A Personalised Approach in Inquiry-Based Learning

Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis Knowledge Media Institute, The Open

University

1. What is Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL)?

2. What is weSPOT?

3. How will Personal & Social Inquiry be practiced in weSPOT?

Outline

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddebold/1472415498

Meaningful contextualization of scientific concepts by relating them to personal experiences.

Learners take the role of an explorer and scientist as they try to solve issues they came across and that made them wonder, thus tapping into their personal feelings of curiosity.

Learners learn to investigate, collaborate, be creative, use their personal characteristics and identity.

What is Inquiry Based Learning?

What is weSPOT?

• The weSPOT project aims at propagating scientific inquiry as the approach for science learning and teaching in combination with today’s curricula and teaching practices

• The project focuses on inquiry-based learning with a theoretically sound and technology supported personal inquiry approach

• In inquiry based-learning learners take the role of an explorer and scientist and are motivated by their personal curiosity, guided by self-reflection, and develop personal knowledge and collaborative sense-making and reasoning

In Short...

• Start: 1st October 2012• Duration: 36 months• Consortium: 9

partners from 9 EU countries

weSPOT is an EC-funded Research Project under the Grant Agreement no. 318499 of ICT FP7 Programme in Technology Enhanced Learning

Learners will be able to: – create mashups of personal and social

learning tools in order to perform scientific investigations

– share their inquiry accomplishments in social networks

– receive feedback from assistive inquiry technologies and their peers

Personal & Social Inquiry

• A Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is a facility for an individual to aggregate, manipulate and share digital artefacts of their ongoing learning experiences.

• The PLE follows a learner-centric approach, allowing the use of lightweight services and tools that belong to and are controlled by individual learners. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanspoldoja/4098840001

http://www.flickr.com/photos/petahopkins/2157928982

Personal Learning Environment

Learners aggregate and work collaborativelyon learning resources provided by the Open University (e.g. OpenLearn, iTunesU) and external sources (e.g. Wikipedia, SlideShare, YouTube)

A social learning environment is not a just a fun place to hang out with friends, but a place where learning takes place.

Learning does not take place by chance but because specific pedagogies and learning principles are integrated in the environment.

User-centric vs. Learner-centric

Students need to be constantly challenged and taken out of their comfort zones.

They need affirmation and encouragement that will give them the confidence to proceed with their inquiries and investigations beyond their existing knowledge.

Gamification approach: linking the inquiry activities and skills gained by learners with social media.

User-centric vs. Learner-centric

Thank you!

Working Environment with Social, Personal and Open Technologies for Inquiry Based Learning

http://wespot-project.eu

Dr. Alexander Mikroyannidis Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University

http://www.alexmikro.net