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FEEDBACK TUTORIAL LETTER

2nd SEMESTER 2017

ASSIGNMENT 1

EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE B

ETP520S

FEEDBACK TUTORIAL LETTER 1

SEMESTER 2/2017

EDUCATION THEORY AND PRACTICE B

ETP520S

1

Dear students Thank you for very well answered assignments. I can observe a huge improvement, although there are still a few students who need to get in the habit of extensive reading. Please make use of the links that is provided in the tutorial letter and always read broadly before you start writing your answers. Make use of practical examples in Namibia to substantiate your answers. All the best with the rest of your assignments.

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Integrative learning

An undergraduate's university experience is often fragmented, with courses, service opportunities, and

extra curricular activities seemingly unconnected to one another. Providing students with the means to

integrate their learning can be a challenge for university educators. Promoting an integrative learning

approach, however, can assist students in putting the pieces of the university experience into a coherent

whole that prepares them for their personal, professional, and civic life. Learning takes place in

individual courses and disciplines, but integrative learning transcends academic boundaries, and

encourages students to address real-world problems, to synthesize multiple areas of knowledge, and to

consider issues from a variety of perspectives.

Tools and strategies commonly associated with Integrative Learning include ePortfolios, Experiential

Learning, High Impact Practices, and Assessment. Learn more about each of these by clicking the

relevant links.

What are ePortfolios?

Watch a brief YouTube video that introduces ePortfolios

At one level, an ePortfolio is nothing more than a digital collection of artifacts that belong to or

represent a person. In an academic context, these artifacts might include a student’s essays, posters,

photographs, videos, artwork, and other course-related assignments. Additionally, the artifacts might

also pertain to others aspects of a student’s life, such as volunteer experiences, employment history,

extracurricular activities, and so on. However, while these digital artifacts are important, they are static

products. They are simply things that the student has produced or done or experienced, and a good

ePortfolio ought to be more than just a collection of products. It should also be a process – specifically,

the process of generating new or deeper learning by reflecting on one’s existing learning. It’s

important, then, to think of an ePortfolio as both a product (a digital collection of artifacts) and as a

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process (of reflecting on those artifacts and what they represent). An ePortfolio can have additional

purposes, too, which we’ll get to later on. But those additional purposes only emerge if the ePortfolio is

first construed as both a product and a process.

Like a Learning Management System, ePortfolios exist online and support student learning. They differ

from Learning Management Systems in two key ways: namely, ownership and control. In a university

course, the Learning Management System is “owned” and controlled or managed by the instructor: he

or she decides who has access, what tools are turned on or off, and so on. With an ePortfolio, it tends to

be the student who is in charge: he or she decides who can view the ePortfolio, what artifacts get

added, how it is designed, and so on. Typically, a student loses access to the Learning Management

System when courses end; in contrast, many ePortfolio platforms are designed to follow the student

after he or she has finished university.

It’s useful to think of ePortfolios as a tool for what has come to be known as Personal Development

Planning, which is “a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect on their

own learning performance, and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career

development” (Jackson, 2001). As Quality Assurance Agency in the UK has articulated, Personal

Development Planning helps students in the following ways:

• plan, integrate and take responsibility for their personal, career and academic development,

identifying learning opportunities within their own academic programmes and extra-curricular

activities

• recognise, value and evidence their learning and development both inside and outside the

curriculum

• be more aware of how they are learning and what different teaching and learning strategies are

trying to achieve

• be more effective in monitoring and reviewing their own progress and using their own records

and evidence of learning to demonstrate to others what they know and can do

• evaluate and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses and identify ways in

which perceived weaknesses might be improved and strengths enhanced

• develop their identity in relation to their academic, professional and personal progression

• develop a vocabulary to communicate their development and achievement

• be better prepared for seeking, continuing or changing employment or self-employment and be

more able to articulate the skills and knowledge they have gained to others

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• be better prepared for the demands of continuing progression and career development in

professional and academic careers

Different kinds of ePortfolios

When reading about ePortfolios, it becomes apparent that some educators primarily see them as a tool

for generating new or deeper learning while others primarily see them as a tool for assessment (of

students and, by extension, of university programs). At the 2008 Making Connections conference, Helen

Barrett described the difference in perspective this way: “There’s a major tension right now between

student-centered and institution-centered ePortfolios.” Student-centered ePortfolios, she added, are

driven by “assessment for learning,” while institution-centered ePortfolios are driven by

“assessment of learning.” In a 2007 article in Campus Technology, Trent Batson also suggested that the

“learning idea” of ePortfolios was being “hijacked by the need for accountability.”

Even within the “student-centered” approach to ePortfolios, it’s possible to distinguish different kinds of

ePortfolios based upon the purpose of the ePortfolio for the student. Different organizations use

different names, but the distinctions are more or less the same. Here, for example, are two taxonomies,

one from an organization in California and the other from an educational institution in New York:

ePortfolio California LaGuardia

Developmental (i.e., working) - a

record of things that the owner has

done over a period of time, and may

be directly tied to learner outcomes

or rubrics.

Assessment ePortfolios, where the

audience is internal to the institution

and the goal is to support institutional

outcomes assessment.

Reflective (i.e., learning) - includes

personal reflection on the content

and what it means for the owner's

development.

Learning ePortfolios, where the

audience is students themselves, and

the goal is helping students examine

and reflect on their learning.

Representational (i.e., showcase) -

shows the owner's achievements in

relation to particular work or

Career/Transfer ePortfolios, where

the audience is external, and the goal

is to provide students with a tool for

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developmental goals and is,

therefore, selective. When it is used

for job application it is sometimes

called Career portfolio.

showcasing their achievements to

employers or transfer institutions.

As you can see in the above chart, different labels are used, but the distinctions being made are similar.

LaGuardia is perhaps most helpful in proposing a fourth kind of ePortfolio, one that combines or

facilitates the three different kinds of student-centered ePortfolios. The name proposed by LaGuardia

for this multi-faceted ePortfolio is “the integrative ePortfolio.”

ePortfolios: a growing trend

In certain fields, such as art or architecture, practitioners have always kept portfolios of their work, since

that was their key means of convincing other people to hire them. In the 1970s, the idea of having

students build paper-based portfolios of their work began spread to other disciplines in some

universities, such as Alverno College in Wisconsin. In the late 1990s, the idea of “electronic portfolios,”

which later came to be known as ePortfolios, began to emerge, but even in 2002 they were still

considered a new tool. In that year, the Vice Chancellor for Information Technologies in the Maricopa

College District, said that "E-portfolios are on the horizon… But what they really are is still being

defined.”

By 2008, though, ePortfolios were becoming a familiar and powerful technology on university campuses.

That year, the Campus Computing Project reported that in higher education, “the use of of e-portfolios

has tripled since 2003.” This growth is no doubt what prompted Kathleen Blake Yancey (former

president of the National Council of Teachers of English) to say, in 2008, that ePortfolios were helping to

create a “tectonic shift” in higher education and were “remaking the landscape” of how students

learned.

By 2010, ePortfolios had become even more widely accepted, as affirmed that year by a report from

LaGuardia:

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Blended Learning: The New Normal

Blended Learning may be the "new normal" for course delivery (Norberg, Dzuiban & Moskal, 2011. pg

207).

At Waterloo we define blended courses as those that integrate face-to-face and online learning. Online

and classroom activities and course materials are selected to complement each other, to engage

students, and to achieve specified learning outcomes. Over 70% of courses offered on our campus have

an online component in LEARN, our learning management system.

Blending learning courses can:

• provide more flexibility with regard to when and where students choose to learn;

• enhance learning by allowing the use of pedagogical strategies that are not possible

without learning technologies;

• transform how learning occurs by engaging students in the active construction of knowledge

through dynamic interactions (Bonk & Graham, 2005).

There is evidence that students learn more effectively and have a higher satisfaction when courses are

blended, as compared to online or traditional, face-to-face courses (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004).

Blended courses do not follow a single formula. Some use the online environment for content or

lecture delivery and the classroom for active learning opportunities (sometimes known as the flipped

classroom), whereas others use the face-to-face time for lectures and the online environment for

discussions, assessments, or other learning activities. Some use a combination of these two approaches.

The term blended learning has a broad range of meanings in the current educational research literature,

and institutions tend to use the term in a way that is useful in their own context (Graham,

2013). Blended courses may have reduced face-to-face time compared to “traditional” face-to-face

courses.

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Course Design: Planning a Flipped Class

In a flipped classroom students engage with lectures or other materials outside of class to prepare for

an active learning experience in the classroom.

This is not a new idea, but the current usage of the term “flipped” is generally associated with students

engaging with materials online followed by in-class activities that involve peer learning or small-group

work. There are many activities that can be part of a flipped class such as discussions, debates, clicker

questions, Q and A, demonstrations, simulations, peer tutoring and feedback, and role playing. An

instructor may choose to flip just a few classes a term, where the concepts lend themselves to active

learning experiences, or to flip all classes. As in all class planning, the objectives of the class must be

determined before the activities are planned. See CTE Teaching Tips, “Writing Intended Learning

Outcomes.”

Why flip?

• In a lecture, the attention of most students starts to decrease after ten or fifteen minutes, so flipping

the class can help keep students focused and learning for the whole period.

• Flipping the classroom means that students have time to process and reflect on concepts and increase

their knowledge base before coming to class to apply their learning.

• Instructors can get a sense of where students are having difficulty with the course material or have

questions or misconceptions about concepts (possibly through an online assessment or discussion

forum) before they come to class. Instructors can then adjust what will be done in class depending on

this feedback. This is often called “just-in-time teaching” (JITT).

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• Students can control the time, pace and place of learning with the online materials. Many students find

it useful to repeat segments of an online presentation when they are having difficulty with a particular

concept or when they are studying for the final exam. For some students the ability to rewind and listen

to a presentation or explanation again can help them make more meaningful notes or overcome

language fluency difficulties.

• Although an up-front investment of time is necessary to create online materials, including video content,

the materials can be reused by the instructor from year to year.

• Flipping some classes can add some variety and change of pace to classes and make the course more

interesting for both students and instructor.

• There is evidence that having students engage in active learning and peer learning in class leads to

deeper understanding and greater retention of concepts than traditional lecture information transfer in

class.

A planning model for flipped classes

Often when instructors are planning to flip a class they focus all their attention on planning the activities

that the students will do in class and on what the students will do online to prepare for that active

learning in class. However, there are two other aspects of the flipped-class design that require

planning: how the activities will be introduced to the students and how the instructor and the students

will know that they have adequately prepared for the in-class experience.

Introduce the task

The goal of this stage of the flipped class is to maximize student participation/readiness for the activities

they will be doing online and in-class. Instructors should introduce the tasks by clearly explaining their

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expectations for what the students will be doing and the amount of time the students will need to invest

to be ready for the class activity. Explaining what they will be doing and why being prepared for the in-

class activities is also important. For some students, active learning in the classroom will be a new

experience so a “no surprises” approach can reduce possible anxiety about a more participatory

approach to learning.

Out-of-class task

Carefully consider the choice of media for the online activities and materials. Instructors can create their

own materials such as narrated PowerPoints, screencasts and podcasts, or reuse online content such as

websites, readings and videos. Video content should be concise -- no more than 10-15 minute segments

-- and it can be helpful to students if there are guiding questions or prompts to help them recognize the

keys objectives of the preparatory work. If instructors include an online means for students to submit

questions about difficult concepts or other questions, they can use some class time to discuss these

issues. For examples of activities see CTE Teaching Tips, "Online Activities and Assessment for the

Flipped Classroom".

Assess the learning

Before the in-class session both the instructor and the students can benefit from knowing if the students

are adequately prepared for the in-class activity. Self-assessment quizzes or low-stakes online quizzes

can be a good way to assess if students are adequately prepared. Ideally these assessments are short (3

to 4 questions), and include questions that provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have

learned rather than questions that merely test factual knowledge. Formative feedback on the

assessment questions and an opportunity for students to pose their own questions to the instructor can

also be included. Evidence of preparation can also be provided through a short assignment or

assessment at the beginning of the in-class portion of the flipped class. Learning and assessment are

interconnected: low stakes or formative assessment is a valuable learning tool for students.

In-class activities

Activities that foster peer-to-peer and student-instructor dialogue and that create opportunities for

collaboration and peer learning and other forms of active learning are most effective for promoting a

deep-learning approach. The objectives of an activity should be clearly linked to course objectives and

assessments; the in-class activity time can be used to encourage students to be creative and make

discoveries (and errors) in a relaxed, low-risk environment. For examples of activities see CTE Teaching

Tips, "Active Learning Activities" and " In-class Activities and Assessment for the Flipped Classroom".

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Motivation

Student motivation, which underlies the whole learning process, can be affected by the design of the

activity. An enthusiastic instructor who has good rapport with students and creates an open and positive

atmosphere in class can motivate student participation and learning. Activities that are designed to be

challenging, but achievable, can help motivate students. Also students will be more motivated if they

find personal meaning and value in the material and see that the course is relevant and linked to their

future success. Providing frequent feedback to students as they complete their learning can also

increase motivation.

What are the potential challenges of flipping?

Trying a new approach for a single class or many classes in a term will have its challenges. The following

are real but not insurmountable.

• Increased work load for the instructor. Time and effort is required to rethink and prepare both pre-class

and in-class activities; however, activities can often be reused without too much effort the next time the

class is offered.

• Instructors might need to decrease the course content. With more student participation and dialogue,

instructors may find that they are not able to “cover” as much material as they have in that past, so

rethinking the learning outcomes of the course may be necessary. The concepts that are learned are

likely to be retained for longer and applied more effectively with the active learning component.

• Not all active-learning strategies are feasible in large classes. The activities that can be feasible

facilitated in a really large class are fewer than those in a small class, but there are still many ways to

engage students in applying concepts and peer learning. A mixture of mini-lectures and think-pair-share

and/or the use of clickers can be effective even in really large classes – see Activities for Large Classes.

• Students might resist changing from a lecture approach. For many students being passive in a lecture is

easier and less intimidating than being actively involved in a class. However, if asked, students often

acknowledge that more active, deeper learning experiences are very valuable and that they prefer

meaningful learning in the classroom. (See First Day Questions for the Learner-Centered Classroom

by Gary Smith for a strategy to introduce students to active learning.)

• Be prepared for some students not being prepared. Hopefully instructors have taken the requisite steps

to ensure that students are prepared for class, but if students do come to class unprepared, don’t re-

lecture -- move forward anyway. Once students see that you are serious about supporting active

learning in the classroom, they will likely be better prepared the next time.

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• Technology. Who has ever used a new technology without some kind of technical issue? Be prepared for

blips along the way and contact your CTE liaison to find out how to get support with using teaching

technologies.

Defining Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is a method of educating through first-hand experience. Skills, knowledge, and

experience are acquired outside of the traditional academic classroom setting, and may include

internships, studies abroad, field trips, field research, and service-learning projects.

The concept of experiential learning was first explored by John Dewey and Jean Piaget, among others. It

was made popular by education theorist David A. Kolb, who, along with Ron Fry, developed the

experiential learning theory, which is based on the idea that learning is a process whereby knowledge is

created through transformation of experience. It is based on four main elements which operate in a

continuous cycle during the learning experience:

• Concrete experience

• Reflective observation

• Abstract conceptualization

• Active experimentation

Criteria for Experiential-Learning Assignments

The components of experiential-learning assignments vary to some degree, but generally follow the

following criteria:

• The project should be personally meaningful and have some significance to the student

• Students should have opportunities to reflect on and discuss their learning experience

throughout the process of the assignment

• The experience should involve the student's whole person, including the senses, personality,

and emotions

• Previous knowledge on the subject matter should be acknowledged

Examples of Experiential-Learning Projects

Students can visit art museums and practice sketching sculptures of their choice, or they can explore

their senses as they describe a favorite painting, experimenting with abstract and concrete terms. They

can reflect on their experiences in a journal and share what they would try on a second visit.

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Service-learning projects give students the opportunity to learn while also making a contribution to their

communities. They might visit a local park and help with clearing away invasive species, such as

buckthorn and wild grapevine, or visit an assisted-living facility to interview residents to later compile

into a book. Students should be encouraged to reflect honestly on their experience during and after the

project is complete.

Lectures are a way of transferring the instructor’s lecture notes to students’ notebooks without

passing through the brains of either. – Eric Mazur

Like a chapter in a good textbook, a lecture is an efficient way to deliver course content. However,

delivering course content is not always the same thing as fostering actual learning. Studies have shown

that during a typical lecture, student attention begins to diminish after the first ten

minutes.[1] Additionally, students usually capture in their lecture notes only a small portion of the

content that an instructor conveys verbally [2], and – as Harvard's Eric Mazur has often pointed out –

they remember even less of it. Yet despite these limitations, lectures continue to be a dominant

pedagogical mode in many universities, probably for three reasons.

First, instructors tend to teach the way that they themselves were taught. If the courses you took as an

undergraduate were lecture-based, then that’s probably how you began teaching your undergraduates.

We tend to re-enact what is familiar. Moreover, lectures have a venerable history. For centuries – prior

to about 1850 when textbooks came to be mass produced – lectures were the only feasible way for

scholars to share content with students.

Second, it’s easy for an instructor – especially one who is teaching a course that is prerequisite to

another course – to become focused on covering “content” rather than on ensuring that students are

actually learning.

Third, many instructors point out that large class sizes makes it difficult to do anything other than

lecture during class. This is a genuine challenge, though there are also some ways to mitigate it.

Experiential Learning

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. Men become

builders by building. – Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

One alternative to lectures – or at least a complement to them – is experiential learning. To some

extent, experiential learning is self-explanatory: it’s learning that is based on students being directly

involved in a learning experience rather than their being recipients of ready-made content in the form of

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lectures. This kind of experiential learning is probably what Benjamin Franklin had in mind in the

eighteenth century when he wrote, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I

will learn.”

The notion of experiential learning was explored further in the twentieth century by educational

psychologists such as John Dewey, Carl Rogers, and David Kolb. Kolb asserted that “Learning is the

process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience,” and he proposed a

“learning cycle” that comprises these four phases:

Stage Example

The learner has a “concrete experience.” In a mechanical engineering course, students are asked to use 20 popsicle sticks to build a small bridge that will support 500 grams.

The learner makes observations and reflections based upon that experience.

Students note which popsicle sticks failed first, whether the sticks supported more when they were laid flat versus on their edges, and so on.

The observations and reflections are synthesized into a new conceptual understanding and interpretation of the experience.

Students develop a list of construction “principles” or best practices.

This conceptual understanding is applied and is used to guide new and purposeful experiences.

Students build another iteration of the bridge with the list of construction principles in mind.

Represented as a continuous process, Kolb’s cycle looks like this:

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Drawing on Kolb's learning cycle, many universities have developed their own definitions of experiential

learning. The University of Waterloo emphasizes the "intentional and reflective learning from

experience" component. Simon Fraser University has developed a more extended definition: "the

strategic, active engagement of students in opportunities to learn through doing, and reflection on

those activities, which empowers them to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical endeavours in a

multitude of settings inside and outside of the classroom."

Proponents of experiential learning say that it helps to motivate learners because it involves them more

deeply and extensively in the learning process: rather than being passive recipients of a “product” that

the instructor is delivering, they actively engage with the content, the instructor, their peers, and

themselves in an ongoing process of meaningful discovery. As David Moore has asserted, experiential

learning "provides opportunities for the students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in

a real world setting where they grapple with real-world problems, discover and test solutions, and

interact with others."

Additionally, experiential learning can result in “deeper” learning which means, among other things, that

students are better able to transfer what they have learned in one context to another context. As a

result, concerns about not covering as much content are mitigated: an instructor who implements an

experiential learning approach might end up covering only nine course units rather than ten, but the

students will likely be able to apprehend the tenth unit on their own because of their deeper

understanding of the other units.

Building on Experience

Experience plus reflection equals learning. – John Dewey

Experiential learning is more than just getting learners to “do something.” As Donna Qualters notes,

“unless experiences outside the classroom are brought into the classroom and integrated with the goals

and objectives of the discipline theory, students will continue to have amazing outside experiences but

will not readily connect them to their in-class learning.... Without a careful curriculum involving

structured, reflective skill building, students may never learn what we hope they will outside the four

walls of the classroom.”

The conditions needed to ensure that experiential learning is effective have been identified by

the Association for Experiential Education:

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• Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection,

critical analysis and synthesis.

• Experiences are structured to require the student to take initiative, make decisions and be

accountable for results.

• Throughout the experiential learning process, the student is actively engaged in posing

questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming

responsibility, being creative and constructing meaning.

• Students are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully and/or physically. This

involvement produces a perception that the learning task is authentic.

• The results of the learning are personal and form the basis for future experience and learning.

• Relationships are developed and nurtured: student to self, student to others and student to the

world at large.

• The instructor and student may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking and

uncertainty, because the outcomes of the experience cannot totally be predicted.

• Opportunities are nurtured for students and instructors to explore and examine their own

values.

• The instructor’s primary roles include setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting

boundaries, supporting students, insuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the

learning process.

• The instructor recognizes and encourages spontaneous opportunities for learning.

• Instructors strive to be aware of their biases, judgments and pre-conceptions, and how these

influence the student.

• The design of the learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural

consequences, mistakes and successes.

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What is Inquiry Based Learning?

Inquiry based learning is mainly involving the learner and leading him to understand. Inquiry here

implies on the possessing skills and attitude of yours, which allows you to ask questions about new

resolutions and issues while you are gaining new information.

Dictionary meaning of Inquiry is seeking knowledge, information, or truth through questioning. All the

people carry on with this process throughout their life, even if you might find it not very much reflecting.

For example, infants use inquiry to build their sense of the world, the babies turn towards voices, put

things in their mouths, grasp things, and observe faces that come near. The inquiry process is mainly the

gathering of data and information and applying them to senses like smelling, tasting, touching, hearing

and seeing.

Very sadly, our traditional ways of teaching discourage the process of inquiry. It makes the student get

less prone to asking questions as they move through their grade levels, they are just expected to listen

and repeat the expected answers. This is due to the lack of understanding of inquiry based learning.

Inquiry based learning is not just asking questions, but it is a way of converting data and information

into useful knowledge. A useful application of inquiry based learning involves many different factors,

which are, a different level of questions, a focus for questions, a framework for questions, and a

context for questions.

Much mesmerizing information and facts are readily available, which needs an understanding of how to

make sense out of it and turn it into useful knowledge. The teachers must be able to analyze that he or

she does into only have to accumulate information and data but also have to generate it into useful

knowledge, which can be easily done through inquiry based learning. Our country's success depending

upon natural resources is the past; the future of our country's success now depends upon the workforce

which works smarter.

There are four essential elements on which inquiry based learning depends, which are, first is that the

patterns and meanings should not be deceptive to the beginners, second is that the useful knowledge

about a field should be structured, third is that the knowledge which is structured should be applicable,

transferable, and accessible to a vast range of situations, fourth is that the structured knowledge should

be easily retrieved so that new information in that particular field could be gained without much effort.

Inquiry based learning can be applied on all disciplines which has been confirmed through different

researches. Learners have different perspectives of viewing the world like economic, historic, scientific,

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artistic, etc. The disciplines can be interrelated through inquiry based learning, which ensures the

integrity of different disciplines and the world views about them.

The teachers must organize their lesson plans according to the changing, interrelating, and

communicating of knowledge. A good teacher's worksheet enables the student to increase its study

skills by providing different ways of viewing the world, communicating with it, and successfully

introducing new questions and issues of daily life and finding answers of them. Questioning and finding

answers is an extremely important factor of inquiry based learning as it aids you in effectively generating

knowledge. In the end, inquiry based learning is basically teaching the students to have a greater

understanding of the world they work, communicate, learn, and live in.

10 Tips for Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry based learning is a technique whereby a teacher involves students in the learning process

through focusing on questions, through problem-solving activities, and the use of critical thinking.

Some students prefer this type of learning approach because when they become involved they

understand concepts better. While inquiry-based learning obviously works well in science,

consider how you can this approach for all subjects. Here are some tips for the inquiry-based

learning approach.

Give yourself time to prepare. Inquiry-based learning involves much more prep time than other

lessons. It is important to give yourself proper time when preparing such lessons. You want to be

sure that you are able to guide your students through the process and have proper closure to the

lesson with the students' full understanding of what was taught.

Using collaborative learning. Inquiry-based learning generally works best in a collaborative setting.

Try dividing your class into small groups. Give each group a question that they will work on

together, and then let them develop a project based on the question that supports their answer.

Age-appropriate activities. This approach to learning works well with any age group and with any

subject. The key is to make sure that you develop lesson plans that are age-appropriate. Since

much of the planning falls on your shoulders, you need to keep your students abilities in mind at

all times.

Developing good questions. Because inquiry-based learning is based on answering questions, your

job is to develop strong questions that are applicable to your lessons. Make sure your questions

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are open-ended, giving students the ability to think out of the box. Ask other teachers how they

would develop questions and use their examples.

Incorporate discovery into lessons. Giving students a chance to discover things on their own can

make concepts click to where they understand what is being taught. Add questions to your lessons

whereby students have to explore to find the answers. An example might be having students build

a model in order to answer questions in a sequential order.

Incorporate observation into lessons. "Seeing is believing." Some students gain an advantage in

learning when they have the opportunity to observe what is being taught. Of course, we generally

think of science experiments when referring to this concept, but consider using this approach in all

areas of learning. For instance, create a mystery box whereas you give a team of students a sealed

box. After reading a story, let the student teams guess what might be in the box based on the

story. Let them open the box and see if they made any correct guesses. Then explain why you put

the particular items in the box in the first place.

Use measurement in lessons. This approach is best used with science lessons. When a student is

given a chance to measure progress it helps them learn important concepts. An example exercise

might include the bubble gum experiment. Here's how it works:

The flavor in gum is mostly due to the sugar content or other sweetener it might contain. While

chewing gum, you notice the sugar dissolves and the gum loses its flavor. You are actually

swallowing the sugar. Once the flavor is completely gone, sit the gum out in room temperature

and use the difference in a new piece of gum compared to the chewed piece to measure the

percentage of sugar that is in the gum. Now you can use this demonstration to come up with new

questions related to gum and the ingredients they contain. Let students do more experiments to

answer the new questions.

Use model-building exercises in lessons. Give your students something they can identify that can

be changed into something else. Label the identifier as "A" and the change it can make as "B." Now

have them make a model of "B" and then explain how the transformation takes place. This

technique can be used in art context, through story reading and character changes, as well as with

physical changes in science experiments.

Incorporate design techniques into lessons. This approach is best used with science lessons. This

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is a student's chance to design something physical and use it to prove or disprove a theory. For

instance, when teaching about buoyancy, let students make boats out of clay. Of course, when

they put their boats onto water, they will sink. Use this opportunity to explain about buoyancy and

why it works.

Incorporate hands-on activities in lessons. Any opportunity to let students work with their hands

is a good way to use inquiry-based learning. Hands-on activities can be used in all subjects. One

such example might include giving students (either individually or in groups) unfamiliar objects. Let

them look and hold the objects and speculate how they might be used. The goal is for students to

observe the objects giving special attention to details. Now the students must give arguments to

support their speculations. This is a great way to introduce a new subject in the classroom.

Classroom Applications of Inquiry Learning

As we all know, that over the last decade, inquiry based learning has become pretty much impressive

and is being used as a leading approach in the classrooms. Inquiry based learning is mainly getting

involved through questions, which leads to understand. Inquiry in term is defined as a way of seeking

information, knowledge, or truth through questioning. Mainly, inquiry is a way for a learner to acquire

new information and data and turn it into useful knowledge. Every person starts the process of enquiry

from its birth till its death, he or she gathers information and data and then passes it on the useful

knowledge to its senses like smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, and seeing.

Traditional way of teaching is more focused on making the students listening and repeating the

expected answer to the teacher's question rather than letting them inquire about the lesson plans. In

this way of teaching, the teacher's resources are limited. The main ingredients in the teacher's

worksheet are to teach about the technology rather than the application of the technology. Hence,

when someone inquires about the applications related to the technology which is somewhat off track

from the worksheet, the only reply the person gets is "We will get back to that later."

Moving towards the classroom applications of inquiry, it depends upon different factors, which are all

equally important. Starting from levels of questions, the levels of the question in the classroom should

be different so that each learner gets the useful knowledge easily. The second factor is that of the focus

of the questions, the focus of the questions should be entirely on gaining knowledge about or related to

the lesson. The third factor is the framework of a question which should be kept in mind while

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answering any question. The last factor is the context of questions, which should be easy enough for the

learners to understand and gain useful knowledge by it.

In reference to the factors, there are mainly four types of questions. One is inference questions. These

types of questions are mainly asked by students who want to gain extra knowledge about a particular

topic. Students are often shy to start questioning. Therefore, the best way to make a student ask these

types of questions is to push them to find clues, examine them, and discuss them to justify the

inferences of the topic. The second type of questions is the interpretation questions. These types of

questions mainly force the students to understand the consequences of the ideas or information.

Moving further the third type of question is transfer questions, which make the students take their

information to a new place, level, or stage. The fourth and the last type of question are the hypothesis

questions. These questions are mainly based on what can be predicted and tested through thinking,

which really matters irrespective of domain.

These are the best classroom applications of inquiry which neither involves the learner but also provides

him a conceptual framework which leads to positive outcomes in the classroom. Those students who

actively make observations, collect, analyze and synthesize the information and develop conclusions

through the different classroom applications develop useful problem solving skills along with study skills.

Inquiry-based Learning

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Inquiry-based Learning Visual Concept Diagram

Description

Inquiry-based learning is rooted in the scientific method of investigating phenomenon in a

structured and methodical manner. Related to teaching and learning, it is an information-

processing model that allows pupils to discover meaning and relevance to information through a

series of steps that lead to a conclusion or reflection on the newly attained knowledge. The

benefits of inquiry-based learning include the development of critical thinking, creative thinking,

and problem solving.

Principles of Inquiry-based Learning The main components of inquiry-based learning include:

• a question(s) related to the topic of inquiry to be explored (problem statement), • followed by an investigation and gathering of information related to the question (data

collection), • continuing with a discussion of findings (analysis), • commencing with a reflection on what was learned (implications/conclusion).

Procedures

1. The first step in any inquiry is the formulation of a question or set of questions related to the

topic of inquiry. The question can be posed by the teacher or by the pupil(s). Sometimes the

question is referred to as a hypothesis or a problem statement.

2. Once a question is posed, pupils are encouraged to investigate the topic by gathering

information from sources that either the teacher provides or within learning resources or tools

that are readily available to the pupils.

3. When enough information related to the topic of inquiry is gathered, it is organized in

categories or outlined by highlighting the important information relative to the topic. This

helps the pupil make connections with new learning and prior learning.

4. The information is discussed and analyzed for further understanding. The teacher can direct

the discussion and highlight the implications that arise from the investigation and show how it

relates to the solution of the problem.

5. Conclusions are made and related back to the original question. Student reflections are

encouraged and serve as a way to relate back to the inquiry and retrace the steps that led to

the conclusion. This also serves to reinforce the model so that pupils can repeat the process in

any problem-solving situation.

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What is Distance Learning?

The definition of distance learning can be regarded as fairly obvious, because this is when the tutor and

the learner may not be in a physical environment to gain the qualification. Distance learning

qualifications usually mean that a tutor can partake in the learning in the comfort of their own home,

getting help, guidance and advice from their tutor as and when is needed.

Regardless of the format in which the course is presented in, distance learning has been providing a

refreshing alternative to the usual requirement for a learner to attend classes which may not be

practical - particularly if the student is already in full-time employment, meaning they need to spend

their time elsewhere. This flexibility has made some of the more esteemed courses extreme

value for money.

There have been some media reports of scams that have been reported for distance learning, in the

form of books which are readily available in bookstores being sold for up to ten times their price and

being labeled as a course for a student to follow. Now - there are more resources and worksheets

available than ever before, as well as advice, which means that a student can find a course which is well-

suited to their needs that is genuine and effective.

Distance learning has a variety of audiences to target. Not only can a person who was unemployed

emerge into training to improve their employability prospects, but there can also be the chance for a

working parent who has a family and a home to run to sit down and learn so they can become fully

proficient in a subject which they were once unfamiliar with. This was once fairly important to those

who might have been finding it difficult to advance their career because of the limitations which were

brought against them.

Distance learning has become a larger factor in the educational sector thanks to the Internet, a

development in our technology which has meant it is now easier for people to access the various

resources which they need to study. Previously, assignments which a student might have needed to

complete in a distance learning course could have taken weeks to assess because of the lag between

mailing the resources back and forth. However, thanks to the dawn of the Internet, email, instant

messaging and video conferencing, there is now something which is far more urgent about distance

learning which can allow those who are studying for a qualification to make ground a lot more quickly.

Of course, this article is only going to cover the tip of the iceberg regarding distance learning: a topic

which is diverse in the different elements which are associated with the courses that are on offer and

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how you can learn. Distance learning courses are as recognized as other courses which might be offered

in a physical organization - meaning that your personal circumstances do not need to hold you back

anymore as you try and move on with your life in a positive direction.

Which Is Better: School Online or a Standard Education?

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ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC: ASSIGNMENT TASK

EDUCATION, THEORY & PRACTICE B (ETP520S) ASSIGNMENT 1

Assessment Rubric for this Assignment Task . Attach it to the Assignment

Weight Mark

Introduction

Is the introduction clearly stated? 1

Are the objectives stated? 1

Deliberation

Interpretation of the question:

Is the question accurately interpreted?

1

Presentation of key issues:

Are the key issues identified and presented accurately?

1

Presentation of arguments:

Are the arguments presented in a logical and coherent manner?

1

Use of practical examples:

Are the responses elaborated with well-chosen examples and persuasive

reasoning?

1

Structure of the assignment

Is the assignment well organised with a clear structure?

1

Conclusion

Are the main points summarised in the conclusion? 1

Language and grammar

Is the language very clear with high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary

and sentence construction?

1

References

Are all sources correctly cited with a list of full references according to APA

referencing style?

1

Total Marks 100%

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References

[1] Wolvin, A.D. “Improving Listening Skills” In R. B. (ed.), Improving Speaking and Listening Skills. New

Directions for College Learning Assistance, no. 12. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc. 1983.

[2] Dezure, Deborah et al. Research on Student Note-taking: Implications for Faculty and Graduate

Student Instructors. CRLT Occasional Papers, No. 16. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.

University of Michigan.

Resources

• Course Design: Planning a Class

• In-class Activities and Assessment for the Flipped Classroom

• Online Activities and Assessment for the Flipped Classroom

• Active Learning Activities

• Activities for Large Classes

• Writing Intended Learning Outcomes

Other resources

• Flipping a Class: an online resource from the Faculty Innovation Centre, University of Texas at Austin

• Flipped classroom strategies from Turn to Your Neighbour: The Official Peer Instruction Blog

• Flipped Classroom Experience in Engineering: a video presentation by Dr. Maud Gorbet from Systems

Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo

• Faculty Focus: Looking for "Flippable" Moments in Your Class, Understanding the Flipped Classroom

• 7 Things You Should Know About Flipped Classrooms: Educause Learning Initiative white paper

• The Flipped Classroom: A Brief, Brief History, by Bates, J. E., Almekdash, H., & Gilchrest-Dunnam, M. J.

(2016).

• Bonk, C.J., & Graham, C.R. (2005). The Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local

Designs. San Francisco, CA:Pfeiffer Publishing.

• Garrison, D.R., & Kanuka, H.(2004) Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher

education. The Internet and Higher Education, 7(2), 95–105.

• Graham, C.R. (2013). In M.G. Moore (Ed). Handbook of Distance Education (pp 333-350). New York,

NY:Routledge.

• Norberg, A., Dzuiban, C. & Moskal, P.D. (2011). A time-based blended learning model. On the Horizon,

19(3), 207-216.

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