I am currently working on my plan for flexible learning and will post it up when it up in the next few days.

ACTIVITY 5:  Designing Strategies for Flexible Learning.

CONTENT

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

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

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

COMMUNICATION / INTERACTION

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

ASSESSMENT

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

ACTIVITY 4:  Define and describe this week’s concepts in your professional context.

Considerations for ensuring access to all learners.

• Knowing the extent of ability within my student group, their learning styles, building a strong rapport with them, working alongside.
• Encouraging peer to peer support.
• I also encourage and advocate strongly that my students form study groups, where they can support each other - it is much easier to work in a group than working in isolation.
• Tailor lessons to include activities that are practical and that students can take away and use as tools i.e. group work, self care plans (i.e. WRAP)
• Reading through their student applications thoroughly at the beginning of course so that I know who might have learning difficulties, a disability which could impact upon their studies, language barriers, distance students - this way I can set up the most respectful and appropriate way of supporting them to achieve their studies whilst on course.
• Empower students to know and understand their learning preferences abilities and also to be aware of where they might struggle.
• Repetition - talking about OP student services, IT, help within the school, no question is a silly question no matter how many times it is asked.

Mary Ellen Copeland's - WRAP Plan 

Factors of diversity will be examined. 

The big one here for me as an educator is that everyone learns and comprehends at a different pace. No 2 students are the same.


Being aware of where each individual is at is vital, in my case we are fortunate to have a Teaching Assistant present in all of our certificate classes, this role is to provide tutorial and class support and she is able to keep us up to date with those who are struggling.  She provides tutorial support and we work together to get on top of student learning difficulties.


For example our class this year in Cert in Human Services is extremely diverse, we have a strong cohort of reader/writers, students who have English as their second language, a student who can lapse into absent seizures, our youngest is 16 and our oldest is 50+, a student with deafness in one ear.


These all provide a wide scope to ensure that they have their needs met, it could be writing out what is expected study-wise outside of class, directing face-to-face teaching to the student who only has hearing in one ear, checking in with students who have language barriers and speaking clearly so they can understand.  Setting up tutorial support for students who are not confident about what they are doing assessment wise.


Encouraging students to use the moodle forums to ask questions (or answer them!).  My set office hours are also a way to meet with students to ensure they are on track.


If students are struggling referring them to student services or the learning centre.

Retrieved from:  http://finntrack.co.uk/edevelopment.htm

Your learners’ preferences and abilities will be discussed.

• Course Feedback from surveys
• Listening and jotting down students thoughts when they arise during class/tutorial sessions.
• Feeding back to students about what will be changed, this way they no we haven't just given them lip service.
• Using Bloom's Taxonomy when marking, giving clear concise feedback to ensure the student is aware of where they need to improve/receive help or where they are excelling.

Retrieved from: http://juliaec.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/blooms-taxonomy-encouraging-higher-cognitive-thinking-in-primary-school-classrooms/

Second Post to Activity Three

Annie Huntington

Lecturer

Certificate in Human Services

How do you incorporate flexible learning into your teaching?

Use of ICT (e.g. Moodle books) to provide structured packages of learning, which can be used with and by students in different ways. Students offered range of opportunities (in class and outside) to explore core and supplemental reading and tasks to inform completion of their assessments.

Who are your students? (i.e. Certs, BSS Y1,2 &3)

Certificate

How do you plan and set up the following for your courses

·         Time

As per timetable circulated by course manager.

·         Delivery

As agreed at course planning meetings.  

·         Logistics

Not quite sure what this means. Logistics (for me) have been around time required to develop on line resources. This includes developing content and skills associated with using technology (Moodle).

·         Entry Requirement

Course manager co-ordinates this.

·         Content

Appropriate to meet performance criteria as specified.

·         Instructional Approaches & Resources

Learning to learn embedded into course. Support to facilitate knowledge and skill development to support learner progress. 

ACTIVITY 3 - Here is the first reply 




Response from:  Judy Buckingham

                                 Senior Lecturer/Course Stream Coordinator BSS Year 2 

How do you incorporate flexible learning into your teaching?

I MAINLY DELIVER THROUGH MOODLE, I USE ExE LEARNING PACKAGES, DICSUSSION FORUM, WIKI DOCS, NEWS FORUM AND ADD ADDITIONAL READINGS AND COURSEBOOK TO MOOODLE

Who are your students? (i.e. Certs, BSS Y1, 2 & 3)

YEAR 2

How do you plan and set up the following for your courses

·         Time

WE HAVE FACE TO FACE TUTORIALS (WE FOUDNTHE ONLINE TUTS LAST YEAR DID NOT WORK, THE STDS DID NOT ENAGE AND THEIR WERE A LOT OF ABSENCES, STDS STRUGGLED WITH THE TECHNOLIOGY DESPITE SUPPORT AND TRAINING).  WE HAVE INTENSIVES WEEKS (WORKSHOPS) WHICH COVER NEW MATERIAL.  STDS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ONLINE DISCUSSION BUT THIS IS NOT FORMALLY ASSESSED.  I SPEND ABOUT 1.5 HOURS A WEEK ON MOODLE UPLOADING NEW MATERIAL, ERSPONDING TO STDS AND SUPPORTING GUEST LECTUERES.

·         Delivery

AS ABOVE, STDS SEEM TO LIKE THE FACE TO FACE APPROACH FOR TUTS AND INTENSIVE WEEKS, OVERALL THEY SEEM MORE SATIFISED WITH THIS APPROACH IN COMBINATION WITH THE ONLINE MATERIAL

·         Logistics

It’s great for me as it enables me to do more work from home, initially it is labor intensive a lot to prepare and set up in terms of getting all content online, but after the first year of teaching it, it become easier, I find I am often revising and reviewing the courses and making changes.  Sometimes making changes can by time consuming and I may favor adding rather than changing to accommodate the time.  When stds don’t come to class this puts them at a real disadvantage particularly when there are group projects, it means the monitoring of attendance has to be more vigilant and stds need to be followed up very early in the piece.

·         Entry Requirements

WE HAVE COURSES WITH PRE AND CO REQUISITES AS THE PROGRAMMME DOC STATES, STDS WILL COME TO THE Year 2 with experience of online delivery from year 1.

·         Content

ALL CONTENT IS AVAIABALE ONLINE, SO THIS MEANs THAT WE SPEND MOST OF CLASS TIME ON ‘DOING’ THE WORK, THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS, I PARTICULARY ENJOY THIS APPROACH AND OUR CLASSES ARE INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING AS WE DON’T HAVE TO go OVER CONTENT, JUST FOCUS ON WHAT THE CONTENT MEANS IN PRACTICE.  Stds have to be able to work independently and yet support each other with the content.  Stds need to be motivated and disciplined in order to read and understand the material, this is my preferred way of learning but I understand that some studs struggle to manage their time and aren’t as organized about setting time aside to work on content. I’m not sure how much the stds really do in terms of reading and learning the content, I have added this linking to their assessments to ensure that they are getting to grips with the content, and I will see how this work more this year than last year.

·         Instructional Approaches & Resources

I am still finding out what tolls work for me and the stds online, each year it gets easier as I become familiar with resources that work for me, it would make it a lot easier if I log onto to OP easily from home instead of having to go through Citrix, subsequently I keep a lot of material on my desktop which I worry about losing

Kia ora koutou,


As a way to ensure that I recieved feedback from my colleagues within the school, I sent out a bulk email asking for responses to the questions for Activity 3 this week, I am hoping to get a few replies, as it will be great to see what everyone is doing and how they process the topic of flexible learning.


Will post replies as soon as they start to come back!!

Activity Two (as I am not able to be present in class as I have teaching commitments)


Introduction


I teach predominantly on the Certificate in Human Services and we do not have exams or tests.  Our course is set up to provide a model of practice, tools for working with others and practical experience.


We institute a lot of group work into our course and our assessments are always reviewed to see if any changes need to be made.


We update our teaching material all the time to ensure it is current.  For example I was teaching a session on Culture, Values and Beliefs last Thursday and I discussed the impact of the Christchurch earthquakes on the culture of the people of Canterbury (this was a point in my Moodle Book), one of my students was very happy to see that I had incorporated current events (which we always do anyway), but it shows the students that we are not just re-hashing the same material year after year!


What does the term Flexible Learning mean to me?

• Being creative in the way we teach, knowing the learning styles of our students (i.e. VARK).
• Reviewing our assessments before, during and after each course/module, what worked well, what didn't.
• Understanding the abilities and strengths of your teaching staff and ensuring that they teach to their strengths and that they are also supported with weaker areas, so there is room to improve.
• Being culturally aware, knowing and respecting the way different students work and meeting there needs.
• Always utilize feedback from courses, staff meetings, team meetings and from managers as this will help with further development of teaching.
• Knowing when a teaching session isn't working well and adding in extra activities that will be applicable to the module.

 

Why is it necessary to use a more flexible approach in your work?

• To meet the different needs of students in the class (as well as those undertaking the course from a distance).
• To keep students interest levels up.
• Model practical activities, professional boundaries.
• To keep up with new technology, material, research that will keep the course/modules current and retain student interest.
• Setting self care strategies.
• Set task/work goals and maintain a balance of work life and personal life.

What do you need to explore to help this happen?

• Be a part of ongoing conversations within staff team, school to ensure that I am meeting targets, and that my teaching is of a high standard.
• Ongoing professional development, become involved in research, networking with industry (I currently do in my other role as Placement Coordinator), but this needs to be at a higher level.
• Set goals that apply directly to me teaching role in my IDP.

What goals do I have for using Flexible Learning in my work?

• Sitting in on other lecturers and taking note of different teaching styles.
• Thinking more creatively about each module I teach and adding in more challenging activities.

REFERENCE:

Collis, B. & Moonev, J. (2001). Flexible Learning in a Digital World. Open and Distance Learning Series. London: Kogan Page Ltd.