A flexible TPACK?

To be a real cognitivist, I have to combine the new information with my prior knowledge. So, this blog will combine the TPACK-model with the things I learned earlier in this course. In the last reflection in this weblog, I summarized the first three topics of the course, flexibility, pedagogy and technology. So, I won’t do that again in this blog. What I will do, is talk about the role these things play when using the TPACK-model.

Pedagogy and technology

Pedagogy and technology are elements of TPACK. So, teachers have to think about them in relation to eachother. When one changes, the other will probably change too. What I’ve learned about technology is that there are educational possibilities with all kinds of technology. In the TPACK-model, teachers can be very creative by using these technologies (as the figure from Mishra and Koehler (2009) shows). Technology is more than an add-on. It is one of the elements of the TPACK-model. So, it isn’t just the instrument, it also influences the content and the pedagogy.

Flexibility as prerequisite                                           

But flexibility is not an element of the TPACK-model. How can these two be combined? In my first blog, I’ve said: flexible learning in generally goes about the freedom of students to choose their way of learning (Collis & Moonen, 2001). That’s from the perspective of the learner. But now, I think flexibility is also going about the choice of the teacher. Do the teacher have the freedom to choose the content, pedagogical approach and technology (s)he wants? That’s at the core of the TPACK-model. When teachers don’t have the choice in the T, P and C, TPACK can’t be used. So, flexibility of the teacher is a prerequisite for TPACK. This flexibility can be given by the school and the environment. But it also have to be in the teacher him/herself. When a teacher can’t or won’t think about other ways of teaching, there is no flexibility and TPACK won’t be used. So, teachers must see the added value of TPACK and they must be able to work with it. They must be, or learn to be, flexible.

Flexibility as outcome

I think, flexibility for the learners can also be an outcome of TPACK. When a teacher combines a specific T, P and C, flexibility can be the outcome. It could be that students will learn the content the best when they have freedom to choose, so when there is flexibility. But it can also be the outcome that flexibility is not wanted. So, in this way, flexibility is dependent on TPACK.

Flexibility as context

Third, flexibility can be a prerequisite for the course. It could be that flexibility is given and teachers have to deal with it. Than, flexibility is the context of TPACK. Teachers have to think about TPACK within the given flexibility for the learner. It could be that they have to deal with elective courses, or with different backgrounds of the learners. The TPACK has to be defined by that context.

So, combining TPACK with my prior knowledge, I can say that technology and pedagogy are part of TPACK. Both are important and influences eachother. I think you can see flexibility in light of TPACK in three ways. First flexibility as a prerequisite. Teachers need to think flexible when they use TPACK. The second is flexibility as an TPACK-outcome. Thinking about TPACK, flexibility for the learner can be the outcome, or no flexibility at all can be prefered. Third, flexibility as the context of TPACK. Flexibility can be a given state where in the teacher have to practice and use TPACK.

To go short, I think flexibility and TPACK are interdependant also, just as the T, P and C in TPACK are interdependant to eachother. So teachers have to think about flexibility also by using TPACK. 

Mishra, P. & Koehler. M. J. (2009). Too cool for school? No way! Using the TPACK framework: You can have your hot tools and teach with them, too. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(7), 14-18.

Combining Pedagogy, Content and Technology: TPACK!

In earlier blogs, I talked about different pedagogies en technologies. They all were going about how teachers can teach their students in the best way. For good teaching, it is necessary that teachers think about the pedagogical approach with which the students will learn the most of the course. Different kind of technologies can be used for teaching in the best way. So the teacher should have knowledge about the technologies that can be used. What are the affordances, what are the constraints? There is one thing I didn’t discuss earlier. That’s the knowledge about the subject matter. The teacher should have knowledge about the content of the course.

So, there are three elements of whom the teacher need to have knowlegde from technology, pedagogy and content. But having knowledge of the three elements alone, is not enough. Every teacher know that the pedagogy and the content are related to eachother. For different kind of content, different kind of pedagogical approaches can be used. The teacher must think about which approach will serve teaching a specific content the most. Also in reverse, a specific pedagogical approach will learn the student different content. By example, when the teacher uses cooperative learning, the students will learn to work together. When the same lesson is given in a traditional face-to-face approach, the student won’t learn to work together, but maybe will learn more facts. So, content and pedagogy influence eachother and the teacher needs to know what the effects are of the content and the approaches.The same is going for the technological knowledge. The used technology influence and will be influence both the pedagogy and the content. Using technology gives opportunities for the pedagogical approach. The use of a Nintendo DS by example, gives the teacher other opportunities than the use of paper and pencil. And by using the internet, other things have to be learned to the students than without the use if internet. 

Fig. 1. TPACK (Koehler & Mishra, 2009)

 

These interactions are part of the TPACK-model. In this model, a picture is showed below, the three elements of technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical  knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK) are interrelated. Every element has a combined area with the other elements. Those are called the Technical Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and the Technological Content Knowledge (TCK).  In the centre, there is another area, the TPACK. It’s the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. In this area, all the three elements are combined. It shows that the elements are interdependant of eachother. Teacher must think about all the three elements and about the interactions of them. When they have knowledge 

about all three and about the interactions, they can set up their courses in the best way, by using the best of the technology for the specific content in the best fitting pedagogical approach (Harris, Mishra & Koehler, 2009). Thereby, they must also think about the context. Every teaching takes place in a context and must fit in that context. What is possible, what not, what is important and what not. It’s all given in the context.

But how can teachers use this model? I think this model is a great help to think about the possibilities of a lesson. By using this model, teachers will become aware of the different elements and the relation between them. Practically, they have to start thinking by one element. But by using this model, they’ll think about the other elements and areas ass well. By thinking about technology in relation to pedagogy and content, they can be very creative. Technologies can be used in different ways. By thinking about them in relation to P and C, they can think about other usabilities of that technology. E.g, a digital camera can be used for remembering your vacation, but it can also be used for looking at the world in a different way. Teachers can be very creative in using things. By thinking of the TPACK, the elements T, P and C won’t be add-ons to eachother, but will be empower eachother and thereby empower the learner and the teacher, because the teacher has to learn about the always changing technology and the use for pedagogy and content... (Harris et al, 2009).

Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416.

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. 

Cooperative Learning

Searching on the internet, I found this video. I thought it is interesting because it shows the affordances of cooperative learning.

A reflection on what I learned till now

In this blog, I will reflect on the topics I mentioned in the earlier blogs, pedagogy, flexibility and technology. 

First something about flexibility. Flexibility in teaching was a kind of unclear thing for me. What is it? Is it really helpful? And would I like it in the classes I follow? After the lecture and the literature, now I think: Yes, I would like to have flexibility in my lessons. And it is allready there. Flexibility goes about the time in which and on wich you do your learning, about the content you are going to learn, the entry requirements, the approach and the delivery and logistics of the course. And less or more, I experience flexibility in all of these elements in the courses I follow right now. By example, I have classes on two days in the week, the rest I have to do on myself or with a group. When I do things, doesn’t matter, as long as I finish them on time. That is also the lack of flexibility. I have to do assignments every week, before a setted deadline. That’s not that flexible... Also the entry requirements are a bit flexible. I did another bachelor than the others in my class. And the delivery methods and kind of assignments are different in all courses. By example this blog, its totally new to me and we use blogs only in this course. I like that flexibility, its more challenging because I have to perform on different ways and I can do it a bit on my own time. I don’t have to travel each day three ours, but I can study in my own house. I can sum up a whole lot of other flexibilities which I experience, but I won’t do that, you can think of that by your own...

I wil go on to the second topic, pedagogies. I like that topic very much. It’s about the way in which courses are set. Examples are traditional learning, inquiry learning, problem-based learning or collaborative learning. By choosing the approach for a course, you have to think about what the best way is to let the students learn. I like this, because you think about how people learn, how will they remember and own the most information, skills or attitude? I like the collaborative approach. Students have to interact with eachother to construct their knowledge. You need a community to learn with, in and from. I think that’s important in real-life. You can learn so much from other people. They look at different ways at things, they know other things than you know. I believe you can learn so much from talking and doing things together, and others can learn things from you also. When people are sharing their knowledge, we are so rich in our world... But it cost a lot of time to work collaboratively, so it is nice that there are other approaches also in which you can learn a lot...

In the pedagogy-approaches teachers can use a lot of technologies. By now, there are so much different technologies you can use. From a simple pen and paper to the more complex nintendo DS. I used them both in the lesson about technology. Both have other possibilities and dissabilities. On the nintendo, we played the game ‘professor Layton’. In this game, the player has to solve logical problems. It was fun, but also younger people can learn from this things.

Especially new technologies have many possibilities for teaching. But always, the teacher have to look at the use of it in a pedagogy. The use of new technologies can be fun and thereby motivating. But technology has also other opportunities for teaching. With a digital learning environment, the different pedagogical approaches can be better implemented.

I think, technology can empower the pedagogy, and thereby create more flexibility. This will support a deeper learning from both the learner and the teacher. And that, above all, is the goal of education, isn’t it?

An example of Collaborative Inquiry Learning

In the last blog I've discussed the approaches of collaborative learning and inquiry learning. By searching on the internet, I found the educational program “Belvedere”. This is a program which can be be used in a science class. It is based on the approaches of collabortive, inquiry and problem-based learning. In this program, students in secondary school are working on a science problem. They have to form little groups in which they have to do an inquiry in the topic of dinosaurs or of the Galapagos Islands. They have explore the problem, set and test hypotheses and communicate about the results to other students. I think this can be a good example of how inquiry learning and collaborative learning are combined in a problem-based environment. The students learn to communicate about their findings, they learn from the different views on a problem and they have to work together in an inquiry. This is a nice example of all the charasteristics of these approaches. I don't know if this program is allready finished, and I've not seen the program working, but based on the description and the guided tour, I think many teachers can use this program.And I think students will like it to work on these problems. 

You'll find information about the program in the following link:

http://lilt.ics.hawaii.edu/belvedere/tours/teachers/index.html

How the digital world can empower learning approaches

My last blog was about computer supported collaborative learning. As I told, I am enthousiastic about the use of the computer in learning. But not only in collaborative learning the computer can be used. In this blog, I will discuss 5 pedagogical approaches and the way a digital learning environment (environments such als Blackboard, Teletop or Moodle) can support the approaches. I’ve chosen for the approaches traditional learning, collaborative learning, inquiry learning, experiential learning and project-based learning.  The first because traditional learning is the most known and used pedagogical approach, the others because I like them and I think that approaches must be used more often in schools.  I think in all of the approaches a digital learning environment can play a major role. When you are interested in that, please read the following...

Traditional learning
As I said before, traditional learning is probably the most known and used pedagogical approach in schools. It is the approach in which the teacher tells the information and the students listen and remember what they learn. It’s a kind of learning by listening (Boer, 2004). Traditional learning often is face-to-face, individual and lecture based. The teacher plays a great role in the learning process by giving information, assignments and feedback.

Digital learning environment

In the most traditional way, computers aren’t used in class. But the last decade, this is changing a lot. Even in traditional learning, a digital learning environment has a lot of possibilities to empower the learning. Information about the lectures can be placed on the internet. Students than can, before the lesson, look at the presentation of the lecture and so remember their prior knowledge. The new information in the lecture can be more easy be stored and remembered by the students. Another possibility of using these environment is that students can place questions on the environment, which the teacher can answer in the next lesson. Students have more access to the information given in the lectures when they can read it another time after the lecture. Information will be better rembered by them. I think that’s a great possibility of the digital environment.

Collaborative Learning
As in the traditional learning approach the students will learn by listening, in the collaborative approach, students will learn from discussing and debating, from working with eachother (Boer, 2004). In working together, students have to combine the different knowledges of eachother and build together on new knowledge. They learn with and from eachother (Boud, Cohen & Sampson, 1999). Learning takes place in the interactivity of the students. The teacher has no great role of giving information in this learning, but he or she must facilitate the collaborative learning of the students. This approach typically a form of social constructivism. Students learn in the social interactions. I believe this is a very useful approach for learning, because when you work together, you get so much different points of view, and you can learn from all of them! On the other hand, you have to make clear what you think, so you have to be more reflective on your thinking, which will empower your learning.

Digital learning environment

By collaborative learning digital learningenvironments can play a great role. In this environments, students can share documents with eachother, they can discuss on a forum, they can email the whole group. When the environment is used right, students can learn collaboratively when they are not in the same place. They can work together on different times, because they can react on documents and posts in the environment. The teacher also can see what the students are doing, because he or she can look at the documents and discussions in the environment. So the teacher can keep the students in the eye, while the students can work together without being fysically together. This is much more easy for both student and teacher. I think these environments give great possibilities to learning!

I will try to discuss the other three approaches a little bit shorter...

Inquiry learning
Children are curious. In inquiry learning we use and stimulate this curiousness. Students get a problem of which they have to find a solution. Therefor, they have to find information, think of hypetheses, experiment and analyze the results (Hirumi, 2010). The children can use their curiousness to solve the problem. They can do that in their own way, verifying their own thoughts and hypothesis. Thereby, they go through the whole cycle of inquiry and learn a lot of skills. Because the things they learn are embedded in real situations, the learning will be deeply.

Digital learning environment

Digital learningenvironments can support inquiry learning. In the environment, the problem can be explained, information can be given, simulations can be placed in which the students can try out there hypotheses. The teacher can give better fomative feedback to the students, because the things the students do on the environment can be stored and looked at by the teacher (Boer, 2004). And in a digital environment, the inquiry assignment can take place in a safe and more simpler environment then when the students have to do it in the real world. The learningprocess can be more guided by using a digital learning environment, which would be better for the students.

Experiential learning
This pedagogical approach is a kind of learning by doing (Boer, 2004). Students learn the best in authentic situations. In this approach, students are placed in real jobs or simulations. They have to experience the things they have to learn. In this learning, the teacher can first give some instructions, but the real learning will take place when the students do the real or simulated job.

A digital learning environment can be helpful. In the environment, simulations can be placed (Boer, 2004). Simulations or educational games can be done on the environment.  Especially for things as writing, the environment can be used. But to be honest, I think, for real experiential learning, a lot of skills can not be learned well in a digital environment. Doing things in the real world, such as cycling, can’t be learned well in computersimulations. So, for a couple of things a digital environment can be great, but not for all.

Problem-based learning
Problem-based learning looks a little bit on inquiry learning and collaborative learning. In problem-based learning, students get an problem. In groups, they have to find a solution. By problem-based learning, the problem is mostly ill-defined. Thereby, students have to define and structure the problem before they can go to find solutions.

Digital learning environment

The digital learning environment can be used as described by inquiry learning and collaborative learning. It can be used to empower the groupwork, and for setting the invironment for the problem.

Again, it’s a long story. But while I was writing, I got so enthousiastic about the learning and the possibilities of the computer in the approaches, that I couldn’t stop. I think that in all pedagogical approaches, the traditional, collaborative, inquiry, experiential and problem-based learning, a digital learning environment is very helpful. It should be used in every course. But it has to be used in the right way. For example Blackboard has so many possibilities, but teachers and students use so little of them, I think that’s a pity. There is a collaboration thing, but very few people know how you can use that. Even the discussionboard is used very few. I think we can learn a lot more from eachother when we use that kind of things very more often (but that’s my ideological collaborative view...).  

Boer, W.F. de (2004). Flexibility support for a changing university. Doctoral dissertation. Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, Univeristy of Twente. Enschede, NL: Twente University Press.

Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (1999). Peer learning and assessment. Assessment and

evaluation in higher education, 24 (4), 413-426.

Hirumi,  Grounded instructional strategies. Verkregen op 4 oktober, 2010, van
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/ISTE2010/KEY_50046305/Hirumi_GroundedStrategies_062010.pdf