ICT provides a rich and flexible learner-centred environment in which students can experiment and take risks when developing new understanding. In my placement this semester I was teaching Yr 11 IB Psychology. As part of this I was to teach the dot point “Evaluate Social Identity Theory, making reference to relevant studies” (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2009). In starting this section I asked all students to find a relevant study not found in their text book. They were directed to use online journals etc to do this. Throughout this exercise I was allowing them the opportunity to take some responsibility for their own learning in this subject but also making them aware of skills that can be used in any subject area. The need to relate ideas and theories back to relevant research to display a student’s understanding is not only important in the Psychology subject area of the IB program but throughout all the subjects. The search for research is a skill that students will need to develop throughout not only their secondary schooling but also throughout life. Giving them the opportunity to do this early in their education and take responsibility for it without pressure of marking, allowed them to take this minimal risk.
Within class time we had some group time where students would talk through and explain the study they had found. Even if some students were unable to find relevant studies but rather review articles or the like all students would learn from the experience and also from each other in how to go about it in the future and this specific subject area as all will be exposed to a number of relevant studies. Within this experience ICT supported the knowledge-building among teams and enabled team members to collaborate, inquire, interact and integrate prior knowledge with new understanding. This experience helped build knowledge but did not necessarily challenge the understanding they may already have had.
Later in my placement I was teaching Yr 11 VCE Psychology and in this class I was teaching Intelligence. With this class I used a range of youtube clips downloaded with keepvid to challenge their understandings. Clips such as Ronaldinho, Thank God You’re here and a few others showed intelligence in different ways and led perfectly into Gardner’s model of multiple intelligences.
Through both of these classes simple ICT was used to help develop students learning and challenge preconceived ideas in the area. It also allowed them to take a risk without failure and work together both for immediate understanding and towards skills they can use throughout life.
International Baccalaureate Organization, 2009. Diploma Programme, Psychology guide. Peterson House, Malthouse Avenue, Cardiff Gate, Cardiff, Wales.
AK commented on:
International Baccalaureate Organization, 2009. Diploma Programme, Psychology guide. Peterson House, Malthouse Avenue, Cardiff Gate, Cardiff, Wales.
AK commented on:
I really like how you combined the required learning with research skills that are transferable across student studies. In my own experience I have found that this is a skill (online researching) that is somewhat under developed, well at year 9 anyhow. I recently delivered a short unit on Art History to a Year 9 class which took the form of a 500 word essay task on Impressionism. The students researched online and I urged them to utilise web links from the government website FUSE (https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/secondary/pages/Default.aspx) to do their researching from. There were mixed results from this and hard to know if or where any students had copied their responses closely to the online texts. On reflection i felt that I could have done a whole lesson just on internet researching skills to help the students complete the task. Perhaps when i teaching my own classes next year I will be able to implement more of this important skill into classwork on a regular basis. I think for students to be able to access such a vast amount of information with a few mouse clicks is fantastic but helping them navigate it all is a skill unto itself and requires guidance! I like how you reviewed the information they found, did this review include how they found the information and the process related to that?
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