DESIGNING LEARNING- CCTI COURSE. MY EXPERIENCE WITH ONLINE LEARNING.

The CCTI course is an online course and right from the beginning everything learnt has been through online learning.

Some of the Higher Heights

A lot of what I never thought of as teacher has been unveiled to me. In addition to the first course where I discovered the use of blogging, wikisspce, social media, collaboration  etc., in designing learning I have continued to gain more insight of online learning. With increased research skills, I have appreciated the different learning theories among which is the theory of multiple intelligence mix which looks at every human as capable , constructivist which puts the learner at the center of learning , and Socrates Question and answer approach which leads to critical thinking, Blended learning – flipping the class  etc.

So I have gained valuable skills as a teacher which I strongly believe have changed my attitude and will never look at teaching and learning the same way I used to look at it. 

I have learnt how to navigate the web and curate the best learning resources and this has enriched my subject content, pedagogy, and how to integrate technology integration. Online learning has its unique driving force, because one keeps on discovering new things independently there is away it keeps one’s curiosity leading to authentic learning.

All that I have learned so far has helped me greatly to change my teaching approach and I enjoy teaching more now because the learners seem to be enjoying the learning.

Why Online Learning?

Anywhere….
The main advantage of asynchronous online learning is that it allows students to participate in high quality learning situations when distance and schedule make on-ground learning difficult-to-impossible. Students can participate in classes from anywhere in the world provided they have a computer and Internet connection.

Anytime, Any Pace….
The Virtual Classroom is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Time efficiency is another strength brought by the online learning format. Students can access their courses at any time of day or night. Further, they have continuous access to lectures, course materials, and class discussions.

Synergy (collaboration)
The online format allows a dynamic interaction between the teacher and students and among the students themselves. Resources and ideas are shared, and continuous synergy will be generated through the learning process.  The synergy that exists in the student-centered Virtual Classroom is one of the most unique and vital traits that the online learning format possesses.

High Quality Dialog
Within an online asynchronous discussion structure, the learner may reflect on comments from others before responding or moving on to the next item. This structure allows students time to articulate responses with much more depth and forethought than in a traditional face-to-face discussion situation where the participant must analyze the comment of another on the spot and formulate a response or otherwise lose the chance to contribute to the discussion.

Student Centered
Students control their own learning experience and tailor the class discussions to meet their own specific needs. Ideally, students make their own individual contributions to the course while at the same time take away a unique mix of information directly relevant to their needs, like we are doing in CCTI.

Level Playing Field
In the online environment, learners have a certain measure of anonymity. Discriminating factors such as age, dress, physical appearance, disabilities, race and gender are largely absent. Instead, the focus of attention is clearly on the content of the discussion and the individual's ability to respond and contribute thoughtfully and intelligently to the material at hand.

Access to Resources
Today's students have access to resources and materials that may be physically located anywhere in the world.

Creative Teaching.

The nature of the semi-autonomous and self-directed world of the Virtual Classroom makes innovative and creative approaches to instruction even more important. In the online environment, the teacher and student collaborate to create a dynamic learning experience. The realization of a shift in technology creates the hope that those who move into the new technology will also leave behind bad habits as they adopt this new paradigm of teaching.

While online programs have significant strengths and offer unprecedented accessibility to quality education, there are weaknesses inherent in the use of this medium that can pose potential threats to the success of online learning.

Some of the problems I have faced.

Accessibility to Technology

Internet service in our country are still very high so accessing the internet is not possible sometimes.

Time.

Time is essential if one is to do productive research since the information from the web needs filtering.

However today technology is everywhere, entwined in almost every part of our lives. It affects how we shop, socialize, connect, play, and most importantly learn. With their great and increasing presence in our lives it only makes sense to have mobile technology in the classroom. Yet there are some schools that are delaying this imminent future of using technology in the classroom as the valuable learning tool. Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles.  It gives students the chance to interact with their classmates more by encouraging collaboration.

THE SWEET SPOT.

The lesson was about sources of renewable and non-renewable energy. 

The learners where grouped into groups of 5 and where to use the laptops connected to internet and then open some web pages research the sources of renewable and non-renewable energy.  They also had to use the Google earth use research to search the areas around their school in addition to this they had to play video clips showing the sources of energy.

Feedback:

From the observation, comments from the students. It is a lesson I as a teacher and the students will never forget for it was such a lesson that made the students feel like the lesson should not stop. They enjoyed so much much using the computers and finding the information on their own.  And as the lesson was going on I could see every learner trying to see something new.  They were able to put their work in PowerPoint and presented it to the whole class. Only two groups managed to present because of time but still the objective was achieved.

 Student’s comments

I asked the class to comment on the lesson and almost everyone in class wanted to say something but I chose only two.

One called Sserebe Abbas, “I have enjoyed the lesson very much, using the computer and researching to find the information has been very interesting.  I feel I can ever forget what I have learnt today in this lesson. Let us always study like this he concluded and everybody in class shouted yes yes.
  

The second student called Namwanje Fatuma also appreciated the way the lesson was handled and said she enjoyed discovering things on their own and that she was amazed by the content which is on the web. The teacher never told us how we had to find information and how to write down a document but we have been able to find the write pages on the web and the software to present our work. 

So the lesson I have learnt as a teacher from this approach is that if technology  is used correctly, will help prepare students for their future careers, which will inevitably include the use of wireless technology and  Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles.

                   When we were trained to be teachers, and started working in schools, we… " ,

                  "But our advice to you now is…"

When we were trained to be teachers, and started working in schools, we… "	"But our advice to you now is…"
We used textbooks and work books	To include primary sources of materials and manipulative materials.
Adhered to a fixed curriculum	To pursue students questions and interests.
Assessed through testing and correct answers	Assessment should include students observation, points of view and testing as well. That is applying constructivism .
Made Students work primarily alone	Let students work in groups.
Had our role as the the source of knowledge	Should let learning be interactive.
Used repetitive learning	Learning should be interactive, building on what the student s already knows.

Relationship between Creativity ,Construstivism and Accommodation

Creativity

Creativity means bringing into being; it involves the generation of new things or ideas or the transformation of those previously existing. The first stage of the creative process involves the association of previously unrelated elements of inner and outer experiences, forming new associations among what is perceived through the senses, thoughts, memories, ideas, and emotions. This process can involve different degrees of consciousness such as automatic creation (e.g. automatic writing), sudden insight, it can be achieved while we perform any other apparently unrelated activity. It also communication, involves sharing the work with others, a process that can be challenging and requires special courage. Sharing the creative outcome with others often unleashes new creative processes in other individuals, making creativity. .

Creative problem solving is helpful to gain clarity about a challenge, to create ideas, to visualize and overcome that challenge, and to develop solutions and plans. Therefore looking at creativity clearly, it has something in common with constructivism.

Construstivism

In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. Here we as teachers we have to make sure we understand the students' pre-existing conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them. 



Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN.

Accommodation

With accommodation since all humans are   designed in a unique way this makes them to have different abilities. Accommodation changes the way a child learns not what he/she learns.

It is a way to make sure all learners learn in the best way they can. With accommodation it is belter to study the group of learners you have and see how best each should learn and to do this you can consider the following.

• Presentation: A change in the way instructions and information are presented. Example: Letting a child listen to audiobooks instead of reading a text.
• Response: A change in the way a child completes assignments or tests. Example: Allowing a child give spoken answers instead of written ones.

·       Setting: A change in the environment where a child works. Example: Allowing a child to take a test in a separate room with fewer distractions, or in smaller group.

·       Timing and scheduling: A change to how much time a child has to complete a task, or being allowed to take breaks. Example: Providing extra time on tests for a child.

So I think with Creativity learners put into being from the content, constructivism is organizing them to do that and accommodation is allowing each to be part and giving them chance to do it..

Nurturing Creativity Through Constructivism

Since Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation and scientific study -- about how people  learn, at  High Tech High, constructivist  theory  is  adopted  because  looking  at  the  activities  taking  place and the way the learners are learning really learner centered.

 

Learning is constructive.

Students are not blank slates upon which knowledge is etched. The learners in this school come to learning situations with already formulated knowledge, ideas, and understandings. Their previous knowledge is the raw material for the new knowledge they will create. 

Learning is Active

The students create new understanding for themselves.  The teacher coaches, moderates, suggest, but allow the students room to experiment, ask questions, try things that don't work. Learning activities require the students' full participation (like hands-on experiments.

There is reflective learning.

Students control their own learning process, and they lead the way by reflecting on their experiences in the the high tech school.  This process makes them experts of their own learning. The teacher helps create situations where the students feel safe questioning and reflecting on their own processes, either privately or in group discussions.

There is Collaboration.

The constructivist classroom relies heavily on collaboration among students. In the High Tech , the teacher says that the students learn from each other, and he says that that is why the class is in box form and glass walled such that students can look each other’s work and students learn about learning not only from themselves, but also from their peers.  When students review and reflect on their learning processes together, they can pick up strategies and methods from one another.

There is inquiry- based learning.

There is solving problems. Students use inquiry methods to ask questions, investigate a topic, and use a variety of resources to find solutions and answers and this is evident in High Tech School.

In High Tech school, they allow creativity to take shape. Larry says in that video High tech High, we allow them to exercise their ability and really in this school, the students are allowed to try out new things on their own. Students build things on their own you don’t see the teacher doing it for them. He only encourages them where they fail for instance when they tried the construct a bridge and it collapsed he encouraged them instead. Students should have the value of what they are learning.

Is the school inclusive?

 When Larry says that they integrate all disciplines, I think the school is inclusive. Also the school takes in all students no matter their intelligence, so all are catered for, those who can use their heads, and those who can use their hands, etc.

Is this a realistic, “do-able’’ approach that can be introduced in my school.

I believe it is possible for it makes the learners so productive, learners are able to connect the learning to the real -world. However, there is a lot to be done if it is to be implemented. First of all the classrooms have to be reconstructed and designed in a way that supports constructivism. In fact the whole system has to be changed.

In the High Tech School do they cover their syllabus requirements?

I believe they do meet their syllabus requirements, because they have a well organised system with known targets.

The use of technology in High Tech School. It helps the students to make meaning of the content and helps in research.

 Is the use of technology making students stupid?

Though technology has negative impacts on the students, but when put to good use it does not make stupid but rather opens up the student’s mind and can drive them to look for new things all the time. It helps to connect them to the real- world. It helps them in research work. It builds creativity. You see technology has been growing. What they used to do in the stone age was still technology and we say that was creativity, so today it has come to this advanced technology why not allow our learners experience it? 

MY REFLECTION ON THE PROCESSES I HAVE EXPERIENCED:

The principal goal of Education should be to create individuals who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done.

As we just looked at experiences and how they affect our learning, I have had a remarkable experience of doing a task I have never tried at all, more so when time is limited.

Creating an info graphic presentation was not a work over. I certainly enjoyed trying out something new. First of all before I started off I knew I was going to handle something new , so I set my mind positively and I was ready to try out many times in case of any failure.

So I started off and tried step by step and every little thing I did successfully  was a stepping stone to help me continue on. And I believe this is very important when it comes to the classroom environment when our learners are faced with new tasks, we need to encourage them when they make little successes.

After a struggle I finally created something and it was very interesting to me that I had succeed. I felt peace after submitting my assignment and I was like at least I have done something.

I realized in this lesson, when one is faced with a challenge it is inevitable to start thinking critically about it. And the different theories about teaching and learning look into this. For instance during Socratic questioning, the teacher is a model of critical thinking who respects students' viewpoints, probes their understanding, and shows genuine interest in their thinking. The teacher poses questions that are more meaningful than those a novice of a given topic might develop on his or her own. The teacher creates and sustains an intellectually stimulating classroom environment and acknowledges the value of the student in that environment. In an intellectually open, safe, and demanding learning environment, students will be challenged, yet comfortable in answering questions honestly and fully in front of their peers.

So teaching in this net age , where information is readily available on the web we need to see how to balance it because it might kill creativity, critical thinking and learners not have a deep knowing but rather a shallow mind, for I believe that when one learns from within him or herself it is like building a house on a solid rock.

I tried out Socrates approach last week in my Physics class, and I found it interesting somehow. I was teaching about Static Electricity (Electrostatics) and I asked them what causes lightening, thunder and the like.  I could see them trying to think and giving their different views. However I realized some have a tendency of fearing to speak out so, you need to encourage them since we have different intelligence s. So I found out these approaches require enough time in class in order to consider everybody’s views.

Let me finally say   new challenges we face unveils more the potentials in us.

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/5005605-teaching-and-learning-methods-

My Reflection On The Importance of Experience In My Learning and

Teaching.

Learning can happen from anywhere because experiences are everywhere.

 Experience is what is happening to us all the time as we long we exist. So we constantly learn because we constantly go through experiences and these makes us lean towards a certain direction. I went through a traditionalist approach to learning which made me basically a traditionalist teacher too. We looked at the teacher as the sole source of knowledge and we had to cram the facts from the texts. Applying the content to our environment where we have experiences daily was not part of the system. I learnt many facts in Physics, passed exams but still some facts I am just realizing their application in the real world. What a shame!  Learning according to Dewey, does not simply happen out of the book but all learning is experiential.

If you notice, scientific  theories in books where developed by people who first went through an experience, for example in physics we have Isaac Newton, most of the things he discovered was a result of him going through an experience. For example Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree , when the apple fell on his head, from there he discovered gravitational force. After seeing it , experiencing it.  No wonder these theories where even named after their names, why? It is them that went through that experience, and here we come and just teach it without taking  our students through some experience, that is why  something will still lack in the products of the traditionalist approaches and that is failing to apply the content to the real world.

I have been practicing traditionalist approaches to a greater extent but now having been introduced to different approaches and I have seen it personally very interesting in learning given the fact that in this CCTI course, our tutors are behind us, giving us instructions and then encouraging us as we constantly learn new things on our own and after every lesson you feel like moving on to see what is next, I feel now it is high time I adopted some of the progressive approaches and I have already started trying it out. The approaches of progressive learning are worth integrating.     

Because children learn more, and enjoy learning more when they are actively involved, rather than passive listeners.

By grounding learning activities in an authentic, real-world context, constructivism stimulates and engages students. Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things and to apply their natural curiosity to the world. So progressive education;

Develops thinking skills.

• Problem solving teaches students to consider multiple perspectives on a given situation or phenomenon.

Develops communication and social skills. Students must learn how to clearly articulate their ideas as well as to collaborate on tasks effectively by sharing the burden of group projects. Students must therefore exchange ideas and so must learn to "negotiate" with others and to evaluate their contributions in a socially acceptable manner. This is essential to success in the real world, since they will always be exposed to a variety of experiences in which they will have to navigate among others' ideas. Encourages alternative methods of assessment. Traditional assessment is based on pen-and-paper tests whereby students demonstrate or reproduce knowledge in the form of short responses and multiple-choice selection, which often inspire little personal engagement. Constructivist assessment engages the students' initiative and personal investment through research reports, physical models, and artistic representations. Engaging the creative instincts develops a student's ability to express knowledge through a variety of ways. The student is also more likely to retain and transfer the new knowledge to real life. Helps students transfer skills to the real world. Students adapt learning to the real world, gaining problem-solving skills and ability to do a critical analysis of a given set of data. These skills enable the student to adapt to a constantly changing real-world environment. Thus, classroom learning does not result in (only) acquisition of a canon of absolute "truth"; it also results in a resource of personal knowledge. Promotes intrinsic motivation to learn. Constructivism recognizes and validates the student's point of view, so that rather than being "wrong" or "right," the student re-evaluates and readjusts his knowledge and understanding. Such an emphasis generates confidence and self-esteem, which, in turn, motivate the student to tackle more complex problems and themes. However with progressive approaches  I have some hurdles and some  of these are Ø  The current curriculum is more exams oriented, and so the system is we have to make sure we finish the syllabus with progressive it requires time to apply it which may slow down the syllabus coverage as they set it. Ø  The students lack computers, internet, which I feel is very important in the progressive education. Because students need to do research on their own even when they are not at school. So it somehow stills a challenge to me. But it is temporary. Ø  Follow up, some students tends to hide in the group when actually they have done nothing in the given tasks. Ø  It’s mode of assessment does not apply to the current curriculum. However I am bound for progressive approaches and I have tried so far to talk to the academic committee to try to re-arrange my lessons and for my colleagues that are doing CCTI on the timetable in such a way that it can give us chance to try out these approaches. I have started to preach it to my students to see its importance since they have been used to traditional teaching and learning.    In this 21st we need to know that learning is not static but it is on-going as we continue to experience the world we live in.

FEELINGS

In this reflection I will share with you my feelings with regard to my own teaching. For sure this course has challenged me as a teacher in the 21^st Century. 

First of all after looking at the different approaches to authentic learning I feel I need to reorganize myself in the way I teach my students more in order to fit the century challenge.

The different theories about learning all play a part in the learning process and I feel now I need to design my lessons in such a way that they make learning a real experience. I have started designing my lessons putting into consideration the multiple intelligence theory and now constructivism theory. I need to help my learners create knowledge instead of acquiring it. It is longer a matter of giving the students the facts that we know but rather create a situation in class that allows them to discover these facts themselves.

Because with constructivist, a teacher is supposed to encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN.

You might look at it as a spiral. When they continuously reflect on their experiences, students find their ideas gaining in complexity and power, and they develop increasingly strong abilities to integrate new information. One of the teacher's main roles becomes to encourage this learning and reflection process.

So I feel my class should be in such a way that learning really is constructive, active, collaborative, inquire-based, evolving and reflective.

          The chart below compares the traditional classroom and the constructivist classroom.

Traditional classroom	Constructivism classroom
Curriculum begins with the parts of the whole. Emphasizes basic skills.	Curriculum emphasizes big concepts, beginning with the whole and expanding to include the parts.
Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued.	Pursuit of student questions and interests is valued.
Materials are primarily textbooks and workbooks.	Materials include primary sources of material and manipulative materials.
Learning is based on repetition.	Learning is interactive, building on what the student already knows.
Teachers disseminate information to students; students are recipients of knowledge.	Teachers have a dialogue with students, helping students construct their own knowledge.
Teacher's role is directive, rooted in authority.	Teacher's role is interactive, rooted in negotiation.
Assessment is through testing, correct answers.	Assessment includes student works, observations, and points of view, as well as tests. Process is as important as product.
Knowledge is seen as inert.	Knowledge is seen as dynamic, ever changing with our experiences.
Students work primarily alone.	Students work primarily in groups.

             It is no longer time to continue talking about it but to see it done in my classes. 

Summing up the Constructivism Debate.

According to constructivism way of learning, people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. So knowledge is created not acquired that way we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.  

In the classroom, to promote constructivist it means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing.

I n that video of Sugata Miltra, he says   it is not making learning happen but letting learning to happen. The teacher should rise a question and let the learners adventure.

With this, does learning take place in a school?

Yes it does but strongly learning does not take place in a school setting only. People learn wherever they are. In that video if students designed their schools, you really see those students curious about their world; they are creating the knowledge not just acquiring it. It is not trying to move every human being  to pass through the same gate. You can learn wherever you are. In the 21^st Century learners should steer their own learning.

In most schools lessons are teacher- centered not students- centred, and this affects real learning. So it is high time schools were sensitized about what really causes authentic learning. Because the systems now in schools looks only at the IQ not the unique intelligence.  

So we can only say learning is taking place in a school when teaching is organised in such a way that it puts the learners at the steering which is constructivism.

Some of the pros of constructivism are; 

1. By grounding learning activities in an authentic, real-world context, constructivism stimulates and engages students. Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things and to apply their natural curiosity to the world.
2. Education works best when it concentrates on thinking and understanding, rather than on rote memorization. Constructivism concentrates on learning how to think and understand.

       However constructivism has some disadvantages and some of them are;

1. Social constructivism leads to "group think." Here I feel  the collaborative aspects of constructivist classrooms tend to produce a "tyranny of the majority," in which a few students' voices or interpretations dominate the group's conclusions, and dissenting students are forced to conform to the emerging consensus..

2. I also think that various kinds of instruction -- in particular Project Follow Through   are time consuming and may lead to students lagging behind.