Thinking and Learning Online

RSA #5   Thinking and Learning Online

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Collaborative online learning transcends the typical pedagogical method of presenting information and testing students.  Instructors who promote learning communities in which students have more control of their own learning take the role of facilitators.  When online students work together, they learn from one another while developing knowledge and critical thinking skills.  Instructors who assign discussion posts enable students to develop their social presence while expanding their knowledge and solving problems.  According to Palloff and Pratt (2007) in their book, Building Online Learning Communities, learning communities give students opportunities “to extend and deepen their learning experience, test out new ideas by sharing them with a supportive group, and receive critical and constructive feedback” (p. 158).  This process of learning is transformative learning.

Transformational learning engages students’ thinking and reflection.  Instead of merely taking information in, a transformational learner engages in thinking, reflecting on information and interpreting it.  Palloff and Pratt (2007) say that learning is more permanent when students engage in self-reflection (p. 191).  Students take more responsibility for the information they learn or construct. “When students are empowered to become experts at their own learning, they cannot help but be transformed as people.” (p. 202).

In the article, Engaging and Supporting Problem Solving in Online Learning, David Jonassen states, “the medium of learning is social negotiation of meaning, not content … so knowledge emerges in the discourse of the community.” (p. 2).  He is critical of most online learning because he believes it continues to follow a “teach-and-test” (p. 1) paradigm.  His model of instruction focuses on solving problems that cause students to construct ideas and engage in the learning process.  In his view, it is in this thinking process, this problem solving process, that learning takes place. 

Jonassen agrees with Palloff and Pratt’s ideas that learning communities enhance the learning process.  Both agree, too, that instructors should allow students to take more responsibility for their learning.  While Jonassen does not specifically use the term reflection in his article, his thinking process ideas are very much like those of Palloff and Pratt.  These authors would agree that learning is an active process that creates new knowledge through thinking and reflecting about ideas in new ways.

References

Jonassen, D.H. (2002). Engaging and supporting problem solving in online learning. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 3(1), 1-13.

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Online Learning: More than Curriculum on Computers. Teachers, Get Ready!

RSA #4  Online Learning: More than Curriculum on Computers.  Teachers, Get Ready!

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According to Palloff and Pratt’s (2007) book, Building Online Learning Communities, online teaching is more that converting a curriculum to an electronic form; it’s a change in teaching methods (p.130).  Not unlike most courses, instructors develop a syllabus, establish objectives and encourage student participation (p. 129).  However, online teachers also set up the course website, record the presence and interaction of students in the virtual classroom, and help students successfully use the technology.  One important distinction of an online course is that it “makes resources and activities available” for students to explore (p. 138).  Palloff and Pratt state that online courses should offer students assignment choices, group projects and guidelines for assessment (p. 140).

The most dramatic difference in online teaching may be the shift in the roles that teachers and students play.  Teachers function as facilitators in the learning process and become co-learners. Students are more independent than in traditional classes.   They are responsible to actively seek solutions to problems and they learn to collaborate with others in the class.

K-12 Online Learning

            Much research and data regarding online courses has concentrated on post-secondary online education.  In order to study the potential growth and impact of K-12 online learning, a base of data needs to be established.  In their study, K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators, Picciano and Seaman (2007) surveyed public school districts to collect data.  This survey asked school districts to respond whether their students participated in online learning or not.  The data was sorted in a number of ways:  community populations; types of online learning; perceived purposes; barriers; type and number of providers.  The results showed that online learning will increase at the K-12 level.  The impact of this base data will enable future researchers to study the growth of online learning as well as more specific aspects of online learning.  The base data may also impact the U.S. Department of Education’s plans and support of online learning.

24/7 Online Learning:  Lessons Learned

When the Auburn Career Center decided to utilize online learning to expand the classroom day for their students, they faced a number of obstacles.  In the article, 24/7 Online Learning:  Lessons Learned, Jeffrey Butler (2010) describes these barriers and the methods they used to overcome them.  Their teachers did not have experience in online teaching.  So, the first step was to prepare the teachers by offering in-service training.  Teachers were reluctant to adapt to online learning, but changed their perspectives.  They recognized the advantages of online learning such as unlimited student access to class content, the ability to customize a course for different learning styles, increased collaboration as well as a teacher’s ability to observe the student’s involvement and offer feedback.  The next step was to train students and their parents in a summer orientation. 

Through professional development, teachers received ongoing training which included self-reflection and discussion.  Teachers made several observations: online teaching requires different teaching skills, their role changed to one of facilitator; students may progress at their own rate; and students who are self-directed have better success.  The teachers at the Auburn Career Center learned valuable lessons.  They learned that “students can learn in a more self-directed approach, and instructors can develop new skills that better facilitate learning and engaging students” (p. 36).

Final Analysis

If, as Picciano and Seamen (2007) assert, K-12 online learning continues to grow.  And, if, as Palloff and Pratt (2007) have stated, teaching methods for online classes are not the same as for face-to-face teaching classes, then teachers must either adapt or be trained for their eventual participation in online learning.  Generally, educators care very much about their profession and their students’ academic success.  And, as lifelong learners, teachers model their own learning by participating in professional development in-service programs or graduate classes to learn the skills necessary to help their students achieve success (Butler, 2010). 

References

Butler, J. W. (2010, September). 24/7 online learning: lessons learned. Techniques: connecting education & careers, 85(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d40674d9-95a9-4e23-a6df-86214546f35a%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=18

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Picciano, A. G., & Seaman, J. (2007). K-12 online learning: a survey of U.S. school district administrators. Proceedings of the Sloan Consortium, http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/K-12_Online_Learning.pdf

Professional Development Policies

RSA #3 

Professional Development: Policies for Educators that Enhance Student Learning

Diana Wolfson

Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M.W. (2011). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Kappan Magazine, 92(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=261d2217-dc71-493b-ac24-6880f099603f%40sessionmgr14&vid=9&hid=18

U.S. federal lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Education recognize that educators need valid learning opportunities in order to impact student learning.  They understand that the key to teacher effectiveness is continued professional development.  Both the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 and the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act “focus significant attention on teacher quality and professional development” (Islas, 2010, p. 11).  In the article, A Tool for Meaningful Staff Development (2000), Magestro and Stanford-Blair sum up the impact of legislation in their statement, “the emphasis in education has shifted from teaching to learning” (p. 1).  Effective staff development begins with the needs and interests of the staff.  The American Educational Research Association agrees with this approach.  In the article, Teaching Teachers: Professional Development to Improve Student Achievement (2005), it states that “to be effective, professional development must provide teachers with a way to directly apply what they learn to their teaching” (p. 4).  These learning opportunities model new strategies that are relevant and engaging for teachers to try. When teachers reflect on and evaluate the strategies they have learned, they decide how to apply them with their students. 

Implementing educational reforms that emphasize professional development means that teachers must rethink their practices.  According to Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin’s article, Policies That Support Professional Development in an Era of Reform (2011), the inservice training of traditional top-down training strategies is no longer sufficient to meet the goals and objectives for effective student learning.  Instead, Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin’s describe a new type of professional development called Professional Development School (PDS) that prepares beginning teachers by having them work with experienced mentors (p. 83).  The PDS method gives both teachers, the novice and the experienced, opportunities to learn from one another, support one another and recognize the value of their colleagues.

 Government leaders and educators alike recognize that the key to professional development is that it serves both teacher and student learning.  It allows teachers to engage in the learning process, collaborate with others, connect to actual work with their students and receive support through modeling and ongoing coaching.  Whether or not schools assign teachers with mentors or use other strategies, the concept that continued learning is for everyone remains.

References

American Educational Research Association (AERA). (2005). Teaching teachers: Professional development to improve student achievement. Research Points Essential Information for Education Policy, 3(1), 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED491587.pdf

Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M.W. (March, 2011). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=261d2217-dc71-493b-ac24-6880f099603f%40sessionmgr14&vid=9&hid=18

Debbiereese. (2009). Technology action plan and staff development. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/debbiereese/technology-action-plan-and-staff-development

Islas, M. R. (December, 2010). The federal policy landscape: A look at how legislation affects professional development. JSD. 31(6), 11-14. Retrieved from http://www.learningforward.org/news/getDocument.cfm?articleID=2166

Magestro, P. & Stanford-Blair, N. (2000). A tool for meaningful staff development. Educational Leadership. 57(8), 34-35. Retrieved from http://pdonline.ascd.org/pd_online/annualconference/el200005_magestro.html