Study Circle Groups/Online
From LiteracyTentWiki
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1093] Study circles/groups online
From: Sharyn Yanoshak saylv5 at cox.net
Date: Mon May 14 13:40:35 EDT 2007
Leslie et al,
In considering the significant advantages of doing study groups online and
the comments several people have made about the challenges of online
discussions...I'm curious about the efficacy of the second type of course
offered through Project IDEAL--the online study group. Was there a f2f
component at all? What methods did you use for the discussions (chats,
discussion boards, email, etc.)? Did they allow you to have rich and
satisfying discussions around the content?
Thanks in advance for any insights...
Sharyn Yanoshak
Manager, Professional Development for ABE Nevada
Phone/fax: 702.253.6280
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1094] Re: Study circles/groups online
From: Leslie Petty lpetty at twmi.rr.com
Date: Mon May 14 14:32:23 EDT 2007
Sharyn,
The online study groups began with a telephone conference call, but
there was not a required face-to-face component (this allowed us to run
some of the study groups with teachers from several states). We did
have however, prep participants well before the course began. A print
"welcome" packet, with course expectations a case study sample and
information on the course platform was emailed to all participants.
Before the course started (and before the conference call) the
facilitator contacted each participant individually and made sure they
were comfortable with the course platform and guided them in the
preparation of their case study. This was one of the most
time-consuming aspects of the facilitation, but was very valuable.
We use discussion boards and had some terrific discussions. But, we
also had a wonderful facilitator (not me!) for the our pilot study
groups. She then mentored new facilitators as they taught their first
groups, suggesting ways to stimulate discussion and re-direct the
conversation if needed, etc. We didn't use chat because we felt that
synchronous nature of chats would make it more challenging for people to
participate. And since the teachers taught at different times, it was
challenging enough to schedule the opening conference call. Each group
always had the option of additional conference calls (some did) and at
least group did arrange for a meeting at their state adult ed conference.
Some of the credit for the quality of discussion also clearly belongs to
the teachers who participated in the study groups; they were committed
to the course and made thoughtful and insightful responses. I think
that the nature of the study groups was engaging to teachers and gave
them a chance to share their professional wisdom. We do a follow-up
survey with teachers at the end of the study groups. All of the teachers
reported that they had received useful suggestions for the problem posed
in their case study. They also indicated that they now had more
teaching resources and more solutions for learner problems. Teachers
also reported being satisfied with the online discussion and recommended
that participants should log in and post at least three times a week to
keep the discussion alive and stimulating.
Leslie
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1102] Re: Study circles/groups online
From: Katherine G Kgotthardt at comcast.net
Date: Mon May 14 17:30:22 EDT 2007
Introductions"Among my major concerns are the quality of facilitation,
applying what's learned in online courses to professional experience and the
impact of online courses on educators."
I second this concern from the user perspective. While I have taken a
terrific academic course online, this differed greatly from the online
Professional Development courses which required we integrate material into
workplace practice. Without live interaction with colleagues and input from
the instructor or facilitator, we are left to our own perceptions and
interpretations of online materials. Finally, the objective format of the
assessments left no room for paraphrase, example, or real feedback from an
instructor.
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
ESOL Distance Education Instructor
Prince William County Public Schools
Adult Education
P.O. Box 389
Manassas, VA 20108
703-791-8387
http://www.pwcs.edu/curriculum/adulted/
