Looking back, I see that I was taught in the objectivism style. High school and college and grad school were full of lectures, readings, lectures, and more readings. My success at retaining and absorbing information was measured by term papers and blue books full of regurgitated facts. The only group experience I recall was writing a skit in 7th grade. Fortunately for me I am a reading/writing learner, and so I fared well in this structure.
Twenty years after completing my last college course, I am told I will be teaching a brand new, 1 unit, face-to-face course on research skills. I had a course outline of record for a resource. For 4 semesters I taught that course the only way I knew how to teach, by lecture and readings. “teachers teach as they are taught” (Hoover) One semester, over half of the students failed the midterm. I didn’t change my teaching methods; I just made the exams simpler. And I always had this huge dichotomy in my class which contained both Millenials and re-entry students.
And then, enlightenment. I attended a national conference for academic instruction librarians (yes, there really is such a thing) and was introduced for the time to the concept of Millenials and their unique learning style. Amazingly, I thought it was silly to change how one teaches just to get through to a group of students whose brains had obviously been damaged by video games. But I gave some of the methods a try, and most tellingly the classroom became more interactive, the students more engaged and I began having more fun as well. What I introduced to the classroom were collaborative projects, other media, and online tutorials. It wasn’t until the reading in this class did I understand that I wasn’t simply accommodating their ‘disabilities” but preparing them for the new global marketplace.
I’m looking forward to my research course starting next week as I already plan to incorporate the concepts of Constructivism to better reach the Millenials while also using the concept of Andragogy to better serve the re-entry students. Earlier in the course the learning style of millenials has been discussed (collaborative, exploration, etc), but the theory of Andragogy, developed by M.Knowles is equally important to the online environment. Simplified, andragogy addresses the instruction of adults in a way that recognizes their life experience and perceptions. Assumptions of this theory include the need to: explain why something is being taught; be task –oriented; take into account wide range of different learners and recognize that adults are self directed (http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html)
Interestingly, Tennat believes that Knowles’ view is no longer sustainable in a world characterized by differences and diversity. (Rossiter) Even the concept of an adult learner is changing.
Instructors should be cognizant of the fact that adult learners “may lack online literacy skills, which include creating an online identity; communicating a cognitive presence on text-based screens; posting comments that reflect favorably on their image as competent and intelligent adult learners; and constructing their own learning from comments received from other learners, the materials, and the content.” (Stein)
I believe in Constructivism as an epistemology, a philosophy. In general, I do believe that knowledge is created by the student with the teacher acting only as a facilitator and guide. “focus on student-centered learning may well be the most important contribution of Constructivism” (Hoover)
However, as a methodology, I think we have to admit that some knowledge is objective, in math and science, for example. Whereas the meaning of a sonnet or the impact of a revolution can be debated and explored, 2 + 2 is always 4 and earth will always have gravity.
Cognitivism is also a valid theory to me. It recognizes that due to differences in learning styles, personality types, temperaments, and intelligences, students may take different paths, but the destination is the same, which makes it an objectivist theory.
As much as I have learned from the literature about what makes for successful online learning, I’ve learned more from just being in an online class. Occasionally I smile behind the monitor as I see how our assignments and activities are designed to give us exactly the experience we need to be effective online instructors. I feel like a clipboard carrying guinea pig, not certain if I am researching or being researched.
Specifically though, the main things I can do to improve student academic success are to
· Facilitate the development of groups and social capital
· Offer various projects that suit the needs of a variety of learning styles
· Make available, and encourage the use of, various modes of communications
· Be alert to signs that students are feeling distanced
· Stay alert to changes in group dynamics
· Provide prompt feedback
Hoover, Wesley A. “Practice Implications of Constructivism.” SEDL Letter 9:3 (1996) Print.
Rossiter, Marsha. "Possible selves in adult education." New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education 114 (2007): 87-94. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
Stein, David S., Constance E. Wanstreet, and Jennifer Calvin. "How a novice adult online learner experiences transactional distance." Quarterly Review of Distance Education 10.3 (2009): 305-311. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
Tennant, M. “Adult Learning for Self-Development and Change.” In A. L. Wilson and
E. R. Hayes (eds.), Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thoughts on Social Capital, Online Communities, and Web 2.0
When I first read the information from World Bank, the term “social capital” was new to me and after struggling with trying to determine the meaning from the context, I ‘googled’ it. (As a teaching librarian instead of ignoring Google and hoping it will go away, I prefer to embrace it in positive ways). There are of course many definitions available, but the one I like best came from Earth Economics (web): Social capital is the underpinning and core fabric of social communities. Left intact, social capital has a stream of benefits, including safety and security, friendship and community, a sense of civic identity, etc. Although the term was new to me, the idea certainly was not.
I’ve been part of online communities, in one form or another for 15 years: mIRC chatrooms, listservs, and bulletins boards. In each setting a community develops along with behaviors, language, customs, and friendships. I’ve seen people benefit from practical advice and a safe place to vent. I’ve witnessed the progression of these groups through Tuckman’s Stages (although again, I did not know what they were). So I was not at all surprised last year when I overheard a group of colleagues in our own OTTP program talking with a sense of community about their online group: the assignments, fellow students, and events within the online community.
Now that I’m aware of the concept, I can see many ways to apply it to my courses. It’s like those funny moments when you hear a word you have never hear before, and the next day you hear it again and the next day, again. It’s not that the word wasn’t being said, it’s just that you finally noticed it. I’m convinced that many elements of Web 2.0 (blogs, wikis and social networking) need to be incorporated into online classes. Williams, whose article was written in 2004, stated that a review of scholarly journals found on 30 articles about blogs in education. Today, six years later, I did the same search and found only 60, so the concept isn’t yet finding its way into the professional publications. Perhaps the author is correct; the instructors who know the value of Web 2.0 are out using it, not submitting articles on it for publication. (I did find some good stuff, though)
College instructors have the unenviable tasks of teaching without ever having to take an education class. I am a librarian, and 3 semesters into my academic career I was thrust into teaching a 1 unit course. Immediately, I began to do research on how to teach and discovered I couldn’t be a talking head (although I certainly had many of those while I was in college). I needed to appeal to all of the different style of learning that my students held. So, I developed a style that includes lectures, audio-visuals and hands-on. Now, as I enter the online teaching environment, I found that the Circle of Learning described in the Khalsa site (developed by Chang and Sampson) to be the equivalent of that first strategy I used in my f2f classes. Collaborative and Concurrent Learning as well as self study and lectures all need to be incorporated into the online class.
As the ‘lead” for a 22 unit library technology program that is now 100% online, I can see that we (the teaching team) have an even greater opportunity to build up the social capital within our program, due to the extended contact we have with our students. Although it is not an official cohort style program, the students that start the program in the fall will more than likely be together for four semesters as they work through the program.
What I am learning (in addition to lots of new words) is how to actually use it and of course that hands on experience of actually using Web 2.0 in an online community while experiencing the development of social capital.
In closing, I want to share the blog I enjoy the most. It is David Silver’s blog, “Silver in sf”. Mr. Silver is an associate professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco, and I heard Mr. Silver speak (to a bunch of librarians) about three years ago on how he uses blogs to bring this generation of students out of their very egocentric world. He described one assignment in which he asks them to write about their favorite part of campus. Next, they have to write about their favorite part of San Francisco and then favorite part of the Bay Area. He requires them to post photos, so they must actually get out a go there. The increased awareness he sees in the students is phenomenal. He also sees a tremendous improvement in their writing, as they take pride in publishing on their blog a polished piece. When visiting the blog today, I see he is requiring his students to tweet part of the assignment as well. Oh, and the assignment his week is to bake bread and bring it to share. Breaking bread….one of the earliest ways known to develop social capital.
I’ve been part of online communities, in one form or another for 15 years: mIRC chatrooms, listservs, and bulletins boards. In each setting a community develops along with behaviors, language, customs, and friendships. I’ve seen people benefit from practical advice and a safe place to vent. I’ve witnessed the progression of these groups through Tuckman’s Stages (although again, I did not know what they were). So I was not at all surprised last year when I overheard a group of colleagues in our own OTTP program talking with a sense of community about their online group: the assignments, fellow students, and events within the online community.
Now that I’m aware of the concept, I can see many ways to apply it to my courses. It’s like those funny moments when you hear a word you have never hear before, and the next day you hear it again and the next day, again. It’s not that the word wasn’t being said, it’s just that you finally noticed it. I’m convinced that many elements of Web 2.0 (blogs, wikis and social networking) need to be incorporated into online classes. Williams, whose article was written in 2004, stated that a review of scholarly journals found on 30 articles about blogs in education. Today, six years later, I did the same search and found only 60, so the concept isn’t yet finding its way into the professional publications. Perhaps the author is correct; the instructors who know the value of Web 2.0 are out using it, not submitting articles on it for publication. (I did find some good stuff, though)
College instructors have the unenviable tasks of teaching without ever having to take an education class. I am a librarian, and 3 semesters into my academic career I was thrust into teaching a 1 unit course. Immediately, I began to do research on how to teach and discovered I couldn’t be a talking head (although I certainly had many of those while I was in college). I needed to appeal to all of the different style of learning that my students held. So, I developed a style that includes lectures, audio-visuals and hands-on. Now, as I enter the online teaching environment, I found that the Circle of Learning described in the Khalsa site (developed by Chang and Sampson) to be the equivalent of that first strategy I used in my f2f classes. Collaborative and Concurrent Learning as well as self study and lectures all need to be incorporated into the online class.
As the ‘lead” for a 22 unit library technology program that is now 100% online, I can see that we (the teaching team) have an even greater opportunity to build up the social capital within our program, due to the extended contact we have with our students. Although it is not an official cohort style program, the students that start the program in the fall will more than likely be together for four semesters as they work through the program.
What I am learning (in addition to lots of new words) is how to actually use it and of course that hands on experience of actually using Web 2.0 in an online community while experiencing the development of social capital.
In closing, I want to share the blog I enjoy the most. It is David Silver’s blog, “Silver in sf”. Mr. Silver is an associate professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco, and I heard Mr. Silver speak (to a bunch of librarians) about three years ago on how he uses blogs to bring this generation of students out of their very egocentric world. He described one assignment in which he asks them to write about their favorite part of campus. Next, they have to write about their favorite part of San Francisco and then favorite part of the Bay Area. He requires them to post photos, so they must actually get out a go there. The increased awareness he sees in the students is phenomenal. He also sees a tremendous improvement in their writing, as they take pride in publishing on their blog a polished piece. When visiting the blog today, I see he is requiring his students to tweet part of the assignment as well. Oh, and the assignment his week is to bake bread and bring it to share. Breaking bread….one of the earliest ways known to develop social capital.
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