Blended e-learning with Moodle in teacher training: the experience of SSIS Umbria

1. Blended e-learning with Moodle in teacher training: the experience of SSIS Umbria Prof.ssaFloriana Falcinelli Università degli Studi di Perugia- floriana@unipg.it

2. The teacher : complex professional outline • Italian Laws 341 of 1990 and D.M. 26.5.1998 reveal teachers’ complex professional outline • Professional skill is the outcome of a personal training path, which is in turn the result of a creative synthesis of knowledge, experience and capability, continuously open to new challenges and fulfilled during each person’s lifetime

3. Subject groups in teacher training in the SSIS model (Post-graduate trainingfor high school teaching qualification) • Teaching science subject area • Advanced subject-training area • Workshops • Class training

4. The learning circle

5. Basic model principles • Learning is significant when it integrates theory with praxis • Practical experience can be a source of significant learning when is coupled with constant reflection and takes place in a group of peers. • Learning can be especially remarkable when it takes place within a learning community.

6. Knowledge in educational studiesPurposes • Listen, observe and understand students and the context of the school • Develop a relational atmosphere based on reciprocal trust • Design flexible learning steps in line with the set purpose and directions • Organise time, space, resources according to learning environment • Organise team work • Perform permanent education and training research activities

7. Disciplinary knowledgePurposes • Assist students to acquire more control and be more concerned about the knowledge and experience both in the specific disciplinary areas and in the integration between the various educational areas • Knowledge of theories, of the mainconceptual core, of languages, of the methodological approach of various disciplines

8. Workshop • It refers to the idea of planning, collectiveness, research methodology, product construction, communication between informal and scientific formal experiences and it is characterised by a “ working method” that systematically foresees a direct involvement of students in the activities. • The laboratory activities can consist of: microteaching, studies of educational situations, real or imaginary demonstration, clinical discussion on critical events, role-playing, elaboration of curriculum, assessment,simulation etc.

9. Teacher training • Its main function is to encourage a wide and articulate reflection on educational, psychological, sociological, methodological–didactic aspects, and also on organization of the cultural and educational projects that currently characterise schooling. Direct experience in school classes can always offer new ideas to this reflection and the necessary moments of real activities (action joined with knowledge development) • It allows each student to experiment interaction between practical experience and theoretical knowledge

10. The e-learning project of SSIS • Activated within the framework of Special Training Courses D.M. n.85 of 2005 • Time span: September 2006/May 2007 • e-Learning environment of SSIS Umbria http://e-learning.unipg.it/ssisonline Work and research group : Floriana Falcinelli, Chiara Laici ( Dipartimento Scienze Umane e della Formazione), Emanuela Falcinelli, Judit Jassò, Alberto Milani ( Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica)

11. General project objectives • Integrate and develop classroom teaching activities with on-line activities to be carried out both by single users and by small groups in a cooperative mode. • Enhance active participation of students in knowledge- building • Foster group cooperation processes for the design of teaching projects • Favour communication, discussion and shared reflection on training experiences.

12. The Target • The 311 participants involved were attending the Special Training Courses organized in 11 areas of teaching qualification, (Art Academy, Economics and Law, Foreign Languages, General Arts, General Sciences, Health Sciences, Sport Sciences, Philosophy and Historical Sciences, Mathematics-Physics- Computer science, Applied Technology, Art History) • Course applicants were teachers with various experience, working in schools on short-term contracts, and it was therefore necessary to start back from their different experiences, in order to obtain group reflection and interpretation according to new theoretical concepts.

13. The e-learning environmentCommon Area • The e-learning environment has been organized in two course categories: Common Area and Orientation Area • The Common Areahosted the 6 compulsory courses concerning subjects that all311 students were attending: (General Didactics, General Pedagogy, AppliedPedagogy, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology ofeducation and Psychology of education). • Each course has an Information Area(with teacher contact information, course program, etc), a Communication Area(with forum and chat applications), and a DocumentationArea(with study material provided by teachers, suggested bibliography and on-line resource list).

14. The e-learning environmentCommon AreaStudent Communication Course • An extra course named Communicationto students, was also activated as a welcome service, providing first-help information, official communications and essential documents for teaching activities • The course also provided a technical support forum and a student forum completely managed by participants, available for discussion on issues concerning different training paths and study programs.

15. Orientation Area • It hosts the 11 Courses concerning subjects included in the organization of the SSIS Umbria • The 311 students were therefore able to register and distribute their applications in the Orientation Area according to their curriculum orientation, making up courses attended by people sharing a similar education path, in small classes. • This has allowed for experimentation of real cooperative and knowledge-building activities within on-line learning groups.

16. Work phasesPhase 1 - September 2006/February 2007 • Mandatory presence for courses envisaged 4classroom meetings (one of general introduction and threemore with teachers), summing up to 16 hours • plus 84 hours of specific on-lineactivity: • Study ofthe materials made available by teachers; • access tobibliography and web-resources for extensive study; • building of a conceptual map ; • creation of a writtenwork. • The conceptual map and the personal work had to be chosen on specific subjects illustrated during the three classroom meetings. (relationship between teachers and students; classroom dynamics; integration and diversity)

17. Monitoring of Phase 1 • The performing of each activity envisaged a shared netiquette to be followed • Each activity was assigned a given “time weight” in minutes/hours, calculated according to the estimated commitment required from the user.

18. Attendance Monitoring phase 1

19. Final Test for Phase 1 • The test took place in workshop class (with teachers) using the quiz module application loaded in the e-learning environment • Multiple answer quiz with questions concerning the 6 subjects of the Common Area

20. Work phasesPhase 2 – March 2007/May 2007 • Dedicated to the building of the Project Work for a total of 40 hours online, to be completed in small groups in the specific Orientation Course, as the same as attendance of the range of specific subjects envisaged for the Special Training Courses

21. Project Work • A didactic project built in collaboration by small groups of participants (3/4-7) on a subject relevant to their training activities and coherent with the subject area which each group belongs to. • Group creation was supervised by Subject tutors, taking advantage of a dedicated on-line forum and of the Moodle tools for group creations.

22. Project Work • Each group has a dedicated specific working areaequipped with different tools: • aforumandachatapplication for project discussion (Asynchronous and synchronous) • awikitool for collaboration in writing of the project itself • Each group was invited to operate only within its dedicated work space, but all groups were kept visible between each other

23. Project Work • All participants had access to support documentsfor the project work: • Project design guide • netiquette for the wiki application (wikiquette) • Advanced technical manual for management of the wiki tool

24. Tutor role types:Coordinating Tutor • 1 Coordinating Tutor involved • System administration functions, teacher and subject tutor coordination, training of subject tutors and of orientation supervisors • Other tasks: • technician, course designer, data collector, moderator, group coach, mood scaffolding, observer

25. Tutor role types :Subject Tutor • 11 Subject Tutors involved • Management of specific subject courses, Monitoring of activities, (conceptual map, result data, project work), creation and management of project work groups, • Other tasks: • Learning scaffolding, moodscaffolding, trainer

26. Project assessment • Assessment activities are specifically scheduled and requested from participants • Anonymous On-line assessment questionnaire on a scale from one to five used for data collection • Assessment on overall project, with specific indicators for each of the two work phases • N° 259 assessment results obtained

27. First Results • First phase of activities: assessed value modeof 3.1 on training path structure, of 3.5 on course support materiel, 4.1 on communication resources, of 3.8 on relationship with tutors, of 4.1 on assessment and monitoring tools • Second phase of activities : assessed value modeof 3.8 for aspects concerning collaborative work, and in particular 3.7 on the wiki resource. • Free user observations: … highly useful for ICT knowledge, interesting, stimulating for collaboration activities and for the improved possibilities of communication, time-consuming....

28. Open Issues • Management of technological infrastructure • Relationship with the different professionals involved • Technical support • Involvement of teachers in the creation of material specifically conceived for on-line courses. • Basic training of teachers, tutors and students on the use of the e-learning environment • Promotion of a less transmissive and more issue-raising teaching model • Experimentation of different forms of process assessment (e-portfolio)