TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE
Spring Spring 2014
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: Sharing ideas and best practice TRURO AND PENWITH COLLEGE
SPRING 2014
Teacher Research: evidence based approach to improving teaching and learning students need to re-use information 6 times before they remember it. Each re encounter can however be very brief (this rule might be used as the basis of a poster display in classrooms to inform students). Methods of teaching that provide opportunities for this repetition, such as those discussed in the next section looking at examples of frameworks, The keynote speaker at the Conference held at the college on the 7th March was Mike Bell. Mike referred to research findings published by John Hattie as to what works best for learning and to the work of Geoff Petty (more information can be found on Hattie’s Visible Learning website: http://visible-learning.org and at: http://geoffpetty.com/). We all are aware that students need to revisit ideas a number of times to develop their understanding and recall but one of the many useful findings is that
In This Issue:
evidence based Teaching and Learning Improvement a range of frameworks to assist learning improving the effectiveness of demonstrations through video promoting diversity opportunity examples of new ILT software
Spring 2014
should be built into schemes of work and/or lesson plans. Hattie’s research found that students acting on feedback has the highest impact on learning. Peer assessment is one model of feedback that is particularly effective, in circumstances where students are less confident this
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE | SPRING 2014
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activity can really improve their learning. A simple mechanism is to give students some questions which they answer. You collect in the answers and then give them out randomly. Then give out the assessment criteria and get them to mark it. Then collect in and give back to the student. This works because they then are asked to check through their answers to try and catch out the peer marker engaging them again with the assessment criteria. This provides repetition, they've covered the work 3 times (out of the 6).
A Questioning Framework To the right is an example of a Questioning matrix used by some lecturing staff at Penwith. It is given to students to frame questions working in pairs or groups. Students can be asked to use more challenging questions such as how will and why might rather than the factual recall of who is or what did.
Q-Matrix Who What Where When How
The type of question asked and how effective a student was at answering that type of question can be recorded over time.
Why
is
did
can
would
will
might
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE | SPRING 2014
A Framework for Peer Explanations Many staff have used bingo to test students understanding of terminology/definitions. Here it extended to enable peer explanations, evidenced through research to be a particularly effective method of learning, to be formally structured.
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Students are warned at the start of the lesson that they will have to explain a topic later in the lesson, the warning is important as it focuses attention and ensures active listening. The students are then asked to individually write down key terms that would be used in the explanation. Working in pairs each student talks for a nominated time
explaining the topic whilst the other marks off the key words using the bingo format. Roles are reversed and students then discuss their performance, checking if there were any difference in the words they had initially identified and whether the verbal descriptions had any omissions. The plenary is a class discussion of key words and omissions etc.
B
I
N
G
O
mnemonics
alphabetic principle
analogy phonics
analytic phonics
blend
closed syllables
cluster
consonant blends
consonant digraphs
embedded phonics
grapheme
Free Space!
letters
Advanced/Graphic Organisers Graphic organisers can describe, compare or sequence. The highest impact occurs when students create them, then peer assess (for example leave behind and circulate the room to look at other examples), get ideas and improve their work, the teacher
then shows assessment criteria or model answers, so students can selfassess. This provides opportunities for students to revisit information (remember the 6 times rule), they have to summarise information prioritising the most important aspects and then transfer
Examples include: holistic diphthongs mind maps, description long vowels tables, venn diagrams, same/different diagrams, comparison labels, continuum, crossed continuum, target diagrams, visual essay planning, decision trees, storyboards, Diamond 9, timelines. Here are some examples used in the Sport programme area:
Compare and Contrast: Different Factor 1:
Factor 2:
information from one form into another (perhaps a complete essay or exam question).
Same
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE | SPRING 2014
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Goals/Purpose: Fit for Purpose Analysis:
How does it meet the goals? (strengths)
Why is it weak in relation to the goal?
Factor to Evaluate
Best Alternative
Possible Essay Framework for Evaluation (following an analysis brainstorm, you may need several frameworks for a single essay) Purpose: Goals: Factor to evaluate:
Strengths
Rank Value
Evide nce
Weaknesses
Rank Value Evidence
Alternatives to consider: Questions that arise: Conclusions drawn:
Rank (1 to … ) (1 = most important) Value weighting (1 to 5) (5 = highest value) Evidence weighting (1 to 5) (5 = lots of supporting evidence vidence)
What Now? Once you have established a rank and a value weighting, ensure that the language used in your write up reflects these values – e.g. “it cannot be underestimated the value of…” or “however, on balance this is of minor significance when compared with…”. Also remember to justify each S & W based upon the weight of evidence.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE | SPRING 2014
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Gamification of Learning A great game has all the hallmarks of great learning and some staff at the college have been looking into how the implementation of these contemporary learning frameworks may afford a greater connection with learners. An example makes use of Animoto free software. http://animoto.com/ The software has been used in college to produce a short animation shown to students at the start of a lesson to stimulate learner discussion and allow identification of the learning objectives for the lesson Further information relating to the gamification of learning can be found at www.open.ac.uk/personalpages/mike.sharples/Reports/Innovating_Pedagogy_report_2013.pdf http://elearningindustry.com/how-gamification-reshapes-learning
Improving the effectiveness of demonstrations through video Promoting Diversity The Learning Technologies Conference held on the 7th March was very successful and included presentations from staff from across the college.
Learning technologies conference
FOR MORE INFORMATION Please contact Correy Ellison or one of the e-learning team if you wish to use this technique on your course.
One very well received presentation was on the use of video cameras to project demonstrations being undertaken by lecturers onto the board to enable all students to see clearly the activity and also to record the demonstration so students can view at a later date via Moodle. This technique could be applied to a very wide range of practical courses across the college.
Hair and Beauty have established links with Conel College (the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London) in order that our students can increase their understanding and skills for meeting the needs of more diverse client groups. If you would like to explore opportunities for your curriculum area to work with other areas of Conel please contact Andy Stittle
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE
Two new free ILT software packages
Socrative: a multi-use quiz and survey browser-based program which can be used on nearly any media (ios/Android/PC/Mac) – one key advantage therefore is that it is accessible via smart phones, tablets and computers (for those studetns who don’t have a smart phone). http://www.socrative.com/ The graphics belows give an example of a Socrative Quiz; to the left is what the teacher sees when they have pre-created a quiz and on the right is what the learner sees. All results can be viewed live or hidden, and can be displayed in graphical format.
Spring Spring 2014
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT : SHARING IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE | SPRING 2014
Microsoft expression This is screen capture softwarewhich the Games Development team have been using as a means by which learners can record their screens to explain/prove processes of learning, cutting down the need for lengthy production logs. In the screen shot you can see that the learner has used notepad to annotate their screen as they run through their work, but if microphones are available these can be used to further enhance the experience for the learner and also make it much easier! http://www.microsoft.com/expression/eng/index.html
Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee Representatives Martin Page Sheenagh Hughes Jen Brown Guy Essex Jenny Blunden Euan Beattie Lee Clark Martin Lanyon Armando Garcia Correy Ellison Graham Bristow
Moodle Site:
Art & Design Business Studies Community Studies English & Languages HE & Education Humanities Media & Photography Science Vocational Arts&Comm e-Learning Penwith Education/Voc1
Karen Weeks Alison Attfield Steve Piff Julian Roberts Hayley McKinstry Angie Powell Bill Walker James Bradley Tamsin Hamilton Chris Hutton Andy Stittle
Business Centre CL & WD Auto, Engineering & Construction Foundation Studies Hair, Beauty & Catering Maths & Computing Performing Arts Sport A Level Penwith Staff Development Quality Assurance Leader
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