Introduction 0.3 - How to use this resource
The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource
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Important information about how to use this resource
We envisage that using this resource means running some sort of programme at your school. You might want to just run a few session, and dip in and out of this programme. However, you may also want to run a year-long programme.
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Different types of materials
There are also background notes, that are useful to teachers and educators for background reading. They are usually found on separatepages or at the end of units, and are meant to provide additionalbackground information that workshop participants can read in their own time.
There are also background notes!
In the facilitators’ version, additional notes for facilitators appearthis and is for an educator to use, for example when facilitating aworkshop or working with a class of students. It is interspersed withthe “teacher” text, to provide additional guidance on how to use theresource.
In the facilitators’ version, additional notes for facilitators appear like this!
Being aware of the overarching goals
What are the issues with primary education in your country? Why are people invited to the OER4schools programme?
What are teachers’ expectations? What are they expecting to learning? How will they attend? Some people will be concerned with big picture, others with detail.
Being aware of the overarching educational principles
OER4Schools/Principles of interactive teaching
Key interactive pedagogy for the workshop. The interactive pedagogy in the workshop is closely aligned with interactive pedagogy in the classroom (c.f. here). The following ideas are key principles.
Reflection as part of Planning-Doing-Reflecting. Often we just plan and then do something without reflecting on how the "doing" went. In the context of this programme, we often call this "Plan-Teach-Reflect": We plan a classroom activity, we teach this activity, but we don't reflect. Ideally, we reflect at each stage: during the planning, during the teaching, and then after the teaching.
Questioning as a tool for reflection. If we are not used to reflection, we often do not know how to reflect. Questions are a really important tool to help you reflect.
A key “interactive” principle is for the “students” to start from what they know, and then to extend that knowledge.
A key principle is taking responsibility for your own teaching and learning. This means that as a facilitator, you take responsibility for providing a successful workshop, teachers take responsibility for their learning during the workshop and their teaching practice in schools, while school students take responsibility for learning, as well as supporting each other in that process.
Jointly building an understanding of interactive teaching: For instance, at the end of Session 1, ask participants: What does interactive teaching offer you? You might return to the principles of interactive teaching as a group after a few sessions and classroom trials to see which ones are / are not being addressed.
Modelling: Some expectations about what a workshop should be like. Modelling activities in the workshop on activities planned for the classroom. (Modelling participation and interactivity at all levels.)
A key “interactive” principle is for the “students” to start from what they know, and then to extend that knowledge. We apply this to the workshop by asking the teachers about their own experience of interactive teaching.
Taking a non-judgemental stance. The facilitator should make very clear that they will not judge the views put forward, but simply make notes of the views put forward.
The programme draws on ideas from Leadership for Learning and the Index for Inclusion.
Planning activities with the sessions
Important to plan activities within the session (especially initially) rather than having this as a follow-up activity.
ICT
The following ICT-tools are used throughout this programme (with example activities given in brackets):
- Geogebra(tool) (see e.g. introduction to Geogebra)
- Spreadsheet(tool)
- Word processors(tool)
- Mind-mapping(tool)
- Images(tool) (see e.g. Using images, introduction to slideshows with OpenOffice)
- Typing tutor (see e.g. typing practice with students)
Connecting with overarching goals of the programme
Each session (from unit 2 onwards) has got a section called Connecting with overarching goals of the programme, which reminds participants as follows:
Open space (10 min). It's now time for the "open space", that gives you an opportunity to discuss issues that have arisen, and to relate those to the broader context of the programme. Do not just gloss over this section, but make time to raise issues, and probe the progress that you are making. You could use this space to:
- Remind yourselves of the of the Most Significant Change Technique, and e.g. collect more of your stories.
- Discuss your assessment portfolios: Is there anything that you are unsure about? Is it going well? What could be done better?
- Check on the work with the classroom assistants: Is this going well? Are there any tensions? Any observations or tips you can share?
- Reviewing individual ICT practise (such as typing practise).
- If you are preparing a presentation for other teachers, you could work on the presentation (about what you have been learning, stories emerging from MSC).
- Remind those who are doing audio diaries, to upload them.
- You could discuss any other issues that have arisen.
You will find notes and summaries of various techniques and concepts on our reference page, and you might want to refer to those for clarification during this activity if needed.
Classroom assistants
This is something that needs to be negotiated with your school well in advance of running the programme. It depends on whether you are running the programme between a few interested teachers (in which case you can make more contained arrangements with other grades), or whether you are running the programme across the whole school (in which case you will need very systematic arrangements).
You should read OER4Schools/Classroom assistants.
Portfolios
Running the first workshop
What are the issues with primary education in your country? Why are people invited to the OER4schools programme?
What are teachers’ expectations (attend for the whole year - starting off weekly)? Some people will be concerned with big picture, others with detail. Agree the day of the week for f2f meetings.
Some expectations about what a workshop should be like. Modelling activities in the workshop on activities planned for the classroom. (Modelling participation and interactivity at all levels.)
Introduce this resource and the topics within it
introduce strategies to incorporate interactive elements (things you might say, things you might do)
thinking about your own practice; do you think you’d like to try one of these new approaches?
Do you want a buddy system (pairs of teachers matched by grade or subject)?
Running the first session.
What are the educator notes here?
Setting up the room - remove tables? Chairs in circle? Tables arranged in islands?
What props are needed? Sheets of papers and pens? May be hard to find for some schools.
Ice breaker Welcome everybody to the workshop.
You start the workshop with an “ice breaker”.
We would suggest first name basis.
Icebreaker 1 (for a group of colleagues):
Stand up and sing a song together.
Icebreaker 2 (for group of participants who don’t know each other well):
People say one or two words that describe themselves (such as “funny”, “sociable”, “shy”).
OR Chat in pairs, and then introduce your neighbour to the group.
Icebreaker 3 (for either colleagues or strangers):
- people form themselves into groups of 3
- they have a conversation for no more than 3 min, 1 min each, on a specified topic, e.g. their favourite foods, what activity they are glad to be rid of and don't have to tackle today, their worst fantasy about what could go wrong as a consequence of the workshop...
- facilitator claps their hands after each minute to signal changeover; after 3 min, groups dissolve and form new groups; facilitator changes the topic at this point and after every 3 min until everyone has spoken to everyone else
- people have to stand up the whole time and move around - it is very energising, normally beginning quite quietly and ending up very loud!
- the next activity might connect with this icebreaker, for example asking volunteers to report back on their worst fantasy about what could go wrong in their classroom as a consequence of the professional development programme?!
Need a list of topics here - workshop facilitator to decide these in advance.
Consider whether there is a hierarchy among the participants?
To continue the workshop, present the aims of Unit 1.
