“You don’t know what you don’t know!”. Studying the Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (GCLT) has imbued me with such enthusiasm in my role as a Learning Facilitator, while constantly alerting me to the huge gap in my knowledge as an online teacher. This course has been well scaffolded to lead me down a path of exciting self-discovery, guiding improved teaching methods. In this reflective journal, I will explore how my current studies have explained my frustrations in my academic journey over the years. Being able to critically evaluate my own experiences has enabled me to assist my students to self-reflect on their learning journeys (Schon, 1987. p. 28).
With several academic qualifications, there was an assumption that I would be a skilled teacher. My qualifications and career experience predicted that I was a content specialist and hence I was given the role of a Learning Facilitator (LF), delivering at Master’s degree level. Although I struggled with a lack of student engagement in my online classes, I was reassured by other LFs that these frustrations were normal and experienced by others. It was not until I commenced the GCLT that I realised that guiding frameworks in Learning Theories are essential to teaching practices (Schunk, 2012, p.20). My discovery process, through well-constructed scaffolding of the different learning theories, has created a sense of excitement in my learning journey. To date, my exploration of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has had greatest impact on my thinking (Garrison et al., 2000). This framework is based on the belief that a community of learners is essential for a meaningful educational experience. It identifies the fundamental elements to this experience as being teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence (Garrison et al., 2000). As an online student throughout my working career, generally, text resources were provided, and self-guided motivation was expected to “get you through”. This was a challenging way to learn and not always very fulfilling. I attributed my varying degree of learning engagement to the presence, or lack thereof, of a motivating teacher. I now see this as very one-dimensional thinking. Teacher Presence (CoI) is vital where instructional management builds understanding, provides facilitation and direct instruction (Garrison et al..2000). However, as identified by Dr Patrick Lowenthall (2014), an enhanced level of Social Presence is also required for high-level learning to occur. Richardson and Swan (2003) undertook a study, identifying students with high perceptions of social presence who scored high in perceived learning and satisfaction with the instructor. This social presence element underpins student self-identity, emotional expression, open communication, and the development of group cohesion (Fiock, 2020. p. 138). Identifying my past feeling of online isolation has informed my teaching to actively connect with my students through several technologies. That personal engagement of storytelling, informal personal videos, quick response emails, one on one live chats, regular feedback couched in positive language, and ensuring a safe class environment, have been a part of my teaching design because of my recent studies. Incorporating social aspects of learning in the instructional design is really putting connectivism principles in place (Siemens, 2005). With embarrassment, I reflect on my behaviourist style of lecturing, “Sage on the Stage” in my first terms of teaching.
Technology with Social Connection
Having worked extensively in training in a large workplace environment, I discovered that employees with learning difficulties flourished in an environment where they felt safe and valued. The Community of Inquiry elements (Garrison et al., 2000) and Pittaway’s (2012) Engagement Framework (personal engagement, academic engagement, intellectual engagement, social engagement, and professional engagement) bring our focus on how students engage with their learning and the role teachers play in this interface. Pittaway (2012, p. 40) states that for students to engage, staff must also be engaged. Turning this to my teaching presence, I have wanted to research if increased use of technologies, such as Menti.com. Kahoot or Socrative would improve the learning outcomes of my students. Could my increased use of technology connect me to my younger cohort, resulting in increased engagement? Anecdotally, after including these in some classes, there was increased participation, but this was evidenced in only one student cohort in one term. With this class, I also explored the metacognitive learning principles (Flavell, 1979), where I involved the students in my own Graduate Certificate study, encouraging them to reflect on their own learning and “thinking about thinking”. As predicted in the Community of Inquiry Model, cognition is sustained when there is a high level of social presence (Garrison et al., 2000). Through this activity, I experienced increased student participation and engagement.
Often half of my class cohort are based in their home country. The role that social and cultural factors have on adult learning (Constructivism, Vygotsky, 1978) has encouraged my teaching inquiry further. Breakout chat rooms, informal videos, a personal blog and group discussion activities have partnered my class instruction. Through active participation in my Community of Practice, plus active learning in class discussions, I progressed my thinking from identifying a piece of technology that is expected to be used, to aligning that technology to the required learning outcomes. The SAMR Model and TPACK have provided the “how” to the reason why certain activities work. Starkey (2011) explores connection and collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking as key in developing a digital age learning matrix. This work identifies that learning through connections and sharing ideas are important aspects for emerging knowledge. Exploring creative teaching methods, I have tried to involve the students in exploring technology to further their learning outcomes, as described in the SAMR model. I have noted in my classes that inviting students to demonstrate their technological ability to their colleagues enhanced their engagement and self confidence in that learning environment as predicted in Siemen’s Connectivist Learning Theory (2004). This illustrates how the sharing of ideas, the collaboration, the Social Presence works for learning engagement (Starkey, 2011). Stabile (2014) focuses on how educators should have professional conversations on how learning occurs rather than how one teaches. He suggests the engagement of a self-discovery approach to student learning. Siemens (2010) suggests teachers use current technology for its authentic functionality, promoting connected learning transparency and narrative coherence. By introducing a flipped classroom model, using technology to encourage self-guided learning, I have been able to encourage student confidence and independence in a collaborative environment.
Conclusion
I find there is a recurring theme in my literature review of the need for classroom collaboration and social connection to achieve online student engagement. In the Community of Inquiry model (Garrison et al., 2000), Pittaway’s Engagement Framework (2012), and the Online Engagement Framework (Redmond et al., 2018), each connects with a humanistic approach to learning where relationships, emotions and self-evaluation are recognised components to achieve successful student learning outcomes. My question for future inquiry is do we need to foster increased emotional intelligence in teachers to augment social presence in online teaching environments?
References
Fiock, H. (2020). Designing a community of inquiry in online courses. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 135–153. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/3985
Flavell, J. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: a new area of cognitive developmental inquiry. American Psychologist 34, 906-911.
Garrison, D, Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education 2.2/3, 87-105.
Pittaway, S. (2012). Student and Staff Engagement: Developing an Engagement Framework in a Faculty of Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(4). https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol37/iss4/3/
Redmond, P., Abawi, L., Brown, A., Henderson, R., & Heffernan, A. (2018). An online engagement framework for higher education. Online learning, 22(1), 183–204. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1179626.pdf https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/7428906801
Richardson, J., & Swan, K. (2003). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students’ perceived learning and satisfaction. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 7(1), 68−88. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.001
Schon, D. 1987. Educating the Reflective Practitioner. Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Schunk, D. (2012). Learning Theories: An educational perspective. 6th edition. Pearson.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). http://www.itdl.org/journal/Jan_05/article01.htm.
Siemens, G. (2010, March 6). TEDxNYED – George Siemens – 03/06/10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BH-uLO6ovI
Stabile, C. (2014). Promoting Change Through Active Faculty Enrichment: A Shift in the Mindset of Faculty Educators from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered. Innovative solutions to contemporary challenges, Language teaching and TEFL professional development in Nicaragua, The Nicaraguan English Language Learning Journal. https://www.generalsemantics.org/product/etc-a-review-of-general-semantics-71-3-july-2014/
Starkey L. (2011). Evaluating learning in the 21st century: A digital learning matrix. Technology, Pedagogy and Education. 20(1),19-39.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
My Learning Journey 