Peter TwiningJISC CETIS/Eduserv Conference

Glasgow, January 2009

Acknowledgements: The Schome Park Community

NAGTY, Innovation Unit, Becta, OUwww.schome.ac.uk

• Virtual worlds → pedagogical exploration• Evolution of the Schome Park Programme• Dimensions of practice

• Pedagogy• Theoretical stance• Curriculum definition and choice

• Conclusions• Discussion …

www.schome.ac.uk

www.schome.ac.uk

Learn about

Learn by becoming

Learn by doing Learn through role play

www.schome.ac.uk

Individual constructi

vist

Sociocultural

AcquisitionParticipati

onKnowledge

Commodity

Creative process

(knowing)

www.schome.ac.uk

‘Curriculum’

Externallydefined

Externallyconstrained

Freelynegotiated

Self-determined

Cur

ricul

um d

efin

ition

Traditionalschool

Group A’sprep work

Imposed Free choiceImposed choiceSelf-imposedcommitment

Curriculum choice

Discrete

Integrated

Dissociated

Authentic

No control

In control

De-motivating

Motivating

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Schome Park ≠ schome Virtual worlds = another tool

Virtual worlds = unknown Unknown = potential

What should education be like?Where do we go from here?

www.schome.ac.uk

Experimentation vs control

Focus on Product Focus on Process

Product-Process dimension

Bureaucratic

Simple

Reg

ulat

ion

dim

ensi

on

‘Serio

us’

Playful

www.schome.ac.uk

Learner Teacher

Empty Vessel

Expert

Learners

www.schome.ac.uk

Teacher power

Equality(of power)

Schome Park

‘Relationships’

Current

MUTINY AGAINST THE STAFF… the issue of the US students maybe not being as open and showing as much as their personality due to the fact that their teacher is there. In SL, …, we do have an unusual situation. The staff and the students are much more friendly and comfortable with each other than those that are in the same situation in Rl are.In Rl, there are certain unspoken and spoken rules that everyone has to abide by. When it comes to teacher-student relationships, it would be even more difficult. Students are expected to respect teachers, which is correct and i agree with. But we are trying to use a new environment, a virtual world where non of us have ever met, to break down those barriers. Even when the US students are in-world, they will automatically fall into the role of student and will act accordingly.What i hope we can achieve with this party is not segregation between student and staff, but a chance for the students to be with other students only, so that they can relax and be themselves. Once they have got used to all the new people they have met, and gotten to know us, they hopefully they will be more relaxed and independant when the staff and their teacher is there also. (Schomer D in forum)

www.schome.ac.uk

‘Curriculum’

Imposed Free choiceImposed choiceSelf-imposedcommitment

Curriculum choice

Externallydefined

Externallyconstrained

Freelynegotiated

Self-determined

Cur

ricul

um d

efin

ition

Discrete

Integrated

Dissociated

Authentic

No control

In control

De-motivating

Motivating

The Schome Park Programme

Phase 1

Mar - May 2007

Phase 2

Jun - Dec 2007

Phase 3 part1

Jan - Mar 2008

Phase 3 part 2

Mar - May 2008

NAGTY Group

Open Invitation

After School Club

SEGfL School Based Groups

Others

Educational Programmes

Typology

Vision building activities +Aspire Pilot

eSIR Reference Statement

The potential of using an Open Virtual World

led to…

Which is developing our thinking about…

Dimensions of practice Education Systems

…

…

…

…

13 to 17 year olds – from NAGTY, SEGfL, home education, CLCs, etc. from UK, USA (& Falkland islands) plus adults (paid, volunteers, teachers, etc)

• Aims o empowerment (personalisation)

www.schome.ac.uk

www.becta.org.uk search for Educational change and ICT

• Environmento anywhere anytime learning

• Actorso increased rangeo learner responsibility & controlo collaboration• Curriculumo increased rangeo knowledge-age skills

• Supporto Increased range; student choice

New forms of representation

Second LifeTM Virtual World

WikiFocus GroupsAspire PilotHome Ed workshops+ Forum

Like now only better

Like now only better

Like now only better

www.schome.ac.uk

www.schome.ac.uk

Coercion Trust

Schome Park

‘Stance’

Current

"I think that what Schome is doing through breaking down the barriers between 'teachers' and 'students', making it hard to see where one stops and the other begins, is fantastic, because when everyone is on a learning curve together, it brings about less of a feeling of segregation and a greater feeling of equality, and this leads to people trusting more." Schomer A (wiki)