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Part 1: Learning Orientation and Framework
As a teacher, this writing will demonstrate that facilitating
confidence in group interaction among learners who are collaborative
stakeholders in a community of inquiry, can also facilitate group competence in
the subject material by encouraging epistemic engagement as individuals are self-identified
as collaborators within a group. Learner-centered participatory environments
based on orientations that view knowledge as a collaborative social
construction help to facilitate self-directed learning and engagement, as
teachers are more able to understand the individual needs and personalities of
students through effective communication in personal learning environments
(Conradie, 2014). Teachers who are comfortable in nurturing connections between
his or her own presence, the social presence of learners in the classroom, and
the cognitive presence of students in the classroom, are able to increase
student knowledge and satisfaction with courses offered online (Shea &
Bidjerano, 2009). Continually, teachers who are able to foster connections between
teacher presence and social presence in a blended learning environment,
increased the cognitive mindfulness of their students in a way which improved a
sense of self-efficacy and accomplishment that is thought to improve effort and
increase epistemic engagement (Shea & Bidjerano, 2010).
In terms of demographics, the age of learners is increasing in
higher education, and online classrooms are thought to meet the needs of the
aging population of learners (Shea & Bidjerano, 2009). Age as a factor in
education also can be described as a ratio of competence, as adult learners age
they accrue more cognitive strategies and experience that applies in a
constructive learning environment among learning group members (Shea &
Bidjerano, 2009).
The age of students is increasing, and this may also increase the
expected specialization and complexity of teaching methodologies employed in
modern classrooms. As technology evolves, teachers must be able to maintain an
awareness of current technologies as well as the content of course material, as
well as the contextual and social elements of the classroom environment in
order to nurture epistemic engagement among learning groups (Shea &
Bidjerano, 2009). Learning spaces themselves may contribute to engagement and
creativity as the presence of objects and artifacts connected to modern culture
may increase curiosity in classrooms (Goodman, 2014).
Group membership as a process of intergroup differentiation
increases motivation through a process of increased self-esteem that is related
to group goals and ideals, based on differences between-groups, group members
idealize positive in-group characteristics of group membership as a quality
that motivates group participation
according to group prototypes (Tasdemir, 2011). Learners who can self-identify
with a learning community or group may experience increased motivation and
self-esteem.
The culture of The United States is considered a low-context and
individualized culture, which differs from high-context culture according to
the nature of group participation (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Collective
cultures tend to view group participation as implied, and self-identification
as a group member is a higher priority than emphasis on individual
accomplishments within the group context, individualistic cultures tend to
focus on achievement in the workplace outside of demographics and view
perceived competence as a concept that is equal to capability and that
influences self-perceptions of efficacy in work settings (Shiraev & Levy,
2010). Cross-cultural dimensions can affect the sense of self-efficacy among students
in learning groups.
Thoughts about
self-efficacy can serve to benefit learner motivation if an individual
perceives herself or himself as effective and capable of influencing events
that change the outcomes associated with their actions, or create negative
cognitive affects if an individual’s self-appraisal does not render a sense of
efficacy (Bandura, 1989). A person’s motivational, cognitive, and affective
processes can be influenced by the sense of self-efficacy, and people tend to
select environments that contribute to efficacy and optimal outcomes (Bandura,
1989). The ability to nurture the appraisal of positive self-efficacy provides
for self-directed behavior, by appraising the ability to influence current and
future outcomes socially and cognitively, and external environments also
influence the self-regulation of and promotion of efficacy (Bandura, 1989).
In summary, the awareness of knowledge is a social construction
that is collaborated upon among members of social groups, that can be
influenced by the external environment and intentionally encouraged in
collaborative blended learning environments, which are inhabited by groups who
foster a sense of membership that increases self-esteem and motivation, that is
supported by teaching professionals who are able to create student-centered social
and cognitive spaces for learning presence and learner collaboration in diverse
populations. In the context of The United States, learning as a participatory
practice enhances the sense of competence and self-efficacy, as competent
learners are able to collaborate on and shape the outcome of learning
activities in a formal setting, thereby delineating learning group membership
that increases self-esteem and motivation.
Part 2: Classroom Design
This writing was created to meet the needs of a course on
foundations of adult learning, and the coursework related to the assignment
provides two options. This document is written to meet the second example
prompt, which is a teaching activity designed to meet the needs of 35 adult
learners ranging in age from 17 years old to 70 years.
It has been established in this writing that group presence and
collaboration are key elements to learning, which can be inclusive across age
demographics and also increase retention. Presentational classroom environments
are teacher-centered and offer a space for student listening only, some
classroom orientations offer a perspective called performance-tutoring, which
are environments that offer group participation but that is largely based on
existing formal structures for learning; epistemic engagement is a process in
which learners collaborate on the methods, language, and strategies for
learning course material (Shea & Bidjerano, 2009). My goal is to create a
learning environment that supports teaching that engages both the social and
cognitive elements of the classroom through teacher presence, that is
collaborative and that maintains a record of group activity, and that creates
an active blended learning environment that facilitates individual learning and
contributes to group participation and epistemic engagement. This can be
accomplished with technology, as shown in figure 1.
Figure 1. Blended Learning Classroom
Format (Smartdesks.com, n.d.).
As
shown in figure 1, classrooms can be equipped with touch-screen workstations
that can also be used as conventional learning spaces. Because the classroom is
designed for students of a wide age range, the keyboard and mouse is not a
required interface for the technology, hands-on fingertip gestures can
manipulate the material presented on the screens, a projector screen at the
front of the classroom can present material to the entire group without
requiring interaction, on-screen keyboards are less noisy or distracting, and
the workstations can employ voice recognition technology that can circumvent
the need for rapid typing during class participation. The desks shown are
created by a company in New Jersey (Smartdesks.com, n.d.). As shown in figure
2, the desks can be fitted with any type of display including touch screens,
and can still offer a traditional keyboard and mouse input for students who
require it.
Figure 2. Computer Desk Features.
(Smartdesks.com, n.d.)
The
multi-use desks have the ability to be equipped with computer hardware that is
not cost-prohibitive and that becomes the foundation for an effective blended
learning environment.
Figure
3 demonstrates the collaborative features of the blended learning workstations
for classroom use.
Figure 3. Student collaboration during
learning activities. (Smartdesks.com, n.d.).
The classroom technology is designed to be a part of the
instructor’s presentation, as the instructor presents a set of course materials
on the classroom projector, the same materials are accessible from each
workstation. In this environment the students are thereby given a copy of the
course presentation, which can be manipulated on each workstation going from
one slide to the next, or viewing a collaborative document, while taking notes
on the course materials. Any notes recorded could be accessible from any
internet workstation through a university website.
Blended classroom interaction is recorded by the workstations
according to student ID, course, and login. As the in-person elements of the
coursework take place, students can submit written comments that are visible to
the entire class as well as to the instructor, and a virtual space for student
responses to the class can be created. Question and answer format activities
can take the form of a single screen presented on the main projector, which
presents questions from any of the students participating in question and
answer activities. Lastly, the workstations can provide discussion spaces
throughout the course material, much like modern online classrooms, that can be
accessed asynchronously and provide a space for collaboration and discussion of
course material while outside the classroom. As mentioned previously, class
participation can be recorded on university internet storage space in a way
that can be accessed from a home computer while not attending class, so that
classroom discussions are available asynchronously.
Instructor communications are central to creating an adequate
space for self-directed learning, as individual learner’s memory and
perceptions of the course material are relevant to the foundation of
self-directed participation and learning in a personal learning environment
(Conradie, 2014). As demonstrated by online learning at the University of
Phoenix, individual feedback and communication between the instructor, the
social space surrounding the course material, and individual learners can be
facilitated through the use of computer technology, in a way that is sensitive
to a wide range of demographics. This next step brings the online learning
technology into the in-person classroom in a way that combines course
presentation, collaboration, and asynchronous communication to form a viable
community of inquiry among the participants of each course.
To conclude, each student’s work would be visible and available
for viewing by collaborators and by instructors, in a way that contributes to
group identity among cohorts within the courses and as members of the
university as a social group. This approach can increase self-efficacy and
epistemic engagement in a blended learning environment, across demographics.
References
Goodman, S. (2014,
November 11). Does your classroom tell a story? Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/does-your-classroom-tell-story-stacey-goodman?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-does-your-classroom-tell-story-link
Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social
cognitive theory. American Psychologist,
44(9), 1175-1184.
Conradie, P. W. (2014). Supporting
self-directed learning by connectivism and personal learning environments. International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, 4(3), 254-259.
Shea, P. & Bidjerano, T. (2009).
Community of inquiry as a theoretical framework to foster “epistemic engagement” and “cognitive presence” in online education. Computers & Education, 52, 543-553.
Shea, P. & Bidjerano, T. (2010).
Learning presence: Towards a theory of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and the development of a communities of inquiry in online
and blended learning environments. Computers &
Education, 55, 1721-1731.
Shiraev E. & Levy, D. Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking
and contemporary applications. Boston, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.
Smartdesks.com (n.d.). Flip Up / Flip Top PC Computer Desks for
Schools and Higher Education. Retrieved from: http://www.smartdesks.com/flipit-flip-up-pc-computer-classroom-desks.asp
Tasdemir, N. (2011). The relationships between
motivations of intergroup differentiation as a function of different dimensions of social identity. Review of general psychology, 15(2), 125-137.
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