This week’s reading was very interesting to me and got me doing extra research after I was finished.
The introduction caught my attention right away and acted as the “hook” to continue reading. The discussion of open pedagogy in many ways was intriguing and highlighted the many views that can be placed on the topic. In my opinion, the most thought-provoking discussion point was stated by Mai (1978) who relates open pedagogy as an “informal classroom where children might be trusted to learn by exploring according to their own interests, instead of being bored, demeaned, and alienated” (p.231).
As someone who isn’t looking to become a teacher and has opened a whole new section of knowledge from taking this course, I believe Mai is definitely onto something. If I were to be a teacher, I would incorporate a balanced approach to educating my students. I would hope to find a way to use open pedagogy along with a structured system. Although this would be very difficult to achieve complete success as each student and class have a variety of differences in learning styles, there would be many benefits to offering a blended style of teaching.
Another part of the reading I found interesting and could relate to was the list of examples of “OER-Enabled Pedagogy”, specifically the first. It covers the example of students being “offered extra credit to create tutorial videos, chapter summaries, and review games for a particular topic.” This reminds me of the opportunities my classmates and I were given in high school, which consisted of quiz making, summarizing topics, and creating homework packages that could possibly be used for the next class to take the course. After completing these and being given approval by our teacher, we were given extra credit towards our course grade.
Hello Noah!
We presented some very similar ideas in our posts. Especially regarding all the different perspectives of open pedagogy. I do think, like you mention, that it’s important for educators to consider Mai’s view “where children might be trusted to learn by exploring according to their own interests, instead of being bored, demeaned, and alienated.” We are all unique, with distinct perspectives and ways of thinking. When students can pick what they want to learn about, they are more likely to engage with the content because it feels personal to them. I do also like that you related the list of examples of OER-enabled pedagogy to your own learning experiences.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Noah!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I also pulled Mai’s quote from the reading as it really aligns with my teaching philosophy. The traditional ways of teaching, in my opinion, don’t allow students to have a voice and views students as empty vessels who have nothing to offer. An open pedagogy allows students to be in control of their learning and have more ownership over their work. You’re right, this type of pedagogy wouldn’t work for all students as some students require more structure, but I think you can integrate an open pedagogy and still have structure, what do you think? I think the students who require more structure would simply need a bit more guidance, but would still have freedom in their learning.
Thanks again for sharing 🙂
Hey Noah!
It’s so awesome to hear the perspectives of people who are in different faculties from education! Mai’s quote stood out to me as well. If students feel in control or included in the learning process, I’m certain the outcomes will be more favourable. I remember being a youngster and feeling so bored in class or dumb when a concept didn’t click right away so I think that these changing structures will be beneficial for many students.
Here’s a question – could you think of a way that there could have been a chance for ‘extra credit’ assignments in this course? What other kinds of student work could have been done that would have benefited future learners of this course?
Hi Noah!
Thanks for your post! Mai’s quote definitely stood out to me as well as this is something I am always thinking about while lesson planning. Each student is so unique and has their own prior experiences, learning styles, interests, strengths, and challenges. These are all things that need to be considered when creating effective learning opportunities. Allowing students to have choice in what they are going to study or how they are going to study it/present their learning allows them to have more autonomy within their learning. This is so important as it allows them to have more control, feel actively involved in their learning process, and be more motivated. They get to make decisions that impact their own learning, which results in them feeling like they have more ownership of their final work. Open pedagogy definitely encourages this. There does not need to be one set way to complete an assignment. If we are teaching a group of unique individuals, why do we expect them to hand in identical final works? Where is the room for them to show themselves as a learner? Where do they see the value in the assignment to their own life? I believe it is so important to create open learning opportunities that include enough differentiation to support the needs of all learners.