Scientific literacy through co-inquiry based on non-formal and informal learning

This paper presents a collaborative research on scientific citizenship developed by the Open University UK (OU) through the weSPOT project for inquiry based learning and the Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB) responsible for coordinating the Telecentros.BR training programme for Digital Inclusion in Brazil. The European weSPOT project (2013-2015) is a working environment with social, personal and open technologies for inquiry based learning (IBL). The Telecentros.BR training programme (2013-2014) is a non-credit online course supported by the Brazil Government, whose participants are more than 2000 young educators in diverse areas with low access to digital technology. The role of these young educators is to promote better use of ICT and support the Telecentro.BR’s projects created by the communities for their development in various dimensions. The objective of this research is to create a framework for applying collaborative inquiry to scaffold citizen’s scientific skills through digital technologies. This framework, drawn on qualitative and quantitative study, synthesizes key abilities related to multiple literacies to foster scientific skills in the digital age of open education, open science and open citizenship

Sources, topics and use of knowledge by coaches

In recent years, the value of social learning approaches as part of the design and delivery of formalised coach development initiatives has gained credence in the literature. However, insight is currently lacking into the fundamental social dimensions that underpin coach learning. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore coaches’ perceptions of their actual and preferred methods of acquiring new coaching knowledge, the types of knowledge they currently acquire and/or desire, and their application of new knowledge. Responses to an online survey, completed by practicing coaches (N = 320) in a range of sports and contexts, were analysed descriptively and inductively. Results revealed that coaches’ preferred, and mostly acquired, coaching knowledge from informal learning activities, especially when these permitted social interaction. Notably, however, formal coach education courses were also reported relatively frequently as a source of recent knowledge acquisition. Nevertheless, critical justification for and application of, acquired knowledge was largely absent. Based on the findings, we suggest that, before social learning activities such as mentoring schemes and communities of practice are placed at the centre of formalised coach development provision, coach educators must put in place the support structures to better enable coaches to recognise and deal with the potentially mixed influences of the social milieu on coach learning, aiming to ensure that their informal development is sufficiently open-minded, reflective and critical

Social Learning Processes and Nature-Culture Relations of Commercial Beekeeping Practices as Small and Medium Enterprise Development in Zimbabwe

This paper explores social learning processes and nature-culture relations in a context of transition from traditional to commercial beekeeping in Zimbabwe. The contours of social learning provided by Wals (2007) are used to probe the learning processes in the social interactions shaping an emerging community of commercial beekeepers and their small and medium enterprise development practices. The paper illustrates how the practice of engaging communities in participatory expansive learning research could benefit from more refined tools for understanding the open-ended contours of social learning interactions in relation to nature-culture relations

Crowdsourcing education on the Web: a role-based analysis of online learning communities

Learning online has significantly evolved over the past decade due to the emergence of Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies that facilitate social learning in adaptive online environments. The open content movement and the associated techniques of crowdsourcing (i.e. assimilating several small contributions into resources of high quality) have further influenced education on the Web. This chapter investigates the concept of crowdsourcing in education through an analysis of case studies dealing with two open online learning communities, Peer 2 Peer University, and PlanetMath.org. The case studies proceed via an analysis of the various roles played by the individuals involved in each organization. The outcomes of this analysis are used to extract general recommendations for building online communities and applying crowdsourcing techniques in educational contexts

Using Cloudworks to Support OER Activities

This report forms the third and final output of the Pearls in the Clouds project, funded by the Higher Education Academy. It focuses on evaluation of the use of a social networking site, Cloudworks, to support evidence-based practice. The aim of this project (Pearls in the Clouds) has been to evaluate the ways in which web 2.0 tools like Cloudworks can support evidence-informed practices in relation to learning and teaching. We have reviewed evidence from empirically grounded studies surrounding the uses of web2.0 in higher education and highlighted the gap between using web2.0 to support learning and teaching, and using it to support learning about learning and teaching (in an evidence-informed way) (Conole and Alevizou, 2010). We have reported on findings from a case study focusing on the use of Cloudworks by a community of practice - educational technologists - reflecting upon, and, negotiating their role in enhancing teaching and learning in higher education (Galley et al., 2010). The object of this study is to explore and evaluate the use of the site by individuals and communities involved in the production of, and research on, the development, delivery and use of Open Educational Resources (OER)