CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE SYDNEY

38 Renwick Street, PO Box 217, Leichhardt, NSW 2040 Phone (02) 9569 6111 Fax (02) 9550 0052
www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au
Catholic Education Ofce Sydney, 2008. First published April 2009. PN 2566
Licensed under NEALS
INTRODUCTION
This Position Paper provides a model for eLearning
with the purpose of assisting teachers to identify
the learning outcomes which innovative and
effective use of technology can bring about. Skills in
collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving
can be fostered while students are motivated and
engaged in authentic learning tasks.
Student engagement in the use of technology can
take learning to a whole new level one where we
can hear from the students as they work together
and actively create and share their knowledge.
The iLE@RN Model relates directly to the Sydney
Catholic Schools Building on Strength Strategic
Improvement Plan, in particular by supporting the
Key Areas of Students and their Learning and
Pedagogy.
It is intended to be a resource for Principals and
school communities as digital technologies become
increasingly important and our students learn within
a global context. The learning, the skills and the
Catholic values which they bring to this context
will depend upon the education they receive in our
schools.
AIMS
The iLE@RN model aims to:
+ Promote life-long learning.
+ Develop teachers as facilitators and co-learners.
+ Develop pedagogy that is engaging, exploratory and
which includes new technologies in contemporary
learning spaces.
+ Develop learning communities focused on reective
and innovative practice.
+ Engage students in decisions about their learning
+ Provide opportunities for teachers and students to be
iLE@RN leaders.
+ Create partnerships, both locally and globally.
+ Develop an understanding of the ethical implications
of being a global citizen.
REFLECTIONS
Teachers and students who have used the iLE@RN
Model have provided the following reections.
When we had problems with our program we had to think of different ways to
solve the problems.
We had to work as a team to get things done. In our group of three we each
had particular strengths.
STUDENTS, MATER DEI PRIMARY, BLAKEHURST
Using Robotics to teach number allows students to solve their problems and
makes learning applicable to everyday life.
TEACHER, ST BRIGIDS PRIMARY, MARRICKVILLE
Students developed collaborative skills with increased levels of engagement.
An end product of the iLE@RN Project was that it expanded the repertoire of
teachers, and created a shift in teachers roles.
TEACHER, FREEMAN CATHOLIC COLLEGE, BONNYRIGG HEIGHTS
WHAT IS eLEARNING?
eLearning describes a learning environment supported by continuously evolving,
creative and collaborative processes. These are focused on enhancing student
achievement through engagement and individualised learning opportunities.
It makes use of a range of digital technologies including computers,
peripherals, communication devices and the Internet.
HOW DO I LEARN BEST?
W
H
A
T

S
K
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O I NEED TO
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D
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21ST CENTURY LE
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IN
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Digital learning for todays students,
anywhere and at any time.
eLearning with the
POSITION
PAPER
Model
iLE@RN iLE@RN
eLearning questions to consider
+ How are Catholic values embedded into eLearning?
+ How do students lead the learning?
+ How are students involved in negotiating the learning process?
+ What features are important in creating engaging learning spaces?
+ What PD is required to extend the use of eLearning practices in and beyond
the classroom?
+ Describe the whole school eLearning plan for creating and sustaining change.
+ How do students create knowledge?
+ How are the iLE@RN skills assessed?
+ What learning strategies are used to develop the iLE@RN skills?
+ How do teachers model being the learner in the classroom?
The iLE@RN model has been developed in accordance with both the Catholic Education Ofce (CEO)
Sydney and national documents and frameworks. The iLE@RN model has direct links to the Learning in
an Online World frameworks and strategies published by the Ministerial Council on Education,
Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MYCEETYA).
CEO SyDNEy
PUbLICATIONS
What do
effective
teachers
do?
Construct
substantive
communication
opportunities
Contextualise
learning
Use
assessment
to inform
teaching and
learning
Maintain
high
expectations
Enhance
capacity
to learn
Promote
intellectual
quality
Know
each student
Personalise
learning
Create a
quality learning
environment
Q
U
A L I T Y L E A R N I N G
E
N
V
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N
M
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N
T
S
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F
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C
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C
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INTELLE
C
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U
A
L
Q
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I
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Y
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I
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NCE
CEO, SyDNEy
LEARNING FRAMEWORK
The iLE@RN model provides an
eLearning focus to the CEO Learning
Framework. It identies the skills
which learners need to develop in their
role as communicators, creators and
collaborators in the local and global
learning communities of today.
MCEETyA LEARNING IN AN
ONLINE WORLD SERIES
21st century education integrates
technologies, engaging students in
ways not previously possible, creating
new learning and teaching possibilities,
enhancing achievement and extending
interactions with local and global
communities.
MCEETYA - Contemporary Learning:
Learning in an Online World
SyLLAbUS - bASED
LEARNING AND
UNDERSTANDING
iLE@RN MODEL
HOW DO I LEARN BEST?
W
H
A
T
S
K
ILLS DO I NEED TO D
E
V
E
L
O
P
?
H
O
W
D
O
I LEARN
B
E
S
T
?
H
O
W
D
O
I C
O
N
T
R
IB
UTE TO 21ST CENTURY LEARN
IN
G
C
O
M
M
U
N
IT
IE
S
?
HOW DO I CONTRIbUTE
TO 21ST CENTURy
LEARNING
COMMUNITIES?
+ Learning communities can
include other people that
we contact directly, as well
as virtual communities that
are created through Internet
connections.
+ Virtual communities are
often global, and provide
opportunities for learners to
take part in the management
and creation of knowledge and
to receive responses to their
contribution.
+ Learning communities are
created in exible learning
spaces which may be either
physical or virtual and may
require a range of digital
resources.
+ Learners understand human,
cultural, and societal issues
related to technology.
+ All learners bring to their global
citizenship a respect for others
grounded in the ethics and
values of the Catholic faith.
HOW DO I LEARN bEST?
+ Teachers and students learn
best when they are engaged and
challenged to learn, when they are
equipped with the necessary skills
and resources, and when they
receive timely feedback to assist
them to make a valued contribution
to physical and virtual learning
communities.
WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED TO DEVELOP?
Questioning Skills
+ Learners develop the skills to state a problem clearly in their
minds and then ask the questions that will help them solve it.
+ Knowing how to ask good questions enhances comprehension,
and allows students to focus on making connections among ideas.
Communication and Collaboration Skills
+ Learners use a range of digital media and environments to
communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to
support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
+ Respect for the ideas and learning styles of others is necessary for
effective communication and collaboration.
Creative Thinking Skills
+ Creative thinking is the creation or generation of ideas.
+ Learners demonstrate creative thinking, construction of knowledge,
and development of innovative products and processes.
+ Prediction, analogies, elaboration and brainstorming are useful
strategies for teaching creative and critical thinking skills to students.
Reective Skills
+ Learners reect on the practices that they are engaged in.
+ Effective reection allows learners to identify areas for improvement
in their knowledge or skills, and encourages further exploration and
development of deep knowledge.
+ Reection assists the learner to evaluate successful and
unsuccessful strategies.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
+ Learners use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research,
manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions
using appropriate digital tools and resources.
+ Critical thinking and problem solving activities require planning and
scaffolding.
+ Learners need to be aware that they are thinking (meta-cognition) and
that different thinking strategies are required for different problems.
Multimodal Literacy Skills
+ Learning involves the use of both print based and digital texts and
involves learners listening, reading, viewing, talking and interacting
with texts and with others.
+ When developing multimodal literacy skills learners have
opportunities to read, view, respond to, design and produce texts in
both print and digital forms.
The iLearn model accords with the
following CEO Sydney publications:
Communities
of Learners
Engaging
Learning Spaces
Knowledge Creators
and Managers
Global Citizens with
Catholic Values
and Ethics
Reective Skills
Creative Thinking Skills
Communication and
Collaboration Skills
Questioning Skills
Critical Thinking
and Problem
Solving Skills
Multimodal
Literacy Skills
iLE@RN