| in my TEACHING | in my LEARNING | |
| Learner/ Learning centred | Consider the needs/ prior knowledge of students PYP/ IB program demands that educators assess prior knowledge and use this information to guide their teaching. |
Sometimes the needs/ prior knowledge is considered but at the university level this practice is not always used/ appropriate. However, knowledge is usually scaffolded. |
| Knowledge
centred |
Concept driven and inquiry based Reflection is a major component in the inquiry cycle. |
In my experience, adult learners in the MET program are given complete freedom to extend their knowledge, within a topic, without instructor restriction. Time is the only limiting factor to the amount of knowledge I acquire. |
| Assessment
centred |
PYP Units of Inquiry are designed collaboratively (within a grade level group and across a school) through a backwards planning model starting with the summative assessment. | My MET courses have all started by presenting a syllabus, reading list and assignment/ assessment description and due date from the first day. Learning, in most courses, has been purposely geared towards completion of the assignments/ assessments. |
| Community
centred |
In my 11 years of teaching, there has always been an element of “support and challenge” (2008a, 51) between and amongst my students. Year to year, this manifests in many different ways and sometimes it forms positive community while other times it presents ‘teachable moments.’ | My MET experience has been highly positive. The course communities that I have participated in have overall been pleasant and productive learning experiences. Considering Anderson’s Characteristics of Participants in Online Communities : shared sense of belonging, trust, expectation of learning, and
commitment to participate in and contribute to the community (2008a, 51), the characteristic that has been most problematic is commitment to participate and contribute when in group work, some team members are less accessible and less helpful. But as I said earlier this hasn’t made my experience in MET unmanageable. |
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf