Appendix 7.2 - A session template for making your own sessions
The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource
This page is a template to create your own sessions on this wiki. If you wish to do this,
- get in touch with us to get an account on this wiki. Once you have the account,
- you then create a new wiki page, and copy the wikitext of this page to it.
- You can then use the comments in this page to help you create your session.
Each page starts with a large block, that gives learning objectives, success criteria, and some other information. This allows teachers to get an overview of the session immediately. The block looks like this:
Learning intentions and objectives.
In this session you will learn about:
- how to make your own session.
- So start by replacing this text with the learning objectives for your own session.
Success criteria.
To meet the learning intentions you will:
- make your own session.
- Again, replace this text by your own success criteria.
ICT components.
The ICT components you will focus on are
- nothing in particular, but as you use the template, you can say here what ICTs will be used, and what participants learn.
Classroom based activities (with your students, after this session): ...
- Say here what will do the following week, with your students in class.
Resources needed.
If special resources are needed, list them here! E.g. things like measurement tapes, calculators, laptops, etc.
Review of follow-up activities
At the beginning of each session, you should review the previous session (if you are running more than one session). If you are developing a set of sessions, you should use a particular template called 'review of follow-up activities' to do this. The wiki text for the "review of the follow up from last time" logically belongs to the previous session, so by using the "review of follow up" template, you will be able to attach this wiki text to the previous session. This process is a little more complicated, so we'll come back to this at the end!
Session activitiy 1: Activities
Each session has a number of sections, and some activities within that. Here are some sample activities:
Example (10 min) for something
You can use a number of 'pre-defined' activities, which helps to keep the names of activities the same throughout your session (and the whole resource):
Whole group dialogue (10 min) about something.
Same-task group work (30 min): Topic.
Different-tasks group work (15 min), continued from above.
Observing, thinking, reflecting (2 min) about something.
Think-Pair-Share (10 min) about something.
Cumulative talk (10 min) about something.
Magic microphone (10 min) about something.
Plan-Teach-Reflect (10 min) about something.
(See list of pre-defined activities here: Template:Activityexpand.)
You basically continue adding activities like this, often covering new topics.
Session activity 2: Formatting text
There are a number of templates that you can use for formatting the text. You have already met the "ednote" template, which creates an "educator/facilitator note':
{{ednote|text= Some text }}
as follows:
You can also use speechbubbles (see Category:Speech_bubble_templates), e.g.
{{speechbubble|text= Some text }}
which creates
You can also add "background reading",
{{background|text= some text }}
which creates
some text
Adding resources
Wikitext
Wiki text can be transcluded, but in the case of worksheets etc that have additional information with them, you should use the "oinc" (OER4Schools Include) template, e.g.
{{oinc|OER4Schools/Geogebra exercises}}
giving:
This activity will orientate you to make use of GeoGebra to create basic polygons. You will need to access a computer/laptop/netbook and internet. Access a web-browser and navigate to this page: http://mathandmultimedia.com/geogebra/
We will suggest that you go through the exercises in the page in this order:
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 1 – Constructing an Equilateral Triangle
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 2 – Constructing an Isosceles Triangle
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 3 – Constructing a Right Triangle
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 4 – Constructing a Square
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 5 – Constructing a Rectangle
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 6 - Constructing a Parallelogram
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 7 – Constructing a Rhombus
- GeoGebra Basic Construction 9 – Constructing a Kite
You can print this content on a separate sheet here: OER4Schools/Geogebra exercises.
Files such as pdf, or OpenOffice
If an activity requires resources, you can add them using the file template:
{{File|Activity template.pdf}}
to give: Activity template.pdf (info). (Do not use [[File:...]]. Unlike [[File:...]] the {{File|...}} template links directly to the file, while the link to the info page is added as superscript. This makes it easier and less confusing for the user to obtain the file. Also by using {{File|...}} an entry is made in the session summary, alerting the facilitator to the need to download and potentially print this file for participants.)
Videos
You can also add videos. Start by locating the video you would like to add on our video page, and once you have found the video you would like to include, simply transclude the video page, e.g.
{{: Video/Abel_Clip_4.m4v }}
to give
VIDEO
Instructions for the interactive task
Abel starts with whole class dialogue, giving instructions for starting the investigation. (1:16) Abel then works with one of the groups, clarifying the concepts of area and perimeter, as well as how to work with these in Geogebra. The group is still stuck, and (3:30) Abel solicits helps from other students to help this group, asking them to explain details of Geogebra (relating to perimeter and area). (4:11) Students explore Geogebra through peer learning.
Video/Abel Clip 4.m4v, https://oer.opendeved.net/wiki/Video/Abel_Clip_4.m4v,This video is available on your memory stick in the video/Abel rectangles folder. Duration: 4:32 watch on YouTube, local play / download options / download from dropbox)(Series: Abel rectangles, episode 04)
Sometimes videos have additional information attached, to them, such as background information, questions for reflection, or a transcript. In the case of the above video, it would be
{{: Video/Abel_Clip_4.m4v/background }}
{{: Video/Abel_Clip_4.m4v/reflection }}
to give background information:
In this clip, the teacher (Abel) gives an introduction to group work task (on area and perimeter with GeoGebra), then students do group work. The teacher support students in group work, but the students find it difficult to follow the teachers explanations. Towards the end of the clip, the teacher then asks some students to come over, to explain the issue to the group in their own words.
In Abels' class, peer learning takes place spontaneously, because he has set up the conditions for learning, and in particular a safe environment, enabling children to help each other. In his class, during group work, children often get up and help their peers.
and questions for reflection:
- What is the role of the teacher during group work in this clip?
- How does a teacher know when to intervene?
- How can a teacher encourage peer support during group work? Would Abel’s technique of bringing in older pupils or faster learners to help their peers aid a teacher with a large class?
- How did the use of ICT help the learners’ enquiry?
(both of which formatted additionally with the "background" template).
Audio
Audio materials are included in the same way as video materials. An example with a transcript is available here: Video/Priscillah_speaking_about_brainstorming.m4a. You can use the transcript template to format transcripts:
So, but what I would say as, you know, the most significant change, is maybe the same issue of brainstorming. Though I wasn't comfortable with mentioning to them, to say "now we are brainstorming", I really benefited from that. That's a very, very good concept to be used as you are teaching, because you don't just go into a room or a classroom and then say today we are talking about this, and you start to telling them this, but no. For example, today we are going to talk about food. Food is this, that, that, you know you tell them just everything. One thing you should realise as teachers, is that children have something up there, you know. You don't just kid them with information, they know something about a particular thing that you give them. So I really made it a point that everytime I introduced a topic, I used the same brainstorming. I let them brainstorm, so that I know where to start from. What is it that the children know about a particular topic. I remember one time I was teaching about Aids. I simply said "can you write, I'm going to give you five minutes to think about things that you know about Aids". They brought in a lot of issues you know. Oh Aids is transmitted like that, Aids stands for this that, you know. So all those really taught me a lot of things, I realised to say children know something. So when I tell them to brainstorm, they should be able to tell me what they know about a particular topic, and then as a teacher, I will know where to start from. And like that, they don't forget easily.
Session activity 3: ICT-based activity
Same-task group work (30 min). In each session, we always include an ICT-based activity. Have a look at our programme, to see what sort of activities we included. They should always relate to a concrete classroom activity which would be done as part of the 'follow-up activities'. Initially, all teachers might do the same activity, but as they develop their skills, they could do different activities. We always do this in small groups though, to allow discussion
Session activity 4: Classroom activity planning
Same-task group work (30 min). We always allow for time during the meeting to actually plan. If you just ask teachers to plan in their own time, this may well not happen. We do this as group work (maybe same task, maybe different task), so that teachers can discuss.
Connecting with overarching goals of the programme
We are drawing on LfL and the MSC technique in the programme, and there are also other over-arching things that may need to be discussed. So we always add a slot called "Connecting with overarching goals of the programme" where these can be discussed. You can use the "Activity for connecting with overarching goals" to use the standard text, or make your own.
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.
Follow-up activities
Agreeing follow-up activities (10 min).
Part A: Use the {{fup|A, B, C}} template to set follow up activities.
Part B:
Part C:
You should always use the setting of follow up template. This allows you to attach the "review" of these follow up activities to the present session (which is where it belongs logically). If you are designing a sequence of sessions, this review can be used automatically at the start of the next session (see the introduction to this session above).
Finally, you use the activity summary template, which prints out a list of all activities in this session (together with timings), as well as a list of resources that are needed for this session.
Other materials
E.g. additional forms, or reading, referred to above.
End your session with the "OER4S NextSession" template, which creates navigation links at the bottom of the page!
