RESINT Project Luca Ferrari

The analysis of contemporary literature in the field of education and ICT: The study/reflection of school practices are still showing a widely trend of teachers, managers, researchers to consider technology per se as a drive of changing and innovation.

One of the most common difficult experienced by teachers is the lack of governability of ICTs during the teaching activities in the classroom.

The teacher should guide the tool and not vice versa... It is crucial to raise teachers’ awareness about the ‘cultural model’ programmed in the machine.

Educational Models EDUCATIONAL MODEL (theorical and methodological frameworks) IMPLEMENTATION CONTEXT

The idea of using a problematic didactic model in educational training paths echoes the topic of pedagogical problematicism. It defines complex hypothesis which can emphasize the integration and coexistence of different didactic strategies referring back to a problematicist matrix.

The starting point of the models is the possibility to define three main learning paths, focusing respectively on the object, the process and the subject of learning. object process subject

Example of implementation of Educational Models Case study: BEAT project

The educational models aim to support authors for didactical aspects in creating the eLearning content using the BEAT authoring tool. A structure template providing a predefined organization of the lesson as for goals, content, assessments, tools, references, etc.

From learning objectives to learning paths Model “A” Model “B” Model “…”

object

Learning objectivesThe learning objectives in this model are mainly specific, precise, explicit and so predefined, by referring to the reproductive type. The involved cognitive processes are: remembering, classifying, listing, executing and retrieving. Resources and contentThey can refer to a specific part of a discipline or a process/competence facilitated by example or hands-on exercises. ActivitiesDidactical activities are linear and sequential i.e. listen and repeat, apply the procedure, exercise the competence. CMC toolsExamples: , to support each user during the understanding process; video conferencing and virtual classroom to involve as many students; repository to facilitate users in sharing, searching and updating of learning resources and content. Teacher’s roleMainly instructor oriented. He/she organizes knowledge to be transmitted, related to specific competences, in a sensible and linear way. Learning retrievalThe teacher could propose learning retrieval together with other learning content and resources, also by means of different media. Learning retrieval activities are addressed to single users, couple of users or small group. Learning timeIt is predefined for all phases of learning activities. Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring and evaluation are supported by close-ended questions and structured questions; they are mainly individual. Most commonly tests used are: true or false, multiple choice, cloze, matching question, etc. Table 1: Knowledge based model

process

Learning objectives General and specific, but not completely defined. The main involved cognitive processes are related to analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Resources and content The resources and content are designed to promote learners’ autonomy in broadening their knowledge and their troubleshooting abilities. The resources could be: hypermedia, text, exercises and open problems and tools, i.e. research algorithms, best practices, repertoires, etc. Activities Case study, problem solving, simulation, etc. CMC tools Examples: forum, to enhance the dialogue among users, starting discussion, carrying on specific or general topics; wiki, to promote cooperative (asynchronous) or collaborative (synchronous) writing sessions among participants; blog, to support the user during the reflection process; chat, to support or promote the simultaneous interaction among users; repository, to enhance sharing processes among users, while collecting learning artefacts. Teacher’s role Facilitator, providing training and motivational support to learners. Testimonial, offering a model to follow, staking him/herself and collaborating with the group. Learning retrieval The learner (which is assumed to have experienced difficulties in socio-emotional dimension) could repurposed the same learning materials, but trying to boost his/herself esteem and/or changing the social context (i.e. study in small group). Learning time It is defined just in terms of guidance; it depends on the result carried out by each single user during the formative evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation Formative and summative evaluations with the support of semi-structured survey addressed to individuals and groups. Close-ended questions to reach reproductive learning objectives; open-ended questions to evaluate the learners' commitment, creativity, etc. Table 2: Meta-competences based model

subject

Learning objectivesExamples are: analysis (analyze, compare, lead), synthesis (synthesize, schematize, infer), intuition (groped solutions, formulate hypotheses), invention. Resources and contentThe learning materials are both theoretical and applicative, also linked to professional practice materials. ActivitiesStrategies, even provocative, stimulating the students' reflections that go beyond the objective level of competence and skill. Examples are: case study and problem solving, role-play and simulation, cooperative and collaborative learning, etc. CMC toolsExamples: social networking, to promote formal and informal learning processes; blog, to enhance the personal reflection and the discussion among learners; chat, to promote the simultaneous interaction about discussion topics, without teacher’s mediation. Teacher’s roleFacilitator, coordinator, consultant, witness. Learning retrievalPeer to peer, in case learners experience difficulties. Learning timeIt is not defined: it is individualized for each student. Monitoring and evaluation Both individual and group self-assessment by means of open-ended question. Table 3: Creative based model