Michele Martin has a series of posts on reflective practice relevant to blogging for learning. In her latest Web2.0Wednesday assignment, she asks us to share our favourite blogging for learning activity.My activity is all about what I’ve been researching for the last 5 months since I started blogging. It’s really a series of activities rather than just one pursuit.This all began with Michele Martin. Her May post invited people to participate in The Comment Challenge and got me into blogging. In all fairness to this particular Web2.0Wednesday assignment, the whole series of activities in The Comment Challenge was really based on reflective learning.I joined The Challenge because I wanted to learn about blogging. In New Zealand, the acme of male achievement is to attain the legendary certificate of a good bloke. My goal became to achieve the imaginary certificate of a good blogger.I use a simplified action research technique. It involves a cycle of actions by which alterations can be made to improve practice.Action research uses an action cycle similar to this:The cycle can be thought of as beginning with reflection.Reflect:This phase relies on recorded data and evidence gathered from experiences.I assess recorded data and think about what it means in terms of my aims and objectives. I often ask the question: "Does this data show that I am moving along the ‘improvement’ pathway?" The answer isn’t always ‘yes’.In this phase I don’t need to be sitting at a computer. I can reflect on things travelling on a bus going to work.Plan:The planning phase is usually based on the reflective phase. It is the phase where decisions are made - the let's-try-this phase. It is based on what transpired in the reflective phase while examining available gathered results and reviewing those.I have to be creative in this phase, the how-the-hell-can-I-do-this stage. It is the phase where I may have to change old methods, or look for new ones.In this phase, I may have to seek help or advice from others, or do a bit of finding out from the Net - web pages, web data, or other blog posts.Act:Here I put into action the plan that fell out after the reflective phase. This is the phase where I build, and attempt to put into action the ideas that I’d given time and thought to. Friends may have helped me with those or recommended that I try new things.It is the ‘doing’ phase. It is the phase where plans are rolled out and methods are implemented. New tools and techniques are tried. Mistakes are made or acted on.Gather:This phase takes place all the time, but mainly during and following the action phase. A number of tools and techniques are brought into play.I call upon expert bloggers during this process by emailing them or from feedback in comments. There are many blogging experts who help me, either directly or from posts on their blogs. Many of them are in my commentsphere.What is gathered is recorded in a log or diary. To a large extent, the blog becomes an extremely important diary in itself. But it is not exclusively what I keep as records. I also keep notes that I refer to in the reflective phase.I use a number of Web2.0 tools, such as Google Analytics, that provide data about my blog. Recently, I’ve been monitoring text in posts using the Flesch Reading Ease.No cycle is exclusive:I have several cycles operating at once. None are mutually exclusive. From time to time the outcomes of one series of cycles could well affect what I do in others.( 9 ) << - related posts - >> ( 7 ) ( 6 ) ( 5 ) ( 4 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 )other Web2.0Wednesday posts - >> ( 7 ) ( 6 ) ( 5 ) ( 4 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 )

This post is part of October’s edition of the Working / Learning blog carnival. This month’s host is Leean of Xyleme Learning Blog.The strategies, pedagogy and scaffolding, are familiar in teaching and learning today. Their applications are just as relevant in the classroom as in the workplace.Often, the principles behind such useful strategies are glossed over in favour of a collaborative approach to learning. Learners share areas of skills and knowledge that they may be deficient in. When these situations occur, some learners may be left to pull themselves up by their own bootlaces when it comes to learning what's needed.The worth of these strategies is sometimes forgotten about or misunderstood. As well, the terms 'pedagogy' and 'scaffolding' tend to be interchanged inappropriately when discussing teaching and learning.Why a Jigsaw Puzzle?I use the idea of building parts of a jigsaw puzzle when thinking about pedagogy and scaffolding. It is an analogy for learning. Though it's not the only analogy I use for this, it fits well with the context discussed here. The jigsaw puzzle analogy reflects much of Jean Piaget's theory - that learning occurs within a framework of past experiences and events.Piaget recognised the essential importance of play in learning situations. The processes of accommodation and assimilation are assisted when the learner is having fun.Strategies for building:Wikipedia defines pedagogy as "the art or science of being a teacher". Using the jigsaw puzzle analogy, pedagogy can be thought of as a way of presenting to a beginner the likely pieces for placement. It connotes an approach to learning that's guided by a teacher.There are some defined rules to do with how the steps should be chosen. They are selected carefully by a skilled teacher according to parameters, other than just what step comes next in a learning sequence. That's why teaching is an art, rather than a prescriptive routine.Computer based instruction, and the theory that goes with it, is an attempt to design a machine that can select learning steps for the learner. It mimics pedagogy by using a behaviourist approach to instruction. A pithy summary for the tactics used is, 'when this behaviour occurs, present this learning step'.There is some merit in this approach, as Scott McLeod outlined in his post that asked, "can a computer lecture better than a human?" Computer instruction routines are geared to what fits most learners.But they may fall short when it comes to what fits best.A computer cannot see the puzzle pieces the way the learner sees them. To provide effective learning material, the instructor has to see things through the eyes of the learner. The art of the teacher is knowing what pieces to select, and in which order, that best fit the needs of the learner - the pedagogy. Foundation and support:Wikipedia defines scaffolding as, "the provision of sufficient supports to promote learning when concepts and skills are being first introduced". These include the steps that help the learner move from one level of understanding to the next. They're like relevant pieces of a jigsaw puzzle placed appropriately.They lead or point to the skill or idea that is to be learnt. The correct placement of them helps the learner see the relevance of the next puzzle piece to be laid - the next learning step. Teacher assistance and encouragement, while this is done, provides the necessary support for preparatory learning - the scaffolding.Scaffolding can also permit the learner to envisage what has to be learnt next. Provisions that do this inspire learning. What could be more impelling for the learner than a strategy that anticipates what's next to be learnt?Scaffolding can take many forms. It may amount to learning a series of skills and knowledge that are seemingly unrelated, having no relevant sequence. An example of this is the set of skills and knowledge the elearning apprentice should learn before stepping into the field of elearning.Often the scaffolding is a progressive and sequential series of related knowledge and skills. Such a series is found in what's required by a junior science student about to learn how to balance a chemical equation:understanding of the particle theory of matterawareness that the smallest discrete particle of matter is the atomknowledge that elements are made up of atoms that are all the sameknowledge that chemical symbols can describe atoms of elementsappreciation of the way in which most atoms join with each otherknowledge of numeracy used in writing correct chemical formulaeawareness that atom combinations follow predictable patternsknowledge of numeracy used in writing chemical equationsappreciation of the conservation principle of matterThe sequence of the steps presented to the learner is important. It is an integral part of the strategy. A learner who has not been introduced to these concepts, mastered each skill and gained the relevant knowledge, would have considerable difficulty with the ultimate step in learning to balance a chemical equation.In a constructivist situation, scaffolding cannot always be planned. If it occurs, it may well be just by chance. The skill of a teacher is in being able to establish if the learner already has the necessary learning to be within easy reach of the next learning objective. Knowledge of what additional scaffolding, if any, may be required by the learner, before progressing to the next level, is as important.As the learner builds on learning, however, it may not turn out to be exactly the same as the vision of the learning held in the mind of the teacher.Self-teaching:Wikipedia explains metacognition and quotes J H Flavell, referring to the learner becoming familiar with the "learning-relevant properties of information or data". The ability to recognise the property of what is to be learnt is a higher thinking skill. Its use can help the learner select effective learning strategies. A learner who possesses some measure of this skill may still be disadvantaged compared to another who has the benefit of a teacher.Through specific training and practice, a learner can still become better equipped to learn. With insight, such a learner may be able to recognise learning perspectives more readily than the teacher. The learner who practices such skills effectively becomes the teacher; learning becomes autonomous.Same old story:People who to try to learn from textbooks, or through online course material, find they have to bring energy to the learning process. In the absence of a teacher, learners must seek and recognise scaffolding for themselves. Unfortunately, most learners cannot easily anticipate the need for this - never mind identify it.Without perseverance, commitment and a will to learn how to learn, most people who study on their own run out of energy. Clive Shepherd confirms this in an all too common tale of woe from a workplace trainer. His recent post, Same old story, reports that the success of unsupported, self-study in workplace elearning programmes is often disappointing.( 6 ) ( 5 ) ( 4 ) << - related posts - >> ( 2 ) ( 1 )

Tēnā koutou katoaGreetings to you allDoing my usual catch-up, I read Ken Stewart's latest on Help Find Great Blogs. I'd to link through to Chuck Westbrook’s post for more.While the idea Chuck has is still a bit odd in my mind, I have to give it to him that he knows a thing or two about getting comments on posts. When I popped my comment, I came in at number 222!No, my fingers don’t have a tremble. Not yet anyway.I checked out the comments on Chuck’s post today. Nicole Feliciano had put the latest one. She was at number 249! From when I put my comment, till Nicole put hers, Chuck's post gained 27 more comments.I’ve never had anything near 20 comments on my blog let alone 249.It’s Monday 27 October. Chuck's post went up last Thursday.It's getting 5 comments every hour, and they’re still coming in.This is impressive stuff!Just on the side - and it could be unrelated - but the Reading Ease of Chuck’s post came in at 76.3.Ka kite anōCatch ya later

Tēnā koutou katoaGreetings to you allWay back last century, farmers in Scotland sometimes used a pumpkin or turnip for the head of a scarecrow. Chosen for its size, shape and colour tone, such vegetables could look convincingly like a human face. Perhaps their use for this dates back to early primitive times. I’d like to think it did.The Celts also used pumpkins and the like to frighten off superstition.Maybe the features of a face were fashioning by cutting holes in the hollowed out gourd. Perhaps a primitive candle, made from animal fat and plant fibre, could have been used to serve its function as a lantern - who knows?I can recall the first time I saw a pumpkin lantern as a child. It was Halloween. Carried by one of a group of children, walking after dark along the dimly lit Scottish street where I lived - this was really scary to me. I can imagine how this, otherwise lifeless piece of carved vegetable, with its eerie ghoulish appearance, could conjure up fear in someone viewing it from a distance.According to Wikipedia, the Celts believed that "the head was the most powerful part of the body containing the spirit and the knowledge". For this reason, belief was that the pumkin had the power to ward off evil spirits. It puts quite a different perspective on the term pumpkin-head!Ka kite anōCatch ya later

I left a comment on Virginia Yonkers' post, Why Can't Learning Be Fun. She'd allowed me to reflect on what learning was all about. Anyone who has watched a young child explore its surroundings will also know the wonder and enjoyment that fills the mind of the young learner.When watching for the first time bubbles, balloons, buzzy bees or butterflies, no normal child sits sullenly.Having fun is a natural companion to learning.

photo by Mike Wood.I attended an asTTle workshop last week. Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning - He Pūnaha Aromatawai mō te Whakaako me te Ako, or asTTle, is a resource for assessing literacy and numeracy (in both English and Māori). The University of Auckland developed it for the New Zealand Ministry of Education.A helpful system:Though the idea of assessing the reading level of a child was not new to me, I hadn’t realised how the asTTle system worked. It’s based on the concept that knowledge of the reading ability of a child can assist in providing specific help when needed.By providing appropriate assistance, the child is empowered to better understand the reading material relevant to the levels of learning they're at in different subject areas. The teacher is also better able to understand the reading difficulties a child may have while learning at levels of their ability and development in different curricular areas.I have no problem with this, other than the intervention caused by assessment to establish where every child is at, through entire areas of the curriculum. I think it’s wonderful that we can provide assistance when it is needed.Levels of literacy:I had several discussions with the facilitators. They were very helpful.We did not agree when I explain that, as a writer of learning resources, I used the simplest possible language, sentence construction and paragraphing whenever I could. I used the same technique in writing a paragraph in a Chemistry resource for a year 13 learner than I would for a resource in Biology for a year 9 learner.Their advice was that I should match the reading level of my writing to the subject level. We had several aside discussions on this - they weren’t simple. We agreed that the language of the subject was obviously something that would progress, as expected, in shifting from a lower learning level to a higher level.What the facilitators found fault with, was that I deliberately used simple language. Even using the terms and vocabulary appropriate to the area and level of the Science covered in the resource I was writing, was not meeting the needs of the student, by their way of it. The purpose of writing:My question to them was, "what is my main objective as a writer of Science?" Should I deliberately change an otherwise well written paragraph, so that its reading level matched the level of the subject content contained there? I was at odds with this supposition. What’s more, it conflicted with all I’d read on Cathy Moore’s great post.I recalled a poem by Arthur Kudner, while I listened to the arguments from the facilitator. Never fear big words.Big words mean little things.All big things have little names,Such as life and death, peace and war,Or dawn, day, night, hope, love, home.Learn to use little words in a big way.It is hard to do,But they say what you mean.When you don’t know what you mean,Use big words -They often fool little people.

On November 16, 1974, the Arecibo radio-telescope in Puerto Rico, transmitted a radio signal to outer space. It was directed at a globular cluster, M13 - a massive cluster of hundreds of thousands of stars, some 25,100 light years away. This was an attempt to communicate with galactic civilizations outside our own galaxy.Communicating in space:The Arecibo message consisted of digital information. Laid out in an array of 73 rows by 23 columns, it may appear like the picture above.The pattern in white, along the top row, defines the binary code used throughout the rest of the message. The second line shows information about the 5 essential elements of which we are made - hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus. The blocks in green and blue and the vertical white block show the special parts that make up DNA, the building blocks of life itself.Other parts to the left and right of the little red creature, show respectively the average height and population of the creatures here on earth. The yellow line depicts the sun and the relative sizes and positions of its eight planets and dwarf planet. Earth is identified by its displacement in the pattern. The violet radio telescope points to the code in white that shows the size of the telescope.If the Arecibo message is detected and decoded by a galactic civilization, it will take over 50,000 years before we will receive a reply. If we ever receive one, let's hope it's not the equivalent of a voice-mail message.More detailed information about our position in the universe was sent in another direction in 1977 on the Voyager mission. A capsule contained a gold recording of sounds here on earth, together with explicit engravings on its gold cover showing our precise location in the solar system.Courtesy NASA.Communicating in cyberspace:Much of the advice given to young learners networking in cyberspace is to do with the protection of personal identity. Young networkers, who understand the risks, use a nickname in their communications. They take care not to share personal data such as full name, age, phone number, email address or street address.Both the Arecibo message and the Voyager information contravene the precautions now recognised to protect personal information when communicating. If these missions were launched today, would we be so willing to share precise details about ourselves as well as our precise location? We'll have to wait a bit to find out what the consequences might bring us.( 5 ) <<- related posts->> ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 )

Mercury photographed by Mariner 10 - 1974 Courtesy NASA.You may not have realised that the image of the Voyager record cover in my previous post was copyright free. Oh yes, I credited the image source - NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).At the turn of the century (I love that line) I was building a series of digital resources on astronomy. Where did I get my images from? NASA.I remember getting a call from our copyright officer, way back in 2000. He wanted to check out some of the things I’d been building - for copyright clearance, etc. I bundled all the resources I’d had onto a CD. Some had already gone up on the web site.I had my heart in my mouth, for I’d spent a lot of time creating these resources. But when I showed the pictures to our copyright officer, all he came up with was a beaming smile from ear to lug.You see, I’d remembered to credit NASA on every photograph. Here’s a recent close up of Mercury. That’s right. The planet. It was taken by the Messenger spacecraft on its second sweep past the first rock from the sun. You can learn more about that mission at the Messenger site.Mercury photographed by NASA's Messenger - 2008Courtesy NASA.NASA photographs of astronauts, or members of their family, are not quite the same though. It would be courteous to clear any such photographs with the people at NASA before publishing.The pictures are fabulous - literally out of this world.Thank you NASA! Thank you America! Thank you Obama!

A perennial difficulty for teachers and trainers is establishing effective learner engagement. In recent years, interest has been high in this area. Frequent engagement is seen as a powerful indicator of the success of a learning programmeParticipation is a feature of dynamic learner engagement. Michele Martin recognised this through her assertion that the worth of learning in a wiki, blog or chat room is improved when learners participate through comments.But for this to happen, the teacher/trainer must mediate in a way that initiates and maintains learner participation. In the main, learners won’t participate just because there are wonderful things to learn.Techniques for this have been practiced and improved in the classroom for centuries. Stimulating online engagement is more difficult when the learner does not have direct contact with the teacher/trainer, or with other learners.My experience is that there is a portfolio of techniques that contribute to successful elearner engagement. How these are applied relies on the experience and personality of the teacher/trainer and how online resources are selected for use. I summarise these techniques here.Teacher/trainer mediation:This is a most important factor. For many learners, engagement will not be initiated if there is no teacher/trainer mediation. Initially, it must be regular, and it must be done by the teacher/trainer actively contacting the learner directly.Encouragement and assistance when needed is provided through this mediation. The type of technology used to mediate will depend on what is available to the learner and the teacher/trainer at the time. It is not rocket science. There is often no need for sophistication.Many younger learners still respond well to contact by landline phone or mobile - vocal or text. Use of a webcam, through Skype or other related technology, can also provide the necessary presence of the helpful encouraging teacher. But this technology does not provide the necessary intervention provided by phone.Daily contact may be required in the initial stages and I'd recommend it. The frequency can be reduced after a while. Less often than once a week, however, is likely to be met with a decline in learner engagement.Ease of use:Digital equipment should be transparent when used for teaching and learning. I’m talking about barriers here. Even the keyboard can provide a barrier to some learners, so there will be basic minimum skills requirements for the learner if such barriers are to be insignificant.The design of the learning management system plays an important part in encouraging engagement. It is the interface between the learner and the learning resources, so it must be simple to use. Getting to the learning material should involve the minimum number of screens and links to click through. A good maximum rule is three clicks from logon.Selection of digital resources:The term digital learning resource refers to just about anything that can be sent to a learner by email, or downloaded from the Internet, and displayed on the screen. The scope of what can be made available, from a simple data chart to a sophisticated interactive device capable of assessing student learning, is too broad for me to discuss here.However, there are two simple rules that can be applied to their use. The first is to do with quality and appropriateness. The second is to do with how they are used.Pedagogy:Selection of a digital resource, or even a related series of them, has to be done carefully and with the learner in mind. It is not just sufficient to provide a resource that covers the topic or part of a topic. A learning resource that is difficult for the learner to use, for whatever reason, will discourage engagement.It could be that the reading level of the text in the resource is above the level in the learner. When this happens, even the most colourful and attractively interactive resource will offer poor encouragement if learning relies on reading from the text.Frequency of use:Learners tire from lack of variety of approach and media providing learning. A large module, built entirely of digital resources, provides little incentive to progress to the next module. This applies particularly if an unvarying template is used throughout a course.An interactive digital resource is excellent for a one-off tutorial or for revision, provided it is not exactly the same as the resource used earlier in the module.Death by Chocolate:I apply the good chef metaphor when selecting digital resources:A poor chef includes chocolate as an ingredient in every dish. But it is a shortsighted one who excludes its use altogether. If the only recipe available that includes it is a mediocre one, then chocolate should be off the menu.A good chef chooses recipes wisely.In sum:Timely feedback is essential for effective learning.Frequent teacher/trainer mediation provides support when needed.Encouragement lets the learner know someone is looking after them. Though the frequency of teacher/trainer mediation can be eased once a good level of engagement has been established, infrequent mediation leaves the learner feeling abandoned. If the learner ‘switches off’, the whole cycle often needs to be started over again.As with digital resources - variety of technique, media and learner activities all ward off boredom and make learning fun. Boredom wins the award for the greatest incentive for learners to disengage. Having fun is a natural companion to learning.( 6 ) ( 5 ) << - related posts - >> ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 )

WARNING! LONG POSTIn my previous post, I outlined a portfolio of techniques that contribute to successful elearner engagement. Most of the techniques were those I developed during a period of research from 2000 to 2002 while teaching at The Correspondence School (TCS).In 2002, I presented a paper at the DEANZ Conference. I was part way through the research project. The results I’d gathered of my year 10 and year 11 learners who were following a programme of learning in Science, had shown promise the previous year.It was on the strength of that research (2001) that I presented my paper at DEANZ 2002. At the end of that year, I had clear evidence that the success I’d seen the previous year was reproducible.At DEANZ 2008, I was set to present a paper on the findings of my research (2000 to 2002). Through an administrative swan-up (a swan is bigger than a cockerel) I never presented my paper. Here is a brief summary of what I would have presented.Research in elearning and associated resources:TCS eSection (2001 - 2002) was a pilot group of 10 teachers, from early childhood to secondary, headed by Derek Wenmoth. The position description for a teacher in the eSection carried the following objectives:Responsible for enhancing the educational outcomes of students, through the provision of appropriate resources and frequent interaction with the student that provides meaningful and informative feedback on progress and engages and motivates the students in learning.The establishment of the eSection was a first step towards achieving the goals outlined in the strategic plan of TCS. It was proposed that this would see us move rapidly towards elearning, while also maintaining a traditional curriculum delivery. The School was ultimately to adopt a new interactive teaching model, making use of digital resources.Within the confines of the position description, teachers in the eSection were to find out the most effective ways to communicate with learners. We were to explore methods to create digital resources and to discover the most efficient ways to teach distance students using available digital technologies.Day to day contact with elearners:This was an exciting time. As a distance educator of several years, I’d never had an opportunity to be in contact with my students on a day-to-day basis, and for them to have direct access to a digital learning environment that provided immediate assistance when required.Past experience in science teaching had taught me the significance of using models and visual resources that supplemented and enriched traditional learning methods.There was no elearning management system in the school when we began preparation in 2000 for the following year. By the time the School had chosen to use Blackboard, I had already organised my learners, each with their own web pages that I posted their assignments to - I never got round to using Blackboard in this research.A simple elearning interface:At the end of 2001 I had a rudimentary learning management system designed and built by a brilliant technician, Glen Ogilvie, with some suggestions from me.The simple LMS was robust and easy to use. It permitted my learners to access their own page where they viewed a summary of their progress. Assignments that learners had completed, as well as those on hand, were displayed, together with links to the relevant digital resources.The courses my learners followed were all print based and consisted of write-on booklets. My job was to support them in their journey through the courses. As well, I was to provide them with digital learning resources that enhanced and extended the curriculum coverage of each Science booklet.Here is a link to the enhancement page that accompanied the second of two year 11 booklets on electricity.The html scripts on the resources were designed for the latest Internet Explorer Browser in 2002. Links may not operate the same way in more up to date browsers (for example, when viewed in Firefox, glossary links are opened with a double click).In the weeks leading up to sitting the external National Certificate of Educational Achievement examination in Science, all eSection year 11 students were provided with an online tips page. I use this same updated page with my learners today.Here are excerpts from my end of year report 2002.Year 10 group:The engagement and achievement of year 10 eSection science students (2002) reflected the results that I’d found with the previous, though smaller, group of year 10 students in 2001. In general, work submitted by students was of a high standard.The return of student work showed that significantly more of the course was completed than would have been expected from students in the mainstream school. This, as well as anecdotal evidence gathered from student responses and other areas over the two years, suggested that the learning environment that was made available motivated student learning (for example see Case Study - Alycia).Year 11 groups:The mainstream level 1 science students I taught in terms 3 and 4 provided data which allowed a comparison between elearning and mainstream students. Only a few students in the mainstream group had an email address, so communication with those students was chiefly by return of marked work and written letter.There was a significant difference between the average achievement of students in the eSection group compared with the mainstream group. In the following analysis, the term "active student" refers to a student who had sent in at least one item of booklet work this year.Selection of students for comparison of the groups:There was virtually no socioeconomical background information, either recorded on the student database, or available elsewhere in the School, of the students in the groups.All active eSection students reached the standard to pass in at least one area of achievement. Six active mainstream students did not send in any test material for assessment, including the School September examination.For statistical purposes, it was necessary to discount these latter students for a fair comparison to be made since the total absence of standard test submissions from a student did not necessarily mean that the student had not reached the standard in at least one area of achievement. It was considered that student data selected in this way provided a more valid comparison.Comparison of achievement:The selection process gave a group of 15 eSection students and a group of 15 mainstream students. The average number of booklets returned per student by each group was almost the same.Tables 1 and 2 show the actual achievement standard test results of active students in the eSection group and the mainstream group respectively. In charts 1 and 2, the number of complete booklets returned, and the number of passes in each category (pass, merit or excellence) is represented as "average per student".For the eSection group, the number of achievement standard tests that gained at least a pass averaged a value of 3.3 per student. The corresponding student data for the mainstream group showed that the number of achievement standard tests that gained at least a pass averaged a value of 2.8 per student.One eSection student passed all achievement standard tests with excellence. If the contribution due to this student is ignored, the most significant difference between the groups is the number of achievement standard tests passed with merit and averaged per student. In the eSection group. Almost twice as many students passed standards with merit as achieved straight passes. In the mainstream group, however, the number of passes gained with merit and the number of straight passes were the same.Tables of raw data on standards achieved 2002:Table 1 (achievement data for eSection group).Table 2 (achievement data for mainstream group).Bar charts - averaged per student (year 11 groups). click chart to enlarge.Case Study - Alycia - 2002:This case study is of a student I taught in 2001. The name of the student and her grandmother’s name are aliases. All other information relates directly to the student.Alycia is a delightful, 15 years old, full time student. She lives with her grandmother, Mary, a very caring, supportive caregiver who shares Alycia’s many interests and encourages her to pursue those as well as her school studies.Alycia does not keep good health. It was partly due to this, and the treatment she was receiving for it, that eventually brought about her referral to TCS by Special Education Support. Evidently her appearance, brought on by the medication she was given, had contributed to her being the victim of severe bullying in her previous school.Among other subjects she studied was year 10 Science. The eSection year 10 Science course is made up of two parts:Paper based resources - 15 standard Correspondence School booklets covering all aspects of the year 10 science curriculum.Web enhancements that accompany lessons in the paper based resources, permitting student self-assessment, as well as providing direct email feedback between teacher and student.Alycia was immediately stimulated to learn more about science when she became a student in the eSection. She seemed to really enjoy using the computer for her lessons and saw the potential it had to help her to learn. One of the comments put on the student database by her form teacher was:"(Alycia) really enjoying science with the e-school. Is doing this to the exclusion of other subjects."Her interest in science was obvious. Alycia wrote this in one of her early emails:"I’ve got to tear myself away to work on my other courses . . . !"Alycia visits her grandfather regularly. One day she took her science lessons to show her grandfather, for she was able to access her page on her grandfather’s computer. The next day she sent me an email about it:". . . He is very interested in Science and so is really pleased that I am too. He thought the activities were really great. . . . . . I really enjoyed the lab and so did my Grandad."Alycia had used the computer to bridge a generation gap with a common interest in learning about Science.I believe that it was the inclusion of the computer and the support that Alycia received from Mary, that prompted her to take up Computer Studies midway through the year. This year and last, Alycia has achieved most of the credits in Computing at level 2 and at level 3 towards a National Certificate.At the beginning of term 2, Alycia had access to her own web page on TCS web site. Her page held the links to the digital enhancements to her Science lessons. She was quick to provide me with a digital photograph of her new bichon frise puppy to put on her web page. She took a real pride in using the web page in her science learning.Alycia’s enthusiasm for anything that takes her interest was evident from the start. This was the case with her eagerness to learn about Science, her zeal in using computers, and her joy in making her own music.Alycia’s interest in music was made apparent to me just after the September 11 terrorist attack in New York. She wrote a song about the attack and its implications for humanity, and sent me a copy of the words in an email. At the same time she apologised for not being able to let me hear her song.I sent her the site for Pure Voice, one of the recommended free technologies used for sending voice messages by email. When Alicia had downloaded the software, she and Mary immediately sang the song into her computer microphone and sent me a copy of the recording by email. The song was in two-part harmony with a twin guitar accompaniment, sung and played by her and Mary.It was some weeks later, when Alycia was recovering from a period of illness, that I put a music sound file on her web page, at her request. The music was a simple electronic piece and was selected so that it played as soon as she opened her web page. When Alycia eventually got back to her normal work routine and visited her web page, she brimmed with enthusiasm at what she had heard and sent me an email:"I've been really snowed under with personal pressures and work so it hasn't been until now that I've been able to really get back into work. I went into my web page today and I heard the music. I think the music is great, it's a really fun beat and it's got a really funky sound. I love it."Alycia went on to complete the year 10 Science course, and did very well in her overall achievement in Science. She was well equipped to go on to study her chosen year 11 subjects in 2002.The events outlined in this case study show the significance of the incidental interactions, as well as the subject specific interactions, between student and teacher in the development of a good working rapport in the distance learning environment. Key to this success is the immediacy of the communication between student and teacher, made possible by the computer.Alycia’s case is by no means an exception, for it is the close proximity of student and teacher, brought about by using digital technology, which can facilitate student centred learning in a distance learning environment.return to year 10 group( 6 ) <<- related posts - >> ( 4 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 )