Tuesday 8 May 2012

ACTIVITY 5:  Designing Strategies for Flexible Learning.



CONTENT
  • This should be kept updated to reflect what is happening in society at a local, national and international level.
  • It should be written in plain English so that it is easy to understand as we have vastly differing abilities in our student groups.
  • Reviewing content, prior planning with team members, if the course is unit standard based ensuring that the content meets the standards set.
  • Assessment pre and post moderation is important.
  • Lesson plan is structured to break up information/theory with practical activities.
  • Utilizing student course feedback to evaluate changes to course assessments and material where possible.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
  • Keep it focused on the material for each session.
  • Activities should be used as tools, I use them in a way that students can use them in professional practice, I explain how they can use them in different contexts and that everything we teach on course is a tool that they can take away.
  • They should be inclusive of different learning styles, be reflective, have students respond to how the activity was and how it relates to working with client groups.
  • increase independent thought, class discussion.
  • They should be well set out and material should be prepared ahead of time.
  • Clear explanation of the activity.

COMMUNICATION / INTERACTION
  • Encourage class discussion and the sharing of thoughts and ideas.
  • Lecturer needs to be clear about process, I use an online agenda so students are aware of what is going to happen for the session, this is time bound as well.
  • Unlocking course material at the start of each week so students can access it before class.
  • Having set office hours to meet with students, keep them informed of any changes occurring, answer/reply to emails, calls or online forums.  
  • Keep students regularly informed of their progress.
  • Open and transparent - including with team members when we have our fortnightly meeting to discuss students and course concerns - informing students openly about our policies, procedures and processes.

ASSESSMENT
  • Planning days with certificate staff team are vital, it allows us to look at each course and the assessments attached in more detail.
  • The connections between each course, where will essays go, workbook tasks, in class assessments, individual assessments, group assessments, fieldwork portfolios, presentations.
  • Checking the criteria on marking schedules that it meets the learning outcomes, aims and course content.
  • Pre and post moderation of course books internally and also attending external moderation meetings with the aim of ensuring our assessments meet unit standard criteria and that they are fair.
















4 comments:

  1. Thank you Lisa for sharing this with the class. You describe a range of strategies. For some of the strategies it would be grand to hear how you do this or intend to do this. For example, how is content "kept updated to reflect what is happening in society at a local, national and international level"? How do you "Encourage class discussion and the sharing of thoughts and ideas"? Can this occur outside the face-to-face classroom as well, and how might this look?

    Also, have you thought about ways to connect students to professional networks so they can sample real world situations at a local, national and international level?

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  2. Thank you Bronwyn for your comments.

    How is content "kept updated to reflect what is happening in society at a local, national and international level"?

    * I keep connected with the wide human/social service sector in my role as placement coordinator, this networking keeps me up to date with what is happening at all levels.
    * Also researching and paying close attention to what is happening at central government level i.e. changes in legislation that will or could affect social services.
    * Connecting with our external moderators who manage the unit standards for our courses (Certificate Level), as the unit standards change and are reviewed, I have started to attend external moderation meetings in Christchurch at Career Force.
    * Internationally in relation to course is being aware of what is happening in the news globally and linking these changes/news into sessions in course as well as directing students to look into these particular news items.

    How do you "Encourage class discussion and the sharing of thoughts and ideas"? Can this occur outside the face-to-face classroom as well, and how might this look?

    * Class discussion is encouraged with the way questions are asked by me, open ended, directed to class to answer, for example: I would ask questions related to how they might manage a situation, if it it a teaching session like 'group work' I would ask...how would you manage conflict in a group.
    * I also use in class group discussions where they are given a task and are set time to brain storm the answers and [resent back to class.
    * Outside class I encourage students to use Moodle discussion forum and some students have formed study/perr groups where they discuss course material.

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  3. Lisa it looks like you have all bases covered. Your professional networks and knowledge of the sector will be very helpful for your students, and a great source of cases to share with them about the profession - warts and all.

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  4. Thanks Lisa, You have inspired me to greater things (I hope!).

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