In this lesson we will explore three inter-related areas of classroom implementation:

1. Facilitation - your role as a teacher when digital content resources are being used
2. Differentiation - managing mixed ability classes
3. Group work - planning for and facilitating group work

Facilitation

Facilitating learning is truly an art. Learners involved in the process becoming more knowledgeable and feel involved.

Some basic premises of facilitation:

1. The facilitator leads discussion but does not dominate.
   
   
2. The facilitator is knowledgeable enough about a topic to be able to provide guiding questions.
   
   
3. The facilitator is not an answer provider, but rather a tour guide who brings the group to find the answer themselves through leading questions.
   
   
4. The facilitator has some “probing questions” ready in case the participants are less than vocal. Asking them questions may get their thoughts going more around a topic.

Adapted from The Art of Facilitation [online]

Activity 3.1

A leading question is one that prompts or encourages the answer wanted. It requires largely memory or description from the learner.

Example: "What happened when you put the phosphorus in the water?"

A probing question are intended to help the learner think more deeply about the issue/topic.

Example: "What do you expect to happen in the graph if you double the value of x?" (Notice that you are recommending an action)

Example: "What would you need to do to make the parabola narrower?" (This is a more challenging probing question because you are not recommending an action)

1. Identify one topic in your curriculum and compose one leading question and one probing question related to that topic.

2. Turn to a partner and review each other's questions and amend the questions if necessary.

3. Share your amended questions with the whole group.

Activity 3.2

1. Working in pairs, read the scenario on facilitating a video viewing and discuss the questions that follow.

Scenario - The facilitating Geography teacher

2. Report back to the whole group.

Differentiation

Every learner has different sets of abilities and responds differently to your styles of teaching and classroom experience. Differentiated learning is a strategy of designing learning experience to best reach each learner.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

• Design lessons based on learners’ learning styles.
• Group learner by shared interest, topic or ability for assignments.
• Assess learners’ learning using formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
• Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet learners’ needs.

Activity 3.3

1. Working in pairs, read the scenario on differentiation and discuss the questions that follow.

Scenario - The differentiating Mathematics teacher

2. Report back to the whole group.

Group work

When learner do use digital content resources such as 2Enable they might benefit more by working collaboratively. This may be a change from your conventional classroom because it will mean that the learning is much more learner-centred.

Why groups?

Consider these characteristics of a class in which collaboration in groups takes place:

• learners actively engage with each other and develop communication and social skills;
• learners make contributions to the group, bringing their own skills and talents to the group;
• learners collaborating in groups become more self-directed learners;
• in mixed-ability groups the mix of learner abilities is best exploited.

Planning collaboration

When planning group work you need to decide on whether the learners will:

just be working together and supporting each other while working on independent products (co-operation),

or

whether they will be depending on each other as they work towards a common product (collaboration).

The following are some further questions to ask yourself.

How will learners collaborate?

Learners may work on a common response and search for information together or separately. Think about how you will like each individual group member to contribute to the group?

How will groups be formed?

Learners may form their own groups, or you can choose random groups or select groups to create the greatest diversity. Keep in mind that groups of 3 are optimum, and pairs and groups of 4 are also common.

What collaboration tools will be used?

Collaborative documents (including online facilities such as Microsoft OneDrive) are a great place for learners to share their information and view what other learners have contributed.

How will you assess the collaboration?

Consider whether you will assess learners individually or in a group and what methods you  may use. Self-assessment and group-assessment are great tools for these types of activities, but you may also want to assess individual effort/learning.

Activity 3.4

1. Working in pairs, read the scenario on differentiation and discuss the questions that follow.

Scenario - Collaborative Accounting

2. Report back to the whole group.