2 IT competency framework for teachers - Kennisnet

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• http://leraar24.nl/video/2401 (Video storybooks)
• http://leraar24.nl/video/638
(Possibilities interactive whiteboard)
• http://leraar24.nl/dossier/74
(File “The interactive whiteboard”)
Another working example of instruction supported by
IT, is distance education (Benschop, 2005). By means
of video conferencing a teacher, or other expert,
can instruct students at different locations. Research
shows that students achieve the same results with
distance education as with face-to-face teaching.
However, it does require adequate preparation on
the part of teachers and students and it demands a
lot of a teacher’s skills to keep order and monitor
progress at a distance.
• http://leraar24.nl/video/2274
(Regional video lessons)
• http://leraar24.nl/video/2077
(Expert in the classroom)
Other forms of instruction using video are canned
lessons and instructional videos. In these forms
of instruction, students can independently watch the
video instruction, which makes the learning process
time and location independent. Examples of these are
The Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.com) and
Flipping the Classroom (http://flippingtheclassroom.
kennisnet.nl). Hereby, it is of importance that teachers
continue to play an active role in guiding students: not
all students will start to watch a video by themselves.
Also, the quality of the video is crucial to a good
learning outcome.
• http://leraar24.nl/video/1954
(The expert video for comparison)
• http://leraar24.nl/video/3353
(Flipping the Classroom)
Let learn
Not only giving instructions, but also letting students
learn is part of the didactic teaching approach. We
will distinguish three types of learning: structured
practice, inquiry learning, and learning to learn.
Structured practice
Structured practice is primarily about application
and repetition. For example, learning new words
or facts by heart, applying learned rules (e.g.
grammar rules) or practising skills (e.g. learning to
touch type). The use of digital exercise programmes
helps teachers to let their students practise this a
structured way. The use of good digital exercise
programmes leads to increased motivation, task
orientation and greater self-confidence, especially
in literacy and numeracy for which we have a lot of
working examples (van Rijn, 2009).
Digital exercise programmes make it easier to offer
differentiated, tailor made education. There are
many digital exercise programmes that give students
feedback on their results and adapt the difficulty
level of training materials based on these results
and, because the progress is accurately recorded,
teachers receive a better insight into which parts
have been sufficiently mastered by students and
which have not. Research shows that students are
able to independently work with such programmes
(Meijer, 2009). This frees up time for teachers which
they can then devote to activities like additional
counseling for particular students or giving specific
instruction. The condition is that teachers are able
to keep a good digital record of students’ progress
and to intervene where necessary.
• http://leraar24.nl/video/3342
(Maths in an adaptive digital garden)
• http://leraar24.nl/video/1509
(Working at proficiency at your own pace)
Also students with disabilities (physical, cognitive,
or behavioural) benefit greatly from digital exercise
programmes. Research shows that for students with
a specific need, digital exercise programmes have
a positive effect on the learning outcome (EXSO,
2011). For these students, it is a great advantage to
practise at their own pace and at their own level so
they can repeat the exercises several times over if
necessary. Thereby making the learning process more
manageable.
Inquiry-based learning
Inquiry-based learning consists of teaching methods
where students are more or less free to find an
answer to a question, look for information on a
certain topic or gain insight into a concept or
skills. It often involves complex issues with multiple
answers, whereby the process (how the student comes
to the solution) is part of the learning objective.
In this regard IT can be very helpful, but as with
exercise programmes, applications have to be well
thought out, have a professional didactic design and
require the constant attention of the teacher.
Inquiry learning, for example by using computer
simulations. Computer simulations enable students
to experiment in an environment that mimics reality
using educational models. In such an environment
students can develop practical skills, such as learning
to dredge with a dredging simulation (Oomens, 2011)
or familiarise themselves with research principles,
such as composing a hypothesis (De Jong, 2009).
Another example is working with webquests.
Students get a meaningful, functional assignment to
find, acquire and then integrate information. The
main idea is that so-called ‘higher order thinking
skills’ (such as analysing, logical reasoning, and
problem solving) are encouraged. This way, the
student is not a passive knowledge acquirer, but
will actively look for information in different
sources and will know how to integrate them (Abbit
& Orphus, 2008). A webquest can be very effective,
mainly due to the independent role of the student
in a multimedia, challenging environment. But the
real power is determined by the way the teachers
use the webquest, often adopting the role of a coach
(Leu et al, 2004). The teacher’s page of a webquest,
with supporting information about the didactic and
organisational use, will help them to achieve this.
A specific application of the webquest is the
mobile webquest where students use a device,
such as a mobile phone, to perform assignments and
play games in an environment outside the school
premises. Here, the same previously mentioned
principles of multimedia advantages apply, only
they are then combined with an (more) inspiring
environment.
• http://leraar24.nl/video/3232
(GPS tour in nature)
Learning to learn
With ‘learning to learn’ we mean forms of education
that are primarily focused on the learning process
and the respective awareness where students learn
to reflect on the way they learn and acquire general
skills. All important aspects of ‘learning to learn’.
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