Hastings PEEL

This article by Jo Osler appeared in the most recent editon of PEEL SEEDS # 102 which focused on the use of Interactive Whiteboards to improve student learning

My aim is for my students to develop an effective approach to learning that reflects their understandings of the learning process.  As they build these understandings they are simultaneously developing a language that helps them to communicate what they know about learning. I am constantly looking for new ways to support this process in my classroom and the latest has been to incorporate the use of our interactive whiteboard. While my students are working and learning in the classroom I capture them in action by taking a photo. I ensure I take random shots as well as strategic shots to highlight students a range of learning behaviours. Once the photo is taken we view it on the interactive whiteboard on a flipchart. Using the whiteboard interactive pen I ask students in the class not featured in the photo to give feedback about the learning that is taking place in the photo. I then ask the students featured in the photo to share their reflections about what was really happening in the photo. All of this is recorded on the photo, which turns into a Labelled diagram.

In the beginning, students usually make comments at a surface level where they will focus on the physical actions of the learner: ‘getting materials organised’, ‘putting facts in circle’, or ‘doing my work’. These comments reflect current understandings about learning and provide me with directions to support their learning further. As students develop more effective reflective skills and have built richer understandings of what effective learning involves and looks like, then their comments begin to reflect this development:  ‘I was checking the criteria and making a decision about when to move on’, ‘Sam looks like he is enviro walking and looking for ideas to help with his literary sociogram.’

Once the photos have the reflective comments we print them out and use them during later discussions about learning, as well as placing them in student portfolios to show growth in the areas of personal development, interpersonal development, communication and thinking. Next, my goal is for my students to incorporate this process into their team tasks, where they will develop a series of photos that reflect on the learning that has occurred over a period of time.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm and is filed under Ideas/Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.