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Practical Pedagogy – 40 New Ways to Teach and Learn

Practical Pedagogy – 40 New Ways to Teach and Learn

Books
Sharples, M. (2019) Practical Pedagogy - 40 New Ways to Teach and Learn, Abingdon: Routledge. Practical Pedagogy expands the universe of teaching and learning. It is a guide to new and emerging innovations in education, with insights into how to become more effective as a teacher and learner. New teachers will find a comprehensive introduction to innovative ways of teaching and learning. Experienced educators will be surprised by the range of pedagogies, such as translanguaging, crossover learning, teachback, bricolage and rhizomatic learning. Policy makers will gain evidence of how new teaching methods work in practice, with resources for curriculum design and course development. Drawing on material from the hugely influential Innovating Pedagogy series of reports, this book is a compilation of the 40 most relevant pedagogies, covering: Innovative ways to…
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Innovative Pedagogy at Massive Scale: Teaching and Learning in MOOCs

Innovative Pedagogy at Massive Scale: Teaching and Learning in MOOCs

Papers
Ferguson, R. & Sharples, M. (2014).  Innovative pedagogy at massive scale: Teaching and learning in MOOCs. In C. Rensing, S. de Freitas, T. Ley & P. J. Muñoz- Merino (Eds.) Open Learning and Teaching in Educational Communities, proceedings of 9th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2014), Graz, Austria, September 16-19. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 98-111. Abstract. This paper looks at the implications for pedagogy of education at a massive scale. It begins by looking at educational approaches designed or adapted to be effective for large numbers of learners: direct instruction, networked learning, connectivism, supported open learning, and conversational learning at scale. It goes on to identify benefits and challenges of teaching and learning at scale. A grounded approach was used to analyse data from 18 MOOCs run on the UK-based…
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A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age

A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age

Papers
Sharples, M., Taylor, J., & Vavoula, G. (2016). A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age. In C. Haythornthwaite, R. Andrews, J. Fransman & E.M. Meyers (eds.) The SAGE handbook of e-learning research, 2nd edition. SAGE, pp. 63-81. We propose a theory of learning for a world of global mobility, to complement theories of classroom, workplace and informal learning. We explore two layers of tool-mediated activity. The semiotic layer describes learning as a semiotic system in which the learner’s object-oriented actions are mediated by cultural tools and signs. The technological layer represents learning as an engagement with technology, in which tools such as computers and mobile phones function as interactive agents in the process of coming to know. Context is a central construct in understanding and designing mobile learning. Learning activity…
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Sense-it: A Smartphone Toolkit for Citizen Inquiry Learning

Sense-it: A Smartphone Toolkit for Citizen Inquiry Learning

Papers
Sharples, M., Aristeidou, M., Villasclaras-Fernández, E., Herodotou, C., Scanlon, E. (2017) Sense-it: A Smartphone Toolkit for Citizen Inquiry Learning. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 9, 2, 16-38. Abstract. We describe a toolkit for Android smartphones and tablets that enables a user to access all the sensors available on the device. Data from individual sensors can be viewed as dynamic graphs. Output from one or more sensors can be recorded to a spreadsheet, with the sampling rate set by the learner. As a tool for inquiry learning, the sensors can be linked to ‘missions’ on the nQuire-it website, allowing learners to sample and share data for collaborative crowd-sourced investigations. Four nQuire-it missions have employed the sensor toolkit for investigating environmental noise, sunlight levels, air pressure and rainfall, and the speed…
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Personal Inquiry: Orchestrating Science Investigations Within and Beyond the Classroom

Personal Inquiry: Orchestrating Science Investigations Within and Beyond the Classroom

Papers
Sharples, M., Scanlon, E., Ainsworth, S., Anastopoulou, S., Collins, T., Crook, C., Jones, A., Kerawalla, L., Littleton, K., Mulholland, P. & O’Malley, C. (2015). Personal Inquiry: Orchestrating Science Investigations Within and Beyond the Classroom. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 308-341. Abstract. A central challenge for science educators is to enable young people to act as scientists by gathering and assessing evidence, conducting experiments and engaging in informed debate. We report the design of the nQuire toolkit, a system to support scripted personal inquiry learning, and a study of its use with school students aged 11-14. This differs from previous work on inquiry learning by its emphasis on learners investigating topics of personal significance supported by a computer-based toolkit to guide school pupils through an entire inquiry process that connects structured learning…
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The Blockchain and Kudos: A Distributed System for Educational Record, Reputation and Reward

The Blockchain and Kudos: A Distributed System for Educational Record, Reputation and Reward

Papers
Sharples, M. & Domingue, J. (2016). The Blockchain and Kudos: A Distributed System for Educational Record, Reputation and Reward. In K. Verbert, M. Sharples & T. Klobučar (Eds.) Adaptive and Adaptable Learning: Proceedings of 11th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2015), Lyon, France, 13 - 16 September 2016. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, pp. 490-496. Abstract. The ‘blockchain’ is the core mechanism for the Bitcoin digital payment system. It embraces a set of inter-related technologies: the blockchain itself as a distributed record of digital events, the distributed consensus method to agree whether a new block is legitimate, automated smart contracts, and the data structure associated with each block. We propose a permanent distributed record of intellectual effort and associated reputational reward, based on the blockchain that instantiates and democratises…
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MyArtSpace

MyArtSpace

Papers
Vavoula, G., Sharples, M., Rudman, P., Meek, J., & Lonsdale, P. (2009) Myartspace: Design and evaluation of support for learning with multimedia phones between classrooms and museums. Computers and Education, 53, 2, 286-299. Abstract. This paper presents a description and evaluation of Myartspace, a service on mobile phones for inquiry-led learning that allows students to gather information during a school field trip which is automatically sent to a website where they can view, share and present it, back in the classroom or at home. The evaluation focused on three levels: a micro level, concerned with issues of usability; a meso level, which examined educational effectiveness in terms of learning breakthroughs and breakdowns; and a macro level, which looked at the impact of the new technology on school museum visits practice. Issues…
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Citizen Inquiry: Synthesising Science and Inquiry Learning

Citizen Inquiry: Synthesising Science and Inquiry Learning

Books
Citizen Inquiry: Synthesising Science and Inquiry Learning is the first book of its kind to bring together the concepts of citizen science and inquiry-based learning to illustrate the pedagogical advantages of this approach. It shifts the emphasis of scientific investigations from scientists to the general public, by educating learners of all ages to determine their own research agenda and devise their own investigations underpinned by a model of scientific inquiry. Download pdf of Chapter 1: Introducing Citizen Inquiry HOME
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Technology Enhanced Learning: Research Themes

Technology Enhanced Learning: Research Themes

Books
Technology Enhanced Learning: Research Themes gives an overview of the state-of-the-art in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). It is organized as a collection of 14 research themes, each introduced by leading experts and including references to the most relevant literature on the theme of each cluster. Additionally, each chapter discusses four seminal papers on the theme with expert commentaries and updates. This volume is of high value to people entering the field of learning with technology, to doctoral students and researchers exploring the breadth of TEL, and to experienced researchers wanting to keep up with latest developments. Download Chapter 1: Research Themes in Technology Enhanced Learning HOME
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How We Write: Writing as Creative Design

How We Write: Writing as Creative Design

Books
How We Write is an accessible guide to the entire writing process, from forming ideas to formatting text. Combining new explanations of creativity with insights into writing as design, it offers a full account of the mental, physical and social aspects of writing. How We Write explores: how children learn to write the importance of reflective thinking processes of planning, composing and revising visual design of text cultural influences on writing global hypertext and the future of collaborative and on-line writing. By referring to a wealth of examples from writers such as Umberto Eco, Terry Pratchett and Ian Fleming, How We Write ultimately teaches us how to control and extend our own writing abilities. How We Write will be of value to students and teachers of language and psychology, professional…
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