Engagement and I don't mean the "will you marry me" type

A mind is a terrible thing to waste and so, I have mapped my mind therefore nothing is wasted.

 

The requirement stated:

1. Name the assignment

2. Summary of the work conducted since last blog

3. Item of interest

4. Problem or concern 

I have checked all the blocks.

 

http://www.mindmeister.com/390443709/design-blog-assignments

There has been an on rush of research conducted on the importance of engaging students when using online courses. Reach has shown that when students are engaged in collaborative, formal learning activities students are more willing to participate.  It's important to note that the instructor be willing to adapt to the students’ needs while using meaningful activities that are motivating. This week’s reading noted several experts have studied ways in which people learn. Malcolm Knowles notes that adult learners are more likely to be self-directed and prefer activities which allows them to use their own experiences as part of the learning process. Bruner states that development is essentially bound up with interaction and that humans have a need to respond to others and to work jointly with them towards an objective. Vygotsky coined the term “zone of proximal development.” Simply stated this means students learn from those that are around them. Piaget believed that learning must be connected to the learner in order for it to be meaningful. He believed in engaged learning or constructivism.  Piaget believed that when two equal partners are collaborating they are more likely to find a solution. Peer-to-peer discussions are more valuable to the individuals as oppose to student to teacher. Piaget’s constructivism concept is driven by the fact that it considers interaction central to learning. It is the acquisition of knowledge build on prior experiences that is important.

The goal of an online course is the same as it is for a classroom setting, provide increased knowledge but, in an online course the instructor must create an environment that ensures a “high degree of interactivity and participation.” Engaged learning is the process in which the student and instructor are partners in constructing knowledge. This partnership is needed in order to create an atmosphere that encourages engagement.  Asking students, especially older students to engage in collaborative activities needs to be introduced in phases. These phases are; 1) new comer and the instructor is the social negotiator, 2)cooperator with instructor role as structural engineer, 3) collaborator and instructor becomes the facilitator, 4) finally initiator/partner at this point the instructor becomes the community member/challenger. With each phase the students become more adapt at working in a collaborative environment. The task that needs to be accomplished is to create the best types of activities that will encourage the engagement. During phase one (weeks 1-2) the focus should be one introducing the students to each other.  Create a method that is fun and allows the members to introduce themselves in creative ways. Don’t begin with content related activities, which most likely will scare students off. Phase two (weeks 3-4) students work in pairs sharing content on something that needed to be read and discussed. An activity for this phase could include peer reviews or critiques.  Weeks 5-6 phase three is utilized for the learning and collaborative processes. Small group activities are introduces. Students will be asked to solve problems and reflect on their individual experiences. Consider debates or content discussions for this phase. Phase four encourages the students to be the designer or allowing students to be the presenter of the content, they become the ones who dispense the knowledge. Group presentations and discussions led by the students are two of the activities that are suited for this phase. The fourth phase would begin during week 7 and continue for the remainder of the school term.

The purpose of creating any activity is to create opportunities to engage learning. The activities need to have the students using higher levels of thinking. When it is time to assess ask yourself did this activity require critical thinking, did it ask the students to; apply, analysis, synthesis and evaluate. The use of rubrics is a way to evaluate activities.  The rubric will define to the students what each of the required elements are and delineate what the levels of effort are.  Points are assigned to each level of effort and the total number of points determines the final grade.  With a rubric students are in charge of what level they will operate at. Team assessments should also be used for collaborative activities. Finally reflective self-assessments are important, they require the students to be reflective of the online process.

Now that you have read what I've learned from this weeks 970 pages I have some food for thought.

 Have you ever felt like this is how fast we are learning and working in an online class? 

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-UgXCyCULs