Week 5 Academic Dialogue

Taresa O’Brien & Ian Armitage

EDUC9701_2014_S2

A model for e-education: Extended teaching spaces and extended learning spaces

Insung Jung and Colin Latchem 2009British Journal of Educational Technology, 42 (1), 6 - 18

Overview

This paper proposes a model for e-education relevant to all sectors of education and training. The model conceptualises differences between extended teaching spaces (involving 3 types of teaching: execution, facilitation and liberation), and extended learning spaces (involving 3 essential learning activities: acquisition, application and construction). These parts are cemented in other components of dialogue and reflection (p. 6).

e-education

Garrison (2000) states “educators are challenged to make sense of (the)seemingly continual advent of new terminology, such as virtual, open, distributed and distance education, new technologies and new educational options … rather than referring to e-learning, m-learning, flexible learning, blended learning or virtual learning, … use the all-embracing term ‘e-education’ “ (p. 7).

Model for e-education

Extension of teaching and learning spaces in e-education (p. 11).

Reconciling educational philosophies and the teacher – student dichotomy

“advocates of ‘progressive education’ … reason that learning should come through experience rather than the acquisition of information and skills by means of drill and practice” (p.8).“The ‘back to basics’ movement complains that kids cannot spell or do simple maths and it is time to revert to old-fashioned teaching methods “ (p. 8).

Four Interwoven Functions

Induction Training

Instruction Initiation

Reconciling educational philosophies and the teacher – student dichotomyStenhouse (1975) accommodates both these teaching philosophies with the “position that education necessarily comprises four functions that in practice are interwoven” (p. 10).

Training and Instruction: “The teacher's role is that of executor or course manager” (p. 10).

Initiation: “The teacher adopts the facilitator approach” (p. 10).

Induction: “The teacher adopts a liberationist approach, encouraging and enabling the learners to make their own connections between their current knowledge and experience” (p. 10).

Model for e-education

Extension of teaching and learning spaces in e-education (p. 11).

Extended teaching spaces

LIBERATION

FACILITATION

EXECUTION

TEACHER

Extended teaching spaces

The three possible approaches to teaching: execution, facilitation and liberation (Fenstermacher and Soltis, 2004) can be accommodated in the concept of the extended teaching spaces (p. 11).

• Execution : teachers’ responsibility to provide the leaners with knowledge and skills is still encountered in the extended teaching spaces, yet in more diverse and individualised ways (p. 11).

Extended teaching spaces• Facilitation : “self-paced computer-based

tutorials can be used to prompt and support the learners, and learning can also be facilitated by interactive ICT tools, such as online help desk …” provide the all-important sense of what Rourke, Anderson, Garrison and Archer (2011) define as ‘teaching presence’, cognitive presence’ and ‘social presence’’ (p. 12).

• Liberation: “E-education enables teachers to invite students into the ever-extending knowledge base, consider new settings and new problems, and discuss facts and ideas that are provisional and open to debate” (p. 12).

Extended learning spaces

CONSTRUCTION

APPLICATION

ACQUISITION

LEARNER

Extended learning spaces

Jung and Rha (2004) considered “learner-centred, interactive, and experiental e-learning and proposed that extended learning space was needed for three essential learning activities: acquisition, application, and construction” (p. 13).• Acquisition : “learners can acquire

knowledge, information and skills through a vast repository of multimedia resources available on the Web and elsewhere and through face-to-face or online interaction and collaboration with others” (p. 13).

Extended learning spaces

• Application : “connected to other learners by intranet or internet, their ideas, knowledge, and findings can travel beyond the confines of their classroom to learning spaces of other students for resolution, confirmation and application” (p. 13).

• Construction : “…enables the learners, with or without support from their teachers, to work independently or in teams, create original ideas, products and processes, identify trends and predict possibilities. In working collaboratively in classrooms or online, they also construct learning communities” (p. 13).

Extension of teaching and learning spaces in e-education (p. 11).

Reflection and dialogue

• Reflection “is central to learning, both by teachers and students.” (Dewey, 1933, p. 15). It “helps break through … tradition which encases … deeply rooted and emotionally charged beliefs” (Hunt and Metcalf, 1968, p. 15).

• Dialogue between teacher and student and student and student “tests and negotiates ideas, verifies learning, provides feedback, and constructs and expands knowledge and understanding” (p. 15).

Reflection and dialogue“Extended teaching and learning spaces can help support a culture of question posing and reflection by teachers and students alike by exposing then to a far wider range of facts, experiences, doubts, and conflicting and competing ideas and opinions than can ever be provided within the confines of the single classroom.” (p. 15).“…extended teaching and learning spaces make possible all kinds of dialogues with all kinds of counterparts.” (p. 15).

Model for e-education

Extension of teaching and learning spaces in e-education (p. 11).

Conclusion

“This model may well still require refinement and elaboration. For example, more attention may be needed to the interconnectedness of the learning and teaching spaces, means of reflection and dialogue, how various platforms and tools best support the extended teaching and learning activities and possibly, an extended time dimension” (p. 16).

Conclusion

• Technological change forces us to revise our concepts of e-education. Many teachers are only interested in change that is congruent with their current practices and time commitments, and label others as merely ‘theoretical’” (Fullan and Hargreaves, 1992, p. 16).

• The model attempts to “reconcile and apply theories and best practices by real teachers and provide a simple guide to show busy teachers how ICT can enable their students to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes through discovery, dialogue and reflection” (p. 16).

Discussion QuestionsQuestion 1  Brendan, Daina, Cinzia, Yox• How has the continued introduction of new ICT changed your teaching

spaces?

Question 2 Andrew, Bron, Catherine, Karen• How has the continued introduction of new ICT changed your learning

spaces?

Question 3 Michael, Jan, Jess, Tara• Teacher centred (didactism) <---------------------- active constructivism

(discovery learning) Where is St John’s currently on the teaching philosophy continuum? Where would our SOARing school wide pedagogies like to put us? Question 4 Riccardo, Joyanne, Kate, Rose• How critical is the Teacher / Learner interface (Discussion & Reflection and

4 Functions) in implementing (ACARA) 21st century learning skills?

Question 5- common question• How do you see your role as a an educator changing as the increasing

prevalence of ICT use in education extends the learning spaces beyond your classroom?