Reflective teaching
The
term reflective teaching becomes significant when teacher hear the question:
“In order to teach don’t you have to think about your teaching?” Not all
thinking about teaching constitutes reflective teaching. If a teacher never
questions the goal and the values that guide her/his work, the context in which
he or she teaches, or never examines his or her assumptions, then this
individual is not engaged in reflective teaching. This view is based on a
distinction between teaching that is reflective and teaching that is focused.
“The process of reflection for teachers begins when they
experience a difficulty, troublesome event, or experience that cannot be
immediately resolved. Reflection commences when one inquires in to his or
experience and relevant knowledge to find meaning in his or her beliefs. It has
the potential to enable teachers to direct their activities with foresight and
to plan according to ends-in –view.”
-John Dewey (1933)
Paula Zwozdiak-Myers
(2012) suggested nine dimensions of Reflective practice (Strategies to use in
practice):
1. Study your teaching for personal improvement (Reflect regularly)
2. Evaluate your teaching using research (Action Research)
3. Link theory with Practice (Use the literature)
4. Question your personal theories and beliefs (Critical
analysis)
5. Consider alternative perspectives and possibilities
(Learning conversations)
6. Tryout new strategies and ideas (Innovation)
7. Maximise the learning potential of students (Inclusive
practices)
8. Enhance the quality of your teaching (Effective practice)
9. Continue to improve your teaching (Professional learning)
Other general strategies:
·
Keep a teaching journal or diary
·
Collaborative journal writing- a group of
teachers keep and share diary entries during a prescribed period
·
Create and utilize self assessment forms
·
Videotape their work in the classroom.
·
Written reports on projects/ experience in the
classroom
·
Ask peers to review their work
·
Work with mentor
·
Read and utilise student assessments
ELECTRONIC CONTENT
(E-CONTENT)
Wide varieties of digital materials which are of educational significance are available online. Some of the quality materials which are available free of cost or with minimum restrictions can be used, re-used and modified by teachers and students for their teaching and learning. As textbooks are too expensive, the students are switching from textbooks to digital course materials. These materials provide both teachers and students a greater interactivity and social collaboration. One of the materials which can be designed and developed used, re-used and distributed is e-content.
E-content is becoming popular because of it’s flexibility of
time, place and pace of learning. E-content includes all kinds of content
created and delivered through various electronic media. E-content is available
in many subjects and almost all levels of education. It can be used by wide
variety learners with diverse needs, different backgrounds, and previous
experience and skill levels. It can be shared and transmitted easily and
promptly among unlimited number of users around the world. Teachers, students
and others get benefited by the use of well designed and developed e-content.
It is advantageous to the educational organizations to make their program
accessible to their teachers and students on campus, home and other community
learning or resource centers. It has a significant implications for open
and distance learning institutions.
Electronic content (e-content) which is also known as digital
content refers to the content or information delivered over network based
electronic devices or that is made available using computer network such as
internet. According to Oxford dictionary ‘e-content is the digital text and
images designed to display on web pages’. According to Saxena Anurag (2011)
‘E-content is basically a package that satisfies the conditions
like minimization of distance, cost effectiveness, user friendliness and
adaptability to local conditions’.
Well developed e-content can be delivered many times to
different learners. Individual course components i.e. units, lessons and media
elements such as graphics and animations can be re-used in different contexts.
Designing and
Development of E-content
The purpose of e-content development is to create an information
rich society. Everyone in the society is empowered to create, receive, share
and utilize information for their progress. Very well designed, developed and
validated e-content will provide access to high quality meaningful digital
content and serve as an effective virtual teacher.
E-content design, development and approach will depend upon the
nature of the content and the learners. It will also depend on the quality and
complexity the learning you wish to create. Various instructional design models
are available according to our requirements. Most of the models involve the
process of analyzing the learner needs and goals of the instructional material
development, development of a delivery system and content, pilot study of the
material developed, implementation, evaluating, refining the materials etc. In
designing and development of E-content we have to adopt one of the
instructional design models based on our requirements. Before understanding the
designing and development of e-content it is essential to understand the
meaning of instructional design.
‘Instructional
design is the practice of creating instructional experiences which
make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective and
appealing. The process broadly consists of determining the current status of
learner understanding, defining the end goal of the instructional material and creating
some ‘intervention’ to assist the transition. This systematic approach provides
a step by step process for the analysis of the learners’ needs, the design and
development of the material'.
Analysis: It is the first phase of this model meant
for examining the suitability of the e-content to be developed. It is related
to analyzing the learning needs, context, learner, task and content. Analyzing
the learning needs is identifying the needs from the perspective of different
learners, teachers, subject experts, practitioner, policy makers etc. Needs are
to be clearly stated.
Contextual analysis is
collecting data related to the context of learning such as learning
environment. Whether the e-content developed is for the individual or group,
formal or informal, facilitated or self-learning etc.
Learner analysis is
collecting data related to learners academic levels and attributes such as
skills, motivation, visual literacy, language competency, learning styles etc.
That is nothing but preparing the learner profile. It helps to know about the
learner.
Task analysis is
stating the purposes of developing the e-content. Deciding whether that is
developed for educating, training, creating awareness, developing skills etc.
Content analysis is
nothing but preparing a content outline. Good content comprehension is required
before designing and developing content. It includes verifying the content with
respect to cognitive appropriateness, factual accuracy, completeness etc. It
also includes classifying the content into facts, concepts, principles,
processes and procedures.
Design: It is concerned with defining the learning
objectives, structuring the content logically, specifying the instructional and
evaluation strategies, and preparing for visual and technical design.
Learning
objectives are to be defined in clear, realistic and
measurable terms. Learning objectives are the statements that describe what the
learner will be able to do at the end of the course or program. Learning
objectives should specify performance and communicate their purposes. Prepare a
detailed content outline in which content is thoroughly analyzed and logically
organized. Content is to be structured logically following simple to
complex, known to unknown, concrete to abstract, general to specific etc.
Instructional
strategies are to be stated clearly. Depending on the
learning style and nature of the content we have to decide the appropriate
instructional strategy. Appropriate media mix that is
combination of audio, video, graphics, animation; simulation etc is to be
decided.
Learner
evaluation strategies such as practice, computer marked or
tutor marked assessments, pretest, post-test, remedial tests etc are to be
specified. We have to decide about the formative and summative assessments.
Before developing the content for the selected course review the proposed
learning objectives. Make sure that content, assessment tests and exercises
match the objectives stated. Provide the information and knowledge required to
meet the learning objectives.
Development: It is related to the creation of story
board. Story board is nothing but scripting the entire course
content. The term ‘story board’ is taken from film production. In a movie it
indicates the visual representation of the various scenes. In e-content
development the story board describes step by step script of the final outcome
of the e-content i.e. story board is created to provide a blue print of the
course with each and every detail along with the content notes. The story board
is created based on the objectives and instructional strategies. Here the
developers create and assemble the content assets and learning objects. Programming
and integration of all media elements into a cohesive multimedia
package are the part of this phase.
Implement: In the implementation phase, materials
are distributed to learners. A comprehensive implementation strategy document
is developed. This document should cover the course curriculum, learning
outcomes, method of delivery in terms of hard ware and soft ware requirements
and testing procedures. Ensure that the web site is functional if the material
is on the web site.
Evaluation:This
phase measures the effectiveness and efficiency of the instruction. Evaluation
should actually occur throughout the entire instructional design process -
within phases, between phases, and after implementation. Evaluation may be
Formative or Summative. Formative Evaluation is ongoing during and between
phases. The purpose of this type of evaluation is to improve the instruction
before the final version is implemented. Summative Evaluation usually occurs
after the final version of instruction is implemented. This type of evaluation
assesses the overall effectiveness of the instruction.
Steps of E-Content Development
1.
Setting the goal
2.
Planning
selection
3.
Sequencing
4.
Research
the target audience
5.
Prepare
Script
6.
Story
board
7.
Drafting
8.
Revising
9.
Editing
10.
Publishing
11.
Evaluating
12.
Modification
Setting the goal
— Learning Objective(What the learner have to know)
— Instructional methods such as examples and practice to
help learning.
Planning selection
— It involves the complete design of the learning
solution. It helps to plan the E-content
preparation.
Ø Use of relevant software
Ø Required skills
Ø Creative and innovative interactions of subjects
Ø Mode of deliver of content (text, pictures, videos and
suitable animation)
Sequencing
A Shot is the smallest element of a film/video
programme. In which continuity of place
and time is preserved. It is taken by a camera held as a place over a short
period of time. A concept may consist of several shots. It is necessary to
connect the different concepts or sequences through audio and visual
transitions which is also called bridge
Research target audience
— We must know the audience and their skills.
Learning
strategy is designed on the basis of the nature of the target group. The main
aim of the learning process is the positive
changes to be brought about in the learner.
— The age level of the target group.
— Transmission of the cultural elements.
— The existing cognitive structure of the target group.
— The attention span of the student.
Prepare script & Story board
The script is
the starting point for a video production. It contains detailed plan of all
actions. A script for an educational video production confirms the range of
shots, visuals, spoken works or commentary, background music, special effect,
duration of each shot and remarks.
— Identify the objective and create ideas through brainstorming session with the producer, graphic artist and media expert
— Style of Presentation
— Details about shot, scenes, sequences
— Fill up the video script format complete with visual and spoken word.
Revise it to ensure to avoid repeated
communication
Drafting
— The script writer and teacher should set together and
discuss the objective of the programme, previous knowledge of the students,
methods to be used for the presentation
etc.
— After this the professional scriptwriter can write the
script which is again discussed by the
joint team(teacher, scrpit writer, produced, editor and expert persons) then
only the finalization takes place.
Revising
— Improve the content of the video production according
to the programme team to bring positive change to the production.
Editing
— Edit the shot into film during the post-production.
It concerns the
actual production of the e-content design. It helps the create the e-content by
mixing of texts, audios, video, animations, reference and with some programme
specifications like home, exit, next etc..
Publishing
— This phase explain how to install and how to use it.
It checks the product accuracy and quality maintenance.
Evaluation
This phase considers feedback from both learners and
instructors. After the feedback reactions, the e-content is designed again as a post production foe effective delivery
of e-content.
