Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash
I read with interest the 4 Big Ideas (Tolisano, 2014, September 28). While I have experienced some degree of isolation in the classroom, it has not been to the same extent as described in Tolisano’s blog post. I teach adult learners who are vocational educators, with most classes designed as workshops to be facilitated by two people. As a result, I have had the luxury of collaboration with a team in the development of the class, and with a colleague in its delivery. In terms of perspective, it is an important aspect of facilitating learning, enabling flexibility and adaptation to a variety of learner needs. Crowd-sourcing problem-solvers is a powerful way to approach previously intractable issues, with a networked group able to develop responses much more quickly than an individual ever could (Thomas & Brown, 2011). This approach allows educators to expose their learners to authentic data and multiple ideas while increasing the efficiency through use of a variety of approaches (Tolisano, 2014, September 28). Lastly, modelling the desired behaviour is a tried and true teaching strategy to both demonstrate the appropriate method while showing the benefits of such an approach. To ‘sell’ this idea to colleagues, I would first identify a problem which affects many of them. I would have them collaborate in a workshop situation with each other, demonstrating on a small scale the power of connectedness. I would provide several ideas such as using Diigo, Twitter, Pinterest, searching blogs and hashtags, providing demonstrations of how to do this throughout the workshop. Lastly, I would ask them to survey others about aspects of the problem to generate some other perspectives and ideas to use in developing a response to the problem. The reaction to this approach would probably be quite mixed, depending on the cohort. Many vocational teachers are in the 50+ age group, and some are reluctant to embrace all the benefits technology affords. I have tried this approach with teachers to encourage use of the college learning management system (LMS), but it was only those who enjoyed incorporating digital aspects into their class, or who were not afraid of technology who responded positively. When trying to introduce a new idea or way of working, it is critical that change management techniques are used. Start with the small band of willing participants, provide advance warning of what is coming, provide small chunks of information prior to the change, and continue building on the small band to swing the population across to participation. #inf532 References
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). Arc-of-life learning. In A new culture of learning: cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change (pp. 17-33). Lexington, KY: CreateSpace. Tolisano, S. R. (2014, September 28). 4 big ideas around the connected educator [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://langwitches.org/blog/2014/09/28/4-big-ideas-around-the-connected-educator/
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About meI'm a learning designer from Geelong in Victoria. I have worked in vocational education and training for many years, and for the last four have concentrated entirely on creating learning content to support teachers and students. Archives
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