Blendspace

Blendspace

Blendspace é um sítio na Internet que permite criarmos aulas ou documentos informativos de uma forma rápida e prática. Esta ferramenta deixa-nos recolher os recursos que quisermos da Internet (Youtube, Flickr, Educreations, Gooru, Bookmark) e os ficheiros/conteúdos elaborados por nós (DropBox, GoogleDrive). Depois é só organizar a informação e disponibilizar a ligação nas diversas plataformas online. À medida que o documento é visto, podem ser inseridas questões para que o aluno acompanhe toda a lógica da informação.

20 Questions To Guide Inquiry-Based Learning

Recently we took at look at the phases of inquiry-based learning through a framework, and even apps that were conducive to inquiry-based learning on the iPad.

During our research for the phases framework, we stumbled across the following breakdown of the inquiry process for learning on 21stcenturyhsie.weebly.com (who offer the references that appear below the graphic). Most helpfully, it offers 20 questions that can guide student research at any stage, including:

What do I want to know about this topic? How do I know I know it? What kinds of resources might help? How do I know the info is valid? Does my research raise new questions? And, in a nod to digital and social media, How do I use media to express my message?

These stages have some overlap with self-directed learning. Hopefully you’ll find the following graphic–and the embedded stages and questions–helpful in your planning, or to distribute to students as they make sense of what could be a new (for them) approach to learning.

20-questions-to-guide-inquiry-based-learning

References

Cross, M. (1996). Teaching Primary Science: empowering children for their world. Melbourne: Longman Australia.

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. London: Libraries Unlimited.

Inquiry Based Learning

Are you looking for a different way to approach teaching/learning? Inquiry based learning is a great way to keep students engaged and thinking critically. In my classroom we all take ownership for our learning.  I try to use the student's interests, sense of wonder, or real life connections to guide our learning. I find it creates active learners who become problem solvers and critical thinkers.

In order to teach using an inquiry stance you need to be very familiar with your curriculum because you need to be on the look out for curriculum connections as they arise.

For example, my school will be getting a new creative playground soon because the one we have is too small for our growing population.  We also have a developmental education classroom at our school with students in wheel chairs and other physical needs.  Our current playground isn't accessible to them.  I presented this real life situation to my class and asked them, "Can we design a playground that meets the needs of all students at our school?".  Of course, this connects to our structures curriculum nicely. Students conducted an interview of the developmental education teacher, they researched playground designs and they created their own designs that included things like bucket swings for students in wheelchairs, elevators, ramps etc.

We learned about simple machines as we went along and I did some direct teaching as well (because inquiry based learning does not mean that direct teaching cannot occur...in fact it should occur, but only when necessary).

Generally, at the start of a new inquiry I conduct a knowledge building circle with my students to find out what they know, what they are interested in learning about and what misconceptions they might have.  This sounds like a KWL chart on the surface but it is much more! The conversations that arise tend to be deep and meaningful.

In a knowledge building circle, students sit in a circle (which eliminates hierarchy) and have a discussion about something that the teacher has presented, often it is a question that is posed.  The role of the teacher is to sit back and listen, record observations or record student thoughts.  In the pictures above I have recorded students thoughts, wonderings and questions while they discussed the questions with their classmates.  You would be surprised at the thoughtful ideas and theories that come from first and second graders when they are given the uninterrupted time to share. Sitting in the circle helps to keep everyone's attention.

In a knowledge building circle, it's not about getting the right answer. It's about sharing thoughts, having a discussion, sharing theories, questions, things they wonder etc.

Once we have our knowledge building circle I can generally see several directions I can take our learning based on the ideas and thoughts that were shared. I can plan lessons, projects and explorations based on the needs and interests of my students.

I try to use my student's interests to guide our learning. One way to do this is to create a spot on the wall that is just for their interests. In my class we have a "Wonder Wall". Students can post questions about anything that they are interested in and I try to find a way to incorporate them into our learning.  Several students were very interested in Big Foot so I decided this would be a perfect way for us to learn about animals. We began with a knowledge building circle where I asked, "Is Big Foot an Animal?".  It led to a very interesting discussion.  I also used the idea of Big Foot as a lead in to talking about animal adaptations.

You can also just listen to students talk to find out what they're interested in. Mine are obsessed with Lego! I could use that to tie in with structures.  There are so many possibilities and connections that can be made by just listening to our students.

Once I conduct the knowledge building circle I provide time for my students to explore whatever it is we are learning about.  In the pictures above we we were learning about animal adaptions so we can figure out why Big Foot has never been caught.  I created some mock animal adaptations for my students to explore with.  I also try to provide as many books, websites, etc. to enhance their learning.  The book "Animals Show Off" has been in my classroom library all year and not one student picked it up to read it. Now that we are learning about adaptations and Big Foot, they are fighting over who gets to read it next!

When you teach using an inquiry approach there may not always be a final product and generally there aren't any tests.  Assessment occurs through out the inquiry and is often a mix of anecdotal notes, videos, voice notes, photographs and sometimes a final product or project. Much of my assessment comes from conversations with my students and recording of anecdotal notes.  My students also have notebooks that they record their observations, questions, diagrams etc. in and I often use those as part of their assessment.

Two fabulous tools I use are Evernote and iDoceo. They are both apps that are great for note taking and you can attach photos, videos etc. right to your anecdotal notes. I have my ipad on me at all times during our learning so I can record the great things that my students are saying and doing.  It also allows me to give them immediate feedback.

I find I know my students so much better now and when it comes to writing the dreaded report cards, my comments are easily personalized and reflect my students true knowledge and understanding much more than if I had just given them a test and based their marks and comments on that.

If you're looking for more information on inquiry based learning this is a great website to checkout and they even have a FREE ebook! Natural Curiosity

I refer to their book all the time!

Have you tried an inquiry approach to teaching in your classroom? I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment.

O mito da formação de professores

Antes de mais, devo fazer um registo de interesses: a grande maioria da minha vida profissional foi a dinamizar, realizar e investigar sobre a importância da formação de professores.  Não sou um arrependido, mas pretendo, tão- -só, com esta reflexão, partilhar algumas ideias que penso que aprendi com este interesse e prática que exerço há muitas dezenas de anos.

Não é razoável pôr em causa a importância da formação de professores. A escola é a porta da entrada de culturas novas, de formas de ver e de ler o mundo muito distintas.  É uma importante porta de entrada da inovação porque, por esta porta, entram serem humanos que, apesar de jovens, são já portadores de formas próprias de ver o mundo e são atores particularmente porosos e permeáveis ao mundo que os rodeia.  Uma escola que tem permanentemente aberta a porta para esta juventude não pode ser conservadora. E aqui um primeiro argumento: precisamos de formação de professores para que eles lidem (gosto deste verbo dinâmico “lidar”) com pessoas que querem aprender, que querem desenvolver-se, mas de forma diferente do que as gerações anteriores o fizeram.  Os professores, sem este acompanhamento formativo, ficariam certamente mais pobres na sua reflexão, nos seus valores e mesmo no seu trabalho pedagógico. Poder-se-ia perguntar qual a classe profissional que no momento atual pode passar sem ter uma proximidade com momentos de desenvolvimento profissional?

A formação de professores — e agora refiro-me sobretudo à formação que é feita “em serviço”, isto é, quando os professores já se encontram em exercício profissional — é, pois, uma condição indispensável para que possam ter espaço para repensar e melhorar os seus valores e as suas práticas.

O reconhecimento da imprescindível importância da formação de professores tem, no entanto, conduzido a exageros que, de tanto incensar a formação, acabam por a tornar inatingível.  Quando são equacionadas as mudanças que são necessárias no sistema educativo, logo à cabeça aparece a formação de professores. Ora, este realce, que parece benigno e positivo, pode afinal não ser tão benigno e consensual como originalmente se apresenta. Por três razões principais:

Em primeiro lugar considerar que a formação de professores é a alavanca fundamental da inovação coloca o ónus do conservadorismo nos professores: tudo estaria melhor, se os professores fossem mais bem formados.  Todos os outros fatores que constituem uma intrincada e sólida rede de interesses que afeta a Educação (legislação, organização das escolas, currículos, encarregados de educação, famílias, comunidades, etc.),  todos estes fatores são relegados para um segundo plano.  Escolher a formação de professores como o elemento fundamental de mudança conduz à desvalorização de outros fatores que são, pelo menos, tão importantes quanto a formação. Este pensamento convida ainda a pensar que os professores (isto é, a sua falta de formação) são o verdadeiro problema da Educação.  É inevitável citar em abono desta perspetiva o recente estudo publicado pelo Conselho Nacional de Educação sobre a dimensão das turmas e em que se sugere que a dimensão da turma pode ou não ser um problema em função da atuação do professor. Aqui temos, de novo, a ideia de que o professor e a sua formação são por si mesmo capazes de reverter fatores educativos adversos.

Uma segunda reflexão chama-nos a atenção para a insuficiência da formação de professores, se não forem criados contextos em que essa formação possa florescer e tornar-se útil.  Um exemplo: já tive alunos de cursos de formação de professores que se mostraram brilhantes não só ao nível dos conhecimentos, mas também de uma perspetiva lúcida e clara do que é a sua missão na escola.  Já aconteceu que, tendo encontrado estes alunos algum tempo depois de terem iniciado a sua prática profissional, fico muito dececionado com o conformismo e conservadorismo que eles evidenciam.  A formação de que estes professores usufruíram esvaiu-se em ambientes escolares tradicionais, hierárquicos e temerosos de fazer algo que não seja “apropriado”. Assim, a formação de professores é um pobre e frágil argumento de mudança em estruturas escolares poderosas e conservadoras.

Jogos digitais são cada vez mais usados nas escolas

Jogos Digitais nas Escolas

Se o mundo em que as crianças crescem é digital, o ensino caminha para lá. Só neste ano, o governo lançou iniciativa, combinando programação e jogos, para 27 mil alunos

Na gíria são conhecidos como "jogos sérios". E o nome diz quase tudo: são aplicações informáticas, desenvolvidas com base na mesmas tecnologias e princípios utilizados nos videojogos, mas em que o entretenimento não é o objetivo e sim um meio para um fim: ensinar. Aos poucos, estes jogos educativos vão fazendo o seu percurso nas escolas portuguesas, e já há programas que abrangem dezenas de milhares de crianças.

"A utilização de jogos digitais na promoção das aprendizagens, apesar de não estar generalizada, já é utilizada em muitas escolas portuguesas", confirma ao DN o Ministério da Educação, que dá vários exemplos da aplicação prática deste conceito.

Mais de 27 mil crianças dos 3.º e 4.º anos já estão neste ano abrangidas pelo programa
A iniciativa Programação no 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, da responsabilidade da Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE) e que se encontra em funcionamento desde o início do presente ano letivo", é uma das mais relevantes. Quanto mais não seja pela dimensão, "abrangendo mais de 700 professores e de 27 000 alunos dos 3.º e 4.º anos de escolaridade e obedecendo também a uma lógica de jogo (o Scratch e o Kodu, por exemplo)".

Mas há outros casos de sucesso. "O Minecraft EDU é outras das aplicações com relatos de utilização bem-sucedida em Portugal neste contexto da utilização de jogos para a aprendizagem", ilustra o gabinete de Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, referindo-se ao clássico de construção virtual, por blocos, cujas aplicações educativas permitem desde estudar as pirâmides de Gizé a obter alguns princípios de engenharia eletrotécnica.

Outro caso de sucesso, introduzido nas escolas em 2011 e ainda disponível, é o PING (Poverty Is Not a Game, ou "A Pobreza não É Um Jogo"), aplicação desenvolvida por diversas fundações europeias, incluindo a Gulbenkian, com o objetivo de chamar a atenção para as questões da pobreza e exclusão.

O ministério destaca ainda novos projetos nacionais, orientados para as chamadas áreas de ensino nucleares. Nomeadamente "as iniciativas da Universidade de Coimbra, que desenvolveu recentemente três jogos para serem utilizados em áreas do currículo (Matemática, Português e História) e que pela 3.ª vez organiza neste ano o Encontro de Jogos e Mobile Learning".

Outro projeto internacional, que envolve cientistas portugueses e será também testado nas escolas nacionais a partir de 2017, é o BEACONING. Uma sigla que, em português, é traduzida para "derrubar barreiras educativas através de uma aprendizagem contextualizada, pervasiva e com base em jogos". Conta com 5,9 milhões de euros de investimento, envolvendo vários países e milhares de alunos.

Os jogos são apenas o primeiro passo. Há escolas que já estão na etapa seguinte, aproveitando o conforto dos alunos com as novas tecnologias - e não apenas para jogar - para fazer destas a ferramenta básica do ensino. São as já chamadas "escolas do futuro", embora Rui Lima, coordenador pedagógico do Colégio Monte Flor, de Carnaxide, "prefira o termo "escolas do presente", porque estamos a trabalhar para os alunos de agora. O que procuramos é articular o ensino dos alunos com o mundo que os rodeia", explicou recentemente ao DN, numa apresentação na Futurália. "E as novas tecnologias são um dos aspetos desse mundo."

4 Changes That Will Shape The Classroom Of The Future: Making Education Fully Technological

It’s difficult to discuss the classroom of the future, as if it is something that it exists in some faraway time. The truth is, education is changing right now. Technology and expanded knowledge of the learning process have already resulted in a metamorphosis of the classroom and of teaching methods. There will be even more changes in the future.

How will the classroom of the future look like? Here are some of the changes that have already become commonplace in the classroom:

Online posting of grades and assignments.
Group projects completed through collaborative software.
Assignments completed online and uploaded through classroom portals.
Students using cloud storage instead of flash drives or paper to store their work.
Teachers, parents, students, and administrators communicating via social media platforms designed specifically for education.
These are just the changes that have been rolled out in average schools. School districts, academies, and other places of learning that have chosen to really embrace technology have advanced even further.

What’s the average classroom going to look like in the next 5 to 7 years? Here are 4 solid predictions about the classroom of the future.

The layout of the classroom will change immensely.
Forget about neat rows of chairs and desks from which students focus intently on the teacher delivering a lecture and demonstrating concepts on the whiteboard. That’s already falling out of favor today. Seating arrangements in the future will be flexible so that they are appropriate for the task that students are working on, and there will also be more focus on the comfort of the students. Here are just a few things that will become more commonplace in the classroom of the future:
Standing desks for students who have difficulty maintaining focus while sitting.
Accommodation for students who need more movement.
Private workstations will be available for individual tasks while collaborative workspaces will be available for group projects.
Interactive projectors and other technology will replace interactive whiteboards.
Students will be given more autonomy on how and where to sit.
Moving walls will make spaces more adaptable.
Virtual and augmented reality will change the educational landscape.
Imagine this: A student opens a book to what appears to be a page with a picture of the earth on it. Then, the student puts on a pair of special glasses and a three dimensional images pops out at them. Now, instead of seeing a simple, flat image, they can see various landforms; look at a cross section of the planet to see all of the various layers going down to the earth’s core. Picture a student walking through an art gallery and scanning a code next to a picture using a special app on their cell phone and then being able to watch a video of the artist speaking about their own work. This is all possible today because of a technology known as augmented reality. Apps and other educational devices act upon trigger images to create an augmented learning experience. Here’s something else to imagine: Middle school students in a rural classroom, more than 100 miles from the nearest major city are told that they will be spending the day touring a science museum. There are no buses to take them anywhere. Instead, the students are each given a pair of inexpensive virtual reality headsets that have been constructed largely from cardboard, and a glove. With just these two items they are able to virtually walk through the museum, page through books, watch presentations given by docents, and view any image they want from any angle. What does all of this mean for the classroom of the future? It means that geography and finance will cease being a barrier for teachers who want to give students access to enrichment material that can only currently be found outside of the school building. It also means that various learning styles can be accommodated by adding sound, video, images, and interaction to what used to be a text based, 2 dimensional world.
Flexible assignments will accommodate multiple learning styles.
Today, in the majority of classrooms, students all complete the same assignments. For example, if the assignment is to use MS word to write a research paper on tools developed during the Bronze Age, which is the assignment each student must complete. The only time when exceptions are made is usually when the student has special needs and accommodations are required. Unfortunately, these one size fits all assignments don’t take into consideration learning styles. With flexible assignments, the teacher will be more interested in proof of competency than in receiving 25 assignments all completed using the same methods. So, instead of passing out an assignment to write a research paper, the teacher will outline for students what skills or understanding they must demonstrate to successfully complete the assignment. The student will then be given the autonomy to decide how they will do that. This might include recording a video, creating an elaborate timeline, giving a presentation, or putting together a traditional research paper.
MOOCs and other online learning options will impact secondary education.
You have to stay in school. You have to get good grades. You have get your diploma. If you don’t do these things, you cannot get into college. If you don’t get into college, you won’t be able to get the degree that leads you to the career that you love. All of these seem like very logical statement, and chances are most people reading this were raised being told these very things by their parents and their teachers. There’s just one problem. The diploma simply isn’t as necessary or as valuable as it used to be, and neither is the college degree. In the future, students will feel less inclined to spend 4 years in high school learning the basics, plus another 4 years in college, especially when the first two years is simply covering the basics yet again. Today, a thirteen year old with an email address and access to the internet can sign up at Khan Academy and complete courses of study in a variety of academic disciplines, all for free. They can sign up for free classes designed and taught by professors at prestigious universities that are created and distributed using MOOC. In the time that it takes to finish high school, a student who is particularly motivated could have mastered multiple technologies; learned as much about history, business, mathematics, science, economy, etc. as a college graduate, and earned industry recognized certifications.
Does this mean that high school and college are becoming irrelevant? Absolutely not. There will always be students whose goals and educational needs are best met through a more traditional educational model. Just as there will be always be certain professions for which a more regulated and verifiable educational process is necessary, e.g., the medical fields. What it does mean is that schools will have to become more flexible and learn to accommodate the needs and goals of each student. This could be done by giving students more options when it comes to the educational path that they choose, creating cooperative educational programs with outside institutions, implementing flexible schedules, and allowing the option of distance learning. Many schools might consider offering alternative learning environments, not just for students with behavioral problems and other issues, but also for students with specific interests and areas of focus.

Conclusions About The Classroom Of The Future

Technology will certainly be a major factor in how education in the future differs from education today. However, it won’t be the only influence. Successful educators will realize that they need to rethink the entire model of education and redesign it so that it is more student-centered. This means adopting new technologies, but it also means giving up on archaic attitudes about what constitutes educational success and recognizing that educational competition is a reality.

Flip Your Classroom with iPad

Flip Teaching interfuses educational content demonstration through web presentations and engaging activities with students in class. It delivers knowledge to students with online presentations as well as home assignments and tasks. Teachers help students after they try to solve the problems themselves. Pedagogue can be attentive towards all the students individually and students can help each other thus making class time for hands-on work. Flipping the classroom also allows teachers to contribute more time to students’ individual needs and provide more tailored education. The implementation of iPad changed the traditional, old-fashioned teaching practice and can contribute enormously in a flipped classroom.

IPad can help student access subject knowledge in less time and deal with the problems arising in the classroom during a lecture. In a flipped classroom, no students can hide themselves and sit idly; they have to work with their fellows. The ability to characterize learning is being emphasized with introducing of iPad. In the flipped iPad classroom students learn the lessons at their best suitable time and location. With the paused-recording-setup, writing, typing, finding images, drawing diagrams, loading web pages comes on demand thus allowing students to focus during the face-to-face class. The students can discuss the problems and solve the issues amongst themselves in the online class forum; the feedbacks from the teachers and comments from classmates or parents are possible. For each discipline, it will be less about sitting-and-getting and more about learning by doing.

 

Before using iPad for flipped learning, some preliminary things you should carefully consider and get familiar with the techniques. It is crucial to provide engaging learning objects for students to consume at home in order to acquire content. You can either acquire high quality off-the-shelf content from Apple education Store, such as the science app “Focus on Plant” from TouchApp; or you can create your own teaching materials using flip teaching support tools. For example, iPad app “E-Lecture Producer“ can help you to recorder and publish voice-over PPT online. From a technical perspective, you should always grasp the basic before starting your iPad journey, understand how to ‘Transfer files from a computer to iPad’,  ‘Display or Mirror your iPad screen on an external projector’ and ‘Tablet security concerns and solutions in the classroom’ etc. General iPad tools are available to help you manage classroom, interact with students and improve education outcome.

 

Flipping is an erratic method for a teacher towards a more focused classroom but it is a great bridge between the teacher and learners with innovative ideas. Still in its early stages, flip teaching with iPad definitely requires time for its consolidated use in project-based learning, challenge-based learning and getting appreciation by a large community.