Higher order thinking skills

http://www.questgarden.com/

WebQuests were invented by Dr Bernie Dodge from San Diego State University.  These are lessons based on web content, and from an ELT perspective I see them as a guided online reading task, which requires students to analyse web content, summarise and explain their findings to their peers and then work together on a collaborative task, such as a group presentation.  Learners are often assigned a role and then are signposted to specific websites in order to gather and sort relevant information, which they then transfer to the rest of the group.  Discussion is followed by a group project, which ends with a product. Possibilities are vast, but on the QuestGarden website we can see examples of travel plans (A trip to London), room design, an exhibition, story writing, putting together a time capsule.  The model is based on the assumption that

- authentic tasks are engaging
- collaborative tasks enhance learning
- evaluation of online data leads to higher order thinking skills

these are:

analysis:  sifting through online content and selecting relevant information

synthesis:  bringing information together, combining information into a logical pattern

evaluation: judging, comparing, reasoning, deciding

In this YouTube clip, Dr Bernie Dodge describes what processes need to be followed to produce an effective WebQuest:

"Been there, done it!"

I have used similar materials in my ELT lessons, without using a webquest site.  Just like the digital format, I have presented an idea to the class via a video or images:

 A worksheet has then guided them to a specific website for reading and information gathering (pairwork).

Worksheet

go to:  http://www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday

Have a look around the site and answer these questions:

1. In what year did the first Red Nose Day take place?

2.  Does this event take place every year?

3.  What happens on Red Nose Day?

4.  How can people raise money on Red Nose Day ?(list 4 different ideas) [what is the best link to click on to get this information?  Hint:  we are looking for ideas!]

i)

ii)

iii)

iv)

5.  What, in your opinion, is a good way to raise money?

6.  Link: =  Fundraising Tools.  Find a kit that will help you to raise money.

7.  Task: Present your fundraising ideas to the rest of the class.  

Summary:

I think this activity is very similar to the webquest model, in that:

- it uses authentic materials

- it uses information from the web

- it requires analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information

- it leads to a group discussion and a presentation task 

In conclusion, I believe that all the affordances of a webquest and the pedagogy and learning outcomes that underpin this tool can be realised without the $20 subscription to QuestGarden. It takes a considerable amount of time to design an effective webquest, whereas my collaborative Red Nose Day task (and other similar activities I've designed) was compiled in a matter of minutes. 

  

Flipping the Classroom

A great tool for the Flipped Classroom is mybrainshark:  http://www.brainshark.com/mybrainshark
Teachers can present language focus or ideas by video for students to work on before they come to class.  Once in the classroom, emphasis can be on group work.
Aaron Sams was the pioneer of classroom flipping and the rationale behind the flipped classroom model is explained very clearly in this YouTube clip.

I used mybrainshark to produce a short presentation to prepare my students for an upper intermediate writing skills class.  The rolling programme in my department means that students can enter a class at any time during the term.  There are frequent gaps in knowledge and learners approach language from different levels - some will be well acquainted with the language focus, whereas others might be meeting it for the first time.  Getting them to see the presentation at home, in their own time, allows each student to use the material to suit their individual needs, enabling the weaker learners to review the content as much as they need.  Students come to class prepared to move forward with differentiated group activities, with the teacher facilitating and supporting rather than presenting.

There are some obvious flaws with this model.  For example, just as we get students who don't do their homework, there will be students who come to class who haven't viewed the pre-session material.  This model also assumes that technology and internet connections are available to all.  Preparing materials is also an extra workload and burden for overstretched teachers.  However, it could be argued that presentation slides would have to be compiled for the lesson anyway and differentiated groupings in class could and indeed should be employed to allow individuals to work at their own pace.  Students who don't do the work at home, will simply not see such accelerated progress as those that do.  In theory, the  classroom that has been flipped becomes an active, collaborative, social environment, where students engage and are motivated to learn.  It sounds like a perfect model for language learning, and is something I will definitely try.  

Will teachers be replaced by computers?

The Future of Educaton?

Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiment (1999) aimed to prove that children nowadays do not need teachers to enable them to learn. Mitra claims that, with motivation in place and working collaboratively, children can learn from computers. Although these ideas (Mitra, 2003) have been criticised, particularly with regard maths and other skills, the fact that children needed to gain an understanding of English in order to navigate the kiosk computers does add weight to his claim that if children have interest and motivation, education will happen with or without a teacher. In Hyderabad, Mitra conducted an experiment to prove that computers can be used to adapt pronunciation. Children were observed learning to modify their speech in order to interact with the computer. Compared with the behaviourist activities of model and drill in the ELT classroom, this perhaps offers a much more effective, constructivist way to engage learners?  Mitra's TED talk is very interesting...

Education for the 21st Century

How we need to re-think pedagogy

Heidi Hayes-Jacobs is an American educator, who in this clip maintains that we are still teaching within 19th century conditions, using low-tech materials (pen and paper) in a standards-driven climate that cannot prepare students for jobs in the 21st century and beyond.  Curriculum design is currently based on the assumption that learning is taking place and assessment serves to validate this by measuring achievement.  An upgraded curriculum should be mission-driven, reflecting the new literacies (digital, global and media-related) and be immediate and authentic in order to respond in real time to any gaps or repetitions.  Jacobs is an inspiring speaker and I particularly like her comment "people do dumb things with smartboards". The most important thing with digital tools is knowing how to use them in a way that adds value to the learning experience.   If I'm being honest, I currently only use technology to enhance presentation: a PowerPoint is more vivid than a whiteboard, and YouTube provides entertaining clips to give students an experience upon which they can reflect and subsequently work with and build on.  I use these resources to introduce new vocabulary, model pronunciation and demonstrate intonation and stress - but these are all forms of presentation.  Entertained they might well be, but are the students are still just passive recipients?   The new generation of learners live in a world where social networking prevails and they are comfortable with this form of communication and able to make immediate use of new, innovative technology and web-based applications.  The challenge for the language teacher is to align new technologies with theories of language learning. This blog will evaluate different tools, considering both the practical aspects and the benefits they offer to the language learning experience.  

Making Changes

Dinosaur No More

I've been teaching ELT since 2002 and over the years have accumulated a significant amount of paper:

My groaning resource shelf!

Does my ELT resource shelf need to go?  These resources have been collected over 12 years and I'm questioning whether they continue to have any relevance in the digital world.  Getting rid of these is going to be hard - they've served me well over the years.  When I was a CELTA trainee I was shown how to use photos and pictures to elicit response and bring out language and I would spend hours browsing magazines to pull out suitable images.  Thankfully, I've been able to ditch all of these dog-eared pictures, thanks to the vast image bank on the Internet.  It's so easy to find stimulating visual resources that also fit into the Equality & Diversity agenda.
The question is....
...will the digital tools and resources that we are about to be introduced to enable me to replace these old resources?  It will be nice to clear the shelf and get rid of clutter, but can all of these be replaced in a way that ADDS VALUE to my lessons?  My techno-sceptic self thinks not.