Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:4571] Re: [deanz-discuss] critical thinking
From: Kinshuk (Kinshuk@massey.ac.nz)
Date: Sun 16 Mar 2003 - 22:42:12 MET
From: "Kinshuk" <Kinshuk@massey.ac.nz> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:4571] Re: [deanz-discuss] critical thinking Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 09:42:12 +1200
From: DCandPC@netaccess.co.nz
To: deanz-discuss@massey.ac.nz
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 07:31:40 +1200
Subject: Re: [deanz-discuss] critical thinking
This is the only post I think I will have time to read today. Domestic and work activity
have converged at this time.
>From Eric:
> That is indeed interesting.I think the key to online teaching is
> getting beyond just conveying information.
Agreed. The key to ALL teaching IMO
> Instead there should be :
> (1) little assignments to accomplish,
This is one point I'd like to reflect on.
I am thinking of two courses, both in full swing new. Both 20 week courses with
assignments due in the last part for summative assessment.
Course X: five 'milestones' only. Several small activities per milestone, none of them
assessed, but are formative and required.
Course Y: weekly milestones, something due every week.
Result:
Course X: greater flexibility. more relaxed lecturers.
Course Y: deadlines every week putting loads on both the lecturer and the students
that I think are NOT needed for the course objectives to be achieved.
Eric: we use smaller tasks that are required but not assessed. For purely pragmatic
reasons: flexiblility of students time and lecturer workload. Is this pedagogically
justified?
I'm interested in this aspect: I have designed course Y for often pragmatic goals but I
hope still pedagogically justified.
> (2) material to read online and use related to tasks,
BUT: not LOTS of online reading. All my students do is print it out. !! I like the idea
of a book of readings. But I also like the idea of hypertext as well!!
I like the stuff small and concise and very accessible from the task description
> (3) online mini tasks with feedback and
Agreed. But also the online tasks include lots of public posting and public
feedback/response from other students, small group work etc.
> (4) additional resources and enrichment to extend the knowledge.
Agreed.
> (5) material that be be explored in many ways (not doing material
> already known) while going further into areas not know.
Agreed. Not trivial to achieve. I've been quite taken by Vygotsky "Zone of Proximal
development" as a concept. (Horrible Name!!)
ie trying to pitch the learning just outside what a person is able to do unaided - but
with support (me, others, material from various places) students can acahieve . . .
(6) sending
> teacher feedback and asking specific questions to the teacher
I can think of three kinds of feedback:
a) public and general. "Task 4: great progress in all posts. Note this feature: ...
Some of you need to be clear about ...
b) public and specific feedback tied to a particular post.
c) private feedback to an individual.
As an aside: I avoid the 'Well done" message. I have written an opinion piece on this
somewhere. It can be counter productive IMO in face-face classes, I had seen some
research that teen males don't respond well. Hmm. My brain cannot generate any
more on this, so take it with a grain of salt.
Questions.
I encourage questions to be posed publically, and at times I will say: "I reckon you
guys can answer this question for Joe" :-) Sometimes questions are posted and
answered before I have next logged in?????
> I will keep thinking to add to this listing. anymore by others?
I am sure I have some more to add, I may do so later.
>
> Dr.Eric Flescher
-Derek
[The first milestone due today for my web sites course. Only three have not met it, all
with apolologies. Quite pleased about this. Better than ever before. :-)]
Apologies for the sometimes vagye and uncelar nature of this post. Thinking hard as
I write sometimes needs a little more time to percolate.
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