BRG's blog

The LIME Taxonomy!

OK! Before I start I don't want any posts blaming me for plagiarism! What follows is an idea I have created using the cleaver thoughts of others'.  So don't moan at me! I don't profess to have created anything new, anything different; but have taken good ideas and made them relevant.

Back in September (long time ago I know) we had INSET. I can vaguely remember AfL and somewhere into it came Bloom's Taxonomy.  I must confess I did start to wander!  The idea is OK but talking about Verbs and things didn't really get me that excited.  What do children understand about 'doing words' in their relation to learning?  How can they understand what we aim to teach to their lessons, given just the simple 'doing words'?  1956 was the first show of Bloom's Taxonomy:  Many things have changed but yet it is still used to reflect the Learning Objectives of us as Practitioners to the learners understanding.  54 years is a long time and much has changed!  

OK Here is my borrowed/refined idea!  I can't rewrite Bloom's Taxonomy but I can modify it.  With the help of Andrew Church and his version of "Blooms Digital Taxonomy"  Also taking the "Blooming Orange" from Learning Today.

I give you LIME. 

 

Learning In a Modern Environment.  So taking Blooms Digital Taxonomy and adding it to a Lime (as you do!) I have created a poster that pupils understand. Not just the Verbs but how they can achieve it. Bold words convey the "What" and the other words tell you "How".  

Please do use it if you think it of use and thanks to Bloom, Church and LT.

If you would like the Illustrator file please send a message and I will send by return. Also if I have missed anything let me know and I will steal it! (with credit of course)

Deep learning and Molluscs!

A good day today.  The fifth South Dartmoor Deep Learning Day of the year so far: A day off timetable for all year groups to experience other forms of learning.  Today for me consisted of being part of the Heart Start group.  Teaching Year 9's basic life support and CPR.  A really 'fun' but serious learning episode that was enjoyed by all.  Putting the 'deep learning' into a real life context (i.e. what to do if you do find someone in a life threatening situation) definitely makes the learners' think and react.  They can see a use and purpose for the learning taking place. One student actually said "Oh my god! I might have to actually do this one day".

I had no issues with the content being taught and it was never questioned by the pupils.  I had no behaviour issues, no 'silly' questions: It was a day of "Deep Learning".  

I didn't have much free time with only 20 minutes for lunch and 2 short breaks in the morning and afternoon but because the day went so well I didn't mind and none of the kids moaned either. Why can't other 'normal' teaching days be like this? 

So what can we do to create this sort of 'learning atmosphere' and make it take place each and every lesson?  How can I as an ICT teacher convince pupils that Databases are delightful, Spreadsheets are serious and Control is cool?  Do I need to question my teaching methods and techniques?  I have changed and modified the schemes of work.  Control, for example, now consists of game programming and using Spreadsheets to forecast the profits to be made from selling the next blockbuster game. Databases though I still, no matter how I try, make interesting! (answers on a postcard please).

So the questionable food.  The food at school is fabulous! Trouble is with my short breaks/lunch I didn't really get any today.  So on the way home with my lift sharing colleague Mr T (No not the one from the A-Team!) but my good friend from the Art department I decided food was in desperate need.  Calling into the petrol station I purchased a Cornish Pasty: Best thing was the lady was going round with the reduction stickers!  One Hot Cornish Pasty for 25p!

Pasty now consumed I thought, rather than dump/hide the lovely box (yes it came in a box!) in Mr T's car, I decided to read what was in aforementioned Pasty.  I was pleasantly surprised. No artificial additives or colouring but two things did draw my attention:

1. Remove window before recycling!

So did that mean I have to remove Mr T's passenger door glass before I throw the box out of the window! Or that the little bit of plastic you could see the Pasty through was not recyclable? 

2. Was much more shocking!

OK. I don't suffer from any allergies that I know but Crustaceans; Fish; Molluscs! In a Cornish Pasty!  Surely it would have been easier to tell people "If you do suffer from any allergy please don't eat this product"

That's it! Pupils have an allergy to learning. They aren't allergic to everything but some things really do make them bad!  So we need to be careful. Yes they might not become ill through education but it might just put them off the second course. Is there a way we can be selective in what goes into our 'lesson recipes' that will allow the allergy prone to prosper?

I will think of this Pasty every lesson I teach.  Why don't pupils like learning this? Why didn't they understand that? Perhaps Databases are Mollusc's!

 

Grand Designs

I have watched Kevin McCloud presenting Grand Designs on Channel 4 for many years. I strangely like the voyeurism of looking at and into other people’s homes and commenting on what they need to do and what they should have done to accomplish their dreams and create a ‘perfect’ house. The other evening I watched a repeat and thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew what was going to happen and what the outcome was to be. Kevin followed a group of people from Birmingham; the plan was to build their own housing estate.  Funded by the local housing association the team would learn the skills of house building and for their ‘sweat’ hours gain a 25% share in the finished build and become tenant/owners.  The plan worked and some 18 months later 12 houses were finished and tenants settling in.  The ending saw the usual recap of the build but one thing above all stood out in my mind and that was the sense of community.  The group of individuals who before the build had not known one another were a community. A community like no other! They had helped each other; they had built parts of each other’s house and grew to know each other comprehensively.  They had set up a community before the ‘community’ existed. When you move house it might take years to meet and get to know your neighbours but they had achieved this before they moved in. 

So what exactly does all this have to do with teaching and learning? Well I have created a neighbourhood: A ‘housing estate’ if you like. I have given one of my year 8 classes a sense of belonging, a sense of community by using Blogs. I set up a closed Blog site through Weebly.com allowing us to create our own individual Blog sites and share what we have been and currently are doing.  Way back whilst teacher training, I created booklets for my classes that they would fill in each lesson to help describe what they had done in a lesson and what and learnt.

The booklets proved very successful but we are now in the 21st century. I wanted to use 21st century technology and needed something my pupils could relate to and are used to, rather than them asking me why they had to write stuff down in an ICT lesson!

Initially the Blog idea was to recreate my booklets electronically. Instead of filling in a booklet using paper and pen they could Blog what they had done each lesson. I could read and assess each individuals understanding but it have proven to be more beneficial.  The ‘community’ I referred to is here. Pupils have used their Blogs not just for my lesson but have built their own ‘home’. They have Blogged on what they are doing out of school, their interests and friends. Other pupils read and comment on the Blogs, adding to and helping build self-esteem amongst all. They have become interested in what other people in the class have been doing and who they really are. The whole group dynamic has changed, for the better. The class likes to read about me; when my car got stuck in the snow, what I did at Christmas: All without being too personal but allowing me to appear ‘human’. I have been amazed at the quality and quantity of the classes Blogs.

Blogging has allowed teaching and learning to become independent of time and place. The restrictions of a 1 hour lesson on a certain day have been lifted and replaced with freedom.  Blogging is asynchronous and allows time for self reflection.  It has moved teaching away from the often one way teacher lead lesson and has become more participant centred. It has made the entire teaching and learning episode much less formal. Pupils with drive and the wish to achieve can be allowed to follow their path without restriction; they are proactive in their own learning even if they are unaware of it.  Conversely the less driven pupil, with a little help and guidance, still benefit from the freedom.  The Blogs have let pupils become much more active throughout the course of study.  Allowing them to share what they did and what they achieved.  Cross curricular links are evident especially within literacy: The class as a whole have become better at reflecting and expressing reflection through their writing. Over time it allows us to visualise the changing views of the learners and allows them to review how their ideas and views have changed. This is a great asset for the teacher as it allows assessments to be conducted on the pupils as a ‘whole’. Not just a snapshot in time.

 Being observed teaching by another Practitioner, Senior Management or Ofsted is like having the building inspector visit the building site. Looking for the good bits or bad bits and judging how things might be improved. The Architect who drew-up the plans, who visualised the dream is the pupil. They have standards and observe your every lesson, just as the architect carefully watches the build and their masterpiece take shape: They have the power to change the design and can provide the teacher with invaluable feedback. The pupils Blog how good a lesson has been and what was learnt but more importantly what they didn’t enjoy or learn!  I can take this direct feedback and change my practice accordingly.  I am able to see the changes in myself and the class as one ‘community’. This has to be Assessment for Learning in practice for all parties involved, teacher and pupil.

 Just like the group in Birmingham, building houses and communities, so have my Year 8 class: They have built their own ‘homes’ and helped contribute to the building of one-another’s: They are a community.

I think I might just stay at home!

Well I really think I will.  No I suppose I can't see senior management being happy but today did get me thinking. School is now open after the Snow of late however I'm still Snowed in! I can't even get the car up the drive let alone to a gritted road over 2 miles away.  So faced with the tedious task of setting cover this morning I took a leaf from a fellow Twitter user I'm following (@DeputyMitchell, I'm sure he won't mind me giving a mention) and held a live online lesson with my Year 7 class.  

It worked! 56 minutes of lesson through the realms of the Internet and Web 2 technology.  The class seemed to enjoy it and I certainly did!  I used Coveritlive embedded into a blog page.  I gave instructions to the cover teacher detailing where the pupils had to go and away we went.

OK it was quite a simple lesson but as a first attempt I was extremely happy.

So it can Snow as much as it likes but I can now still provide a useful,practical lesson instead of the 'generic' cover lessons that are all 'too easy'.

P.s. Big thanks to DeputyMitchell

Tweets, Blog's Wiki's and Glog's

Tweets, Blogs, Wiki's and Glogs.

 

Education around the World has embraced ICT. It has grown from the first desktop machine in the Mathematics/Technology departments, to classrooms full of computers with full Internet access and ICT forming part of the curriculum. From the ‘ICT-free’ to the ‘ICT-critical’: Education is changing and so is learning.  ICT and New Technology have been used to support the traditional methods of teaching for many years but are we now in a position to use ICT, New Technologies and the evolving ways of learning to become better classroom practitioners?

 

Only by having an understanding of the emerging ­change in learning, the ready access to technology that learners have and more importantly use, will it allow us to become better teachers.  Learning today has become a social revolution; as the Industrial Revolution changed our socioeconomic outlook, the change in learning, due largely to ICT and New Technology will have repercussions for generations to come.  Learning is no longer tied to the educational establishment but ‘informal’ learning has had a significant impact and is shaping the learning process. We must, as educators, be able to change our practices to keep up with our learners and what they expect from education. 

 

So what can be done? What can we actually do in the classroom to encourage and use these New Technologies and follow the learning styles of our pupils? Many possible solution exist including the emerging theory of Connectivism. Developed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, it looks at the limitations of other learning styles and the impact New Technology has had on how we live, communicate and more importantly how we learn.  But I don’t want to delve into the realms of Learning Theories and Pedagogy: I want to show what can be achieved, share good practice and provide a source of useful materials we can all use in the classroom.

 

We need to experiment with uses of ICT and New Technology to allow us to become better practitioners and the pupils’ better learners.  We have to change as practitioners and look at what is happening with New Technology and not get stuck with what we already know. The rise of the Internet and access to it has allowed an almost unimaginable wealth of knowledge to become instantaneously available. Not just ‘formal’ facts and knowledge but the views, opinions and thoughts of others.  This information can, if guided, allow for a learner to choose a path of knowledge and learning suiting their needs. The Internet is a massive network of nodes of information: By connecting these nodes learning can and does take place and having created the connections they generally lead to more nodes being connected and more information becoming available.

 

Since the introduction of Web 2.0 technology in 2004 the Internet has opened up all manner of available tools we can use as teachers but for the majority they have failed to spot or have their attention drawn to them.  Web 2.0 is essentially using web-based applications that facilitate interactive sharing of information on the Internet.  Some examples that have really become popular are Social Networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, Video sharing on YouTube, Wikis and Blogs.  Following from the non interactive sites before Web 2.0 it is now possible for users to interact with others; to share and edit information: It has become active and no longer a passive experience.

 

As a classroom teacher I have always found students motivated and engaged by solving real problems: Doing rather than listening. An ‘authentic’ method of teaching and learning is often difficult to implement but with advances in ICT and New Technology much more is possible in the classroom.

 

“To teach is to model and demonstrate. To learn is to practice and reflect.” ^{Downes, S. 2009}

Both sentences imply taking part in and becoming a part of this ‘authentic’ method.

 

Learners look for connections. When presented with a new problem or idea, we naturally try to put it in context of things we already know.  If we can’t put it in context it is all too easy to reject it; meaning more effort is needed by the teacher to present the new ideas. 

 

So how do we model and demonstrate a problem or concept to our learners? How can we use the fantastic opportunities that exist in cyberspace?

A simple starter: Visible Tweets¹. Displayed on the board/whiteboard as the pupils enter the room.  It displays Tweets from Twitter users about whatever you want. Wordle² is another great starter. Copy text about the lesson subject/content and it displays a ‘Cloud’ of words (really getting the class thinking from the start).

The use of Wiki’s³ online, allowing the retrieval of information but also allowing contributions to be made.  The use of such encyclopaedic sites again forms part of the learning curve: Needing to be careful and selective about the information retrieved and used from such sites (the decision making process). I frequently use mind-mapping sites⁴ to create interactive maps that the learners can contribute to and collaborate on. I have used, with great success, Wallwisher⁵. This interactive site allows pupils to ‘post’ virtual notes to a virtual wall.  This can be viewed live, edited live, stored and printed for future reference; again allowing collaboration within the class. 

The use of Glogs⁶: (Graphical Blog) allowing the creation of interactive ‘Posters’ with sound and video. It allows for comments and feedback from peers. Instead of creating a static advert for a product, one of my Y8 classes created a futuristic Glog; “The future of Advertisements”. They incorporated sounds and video into their Glog and then went further to explore the possibilities of where these sorts of adverts may be seen and used. They began looking at mobile phone and video advert in newspapers!  The motivation, excitement and stimulation of every member of the class was obvious to see. The class viewed each other’s work and added comments and critiques; especially good for raising self esteem amongst learners.

 

“Learning becomes as much social as cognitive, as much concrete as abstract, and becomes intertwined with judgment and exploration,” ^{Brown, J. S. 1999}  

 

The same online tools can allow for the practice to take place. Allowing learners to contribute to Wiki’s and review other’s work, much in the same way as we do as teachers. The use of games and gaming sites can also reinforce and promote practice. Games are so often rejected as they are seen as ‘fun’ and not a contributing factor to learning. A fellow colleague uses the game SIM’s⁷ to allow pupils to practice building communities and societies. This ‘play’ links to the topic being taught in GCSE Geography: Allowing the foundation for discussion and understanding of the ‘real’ world using a virtual reality.

 

Reflection and recording, I feel, are one of the hardest challenges to our learners.  How do you expect a pupil to evaluate and reflect on a piece of work they have created?  How can they be self critical? I started using Blog’s from Weebly⁸: Well my classes have.  The pupils create a regular weekly Blog of what they have done/learnt in each lesson.  It tends to be very honest and down to earth.  Pupils comment on how good or bad a lesson was, how good (or bad) the teaching was! They are able to reflect easier as they don’t feel as if they are being assessed; they take ownership of their site and Blog and are proud of them.  I have a Blog that the pupils can see and comment on, that I feel makes them more comfortable with the idea.  The class is a community (including me) and feel more connected to the learning taking place, in many cases not even realising they are learning. So far it has proven very popular with students keen for me to read their latest postings.  It leads to easy discussion in class and a valuable tool for lesson/pupil assessment.

 

So what about us, the teacher? What resources are available to enhance our learning and allow the sharing of good practice?  Just as the students, we can use the sites and assets listed above; I now Blog my own CPD. Partly for other’s to read but also as a permanent record to myself. I have become a ‘Tweeter’ and now have many ‘friends’ but unlike my personal Facebook profile my Twitter⁹ friends are all teachers or somehow connected to education, including many award winning practitioners.  I follow their Tweets and Blogs and postings. Just recently I got involved with an online discussion (started through Twitter) and found more useful resources and web links in twenty minutes than I have in the last four years!  I have become a member of the Innovative Teachers Network¹⁰ (Partners in Learning), again an invaluable resource bank of knowledge, expertise and ideas.

 

As teachers, we must adapt and be able to change our perspective on New Technology.  We have to alter our teaching to meet the learning curve of pupils today: To stay connected and in touch. If we consider the ‘half life of knowledge’ then many of the technologies pupils use and understand today will be outdated and updated before they realise it but they will change and develop their learning, skills and knowledge to suit.  But will we?

 

References:

 

1.     www.visibletweets.com

2.     www.wordle.net

3.     www.wikipedia.com

4.     www.mindmeister.com

5.     www.wallwisher.com

6.     www.glogster.com/

7.     http://thesims.ea.com/

8.     www.education.weebly.com

9.     www.twitter.com

10.  http://uk.partnersinlearningnetwork.com/Pages/default.aspx

 

Downes, S. (2009, October) Connectivist Learning and the Personal Learning Environment. Retrieved Oct 11^th 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/connectivist-learning-and-the-personal-learning-environment.

 

Brown, J. S. (1999, March). Learning, working, and playing in the digital age. Presented at the American Association for Higher Education Conference on Higher Education. Retrieved Jan 3rd, 2010, from http://www.ntlf.com/html/sf/jsbrown.pdf

 

Coaching Culture

So what is Coaching? What is the Coaching Culture?  The First learning hub helped to answer this question. A analogy from a colleague was as a 'mirror'. To reflect the person being coached but without having to be an expert in the needs of the coachee. We had a brief discussion around this concept then looked at the different types of questions that can be emploed as coaches.

Open questions - leading to generally long answers: Closed questions - short sharp answers: Leading questions - using statements: Boolean - YES/NO and Probing questions to gain more information.

Having the questions is only a small part of the process. The Coaching Culture needs people who can listen, actually not just listen but 'Actively Listen' or use their 'Deep Attention'. That is to say, focus on the coachee, setting clear boundaries and compartmentalising the 'listening' into memorable blocks of information.

"Start with the End in Sight"  was reinforced, so with that fresh in our heads we jumped into the practical session.

Split into groups of 3 we took turns to Listen (actively), Speak and to observe each other. We were to talk about our MIRO reports and discuss what we learnt, the impact on the MIRO feedback and what we were to change as a consequence of it.

I went first and spoke (at length) about my report picking up on the negatives. My 'listener' was excellent and didn't interrupt. He did ask questions but as and when there appeared a suitable moment in time. After ten minutes or so feedback was given from the observer. We rotated around and took turns at all three aspects.

So what was the outcome? What did I learn? Listening is difficult! No its really difficult! I found it hard to find a suitable time to 'interrupt': I found it hard to think of suitable questions of the right genre. Above all I felt I was working much harder than the Coachee!

Overall though an excellent 2 hrs which really made me think and reflect. I will have assignents to do before the next session in February and will post the details here. But for now Happy Listening!

Keep the End in Sight.

So I am lucky. I work as a teacher of ICT in a fantastic school down in Devon. Being a fantastic school, boundaries are always stretched. We share good practice on an almost daily basis; CPD is paramount.

As a benefit we have, over the last two years, come to regard the 'Learning Hubs' a part of school life. We hold 6 or 7 Hubs a year consisting of twilight sessions sharing good practice/skills/ideas. I have led them, attended the compulsory sessions and been to many others (learning much on the way).

Tonight was no exception: except it was. Back earlier in the year I signed up for the Professional Coaching and Mentoring Hub. Unlike other Learning Hubs this was to consist of 3 compulsory sessions and extra 'homework'. (gaining  TLA Accreditation). The hubs are being led by Emma Brown of ActorFactor who is also a parent and governor.  

We had clear instruction to firstly complete a MIRO assessment to find out 'who we are' and to complete a 500 word essay on our current thoughts and where we are. 

Last week the MIRO results came back. What a shock! I have to admit I was expecting a 'Horoscope' type report; the kind you could read anything into. Not so. After reading it I could see how I think other's see me (but didn't want to really acknowledge); all in all quite frightening!

So tonight, with MIRO assessment in hand, I faced the first Learning hub on 'Professional Coaching and Mentoring'........