February 15, 2010 at 2:06 pm (learning, Uncategorized)
ClustrMaps is a great little plug-in for your WordPress blog. It can be used as an incentive to continue blogging and reflecting. Knowing that you have an audience focuses your mind on content and style. It can improve a learners creative writting skills and welcome a truly global series of feedback. How you embrace this feedback, research it’s validity and accuracy can be problematic and a little more work is required on your behalf to hunt down references.
January 18, 2010 at 1:25 pm (Uncategorized)
Time was tight during these sessions, we had a little under 2hrs to get through 15 individual presentations and then… do it all again. Enter Pecha Kucha. I have blogged about this presentation method previously, so I won’t labour over the basics here. This was the first time that I had facilitated so many individual attempts in an afternoon. There was a worry that there would be 30 or so almost identical presentations and I would have to sit through them all, nodding politely. However, I’m happy to say, this was not the case.
I chose Pecha Kucha as a presentational method for several reasons, but most predominantly because I wanted to end with a non-digital process of reflection, but one which you could use your online evidence gathering and blogging to support. At the same time, having to summarise all of this data into a highly restrictive time period (6 minutes and 40 seconds) called on a different set of skills. Then to have to present your summaries with supporting slides (evidence) requires careful planning, rehearsal and delivery. Many of these skills are common to a performer or public speaker, but are just as pertinent to a technician, manager or designer who all need to be confident in their ability to relay information.
I hadn’t been specific in my brief over the actual content of the presentations, except that the information had to come from their own ePortfolio work from the beginning of term to the day of the presentation. This allowed the space for diversity and not the stream of cloned presentations of which I was fearful of.
The presentations themselves all varied in quality, but mostly this was a quality of delivery, due to under rehearsal and planning. The content was surprising and the entire session took on a meaning that was unexpected, not one which I had planned into the design. As a collection of personal reflections, drawing from both informal and formal learning, the students indulged in a celebration of achievement. With few exceptions each of them outlined their hopes and aspirations, drew out fears and perceived weaknesses, celebrated new found friendships and all had the willingness to share these feelings. It became less an exercise in knowledge exchange, but a much more personal account to each other. By exposing these feelings to each other, the students somehow, cleared the slate for the next module. The next time I facilitate this session I will ensure that all TPA-1 can see each others presentations and not split the sessions into two groups. This way the sharing can be complete. There was also a tinge of sadness to many of the presentations, as the realisation that the year group were about to enter into their specialist strands shortly. I had never really considered the affect that this first transition had on the students, of course they would still see each other and in many cases, still work together, but the split would still happen regardless. The old course never had such a split, as every student had a choice of which department they worked in throughout their 3 year tenure. I can’t help but feel that we have taken away this fundamental choice and have somehow restricted the students choosing a path which suits them best. Have we actually reduced student centred learning because we didn’t realise that we already had it in place? It’s a thought which troubles me…
November 16, 2009 at 6:06 pm (1st Year Experience, assessment, employability, Flexible Delivery, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: blog, blogging, cpd, curriculum, delivery, e-portfolio, education, employability, eportfolio, evidence gathering, feedback, flexible, future, ICT, it, learning, Mahara, Moodle, pdp, pedagogy, peer, PG-Cert, reflection, reform, RSAMD, student, support, teaching
This session was changed at the last moment, again as a direct result of the previous sessions CIQ feedback. I had originally intended to cover evidence gathering, with specific focus on digital gathering e.g. hyperlinking, converting and embedding media etc… Reading the students responses over the last two sessions, it became evident that we needed to slow down and actually allow time for reflection to happen, especially during these introductory sessions. I can foresee this being a major problem in the future, knowing the content of the Production strand and the curriculum in which it’s embedded. There is simply not enough time for the students or staff to effectively reflect. As part of my 3 year PDP I intend to tackle this problem head on, perhaps using the Curriculum Reform process as a vehicle to solve this perennial issue. After all, there is little point in embedding reflection if there is no time in which to reflect. Last years cohort was a good example of how reflective practice was dropped as soon as the production throughput rolled into action. Out of a dozen or so keen reflective practitioners, only 3 now remain and they aren’t reflecting at the same consistent level as before.
The class was simple, without much planning required. I was in attendance as the students worked on their ePortfolio’s. We worked together, solving problems that they had come across between sessions. It was hoped by taking this approach, the slower members of the class would catch up with their peers. It was great to see the students helping each other and not always coming directly to me for advice, this seemed to enforce the belief that you should always plan your IT classes around one PC to 2 students, as it encourages collaborative learning. It is a method I witness every day when my two sons collaborate on a video game (the Lego Star Wars games in particular), they achieve much more when working together, though in the early days this wasn’t always the case! This approach allows frustrations to be shared and eventually dispelled through working the problem in a methodical manner, I believe that this is the same for young adults at varying levels of IT competency.
I opened up a Moodle chat room on the front page of the VLE, so students could go elsewhere and work if they feel that they needed a workstation of their own. They could then be in direct contact with me or their peers and in turn ask questions. It seemed to be a success, so I left the Chat room up on Moodle, to add an extra level of support to any student having problems with either Mahara and the VLE. I shall monitor this over the next few weeks to evaluate it’s effectiveness and my work load!
I finished the session with a final assignment for the students to complete, which was:
Pecha Kucha Assignment
“You have 6 minutes, 40 seconds and 20 slides and your time starts NOW!
It’s a game.
The rules are simple. Anybody can present but you’re allowed 20 images that you show for 20 seconds each giving you a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds before the next presenter is up.You can’t spend 6:40 on one image/slide or 2:20 or any other denomination you can only spend 20 seconds on each image/slide. It’s all part of the fun and keeps presentations concise. If the facilitator decides then the presentation may be open for discussion with the audience otherwise it’s straight on to the next presenter.
Each presentation is pre-loaded onto a laptop (Powerpoint or Keynote) and then is ready to go. The facilitator will make a brief introduction of the presenter and then the talk begins. Each presentation must be configured to advance every 20 seconds, so it’s up to the speaker to keep pace with their slides.”
Pecha Kucha is a style of presentation with rules governing the focus, time and content. Your assignment is as follows:
For Wednesday 11th November in the Fyffe Lecture Hall.
Select an element (or elements) of your learning so far i.e. during Creative Beginnings and/or PP1a. You may decide to present all or some of the processes you have experienced so far. These may be a mixture of sessions you enjoyed, didn’t enjoy or were confused about.
Using your reflections so far, summarise your thoughts by selecting 20 still images (no text) that are relevant to your experiences. You should then prepare a script for your presentation giving 20 seconds to each slide.
During your presentation you may use your script (no need to memorise it!) and the slides will run in the background (with fixed timings), emphasising your words. The key to Pecha Kucha is to rehearse beforehand as 20 seconds can feel like 2 minutes. You will be presenting on your own with the remainder of the class as your audience.
Please research Pecha Kucha online to familiarise yourself with the concept.
The entire presentation should last 6 minutes and 40 seconds exactly.
Pecha Kucha helps you to; build self-confidence, focus on the content you are presenting, summarise data, present concise reflections, evidence your learning and build on public speaking skills.
Each session will be recorded for you to use on your ePortfolio.
I wanted to end these Introductory sessions with a completely non-IT method of reflection and a way in which the students could summarise their learning achievements and issues in as concise a way as possible (bearing in mind the size of the group). Pecha Kucha is an ideal vehicle to end, not just a series of sessions, but also a module.
November 2, 2009 at 11:34 pm (1st Year Experience, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: blog, blogging, delivery, e-portfolio, education, eportfolio, feedback, flexible, future, ICT, learning, Mahara, Moodle, pdp, pedagogy, peer, PG-Cert, reflection, RSAMD, student, support, teaching, Wordpress
Although I had always planned to host a session on reflection and how it could be recorded using Mahara, it was evident that from my last class that a significant number of students required more work to be done in this area. Feedback from the students, both formal (online CIQ) and informally relayed a range of concerns over this issue. Questions raised by the students were:
I had already designed several solutions to the above questions, specifically those that related to Mahara. The student feedback confirmed that theses solutions were valid, however some of the questions raised weren’t addressed in the original design. A major re-write was required. It was also an ideal opportunity for me to show that the students that their input into the evaluation process, was as much for them as it was for me. Within a week, their comments had been acted on and their learning needs were being addressed. I emphasised this during my introduction to the session.
50% of the students had completed their assignment, set last week. As a result, those who did, received formative feedback and went on to to submit more evidence and reflections. There was a flurry of activity on Tuesday evening on Mahara, as students left the work to the last minute, forgoing the benefits of timely feedback. It was also evident that, in a lot of cases, the assignment wasn’t completed solely because of student apathy. There were those who were struggling with the technology itself. The pace at which we went through the Introduction to Mahara session did not suit every student and as a result they struggled to keep up. The CIQ clearly supported this. As a result I have rewritten the next session to allow the students more time to explore the software, with myself in passive attendance, in order to support them if required. I had originally attended the session to be solely on how to gather digital evidence and upload it into Mahara, outlining several techniques e.g. screen capture, online file conversion, hyperlinking etc… I will produce an online resource to cover these aspects and present it on Mahara for the students to use.
I had been disappointed by the initial student response to the CIQ I had posted last session. In order to address this lack of evaluation (though the little I did receive was enough for me to redesign a large portion of the reflection session) I asked each student to fill the form in, there and then. It was the last opportunity to do so as I didn’t want them to mix up the this and last weeks sessions. It was at this point that I reiterated the value of these forms. I am glad that I did now, as several students have commented that they were impressed that I had moved so swiftly in addressing their concerns.
I then outlined a new support mechanism that I had instigated for them, where TPA staff were allocated several students each to support them with their evidence gathering and reflections. I had asked the staff to make at least one comment on each of their students Intro to TPA views. The breakdown was as follows:
Martin – Holly Baxter, Joy Bonfield-Colombara, Nicola Stewart, Alexander Ridgers
Christine – Emily Black, Gillian Tormey, Adam McCall, Rosemary Sims
Jamie – Rachael Brown, Roishann McGuire, Emma Fitzgibbon, Alexander Morgan
Zander – Maisie Cottingham, Sarah Crooks, Rachel McGovern, Elizabeth Milne
Simon – Samantha Burns, Iain Jolly, Ching Long Koo, Simon Legg
Steve – Dougal Gudim, Fiona Nisbett, Hannah Nicol, Barbara Brza,
John – Chris Gowling, Margaret Kiernohan, Siobhan MacIntyre, Ellen Porteous, Sarah Wilson
Ros – Ross Oliver, Fraser Walker, Danielle Farrelly, Jonathon Towers
I was surprised to hear from the students that a few staff members hadn’t done this, even though the students had posted artifacts and reflections up onto their views. I plan to have a training session in place for the staff as soon as possible as I may have wrongly assumed that they were comfortable with the software and the concept of ePortfolio learning. Those who did receive feedback, found it useful and a positive step towards their own learning experience.
What are you doing here?
I wanted to find a question that was fundamental to the reflection process i.e. What happened?, with the emphasis on ‘what’. To simply reflect on this aspect of a learning experience would be tantamount to writing a diary, a chronological recording of events that happened. By suggesting this as a place to start their reflections the students were in familiar territory, as most had recorded events in this way, at some point in their lives. I recommended that if they found themselves staring at a blank screen (or paper), unable to conjure up words that adequately express their reflections, then perhaps a paragraph or two of recounting what happened would kickstart the process. Somewhere within that simple process the ‘what?’ may transform into the ‘why?’.
Why are you here?
After the initial paragraph had been recorded, the next phase of reflection could be attempted, the ‘why’. Using the three earlier questions we had posed during the PDP session and then as part of the assignment I had set last week, I reiterated their use and suggested that as their reflective practice progressed, the students would begin to create their own questions, perhaps more specific and detailed. Understanding the ‘why’ is the first steps towards a deeper set of cognitive skills. I suggested that, with practice, the learners could develop better analytical and problem-solving abilities. The brain after-all is an organ that requires exercise.
We then discussed the differences between secondary education and higher education. Higher education having different demands on learning responsibility than that of secondary schooling, in so much as the learner is expected to manage their own learning, albeit from within a support network. Most agreed that self-created learning was the most likely to create knowledge that remains with the student on a much more permanent basis than the rote, “parrot-fashion” methods which only served to skim the surface of learning. This open discussion wasn’t intended, but I let it run as I found it invigorating. I could sense the energy in the room change as more of the students expressed their opinions. I had a real sense that the students were indulging in a non-facilitated group reflection. It’s amazing what a simple question can produce.
At some point, I manage to segue into the subject of blogging, or micro-blogging to be precise. As soon as I uttered the word ‘Twitter’ I was met by a chorus of low groans and sighs. It would seem that my chosen subject was somewhat derisory. I sensed another debate brewing…. I outlined the three main uses of Twitter:
All of which could aid in capturing and gathering evidence in the moment and as a way of reflecting on idea’s through 140 character summaries. I suggested that an effective way to do this would be to RSS feed your tweet streams directly to your blog. In this way the learner has a way of recalling topics for reflection on the same page as they are writing their blogs. With more and more theatre’s and practitioners using Twitter, it has become a direct way of creating contacts within the industry and for knowledge transfer. The debate that ensued seemed to highlight that Twitter had evolved a social stigma, which, it was felt, belonged to a specific type of Web 2.0 user. It would seem that the modern learner and socialite are extremely territorial when it comes to their personal digital environments. It cannot be assumed that any online tool, offered by a teacher, will be eagerly adopted by all digital learners. Their choice of tools are carefully selected to suit their digital identities, an example of this can be found in the devotion Bebo users have to their environment and the distaste they have developed towards the FaceBook clans and vise-versa. The debate was left in the balance, though several students did admit that their opinion of Twitter had been altered slightly and they may try it out.
The session then continued with a short discussion on the topic of blogging proper. The following benefits were discussed on the advantages of using digital reflection:
Again, the issue of making blogs publicly viewable came up, there was a sense of discomfort by a few students at the notion of their personal thoughts and opinions being exposed to a wider public. I realised that, at some point, these students had assumed that because a blog was an online tool, it had to be public. We discussed the options available to bloggers and ePortfolio users which gave them the choice to reflect privately, semi-privately (to an invited audience) or publicly. There is also the option to make online reflections non-searchable i.e. they can’t be located using a search engine. The concept of online learning (blogging) communities was raised, where learners can link, comment and quote from blogs covering a common theme and forming a peer network of reflective practice. A few students also expressed a concern that their writing skills weren’t up to public scrutiny and this would cause them some embarrassment. However, studies have proved that in a high percentage of students who, at the outset, had shown poor creative writing skills, developed these skills to an acceptable level (some excelled beyond the standard) after exposing their writing to a wider audience. Not only did they receive formative feedback throughout, they also developed a self-confidence which motivated them to progress and succeed. I agreed to accept and proof read any students work, before it was uploaded to Mahara and made it clear that their folio’s need not be public at all. I did recommend that their ePortfolio support lecturer, at the very least, should be allowed access for guidance purposes.
Questions?
A statement, not a request. To further emphasise the use of questions to start the reflective process, I suggested that the post heading may be a question e.g. What did I do well during the technical rehearsal today? or Why did I start getting confused in Props class this morning? This may be a useful mechanism to focus the learners reflection and get the process started.
Game-based Learning
I had wanted to introduce game-based learning to my practice for a while, but had never been able to find a suitable platform or game that served the purpose well. I had searched for online management simulations that gave the students variable parameters to experiment with. A critical element of the game had to include the student making basic decisions which would somehow affect their digital environment or virtual situation at the time. It also had to be fun in order to engage the learner. There are many online management simulations (some SCORM compliant) but most were either too complex, boring or expensive and none were 100% suitable to Stage Management. This session wasn’t subject related so I had an opportunity to demonstrate the reflection process with a much simpler (and free) online game. After much searching I found a game which seemed to fit all of the criteria I needed.
I attempted to break down the reflective process and based this (loosely) on Kolbs learning cycle. By using a stage by stage flow chart I portrayed the reflective process thus:
I found a game which was simple enough to use as a vehicle to demonstrate this simple model of reflection. It’s called Student Sim and is a basic ‘point and click’ type simulator. The game can be found here. The students all signed in and I gave them 10 minutes to orientate themselves to the games interface and concept, they were to do this without any instructions. I also asked them to note down any tips that they came across as they played. Some did basic screen captures while others used simpler technology i.e. paper and pen. Having successfully orientated themselves to the software, I then asked them to reflect on the evidence that they had gathered, which they shared to their peers. We then decided to set a common ‘group’ goal and played the game again, for another 10 minutes, with this goal in mind. Again I asked the group to gather evidence by making notes and screen grabbing. As the students progressed through the stages of reflection, I revealed the next stage on the screen, further emphasising the process.
We stopped after the 2nd Action phase as time was running short, but the students seemed to understand. We then discussed the process, contextualising it with theatrical practice. The general feeling from the room seemed to be that there was no need to break down reflection in such detail as most of the learners did this process naturally. I did feel however that it did serve a purpose in highlighting where the reflective phase should reside, as many had admitted to being aware that reflection was a process and had struggled to grasp the concept. It also underlined that reflection was deeply rooted in a practical cognitive process. It will be interesting to review and evaluate the student feedback to this class as the game element was very experimental. I did recognise a problem with this approach, as the session progressed I felt the students became distracted from the main purpose of the exercise, especially those who became engrossed in the game play. The flowchart, as a visual prompt wasn’t enough, neither was my vocal prompting. However, I was pleased to note that the conversation that ensued was deeper than I had anticipated and the majority of the cohort seemed to understand what I was trying to achieve with them.
I finished the class with another assignment based around reflective practice. I wanted to return to theatre somehow, to leave the students with a contextualised aftertaste. I showed them a short and incredibly experimental production called Fuerzabruta. I had, over the last 3 years, showed this video to 1st year students to inspire them to think outside of the box and that not all theatre plays were stuffy and classical. I asked the students to reflect of their experience of watching the show and highlight moments which inspired them or disappointed them. Which elements worked and which didn’t? Why these elements had this affect and finally; What could have been done to improve the production and their overall experience?
October 30, 2009 at 12:16 am (1st Year Experience, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: assessment, blog, blogging, delivery, e-portfolio, education, employability, eportfolio, feedback, flexible, future, ICT, it, learning, Mahara, pedagogy, peer, reflection, RSAMD, student, support, teaching, Wordpress
After considerable reflection on how to make stronger links between the Personal Academic Tutorial (PAT) system in the Academy and Personal Development Planning (PDP) framework (as identified in my Lighting a Fire post) I have suggested a solution to my colleagues. By extending our PAT student group support to include mentoring indivduals in reflection and evidence gathering (using Mahara) we add a further layer to thier learning experience. PAT then becomes interwoven with PDP, using ePortfolio’s as the tool to accomplish this. An equal distribution of 1st year students amongst the lecturing staff from the outset would ensure that every student recieves learning support and each member of staff shares an equal workload.
We have decided to trial this method using a current assignment that I have set the first year cohort (see An Introduction to ePortfolio post). I have assigned a lecturer to a group of 5 or 6 individuals and have asked them to make comment on the views that the students have posted. It is hoped that, by the assignments submission deadline, every student will have a few lines of formative feedback to support them. This may only act as an encouragement to continue, but at this stage, may be enough. Providing this early scaffolding is essential in embedding reflective processes as well as orientating the students in using new tools, which they can use to manage and deepen their learning.
October 20, 2009 at 8:59 pm (1st Year Experience, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support, Uncategorized)
Tags: blog, blogging, e-portfolio, education, eportfolio, feedback, flexible, ICT, learning, Mahara, Moodle, pdp, pedagogy, PG-Cert, reflection, RSAMD, student, support, teaching
It felt good to get the class size back down to something nearing manageable. I had half the cohort in two repeated sessions. This class was designed to introduce Mahara to the year group and to set a small assignment for next week, which would start the reflective ball rolling. First of all came the task of familiarising the learners with the relevant tools. The TPA lecturing team had met earlier that morning and I proposed that we use Mahara as the exclusive tool for evidence gathering and reflection with this new cohort of first years. We didn’t want to make it completely compulsory as that could disadvantage some students, I knew there was at least one who was inexperienced (and hence uncomfortable) with the concept of using digital tools. We opted to ‘strongly encourage’ the cohort to adopt Mahara for the duration of their 1st Year. After which, they could either continue or opt for a different set of tools e.g. another ePortfolio or paper based solution. We had all been encouraging the students to gather digital evidence since the module began and today was a chance to consolidate these artefacts and offer a place to store, reflect and present them.
I must take a moment to thank my colleagues for openly collaborating with me on this project, without their continual encouragement through reminding the students to collect these artefacts, I wouldn’t have been able to progress as far as I have done so far. We have now purchased a further 2 flip camera’s (4 in total) to assist the students in this process, but most have used their own mobile phones and recording devices.Furthermore, they have done so with enthusiasm. As one of them stated to me today, “It’s much better than doing an essay!” as he slunk off, video camera in hand. It occurred to me at that moment, how these tools could be motivational in nature. I felt we had, at last, found the tools which were exactly right for the generation.
The class itself was short, but I made another modest discovery; as there weren’t enough Mac’s for everyone and some had to share, I was reminded of a theory that I had heard at the Handheld Learning conference earlier this month. It stated that you should never supply a pupil with a computer each, instead one between two was a much better solution. The students collaborated much better in this way, working out problems together by sharing knowledge. Though the original quote referred to primary school children, it would seem that the same was true of young adults. The result was that there were much less questions asked of me and the session merged into an exploratory workshop, which suited the purposes of learning much better.
I had converted a series of short video clips, taken by the students during an earlier introduction to Stage Management session in preparation for this session. These were taken on the flip camera’s and uploaded into a files repository on Moodle for the specific purpose of providing artefacts for the students to use.
Once the main features of Mahara had been explored, each student set up a view entitled “Introduction to TPA” (the current module) and they then started to befriend each other on Mahara in much the same way you would do on Facebook or Bebo. Invites were sent out to each other and the lecturing staff, allowing everyone access to see their first views. I then set them a small assignment for the following week, which was:
Introduction to ePortfolios
For Wednesday 28th October please upload any relevant media that you have gathered into your Introduction to TPA view. Choose an aspect of the module so far that you wish to reflect on and write a short blog, considering the following:
Please make sure that you have invited the following to see your view:
Your reflections should be supported by the media that you have uploaded.
Use this guide to remind you how to set up a view.
This assignment was designed to set up next weeks session which is based around reflection. To get them started with the process I uploaded and asked them to read a short 3 page paper by the HEA. It was written in a non-academic tone and summed up the process of reflective practice both simply and coherently, ideal for new adopters of this learning process.
What did I do well?
I felt that the session took on a life an purpose of it’s own. The students took control of their own learning and drove the pedagogy forward themselves. They were enthusiastic and determined, finding value in what they were learning. I wanted the session to be light and uncomplicated, with the minimum amount of input from myself. This approach seemed to work and with few exceptions the session had a flow and real purpose. I didn’t rely on fancy graphical slides as a backdrop to my delivery, instead (and probably for the first time) I relaxed and allowed the students to learn in their own time.
What didn’t I do well?
I got a few basics wrong during this session. Firstly, I didn’t achieve all that I wanted to, I felt that the time I had was too short to effectively embed the principles of ePortfolio’s effectively. The lack of computer’s, though it turned out to be advantageous in one respect was detrimental in an other. The students who couldn’t log into their profiles and were simply commenting on their partners efforts, where unable to familiarise themselves as effectively as those actually ‘doing it’. In this respect I left a number of important e-Portfolio functions to the students to work out for themselves. Perhaps this isn’t such a bad thing on reflection, at the time I wondered if this was going to be detrimental to some of them.
What will I do next?
I have already offered two students extra tutorial time as they were struggling to grasp the software and the principals behind e-Portfolio’s. Though they appeared keen to learn I felt that it was only fair to offer an extra session and perhaps scaffold them at their pace. I am also looking into getting access to more computer’s, perhaps in the Student IT suite instead, in order for each student to participate more fully. I don’t want to loose the collaboratory nature of the session, so perhaps I could find a solution that does both?
October 19, 2009 at 8:03 pm (1st Year Experience, employability, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: blog, blogging, delivery, e-portfolio, education, employability, eportfolio, feedback, flexible, ICT, it, learning, Mahara, Moodle, PAT, pdp, pedagogy, PG-Cert, reflection, RSAMD, student, support, teaching
It’s been a while since I have reflected in this manner and I must confess that it has been difficult to restart, especially since I have only just returned to teaching. This in itself is a point I will return to in a later blog i.e. How to encourage my students to reflect outwith term time?
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)
As part of my final assignment on the PG-Cert course I decided to take on the challenge (opportunity?) of embedding Personal Development Planning (PDP) within the School of Drama. Most undergraduate and post-graduate courses within the school have some degree of PDP already in existence, the methods were somewhat fragmented and scattered. I chose to introduce the concept of ePortfolio learning to the whole school first, by redesigning an already existing introduction session hosted by two of my colleagues (Jamie McKay & Christine Murphy). Thankfully they were both open to the suggestion and based on student feedback from last year, we went about developing the session. It was agreed that the length of the session had to be re-assessed so we moved from one three hour session to four consecutive sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours. These shorter sessions were more manageable, especially as the School of Drama intake had almost doubled, with several new courses coming online this year. We decided on 4 main themes that we wished to cover, these were:
However, we wanted to allow the students to explore what PDP meant to them. They were to be reorganised into four groups and given the question “What is PDP?” We were aware that some secondary schools and certain employers had instigated PDP frameworks in their respective environments already, we wanted to ascertain if the students had been exposed to these processes already. The students were then asked to write down keywords that captured the essence of their understanding. The results were surprising, nearly all 16 groups, throughout the day, had a grasp of the concept already and few required prompting. A few of the groups had no experience of PDP but still managed to find most of the keywords. Most encouraging was the fact that all of the groups seemed to understand the link between PDP and reflection.
We then presented the QAA definition of PDP:
“a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal , educational and career development.” QAA (2002)
As expected we were met with blank stares, so we launched into our own interpretation of this sentence. I had ‘spiced’ up the old PowerPoint slides with bright and colourful graphical animations, which were designed to catch the eye and hopefully be retained in the memory. Feedback from the session seemed to support this. I then presented another quote, which specifically summarised the process of reflection:
“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” (Drucker, 1909)
This allowed me to outline reflective practice in it’s simplest terms and lead me to suggest 3 simple reflective questions that the students should consider as a starting point for their own reflective learning. These were:
The next slide outlined learning progression and the transition points that the cohort may have encountered on their way to the Academy. I emphasised these points as being both goals and barriers that had to be overcome before they could progress. I also pointed out that the students would have had to exercise elements of PDP in order to break down these barriers and achieve their goal. The slide also served to emphasise that learning (through PDP) doesn’t stop after graduation from HE, but continues through a framework of CPD, during employment.
To further impress upon the cohort the importance of reflection and how it relates to three main aspects of their lives (Personal, Academic & Career), Jamie showed how these three can come together and where the overlap happens between any two, we suggested questions to reflect upon. Where all three converge, reflection through self review becomes central to the learning process.
The following slide simply showed where the individual fits into the learning process i.e. student centred with a Personal Academic Tutorial system acting as the next immediate framework for support which in turn is embedded in PDP. Finally the students chosen subject forms the underlying foundation on which to base their learning.
It was at this point that I took over and explained the advantages of using an ePortfolio as a tool to drive PDP. I had already delivered this content before to my PG-Cert class as a Pecha Kucha, so I knew it all inside-out. This time, I slowed it down by taking out the timings and any irrelevant slides. The result was encouraging, there was a host of interest from the students, with lots of questions to answer after each session. The critical incident form I posted on Moodle seemed to back this up.
Christine then went on to explain the PAT system within the Academy. This was probably the least thought-through aspect of the sessions and I felt that we lost the momentum that had been built up until now. We had no supporting images, but most importantly, hadn’t adequately linked PAT with PDP. Much more work needs done on this for next year. We need to work more closely on how to marry PAT to PDP, this year it became an afterthought. I think this was due to the fact that PAT had already become fairly established, so we neglected it, leaving it to languish unsupported. The result was a muddied, confused experience for the students. Again, the CIQ feedback supported this. Most of the criticism of the session was aimed at this portion of it. The responsibility for addressing this must be shared between the three of us and learned from for next year.
To further compound the problem, we then asked the students to fill in a PAT form without much guidance on how to. The reason for this was to a) give the students a first try at completing one, b) provide a base-line for the PAT process to build from and c) begin the process of PDP. It wasn’t until the final session that we tried to change the format and provide guidance for each section of the form, prior to cohort filling them in. This seemed to help the students a little. Further reflection is required on how to deliver this more effectively in future.
We had decided to print business cards with both the Mahara & Moodle URL’s on them, along with the number to call for absence reporting. This was in an attempt to help the students remember these important bits of information and perhaps also remind them to at least try Mahara. Moodle is all but useless to them if their courses don’t provide content, the absence number in mandatory, the only aspect of the card that the students have any control of is the Mahara address. A faint spark, but a spark nonetheless.
June 28, 2009 at 9:08 am (1st Year Experience, 2nd Year Experience, assessment, employability, Flexible Delivery, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: assessment, blog, blogging, delivery, e-portfolio, education, employability, eportfolio, feedback, flexible, future, ICT, it, learning, Mahara, Moodle, pedagogy, peer, PG-Cert, reflection, research, RSAMD, student, teaching, Wordpress
(JISC 2008)
How can ePortfolio solution’s such as Mahara provide and enhance employability skills through Personal Development Planning to Academy students?
Current research being carried out by organisations such as JISC and BECTA have identified that e-Portfolio’s can enhance Employability Skills, Lifelong Learning provision, Internationalisation, Retention, Widening Participation, Achievement and Attainment Levels along with offering a high level of Personalisation to the learner. (JISC 2008) With these high level agenda items in mind and a pressing need for an improved Personal Development Planning framework within the Academy, this investigation was both timely and required.
The Academy’s Learning and Teaching strategy clearly states that its mission which, in essence, is to nurture creativity through a focus on the individual through the promotion of innovative methodologies and the exploitation of new and emerging technologies.
The term portfolio has a range of meanings, depending on the context you are engaged with, with Higher Education it can be best described as a collection of artifacts (evidence) presented alongside associated reflections for learning. This archive is collated and drawn on by the learner as evidence of learning achievement. These achievements can then be used to plan targets and set goals. Therefore a portfolio can be associated with the gathering of records which can be used in the Personal Development Planning (PDP) process. The concept of Personal Development Records (PDRs) is closely related to the Higher Educa-tion Progress File, a recommendation found in the Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (Dearing, 1997) and extends beyond that, to incorporate artifacts which may evidence claims made in PDRs. Many institutions are choosing to implement PDP (and to encourage learners to manage their PDRs) through electronic means, often linking this to the term e-portfolio (Ward & Richardson, 2005) .
In 2008 The Academy made the bold decision to implement Mahara as its institutional e-Portfolio solution. It was a bold move as the software was, as yet untested, having only been released two months prior to it’s installation. Two main reasons for it’s adoption was it’s integration with Moodle and that it was Open Source i.e. free. Further to this, the Academy also made the commitment to contract e-Learn Design as consult-ants and to maintain both Mahara and Moodle installations, for a period of 12 months. This move was seen as a positive step towards fulfilling it’s Learning Resources and Student Support Strategy which states, as an objective for December 2009 to “implement Mahara as an Academy-wide platform for Personal Development Planning” . Four Moodle site-wide Administrators were found, including myself and a single Administrator for Mahara (myself), appropriate training was provided for Moodle.
Lessons learned on the JISC funded ISLE (Individualised Support for Learning through ePortfolio’s) Project found that ePortfolio’s cannot be introduced during the academic year. Greater success was found when you introduce them at induction. (ISLE). This Pilot scheme initially focused on employability skills amongst learners at Dumfries and Galloway College. Themed templates were created to provide structure to this process of PDP with categories which included: about me, My CV, my learning style, my interests and hobbies etc… All of which exist as default fields in Mahara, thus reducing the workload of tutors.
Encouraging students to personalize their learning spaces by deciding on layout as well as content can enthuse them to become more creative with their learning. The celebration of achievements can hence be more rewarding, with positive feedback from both peers and tutors acting as motivational devices. Improved retention levels were also recorded during the ISLE Project ranging from 30% to 100% improvement in some cases (JISC, 2008).
Results of an online survey I conducted, where I canvassed the opinion of 79 students and 11 staff members on ePortfolio’s, returned some revealing results. Out of the total number surveyed only 17% currently used an ePortfolio solution and from those, most (13 individuals) used Mahara. When asked the question, “Would you considering using one?” 53% said yes, with a further 36% stating that they “didn’t know” (see Chart 1). This shows that there is an interest worth considering and more promotion of Mahara needed.
Chart 1
When asked what they considered to be the single most important benefit of keeping an ePortfolio, the results were revealing (see Chart 2).
Chart 2
The results in Chart 2 clearly show that Employability would be a major contributing factor towards a learner engaging with an ePortfolio, with the organistaion of work being a major secondary concern. These statistics appear to align with the theory that both professional and vocational focus relies heavily on the development of praxis rather than knowledge alone. In this light, the ePortfolio serves as a developmental log in which to track ‘fitness of practice’. (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007).
In Art, we find ourselves confronted with a series of stimuli, such as a performance, a design, literary text or a piece of music. These artifacts of learning more than often require our learners to ‘respond’ rather than to unravel an answer. These responses are often aesthetic in nature and require a degree of reflection that involves more than finding a formula which leads to a solution. (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007). Having the ability to present these stimuli as media; .mp4, jpeg, .doc or mp3 etc. provides the learner with a platform to host their evidence alongside their interpretations of it. It is hoped that the outcome would be that the learner has a greater understanding of the artifact.
“focus on creative activity is typical of the arts and that the methodologies (i.e. discussion) used to study the artefactual focus of these disciplines are to some degree themselves inspired by the methodologies employed in the creation of those artifacts.” (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007).
This form of reflective discourse based on the study of existing artifacts lends itself perfectly to the learning artist. The creation of new work commonly inspired by existing work. e.g. a learner uploads an .mp3 to their Mahara view then invites collaborators to listen to it, a discussion builds around the work from within a Mahara group forum. Changes are made to the work based on peer evaluation and the view is opened to the tutor for feedback and perhaps assessment.
The collection of this evidence could be a key driver to PDP being a key element to the UK Governments e-strategy (DfES, 2005). The Center for International ePortfolio Development is based in the University of Nottingham and is proof of the United Kingdoms commitment to research and development of this important learning tool.
To promote employability skills is as much about good learning experiences as it is about work placements or careers advice. (Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). They go on to state that more traditional methods of enhancing employability (entrepreneurship, careers guidance and PDP) do not necessarily contribute to the overall learning environment that is designed to foster employability, as they are often stand alone modules or lie outside of programme altogether. In this respect, there seems to be the need for a tool which draws all of these elements together and is still designed for learning. As the electronic portfolio is essentially a student centered solution, in which the learner has control over who and when their evidence is to be subject to academic scrutiny, then it would be fair to conclude that they can also choose when their work is open for employers to gauge their suitability for employment. Mahara can be viewed externally, allowing the learner to produce a media rich CV, which can be viewed by anyone of their choosing. Access to a particular view can also be time-limited or suspended at any point, by the learner.
In the online survey I asked how often those who completed it reflected on their learning and whether these reflections were self motivated (non-assessed) or part of their course (assessed). Chart 3 shows the frequency of reflection:
Chart 3
Now that the statistics were in place (and I was surprised at the amount of reflective practice stated) the task was then to ascertain why the learners were reflecting i.e. was it because they had to or was it because they felt it was a viable learning process?
Chart 5
Is this reflection….?
The findings here are even more surprising, it shows that learners are prepared to take ownership of their own learning where reflective practice is concerned. Thus going some way to prove that reflection is seen by a cross section of students in the Academy as an effective way to learn. Couple these statistics with those who outlined an interested in finding out more information about Mahara (85% of those surveyed wished to learn more, while 10% did not) and there is a clear case for further investigation.
To find out which methods were used in reflection I asked ‘how’ these learners reflected, giving a choice of the most common tools available. The results were mixed (Chart 6) and dependent on the learners definition of nomenclature e.g. a log book could be considered a journal by some. What is interesting is that 89% of those surveyed considered themselves to be computer literate which aligns closely to those interested in pursuing an interest in ePortfolio’s, yet most reflections seem to be recorded using analogue (paper-based) tools. One could conclude that this was due to the learners preference. Though when asked if the Academy should be doing more to promote Mahara, the response was that 58% thought so, 6% thought the Academy shouldn’t be promoting it and 35% didn’t know we even had one!
Chart 6
Mahara also has social networking functionality which has great potential to create both formal and non-formal learning environments. The ability to build communities of practice within a rich learning environment has obvious collaborative and knowledge sharing potential. This approach could open the door to both self and peer assessment models. These assessment skills are seen as valuable in developing lifelong learning skills such as self-evaluation, giving feedback, justifying a point and negotiation skills (Boud, 2000). Furthermore Stefani reminds us that “If assessment processes are intended to enhance student learning then it follows that students must be able to reflect on their current attainment” (Stefani 1998: 346, cited in Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). The skills required to develop objectivity (needed for self assessment) by reflecting on their own work, carves a path for the learner to direct their own work and thus making steps towards becoming autonomous learners. (Bloxham & Boyd, 2007). Peer feedback is often more accessible to the learner, being that it is not ‘emotionally loaded’ (Black et al, 2003:77) being that the language of peers is much easier for the student to understand, digest and evaluate.
When asked the question, “How often are you required to collaborate with others on your course?” (Chart 7), the results were as expected on programmes that involved both group and individual tuition. Only a 3% minority perceived that they did not collaborate at all, it should be a serious consideration to offer a support platform for these students to enter the fold and be able to reflect and collaborate with other learners. There is scope here for further development in cross curricula design and implementation, there would seem to be strong evidence that student aspirations stretch to include both peer feedback and a more collaborative environment in which to learn.
Chart 7
The final chart (Chart 8 ) was based around formative feedback and it’s perceived quantity available on individual courses. This question was purely subjective i.e. “What are your feelings on formative feedback?”, this was done intentionally as I wished to gauge student perception rather than objective fact. Feedback, or the amount of, is an academic responsibility and the student perception of this is dependent on the individuals requirements. A student who is struggling will percieve that they require more formative feedback, delivered in a timely manner. Race recommends that; “ if assessment is the engine that drives learning (Cowan cited in Race, 2007) then feedback is the oil that lubricates the cogs of understanding” (Race, 2007). Boud goes on to add that, “Assessment methods and requirements probably have a greater influence on how and what students learn than any other single factor. This influence may well be of greater importance than the impact of teaching materials.” (Boud, 1988).
I order to ascertain student perception of formative feedback provision within the Academy I asked, “What are your feelings on formative feedback?” with options depicting quantity rather than quality:
Chart 8
These statistics seem to suggest that there is a balance needing addressed in this area of learning. It has often been alleged that the Academy is heavy on summative assessment and light on the side of formative assessment. With these statistics in place it would seem that this is indeed the case. ePortfolio provision can address this issue head on, with 24 hours access to student evidence and reflection, more importantly it is the learner who opens their portfolio’s for scrutiny by tutors. This places the procurement of feedback firmly in their own hands.
Recommendations
The following are recommendations for the implementation of ePortfolio-based practice within the Royal Academy of Music & Drama, in order to address the findings in this investigation:
1. Staff training on the use of ePortfolio’s with particular emphasis on Mahara as a tool to enhance learning and employabilty within the student body.
2. The implementation of a robust framework for PDP in which ePortfolio provision can exist.
3. The introduction of ePortfolio-based learning at induction at the very latest.
4. Further investigation into allowing new and incoming 1st Year students to access and build ePortfolio’s on Mahara.
5. The introduction of a pilot scheme to encourage FE feeder courses to implement ePortfolio provision within their institutions as a recruitment driver.
6. The introduction of a pilot scheme to encourage employers to access final year students work as a recruitment driver.
Bibliography
Dearing, R (1997) Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (The Dearing Report) http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe/
Developing a progress file for HE: Guidelines on HE progress files http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles/guidelines/default.asp
Ward, R & Richardson, H (2005) Report to the JISC: Generic guidance for stakeholders implementing Personal Development Planning through e-portfolio systems http://www.erdee.org.uk/natsem/eport_seminar_report.pdf
ISLE: Individualised Support for Learning through ePortfolio’s, http://isle.paisely.ac.uk/default.aspx
Bloxman S & Boyd P, (2007) Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education: A Practical Guide. Open University Press, Berkshire
Stefani, L.A.J. (1998) Assessment in partnership with learners, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 23(4): 339-50.
Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and William, D. (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting It into Practice. Maidenhead, Open University Press.
Beetham, H & Sharpe, R et al (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and delivering e-learning. Oxon, Routledge
Boud, D (1988) Implementing Student Self-Assessment, HERDSA Green Guides Vol.5, University of New South Wales, Australia
Race, P (2007) The Lecturers Toolkit: A practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching, Oxon, Routledge
Boys, J & Ford, P (2008) The e-Revolution and Post Compulsory Education: Using e-Business models to deliver quality education. In association with JISC. Oxon, Routledge
June 15, 2009 at 9:03 pm (learning, PG-Cert, Uncategorized)
Tags: assessment, blog, blogging, education, feedback, learning, pedagogy, PG-Cert, reflection, RSAMD, student, teaching
I know that these posts should be purely academic in order to satisfy the learning outcomes of my PG-Cert Class and I promise to return to referencing and citations again shortly. I have wanted to write this for a while now and though I will seek evidence from other sources to back up my opinions, I want to veer away from sterile academia, as it is not appropriate for this subject matter. In short, I want to write this as a student.
For the past several months I have been both student and teacher. I understand that we are all lifelong learners and there should be no defined split, however my job has a framework and so does the PG-Cert programme. Where you would expect to find the boundaries blurred between the two remits, it really doesn’t. When the course started it was assumed by many that it would be based in our learning workspaces, in and around our cohort of students, assessments would be designed around our practice and feedback given in the same way. This hasn’t been the case. The PG-Cert has been ‘bolted on’ to our practice and the only cross over has been what we have chosen to implement ourselves. To this end it has been successful for me, as I have added several important elements to my practice as we have went along to varying degrees of success. However, I digress…
There are a few big issues I have identified through my experience as being a student, all of which are products of designing for learning:
Quite simply, this hasn’t happened. Our feedback has always come months after our submissions. Formative feedback has been scant, I have no way of knowing how well I am progressing or where I need to place extra effort until we are well into the next module. I read as much as I am physically able to within the time I have at my disposal, I have written over 50 blogs, I feel my citations etc.. have become more accurate and abundant (reflecting the amount of reading I have been engaged with) and yet, I still have little idea of how my reflections are being received. Early on in the PG-Cert we were asked to provide a position statement, in which I outlined that my goal was to make reflective practice central to my learning and teaching. I feel that I am well under way with this, encouraging my students to reflect consistently and real progress is being made in area’s of quality and understanding. Surely, this is an assessable point? Where I am demonstrating a deeper pedagogical approach to my practice?
At what point were we shown an example position statement? A self-assessment form? There seems to be an expectancy that we can bring a level of academia to the table without having been even shown examples or given an idea of how to approach these tasks. The first time I had seen a self assessment form was when I was filling one out. In my practice I wouldn’t ask my students to complete anything, where an assessment hinged on it, without first introducing them to the concept. Whether this was delivered in the form of a tutorial or within classroom content. Pre-requisites have not been explicit on the PG-Cert course. We are pacified with the reasoning that it is a ‘masters level’ qualification and should be expected to have pre-requisite knowledge, sadly I seem to be lacking in this area.
This is the area that is seriously damaging my prospects of excelling on the course. Since I began several months ago, my workload has increased drastically, what with having to Production Manage four shows and (due to my new term time only contract), take annual leave and TOIL over the course of this term. This has concentrated more work into less available time. So, sadly, I aim to pass but little more.
We have had two major assessments on the course so far, by two separate assessors. Both have completely different styles and seem to be bi-polar in their approach. Now, I do expect different people to have different opinions on the same subject, but there seems to be little collusion or moderation on the grades presented. As a result my overall average has suffered I feel. On the Production strand there are three of us involved in assessment over three specialisms and we all work within the same assessment framework. Perhaps we are simply ‘like minded’ in our expectations of student achievement, but there is also a flexible framework which we all adhere to and tend to come to more-or-less the same conclusions.
This may all sound like criticism, but I assure you it is not. I am thoroughly enjoying my course and the benefits that I have reaped from it far outweigh these concerns. This is simply an attempt to reflect on some of the negativity that is flying around inside my head at the moment, in the hope that I can rationalise (and record) it.
The PG-Cert course has firmly put me back into a students shoes, I now have a better understanding or what a learner is and how much pressure they are put under. It has made me re-think workload issues and how much time should be given to reflective practice, at the moment the only time my students get to reflect are during the wee small hours. Hardly conducive to deep learning through critical analysis.
June 15, 2009 at 3:44 pm (1st Year Experience, 2nd Year Experience, Flexible Delivery, learning, Student Support)
Tags: blog, blogging, delivery, education, feedback, future, ipod touch, learning, mobile, pedagogy, peer, RSAMD, stage management, student, Student Support, teaching, twitter
I’m having real trouble with Twitter of late. The stream of student consciousness that I am party to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week has revealed a world of stress, confusion and unrest. To be fair, it isn’t all negative but one tends to tune into ‘what’s wrong’ especially where it is relevant to your teaching practice or the course you are part of. Familiarity also breeds contempt and though this may be overly strong, it isn’t far from the truth.
Twitter has exposed holes in our course, that would not have been noticed by us before. Many of the tweets are ‘spur of the moment’, ‘knee-jerk reactions from tired minds, I am sure. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to decide which to act on and which to leave, in the hope they are transient concerns. I find myself constantly struggling whether to take the “ignorance is bliss” option and pretend that I had never opened Pandora’s Box, unfortunately it is not that easy.
Alternatively, I could face the issue more positively and use Twitter as a feedback mechanism. I know have information that could lead to enhancing the programme or improving communications between staff and learner. The ease in which we can know point students in a particular direction (to professional practitioners or hyperlinks for example) has proven to be invaluable. I now feel closer to my learners and more readily able to enagage in a more honest dialogue after the tweets have flown about. Sometimes the tweeting verges on becoming a tutorial, where snippets of guidance can be afforded 24/7. I’m sure that a few of the students actually prefer this type of support.
A great deal of the messages are frivalous and irreleavant to the programme and sifting through these streams can be both time consuming and tedious. I tend now to only read direct messages, @ replies and whatever is on my screen at the time (without having to scroll down). This method seems to work and has cut out a great deal of the open tweets that are wild and trivial.
All said and done…. the jury is still out….
Learning & Teaching 