What makes a great teacher?

I was recently asked to describe the qualities of the 'ideal' teacher. After putting together a list, it struck me that this is a useful exercise for anyone involved in teaching as it forces us to confront our underlying beliefs and assumptions about teaching.

Here's what I came up with, but it would be great to hear whether you agree and what other qualities you might add:

A great teacher...

• Is a great listener and observer

•  Makes learning enjoyable, interactive and fun

• Engages each and every student in a group

• Creates a safe environment in which students feel able to share their thoughts and engage in discussion

• Knows what each student needs to learn next to fully grasp a concept or technique

• Facilitates deep learning through questioning - doesn't 'tell' students things but helps them construct their own understanding

• Regularly varies the learning activities - keeps students focused on task and accommodates their diversity

• Makes regular diagnostic checks to ensure that all students are learning and provides constructive, not judgmental, feedback

• Is aware of their own underlying beliefs and assumptions and is mindful of the impact these may have on students

• Learns from students and is open to perspectives and points of view which may challenge their own

• Acknowledges, values and accommodates  each student's individual strengths and responds accordingly

• Is able to facilitate engaging discussion by harnessing the knowledge and wisdom of each student

Thanks to the AllBusiness and PeerNetBC blogs for shaping my thinking on this.

4 reasons to build an online undergraduate learning community

Why would you want to create an online learning community? Social media? Blogging? Pah, that's for the kids. What benefits to learning can be brought by chatting away at all hours of the night?

And yet, for the generation of students now entering university, social online interaction is as much a part of the fabric of their life as, well, their t-shirt. Social media is arguably the ultimate manifestation of social constructivist forms of learning as first proposed by Vygotsky (1978). If learning is a process of constructing understanding through discussion with others, then it's hard to deny that social media has increased learning opportunities exponentially. And whether tutors choose to explore these opportunities or not, students will continue to access information through social channels in order to enhance their learning.

So how does this relate to teaching and learning in Higher Education? This article sets out five reasons why building an online community of learners can be beneficial to your students.

1. Help students adjust to university life

click to enlarge

The transition from school to university can be a difficult journey, with some students experiencing a feeling of 'culture shock' (Oberg, 1960). The diversity of the student body suggests that the behaviour of students can be attributed to a broad range of psychological theories. Students will only get the most out of their university experience and become successful, independent learners - akin to what Maslow (1954) described as 'self-actualisation' - if their basic needs are met.

Building an online community around students' experience provides them with a supportive social structure, helping cultivate a sense of belonging in the crucial early stages of a course. This can be a key factor in improving retention, particularly for international students who are grappling with unfamiliar surroundings (Sovic, 2008), with the discussion in the community showing the student that they are not alone and share common concerns with their peers.

2. Increase peer-supported learning

An online community makes it possible for students to form friendships quickly, overcoming issues of shyness and confidence, and provides a forum where students can ask questions and share information outside of the classroom. The community space provides a forum in which students can answer each other's questions, thus reducing the amount of queries directed at the tutor.

Cultivating an online community around a course also enables students from all cohorts to interact. This can be useful for not only improving inter-year communication but also in providing opportunities for more experienced students to mentor newer students. 2nd and 3rd years are often happy to share their experiences with the new cohort, and this behaviour is consistent with the Communities of Practice model (Wenger, 1998) in which new members of a community gradually move towards the centre as they grow in confidence and experience.

3. Monitor engagement and quickly diagnose problems

 

An online community enables a tutor to monitor student engagement and identify students who might be having difficulty with their work. Although not all members of an online community will participate regularly in discussion, the tutor will be able to see whether students are logging in to read updates. If a student has not logged in for some time there is a risk that they are becoming disengaged from the course, and the tutor can then contact them to ask whether they are having difficulties.

Setting regular, fun tasks asking students to post examples of their work or an update about a given topic can be a useful means of stimulating engagement, particularly during university holidays. This printable leaflet contains ideas for community-building activities, and if you need more here are 50 Community Building Tips from online community expert Richard Millington.

4. Enhance student employability by developing digital literacy

Providing opportunities for students to develop transferable skills is a key aspect of any university degree. An online community enables students to develop a sense of professionalism and become accustomed to communicating effectively in an appropriate tone. Encouraging students to share examples of their work online obliges them to consider their target audience, from customers to employers, and develop their ability to present themselves in a professional manner. Encouraging students to engage in online discussion helps them develop critical thinking, writing, reflective and communication skills, and fosters an ability to seek out new information and ideas to share with their peers.

The vast majority of graduates will require an ability to use online communication tools in their chosen career. Building an online learning community creates opportunities for students to develop and sharpen skills that will form a key part of their future employability, helping them to function effectively in a range of online environments.


This excellent Slideshare from Stephen Downes provides further supporting evidence of the benefits of ways in which an online community can enhance students learning:

Building a Learning Community from Stephen Downes

 

References

Maslow, A. (1954) Motivation and personality. New York: Harper

Oberg, K. (1960) Culture shock: adjustment to new cultural environments. Practical Anthropology, 7, pp.177-82

Sovic, S. (2008) Coping with stress: the perspective of international students. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 6 (3). pp. 145-158. ISSN 1474-273X

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind and society: the development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press

Wenger, E. (1999) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 

Wenger, E. (2006) Communities of practice: a brief instroduction. Available at http://www.ewenger.com/theory/ 

Acknowledgements

Richard Millington's excellent Feverbee website is a constant source of inspiration and highly recommended for anyone interested in developing and managing online communities.

A truly slick Prezi, and some greate adivce for entrepreneurs

The Prezi below not only demonstrates how sophisticated online presentations can be, it also contains useful advice for those considering starting their own business:

Truly awesome: Daphne Koller explains Coursera

There has been much discussion in recent months about the impact of MOOCs and online courses on the traditional model of Higher Education. Coursera, an online platform where you can take a range of online courses for free, has caused much hand-wringing about the future of the university in an increasingly online world.

But this TED talk by Coursera founder Daphne Koller should go a long way to calming the fears of all those who truly believe that education can make the world a better place. For anyone working in Higher Education, this short video is well worth 20 minutes of your time:

e-Learning and Digital Cultures

This excellent blog post by David Hopkins provides a useful summary of the activity in the short #edcmooc currently being run by Coursera and the University of Edinburgh. David also draws attention to the near-future of education and technology and provides a useful critique of 'utopian / dystopian' discourse (Hand and Sandwell, 2002) and provides links to some interesting videos:

The changing role of the teaching in a personalised learning environment

Just came across this post which explores how the role of the tutor could change in response to an increasingly personalised system of online education:

http://www.teachthought.com/learning/6-possible-roles-for-teachers-in-a-personalized-learning-environment/

Given all the recent debates about MOOCs and their impact on HE it's interesting to consider if and how the age-old practice of teaching might change. Perhaps we will just return to a more Socratic method of personalised instruction?

Impact of MOOCs on Higher Education

An interesting discussion from the recent TIME conference on the future of Higher Education - this particular clip explores the impact of MOOCs on HE delivery:

Khan Academy and flipping the classroom

An interesting interview with Khan Academy founder, Salman Khan.

And some great examples of flipping the classroom using video.

Death of the lecture

A recent article in The Chronicle picked up on Harvard's recent financial splurge on new approaches to teaching. The motivation for the splurge was the growing that the traditional teaching method in Higher Education - the lecture - was failing to achieve its goals of "prodding students to make meaning from what they learn, to ask questions, extract knowledge, and apply it in a new context".

One would hope that Harvard has not just woken up to the scholarship of Teaching and Learning and its potential to enhance student learning. But the article does highlight the problem that tutors, usually highly qualified and with many years' experience, often lack the confidence to experiment with new approaches to classroom teaching. Add the use of new technologies into the mix and these tutors are even more likely to retreat to the safety of 'doing what they have always done'.

As a Learning Technologist I have always strived to focus on the pedagogy of e-Learning when recommending activities to tutors. Another article in the Chronicle illustrated that technology for technology's sake is unlikely to yield a better learning experience for students and while this approach may succeed, it is also just as likely to fail. The article spoke of a technophile tutor who after many years of extolling the virtues of new technologies to his colleagues is now focusing on what he believes to be even more important: the bond between tutor and student, and the need for the former to nurture the latter rather than talking down to them. Above all, the article highlighted the need for learning to be a participatory experience.

If tutors do decide to experiment with new participatory technologies there is a significant risk that their attempts will fail due to inexperience. And for those who have always simply 'given lectures' the idea of using new technologies to increase participation is often perceived as either irrelevant or terrifying. Providing tutors with practical templates that explain how this can be achieved through the use of technologies such as social media, video and interactive activities would therefore help give them the confidence to try new approaches to supporting their students. I've been searching for a while now and haven't found any such templates - if anybody has come across something similar please feel free to share. Otherwise I think I've found what I'm going to be doing for the next few months...

What would a disrupted education system look like?

Great presentation as ever from George Siemens considering the ways in which technology is disrupting education:

Edgex Disruption

View more PowerPoint from gsiemens

"Deliberate practice" - another way of "flipping the classroom"?

I came across an article suggesting that "deliberate practice" is a more effective way of teaching students than the traditional lecture. I've not heard of deliberate practice so I decided to investigate.

According to the article, the deliberate practice method involves the tutor providing students with a multiple-choice question on a given topic. The students then discuss the question in small groups before providing their answer electronically, presumably using a clicker tool or polling application. The tutor can then see their level of understanding about the topic; he answers the question by way of a short discussion before moving on to the next topic.

This sounds great, and it's certainly something I'm going to try myself, but isn't this similar to the concept of 'flipping the classroom' as suggested by Salman Khan in his seminal TED talk? Khan's method of using video to deliver core content as a means to free up the face-to-face time for more constructive discussion is a powerful new way to enhance student learning. The article on deliberate practice indicated that students exposed to this method of teaching did more than twice as well in a test than those in the traditional lecture setting. The phenomenal impact of the Khan Academy's approach to teaching also suggests that technology now provides a legitimate way to challenge the centuries-old method of teaching that is the lecture.

Educators such as George Siemens and Stephen Downes are also challenging Higher Education to with their concept of Massive Open Online Courses. With students able to access unlimited content online, universities are increasingly under pressure to justify the very nature of their existence. Maybe changing the dynamic of the traditional lecture using 'deliberate practice' or by 'flipping the classroom' will be enough to quell the unrest.

Let's hope that more research is conducted in this area.

Open Online Courses as New Educative Practice

A presentation by George Siemens, Feb 29th 2012

Open Online Courses as New Educative Practice

View more PowerPoint from gsiemens

Understanding Conceptualisation: The process you go through before you launch an online community

A useful checklist from Richard Millington describing the preparation involved in setting up and launching and online community:

http://www.feverbee.com/2012/02/conceptualization.html

Homework: To Flip? Or to Toss?

An interesting post exploring the practicalities of flipping a classroom:

http://beyond-school.org/2012/01/22/homework-to-flip-or-to-toss/

Guidelines for facilitating a successful online community

Great guidelines for building, facilitating and moderating a successful online community:

http://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=b48c9db4770dd18be6455be99&id=2198baceaa

Introduction to social networking - Harold Jarche

Another great post by Harold Jarche which gives a comprehensive introduction to social networking:

http://www.jarche.com/2010/06/introduction-to-social-networking/

The importance of seeding a community

It is often tempting to launch a community because you are ready to do so. But if the community is not ready then it is unlikely that it will continue to grow and foster engagement. This post by Richard Millington provides a clear reminder of the need to seed and grow a community before 'launching' it.

Launching a Community When You're Ready

How a flipped classroom actually works

The concept of 'flipping the classroom' is gaining popularity as a way for educators to deliver effective to learning to large groups of mixed ability. This article provides a good example of the flipped classroom model in action:

http://edudemic.com/2011/12/real-flipped-classroom/

This infographic from Knewton also provides a useful summary of the concept:


Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

A New Culture of Learning

An excellent presentation by Judy O-Connell that explores the changing nature of the Web and the ways in which these changes will impact on teaching and learning:

New culture of learning

View more presentations from Judy O'Connell

Many thanks to Jane Hart for bring attention to this presentation.

Support coaching and mentoring with Social Media

Support coaching and mentoring

An interesting blog post that suggests how mentoring can be achieved using social media tools. The article also suggests that offering 'reverse mentoring' - getting younger colleagues to mentor older ones - can also be a useful way to help the latter better understand new forms of online communication.