Tuesday, May 19, 2009

critiqe of phil kerrs discussion

critique of Phil Kerr's discussion on elluminate about flexible learning.

Began with initial misunderstandings of flexible learning and what they were:
That it was computers and technology based.
This is not true, there is a component of this with the online delivery,distance and e -learning.
I wondered where does this miss understanding come from this course and why?

When i first started it was my initial impression ....that i would find it difficult because it was computer based..these were comments i would hear from several tutors whom had partaken in this flexible learning course as well as from Leigh. As you may gather from these comments I am not very computer savvy. I now have a wider understanding of this flexible learning course and my computer skills are getting better, most of the time.



The motives of flexible learning as i understand from Phil's discussion and understandings from this course and prior courses are as follows.

1) To enable better access (serving a wider region) to learning and engage with more learners by this.

2) To enhance learner autonomy and independence through flexible delivery strategies.

3) Delivery of information to learners be cost efficient.



Discussion then went on to the What/ When/ Where, off flexible learning and teacher centered (being old style teaching within a class room), verses learner centred (which initiates flexible learning, with blended delivery). It touched on the passion of the facilitator in there teaching role styles and delivery, the importance of integrating formative feed back.
The focus, engagement and passion of the student learner with in a class situation and the importance of this face to face experience within blended, independent and online learning.

Towards the end the discussion then shifted focused from setting the learner centered environment up for the student to not only take responsibility and developing learner autonomy of there learning within flexible learning and delivery it went on to the idea of flexible assessment/content/outcomes..... now this is an interesting area I realise that not all disciplines and or courses can implement. However my Textile Elective that I take at the school of fashion this has been initiated into the programme. This has been able to be implimented due to the fact that it is an elective that the students choose as an extension of there prior knowledge. They come from a variety of disciplines within the Design Department , and bring with them diversity and an abundance of knowledge to share with in a learner facilitated environment it really is well set up for this. The students write there own individual brief which consider the content and out comes of the interest areas.
They did not however write there own assessment, the closes to this was actually assessing themselves they marked there work to the assessment sheet (that I would later use to formally mark them). This was done before there presentations and was a tool which helped them to reflect there work for presenting to the class. It was very successful in that it not only prepared them for this presentation it was amazing to see how honest they were about what they had accomplished, how it had gone , where, why etc... a great reflection and consolidation tool. I will be considering integrating these ideas further.

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