Week 2 Reflection - De Bono's Hats Wiki Activity.

Week 2 Reflection.

This reflection aims to link personal experience, learning theory, and the design and purpose of the recently completed wiki activity. Consideration will be given to the specific theories that support the design of the task, and the purpose and value of the scaffolding provided and how learning outcomes were met through the use of the scaffolds.

De Bono’s Thinking Hats & Wiki Task Analysis.

Collaboration and the sharing of varying opinions were the underpinning ideas of this task. Students were able to join groups – often with students they were unfamiliar with – to answer specific questions relating to the topic of mobile phones within the classroom. The wiki was designed with the sections and relevant questions clearly defined, and students could navigate, read and edit responses with ease.

While on the surface this may seem a fairly superficial task, learning theories support many elements of this activity. The most obvious theory at first glance would be Connectivism. Often touted as ‘a learning theory for the digital age’, connectivism is reflective of today’s social environment (Kop & Hill, 2008). And is based on our ever changing, dynamic world. The key principals of - knowledge and learning lying in the range of opinions, the connection of specialised information and maintaining and promoting connections to enable ongoing learning (Siemens, 2008) - link directly to this activity. Connections were made during this activity as learners from various areas and various times contributed to the wiki. A range of opinions were read, considered and analysed, and this information was regarding a very specific topic.

Cognitive Constructivism (Snowman, 2009) also supports this activity, as students developed new knowledge on top of existing knowledge as they read others contributions, whilst still promoting individualised responses. The way in which the task was set out also follows a constructivst approach; by ensuring the framework was easily to follow to accommodate the learner’s knowledge (Snowman, 2009).

This task did oppose the learning theory of Behaviourism however, as this expects learners to recall facts of predefined knowledge (Nagowah & Nagowah, 2009). The teacher during this task was also the facilitator, unlike in a Behaviourist approach, whereby the teacher is the transmitter of knowledge. This task did not also have right or wrong answers, as it was purely individual opinion, which again, opposes this theory whereby success is indicated by the number of correct answers given. Behaviourism often encourages only low-level cognitive thinking, and for today’s learners, is not seen as good pedagogy.

Good pedagogy aims to provide deep knowledge by incorporating collaborative, problem based tasks that are relevant to the learners and can be applied in everyday contexts (Snowman, 2009). The purpose of this specifically scaffolded task was not on the content, but rather the process. Outcomes were achieved through the collaborative concept, and the analysis of varying ideas, promoting higher order thinking within students, rather than a superficial task that requires only the regurgitation of facts. Good pedagogy also requires learning managers to choose relevant and engaging content for students, which is was for this specific set of learners. Information was linked to prior knowledge of the subject and the learning was then owned, controlled and managed by the students, further enhancing the learning experience, as students gain a sense of ownership and community.

Upon reflection, this task could be easily translated into a regular classroom context, as an effective tool to engage higher order thinking processes. The key aspect is the teacher acting as the facilitator, while students view a range of opinions and discuss and analyse new information collaboratively in a carefully scaffolded, purposefully designed and easy to navigate manner.

Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning Theory of the Future or Vestige of the Past?. International Review Of Research In Open And Distance Learning, 9(3), 1-13.

Nagowah, L., & Nagowah, S. (2009). A Reflection on the Dominant Learning Theories: Behaviourism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. International Journal Of Learning, 16(2), 279-285

Siemens, G. (2008a). About: Description of connectivism. Connectivism: A learning theory for today’s learner, website. http://www.connectivism.ca/about.html

Snowman, J. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Milton, Qld. : John Wiley & Sons Australia, 2009.