ICT"S Week 2 Learning Activities

1. Think about your own experiences at school and write about what you believe was student-centred and what was student centric.

Unfortunately while I was at school that majority of my learning/classes were not student centered. There was a lot of 'chalk and talk' approaches and not many other means of teaching. The amount of note taking and blackboard writing that went on was massive and I believe from that style of teaching I did not learn very well. This is why drama and art classes were so fun for me and enabled me to learn. We got to watch movies on drama pieces and art history/styles, listen to music and interpret the feelings and emotions behind that piece of music and sometimes draw/paint what the music felt like. In drama we practiced a lot of different drama techniques/styles and incorporate them into script or improvisational work. We had excursions to art galleries and theatres. I think this is why I excelled in these subjects as it was different, interesting and 'colourful' so to speak and catered for students different learning styles. I believe if my other learning learning areas were slightly more student-centered and covered a variety of learning styles I would have learnt a lot more and retained the knowledge I was taught.

2. Contrast the 8LMQ's with what you have experienced in your own education and think about the advantages and possible pitfalls of this approach.

I personally think there are great advantages to this approach. I certainly wish I had been taught via the 8 Learning Management Questions. This approach is very student-centered, which was a lacking approach in my schooling years. I love the idea of flexible/negotiated assessment as it makes it interesting and relative to the students, ensuring better learning outcomes. I also like the emphasis on learning styles and how students learn in a different way. When I was at school there was a lot of 'chalk and talk' teaching and that style did not help me excel at all. Also the summative and formative assessment ways are great for a teacher to monitor the student's level and to see if they 'get it' or not. And finally the layout of the classroom, I believe has an impact on the students ability to learn and should be changed to enhance the particular learning area.

3. Read the Learning Engagement Theory article, complete the following Indicators of Engaged Learning Quiz. Reflect on the kinds of learning activities you could design that fulfill this approach.

Doing authentic projects shows that students get a higher level of satisfaction compared to students working on artificial projects. For example our drama class will be putting on a performance night with the profits going towards a local charity of the students choice. The class will be divided into groups and shown a snippet from a DVD of a drama performance and some u-tube drama performance videos to give the students an idea of what they could create. They will then brainstorm to come up with a chosen topic which is relevant to them for their piece/performance. The use of multimedia will be encouraged to be used in the performance weather it be a collaboration of pictures flashed up onto the cyclorama at the back of the stage while they are performing or a filmed video in the gaps/breaks of performances. They may also use voice overs and music. The students will be encouraged to use the Internet to get more ideas about their performance or watch another performance for inspiration. The next piece of text from the learning engagement theory article outlines the importance of technology in teaching rather than the traditional ways of teaching..... "They concluded that the virtual classroom environment resulted in better mastery of course materials, greater student satisfaction, and a higher level of student reported learning than traditional classroom experiences." (http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm)

4. Formal Learning Experiences. How will your students rate the learning experience you design for them?

Unfortunately I have not had any formal learning experiences in the last two years. It has been six years since I graduated from the Bachelor of Performing Arts. Within this course/program, it is the first time I have had any formal learning experiences for over 4 years. I should think from what I am learning in this course and continuing to learn, will help me engage with the students and provide them with an interesting and authentic learning experience. I shall incorporate different teaching strategies into my teaching to cater for students different learning styles. Therefore I think and should hope my students would mark my class in the upper scale of the pyramid.

5. What does your learning style look like? And how might you cater for the individual differences in learning styles for your students?

My learning style is very visual opposed to verbal. I need to see things in order to learn then, rather than hear them. My visual reading was my highest reading at an 11. Next on par rating as a 7 is my active and sequential learning styles. Lastly down the middle I scored a 1 on the sensual/intuitive learning style meaning I do not really favour one of those over the other.
Every student is different when it comes to learning. Some children are going to respond better to verbal learning styles while others are visual learners. The same applies for the other learning styles, therefore I believe it is crucial to incorporate these into classes to ensure all students are learning. For example if I am reading a passage of text out to the students in drama class I would also hand out a hard copy for the visual learners, while I'm speaking for the verbal learners. Then I would get the students up to act out a section of the text for the kinesthetic learners.

6. The learning issues and challenges posed by different learning styles and personalities.

This quiz shows how much each person may differ from the next. This is the same in the classroom. Each student is an individual and will learn in a different manner, no one person is the same. In a learning design one must remember this and choose to teach in a wide range on styles ensuring all students are given the opportunity to learn, as they will learn in different ways. One child will not learn the same way as another child, therefore a number of learning/teaching styles will be needed and practiced.

7. Read Kunc's article on Mazlow's Hierarchy and modern schooling. How does this understanding of learning match with what we have discussed about active learning and learner diversity?

As Marlow's Hierarchy of needs shows that all people need to feel that they belong. Students need to feel that they belong within their families, society and at school. To ensure students are ready to learn they need to feel that they belong despite their academic, athletic, attractiveness and diverse status/level. They need to know that a sense of belonging is a human right, not just dished out when they excel at a sport or academically. Once students feel they belong they will develop a sense of self-worth, and as worthy human beings deserve the right to learn like anyone else. "As we take away students sense of belonging, we completely undermine their capacity to learn the skills that will enable them to belong." (Kunc, 1992) We need to provide students with an authentic sense of belonging. We need to find students individual strengths and provide them the opportunity to flourish in those areas. If a child is naughty or suffers from a form of diversity one of the worst things to do is segregate them from the group/class.
This article was great! As we have discussed as a Learning Manager we need to provide students with an authentic learning experience. If it interests them or they can relate to it, or excel in a personal strength, students will stay interested, feel their own achievements and want to learn. It doesn't matter what level the child is academically, what social circle they are from or weather they suffer with a form of diversity they must feel as though they belong and that they are worthy.

8. Take the multiple intelligence test, then take the emotional intelligence test, review your results. How would you use this information to inform your learning design?

This again shows how i learn and what learning styles suit me. Many of us learn in different ways and this must be thought about carefully before approaching a learning design. Even though I learn in a particular way, my students may not therefore my learning design and teaching strategies must cater for all learning styles.