Question: How can I lead (reluctant) staff to embed effective e-learning within their lesons?
Context: I currently run a series of Teaching and E-learning Workshops for all staff, which cover a range of technologies and tools, including, Podcasting, Using Google Docs for Student Voice and Web 2.0 Technologies. Attendance at sessions can range from 10-20 colleagues from a range of subject areas and support staff.
Initial Thoughts: I think that I need to identify the perceived barriers to implementing e-learning in a lesson/scheme of learning. I need to work closely with staff, in a mentoring capacity, and to continue to offer the training sessions which will help to remove the barriers. This will involve managing change and overcoming some teaching "habits". Furthermore, I will work with staff in helping to identify the learning opportunities where e-learning will be effective and add value to the lessson rather than being used as a tool just to "tick a box".
Any ideas?
Hi Gavin,
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for case-studies and research to support your approach Ewan McIntosh has a wealth of articles and project links on his blog: http://edu.blogs.com/
I'm sure you'll already know about Becta but I'll add a link in the leadership links as there are some resources on the website relating to integration of ICT into teaching and learning.
Also: http://www.getideas.org/
best Amanda
Thanks Amanda, I will have a look into the sites you have provided me with. I am also attending the Learning without Frontiers conference in early January so I am hoping to get some inspiration from that too.
ReplyDeleteHi Gavin,
ReplyDeletejust uploaded a new post with some more technology links. Best Amanda
Hello Gavin, (I have reposted this now I have worked this blogging out). From reading what your role is and from our discussion at Northern Stage it is clear that you are very passionate about what you are trying to achieve. E-learning is crucial in today's society and there is alot of academic literature which I can signpost you to at your request. Your initial thoughts were exactly what I thought, what are the barriers? At the end of the session that you deliver you could give each person a slip of paper which would allow you to analyse their individual needs so that you could begin a mentoring/coaching discussion. On the paper have three options
ReplyDeleteI dont have any concerns about introducing ... into my teaching
I am concerned about ..... because ...
I would like 1:1 mentoring with...
I have done this with students to ascertain their level of understanding regarding a teaching session. It does provide immediate feedback and may open your eyes to those who are reluctant to use e-learning. It could be that they are concerned about their current skill level and capabilities. Let me know if you would like me to signpost you to some literature.
thanks for the advice Sarah. I have just completed a whole school twilight session this evening, which on initial feedback has gone quite well. I used a google doc's form to get more formal feedback from staff. I have had approximately 80 responses which seems to be fairly detailed.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side most staff found the session useful and have discussed how it will impact on their teaching in the near future. On the negative, time has been the main barrier identified by staff. Therefore, I think that I need to be creative in alleviating this perceived problem. Also, some misconceptions have been raised, such as students do not have Internet access etc. A recent survey in school across all key stages which had 400 responses has highlighted that 99% of our students have a device with Internet access and 60% have their own device. I plan on updating staff with a myth buster of some kind.
Lots of staff have opted for 1:1 to support but most would like to work in small groups to develop and share their skills. This is something that I plan on accommodating too!
Look forward to getting some more advice at the next meeting.
Thank you for the update Gavin, I am pleased the twilight session went well. It is actually quite positive that staff identify time as the barrier as that is something that can be overcome through the SMT possibly giving time for training. I will see you next week, fantastic result!
ReplyDelete