Week 2, Reflection 1

Pedagogical Principles

Pedagogy has multiple definitions, many of which have been explained to us numerous times over the last 3 weeks or so. It has been put most simply though, as the art/science of teaching – The HOW to teach, not the what.

Of the pedagogical principles listed on the moodle site for, ICTs for Learning Design, there are a few that strike quite a chord with me. Based on my own personal learning experiences, and what I have learnt so far regarding teaching and learning, my favourites of these pedagogical principles are as follows;

·      Supporting students in knowing how they learn best…

When you know how your students learn individually you can cater to them better as a group! Knowing that out of 20 students, 13 of them are predominantly kinesthetic learners - and the other 7 a split between Visual and Aural learners – you can plan your lessons very specifically, ensuring that you’re choosing appropriate activities to keep them engaged and focused. I know that when I have been in a class that has been ALL focused towards an Visual kind of learner, I start to disengage – visual learning for me is the type I least connect with, so ALL learners really need to be taken into account in your classroom.

·      Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real life contexts – Is socially supportive, engaging AND Is relevant to students…

I have found in previous learning environments, that if I didn’t think that a subject or particular topic of content was relatable to me in my every day life, I switched off. Students of a High School age need to know that whatever they’re doing at that moment is completely beneficial to them as a person, and HOW they can use that particular information or skill. I want to try and relate as much as I can, of the information taught in my classroom, to what the students can use in real life - if it's not directly relevant to THEM, I need to make it seem that way or they may switch off. Trying to keep it social, focused and RELEVANT.

·      Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves…

Having read up on a little bit of Ragnar Purje’s book and research, I am intrigued (and quite literally sold) on the idea of Responsibility Theory. I genuinely believe that if a child/student is taught to OWN their own learning, and they know that they are almost completely in control of the outcome, that they will focus more on the things that are beneficial to them (provided that I, as the teacher, have outlined why and how they are beneficial) and work harder to achieve this. But it needs to be taught, and if we don’t actively help them with this way of thinking then the neuroscience of it all goes out the window, because it will not have been repeated and used enough for the brain to create the connections that will then create a long lasting impact on the student’s brain, and life.

What seems to be a common factor in teaching though, is that using any one of these principles, theories, or learning types etc. by themselves, will NEVER be as effective as using a combination of them. A well thought out and deliberate combination, that caters to the specific needs and learning types of your students, will ALWAYS be a better option in your lesson plan - as well as adhering to the necessary information that is needing to be communicated in the classroom, of course! J

Mobile Phones in Education Wiki

This Wiki activity was quite interesting to take part in. It is reflective of all of the learning theories, I believe, as it requires you to "put on different hats" and used different thinking methods, and also tries to challenge your thinking by making you think of both negatives and positives of mobile phones in a classroom - even if you have a very staunch opinion of them, as I did. 

My own personal participation in the Wiki was possibly very one sided. I have a very strong opinion that mobile phones, for whatever reason, should not be used in a classroom; and even though the different DeBono's hats forced me to try and think of a positive light, I struggled with it. It did help being able to see others' answers and see the way they were thinking differently to me, not necessarily swaying my opinion on the matter though, that was definitely a benefit. A MAJOR issue here is that it is so very easy to completely wipe out another person's answers on this, and lose it completely. If that other person has not saved their work somewhere else, e.g. in a word document, it may be that they would have to completely rewrite the information losing all of their references/resources and information that they had previously stored. It is also relatively difficult to monitor what it being posted before it becomes public to the rest of the class - this makes ethical responsibilities & managing bullying etc a hard and somewhat dangerous task as a teacher.

It could definitely be beneficial to use this in a classroom environment, to contribute to the learning of the students. I feel like it would be more useful to use IN a classroom setting, or as a homework assignment that is then discussed in the classroom. I feel like the activity in itself, while it does get the students to think in different ways, is useless if it's not then implemented in the classroom and discussed with the teacher and other students (Social constructivism) even bringing more new ideas to the table and the teacher highlighting great ideas from students to encourage them with their thinking, learning and further research (great for connectivity!).

All in all I do think it is an effective activity, but not as a stand alone task. It needs to be integrated correctly into the classroom, and discussed/debated, with new ideas and further research encouraged, along with being monitored as strictly as it can be to ensure that students are following and adhering to specific guidelines, and not hurting the process in that way at all.