … (nothing to do with volcanic ash)

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Only a short while back, I wrote a blog post entitled ‘Working with what You’ve Got’, little did I realise at the time that, with the possible curtailing of BSF and other capital projects, working with what they’ve got might become the only option for schools.

I still stand by what I wrote in that post. The starting point for any transformation in learning must start with what facilities or provision a school has already. To a small extent, this may be an indictment of the BSF programme where huge amounts of money and effort has been put into supplying and equipping schools with new ICT equipment and yet no or little transformation in learning has been evidenced as yet. I’ve heard it said that this was because the transformation was laid at the doorstep of the change agenda, which had a different budget. Hence this may have allowed more money to be spent on ICT infrastructure but it also led to a divorce between the ICT and transformation. Perhaps it is now time to remarry the two!

I also feel part of the problem is that ‘Learning Transformation’ is a vague concept. It is a concept that is positively received and you will find few people who argue against it. Sadly, though, our previous government seems to have been masters of spinning positive phrases that nobody fully understood. ‘Personalised Learning’ was a classic of the genre; again nobody was prepared to argue against it and it seems everyone was in favour of it but there was no clear consensus as to what it meant. This culminated in the infamous government committee meeting where senior officials in the department had to admit that they did not know what it meant. After that, things became very quiet on the personalised learning front as the concept seemed to gradually fade from our radar; will ‘Learning Transformation’ go the same way?

Ironically, I feel there is a link between personalised learning and learning transformation. For me, the heart of learning transformation is putting the learner in charge of their learning and I see this too as being the ultimate in personalised learning. But more on that another time, for now let’s just try to keep Learning Transformation on our radar despite current difficulties.

ICT and the changing role of the teacher (slideshare.net)
Where We Sit As A School (slideshare.net)
Pupil and Parent Guarantees, and ICT (ictineducation.org)
Brave New World pt3 (mrkp.edublogs.org)
Computers in Classrooms Post-BETT Special (ictineducation.org)

Disappearing from the Radar ... (nothing to do with volcanic ash)

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Tags: Education, Educational technology, Information and communication technologies in education, Personalized learning
Posted in BSF, Classroom Technology, Transforming Learning | 6 Comments »

Archive for the ‘Transforming Learning’ Category

Reflective Practice and Teacher Development

When I Met the Old Teachers

ICT in Education and Five Stages of Grief

John Davitt speaks

The Future of Teaching is Online

Education Technology; Teaching Tool or Learning Tool?

Disappearing from the Radar … (nothing to do with volcanic ash)

Contact me

Follow us on Twitter

Doug Woods

Archive for the ‘Transforming Learning’ Category

Reflective Practice and Teacher Development

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When I Met the Old Teachers

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ICT in Education and Five Stages of Grief

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John Davitt speaks

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The Future of Teaching is Online

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Education Technology; Teaching Tool or Learning Tool?

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Disappearing from the Radar … (nothing to do with volcanic ash)

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Contact me

Follow us on Twitter

Doug Woods