The flipped classroom has continued to enjoy momentum years after its introduction, speaking to its flexible nature, and to the need for a real change in thinking in how we think of time and space in education.
Technology has been, more than anything else, the catalyst for the flipped movement. With YouTube now nearly as ubiquitous as the television in many homes, access to video content is more seamless than ever.
Further, teachers have taken advantage of not just video channels but a collective video literacy to realize the potential of flipping the classroom. Students are comfortable viewing videos, and teachers are more and more able to quickly create, edit, and distribute video content (with apps like Explain Everything) with a variety of devices. (See here for 40 viewing comprehension strategies.)
Below is a list 54 flipped classrooms tools for teachers and students–both equally important because in a flipped classroom, both teachers and students are consistently interacting with technology, often independently and asynchronously. Let us know in the comments if there’s a great tool you think that needs added to the list.
Mostrar mensagens com a etiqueta Artigos sobre Educação. Mostrar todas as mensagens
Mostrar mensagens com a etiqueta Artigos sobre Educação. Mostrar todas as mensagens
terça-feira, 26 de julho de 2016
segunda-feira, 20 de junho de 2016
IS YOUR CLASSROOM FILLED WITH STUDENTS OR LEARNERS?
In a connected world with Wikipedia and Youtube, and technology that deletes more and more workplace roles every week, what should schools be focused on? Many teachers simply feel they do a better job that the internet at tailoring material to ensure students pass assessments. Teachers still prepare resources to read, watch and complete. Students are given or access these resources and work through them over a set period of time. They are then assessed and conclude that they have either acquired (temporarily) the skills and knowledge or not. What’s missing from this experience? – Learners! One analogy question I have for schools:
IS YOUR SCHOOL SERVING FISH ON A PLATE OR ISSUING FISHING RODS?
Learning-to-Fish-EduWells
What’s the difference between a learner and a student? A student goes through the motions of learning for the sake of school structures and assessment, whereas a learner knows the context of the experience, can measure their own progress and makes decisions on next steps. The next steps might include consulting with an expert, such as the teacher, but it’s a learner who drives the experience. Well, that’s what I do when I’m learning something these days and it’s certainly not what I did at school.
Like the vast majority of current school leavers, It was after school that I spent years having to learn how to learn and look after myself. The school day had never given me any significant reason to look after myself beyond abstract grades and thus the teachers operated on the basis I never would show any genuine interest. They issued everything I needed in bite-sized chunks hoping I’d re-enact it in the assessment. Learning is exciting, being a student sucks, and as Chuck Berry said in 1957 – “Soon as 3 o’clock rolls around, I finally lay my burden down.” I remember thinking exactly the same thing and know that most students still feel the same.
“LEARNING IS EXCITING, BEING A STUDENT SUCKS”
So what should schools be doing? Developing learners. If from an early age the expectation is that one will learn how to look after one’s own learning and this expectation remains consistent, teachers wont find they have to do all the ‘learning‘ preparation on behalf of the students as is happening today, even with university students. No matter how much teachers would like it, the standard factory model school (still the vast majority) is not designed to and thus should never expect to develop true independence. Any school’s successful students who seem more independently driven, will be so due to expectations for decision making and showing initiative during experiences outside the classroom somewhere – think scout leader, sports captain or orchestra member.
SCAFFOLDING HOW TO GO ABOUT LEARNING AND BE PRODUCTIVE IS WHAT TEACHERS SHOULD BE WORKING ON.
Making decisions about what, how and who to work with so as to produce and evaluate outcomes, should be the norm in any classroom at any age. Scaffolding how to go about learning and be productive is what teachers should be working on. We need faith that by placing “how to learn and be productive” at the heart of classroom thinking, the average student will gain experience in driving situations just like our best students receive outside the classroom. 2 Posters I use to continue the learning conversation are below.
IS YOUR SCHOOL SERVING FISH ON A PLATE OR ISSUING FISHING RODS?
Learning-to-Fish-EduWells
What’s the difference between a learner and a student? A student goes through the motions of learning for the sake of school structures and assessment, whereas a learner knows the context of the experience, can measure their own progress and makes decisions on next steps. The next steps might include consulting with an expert, such as the teacher, but it’s a learner who drives the experience. Well, that’s what I do when I’m learning something these days and it’s certainly not what I did at school.
Like the vast majority of current school leavers, It was after school that I spent years having to learn how to learn and look after myself. The school day had never given me any significant reason to look after myself beyond abstract grades and thus the teachers operated on the basis I never would show any genuine interest. They issued everything I needed in bite-sized chunks hoping I’d re-enact it in the assessment. Learning is exciting, being a student sucks, and as Chuck Berry said in 1957 – “Soon as 3 o’clock rolls around, I finally lay my burden down.” I remember thinking exactly the same thing and know that most students still feel the same.
“LEARNING IS EXCITING, BEING A STUDENT SUCKS”
So what should schools be doing? Developing learners. If from an early age the expectation is that one will learn how to look after one’s own learning and this expectation remains consistent, teachers wont find they have to do all the ‘learning‘ preparation on behalf of the students as is happening today, even with university students. No matter how much teachers would like it, the standard factory model school (still the vast majority) is not designed to and thus should never expect to develop true independence. Any school’s successful students who seem more independently driven, will be so due to expectations for decision making and showing initiative during experiences outside the classroom somewhere – think scout leader, sports captain or orchestra member.
SCAFFOLDING HOW TO GO ABOUT LEARNING AND BE PRODUCTIVE IS WHAT TEACHERS SHOULD BE WORKING ON.
Making decisions about what, how and who to work with so as to produce and evaluate outcomes, should be the norm in any classroom at any age. Scaffolding how to go about learning and be productive is what teachers should be working on. We need faith that by placing “how to learn and be productive” at the heart of classroom thinking, the average student will gain experience in driving situations just like our best students receive outside the classroom. 2 Posters I use to continue the learning conversation are below.
quinta-feira, 2 de junho de 2016
VideoJogos podem ter efeitos benéficos nas crianças
Os jogos de vídeo são recorrentemente associados a maus resultados escolares e ao desenvolvimento de alguma agressividade nas crianças.
Mas, ao contrário do que se pensa, até podem ter um resultado bastante benéfico no desenvolvimento dos jovens, segundo um estudo agora publicado.
Segundo um estudo recente, o uso de videojogos está associado a melhores resultados escolares e a menos problemas de relacionamento com os colegas.
Para este estudo, foram analisadas 3000 crianças, entre os seis e os onze anos, pertencentes ao projecto School Children Mental Health Europe, tendo sido analisada a quantidade de tempo gasta com jogos de vídeo e a saúde mental e as capacidades sociais e cognitivas de cada criança. Os resultados obtidos foram posteriormente publicados no journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
Para a obtenção dos resultados, foi pedido aos pais e os professores que avaliassem a saúde mental dos menores através de um questionário e foi pedido a cada criança que respondesse a algumas questões através de uma ferramenta interativa. Além destes factores, foram ainda analisados os desempenhos escolares de cada um dos participantes do estudo.
Depois de ajustados os dados, os investigadores concluíram que o uso de videojogos está associado a 1.75 vezes a probabilidade de uma função intelectual superior e 1.88 vezes a probabilidade de maior competência escolar.
Para os investigadores, os videojogos representam uma atividade de lazer normal de uma criança em idade escolar, tendo os resultados demonstrado que as crianças que jogam frequentemente têm maior coesão social com os colegas e maior integração na comunidade escolar.
Para finalizar, os investigadores avisam que, embora o uso de videojogos seja positivo, uma das principais componentes para o sucesso escolar continua a ser a responsabilidade dos pais em definir limites para o tempo que a criança passa em frente ao ecrã.
E os seus filhos, têm uma convivência saudável com os videojogos?
Mas, ao contrário do que se pensa, até podem ter um resultado bastante benéfico no desenvolvimento dos jovens, segundo um estudo agora publicado.
Segundo um estudo recente, o uso de videojogos está associado a melhores resultados escolares e a menos problemas de relacionamento com os colegas.
Para este estudo, foram analisadas 3000 crianças, entre os seis e os onze anos, pertencentes ao projecto School Children Mental Health Europe, tendo sido analisada a quantidade de tempo gasta com jogos de vídeo e a saúde mental e as capacidades sociais e cognitivas de cada criança. Os resultados obtidos foram posteriormente publicados no journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
Para a obtenção dos resultados, foi pedido aos pais e os professores que avaliassem a saúde mental dos menores através de um questionário e foi pedido a cada criança que respondesse a algumas questões através de uma ferramenta interativa. Além destes factores, foram ainda analisados os desempenhos escolares de cada um dos participantes do estudo.
Depois de ajustados os dados, os investigadores concluíram que o uso de videojogos está associado a 1.75 vezes a probabilidade de uma função intelectual superior e 1.88 vezes a probabilidade de maior competência escolar.
Para os investigadores, os videojogos representam uma atividade de lazer normal de uma criança em idade escolar, tendo os resultados demonstrado que as crianças que jogam frequentemente têm maior coesão social com os colegas e maior integração na comunidade escolar.
Para finalizar, os investigadores avisam que, embora o uso de videojogos seja positivo, uma das principais componentes para o sucesso escolar continua a ser a responsabilidade dos pais em definir limites para o tempo que a criança passa em frente ao ecrã.
E os seus filhos, têm uma convivência saudável com os videojogos?
segunda-feira, 23 de maio de 2016
quinta-feira, 14 de abril de 2016
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.
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.
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.
quinta-feira, 17 de março de 2016
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.
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.
How to Instill the Love of Reading
Philip Pullman said that "after nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world." Any person breathing knows this to be true. From telling stories around the fire, to the invention of the printing press, to binge-watching Netflix, our culture has always revolved around stories.
Stories Are Everywhere
It is through stories that we define our world and discover our place in it. Stories help us understand the world we live in, teach us about where we came from, and help us see possible futures. Stories are our education and our escape. They lull us to sleep and inspire us to action! Indeed, it is through the stories we tell each other that we literally create the world as a reflection of who we are.
I begin with this discussion of stories because it is important to understand that, whether they know it or not, every child is already halfway to being a book-lover. Every child already loves stories. Whether it's through movies, television, or video games, every child already has a preferred method of story intake. This is fine! Movies, television, and video games are not our enemies as educators. They are simply alternative methods of storytelling.
What we have to do is encourage each child to appreciate storytelling through the written word at least as much as they appreciate storytelling through visual mediums. Movies and television are wonderful, and I know because I've spent a little bit of my life making stories through those mediums! But it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach one's full potential without being able to read. To be literate is to be on the pathway to becoming a lifelong learner, and literacy is essential if we're to have educated individuals and a truly free society.
How Do We Inspire Our Kids to Love Reading?
1. Meet students in their comfort zone.
We have to show up where kids are hanging out, and bring them back to the written word. Reading Rainbow has always done this, first through the original TV series, and now by bringing children's books to the web and digital devices. But as teachers know, there are many other ways to meet kids where they are:
Talk to them about their favorite movies, TV shows, or video games. Find books that expand on those universes and characters that already have kids captivated.
Show them how dynamic visuals and written storytelling work together in comic books and graphic novels.
Have kids make their own comics or write their own fan-fiction, and share their work with their classmates.
2. Surround kids with good books.
When we give kids access to a rich library, we provide hundreds of opportunities every day for their eye to fall on an intriguing title, or for them to see another student choose a book and become engrossed in it. When we surround kids with books, we show them that reading is something that permeates life, something to do at any moment of the day. When we give kids a library and let them choose their own reading material, we provide opportunities for learning that are deeper, more pervasive, more personal, and most importantly, student driven.
3. Read books aloud.
The best thing that you can do to foster a child's love of reading is to read with him or her. Reading aloud is a low-pressure and foolproof way to engage the imagination through the written word. Once you have them well and truly hooked, leave copies of the book lying around the classroom and give them free reading time. How many students do you imagine will choose to pick up the book and finish it on their own?
4. Show students how much you love reading.
In my childhood, it was my mother, an avid reader, who was my first introduction to the joy of reading, but teachers are no less influential in the lives of their students. When I look back to my school days, I remember a few teachers whose passion for a subject inspired a similar passion in me. When teachers find ways to show students how important reading is in their own lives, it opens the door for reading to be important in their students' lives.
Only the Beginning
A love of stories is hardwired into every human being, and we have more media for receiving these stories than we've ever had in the course of human history. In video games, we get to guide a character through a story. In movies and television, we can see an entire lifetime play out in front of us in a few short hours. And in books, we can read about the complex emotions and motivations that wrestle beneath the surface of a stoic façade. Each medium has its unique appeal and limitations. When used together, we can inculcate in our students not only a love for storytelling in all of its forms, but give them a sense of how we as human beings have storytelling in our DNA.
But you don't have to take my word for it.
Stories Are Everywhere
It is through stories that we define our world and discover our place in it. Stories help us understand the world we live in, teach us about where we came from, and help us see possible futures. Stories are our education and our escape. They lull us to sleep and inspire us to action! Indeed, it is through the stories we tell each other that we literally create the world as a reflection of who we are.
I begin with this discussion of stories because it is important to understand that, whether they know it or not, every child is already halfway to being a book-lover. Every child already loves stories. Whether it's through movies, television, or video games, every child already has a preferred method of story intake. This is fine! Movies, television, and video games are not our enemies as educators. They are simply alternative methods of storytelling.
What we have to do is encourage each child to appreciate storytelling through the written word at least as much as they appreciate storytelling through visual mediums. Movies and television are wonderful, and I know because I've spent a little bit of my life making stories through those mediums! But it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach one's full potential without being able to read. To be literate is to be on the pathway to becoming a lifelong learner, and literacy is essential if we're to have educated individuals and a truly free society.
How Do We Inspire Our Kids to Love Reading?
1. Meet students in their comfort zone.
We have to show up where kids are hanging out, and bring them back to the written word. Reading Rainbow has always done this, first through the original TV series, and now by bringing children's books to the web and digital devices. But as teachers know, there are many other ways to meet kids where they are:
Talk to them about their favorite movies, TV shows, or video games. Find books that expand on those universes and characters that already have kids captivated.
Show them how dynamic visuals and written storytelling work together in comic books and graphic novels.
Have kids make their own comics or write their own fan-fiction, and share their work with their classmates.
2. Surround kids with good books.
When we give kids access to a rich library, we provide hundreds of opportunities every day for their eye to fall on an intriguing title, or for them to see another student choose a book and become engrossed in it. When we surround kids with books, we show them that reading is something that permeates life, something to do at any moment of the day. When we give kids a library and let them choose their own reading material, we provide opportunities for learning that are deeper, more pervasive, more personal, and most importantly, student driven.
3. Read books aloud.
The best thing that you can do to foster a child's love of reading is to read with him or her. Reading aloud is a low-pressure and foolproof way to engage the imagination through the written word. Once you have them well and truly hooked, leave copies of the book lying around the classroom and give them free reading time. How many students do you imagine will choose to pick up the book and finish it on their own?
4. Show students how much you love reading.
In my childhood, it was my mother, an avid reader, who was my first introduction to the joy of reading, but teachers are no less influential in the lives of their students. When I look back to my school days, I remember a few teachers whose passion for a subject inspired a similar passion in me. When teachers find ways to show students how important reading is in their own lives, it opens the door for reading to be important in their students' lives.
Only the Beginning
A love of stories is hardwired into every human being, and we have more media for receiving these stories than we've ever had in the course of human history. In video games, we get to guide a character through a story. In movies and television, we can see an entire lifetime play out in front of us in a few short hours. And in books, we can read about the complex emotions and motivations that wrestle beneath the surface of a stoic façade. Each medium has its unique appeal and limitations. When used together, we can inculcate in our students not only a love for storytelling in all of its forms, but give them a sense of how we as human beings have storytelling in our DNA.
But you don't have to take my word for it.
terça-feira, 15 de março de 2016
Is using technology for learning a good idea?
Monica Bulger takes a critical look at a recent OECD report about the benefits and drawbacks of using computers and technology to aid children’s learning. She concludes that talking to children about what they like to learn and how is the best way forward to support them. Monica leads the Enabling Connected Learning initiative at the Data & Society Research Institute specialising in children’s rights in digital and learning spaces.
As parents are equipping their homes with technology to support their children’s learning, new findings suggest this might actually be in vain. In a recent report, Students, computers and learning: Making the connection, the OECD finds that while moderate use of educational technologies relates to improved PISA scores, ‘students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.’ This finding is certainly counter to many reports of learning improvements with technologies. So with these conflicting findings, where might the truth lie?
As Sonia Livingstone found in her 2012 review of research on the benefits of ICTs in education, measuring learning is challenging given the varied expectations of ‘success’ in learning, the complex factors contributing to learning outcomes, and the expense of longitudinal studies. Likewise, the variety of learning technologies available and in use, combined with diverse pedagogies, lead to inconclusive findings.
Neil Selwyn challenges the often binary nature of educational technology research. Whether learning outcomes are improved with or without technology is the commonly asked question, but should it be? Technology is simply a tool, Selwyn argues, and factors such as pedagogical application, teacher engagement and the socio-cultural background of the student all influence the efficacy of any learning experience.
Technologists like Nicholas Negroponte promote the idea that in the hands of a child a laptop can transform their world. Perhaps it can, but unfortunately, these anecdotal claims have caused many to believe they can simply drop laptops into a classroom, add internet access, parachute a variety of devices into poor, rural areas, and magically, learning outcomes will improve. This myth of an easy technical fix has led to misspent resources in struggling school districts as well as large ones. As demonstrated in the US by the failure of iPads in the Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City School’s recent ending of their relationship with Pearson, evaluations of technology use must be paired with consideration of the broader ecosystem of support and training.
When the OECD seeks to explain learning scores with high or low use of technology, they are pursuing a limited view of how learning happens. Much of the interesting work around technology and education looks at the broader picture of how children’s everyday social and digital practices impact their education (see, for example, It’s Complicated, The Class, Leveling Up, The Digital Edge).
Questionable measures
In the OECD’s report, measures of computer use are based on unverified self-reports from school principals. Their responses are then ‘weighted so that they are proportionate to the number of 15-year-olds enrolled in the school.’ ICT use in schools was measured by ‘frequency of browsing the internet for school’, with analysis comparing ‘once a week or more’ as high frequency use. Thus, the measure of educational technology use is constructed from principal reports of whether internet browsing occurs once a week in their school, and is then applied to all students within that school, regardless of their actual experience, yet analysed against individual student performance on the PISA tests.
Better ways to measure educational technology use
Ask the children. As part of the demographic data collected by PISA tests, adding questions about use of technology in the classroom would be a stronger and more accurate measure. School administrators might feel pressured to report on ideal use or expected use rather than actual use, but asking an entire cohort of students about their use will likely result in more accurate averages. Further, given the number of classes and teachers at any given school, expecting principals to be aware of specific practices might be unreasonable.
Limiting the questions to frequency of internet browsing may not address the rich classroom practices of technology engagement. More interesting measures could be developed through classroom observation or focus group discussions with teachers, or a review of a growing and diverse body of research. Using multiple methods can address technology use from the teacher and student perspectives while also measuring academic performance Starting points might be how technologies are used for creating materials in classrooms, how they are used for learning science, maths, history or art, how they are used for communicating with peers, their local community, and beyond the classroom.
If truly aiming to measure the effects of potentially excessive classroom internet use on student learning outcomes, more precise measures (e.g., daily use) would be more effective.
Finally, any responsible analysis of 15-year-old students’ learning performance must take into account their lived experience. Plenty of evidence shows that household income level and parents’ education level are crucial predictors of a child’s academic performance. The OECD reports that economic, social and cultural status accounts for 12% of variation in performance on maths and reading scores across OECD countries. So instead of removing socioeconomics as a variable when evaluating the effects of educational technology use, it would be interesting to add it in, and see how the effects of technology on learning scores might shift when relative poverty is considered.
Parents can also think about these measures in the home, when working out what best supports their child. Talking to children about what they like and what they find challenging is a way to step beyond whether the technology is helping them learn, and opens up a broader range of possibilities for understanding and supporting their learning experience.
As parents are equipping their homes with technology to support their children’s learning, new findings suggest this might actually be in vain. In a recent report, Students, computers and learning: Making the connection, the OECD finds that while moderate use of educational technologies relates to improved PISA scores, ‘students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.’ This finding is certainly counter to many reports of learning improvements with technologies. So with these conflicting findings, where might the truth lie?
As Sonia Livingstone found in her 2012 review of research on the benefits of ICTs in education, measuring learning is challenging given the varied expectations of ‘success’ in learning, the complex factors contributing to learning outcomes, and the expense of longitudinal studies. Likewise, the variety of learning technologies available and in use, combined with diverse pedagogies, lead to inconclusive findings.
Neil Selwyn challenges the often binary nature of educational technology research. Whether learning outcomes are improved with or without technology is the commonly asked question, but should it be? Technology is simply a tool, Selwyn argues, and factors such as pedagogical application, teacher engagement and the socio-cultural background of the student all influence the efficacy of any learning experience.
Technologists like Nicholas Negroponte promote the idea that in the hands of a child a laptop can transform their world. Perhaps it can, but unfortunately, these anecdotal claims have caused many to believe they can simply drop laptops into a classroom, add internet access, parachute a variety of devices into poor, rural areas, and magically, learning outcomes will improve. This myth of an easy technical fix has led to misspent resources in struggling school districts as well as large ones. As demonstrated in the US by the failure of iPads in the Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City School’s recent ending of their relationship with Pearson, evaluations of technology use must be paired with consideration of the broader ecosystem of support and training.
When the OECD seeks to explain learning scores with high or low use of technology, they are pursuing a limited view of how learning happens. Much of the interesting work around technology and education looks at the broader picture of how children’s everyday social and digital practices impact their education (see, for example, It’s Complicated, The Class, Leveling Up, The Digital Edge).
Questionable measures
In the OECD’s report, measures of computer use are based on unverified self-reports from school principals. Their responses are then ‘weighted so that they are proportionate to the number of 15-year-olds enrolled in the school.’ ICT use in schools was measured by ‘frequency of browsing the internet for school’, with analysis comparing ‘once a week or more’ as high frequency use. Thus, the measure of educational technology use is constructed from principal reports of whether internet browsing occurs once a week in their school, and is then applied to all students within that school, regardless of their actual experience, yet analysed against individual student performance on the PISA tests.
Better ways to measure educational technology use
Ask the children. As part of the demographic data collected by PISA tests, adding questions about use of technology in the classroom would be a stronger and more accurate measure. School administrators might feel pressured to report on ideal use or expected use rather than actual use, but asking an entire cohort of students about their use will likely result in more accurate averages. Further, given the number of classes and teachers at any given school, expecting principals to be aware of specific practices might be unreasonable.
Limiting the questions to frequency of internet browsing may not address the rich classroom practices of technology engagement. More interesting measures could be developed through classroom observation or focus group discussions with teachers, or a review of a growing and diverse body of research. Using multiple methods can address technology use from the teacher and student perspectives while also measuring academic performance Starting points might be how technologies are used for creating materials in classrooms, how they are used for learning science, maths, history or art, how they are used for communicating with peers, their local community, and beyond the classroom.
If truly aiming to measure the effects of potentially excessive classroom internet use on student learning outcomes, more precise measures (e.g., daily use) would be more effective.
Finally, any responsible analysis of 15-year-old students’ learning performance must take into account their lived experience. Plenty of evidence shows that household income level and parents’ education level are crucial predictors of a child’s academic performance. The OECD reports that economic, social and cultural status accounts for 12% of variation in performance on maths and reading scores across OECD countries. So instead of removing socioeconomics as a variable when evaluating the effects of educational technology use, it would be interesting to add it in, and see how the effects of technology on learning scores might shift when relative poverty is considered.
Parents can also think about these measures in the home, when working out what best supports their child. Talking to children about what they like and what they find challenging is a way to step beyond whether the technology is helping them learn, and opens up a broader range of possibilities for understanding and supporting their learning experience.
segunda-feira, 14 de março de 2016
New approach needed to deliver on technology’s potential in schools
15/09/2015 - Schools have yet to take advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom to tackle the digital divide and give every student the skills they need in today’s connected world, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of digital skills.
“Students, Computers and Learning: Making The Connection” says that even countries which have invested heavily in information and communication technologies (ICT) for education have seen no noticeable improvement in their performances in PISA results for reading, mathematics or science.
Ensuring that every child reaches a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics will do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than solely expanding or subsidising access to high-tech devices and services, says the OECD.
In 2012, 96% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries reported having a computer at home, but only 72% reported using one at school. Overall, students who use computers moderately at school tend to have somewhat better learning outcomes than students who use computers rarely. But students who use computers very frequently at school do much worse, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.
“School systems need to find more effective ways to integrate | technology into teaching and learning to provide educators with learning environments that support 21st century pedagogies and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world,” said Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills. “Technology is the only way to dramatically expand access to knowledge. To deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change.”
The report found that the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students in digital reading was very similar to the differences in performance in the traditional PISA reading test, despite the vast majority of students using computers whatever their background. This suggests that to reduce inequalities in digital skills, countries need to improve equity in education first.
To assess their digital skills, the test required students in 31 countries and economies* to use a keyboard and mouse to navigate texts by using tools like hyperlinks, browser button or scrolling, in order to access information, as well as make a chart from data or use on-screen calculators.
Top performers were Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong-China, Japan, Canada and Shanghai-China. This reflects closely their performances in the 2012 print-reading test, suggesting that many of the skills essential for online navigation can also be taught and learned using standard, analogue reading techniques.
But the report reveals striking differences. Students in Korea and Singapore perform significantly better online than students in other countries with similar performance in print reading, as do students in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong-China, Japan and the United States. In contrast, students in Poland and Shanghai-China – both strong performers in print reading – do less well transferring their print-reading skills to an online environment.
* Participating countries and economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Chinese-Taipei, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hong Kong-China, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macao-China, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Shanghai-China, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
More information on the assessment and findings of this report is also available at: http://www.oecd.org/education/students-computers-and-learning-9789264239555-en.htm.
“Students, Computers and Learning: Making The Connection” says that even countries which have invested heavily in information and communication technologies (ICT) for education have seen no noticeable improvement in their performances in PISA results for reading, mathematics or science.
Ensuring that every child reaches a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics will do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than solely expanding or subsidising access to high-tech devices and services, says the OECD.
In 2012, 96% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries reported having a computer at home, but only 72% reported using one at school. Overall, students who use computers moderately at school tend to have somewhat better learning outcomes than students who use computers rarely. But students who use computers very frequently at school do much worse, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.
“School systems need to find more effective ways to integrate | technology into teaching and learning to provide educators with learning environments that support 21st century pedagogies and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world,” said Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills. “Technology is the only way to dramatically expand access to knowledge. To deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change.”
The report found that the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students in digital reading was very similar to the differences in performance in the traditional PISA reading test, despite the vast majority of students using computers whatever their background. This suggests that to reduce inequalities in digital skills, countries need to improve equity in education first.
To assess their digital skills, the test required students in 31 countries and economies* to use a keyboard and mouse to navigate texts by using tools like hyperlinks, browser button or scrolling, in order to access information, as well as make a chart from data or use on-screen calculators.
Top performers were Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong-China, Japan, Canada and Shanghai-China. This reflects closely their performances in the 2012 print-reading test, suggesting that many of the skills essential for online navigation can also be taught and learned using standard, analogue reading techniques.
But the report reveals striking differences. Students in Korea and Singapore perform significantly better online than students in other countries with similar performance in print reading, as do students in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong-China, Japan and the United States. In contrast, students in Poland and Shanghai-China – both strong performers in print reading – do less well transferring their print-reading skills to an online environment.
* Participating countries and economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Chinese-Taipei, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hong Kong-China, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macao-China, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Shanghai-China, Singapore, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
More information on the assessment and findings of this report is also available at: http://www.oecd.org/education/students-computers-and-learning-9789264239555-en.htm.
domingo, 21 de fevereiro de 2016
Portugal testa salas de aula do futuro
Setúbal já tem um espaço a funcionar há um ano e meio e serve de modelo a 24 salas em preparação. Esta é uma aposta do governo
Nesta sala de aula da Escola Secundária D. Manuel Martins, em Setúbal, as cores são garridas e os alunos podem sentar-se em puffs e são confrontados com perguntas a que devem responder em 45 minutos. O objetivo é que aprendam a matéria através da descoberta das respostas feitas com ajuda das pesquisas na internet. No fim, as conclusões são apresentadas à turma. E as intervenções do professor Carlos Cunha quase que ficam reduzidas a estas duas expressões: "Achas que esta definição responde à tua pergunta?" ou "o que interessa é isto, o resto é palha". O ambiente na primeira Sala de Aula do Futuro (SAF) portuguesa é elogiado pelos alunos e corresponde ao que os entusiastas pela mudança na forma de ensinar defendem.
"Não temos de estar sentados a olhar para uma pessoa a falar durante 45 minutos. Estamos à procura das coisas e aprendemos por nós", explica Tomás, um dos alunos do 8.º C da Secundária D. Manuel Martins. Ora é precisamente essa sensação de tédio que o professor Carlos Cunha quis combater quando decidiu importar no início do ano letivo 2014/2015 a SAF do original belga, produzido pela European Schoolnet. Aqui, o método para levar os alunos a aprender baseia-se na pesquisa de informação e apresentação de trabalhos em várias áreas, a partir de perguntas iniciais, e em que o papel central pertence aos jovens (ver P&R).
A primeira sala fora de Bruxelas é esta de Setúbal e Portugal está a preparar mais 24, reforçando a posição de país da União Europeia com mais salas deste tipo. Agora temos seis a funcionar -além de Setúbal, também existem na Escola básica 2/3 da Atouguia da Baleia e na Básica de Ferrel, as duas em Peniche , na secundária Rafael Bordado Pinheiro, nas Caldas da Rainha, no Colégio Monte Flor e outra na Universidade de Lisboa, que serve de laboratório e formação de professores - em segundo lugar está a Bélgica, com quatro.
De acordo com o Ministério da Educação (ME), estão a funcionar seis SAF em Portugal (todas em escolas públicas, à exceção do colégio privado e do Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa), e o objetivo é manter a aposta nestes espaços. "O ME apoia todas as iniciativas das Escolas que promovem a melhoria das aprendizagens e, em particular, as que visam o combate ao abandono escolar e promovam o sucesso escolar. No caso concreto dos ambientes educativos inovadores, o Ministério presta apoio técnico e científico às escolas que pretendam testar esta metodologia. O apoio passa pela referenciação destas escolas a outras escolas europeias com experiências semelhantes, por via da European Schoolnet", explica a equipa dirigida pelo ministro Tiago Brandão Rodrigues.
A introdução das "condições necessárias para a diversificação dos métodos de trabalho e de abordagem dos conteúdos curriculares" com vista ao sucesso educativo é uma das apostas deste governo - que refere nas Grandes Opções do Plano o apoio a projetos educativos diferenciados - e por isso Tiago Brandão Rodrigues deve marcar presença na inauguração da nova SAF em Alcanena, prevista para esta semana. Depois será inaugurado o espaço no Barreiro, reforçando a liderança de Portugal na rede de escolas com salas de aula do futuro.
Uma marca que começou com Carlos Cunha e a sua sala, em Setúbal, em setembro de 2014. Tudo porque o professor de Físico-Química entende que "o modelo convencional de ensino está esgotado" e que era preciso criar alternativas para promover o sucesso numa escola que tenta precisamente combater esse problema e o abandono escolar.
Se os alunos estão rendidos ao espaço do futuro, mais difícil é convencer os professores. "A metodologia de sala tradicional está esgotada. Há anos que se discute isso, mas não se faz nada porque mexe com a zona de conforto dos professores. Não sei se esta geração vai ser capaz de fazer essa mudança. Também não há incentivos para o fazer", aponta o professor e coordenador da SAF em Setúbal.
Ainda assim, o projeto tem vindo a crescer: "Começámos em setembro de 2014, mas foram precisos dois anos para ter a sala instalada. Desde então já recebemos mais de 600 alunos, de 300 professores e direções de mais de 30 escolas". É que esta sala colorida e dividida em cinco zonas de ensino - apresentar, investigar, criar, partilhar e desenvolver - serve para dar aulas, mas também formação de professores e é um showroom para os parceiros que ofereceram material e para outras escolas que queiram implementar o conceito.
Os estranhos que visitem esta sala deparam-se com um ambiente completamente diferente do imaginário de uma sala de aula. Aqui o professor desloca-se aos espaços onde os alunos estão a trabalhar. Ninguém é repreendido por se levantar do lugar ou consultar o telemóvel, mas todos têm que fazer o trabalho proposto dentro do tempo, sob pena de "tirar pontos à equipa". Os dois turnos da mesma turma competem entre si, por isso, quando o slide de Carlos e Liliana não aparece, um colega reclama: "Ena por causa de vocês vamos perder outra vez". O que não se confirmou porque o trabalho lá apareceu.
Esta semana - Carlos Cunha traz os seus alunos duas vezes por semana a esta sala, e espera que no futuro todas as turmas tenham esta sala no horário - o tema é o espaço e o som, recorrendo a imagens de um dos filmes da saga Star Wars para chegar à conclusão que "cientificamente o filme está errado". No final da descoberta sobre como se propaga o som, a turma fará um teste.
Carlos Cunha usa o trabalho na SAF para compensar as notas nos testes tradicionais. "Aqui eles têm um comportamento e uma atitude que nada tem a ver com a sala de aula. São interessados."
Como se percebe ao olhar para os dois grupos de cerca de 10 alunos concentrado em volta dos tablets. Não há conversas cruzadas nem perda de tempo porque têm apenas 45 minutos para apresentar as descobertas do dia.
Nesta sala de aula da Escola Secundária D. Manuel Martins, em Setúbal, as cores são garridas e os alunos podem sentar-se em puffs e são confrontados com perguntas a que devem responder em 45 minutos. O objetivo é que aprendam a matéria através da descoberta das respostas feitas com ajuda das pesquisas na internet. No fim, as conclusões são apresentadas à turma. E as intervenções do professor Carlos Cunha quase que ficam reduzidas a estas duas expressões: "Achas que esta definição responde à tua pergunta?" ou "o que interessa é isto, o resto é palha". O ambiente na primeira Sala de Aula do Futuro (SAF) portuguesa é elogiado pelos alunos e corresponde ao que os entusiastas pela mudança na forma de ensinar defendem.
"Não temos de estar sentados a olhar para uma pessoa a falar durante 45 minutos. Estamos à procura das coisas e aprendemos por nós", explica Tomás, um dos alunos do 8.º C da Secundária D. Manuel Martins. Ora é precisamente essa sensação de tédio que o professor Carlos Cunha quis combater quando decidiu importar no início do ano letivo 2014/2015 a SAF do original belga, produzido pela European Schoolnet. Aqui, o método para levar os alunos a aprender baseia-se na pesquisa de informação e apresentação de trabalhos em várias áreas, a partir de perguntas iniciais, e em que o papel central pertence aos jovens (ver P&R).
A primeira sala fora de Bruxelas é esta de Setúbal e Portugal está a preparar mais 24, reforçando a posição de país da União Europeia com mais salas deste tipo. Agora temos seis a funcionar -além de Setúbal, também existem na Escola básica 2/3 da Atouguia da Baleia e na Básica de Ferrel, as duas em Peniche , na secundária Rafael Bordado Pinheiro, nas Caldas da Rainha, no Colégio Monte Flor e outra na Universidade de Lisboa, que serve de laboratório e formação de professores - em segundo lugar está a Bélgica, com quatro.
De acordo com o Ministério da Educação (ME), estão a funcionar seis SAF em Portugal (todas em escolas públicas, à exceção do colégio privado e do Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa), e o objetivo é manter a aposta nestes espaços. "O ME apoia todas as iniciativas das Escolas que promovem a melhoria das aprendizagens e, em particular, as que visam o combate ao abandono escolar e promovam o sucesso escolar. No caso concreto dos ambientes educativos inovadores, o Ministério presta apoio técnico e científico às escolas que pretendam testar esta metodologia. O apoio passa pela referenciação destas escolas a outras escolas europeias com experiências semelhantes, por via da European Schoolnet", explica a equipa dirigida pelo ministro Tiago Brandão Rodrigues.
A introdução das "condições necessárias para a diversificação dos métodos de trabalho e de abordagem dos conteúdos curriculares" com vista ao sucesso educativo é uma das apostas deste governo - que refere nas Grandes Opções do Plano o apoio a projetos educativos diferenciados - e por isso Tiago Brandão Rodrigues deve marcar presença na inauguração da nova SAF em Alcanena, prevista para esta semana. Depois será inaugurado o espaço no Barreiro, reforçando a liderança de Portugal na rede de escolas com salas de aula do futuro.
Uma marca que começou com Carlos Cunha e a sua sala, em Setúbal, em setembro de 2014. Tudo porque o professor de Físico-Química entende que "o modelo convencional de ensino está esgotado" e que era preciso criar alternativas para promover o sucesso numa escola que tenta precisamente combater esse problema e o abandono escolar.
Se os alunos estão rendidos ao espaço do futuro, mais difícil é convencer os professores. "A metodologia de sala tradicional está esgotada. Há anos que se discute isso, mas não se faz nada porque mexe com a zona de conforto dos professores. Não sei se esta geração vai ser capaz de fazer essa mudança. Também não há incentivos para o fazer", aponta o professor e coordenador da SAF em Setúbal.
Ainda assim, o projeto tem vindo a crescer: "Começámos em setembro de 2014, mas foram precisos dois anos para ter a sala instalada. Desde então já recebemos mais de 600 alunos, de 300 professores e direções de mais de 30 escolas". É que esta sala colorida e dividida em cinco zonas de ensino - apresentar, investigar, criar, partilhar e desenvolver - serve para dar aulas, mas também formação de professores e é um showroom para os parceiros que ofereceram material e para outras escolas que queiram implementar o conceito.
Os estranhos que visitem esta sala deparam-se com um ambiente completamente diferente do imaginário de uma sala de aula. Aqui o professor desloca-se aos espaços onde os alunos estão a trabalhar. Ninguém é repreendido por se levantar do lugar ou consultar o telemóvel, mas todos têm que fazer o trabalho proposto dentro do tempo, sob pena de "tirar pontos à equipa". Os dois turnos da mesma turma competem entre si, por isso, quando o slide de Carlos e Liliana não aparece, um colega reclama: "Ena por causa de vocês vamos perder outra vez". O que não se confirmou porque o trabalho lá apareceu.
Esta semana - Carlos Cunha traz os seus alunos duas vezes por semana a esta sala, e espera que no futuro todas as turmas tenham esta sala no horário - o tema é o espaço e o som, recorrendo a imagens de um dos filmes da saga Star Wars para chegar à conclusão que "cientificamente o filme está errado". No final da descoberta sobre como se propaga o som, a turma fará um teste.
Carlos Cunha usa o trabalho na SAF para compensar as notas nos testes tradicionais. "Aqui eles têm um comportamento e uma atitude que nada tem a ver com a sala de aula. São interessados."
Como se percebe ao olhar para os dois grupos de cerca de 10 alunos concentrado em volta dos tablets. Não há conversas cruzadas nem perda de tempo porque têm apenas 45 minutos para apresentar as descobertas do dia.
terça-feira, 16 de fevereiro de 2016
sexta-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2015
Technology and the Future of Classroom Learning
Only thirty years ago, the future of classroom learning seemed pretty secure. Students sat in neat rows of desks. Or if the teacher was on the progressive side, they might have those desks arranged into table groups. No matter the desk arrangement, each student had a clear view of the chalkboard. That was the center of every classroom, because that was where the teacher most often dispensed information.
Students also had clear expectations about how, when and what they were learning at any given moment in their highly scheduled day.
School was a place to learn because that’s where the learning materials were. The teachers, administrators and textbooks were all within those scholarly walls. And occasionally, if the school was wealthy and cutting edge, one single computer was nestled into the back corner of the room. This was just the way things were, and how we expected them to always be.
But things have already started to change. Here are a few ways technology will affect the future of classroom learning:
Less Teachers, More Algorithms
The trend towards computerization has already started. All across the world there are “blended” classrooms, those which combine the best of human instruction with programs designed to track and monitor student progress. For instance, the teacher uses a computerized curriculum that constantly quizzes students on the material they have learned. Based on these assessments, students can either move on to the next lesson or must review with the teacher until they master the lesson.
In such a classroom, there will be less need for traditional lecture style teaching, and more need for teachers as facilitators, allowing for higher and higher student/teacher ratios.
Less Classrooms, More Chatrooms
One other unexpected change just on the horizon of classroom learning is the need for a classroom at all. There is already a virtual education movement being led by organizations such as K12 and Connections Academy, to move public education fully online. The teachers and students at these schools never meet face-to-face in a “bricks and mortar” classroom, but rather meet at prearranged times online, often utilizing conferencing applications such as Skype, Tinychat or Google Hangouts.
Champions of online learning state that the online platform offers incredible benefits to learners, including the ability to overcome demographic and geographic challenges. And just like the “blended” classroom setting mentioned previously, online learning environments are customized to individual learners.
Whether students physically congregate in the same building or only virtually congregate online, there will always be a need, as far as we can tell, for congregation of some kind. So in that sense, schools will not become a relic of the past any time in the near future.
Less Textbooks, More Web Pages
However, textbooks, have already become somewhat of a relic for some teachers, though printing itself has become a sustainable industry. The fact is, we live in the information age, and print just can’t keep up.
For instance, a few years ago, scientists announced that Pluto was no longer classified as a planet. In the print world, it will take ten years or more for that single fact to be updated in all the textbooks in circulation around the country. However, on sites like Wikipedia, that fact can be corrected in two minutes.
In the future, printed materials will be used for recreation and luxury items, but not as a primary way of distributing information.
Less Drills, More Games
Long gone will be the days of memorizing spelling and math facts, the act of which often encourages students not to think.
In future classrooms, students will be playing games instead of memorizing facts. The reason games are so beneficial to student learning is that they provide a safe place for students to make mistakes and receive immediate feedback.
In a good game, a player must make mistakes, learn, improve and then finally feel successful. If the game does not follow this pattern, it would either feel too easy, too hard, or just plain boring. Coincidentally, this mistake-feedback-success loop is an excellent way to motivate learners of all ages.
Information is King
So while we can’t predict whether students will be wearing computerized glasses and watches, or if they can print out their homework assignments on a 3D printer, we can predict some things about the future of learning.
Most certainly, there will be less emphasis on the dispensing information from teacher to student and more emphasis on how to find, sort, and use that information wisely.
Author bio:
Nick Rojas is freelance writer, Californian, traveler, loving Husband. Fan of Oxford Commas and cursive.
Students also had clear expectations about how, when and what they were learning at any given moment in their highly scheduled day.
School was a place to learn because that’s where the learning materials were. The teachers, administrators and textbooks were all within those scholarly walls. And occasionally, if the school was wealthy and cutting edge, one single computer was nestled into the back corner of the room. This was just the way things were, and how we expected them to always be.
But things have already started to change. Here are a few ways technology will affect the future of classroom learning:
Less Teachers, More Algorithms
The trend towards computerization has already started. All across the world there are “blended” classrooms, those which combine the best of human instruction with programs designed to track and monitor student progress. For instance, the teacher uses a computerized curriculum that constantly quizzes students on the material they have learned. Based on these assessments, students can either move on to the next lesson or must review with the teacher until they master the lesson.
In such a classroom, there will be less need for traditional lecture style teaching, and more need for teachers as facilitators, allowing for higher and higher student/teacher ratios.
Less Classrooms, More Chatrooms
One other unexpected change just on the horizon of classroom learning is the need for a classroom at all. There is already a virtual education movement being led by organizations such as K12 and Connections Academy, to move public education fully online. The teachers and students at these schools never meet face-to-face in a “bricks and mortar” classroom, but rather meet at prearranged times online, often utilizing conferencing applications such as Skype, Tinychat or Google Hangouts.
Champions of online learning state that the online platform offers incredible benefits to learners, including the ability to overcome demographic and geographic challenges. And just like the “blended” classroom setting mentioned previously, online learning environments are customized to individual learners.
Whether students physically congregate in the same building or only virtually congregate online, there will always be a need, as far as we can tell, for congregation of some kind. So in that sense, schools will not become a relic of the past any time in the near future.
Less Textbooks, More Web Pages
However, textbooks, have already become somewhat of a relic for some teachers, though printing itself has become a sustainable industry. The fact is, we live in the information age, and print just can’t keep up.
For instance, a few years ago, scientists announced that Pluto was no longer classified as a planet. In the print world, it will take ten years or more for that single fact to be updated in all the textbooks in circulation around the country. However, on sites like Wikipedia, that fact can be corrected in two minutes.
In the future, printed materials will be used for recreation and luxury items, but not as a primary way of distributing information.
Less Drills, More Games
Long gone will be the days of memorizing spelling and math facts, the act of which often encourages students not to think.
In future classrooms, students will be playing games instead of memorizing facts. The reason games are so beneficial to student learning is that they provide a safe place for students to make mistakes and receive immediate feedback.
In a good game, a player must make mistakes, learn, improve and then finally feel successful. If the game does not follow this pattern, it would either feel too easy, too hard, or just plain boring. Coincidentally, this mistake-feedback-success loop is an excellent way to motivate learners of all ages.
Information is King
So while we can’t predict whether students will be wearing computerized glasses and watches, or if they can print out their homework assignments on a 3D printer, we can predict some things about the future of learning.
Most certainly, there will be less emphasis on the dispensing information from teacher to student and more emphasis on how to find, sort, and use that information wisely.
Author bio:
Nick Rojas is freelance writer, Californian, traveler, loving Husband. Fan of Oxford Commas and cursive.
quinta-feira, 17 de dezembro de 2015
Aprender a ensinar implica pensar no que significa ser professor
O artigo “Formação de Professores: Questões Críticas e Desafios a Considerar”, de autoria da investigadora do CIEC Maria Assunção Flores, publicado no relatório Estado da Educação 2014 do Conselho Nacional de Educação, foi alvo de matéria publicada pelo site “EDUCARE”.
Formar futuros professores é um caminho com várias etapas. No nosso país, detetaram-se alguns problemas como a falta de tempo e de condições para o desenho e desenvolvimento de um projeto de intervenção e a irrelevância de alguns módulos na promoção de competências profissionais. Maria Assunção Flores destaca alguns pormenores deste processo.
A formação pode fazer a diferença na aprendizagem dos futuros professores e na melhoria do ensino e aprendizagem dos alunos. É um dos fatores decisivos para a melhoria da Educação, mas é preciso analisar diversos aspetos. “Se se pretende que a formação de professores faça a diferença, é necessário elaborar programas de formação de qualidade, desenvolver uma visão clara e explícita sobre o processo de aprendizagem do professor e perspetivas pedagógicas específicas e investir na qualidade dos formadores de professores”, sublinha Maria Assunção Flores, investigadora do Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança da Universidade do Minho, no artigo “Formação de Professores: Questões Críticas e Desafios a Considerar”, publicado no relatório Estado da Educação 2014 do Conselho Nacional de Educação. “Mas é também fundamental desenvolver competências de investigação, coordenar e articular, de forma explícita, as várias componentes do currículo, refletir e partilhar práticas pedagógicas, integrar o ensino e a investigação na prática e incluir a dimensão ética, cultural e política para que a formação de professores possa, de facto, ser encarada como um espaço de (trans)formação”, acrescenta.
Como aprender a ensinar? Aprender a ensinar implica aquisição de destrezas e de conhecimentos técnicos e desencadeia um processo pessoal, reflexivo e crítico sobre o que significa ser professor e sobre os valores e propósitos implícitos nas próprias ações e nas instituições em que se trabalha. “O sentido de identidade profissional constitui um elemento central no processo de tornar-se e de ser professor”, escreve a investigadora, que se tem debruçado intensamente sobre o assunto. Há então perguntas que têm de ser feitas. Que tipo de professor se pretende formar? Que professor se está a formar? Quais os conhecimentos e competências a valorizar? Como discutir o papel do professor numa sociedade em permanente mudança? Os professores devem ser executores ou agentes do currículo?
“Aprender a ensinar constitui um processo complexo e multifacetado que começa antes da entrada num curso de formação inicial de professores e é influenciado por um conjunto de variáveis, de perspetivas, de crenças e de práticas, por vezes conflituais, que marcam a transição de aluno a professor”, refere Maria Assunção Flores. Aprende-se observando, não basta apenas a aquisição de saberes sobre o ensino, e as oportunidades e experiências são importantes para se ser bom professor. “A formação de professores deve centrar-se não apenas no que os professores devem saber e ser capazes de fazer, mas também no modo como os professores, enquanto agentes de mudança, pensam e no modo como são capazes de transformar a sociedade”, refere.
Em Portugal, segundo dados recolhidos no âmbito da formação inicial de professores pós-Bolonha, detetaram-se alguns problemas neste processo como a falta de tempo e de condições para o desenho e desenvolvimento de um projeto de intervenção; uma insuficiente coordenação; alguns seminários ou módulos foram considerados irrelevantes na análise de contextos e desenvolvimento de competências profissionais; e notou-se ainda a inadequação de modalidades de avaliação nalguns seminários e módulos.
Criatividade e liderança
Analisar o tema implica também refletir sobre políticas de formação, programas e currículos, pedagogia da formação e ainda sobre o papel dos formadores de professores. “De um modo geral, no contexto europeu, a formação dos professores tem sido identificada como uma prioridade na medida em que aqueles são vistos como ‘atores decisivos no modo como os sistemas educativos evoluem’”. Há vários princípios que têm sido indicados para orientar a formação de professores porque aprender a ensinar envolve continuamente exigências conflituais e concorrentes, aprender a ensinar exige uma visão do conhecimento como disciplina em vez de uma disciplina criada, aprender a ensinar implica a existência de conexões significativas entre escolas, universidades e os futuros professores.
Há várias questões a considerar nesta equação: a qualidade do conhecimento dos professores, a reflexão crítica sobre situação da sala de aula e da escola, a capacidade para integrar o conhecimento e para lidar com a complexidade, a capacidade para se adaptar às necessidades individuais e coletivas dos alunos. Apesar de muitas variações nesta matéria, há competências consideradas centrais na formação de professores: conhecimento da disciplina a ensinar, conhecimento da pedagogia, integração da teoria e da prática, cooperação e colaboração, um sistema de autoavaliação, mobilidade, dinamismo, criatividade e liderança.
“Têm sido identificadas discrepâncias entre o que os alunos futuros professores aprendem nos seus cursos e a sua experiência prática nas escolas e a falta de articulação entre as várias componentes de formação, muitas vezes associada à separação histórica e curricular entre as disciplinas mais teóricas e as mais práticas e à desconexão entre o conhecimento teórico/propositivo e prático/procedimental, bem como às tensões entre a lógica profissional e académica na formação dos professores”, revela a investigadora.
A preocupação com a qualidade e a eficácia da formação de quem ensina aparece recorrentemente nos estudos sobre a matéria. Nos Estados Unidos, a tendência é para a prestação de contas numa lógica de evidência e a qualidade da formação “é avaliada através de indicadores de eficácia do trabalho dos novos professores, obtidos nos resultados de testes estandardizados dos seus alunos”. Na Finlândia, caso de sucesso nos resultados dos alunos em programas internacionais de avaliação, é diferente, sobressai a elevada qualidade da formação de quem ensina. O modelo finlandês é então lembrado. Neste país, os programas baseiam-se na evidência empírica e no desenvolvimento das competências metacognitivas dos futuros professores através da reflexão e raciocínio pedagógico.
Analisar e discutir a pedagogia
A articulação entre teoria e prática também surge quando se aborda a formação dos futuros professores e a investigação aparece como um elemento importante porque pode potenciar essa articulação, “não no sentido de uma conceção de professor como executor de teorias produzidas pela investigação académica, que desvaloriza as suas teorias pessoais e o papel da experiência na construção do profissionalismo docente, mas através de uma nova pedagogia da formação baseada em problemas e preocupações emergentes dos contextos reais, na reflexão sistemática dos professores sobre o seu pensamento e a sua ação, e na interação entre os professores e os formadores e supervisores no sentido da consciencialização e reconstrução da prática”.
Investigar a própria prática é fundamental. “Um modelo de formação orientado pela e para a investigação é essencial para o desenvolvimento do ensino e do conhecimento sobre o ensino através da pesquisa, incluindo a análise dos contextos de trabalho dos professores.” Dessa forma, os alunos futuros professores assumem-se como alunos mas também como investigadores, o que, refere a autora do artigo, “implica o desenvolvimento de competências investigativas e de uma postura crítica face ao ensino e aos contextos da sua realização”.
O estágio, a aprendizagem no local de trabalho, é visto como um elemento chave para “potenciar a coerência, relevância e eficácia da formação, embora não haja consenso quanto à sua duração, localização no currículo da formação, nem quanto à sua forma e conteúdo”. O estágio é, no entanto, reconhecido como a experiência mais relevante para quem quer ensinar. E os formadores têm de ter um papel interventivo enquanto formadores e investigadores da formação, investigar a sua própria prática, na linha do autoestudo. Ou seja, ensinar sobre o ensino através da criação de “espaços onde os alunos futuros professores e os formadores de professores possam analisar e discutir a pedagogia”.
Como aprender a ensinar? Aprender a ensinar implica aquisição de destrezas e de conhecimentos técnicos e desencadeia um processo pessoal, reflexivo e crítico sobre o que significa ser professor e sobre os valores e propósitos implícitos nas próprias ações e nas instituições em que se trabalha. “O sentido de identidade profissional constitui um elemento central no processo de tornar-se e de ser professor”, escreve a investigadora, que se tem debruçado intensamente sobre o assunto. Há então perguntas que têm de ser feitas. Que tipo de professor se pretende formar? Que professor se está a formar? Quais os conhecimentos e competências a valorizar? Como discutir o papel do professor numa sociedade em permanente mudança? Os professores devem ser executores ou agentes do currículo?
“Aprender a ensinar constitui um processo complexo e multifacetado que começa antes da entrada num curso de formação inicial de professores e é influenciado por um conjunto de variáveis, de perspetivas, de crenças e de práticas, por vezes conflituais, que marcam a transição de aluno a professor”, refere Maria Assunção Flores. Aprende-se observando, não basta apenas a aquisição de saberes sobre o ensino, e as oportunidades e experiências são importantes para se ser bom professor. “A formação de professores deve centrar-se não apenas no que os professores devem saber e ser capazes de fazer, mas também no modo como os professores, enquanto agentes de mudança, pensam e no modo como são capazes de transformar a sociedade”, refere.
Em Portugal, segundo dados recolhidos no âmbito da formação inicial de professores pós-Bolonha, detetaram-se alguns problemas neste processo como a falta de tempo e de condições para o desenho e desenvolvimento de um projeto de intervenção; uma insuficiente coordenação; alguns seminários ou módulos foram considerados irrelevantes na análise de contextos e desenvolvimento de competências profissionais; e notou-se ainda a inadequação de modalidades de avaliação nalguns seminários e módulos.
Criatividade e liderança
Analisar o tema implica também refletir sobre políticas de formação, programas e currículos, pedagogia da formação e ainda sobre o papel dos formadores de professores. “De um modo geral, no contexto europeu, a formação dos professores tem sido identificada como uma prioridade na medida em que aqueles são vistos como ‘atores decisivos no modo como os sistemas educativos evoluem’”. Há vários princípios que têm sido indicados para orientar a formação de professores porque aprender a ensinar envolve continuamente exigências conflituais e concorrentes, aprender a ensinar exige uma visão do conhecimento como disciplina em vez de uma disciplina criada, aprender a ensinar implica a existência de conexões significativas entre escolas, universidades e os futuros professores.
Há várias questões a considerar nesta equação: a qualidade do conhecimento dos professores, a reflexão crítica sobre situação da sala de aula e da escola, a capacidade para integrar o conhecimento e para lidar com a complexidade, a capacidade para se adaptar às necessidades individuais e coletivas dos alunos. Apesar de muitas variações nesta matéria, há competências consideradas centrais na formação de professores: conhecimento da disciplina a ensinar, conhecimento da pedagogia, integração da teoria e da prática, cooperação e colaboração, um sistema de autoavaliação, mobilidade, dinamismo, criatividade e liderança.
“Têm sido identificadas discrepâncias entre o que os alunos futuros professores aprendem nos seus cursos e a sua experiência prática nas escolas e a falta de articulação entre as várias componentes de formação, muitas vezes associada à separação histórica e curricular entre as disciplinas mais teóricas e as mais práticas e à desconexão entre o conhecimento teórico/propositivo e prático/procedimental, bem como às tensões entre a lógica profissional e académica na formação dos professores”, revela a investigadora.
A preocupação com a qualidade e a eficácia da formação de quem ensina aparece recorrentemente nos estudos sobre a matéria. Nos Estados Unidos, a tendência é para a prestação de contas numa lógica de evidência e a qualidade da formação “é avaliada através de indicadores de eficácia do trabalho dos novos professores, obtidos nos resultados de testes estandardizados dos seus alunos”. Na Finlândia, caso de sucesso nos resultados dos alunos em programas internacionais de avaliação, é diferente, sobressai a elevada qualidade da formação de quem ensina. O modelo finlandês é então lembrado. Neste país, os programas baseiam-se na evidência empírica e no desenvolvimento das competências metacognitivas dos futuros professores através da reflexão e raciocínio pedagógico.
Analisar e discutir a pedagogia
A articulação entre teoria e prática também surge quando se aborda a formação dos futuros professores e a investigação aparece como um elemento importante porque pode potenciar essa articulação, “não no sentido de uma conceção de professor como executor de teorias produzidas pela investigação académica, que desvaloriza as suas teorias pessoais e o papel da experiência na construção do profissionalismo docente, mas através de uma nova pedagogia da formação baseada em problemas e preocupações emergentes dos contextos reais, na reflexão sistemática dos professores sobre o seu pensamento e a sua ação, e na interação entre os professores e os formadores e supervisores no sentido da consciencialização e reconstrução da prática”.
Investigar a própria prática é fundamental. “Um modelo de formação orientado pela e para a investigação é essencial para o desenvolvimento do ensino e do conhecimento sobre o ensino através da pesquisa, incluindo a análise dos contextos de trabalho dos professores.” Dessa forma, os alunos futuros professores assumem-se como alunos mas também como investigadores, o que, refere a autora do artigo, “implica o desenvolvimento de competências investigativas e de uma postura crítica face ao ensino e aos contextos da sua realização”.
O estágio, a aprendizagem no local de trabalho, é visto como um elemento chave para “potenciar a coerência, relevância e eficácia da formação, embora não haja consenso quanto à sua duração, localização no currículo da formação, nem quanto à sua forma e conteúdo”. O estágio é, no entanto, reconhecido como a experiência mais relevante para quem quer ensinar. E os formadores têm de ter um papel interventivo enquanto formadores e investigadores da formação, investigar a sua própria prática, na linha do autoestudo. Ou seja, ensinar sobre o ensino através da criação de “espaços onde os alunos futuros professores e os formadores de professores possam analisar e discutir a pedagogia”.
terça-feira, 15 de dezembro de 2015
segunda-feira, 14 de dezembro de 2015
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