Blog #2: Pedagogy, Learning Theories, Instructor Roles and Digital Spaces in Online Learning

Key Terms

Pedagogy and Networked Pedagogy

Pedagogy

Pedagogy is the study of teaching methods encompassing the way an instructor teaches, to the way they choose to engage their students, to the way they assess them. Pedagogy is not just what we teach, it is also how and why we teach it the way we do to support students learning. I will be the first to admit, that I struggle to fully comprehend the comprehensiveness of pedagogy. I understand pedagogy as the art of teaching— how an educator can create a meaningful, engaging and holistic learning experience for their students whilst simultaneously creating an environment that fosters curiosity and growth.

Reflecting on my own experiences as a learner, I can acknowledge a few strategies of instruction that have directly influenced my comprehension of classwork material, namely, direct instruction and collaborative learning. Despite being two very different ideas, both greatly add to my comprehension. Direct instruction, a strategy that focuses on structured, sequenced and clear instruction, is beneficial as it allows me to develop a base understanding of material before applying it further. For example, if I am in a clinical psychology course, it is beneficial to learn the criteria of bipolar disorder from my professor before then applying it in a case study. Succeeding direct instruction, I greatly appreciate collaborative learning—the strategy of using groups to enhance learning through working together. This strategy of instruction allows me to converse with other students to solidify and expand upon the information covered in class. For instance, collaborative learning in a clinical psychology class, could be completing a case study and conceptualization on an individual with bipolar disorder.

If I was to translate this knowledge and experience into teaching practices, I think I would try to create a learning environment that supports both direct instruction and collaborative learning. I would offer students the opportunity to learn material through lecture to ensure clarity in guidance, but also allow them to engage in group discussions, group projects, think-pair-share or case study analysis to support interpersonal development and knowledge comprehension. Surpassing those basic strategies, I also think a hugely important part of pedagogy is offering students the opportunity to engage in the material that aligns with their needs. For example, I think it is important to  offer auditory, visual and kinesthetic opportunities to engage with the material.

Networked Pedagogy

Branching from the pedagogy that is used in face-to-face instruction, an instructor can employ networked pedagogy as they instruct in online environments. Networked pedagogy is an approach to education that emphasizes connection between people, resources and ideas through leveraging tools such as social media, blogs or podcasts. I believe that network pedagogy can be harnessed and greatly improve the learning experience of students as they undertake virtual learning. By asking students to use social media or blogs to showcase their learning, teachers are offering students the opportunity to interpersonally engage with the material and showcase their skills in a setting they are used too. Many students use social media in their free time, and by offering them the opportunity to complete assessments using social media, they can develop additional digital literacy skills they can use in their personal life.

Technology offers students the opportunity to be flexible in their communication and allows interpersonal connection to be more accessible for many students. For example, discussion forums allow students to find others to do group projects with or can use them to make study groups and social media such as Instagram or Zoom allows students to connect with one another outside of class or when meeting in person is not possible. For example, with the snowfall, my group members and I have been able to meet over zoom to discuss our projects and my study group for my psychology class have been messaging questions we have about the material as we study for our exam next week. Technology can be used to remove the circumstances that inhibit communication and support connection between students.

Learning Theories

Constructivism

There are numerous learning theories that influence the way a teacher frames their classroom and coursework. As we learned in the video above, Constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the active role of the learner in building their own understandings of material. Before this course, I was not aware of constructivism and the emphasis this theory places on active learning and social construction stood out to me. I think the constructivist approach can be applied to online learning beautifully as virtual courses allow the flexability for students to showcase their understandings in so many different ways and are not locked into the face-to-face exam format. In an asynchronous course, an instructor could include some of the practices below in accordance with the constructivist approach

• Discussion forums: can create a direction for discussion, but allow students the space to include personal experience, interpretations, reactions and opinions into the response. This also allows students to find their own information and knowledge and report it back to the rest of the class to enhance everyone’s learning. For example, creating a discussion post that asks students to find a case study on business management then explain it in the discussion forum
• Alternative assessment options: allowing students the freedom to choose what type of assessments they want to hand in that supports their own learning. For example, if I am teaching a course on business management, I can offer the opportunity for students to submit a formative essay, a Mock interview on the topic, an engaging podcast or blog segment to showcase their learning and understandings.
• Open-ended topics: giving the students the opportunity to choose the topic for study that aligns with their own interests and their own level of knowledge.

I believe that having an understanding of the constructivist approach will allow me to create a learning environment that better supports students intrinsic motivation to create their own understandings. Many students are driven by grades or efforts on a report card, but creating an environment that fosters active participation by the students may make them inclined to seek out knowledge

Roles of an Online Instructor

A virtual class is only as good as its instructor, making it essential that an instructor is competent, and efficacious in an online environemnt. Being a student who has undergone numerous online courses, it is important for instructors to be mindful of what qualities they can bring to the course that can support or inhibit their students’ abilities to learn. Below is a list of numerous qualities that are essential for an instructor to develop to foster a productive and successful learning experience for their students.

Good Qualities in an Online Instructor

Clarity: ensuring materials are offered clearly and structured, this includes instruction, lectures and assessments. It is important that lectures are effective and accessible to all types of students. Creating resources for assignments that are clear and directly outline the expectations that a teacher has for the project.

Be online: ensure that you are available for students and there to support them. Continuously monitor students’ performance and offer support and feedback as needed

Patient and empathetic: be patient towards students who are experiencing online courses for the first time. Understanding that many students have barriers that prevent them from face-to-face learning that may create accessibility difficulties as they navigate virtual courses.

Technologically skilled: the instructor should be able to effectively use the technology that the students are learning from. Have the skills to be able to teach students how to use the technology platforms.

Motivated to help students succeed: able to motivate their students to work through the material and excel!Receptive to feedback to improve their own instruction and the course framework to learning more accessible.

There are lots of things instructors do that inhibit or reduce the quality of their students education. Below is a list of qualities to try to avoid as an instructor.

Qualities not to have as an online instructor

Lack of structure and organization: offering a course that is not structured in a way that is easy to navigate for students

Lacking knowledge on technology: not understanding how to use the platforms they are asking their students to use or failing to offer guided resources on how to use the applications needed for the course.

Failing to make class resources clear: online settings requires the professor to be competent in their understanding of the course material because students are unable to ask questions as they come in the same way they can in a face to face setting.

Absence: failing to answer emails or offer office hours regularly for students to attend and ask questions if needed. Students still require time in which they can receive clarification or receive feedback when on an online course.

Digital Spaces

Digital spaces are places where people can interact, communicate, learn and collaborate on the internet. These spaces are virtual, interconnected, dynamic and flexible in nature. Some benefits of digital spaces are increased connectivity, improved collaboration, enhanced access to information and increased efficiency. Some possible challenges are cybersecurity, information overload, social isolation and digital inequalities.

I believe to positively contribute to digital spaces it is important to be mindful of the content, and tone of what you say. Similarly to in-person interaction, to positively contribute it is important to be respectful, kind, supporting, and talk about appropriate and culturally sensitive topics.

Key Takeaways

• Pedagogy is the science of teaching and includes what you are teaching and how you do it
• Network pedagogy is a technique that supports the connection between people and resources through technology
• Constructivism is a learning strategy that can be efficaciously used in an online setting by creating open-ended assignments and discussion forums.
• There are many qualities such as clarity, empathy and presence that supports being a successful online teacher

References

• What Is Collaborative Learning? Theory, Examples of Activities
• Direct Instruction: What is It? What are Its Key Principles? – Education Library
• Pedagogy | Methods, Theories, & Facts | Britannica
• http://www.vccaedu.org/inquiry/inquiry-spring-2007/i-12-Carwile
• Constructivism Learning Theory & Philosophy of Education
• Six Characteristics of a Great Online Education Teacher | Walden University
• Characteristics of Poor Teachers
• EDCI 339 (A01) Module 2 – University of Victoria – EdTech
• What is a digital space? – California Learning Resource Network