RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Special Issue: Smart Learning Environments

 
Topic of interest: Blended Learning

Topic: Using effective teaching methods in blended learning practices

to support students learning with online forum discussions.
HOW THIS PAPER: TOWARDS AN INFORMATION SHARING PEDAGOGY: A
CASE OF USING FACEBOOK IN A LARGE FIRST YEAR CLASS BY RAMBE
AND NG’AMBI (2011) INFLUENCED MY IDEAS ON THIS RESEARCH

• In this paper, I have learned about Expansive Learning. Expansive learning is part of activity
theory.

• The focus of Expansive learning is on the desired outcomes of developing young people’s
capabilities so that, as they go through school they acquire certain dispositions for learning and
when they leave school they are equipped to thrive at home, at work and in the wider
community settings which they will be living.

• This is related to my research goal which is the use of effective teaching methods which will
lead to giving students authentic tasks so that learners are equipped with knowledge and skills
that they can use in real life situations. Expansive learning just like authentic learning equip
learners with knowledge and skills that learners can use in real life. situations.
ANALYSIS OF MY TOPIC USING ACTIVITY SYSTEM TRIANGLE (LIM 2002)

Tools: Online forum discussion,

laptop, WhatsApp, email.

Object: Teaching
Subject: Tutors
methods Outcome:Authentic
learning

Rules: Participants to use Division of labor: Tutors post

online acceptable assignments, posts. Students respond
behaviour Community: Tutors,
Students, online learning  
community
 
 ACTIVITY SYSTEM TRIANGLE

• Analysis of my topic using Activity System Triangle

• Subject: Lecturers, tutors

• Tools: Online forum discussions, Moodle, Laptop, Email, WhattsApp

• Object: The effective use of teaching methods

 Activity System Triangle

• According to Mwanza (2002) Activity Triangle model or activity system

entails an “actor” represented by the Subject. The Subject represents
the people involved in the activity such as teachers and students.

• Tools represent the technology that is going to be used to carry out

the activity.

• The Object which represents the objectives, motives, and purposes

for engaging in activity, or on which the activity is focused. My topic
has the subject, tools and the object.
 Activity System Triangle

• The community represents all the people or the subjects and objects
involved in the activity being performed.

• The rules are guidelines that are setup by the actor

• The division of labour includes the division of roles and

responsibilities in order to perform the activity.
 Blended Learning

• Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online

educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with
traditional place-based classroom methods (Garrison & Vaughan,
2008)

• Teaching methods refer to the general principles, pedagogy and

management strategies used for classroom instruction (Luo, Murray &
Crompton, 2017).
 Background using socio-cultural context (Lim 2002)

• Socio-cultural context refers to the idea that ICT does not exist in
isolation, rather it is linked to the culture and society in which it is
used (Lim, 2002).
• This project is linked to the culture and society in which the outcome
of the study will be used.
Society at large
• The outcome of this project will benefit the society at large because
when students are equipped with authentic knowledge they will
apply that knowledge in that society thus improving the lives of the
people in that area.
 Background using socio-cultural context (Lim 2002)

Education System
• The outcome of this activity will help the Ministry of Education to have
competent educators that can develop the curriculum that addresses
the country’s needs. It will also have an impact on the teachers that
implement the curriculum.
Schools
• Tertiary institutions will have well trained educators who use authentic
learning tasks when teaching and when assessing students.
• Secondary and primary schools also would be affected by the outcome
of this project as the curriculum will have objectives that make teachers
to apply effective teaching methods that will lead to authentic tasks.
 Background using socio-cultural context (Lim 2002)

Course of study
• The outcome of the study will also impact on the courses or subjects at
school level as the effective teaching methods will be used when teaching
and learners given authentic tasks.

Proposition (Informed by Herrington (2010) authentic learning context)

• Authentic learning is an instructional approach that allows students to
explore, discuss, and meaningfully constructs concepts and relationships
in contexts that involve real-world problems and projects that are
relevant to the learner (Herrington, 2010).
Proposition (Informed by Herrington (2010) authentic learning context)

• According to Herrington (2010) when learning and context are

separated, knowledge itself is seen by learners as the final product of
education rather than a tool to be used dynamically to solve
problems.

• The goal of my research is to find out the effective teaching methods

that can be used in blended learning so that learners are equipped
with knowledge and skills that can be used in real world situations.
Proposition (Informed by Herrington (2010)
authentic learning context)

• If tutors use effective teaching methods they will be able to design

authentic tasks for students.

• These tasks will empower students to be well trained to apply what

they have learned in real life situations. Herrington (2010) also said
the task is the most important in any learning design. Effective
teaching methods lead to authentic tasks.
Proposition (Informed by Herrington (2010)
authentic learning context)
   
ELEMENTS OF AUTHENTIC LEARNING APPLICATION OF ELEMENTS OF AUTHENTIC LEARNING
 

  Design an assessment for your students using a learning outcome from the standard seven syllabus to demonstrate
1. Authentic context that reflect the way knowledge will be used in real life that they have gained knowledge and skill.

1. Authentic activities Identify a learning outcome to use, research and analyze how they will use learning outcome to create an activity
  for their students.
 

1. Access expert performances and the modelling of processes Using the learning outcome they have chosen, learners will use internet to research, watch videos the process of
how to create learning activity using a learning outcome

1. Access multiple roles and perspectives Use internet, videos to learn how to create an activity for students using a learning outcome
 

1. Collaborative construction of knowledge Learners will work in groups to analyze the activities that they have created to check if they address the learning
  outcomes they have chosen

1. Reflection Questions will be used to promote reflection e.g.

e.g. Explain the process that you followed in order to come up with your activity.

1. Articulation Students present to the class their work; that is the activities they have developed using learning outcomes from
  different subjects.
 

1. Coaching and scaffolding The facilitator give students feedback

 

1. Authentic assessment Learners will submit their complete work individually to the facilitator. These will be activities for various subjects.
 
Proposition (Informed by Herrington (2010)
authentic learning context)

Conceptual questions

• What are blended learning practices?

• What are the effective teaching methods that can be used in blended
learning?

• How does online forum discussions influence the way the tutors
teach?
 
 METHODOLOGY

• Activity Oriented Design Method (AODM)

• In this activity, I would use the Eight-Step Model that is used to
generate the research questions.

• What sort of activity am I interested in?

- I am interested in finding out the effective teaching methods that

encourage the use of authentic learning in blended learning practices
using online forum discussions.
 METHODOLOGY

• Why is the activity taking place?

 
- It is taking place in order to assist tutors with the effective teaching
methods that they can use when teaching blended learning courses
using online forum discussions.

- I have realized that at BOU tutors give students tasks that are not
authentic when teaching using online forum discussions. For example, in
one of the courses (Music and movement activities) in online forum
discussions, a tutor asked students this question: “Briefly explain two
characteristics of the equipment utilization process”.
 METHODOLOGY

• Who is involved in carrying out this activity?

- Lecturers, tutors and students
 
• By what means are the subjects performing this activity?
- The subjects are using online forum discussions and WhatssApp

• Are there any cultural norms, rules or regulations governing the

performance of this activity?
- Online learning netiquette, the lecturer post a question and students
respond, but not allowed to create a new post.
 METHODOLOGY

• Who is responsible for what, when carrying out this activity and how
are the roles organized?
- Tutors are responsible for moderating the posts and posting
assignments and students responding to the questions and each
other’s comments.

• What is the environment in which the activity is carried out? 

- The activity is carried out in different areas as tutors and students are
staying in different places.
 METHODOLOGY

• What is the desired outcome from carrying out this activity?

- My intended outcome is to transform tutors to have effective online tutoring

skills so that they support students to learn as members of Community of
Inquiry and individually.

- In addition, it is to improve the way tutors are teaching by making them

aware that using effective teaching methods in blended learning can help
them to give learners authentic tasks. Tasks that can help learners to apply
their knowledge to real life situations. After doing this project I will share my
work with other tutors.
 
 METHODOLOGY

New research questions generated

• How does teaching methods influence the tasks given to students
• What tools are suitable for authentic tasks in blended learning

RESULTS
• The most significant question is: “how does teaching methods influence the
tasks given to students”. This question is significant because the aim of this
activity is to use effective teaching methods so that students are given
authentic tasks. If a tutor uses the lecture method, students are not going to
be given an opportunity to experiment, research and discover for
themselves but are going to depend on the tutor and in such a situation the
tutor will give them lower order thinking skills tasks.
 CONCLUSION

Why is the contribution of your paper matter?

• This paper is intended to support teaching and learning in blended learning

environments. By using effective teaching methods when teaching will lead to
giving students authentic tasks that will empower them to solve real world
problems.

• The contribution of this paper is important as it would help educators to consider

teaching methods for blended learning when designing courses and when
preparing to teach. Authentic learning can be used in a wide range of teaching
and learning activities.

 
 REFERENCES

Cleveland-Innes, M. & Wilton, D. 2018. Guide to Blended Learning. Commonwealth of Learning

Herrington, J. Reeves, T. C. & Oliver, R. 2010. A Guide to Authentic e-Learning. Routledge. New York.
http://researchrepository.Murdoch.edu.au/1903/

Luo, T., Murray, A., & Crompton, H. 2017. Designing Authentic Learning activities to train pre-service teachers about teaching online.
Athabasca University. Canada

Lim, P. C. 2002. A theoritical framework for the study of ICT in schools: a proposal. British Educational Communications and Technology
Agency. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. USA.

Mwanza-Simwami, D. 2011. AODM as a framework and model for characterizing learner experiences with technology. Journal of e-
Learning and Knowledge Society, 7(3) pp.75-85

Ng’ambi, D. and Brown, C. 2014. Mediating learning in a blended postgraduate course. In Activity Theory, Authentic Learning and
Emerging Technologies - Towards a transformative higher education pedagogy. V. Bozalek, D. Ng’ambi, D. Wood, J. Herrington, J. Hardman,
A. Amory. (Eds.) Routledge. pp. 46-58