Learning Beyond the Classroom

When Keston Obendorf ’08 and Nathan Oliver ’09 spent an afternoon playing rock, paper, scissors last fall, it was more than just casual fun

Social networks and the international student experience: a community of practice to support learning?

This paper emphasises the significance of the social dimension in which learning occurs and focuses on the social environment beyond the classroom. Interest in researching the learning experience beyond the classroom has increased in recent years. Byram and Feng (2004) acknowledge that more research in the area of research ‘beyond the traditional classroom’ is needed. Researchers as early as Vygotsky (1978) and Bakhtin (Dentith:1996) have placed emphasis on the socio-cultural basis of learning. The premise that ‘learning and development occur as people participate in the socio-cultural activities of their community’ (Rogoff, 1994: 204) is central to a socio-cultural view of learning and experience. This paper suggests that the relationships and friendships that we have with others are significant in terms of our learning experience

Supporting learning beyond the classroom: developing the Northumbria Learner Support Model

Academic Libraries traditionally offered support for a variety of information related queries. As the storage and delivery of information changed, libraries increasingly became involved in supporting students to use the new technologies and the widening focus of Higher Education to encompass the development of skills for life, added another new dimension. It was no longer enough simply to provide students with an answer but rather to support them to develop the skills to enable them to find answers themselves. The impact of the widening participation agenda meant that different levels and methods of support were required as standard and often over a 24x7 period. The deficit support model began to give way to a more holistic, collaborative view of student support within libraries and learning styles/ help seeking behaviours began to be taken into account (Weaver 2008). The ‘Learner Support Model’ was introduced by Library and Learning Services in 2004/5 as part of an overall strategy to enhance student learning, retention, performance and achievement. All students do not automatically have effective research, IT or study skills but those who do develop those skills will make increased use of high quality information sources, are liable to return better academic performances and are therefore more likely to complete their programmes. The generic nature of the support model ensures that students can access support wherever they are; in whatever discipline area they are working and at whatever time they need it. In the four years since the model was implemented it has moved from a theoretical ideal to a well subscribed support service handling around 90,000 enquiries per year. The Learner Support Model has been showcased at conferences, evaluated through feedback and now developed to a position where it can be extended to other services and student facing academic support areas of Northumbria University and beyond

Mindful Assessment in Support of Student Learning.

This article takes a critical look at inherited assessment practices, and explores alternative, more mindful approaches. Rather than just measure student performance levels at the end of a unit, educative assessment should provide information that can actually help improve student performance. Mindful assessment is an embodied, affective, and cognitive experience that undergirds and celebrates the entire learning process. We propose and provide examples of dialectical evaluative practices that invite students into, guide students through, and take students beyond learning in the classroom in ways that honor their agency as whole persons

Emotional experiences beyond the classroom: Interactions with the social world

Research into the emotional experiences of language learners and their impact upon the language-learning process remains relatively undernourished within second language education. The research available focuses primarily on emotions experienced within the classroom, rather than in the daily lives of learners within various social contexts. This article contends that the focus placed upon emotions within the relatively structured environment of the formal classroom is problematic, particularly within an ESL environment, as the target language is more frequently experienced beyond the classroom. Drawing on data collected within Australia, the study explored the emotional experiences of a small cohort of eight university-level ESL learners experienced within their various social interactions beyond the classroom with a specific focus on the emotions of hope, enjoyment and frustration. Semi-structured interviews revealed that their emotional experiences beyond the classroom were particularly intense in comparison to emotional experiences within the formal language-learning classroom

Mobile Learning Revolution: Implications for Language Pedagogy

Mobile technologies including cell phones and tablets are a pervasive feature of everyday life with potential impact on teaching and learning. “Mobile pedagogy” may seem like a contradiction in terms, since mobile learning often takes place physically beyond the teacher's reach, outside the walls of the classroom. While pedagogy implies careful planning, mobility exposes learners to the unexpected. A thoughtful pedagogical response to this reality involves new conceptualizations of what is to be learned and new activity designs. This approach recognizes that learners may act in more self-determined ways beyond the classroom walls, where online interactions and mobile encounters influence their target language communication needs and interests. The chapter sets out a range of opportunities for out-of-class mobile language learning that give learners an active role and promote communication. It then considers the implications of these developments for language content and curricula and the evolving roles and competences of teachers

The Role of Museum Exhibits in Teaching Textiles Related Courses

The concept of learning outside of the traditional, formal classroom setting is an important component of educational pedagogy. Ways to learn beyond the classroom include visiting museums, accessing archives both in person and virtually, and participating in field studies

Teaching and learning ESP beyond the classroom

Developments in technology, increases in demand and research into learning are all changing the face of how, where and when people learn. Two factors coalesce – the understanding that learning is exploring and the ability of technology to provide wide spaces for exploration. In these two senses the use of technology complements and extends the learner-centered methodology that predominates in ESP teaching. The main advantage if that learners can access the source material in their own time, work through the material at their own pace, choosing topics and subject areas to match their own interests and do all this without necessarily having to interact with a teacher

Knowledge building international project (KBIP): a nested network of learning and knowledge creation

Conference Theme: Learning in the DisciplinesThe Knowledge Building International Project (KBIP 2007-2009) operates on the basis of locally based networks of innovation distributed around the globe. Catalunya (Comconèixer), Hong Kong (KBTN), Quebec (RNS), and Toronto (IKIT) are currently the four main sites. This work represents work primarily within a formal, classroom learning context. Nevertheless, while this work is connected with classroom learning, this work is unique in that it reaches beyond activity within individual classrooms or campus communities to build digital bridges between classrooms in different countries.published_or_final_versio