Ernest, Pauline; Guitert Catasús, Montse; Hampel, Regine; Heiser, Sarah; Hopkins, Joseph; Murphy, Linda and Stickler, Ursula
(2012).
|
Due to copyright restrictions, this file is not available for public download until 12 October/Autumn 2013 Click here to request a copy from the OU Author. |
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link: | http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1080/09588221.2012.667814 |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar: | Look up in Google Scholar |
Abstract
Over recent years educational institutions have been making increasing use of virtual environments to set up collaborative activities for learners. While it is recognized that teachers play an important role in facilitating learner collaboration online they may not have the necessary skills to do so successfully. Thus, a small scale professional development programme was set up and piloted by two distance universities. The aims were to develop teachers’ experience of online group work; to trial a set of pilot activities which would raise awareness of factors contributing to successful collaborative online activity; and to identify professional development needs in this area. This article reports on the hands-on experience of a group of 20 teachers, examines some of the competences that are needed to successfully collaborate in virtual environments, and presents the skills that teachers need to foster online collaborative learning in the virtual classroom. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected, examining the levels of participation among participants, the collaborative activity of two groups, and teacher perception of the collaboration which took place. The skills identified include planning and managing the collaboration, designing appropriate activities, giving clear instructions and getting students to negotiate ground rules for participation, moderating at the right level, and choosing the right environment and the appropriate tool(s). While this study was carried out with language teachers, many of the findings are applicable to other subject areas where growing emphasis is placed on the development of collaborative skills.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | 2012 Informa UK Ltd trading as Taylor & Francis Group |
| ISSN: | 0958-8221 |
| Keywords: | online language learning; collaboration; teacher development; virtual learning environments; teacher skills |
| Academic Unit/Department: | Education and Language Studies Education and Language Studies > Languages |
| Interdisciplinary Research Centre: | Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET) |
| Item ID: | 32801 |
| Depositing User: | Regine Hampel |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Feb 2012 16:19 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Apr 2013 08:35 |
| URI: | http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/32801 |
Actions (login may be required)
| View Item | |
| Report issue / request change |