csedu16-mantle

Constructivist Learning and Mantle of the Expert Pedagogy

A Case Study of an Authentic Learning Activity, the “Brain Game”, to Develop 21St Century Skills in Context

Grace Lawlor & Brendan Tangney

[email protected] [email protected] for Research in IT in Education, School of Education and School of Computer Science & StatisticsTrinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland

<CSEDU Conference April 2016> slideshare.net/tangney/csedu16-mantle

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

21st Century Learning

“The European framework for key competences sets out the knowledge, skills and attitudes required in the knowledge society that should be placed at the core of competence development in schools”. Improving Competences for the 21st Century, European Commission (2008)

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin 3

Irish Secondary School Education

Year 1•Age ~13 – Junior Cylce

Year 2•Age ~14 – Junior Cycle

Year 3•Age ~ 15 – Junior Cycle

•State Examination – Junior Certificate

Year 4 •Age ~16 – Transition Year – flexibilty in curriculum

Year 5•Age ~17 – Senior Cycle

Year 6

•Age ~ 18 – Senior Cylce

•HIGH STAKES STATE EXAMINATION

•Grades are sole requirement for entry to 3rd level


Educational system/context

Teacher professional development and pre-

service education

Evidence base

Develop activities & design principles

Train students

Model of 21st T&L

Bridge21LongitudinalDesign Based ResearchInitiative in TrinityCollege Dublin

(Anderson 2012)


Educational system/context

Teacher professional development and pre-

service education

Evidence base

Develop activities & design principles

Train students

Model of 21st T&L

Presentation FocusStudents & Authentic Learning

Bridge21 Model of 21sT&L

Authentic Learning – The Brain Game

Reaction of Students


The Bridge21 Pedagogical Model

(Lawlor et al 2015, Johnston, Conneely et al 2015)


Bridge21 Model of Groupwork


Project Based Learning for 21st Century Skills Development

The Project Based Learning approach lends itself to the acquisition of 21st Century Skills such as collaboration and problem solving. (Bell,2010)

BUT“So we need to train our teachers to structure for a learning situation to happen rather than a sharing of information in a “final” way to take place. We will have to train them to withhold their expertise to give their students opportunity for struggling with problems before they come to teachers knowledge and reach an answer because of the work they do rather than the listening they have done.” (Heathcote D, & Bolton 1994)


Authentic Learning Project Based Learning

Real-life, complex problems(Herrington, Oliver and Reeves, 2003; Lombardi 2007)

Complex tasks based on a problem or challenge(Jones, Rasmussen and Moffitt 1997)

Collaborative learning(Herrington, Oliver and Reeves, 2003)

Collaborative learning(Diel, Grobe, Lopez and Cabral, 1999)

Multiple information sources(Herrington, Oliver and Reeves, 2003)

Use of real world content within project (Moursund, 1999)

Deliverable product(Herrington, Oliver and Reeves, 2003)

Deliverable outcome((Jones, Rasmussen and Moffitt 1997)


Mantle of the Expert

• Inquiry based approach to teaching and learning from field of drama studies (Heathcote, 1994)

• Students reach learning outcomes by assuming roles as “experts” within an imagined enterprise

• Problems are always framed as professional tasks so that learning has relevant and immediate purpose(Aitken, 2013)

• Typically used in Primary school settings


The Brain Game – Mantle of the expert role play compressed time sequence

Brain Game

Role play through email

Ill defined problem

Sustained pressure and

challenge

Collaborative Working

Real information

Sources

Authentic Deliverables


Brain Game in Practice…

Brain Team


Implementation – Through Email


Research Study


Context – Social Outreach Project

• Leadership training workshops

• 11 Dublin Schools

• 150 Students aged 13-14

Training Students To Embark On A Community Based Project


Implementation – Two Workshops

• Icebreakers• Brain Game-

directed project themes

• Discussion• Post Workshop

Questionnaire

• Project pitches• 2nd Brain-

Game with real community project ideas

• Discussion• 2nd Post

Workshop Questionnaire

2 Months


An Authentic Learning Experience The Brain Game - The Task Stage 1

• Teams presented with Broad Topics

a) Helping the Elderly

b) Anti-Social Behaviour

c) Healthy Living

• Teams asked to plan 3 events/initiatives to promote awareness of topic

• Deadlines set for deliverables at close of each “month” e.g: report made, venue booked, budget proposals

• All external communications for project via email through a “Brain” (Teacher in role)

October

30 Mins

November

30 Mins

December

30 Mins

January

30 Mins


An Authentic Learning Experience The Brain Game - The Task Stage 2

• Two months later

• School groups decide on own topics and events prior to “Brain Game”

• “Brain Game” played again

• At end of task students prepare a presentation on their chosen project, challenges and experiences during task.

February

30 Mins

March

30 Mins

April

30 Mins

May

30 Mins


Research Questions

1. How did the use of technology enhance the Brain Game intervention?

2. Which distinct skills were addressed and developed during the intervention?

3. How authentic was the experience for participants in relation to the real community projects they faced?

Questions


Data Collection Time Line


Analysis


Perceived Value of Experience

• Likert choice question with open response in post-workshop 1 and 2 questionnaires, 118 (n=123) answered “Valuable” or “Very Valuable”

“Great questions by Brain like real life”

“It helps you to be a better leader, to communicate with others and to organise things”


Use of Technology

• When asked how useful they considered the application of technology in both workshops 111 (n=123) participants chose “Very Useful” or “Useful”

• Prevalent theme was “use of email” which could refer to either basic application or email as a skill in formal correspondence.

“It´s how you communicate with companies.”

“We had access to a lot of useful information and we could make better decisions with this.”

“We needed to estimate the prices of things we needed to get.”


Skills Development

• Analysis of Stage1 data suggested that students perceived themselves as developing skills in four areas

Leading a project

Using computers to

manage projects

TeamworkPresentation

Skills


Skills Development Continued

• In Stage2 questionnaires participants indicated on a likert scale how to what extent they felt they had developed identified skill (n=123).


Key Findings of Study

• Findings of this study suggest that the “Brain Game” intervention afforded participants an authentic opportunity to develop key 21C skills in collaboration, communication, technology literacy and leadership.

• Focus group interviews suggest that “Brain Game” intervention served as an impetus for developing skills and experience for real community projects.


Limitations and Future work…

• Relies on self-reporting by students

• Limited to one context, advanced study would apply the intervention to a number of learning contexts for greater validity to findings

• Scope to gather more data from students and examine the “Brain Game” intervention within the context of ongoing TA21 research project

Bibliography


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Bell, S. 2010. Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing House, 83(2), 39-43.

Bennett S., Maton K., and Kervin L. 2008. The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of the evidence. British journal of educational technology. 39(5): p.775-786.

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Herrington, J., Oliver, R., & Reeves, T. C. 2003. Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments. Australian journal of educational technology, 19(1), 59-71.

Hong, N.S., 1998. The relationship between well-structured and ill- structured problem solving in multimedia simulation. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. The Pennsylvania State University Press.

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Lawlor, J., Conneely, C., & Tangney, B. 2010. Towards a pragmatic model for group-based, technology mediated, project-oriented learning–an overview of the B2C model. In Technology Enhanced Learning. Quality of Teaching and Educational Reform (pp. 602-609). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

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