cultivating teacher trainees’ experiences of integrating emerging educational technologies in...
TRANSCRIPT
Cultivating Teacher-Trainees’ Experiences of Integrating Emerging Educational Technologies in Teaching Luganda
Language to the Young Generation
D. KabugoDepartment of Humanities and Language Education
Presentation Outline
Background to the Study Problem Statement Contention Argument / Thesis Theory Goal of the Study Research Questions Research Approach and Design Presentation of Findings on RQ1 Reflections and Conclusion
Background to the Study
Uganda has more than 45 indigenous languages (Walusimbi, 1972).
Luganda is the mostly widely spoken with more than 5m speakers (Namyalo, 2013).
Luganda is a fairly documented language taught as a subject of study at different learning institutions.
Fig.1: Ethno-linguistic map of Uganda Approximating Geospatial Coverage of Luganda Language (Kabugo, et. al, 2015)
Problem Statement
Although Luganda seems to be a stable language, the number of young leaners of this generation offering it as a subject of study at many learning institutions / schools, is rapidly shrinking.
This study considers case of Makerere University since 2007-2014
Fig.2: Number of Students Offering BA with Luganda Language Education at Mak Since 2007 (Source: LLL/LLE File)
Argument
The problem of the shrinking numbers of young learners who offer Luganda Language (LL) as a subject of study multi-directional.
This problem is arising in part because very few teachers of LL meet the learning preferences of YG when teaching.
Although not all, many young learners of this generation have grown up with, and generally prefers to learn using emerging ETs (Prensky, 2001a), very few teachers of LL have experiences of integrating ETs in their teaching.
Argument / Thesis
Fig.4: Thesis Created Using Argument Mapping Software (Rationale, 2015)
Experiential Learning Theory (ELT)
Active Experime
ntation(AE)
Reflective Observati
on(RO)
Concrete Experienc
e(CE)
Abstract Conceptua
lization (AC)
Rooted in John Dewey’s (1897) & Kolb‘s (1984) conceptualizations of learning.
Dewey viewed learning as “a continuous process of reconstructing experiences” (1897: 79).
Kolb (1984) suggested that experience is acquired in form of a cycle made up of quadripartite structures through which individual adapt with their environment; feeling, perceiving, thinking, and acting. Fig.5: Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle
These structures develop through Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstraction Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation respectively.
Goal of the Study
To anchor on Kolb’s (1984) ELT to cultivate teacher-trainees’ experiences of integrating ETs in teaching Luganda language to the young generation.
Research Questions
} when integrating ETs in teaching Luganda language to the young generation?
1. Feel 2. Perceive 3. Think 4. Act
How do Luganda language teacher-trainees at Makerere University;
Research Approach and Design
An interpretive study which followed a Educational Design Based Research (DBR) Principles.
Education DBR is rooted in the researcher(s)’ pragmatic desire to transform pedagogical practices not only in a practical sense, but also from an informed theoretical perspective (Reevs, 2006).
In DBR, the researcher collaborates with participants to design innovative artifacts which address an existing / perceived educational problem.
Fig 7: Pillar of DBR (Adapted from Johannesson & Perjons, 2012)
Model
Researcher and Participants Collaboratively Analyze a Practical Teaching and Learning challenge in context.
Design of an Educational Solution Informed by Existing Design Principles & Affording Educational Technologies
Iterative Cycles of Testing/ Evaluating and Refinement of a designed educational Solution
Reflection to Produce “Design Principles” and Enhance Solution Implementation
Refinement of Problems, Solutions, Methods, and Design Principles
Design-Based Research
This study was anchored on Reeves (2006)’s Four-Phase Model for Conducting DBR in Authentic E-learning Contexts
Fig 8. Four-Phase Model for Conducting DBR in Authentic E-learning Contexts, (Reeves, 2006)
Design of the Intervention
i. The context of the study was the SOE at Mak.
ii. Invite circulated to Year 3 LLE teacher-trainees (2013/2014 cohort) to participate in a semester-long (17 weeks) DBR organized in form of a blended learning course.
i. A pre-research meeting conducted. Benefits & modalities of participation in the study clarified.
ii. 68/78 participants responded to the invite.
Design of the Intervention…
v. Face-to-face trainings were conducted every Saturday from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm in the SOE computer laboratory.
vi. Closed online trainings were conducted using Edmodo
vii. Trainees were tasked to identify teaching and leaning challenges in LL and were guided to explore the affordances (Bower, 2008) of more than 50 emerging ETs to address such challenges.
Design of the Intervention…
Fig.4: Matching LL Pedagogical Requirements of the Affordances of emerging ETs
viii. Towards end of the semester, were tasked to make presentations demonstrating their acquired.
ix. Trainees’ presentations were screen-casted and vodcasted on Teacher-Tube.
x. Trainees were tasked to view vodcasts of their own presentations and utilize discussion tools in Edmodo, Diigo and YouTube to make written responses to four distinct research questions designed based on ELC.
Design of the Intervention…
A Case of Utilizing Tobii-T120 to Track Students’ Eye Movements when Reading an Excerpt of a Luganda Literary Text on Mobile
Phones
(Used http://mob.is.it/) to develop a m-content in LL
How Eye-trackers work
Emulated Mobile Phone on a Computer Screen and used Tobii T120 to Track Students’ Eye Movements when
Reading e-Content in LL
Evaluation of Experimentation
Set an online task on Diigo (a discussion and social bookmarking tool) to capture the highs and lows, which the participants encountered in their experimentation. This task was designed as a closed data collection activity at the following URL: http://groups.diigo.com/group/LLL3201
Data Analysis
Trainees’ dialogues (online learning artifacts) were analyzed using Discourse Analysis (DA) as analytic lens aided by an Argument Mapping Software called Rationale.
CONTEXT(Socio-cultural, economic, political and environmental conditions of production and interpretation)
INTERACTION(Processes of (re) production and consumption of text)
TEXT
(Written / Spoken)
DESCRIPTION(Generation of text genres, types or categories)
INTERPRETATION(Seeking meanings of the description)
EXPLANATIONImplications of the meaning for social practice
Fig. 8: Fairclough (1992)’s Three-Dimensional Framework for Analysing Discourses
FINDINGS
FINDINGS
Reflections / Conclusions
Trainees conducted more than 68 experiments of integrating ETs in teaching Luganda language.
This presentation has reported on participants experimentation of Tobii T120 to track students’ eye-movements when reading an excerpt of a Luganda literary text on mobile phone.
Instead of using a physical mobile phone, participants designed an emulated mobile phone on normal flat screens.
Artifacts of the experimentation provide evidence of participants’ acquisition of eight digital competencies namely; critical, cognitive, constructive, creative, cultural, civic, communicative, confident.
Research Outputs
Kabugo, D., Muyinda, P. B., Masagazi, F. M., Mugagga, A. M., & Mulumba, M. B. (2015). Tracking Students’ Eye Movements When Reading Educational Information on Mobile Phones: A Case of A Luganda Literary Text. In M. Dichaba, & D. Nwaozuzu, Educational Technologies in the 21st Century (pp. 37-51). Pretoria, South Africa: African Academic Research Forum.
Kabugo, D., Masaazi, F. M., & Mugagga, A. M. (2015). Learning to Utilize Emerging Technologies for Effectively Teaching Indigenous Languages to the Net- Generation: A Discourse Analysis of Luganda Teacher-Trainees’ Feelings of Concrete Experience. Proceedings of the EDULEARN15 Conference (pp. 7015-7029). Barcelona, Spain: IATED
Kabugo, D. (2015). Utilizing Vodcasts to Scaffold Observational Reflections: A Case of Luganda Teacher-Trainees’ Learning Artifacts. I8th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. Seville, Spain: IATED.
Kabugo, D., Masagazi, F. M., & Mugagga, A. M. (2015). A Discourse Analysis of Teacher-Trainees’ Abstract Conceptualizations of Emerging Technologies in the Teaching of Luganda Language. 8th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. Seville, Spain: IATED.
[1]. Fairclough, N., & Wodak, R. (1997). Critical discourse analysis. In T. A. van Dijk, Discourse as social interaction (pp. 259–284 ). London: SAGE Publications.[2]. Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., & Oliver, R. (2010). A guide to authentic e-learning. London and New York: Routledge.[3]. Kabugo, D. (2015). Cultivating Teacher-Trainees’ Experiences of Utilizing Emerging Technologies to Effectively Teach Luganda Language to the Net-Generation. Kampala: Makerere University.[4]. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
References
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the SIDA through the Embassy of Sweden in Kampala (Uganda), and the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) at Makerere University.
I Thank You.