Implementing active learning: a challenge to teachers and students in higher education

Higher education is in a process of changing conditions. Many of these changes concerns teaching and learning and the challenges both teachers and students need to be able to meet in the near future. This paper deals with teacher role and actions needed to meet the students´ needs and desires in order to create effective learning environments and course design supporting active learning among the students. There is a need to share teaching and learning experiences, to have a continuing dialogue and to work in the direction of offering students active learning possibilities and good learning, both face-to-face and in virtual learning environments. Using flexible learning, digital media and computer-mediated communication are, among other parameters, identified as important ingredients in creating active learning environments to students.Peer Reviewe

Engaging students with mobile web2.0.

Abstract: Blogs, wikis, podcasting, and a host of free, easy to use web2.0 social software provide opportunities for creating social constructivist learning environments focusing upon student-centred learning and end-user content creation and sharing. Building on this foundation, mobile web2.0 has emerged as a viable teaching and learning environment, particularly with the advent of the iPhone (Nicknamed “the Jesus phone” (Goldman, 2007)) and iPod Touch. Today’s wifi enabled smartphones provide a ubiquitous connection to mobile web2.0 social software and the ability to view, create, edit and upload user generated web2.0 content. This paper outlines how mobile web2.0 technologies can be harnessed to enhance and engage students in a social constructivist learning environment. Examples of student and teaching staff feedback are drawn from several mobile learning trials that have been conducted at Unitec New Zealand. Additionally the presentation will involve mobile web2.0 demonstrations and facilitate a discussion around the practicalities of integrating and supporting mobile web2.0 within a tertiary course

Disrupting a learning environment for promotion of geometry teaching

Creating a classroom learning environment that is suitably designed for promotion of learners’ performance in geometry, a branch of mathematics that addresses spatial sense and geometric reasoning, is a daunting task. this article focuses on how grade 8 teachers’ action learning changed the learning environment for the promotion of geometry teaching. this was an exploratory study in which a sample of 13 grade 8 mathematics teachers from the rural schools of a district in the eastern Cape Province in South Africa participated in a project aimed at creating mathematical learning environments through action learning while supporting and promoting the teaching of geometry. the study was qualitative and data was collected using questionnaires, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with the teachers on a participatory action research conducted in two cycles. Results indicated that 92% of teachers changed their classroom environments by modifying instructional strategies, learner -interactions, and engagements, but could not change how they managed the classrooms due to some factors related to power dynamics and the education policy. It is recommended that teachers be workshopped on modifying their classroom learning environments while they undergo learning in action on the promotion of teaching and learning geometry in their school defining contexts.Women in Research grant from UNISAMathematics Educatio

JCCTL Mailer – September 22, 2020

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on September 22, 2020. Contents: Upcoming JCCTL Events: 30 minutes with… Charmaine T. Cruise and Sahana Mukherjee: Engaging in proactive advising during the new normal. Student Targeted Messaging Resources from Transition Week International Student Support Do’s and Don’ts Mindful Learning in a Digital Space Discussion Forum Check-in Building Better Breakout Rooms Tool Time Creating Effective Video Content Assessment in remote learning environments\u27 Supporting Student Mental Health at Gettysburg College Supporting first-year students during a de-densified semester Other Events Virtual Faculty Development Group Chat and Office Hour Friday Foru

Teachers\u27 Experiences with Interactions in Online Classes: A Case Study

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe the experiences of teachers interacting with students in an online learning environment at Township School District. The theory guiding this study is Moore’s transactional distance theory as it examines how meaningful interactions can minimize the transactional distance in distance learning or remote learning environments. Data from teacher interviews, focus groups, and teacher generated writing samples were used to provide an understanding of how teachers support and promote interactions in online learning environments. Participants were teachers with at least one-year experience teaching remotely or online. All participants were from the same medium sized school district in central Illinois, with a student population of nearly 8,000. This study adds to the literature by sharing high school teachers’ perspectives and experiences of creating and supporting interactions in an online learning environment. The central research question asked, “What are the experiences of high school teachers creating and fostering meaningful interactions in online learning environments?” NVivo coding was utilized to identify codes generated directly from participant responses. The results of the study indicated that teachers created and supported a variety of meaningful interactions. Teachers experienced challenges, adopted new teaching strategies, embraced interactive digital content, and gained a new perspective on students’ home life

JCCTL Mailer – September 7, 2020

Updates on training and support and useful pedagogical resources compiled and sent by the JCCTL on September 7, 2020. Contents: Discussion on the Decision to De-densify Campus Zoom Meetings Supporting First-year Students During a De-densified Semester, Kathy Cain (Psychology) and Ian Isherwood (War and Memory Studies) Supporting Student Mental Health at Gettysburg, Kathy Bradley Assessment in Remote Learning Environments, Sharon Birch and Josef Brandauer Creating Effective Video Content, Carrie Szarko Tool Time, Kevin Moore and Melissa Forbes Building Better Breakout Rooms, Kevin Moore and Melissa Forbes Discussion Forum Check-in, Kevin Moore and Melissa Forbes Mindful Learning in a Digital Space, Monique Gore International Student Support Do’s and Don’ts, Brad Lancaster and Kelly Whitcom

"It's like we are getting involved with their world" : an exploration of the environment that supports active learning with two to three year olds

D. App. Ed. Psy.Active learning opportunities are linked to characteristics of effective learning and enable progress and longer term outcomes. I conducted a quantitative systematic literature review asking the question, ‘What key characteristics of the early years learning environment are effective in advancing active learning?’ The studies acknowledged the importance of considering the environment provided for young children. The themes identified as contributory elements of effective learning environments were grouped and named as: ‘configuration of children’, ‘physical environment,’ and ‘pedagogical approach’. I concluded that current knowledge is diverse and contradictory with gaps in need of further exploration, particularly for the under three population. The reviewed research focused on structured observations; individual views were not sufficiently represented. Consideration of the practitioner experiences in the construction of appropriate environments was needed, in order to provide a comprehensive overview with a focus on developmentally appropriate practice for discrete age groups. Informed by gaps highlighted in the literature review, as well as the government directive to increase free nursery places for two year olds, my empirical research aim was to gain practitioner perception to generate a theory about effective learning environments for two to three year olds. Five early years professionals were asked questions, informed by Personal Construct Psychology theory, to discover their perceptions. Semi-structured interviews took place (with photograph elicitation in four out of five interviews). Data were analysed using a Grounded Theory approach, creating four thematic categories of ‘responding in context’, ‘joining up thinking’, ‘perceiving the child’s world’, and ‘facilitating child participation’. The practitioners’ theory suggested that creating effective learning environments for two to three year olds involves a prerequisite of supporting emotional needs, along with perceiving the child’s world via a reflective process of responding in context and joining up thinking. The following theory was created: The Toddler Telescope – perceiving the world of a two to three year old. The practitioners’ theory has the potential to act as a guiding frame supporting practitioner metacognition when considering how to advance active learning opportunities

Connecting pedagogies: Accelerating impact with service learning and information literacy

Librarians can play an important role in supporting service learning initiatives in making informed use of the knowledge resources available to them. Presenters will outline how the pedagogy that underlies service learning also foregrounds the pedagogy that occurs in library-based research instruction, i.e. information literacy. Attendees will learn how to connect service learning and information literacy through the use of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This framework can serve as an important tool for: designing campus resources that can impact community welfare; creating environments of collaboration across the education continuum; and appraising the impact of community-based assignments

Connecting Pedagogies: Service Learning and Information Literacy Accelerate Impact

Librarians can play an important role in supporting service learning initiatives and administrators in making informed use of the knowledge resources available to them. Presenters will outline how the pedagogy that underlies service learning also foregrounds the pedagogy that occurs in library-based research instruction, otherwise known as information literacy. Attendees will learn how to connect service learning and information literacy through the use of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This framework can serve as an important tool for: designing campus resources that can impact community welfare; creating environments of collaboration across the education continuum; and appraising the impact of community-based assignments

Working at the coal face: The contribution of Programme Tutors in supporting practice-based learning in nursing

This paper reports the findings of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning-funded project to explore key features of effective support for pre-registration nursing students in practice settings. Background The cultivation of positive practice learning environments for students of nursing, including high quality learning support, has been long established as a thorny issue for nurse educators and practitioners. Indeed it was a key theme for the very first nursing research series, supported by the Royal College of Nursing, in the early 1980’s. This included Fretwell’s (1982) work on ward teaching and learning, Orton’s (1981) work on the ward learning environment and Ogier’s (1982) work on the role of the ward sister. Since then there has been an explosion of research in this area. As a profession we have a responsibility to ensure high quality learning support for students in practice settings. If we do not, there will be wide-ranging implications for the quality of patient care, work-related stress, role satisfaction, retention and attrition and professional reputation. Given the significant investment in nurse education and the need to retain nurses in the workforce, it is unsurprising therefore that the practice learning environment has emerged as a key policy issue in the United Kingdom and internationally. Previous research indicates that relationships between the learner and staff are crucial in supporting learning in practice (Pearcey and Elliott, 2004) and that ‘learning is maximised when the learner is effectively partnered with a clinician and experiences are shared’ (Henderson et al., 2009, p.178). In this context, The Programme Tutor (PT) – a role unique to the pre-registration nursing programme at The Open University (OU) – is crucial in facilitating learning in the practice setting. The purpose of the PT role is to work longitudinally with both students and their mentors to support learning in practice and monitor student progress. The PT therefore plays a pivotal role in facilitating learning in the practice setting, aspects of which may have potential for transfer to the wider health education sector. Objectives The overall aim of the project was to critically examine the experiences of a sample of PTs supporting students and mentors on the pre-registration nursing programme at the OU in order to identify the key features of effective PT practice. These features would then inform the continuing development of the programme. Two PTs were recruited as co-researchers on the project, the objectives of which were to: • Explore PT’s experiences of supporting students and mentors • Explore PT’s views regarding student progression • Identify how PTs ‘grow’ into their role • Identify enabling and disabling factors contributing to role effectiveness • Examine the boundaries between the role of the PT and mentor • Explore variations in the PT role across the UK. Data collection and analysis A sample of 20 PTs working on the final practice module of the pre-registration nursing programme, and located across the nations and regions of the UK, was identified. Following ethical approval, telephone interviews were conducted using an interview guide informed by both a review of the literature and the experience of the PT co-researchers. Telephone interviews were used in preference to individual face-to-face interviews in order to accommodate the dispersed geographical spread of participants. The interviews were recorded using digital recording equipment and following transcription, conventional approaches to qualitative data analysis were used to identify common themes across the data. The ethical principles of confidentiality, anonymity and informed consent were upheld throughout the study. The sample was assured that confidentiality would be maintained at all times throughout the project. Anonymity was protected by using pseudonyms both for PTs and organisations. Informed consent was gained at the start of the project and participants were able to withdraw from the project at any stage. Findings suggest that PTs find their role both rewarding and vital in the context of creating supportive learning environments and ultimately supporting students’ transition to become registered practitioners. Being an effective communicator and establishing and maintaining relationships with students, mentors and service managers was described as crucial to the success of the role. Understanding the pressures within practice environments and being able to acknowledge the realities of ‘working at the coalface’ enabled PTs to support both students and mentors in such settings. Conclusion This paper will elaborate more fully the findings of the project, illustrated with reference to verbatim quotes from the data. Although a role unique to the OU pre-registration nursing programme, there may be aspects of the role which could be transferable to other practice-based learning settings. This will be interactively debated with conference delegates. (word count 800) References Fretwell, J. E. (1982) Ward teaching and Learning, Royal College of Nursing, London. Henderson, A., Twentyman, M., Eaton, E., Creedy, D., Stapleton, P. and Lloyd, B. (2009) Creating supportive clinical learning environments: an intervention study, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, pp.171-182. Ogier, M. E. (1981) An ideal sister, Royal College of Nursing, London Orton, H. D. (1981) Ward learning climate, Royal College of Nursing, London Pearcey, P. A. and Elliott, B. E. (2004) Student impressions of clinical nursing, Nurse Education Today, 18, pp.29-31