vThe University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education
/ EDUCATION 5850CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER
Spring 2016: January 6 – April 15
Online Delivery
Instructor: Dr. Janice Rahn Secretary: Margaret Beintema / Jean Mankee
Office: W814 Fine Arts Office: TH321 (West)
Phone: 403-329-2445(office) Phone: 403-329-2732 / 403-329-2260
403-327-8895 (home) Fax: 403-332-4400
Email:
Office Hours: Please feel free to call, email, post a message or question on Moodle for me, or if you would like to make an appointment to meet in person or skype.
The course will be administered through Moodle. All relevant resources will be provided there:
https://moodle.uleth.ca
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This online course focuses on the 21st century student in a context of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Educational issues will be examined through students’ perceptions and habits, learning theories, and technology’s role in teaching and learning.
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, it is expected that participants will be able to:
1: Increase their knowledge of students’ lives to inform 21st century thinking about curriculum instruction, and assessment.
2: Articulate developing views about 21st century learning and technology in the classroom and rethinking curriculum and assessment.
3: Apply students’ perceptions to decisions about teaching, learning, and assessment in individual contexts.
4: Demonstrate effective communication through proficient writing, online platforms (ie Moodle, Zoom and others as appropriate).
RESOURCES AND SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
The following resource is available from the University of Lethbridge Bookstore:
· Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching Digital Natives, Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Readings/resources will be posted on Moodle:
· Bell, Stephanie (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future, In The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
· Cardellichio, T & Field, W. (1997). Seven Strategies that Encourage Neural Branching, March, Educational Leadership.
· Khe Foon Hew & Brush, Thomas (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: current knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research, Association for Education Communication and Technology,
· Konni Koua, M. (2013). Why Grad Schools should require students to blog. Scientific American.
· Learning and Technology Policy Framework, 2013, The Building Alberta Plan, Alberta Government
· Mitchell, Fouleger, Wetzel, & Rathkey (2008). The Negotiated Project Approach: Project-Based Learning without Leaving the Standards Behind , Published online 2 December, Springer Science+Business Media.
· Ravitz, Hixson, English, & Mergendoller (2012). Using project based learning to teach 21st century skills: Findings from a statewide initiative. Paper presented at Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC. April 16.
· Steeves, V. (2001, 2005, 2013). Young Canadians in a Wired World, Phase I, II, and III (YCWW). Ottawa: Media Smarts. http://mediasmarts.ca/research-policy
· Weston, Mark E. & Bain, Alan. (2010). The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change. The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, Volume 9, Number 6, January, www.jtla.org.
· Wedlund, Tommy (2007). Project-Based Learning – Designing a Learning Cycle, presented at 2nd Workshop on Computer Science Education, IDA, Linkoping University.
See also the reference list accompanying this outline.
COURSE PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of learners in the 21st century. It will address:
· Students own perceptions and habits about learning, classrooms, and the role of technology in their lives.
· How students learn inside and outside classrooms through traditional and emerging learning theories.
· Project based learning and Technology’s role in education.
· Educational reform and how we teach and assess student learning.
Changing contexts and students’ lives in the 21st century challenge educators to rethink roles and curriculum structure in teaching and learning. Educational reforms have addressed the change and variability of students’ realities. “Adapting to this new context of change, variability, and uncertainty is the biggest challenge we are now facing – as educators and as people” (Prensky, 2012, p. 1). The work in this course will engage participants in reading, writing, and debating the role of the student and teacher in curriculum, instruction and assessment.
EVALUATION
A. Educator Virtual Seminar – blogging designed to promote reflection, self-awareness,
and critical reading, and engagement in public and academic discourse. 50%
· Write five one page (up to 500) word entries (10 marks each) Synthesize the main ideas from several related readings, clarifying pros and cons of a topic in conjunction with one’s own professional context, experiences, and readings.
Background and Purpose: This assignment assures that you closely read the required texts, gives you practice in writing academic summaries, and how to integrate your own voice from personal experience. This means that you do not write from ungrounded opinions, but organize your thoughts in levels from concrete references to abstract generalizations, informed by your synthesis of the readings. I encourage a critique of the readings to create a debate in your responses to each other. Blogging these summaries is a worthwhile tool for discussion and inquiry. By providing a platform that promotes involvement, educators can learn to inform their practice, and public and academic discourse. Researchers identify factors that inform effective use of blogging in graduate work as: providing writing practice, receiving timely feedback through comments and replies, providing opportunities to read and write across disciplines, and developing incentive for considering a variety of viewpoints. See http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/2013/04/12/why-grad-schools-should-require-students-to-blog/
Procedure:
1. I will create six forums on Moodle. Your first entry (not for marks-but for participation) will be an introductory piece in which you tell us a bit about yourself, your teaching context, your hopes regarding this course-after reading the course outline. This should be posted no later than Saturday, January 9 at midnight. This allows you time on Sunday to read each other’s posts.
2. Write and post five times (in addition to the first entry) to summarize readings listed on the course schedule. Also integrate your ideas and experiences into your summary.
3. Write your thoughts in response to at least two other posts for each forum. Try to choose students who have no response yet. (Do not feel limited by this. This parameter is to ensure that you participate a minimum amount).
4. Your last blog entry will ask you to critically reflect on the process of engaging in this type of public discourse as a way to explore course content. This is also a self evaluation of what you have learned through the summaries and online discussions.
DUE: Please post blog entries by January 16, January 30, February 13, March 5, April 9, 2016
B. Listening to Student voices through Interviews 25%
· Interview or survey one or more students, transcribe the interview, and analyze the results in order to discuss how student perceptions can be used to inform an aspect of curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment in your professional context
Background and Purpose:
Informal interviews/conferences and surveys not only provide data for teachers and administrators to inform decisions about curriculum and assessment, but also provide the opportunity for students to reflect in a variety of contexts, on their learning to gain self awareness and ownership over the process. For instance, questions such as: What did I learn? What do I do when I don’t understand what I am reading? How did our group work today? What did I contribute? How did I solve a problem?
This assignment asks participants to think about an area of curriculum and assessment that involves gathering students’ perceptions through: observational data (formal and informal), conferences and/or interviews, surveys/questionnaires or anecdotal records in order to analyze and discuss those perceptions and apply them to teaching, learning, and assessment.
Interviewing case studies and participant observation is a common educational research method. In my book Painting Without Permission, I interviewed graffiti writers about their motivation, and ways of learning, to understand peer influence and to theorize curriculum outside of institutions, not to normalize but to inform curriculum within schools. Interviews will allow you to consider questions relevant to the contemporary context of students, both inside and outside of schools. Readings can inform themes that come from the data gathered through conversations, interviews, and observations with students. For example, I used Bruffee’s definition of collaborative learning to structure thematic headings to analyze how hip hop writers formed a learning community. (Bruffee, K.A. (1995). Collaborative learning: High education interdependence, and the authority of knowledge, John Hopkins University Press).
Procedure:
1. Identify an area of interest where gathering student perceptions will help to inform curriculum and assessment. For example, I followed a belief and a curiosity to understand intrinsic motivation to learn in the arts.
2. Engage in a literature search to find out if students’ perceptions have already been researched in regards to your area. It helps to inform your questions and for you to build on prior research.
3. Next, decide on student participants to be interviewed or to take a survey/questionnaire in order to hear student voices about your area of study. Share your survey/questionnaire with a colleague and the instructor for feedback.
4. Gather your data.
5. Look for themes to organize and to analyze your data.
6. Present your findings in a 5-6 page paper to be shared with the instructor and your peers.
DUE: Share draft paper with at least one other student by March 1, 2016 for peer feedback. Guidelines will be provided. Hand in final paper on March 15 (please append peer feedback).
· 5% - for providing peer feedback
· 20% - for paper (rubric will be provided)
C. Design a project to engage the 21st century learner. 20%
Background and Purpose
Procedure
1. Summarize/Describe in three sentences the approach you are taking.
2. Give a rationale to expand your thought processes (at least one page double spaced), answering why you chose this approach. A rationale is not a summary, but a defense of your choices. Include references to readings to show that you can put theory into practice.
3. In no more than two pages, summarize the project. Read my chapter about Video Sketchbook, especially he introduction and one lesson, as an example.
How would you structure it? What are your parameters? What resources would you include? Be sure to consider visual literacy since the 21st Cen learners are becoming increasingly visual. Involve technology in some meaningful way. How are you teaching content in relation to skills? What questions do you ask to engage students in a critique process?
Background and Purpose:
This course is about evolution and change in curriculum and assessment due to radical changes in the social context of students. Institutions are slow to change and will swing from one ideology to another if theories are imposed on teachers from above. Change can only occur if teachers know the needs of their students and know how to synthesize a theoretical understanding into effective practice.
DUE: Upload project to Moodle on or before April 4, 2016
4. Synchronous Student Lounge Conversations 5%
· Designed to allow the instructor and participants to communicate informally in an online learning environment.
· Participate in both synchronous conversations regarding the course content, procedures, expectations, and anything you want to discuss in an electronic face-to-face forum.
Background and Purpose: When using an entirely online delivery, it is important to provide opportunities for students and the instructor to engage in informal methods of communication in order to maintain a sense of community in the learning process.
Procedure:
1. I will send you an attachment called Zoom, which will guide you through a set of instructions to follow that will let you download this application and join our synchronous student lounge conversations. This is a free application that you can use on your laptop, iPad, or iPhone.
2. The 10-digit number is the Meeting ID number you need.
3. Click on the URL. Type in your first name to “join a meeting”.
Click on “join on computer” and “join on audio”.
4. We will have two of these conversations throughout the semester.
DUE: The first conversation will be on January 27, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.
My suggested time for the second conversation will be on February 24, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. Please give me feedback whether you prefer a different time or date this week.
GRADES
The Faculty of Education has a standardized grading schedule for graduate courses. This schedule will be used for determining final grades for graduate students in this course.
Numeric Value / Letter Grade / Grade Point97 – 100 / A+ / 4.00
93 – 96 / A / 4.00
90 – 92 / A- / 3.70
87 – 89 / B+ / 3.30
83 – 86 / B / 3.00
80 – 82 / B- / 2.70
Note: Any course with a grade of less than B-
cannot be considered for credit in the M.Ed. program.
77 – 79 / C+ / 2.30
73 – 76 / C / 2.00
70 – 72 / C- / 1.70
67 – 69 / D+ / 1.30
63 – 66 / D / 1.00
<63 / F / 0.00
COURSE SCHEDULE: January 5 -April 15, 2015
Dates / Topic / Readings / Assignments /Jan. 5-9 / Introduction / Why Grad Schools Should Require Students to Blog (on Moodle) / Introduce yourself, read course outline, access readings
Online Seminar-introduction
(Jan.10 deadline)
Jan. 11-15 / Interview
Integrating voices in research and teaching / · Rahn Hip hop graffiti
· Prensky, Introduction, Chapter one, Partnering / Work on Student Interview/Voices assignment
(1) Moodle Forum (Jan. 16)
Jan. 18-22 / Boredom
Engaged Learning / · The Negotiated Project Approach
· Prensky: Planning
Jan. 25-29 / Are Learners today different? / · Prensky: Think People and Passions
· Always be Real (Not just relevant) / (2) Moodle Seminar (Jan. 30)
Zoom live discussion Jan 27 4 pm
Feb. 1-5 / Technology Habits / · Prensky: Using technology in Partnering
· Young Canadians in a Wired World (mediasmarts website)
Feb. 9-13 / Curriculum Challenges / · Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning
· Project-Based Learning – Designing a Learning Cycle / (3) Moodle Forum (Feb. 13)
Feb. 15-19 / Reading Week
Feb. 22-26 / Designing relevant Project- Based curriculum / Rahn: Theatrical Tableau Project-Based learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the future / Zoom live discussion Feb 26 1:00pm Be prepared to share student voice assignment in live discussion
Feb 29.- March 5 / Educational Technology
Alberta Government / · Learning and Technology Policy Framework.
· ICT – The hopes and the Reality / Share a draft of your Student Interview paper with another colleague from the course for feedback- (March 2)
(4) Virtual Seminar (March 5)
Mar. 7-11 / Critiquing Technology Infrastructure / · The End of Techno-Critique: The naked truth about 1:1 laptop Initiatives and educational change / Hand in final Student Interviews paper together with the peer feedback you received (March 15)
Mar. 14-17 / Curriculum design of projects / · Video sketchbook / Work on project
Mar. 21-Mar 24 / Creativity
Technology Habits / · Prensky: Chapt 8.Let your students Create
· Chapt.9 Continuous Improvement through practice and sharing / Hand in project (April 4)
Apr 4-11 / Assessment of course and self evaluation / · Prensky: chapt.10
· Seven Strategies that encourage Neural Branching / (5) Moodle Forum(April 11)
Thankyou to Robin Bright for the use of her 5850 syllabus, 2015.