Module 4 Activity 8: Planning an Assessment Strategy

It is clear that an assessment strategy is extremely critical to the teaching and learning process since it provides valuable information to both teachers and students. Each strategy should offer unique methods and instruments. The key is to understand their different purposes, how they can be structured, and finally, what to do with the results. Assessment strategies can be broken into five main categories. It is not necessary to use all methods within a category, but all categories should be included in an assessment plan.

Module 4 Activity 7: Giving Feedback

In any learning context feedback occurs while there is still time to take action. Effective descriptive feedback focuses on the intended learning, identifies specific strengths, points to areas needing improvement, suggests a route of action individuals can take to close the gap between where they are presently and where they need to be, takes into account the amount of corrective feedback the learner can act on at one time, and models the kind of thinking students will engage in when they self-assess. Feedback is an integral part of the assessment process and is most useful given constructively in a spirit of co-operation and support, aiming at enhancing learning and/or behaviour.

Module 4 Activity 6: Assessing Information Literacy

We are living in an information age and today more than ever, success in the classroom depends on the ability of our learners to evaluate a rapidly expanding pool of specialized information. Information competence involves a complex set of critical thinking skills to find, evaluate, contextualize and communicate information using technology. Individuals who are information competent should be able to think critically in the context of an increasingly extensive amount of information. They should be able to solve real-world problems using a wide range of technologies to find, evaluate, contextualize and communicate information. It is therefore imperative for us as educators to ensure that our learners are equipped with these essential skills.

Module 1 Activity 12: Problem-Solving Skills

This was a very worthwhile activity that looked at problem-solving strategies as a tool for teaching and learning. After the completion of this activity, I can conclude that the students reasoning skills were brought into play. They were involved in selecting relevant information and understood its relationship to the given problem, their confidence was enhanced during the process, they were engaged in sharing ideas and learned from each other, and I was able to observe how they think and how they apply knowledge and skills. The students were able to relate and apply their learning experience to a real life situation.

Module 1 Activity 11: Encouraging learners to ask questions

As educators, we aim at constantly increasing participation of our learners as an obvious goal in courses that include frequent discussions and small-group work. We also focus on using questioning strategies as a way to increase their abilities in improving their critical thinking skills which is obviously very important in problem solving. In short, if only a few students participate by volunteering answers, asking questions, or contributing to discussions, class sessions become to some extent a lost opportunity to assess and promote learning.

I am being reminded that we can improve student participation by devoting time and thought to shaping the environment and planning each class session. Consideration has already been given to the value of open questions to encourage learners to think and since we have established that critical thinkers ask questions, a concerted effort needs to be made to create an atmosphere that will encourage our learners to ask questions more frequently. In short, we need to encourage this spirit of inquiry in our learners.

Module 1 Activity 10: Promoting Discussion

This activity focused on what lends itself to meaningful dicussion as a teaching/learning strategy. The issue of learners talking to one another, listening to each other, responding to what others said and showing development of knowledge, understanding or judgement are evidence that meaningful discussion tok place. My role as a facilitator in ths process is to get the attention of the learners, keep them focused on the learning task, explain things they do not know, demonstrate things for them and guide their learning by asking strategic questions. However, my intervention should be very limited and should only be spurred to keep the learners on task.

Module 1 Activity 9: What questions do I ask and why?

It is evident that questioning technique plays a very important role in the teaching/learning process.The type of questions asked should be mainly geared towards stimulating higher level cognitive learning and overall comprehension of a subject matter. I am convinced that the questions asked during a lesson should include limited recalling of information while the majority should be geared towards encouraging critical thinking and provide avenues for reasoning, so that students are engaged in organizing their thoughts in a logical manner which are applicable to real life situations. As educators, our practice should consistently involve convergent and divergent questioning, where the students are required to establish a relationship between facts or ideas in order to construct an answer, and provide for more freedom and independence in giving answers.

Module 4 Activity 4: How We Assess - Assessment Methods

I am being reminded that assessment should inform practice and support the management of learning. It therefore means that product and process-related standards should be considered in the overall process accompanied by appropriate assessment method and should allow the system to determine whether outcomes have been met, then review and revise accordingly. It is also important to develop assessment guidelines for assessment during ICT integration to cater for the effectiveness of the process,

Module 4 Activity 3: What we assess - catering for diversity

In our schools today, we are being faced with increasing diversity among our student population and as a result, it is imperative that we respond to the challenge of meeting the individual needs of students to deliver personalised, relevant and meaningful learning. I am being reminded that a diversity approach to the teaching, learning and assessment process does not distinguish between learners on the basis of disability or non-disability, instead regarding all learners as individuals with their own strengths, competencies and identities. Therefore, catering for diversity entails taking a strength-based approach to each learner that builds upon what they know and their beliefs about themselves as learners.

Module 1 Activity 8: Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

The reading of Piaget's theory of cognitive development has rekindled in me the significance of understanding the development of children's thinking during the different stages of development. It is critical for educators to be aware of how a child functions and his capabilities at the various stages of development as this provides a base to plan the instructional, learning and assessment processes of the individual. I am in agreement that learners don’t all learn at the same rate or the same pace and all learning and teaching, therefore, needs to be flexible and learner-centred.

Module 4 Activity 2: What We Assess

Assessment is an integral part of the whole education process and serious attention needs to be paid to what we assess as educators. It is amazing the wide range of things that are recorded in this activity by group members on the activity's brainstorm page on what we can assess. While brainstorming, we recognize the diverse abilities of our learners and just as how we plan our lessons taking our learners individual differences and multiple intelligences into consideration, similarly the way we assess and what we assess must be accorded the same consideration, if we are going to be fair as educators. It is a cause for reflection.

A knowledge-based, highly technological economy requires that our learners master higher-order thinking skills and that they are able to see the relationships among seemingly diverse concepts. For this to be realized, assessment must guide the process. They need to be able to recall, analyze, compare, infer, and evaluate, and these are the kinds of skills that aren't fully measured by our current tests. In addition, skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and moral character traits that aren't measured in a typical standardized tests, are increasingly important.This require us as educators to include many more skills on our assessment agenda.

Module 1 Activity 7: Cooperative Learning

It is evident that cooperative learning is proven to be beneficial to the entire teaching/learning process. It is a method of teaching and learning in which learners form groups or teams for structured activities to achieve a common goal. The learners are individually accountable for their work and the work of the entire group. However, it must be understood that merely putting the learners into groups and allowing them to work together is not enough to constitute cooperative learning.

There must be an atmosphere created where team members are obliged to rely on one another to achieve their goal, all students in group are held accountable for doing their share of work, group assignments are constructed so that the work cannot be simply parcelled out and done individually but instead include work that has to be done interactively,  students are encouraged and helped to develop and practice trust building, leardership, decision-making, communication and conflict management, team members set up group goals, periodically assess what they are doing well as a team, and identify changes they will make to function more effectively in the future, and individuals benefit the most from working with people different from themselves.

With the advances in technology and changes in the workforce infrastructure, the teamwork and cooperation learned through Cooperative Learning activities are of high value for the future success of all learners.

Module 4 Activity 1: Reflecting on your assessment practice

The reviewing of one's assessment practice should be an ongoing effort for all educators. A summary of the results of the both questionnaires was very informative and has caused me to be more reflective in everything I do as an educator. It is very evident that for us to be fair as educators, the entire education process; planning, delivery, and assessment must be a correlated undertaking. If we are going to be effective in executing our duties, the whole idea of individual differences of our learners and strategically catering for them in every way must be our modus operandi, thus equal attention must be paid to our assessment practices.

Module 1 Activity 5: Developmental Psychology

I am being reminded that as educators, we need to progressively develop and nurture a better understanding of how learners differ to help us structure suitable classroom activities that are keeping with their development. The study of developmental psychology allows us to have a better understanding of what a child needs to develop in the best possible way, issues children face as they develop so that they can be better supported, how to help learners to overcome the problems they have, to know that learners may show little progress sometimes and significant progress at other times and not to make assumptions about what a learner can or cannot do because of age.

It is very crucial to understand that a child's development may be influenced physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively and morally as adults today. Hence, as educators we need to get to understand how our learners grow and develop, what barriers and challenges they may face so that we will be in a better position to create a more effective learning experience for them.

Module1 - Activity 4: "Behaviourism-new_strategy"

It is clear that learners learn in different ways and they behave differently in any given situation, thus it is the responsiblity of the teacher to take this into consideration as he facilitates the learning /teaching process. The reading examines important theoretical principles in behaviourism. The work of Pavlov points to learning by associations which he referred to as classical conditioning while Skinner noticed that humans and animals are active in their environment, referred to as operant conditioning. He concluded that one would likely to do something more often when praise (reinforcement) is given for his action.

Based on these principles, it can be concluded that once learners are provided with a description of their desired behaviours and the relevant provisions are made to ensure continuous reinforcement in relation to the learners preference and appreciation, a teacher will likely see an increase in learners' behaviour as it relates to their intellectual development. Therefore, as educators, we need to focus our attention on principles that have been tried and proven to aid our learners maximize their full potential in the learning / teaching process.

Module 1 - Activity 3

The reading for this activity reconfirmed in my mind the importance o f a teacher to refrain from being judgmental of students regardless of their appearance. It is extremely important for us as teachers to build a relationship of trust with our students, while at the same time spend the required time to seek out the way they learn best, then utilize the various strategies that best suit their learning styles. This will result with satisfaction for both teacher and students in the learning/teaching process.

Module 1 - Activity 2

The reading on information processing approaches provides serious food for thought. It is clear that teachers need to spend a considerable amount of  time in finding out how each learner processes information (cognitive processes) and subsequently for each learner to understand how he/she processes information. Having accomplish this, the information garnered could be then be used in an effective way to facilitate the learning /teaching process thus making it more efficient and rewarding.

Module 1 - Activity 1

As educators, we have to rethink the traditional approaches to learning and teaching where learners were seen as passive receivers of knowledge. It is important for us to recognize that our students are capable of creating knowledge in partnership with the teacher facilitating the process by building relationships. We also need to consider the different theories of learning where the individual learning styles and needs of our students and the varied strategies are employed to suit their aptitudes.

Leadership vs Management

What is the difference between Leadership and Management? Leadership vs Management

2A4 - Activity 11: Creating A Personal Learning Network

As educators, it is absolutely necessary for continuous dialoguing, networking and sharing to take place as a means of keeping abreast of the dynamic nature of education globally. Creating personal networks which provide access to colleagues all around the world via the link of the various social media are effective, efficient and pertinent ways in accomplishing this. This provides opportunities for finding persons of similar interests where sharing of expertise and building a wealth of of content in specific areas thus creating a vibrant community of practice.

2A4 - Activity 10: Smart Workers

The term "social media" refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. This in turn allows for the creation and exchange of user-generated content. If a smart worker relies on a trusted network of friends and colleagues, learns continuously with social media and shares what he/she learns, then I am totally convinced that we can and should be smart workers as educators. This will enable us to keep abreast with the dynamics in the field of education. Social media/networking is definitely an effective medium to allow us to share ideas and play a useful part in training, without having to be separated from family, friends and the work place. It is totally essential for us to collaborate in a learning community for our own professional development as we seek to mold the minds of our most important asset - the young people who are entrusted in our care. I encourage all of us to continue to strive to be smart workers. 

1B3 - Activity 9: School Readiness

The Star Chart Framework provides a Four-Tiered level approach (Early Tech, Developing Tech, Advanced Tech and Target Tech) to assessing school readiness with several indicators spanning over five categories; Educational Benefits, Hardware and Connectivity, Professional Development, Digital Content and Students Achievement and Assessment. In my opinion this framework can be utilized as a guide to measure ICT school readiness. However, in using this framework to assess my schools' readiness, it was observed that several of the indicators spanned across the varying levels of development which made it extremely difficult to determine with conclusiveness, the level of development my schools have accomplished. This I believe can be attributed to the framework's rigidity. In our context, this framework needs to be redesigned to enable some measure of flexibility with the aim of making the assessment more conclusive  to its users.

On the other hand, the Mankato Scale Assessment Rubrics seems relevant to our context in assessing our staff levels of ICT skills in my opinion. The categories used coupled with the statements for the levels of each, will provide a definitive wealth of information that will be beneficial to the planning of training sessions for staff development. Some minor tweaking may be done to suit one's specific situation.

In summary, it is necessary to assess the state of ones school's conditions to get a true picture of the facilities, resources and stages of staff development available so as to inform the way forward with ICT integration as a school's overall strategy. This can be achieved by selecting and using a tool that is most relevant and appropriate to the school's culture.

Module 1B-3 Activities 8a and 8b, Teaching Spaces and Curriculum Delivery

The impact of ICT,s on teaching spaces and curriculum delivery is very significant and should attract the attention of all stakeholders in their quest for the whole integration process. The Churchill Report clearly highlights the effects of technology on our present classroom spaces which were originally designed for the traditional delivery of set curricula that are essentially teacher-centred. So to achieve a student-centred environment where  the focus is on learner-directed learning strategies would require the necessary renovations or rebuilding to accommodate the emerging new learning technologies and ofcourse funding is paramount in this regard. Information and communication technologies have been and will continue to have an impact on curriculum and classroom redesign as we forge the way forward in this new technological age.

1B3 - Activity 7: Models of Technology Adoption

Teachers are agents of change and implementing change in education must include changing teachers' practices and beliefs. The inclusion of technology in education will definitely impact the mode of delivery and receipt of the entire teaching and learning process. Classrooms today are constantly being outfitted with a wide range of technological tools and equipment which require the relevant skills to  be adopted in making the learners' experiences more meaningful and relevant to real world situations. Hence, staff development has to be of major importance to accomplish the effective use of these new technologies. Each educational institution must find a way to get teachers to buy in and change the traditional way of imparting knowledge by providing appropriate professional development strategies as a means of developing capabilities in making effective and meaningful contributions. It must be recognized that change will not happen overnight but consistent planning and persistence will result in this being realized overtime.

Activity 5_1B_3:Myth of Computer Literacy

There is an ongoing debate with regards to the process of attaining computer literacy and whether it should be taught in isolation or whether the integrated approach should be employed.  the reality is, information technology is here to stay, so as educators, we need to re-assess the nature of the learning process in our classes since the integrated approach places information technology in a pivotal role in the whole learning process. Hence, its success will be determined by the ability of educators to set appropriate tasks to suit the learning needs of our students in the appropriate learning environment.
The reading reveals that learning skills without context results in limited or no transfer of skills, and that, indeed, one needs to learn skills in the context of authentic use. Therefore, it is incumbent on us as educators to be creative in providing that enabling environment for our students so that they can see the purposeful transfer of skills in a real life situation. The most effective way to accomplish this is by using the integrated approach.

Activity 7_2A_4: Using Spreadsheets

This was a very good lesson. it goes to show that we do not have to teach ICT skills in isolation but instead we could integrate them into all areas of the curriculum. The teacher in the lesson was teaching a math concept and used spreadsheets to further connect the lesson to real life situation so that it could be meaningful and relevant to the student. It could have been improved a bit. I did not see how the teacher was able to determine whether or not Nicole could have repeated the actions that were undertaken during the lesson, independently.

Activity 6B_2A_4: Symbol Distribution/Using Graphs

Educators can make great use of graphs and charts in teching and learning. This activity has shown that we could use graphs or charts to help us analze data on students' performances on examinations that are given so that remediation mreasures can be put in place. We can also use graphs to teach different concepts in our lessons. For instance if we are teaching students about mean, the use of excel spreadsheet could help to better bring across the concept to students. Different features which can be used to enhance the appearance of the graphs/ charts are available on the computer.

Activity 4B_ Minimally invasive Education

The students that we teach have varying learning styles and abilities and it is true that as educators we sometimes develop the notion that we have to control learning in order for students to learn. Dr. Mitra has shown that this sort of belief is untrue. Children can learn on their own once the right conditions are in place. Technological tool/infrastructure and internet access can take children to new levels in learning that one would never imagine. We have to give our students the opportunity to interact with learning tools, solve problems, make discoveries and create novel ways of doing things. If we allow them to control their learning, it would be less stress for us and more learning and retention for our students.

Activity 4A_ 1B_3: Spontaneously Learning

Children come to school wtih a wealth of knowledge that they acquire from differnt means. It is up to us as educators to identify and build upon them so that they can see the relevance of what they learn in their enviromnetn and what they are exposed to in formal learning situations. We must teach concepts in languages that are understood by students so that they can better relate to them. In addition, we must aspire to make learning activities more meaningful and stimulating so that students would be more motivated to engage in active, constructive and collaborative learning.

Module 1B_3: Activity 3 _ Collaborative Exercise and Learners' Charter

This activity proved to be quite an interesting one since I had to consider my right as a learner. It clearly provided me with the opportunity to halt and think deeply and critically as a learner. In doing this and subsequently reviewing the rights submitted by my colleagues in the collaborative exercise, it raised a thought provoking question as to how many of us as educators, really take the time out to actually put ourselves in the place of the learners when carrying out our duties on a daily basis. It is my humble belief that if this becomes part of our modus operandi, the teaching and learning process will be substantially enhanced.

The sponsoring of one item from the collaborative exercise to the learners' charter, gave me the opportunity to critically examine each submission from my colleagues with different variations of the rights as a learner. It is heart warming to note the benefits of collaboration as it effectively contributes to the development of such a significant  and meaningful document.