Sunday, 25 November 2012

My Survey Link

My Survey Link updated: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LSG5JC2

This link will work, and it will take less than 5 minutes to answer the pilot survey....please :)

Delicious Tags 6D

Delicious Tags for task 6D.

Ofsted report on using ICT said

n  Using ICT was contributing positively to the personal development and future economic well-being of pupils and students. It developed their skills of working independently and cooperatively and was in most cases motivating and engaging. (See Delicious Tag link).

John Hattie's size effect chart / table clearly shows that ICT tools can be effective in student learning.
See tag link http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/what_works.htm

Another Ofsted report said 
Inspectors visited a selection of primary and secondary schools to assess teaching about sustainability and progress towards meeting the expectations of the National framework for sustainable schools. In the best lessons, teachers used a range of imaginative activities to help pupils develop and test out their views on complex ethical issues. However, most of the schools visited had limited knowledge of sustainability and work in this area tended to be uncoordinated, often confined to special events rather than being an integral part of the curriculum. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/schools-and-sustainability

Please click on the link below to share these resources :)

http://delicious.com/gemcakes/%2Bbapp

Saturday, 24 November 2012

Gathering Data - 6B

The third campus session was about gathering data for our professional enquiry. We discussed the effectiveness of a number of tools with regards to merits and limits of each.

We first looked at Observation. There are different forms of observation which may carry different advantages and disadvantages. Often during an observation you are a spectator, with no control over the situation. The limits to using this tool are that students may react differently when being observed, therefore it may not be a truthful reflection. Are we witnessing the normal reality of what we are observing? Which raises the question: how valid is this tool? However the merits can be valuable, sharing good practise with other teachers, observing and assessing students (can compare my own students behaviour and skills in a different environment) and the observation could raise/ highlight further questions for my enquiry.

Interview. A interview is one on one and therefore a more personal tool for gathering data. You can ask deeper questions and get a more thorough answer with less chance of mis-understanding. The answers you receive are going to be more honest and precise and you can ask for further explanation. The answers may also lead to new questions, as the person you are interviewing is likely to be an expert in the field with a vast amount of knowledge to share. However interviewing is time consuming and the limits include the practical challenge of getting others to agree to offer you enough time required to use this tool effectively. It requires good technical interviewing skills to ask the correct questions and to receive the desired response, using this tool which is not anonymous so could feel intimidating to some.

A Survey. The benefits of a survey is that it is quick to distribute to a wide number of participants who can complete it in their own time. It is taken anonymously so the data gathered maybe more honest and precise, giving quantitative results. The limitations are that many recipients may simply not complete and return the survey. Interpretation of the data from surveys maybe somewhat remain subjective due to lack of personal interaction. The questions may not ask the right thing to get the desired answers, reducing the quality of this tool.

Focus Group. This could be formed of a mixture of people (teacher, students, parents). It is a tool which enables individuals to share their opinions on a subject and Ideas can flow freely. Therefore you don't need pre-formed questions. It is a discussion with people who are most likely interested in the subject with good knowledge and who maybe directly affected. The other merits include the data being valid. The limitations will vary dependant on the people in the group, but one voice may dominant/influence the group. People may not be completely honest and feel peer pressure to agree with others/a particular view. A focus group also needs careful management to remain on track.

When using these tools to gather data it is also important to understand who is the voice for each.

Observation - The Researcher makes conclusions what what has been observed.
Interview - The expert Participant is the main voice for this tool however the researchers voice also has a presence in leading the interview/questioning.
A Survey - The Participants are the voice of a survey and the data gathered is quantitative.
Focus Group - The main voice in focus groups will be the Participants / experts (although this will be influenced by the researchers hypothesises and opinions brought to the discussion).


5 mins survey, i will return the favour x

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_EditorFull.aspx?sm=VO%2fjMxjIR9tMHc%2bshUpVUZ2PfWgvuKD59UXONBPoi8o%3d

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Pilot Survey

Please complete my pilot survey on using ICT in dance teaching by clicking on the link below. It will take approximately five minutes and your feedback would be greatly appreciated :)

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_EditorFull.aspx?sm=VO/jMxjIR9tMHc_2BshUpVUZ2PfWgvuKD59UXONBPoi8o_3D_0A

Friday, 16 November 2012

Maternity post London

Hi. If anyone is interested in a job position  as a dance teacher in a London school, one year maternity cover, let me know and I will give you my contact's details.

Saturday, 10 November 2012

Ethics involved in my proposal - SIG Discussion - 5D

I have recently discovered the importance of ethical practise. I will need to gain permission from my students in order to carry out my enquiry on using ICT in dance. Following the theory of "Obligation" I will create a disclaimer to re-assure students that they will remain anonymous and clarify there is no penalty for refusing to take part. I will be acting as a teacher researcher.

I also plan to research the work of John Hattie on visible learning for teachers and his distribution of effect sizes.

Your feedback on ethics and advise for further research is welcome?

John Hatties distribution of effect sizes

John Hattie created a chart to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching tools on student learning. Every method over 0.4 had a positive effect on learning, but some were more effective than others.

"An effect size of "1" indicates that a particular approach to teaching or technique advanced the learning of the students in the study by one standard deviation above the mean."

Feedback was at the top of his list with an effect size of 1.13. Computer assisted instructions (such as power point) was valued as .31 positive effect, while Audio/Visual aids (DVD clips/video feedback etc) were valued at .16. I will continue to look into research on the use of ICT in education and this may lead me to expand on my proposed topic? Please see link below for Hattie's graph/effect sizes.

http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/what_works.htm

What i have learnt about ethics - 5C

My enquiry plans to look into the effectiveness of using ICT within dance teaching. This proposal hopes to benefit my students by raising attainment levels, through visual learning aids and assessment tools (such as video feedback for self-evaluation). If the outcome of this enquiry proves to be in the best interests of my students then I believe the investigation will be morally correct "Consequentialism".

Following the theory of "Obligation" I will need to ask my students to sign an agreement in order to take part in this enquiry. I will create a disclaimer to re-assure students that they will remain anonymous and revise statement documents to clarify there is no penalty for refusing to take part and that this will not effect student grades. I will be acting as a teacher researcher.

"Action research is a valuable tool for gaining access to contexts, people and knowledge that would otherwise remain inaccessible (Kidd and Kral 2005 Reader:61)

Through studying ethics I have discovered the importance of gaining permission from my subjects, in order to ensure ethical practise. I also plan to read e research of John Hattie on visible learning for teachers, and to find out where the use ICT fits into his rank order graph (Distribution of effect sizes) for positive learning effects.

SIG : My link to linkedin

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/gemma-press/5b/5b2/361

Sunday, 4 November 2012

SIG group working together

Please link up to my SIG group and send me your link also. Thank you :)

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top

http://www.facebook.com/#!/gemma.wright.9659

Task 4 Questions - Research

In response to one of my questions in task 4, what is already known about using ICT in dance teaching, I have undertaken further research. I have discovered that ICT appears to be valued as a teaching tool in education.

Ofsted published a report in December 2011 which supports the view that many schools are widely using ICT as part of their students education.

"Since the Education Reform Act of 1988, information and communication technology has been compulsory for all pupils from 5 to 16 in maintained schools. This report draws on evidence from the inspection of information and communication technology in primary, secondary and special schools between 2008 and 2011. The use of ICT is considered as both a specialist subject and across the wider school curriculum."
"ICT in Schools 2008-11, 14 Dec 2011, Ofsted Ref: 110134 http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ict-schools-2008-11

A new GCSE syllabus, which I am teaching this academic year, called Expressive Arts, insists that to meet the grading criteria Students are required to engage in ICT in the following ways:
 
"word processing to assist in the preparation of written reports,
assignments and essays about dance and the internet to research on line and to communicate with individuals or dance organisations; to critically analyse the website of a dance organisation."
 
 
This document also recommends that other ICT tools are also used to facilitate learning in dance. Examples of these include:

"databases to compile, organise and analyse information about dance
performances, choreographers and companies, multimedia presentation to manipulate materials to be able to develop, present, critically appraise and test a dance multimedia presentation or
documentation (passive or interactive), simulation/modelling using movement simulation application software to enhance dance composition, graphics to create or import graphics to support presentations or written work about dance; to use animation software in composing dance; to develop interface design, electronic communication to access programs including dance support
materials which allow students to view benchmarks to set standards, assisting them in assessing their own work and the work of others, software programs to create, store and edit movement; to master CDROM/DVD; to create collaborative online choreographic projects; to
create online
 
It therefore seems that the opportunities for using ICT in dance practise are vast. I do believe that this will make an interesting topic for further investigation and to assess the benefits to students overall learning experiences, as part of my professional inquiry. I will however need to consider the legal requirements of using ICT especially with regards to recording students work. I have found some advise below and will be looking into this in more depth prior to undertaking my inquiry.

"Most UK schools have computer networks and other technologies for the use of the whole school community - to encourage ICT skills, social skills and literacy skills. In fact, according to a survey by the National Literacy Trust in 2009, young people regularly enjoy writing on technology-based platforms, such as blogs, texts and social networking websites.
Students might also take their own devices, such as their
mobile or MP3 player, to school.
It's therefore crucial that your school provides clear guidelines about the acceptable use of school equipment (such as
PCs, webcams, digital cameras and mobiles and devices owned by students and employees (such as mobiles, personal laptops, PDAs and MP3 players that might be brought into school."
http://www.teachtoday.eu/en/Student-advice/Using-ICT-equipment-at-school.aspx