ntltc 2011 ignite

© Manufacturing Section, Trades Innovation Institute

Welcome to Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technologies’ presentation

Changing teaching practice

to focus

on student learning


“Our students are adults”


“Our students are adults”

They bring life experiences and knowledge with them.

They already possess skill sets.

They usually know what direction they want to go in.

We were not student friendly.

We were locked into course centred delivery.


The Old System – mid 1990’s

Educators concentrated so much on unit standards & moderation requirements

Focus on teaching and learning slipped

Trades tutors were advised to ignore literacy problems when marking work -

only the implied content was to be marked.

We were failing our students, they were passing the unit standards, but they were not

becoming as good as they could be at their trades.

We needed to change for our student’s sake


Developing the new programme - 2007

Learning for Living programme gave us incentive to design “our” programme into:-

Contextualised course content

Stop teaching to the unit standards

Teach a holistic, fully integrated project based course

Course would encompass all of the outcomes of the unit standards

Course would use scaffolding teaching strategies

Provide individualized support based on the learners needs

Workshop

Practice“zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky), -

allowing a certain amount of self-determination to

the learner


Had to make the accrual of literacy and

numeracy skills central to our new delivery

programme

Mental arithmetic was to be encouraged

Report writing, spelling and grammar were to

be included

Commented upon in the marking schedule of

each practical project

“happy coincidence that introducing deliberate acts of literacy and

numeracy fitted very well with the new teaching style” – Smith / Morgan

In 2008 Learning for Living started to include Literacy / Numeracy into programme content,

this lead to embedding of Literacy / Numeracy

In 2009 we started to work on a completely new delivery programme


Incorporating

Generic

Numeracy/Literacy

Innovatively, in

Trades

Education IGNITE


A lifelong love of learning

Learning can be rewarding and

enjoyable

Designed to be student centred

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe

we should teach the way they learn”Ignacio Estrada


Embedding of Literacy & Numeracy

Luckily embedding numeracy and

numeracy fitted well with our oral delivery

system.

Had to make the accrual of literacy and

numeracy skills central to our new

delivery programme.

Mental arithmetic was to be encouraged.

Report writing, spelling and grammar

were to be included.

Commented upon in the marking

schedule of each practical project.

Approximation &

mental arithmetic

π = 3


Delivery method comparison

Workshop

Practice

Tutor centred < 2009

Technical Drawing

Industrial Safety

Trade Maths

Trade Theory

Workshop Practice

Student centred > 2009

“The activities provided in scaffolding instruction are just beyond the level

of what the learner can do alone” (Olson & Pratt, 2000)

“Zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky, 1998) - allowing a certain amount of self-determination to the

learner

20:80

Theory

50:50


BIG Problem!!

“How to include all of the theoretical

knowledge at the time it was needed by

the student, without sitting the student

down for two hour theory lessons”

Decided to design and implement a

series of “mini-teach lessons”

Delivered in ten minutes

The theoretical information they

needed at the apposite time –

scaffolding


Assessment – Project based learning

concept

Knowledge

Units drop out of integrated

Projects

Knowledge Transfer

Programme StudentIntegrated Projects

Use naturally occurring evidence to assess

Scoped Unit Standards

Special notes,

Elements

PC‟s


Programme Scoping – Projects matched to unit standards


Programme matrix


Learning in the Digital Age

Our learners needed to have the freedom to learn

in the digital age.

Digital tools would be welcomed into the

classroom.

The mobile phone moved from pariah to

necessary tool

Photographs of equations

Sound recordings

Calculating

Dictaphones to record thoughts or ideas

Connecting to the net for further research

Mini-teach sessions will be recorded and stored

on the CPIT Moodle website, in the near future,

able to be re-called by students at any time


Toolbox Meetings

Vygotsky’s theory (1982) of “Proximal

Development” gave us the impetus to

gradually enlarge the area around the

student’s knowledge base to

encourage them to continue to expand

their knowledge & develop along lines

they choose themselves. The student’s

awareness would not expand linearly

as directed by the tutor but radially in

any direction they chose.


Literacy and Numeracy skills - outcomes

Students now required to write out a procedure

sheet (SOP) detailing the method they will use to

produce a project

Marked for:

Spelling

Technical accuracy

Technical drawing

Actual manufacturing process

Accuracy of any trade related calculations

Above points must be completed before the

learner can proceed with their project work.

Listening, interpretation and comprehension have

become standard practice in our workshop sessions.


2010 Adult Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Tool

introduced

“That we could lift or lower the level of our

material to accommodate the learners we

were delivering to” Smith / Morgan

For the first time we knew the literacy &

numeracy level from the start of the

course

Allowed us to tailor our delivery to suit

the student

Gave a starting point for us to scaffold

from

Fitted very well with our mini-teach

sessions.

Huge benefit to us


2011 – Roll out of new delivery method with Literacy /

Numeracy embedded

Ready – Steady – Go!

Well, we were not quite ready, but we

had to start somewhere, so it was:-

Steady – Go – Ready!!


Case studies of new teaching method that

includes: Literacy

Numeracy

Drawing/Communicating

Underpinning knowledge

Quality Assurance

Pride

Self assessment


Case Study #1 - Pin Punch – SOP


Case Study #1 - Pin Punch – Integration of technical literacy


Case Study #1 - Pin Punch – Integration of numeracy


Case Study #1 - Pin Punch – Self assessment


Case Study #1 - Pin Punch – benefits

Outcomes

Greater understanding of graphs

Self correcting

Competition between students

Improvement in pride of project

Underpinning knowledge of geometrical tolerancing

Virtually self assessing

Technical

Terminology:-

Upper Limit

Lower Limit

Allowance

Deviation

Nominal size

Acceptance range

Uni/Bi-Lateral

Tolerance


Case Study #5 – Comparison between projectsCase Study #1 – Comparison of an individual student’s SOP’s – Project 1 & 5-

Graphics


Case Study #4 – Model Car – Integration of Digital Literacy - 3D


Case Study #6 – Model Car – need for technical literacy


Case Study #6 – Model Car – Development of teaching aids as used

in industry


Students' awareness of completion, reporting, collection

of evidence and self assessment

All driven by students

Manufacturing Section, Trades Innovation Institute

Evaluation

We are constantly monitoring our learners reaction to the new teaching

programme through small group instructional diagnosis (SGIDs)

Surveys

Adult Literacy/Numeracy assessment tool – (ALNAT) testing

Question and answer sessions.

The feedback from our learners has been positive

We are committed to continuing to monitor the effectiveness of the new

programme.

Quality feedback is invaluable for programme improvements – hence ongoing

organic moderation

One of the main strengths of the new programme is that it is orally based. As

our learners initial ALNAT test results vary, we can alter our delivery to suit

them, this leads to a more satisfied and engaged learner being taught at an

understandable level.


Summary

Our programme provides a fluid delivery process that can be easily altered to suit

the differing levels of students‟ understanding, and changes in technology.

In 2012 we are committed to a research programme that will look at introducing

“iPads” into the practical workshop environment.

Our hope is that we can finally become a paperless „e learning‟ establishment that

will reflect the working environment that many of our students will be entering

when they leave us.

But more than that, we must look to the future and try to future proof our students

as much as we can. We must equip our students to survive and prosper in a

rapidly changing world.

“These persons will be able to navigate change and diversity,

learn-as-they go, solve problems, collaborate and be flexible

and creative. Promoting these qualities, however, requires

significant change to both assessment and curriculum regimes”. Kalantzis et al 2003


Question

s

?


Thank you for coming along and sharing our experience

Tony SmithDDI 03-940-6030

MOB 027-540-8460

[email protected]

John D MorganDDI 03-940-6029

MOB 027-540-8217

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