Week 4 Forum

[Pat Brennan]

This week I would invite you to try out one of the Learning Organisers with a technology or technologies of your choice and see how you get on and you might share how you it went on this forum as a reply to this post.

[Chloe McLaughlin]

Week 4 – Collaboration

This week in my Customer Service module, my class of 8 students are completing their Team Participation assignment, where they have a budget for their office and need to come up with different ways to spend the budget. The learning outcome is that they work collaboratively as part of a team with a common goal and upon completion of the activity, they must provide a reflection of their role within the team and outline the effectiveness of their contributions.

I set up a Padlet and each student shared their idea of how they thought the budget should be spent. This got discussions going on articulating and challenging ideas. The students decided on their own roles and responsibilities – who the employees would be, the chairperson, secretary etc.

Individually, each student researched products and prices, then in their team meeting, they shared their findings with their team members on Google Meet.

The students showed accountability at an individual level and group level – they were each responsible for their own research and then actively listening to others and providing feedback to them to come to a conclusion as to what they should purchase.

The student assessment criteria was how effective they were in working as part of a team and their own individual personal reflection.

[Michael Hallissy]

Seems these materials were very timely Chloe this week.  One thing to consider going forward with Collaborative Activities is to consider how you organise the tasks so that the students have shared responsibility.  How might their individual tasks interlink, so that each person’s contribution is needed for the final product.

This is not always possible, but it can help them to see how important each person on the team is.  Key thing is how did this activity go for you and the learners and we will chat about that later.

[Connie Mc Granaghan]

 

The next module I will be doing with my childcare group will be Teamworking, this will be around Easter so therefore I will have to set out what I plan to do with you, rather than report on how it went trying it out this week.

 

Part of this module involves the learners carrying out a skills demonstration where they must work as part of a team in order to carry out a specific goal.  The learners will study Belbin’s Team Role Theory, and this should help them gain a greater understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and assist them in choosing their roles within the team, this will have to be carried out through google meet now as opposed to in the classroom,

The skills demo involves submitting a project proposal and carrying out a small research project which will be presented to the other learners in the class at the end of the designated time.

This in the past has been a tricky enough module to complete in the classroom, due to some team members being more/less enthusiastic than others.  Other problems have also arisen in the past some of which were mentioned in this week’s material focussing on collaboration

Progress meetings must take place as part of this demonstration and have in the past taken place in the classroom.  It can be difficult to gauge team members’ level of collaboration at these meetings as in a lot of learning environments some team members may be more vocal than others and possibly dominate the meeting, but I am not always present to give feedback on the collaboration levels in these progress meetings.

It is my hope in relation to this learning activity that the learners will carry out and record their progress meetings through google meet and while this will benefit them in that it will be a new technology method for collaboration, observing their recorded meetings will also allow me as a tutor to gauge from their discussions the different levels of learner collaboration and sharing of responsibilities so that I will be able to give feedback on same.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Michael Hallissy]

This is great Connie and thinking ahead and planning how you might organise this is the way to go.  Similar to Chloe I wonder can it be designed so that when they are in their teams they are dependent on each other and that way they may be more inclined to support one another??

On another project in recent weeks I came across the following resources, that you may be useful for the observation task:

Child Development video based training

Free Ebooks

It will be interesting to see how it works on Google Meet and the key is to think about how you might structure it so that they are working together.

[Jenny Quinn]

A reflection of last week’s class.

Learning outcome for last week was to be a member of a team to achieve defined goals (produce a Team PowerPoint, to be delivered on MS teams in a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation) based on the distribution of predefined research areas. The team members were to organise their own time to meet team goals. To behave in a way that accommodated individual team members. To provide feedback in a constructive and positive manner. To respond to feedback in a constructive and positive manner and to reduce obstacles to effective team work.

With this in mind the task highlights the need for the group to work in a collaborative manner which would facilitate group and individual acquisition of knowledge, group collaboration, group interaction and peer to peer learning. The task gave them the opportunity to demonstrate individual and group accountability. Each team had to make collective decisions deciding on a timeline to ensure the deadline would be met. They had to decide on the distribution of tasks and appointment of a team leader who was to co-ordinate all activities to ensure the team objective was achieved.

The groups used MS teams’ breakout rooms for their team meetings. Each group used their group Padlet and google documents to answer and share a set of questions based on the research area. Each team member created their section of the PowerPoint. They had to decide in which order each team member would present. They organized practice sessions to ensure the presentation would flow smoothly and would meet the time limit set for presentations.

The presentations were delivered in the main forum on MS teams. Each team shared their screen so all participants could view their presentation. I created a feedback form for each team to complete at the end of each presentation to enable feedback from myself and the teams. I gained the team’s permission to record the screen so that I could feedback to the teams and also for the teams to reflect on their presentations and performance. The presentations went very well with some outstanding results, demonstrating the teams’ commitment to the task. There were a few glitches in terms of video links on some PowerPoints not working correctly as the videos had not been embedded within the presentations. To address this issue I shared a tutorial on how to embed videos into PowerPoints. Additionally one team member was not able to attend due to illness, which meant the team had to implement their contingency plan.

I asked the class for their thoughts on the team process, they all said they really enjoyed the team interaction and had learnt a lot from each other. It is definitely a teaching method I will be using on a regular basis…thanks to technology and Teach Nimble for sharing their knowledge of tools for teaching in a collaborative way.

[Michael Hallissy]

Well done Jenny and hopefully some of these tools and approaches can work with the technology tools to scaffold them to work together.  As we all know it can be a challenge and people find it sometimes easier to go off and do it themselves, but together we are stronger and better.  When we introduce technology into teamwork we are mirroring real life work settings where things will go wrong and we need to be resilent and work through them.

[Marguerite Mc Gee]

This week as part of financial reporting regulations and ethics in financial accounting study, learners are asked to compile an accounting fraud crime report. This activity is provided to help learners generate ideas in pairs, construct knowledge and become actively involved in the learning process.

I will provide an uploaded file to google classroom. This file will include:

• Project instructions (use of PowerPoint/shared responsibilities/guidelines)
• A simple grading rubric (based on 50 points)
• An Accounting fraud reflection form (google docs) to complete as students watch others present their PowerPoint presentations)

For this project students work in pairs in order to conduct research on the internet about an accounting fraud case.  Students compile a file which will be uploaded to Google classroom providing:

• An overview of the company
• The crime scene
• The chief suspects
• Evidence about the case
• A suggestion of how this event could be prevented in the future

Each group must develop their crime report and present their findings in PowerPoint presentation form for peer review. The live class will take place on the google meet platform.

As the other students watch the presentation, they will be provided with a google docs worksheet where they will record the company name and provide a brief description of the fraud presented as well as a peer review score.  At the end of the presentations, students will reflect on the ethical mistakes and the tutor will provide formative feedback to learners.

This type of project is an example of an co-operative learning activity. It provides learners with an opportunity to work together cohesively and to gain a deeper understanding of the learning outcomes of the financial accounting module.  As learners work together in teams it promotes a sense of collaboration, provides inclusiveness and facilitates the generation of  ideas. This learning activity promotes creativity, recall and a deeper understanding of the material as students are actively engaging with the content rather than simply listening to it.

Students always enjoy active learning projects as it allows the student to become more involved and accountable in their learning. The learners have reported that this approach provides a deeper understanding of the key concepts and it also significantly improves content retention as they are actively involved in the process of learning.

[Treasa Mc Ginley]

Hi  Marguerite

That sounds like a fantastic activity – 21st Century skills in action. What a creative way to get learners collaborating.

Brilliant

[Michael Hallissy]

Well I cant add much to Treasa’s observation above Marguerite.  It sounds like a great project and it illustrates the importance of having a good interesting brief, that is not too narrow.  Key things to remember is to design it so you that learners have shared responsibility and we will chat about more about this later.  Well done and it would be good to hear what kinds of topics people selected.

[Denise Doherty]

Hi Everyone

I definitely think that the Step Ladder Learning Organiser will be an invaluable tool in the teaching and learning activities when delivering IT Training.  E.g. the steps needed to insert a table in Documents (MS Word) or Inserting a Chart in Spreadsheets (MS Excel).

The Step Ladder could also be utilised when training teaching staff in the new technologies e.g. One Note/Teams – Steps required to set up a Class Notebook

The presentation has given me loads to consider when coming up with new ideas for teaching online and in the classroom.

Thanks

[Michael Hallissy]

That is great Denise and we are going to get Maria to record more of these little short videos going forward, so that is great to hear.  Maria is a Business Teacher so definitely it will work well.  I like your idea on using it in IT training for staff – again it is about giving people a meaningful activity and combining low tech with high tech.

[sonia mcgarvey]

This weeks work involved preparing to give an oral account of 5 care skill tasks-assessment next week. I had already planned the weeks tight schedule before reading this weeks topic and when I heard the word collaboration I thought project work and considerable need for time and could see no opportunity to fit it into the week’s plan. Now, after reading in more detail and looking back i am glad to see that there was a collaborative approach taken which again with the benefit of hindsight most definitely could have been strengthened and I am enthused to try to explore team roles further.

What I did do was give my own account of each skill in a simulated assessment environment-no notes and time limited (nerve racking!) and sought feedback from the whole class, we then discussed and came to an agreement what the key health and safety considerations were for each task with everyone contributing and this helped informed my detailed marking scheme. This was over a live zoom class (only 7 in class so very manageable) BUT I was leader and scribe-could have delegated- but there were 2 definite checkers!

the students were then put in pairs in breakout and given the opportunity to attempt the oral presentation with the other checking and swap over giving feedback and timing. I had the opportunity to join the breakout rooms and had the opportunity to hear some of the feedback which was constructive and encouraging and in all honesty made my week and definitely spurred on the weaker ones in the class and allowed me to see the leadership skills in others.

I do wonder however if this was truly collaborative as it was not truly interdependent as each student will be assessed separately which leads me to think that maybe the student assessments are not the best chance to explore collaborative practice.

I can definitely see how I could have used the stepladder learning organiser in infection prevention and control and look forward to using in future classes instead of getting over reliant on padlet.

Sorry to miss tomorrow’s class too -just clashing with another module.

Best wishes everyone and thankyou.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Michael Hallissy]

Thanks Sonia and I completely realise people have things already in motion with learners but it is great to see that you believe you can tweak this activity in the future using some of the tools and approaches.

I just highlighted two comments from above.

What I did do was give my own account of each skill in a simulated assessment environment-no notes and time limited (nerve racking!)

I wonder in future could you pre-record this for yourself and take as many takes as you like – do it on Zoom and record each demo or using Screencast-o-matic.  Take the stress out of it for you.  They can then watch these back as often as they like?

This was over a live zoom class (only 7 in class so very manageable) BUT I was leader and scribe-could have delegated- but there were 2 definite checkers!

You can definitely tweak this element and get them to take on added responsibility.  Finally, by using some of the collaborative learning strategies they are working together to prepare for the exam and that is fine.  That is the purpose and it is a very real one.

 

[Frances ODonnell]

Hi all,

I really enjoy reading about what you are doing with your classes.

For this one – I have used organizers lots in group activities in the past but do not always call them by the names I see here. I think Google Drawings can be really handy for using organizers in group work like this online. I also note the specific mention of assigning team roles which I do not always do – I feel this really depends on the task, the LO and the team members but will explore this further.

I think what may be worth exploring more is the environment and culture of collaboration that has been developed/ allowed to develop and supported to develop. Setting an environment that highlights the fact ‘failure’ is to be celebrated, a culture of equality and inclusion, a culture of shared ownership and a culture of acceptance and respect, I think, is really important – whether aiming for successful  collaboration with children or adults.

I worked in New Zealand for many years and was heavily involved in a secondary school’s move away from single cell classrooms to ILE (Innovative Learning Environments) where classroom where knocked down and replaced with large open spaces. Alongside this, ‘subjects’ where taught through cross curricular contexts. So, students, instead of choosing ‘Chemistry’ ‘Art’, ‘History’ … students would chose ‘Space’, ‘Crime Investigation’ ‘Heroes’. Teachers would work collaboratively to develop cross curricular programs that incorporated the LO’s of their general subject in the contexts before being offered to students with a catchy blurb and students learned 2 -3 traditional subjects through the overall context. Amazing way to approach learning where collaboration and shared ownership, as well as shared responsibility, are at the heart of how the teachers work and the students work! Obviously not without it’s challenges, but a whole new perspective on what education can be.

The week’s content screams connectivism which I really value. Thank you

[Michael Hallissy]

Great observations Frances and I would like to hear more about your ideas on Google Drawings – new one on me.  I am getting jealous here reading about the NZ education system and the integrated or connected nature of the curriculum.   Your comments on Connectivism is really important and comes back to providing learners, at any age, with rich tasks where they can address real world problems and not be bounded by ‘subjects’.  I also totally agree with your observation on culture and yes we need to encourage people to try it and if they fail, celebrate that and help them have success.  If we dont create such cultures there is a danger the learners will not take risks and ultimately shy away from making decisions and taking responsibility, which is key in Collaboration.

[Cornelius Sweeney]

Hi all,

This week we introduced Electricity and the construction of Series and parallel circuits to the students. I split the class into groups of three and asked them to create a circuit using Jamboard on Google meet. I also instructed each group to nominate one member to present and narrate the flow of current from the Positive terminal through the Circuit protection device and Switch to the consumer and finally back to the Battery Negative. I felt during the group activity the students were engaged and even competitive, which give the lesson a real spark 🙂

[Michael Hallissy]

Good Cornelius – hope there werent too many sparks flying.  Just wondering if any of those cooperative learning organisers could help the learners in the future and scaffold their work on Jamboard?  But we will hear more later.

[Gareth Austin]

This week I’ve tried to incorporate some different opportunities for collaborative learning.

Currently we are working on a Start Your Own Business Module and following on from an idea from Jenny Quinn last week on the use of Padlet.

 

Small groups of Four were created and put into a team to research an identified Horticulture company. They were given topics by myself on Padlet which as a group they had to go and research, topics included Identify the Legal Structure of this organisation, Where is this organisation based, If they sell online what platform do they use etc etc.

I sent this Padlet to the group for pre-learning and then at a google meet I assigned these topics to the different members of the group via a group discussion where members volunteered to take on heading to research.

The team had to populate this Padlet individually but then had to present to the other group as a team.

 

The team then had to decide on whether or not the company was successful in its marketing mix, creating a Jamboard with their thoughts and then present this to the other group.

 

On a separate note I enjoyed the 14 learning organisers discussion, indeed I think the Step Ladder approach is something which I already use within the class – I have the steps identified on a Jamboard on preparing ground for planting, which the students have to put in order. Steps include Application of Lime, Check soil ph, Apply fertiliser, Mow Green Manure etc.

So perhaps we’re using more of these already, but not using the shared terminology as educators. Within my subject we would refer to some of the processes as Standard Operating Procedures or in the cause of the occurrence of Late Season Blight there is a definite sequence chart.

[Michael Hallissy]

Gareth great to see how you are ‘enhancing’ and ‘tweaking’ your practices based on the contributions of others.  This for me is great to see as you are learning from each other.

I am just going to highlight your final comment below:

So perhaps we’re using more of these already, but not using the shared terminology as educators. Within my subject we would refer to some of the processes as Standard Operating Procedures or in the cause of the occurrence of Late Season Blight there is a definite sequence chart.

I couldnt agree more.  Recently some said to me that she has always enaged in Blended Learning but didnt realise it.  I think the TeachNimble Framework and the material this weeks just gives us a common language so we can capture and share practice.

If we dont have a shared language we can be at cross purposes.  I would encourage to play around with the other organisers and see how they can help in particular elements of your course.

[Michael Hallissy]

21CLD Course

https://education.microsoft.com/de-at/learningPath/e9a3beec

Here is a link to the course I mentioned on the live session earlier.

Michael

[Michael Hallissy]

https://www.edutopia.org/pbl-assessment-resources

Good resources here for PBL

[MARY mcdermott]

I’m a bit late to the party! I really like the ladder and the idea of using it to find out what the students know. Like in the example I have a number of situations that are relevant to Advocacy and students have to place them on the ladder (in the correct order).

As this is level 6 I have a few that are interesting in that they are changeable. This gives opportunity for debate and discussion helping with  the overall collaboration.

I feel I could move students from a ladder to a scaffold!

[Author]

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