Non - Traditional Learning methods to Form Autonomous Learners.
During this week we read about project - based learning, alternative assessing methods and WebQuests. These methods increase student’s participation and the communicative environment is provoked to get confident students at their learning process.
In addition to these features of these educational tools, the main question during this week was the manner they transform students into autonomous learners. All the readings give us clues to determine the reasons for this occurs and the purpose of this week reflections is to recognize how they work to make autonomous learners.
Project - based learning is an approach that is focused in the interaction, participation, collaboration and cooperation among each member of the group. Each member has a part to work on during developing a certain task. If one fails, the whole group will fail too. This is one way it makes autonomous learners. The same happens when students prepare a WebQuest with is a strategy which needs to be developed by every member in the group. Facts as responsibility, intrinsic motivation, and independent work are enhanced. The result is obvious, the students take their learning process as their own and they become more independent at studying.
The way that rubrics can generate autonomous learners is well established. With a rubric, students are very conscious about how are they going to be evaluated, they exactly know the points they can pay attention to make changes to have a better work. With a rubric students can construct their own assessment and their peers' one. This is the way this alternative assessment can make students to become autonomous learners.
However this discussion, why is it important to have autonomous learners? The answer, more than obvious, is that autonomous learners are the ones with a high level of confidence, intrinsic motivation and they are proud of their learning process without any doubt autonomous learners are the ones who will not fail and this is my personal goal at my teaching practice.
jueves, 21 de julio de 2011
WEEK 5 REFLECTIONS
Suscribirse a:
Enviar comentarios (Atom)
Dear Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarThanks for the sharing your experiences. I agree that when the students work in groups or in pairs they become more autonomous and independent because they do not have to cope with the presence of a teacher observing hem. It will also give them a chance to share their ideas between themselves. Which would help them to interact, participate and contribute in the different assignments.
Alex.
Dear Gabriela! Thanks for your thoughtful ideas on the techniques that we have learned at this week and their influence on autonomous learner! I agree with you that in Web Quest students have to work in a group and all of them have to support each other. I love the idea that we have to teach students who will be autonomous. I have still my concerns if it will negatively influence on group work. Will students love to work individually and at the same time cooperatively? You mention that responsibility is a main point for their group work; probably it would be the basic start to work individually and in a group. I agree with you that rubric will motivate students to work better, because they see their problems and weaknesses in own work. I think that on practice we will see the value of these methods. Have a great weekend! Natalia
ResponderEliminarHi Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarI so agree with you! Autonomous learners are better prepared to face real life. It's our job to provide them with all the necessary tools to make them as autonomous as possible!
Celeste
Hello Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarYou are right:developing autonomous learners is the main idea coming out of all the things we have studied this week. If we,as teachers succeed in empowering our students to mobilize their own resources, to use strategies collaborating and communicating with their peers that is to say "to learn how to learn" then we can say that we have have reached our main goal because "a teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary."
Good luck,
Ion