Teaching Outside the Box

Creating Learning Experiences that Transcend the Classroom

Kay Alicyn Ferrell, PhD
Nathan O. Lowell, PhD
Ann Sebald, EdD.

National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities

2005 - Colorado Consortium of Special Education Teacher Educators (CCSETE) Fall Institute

Audio from this presentation is available

Introduction

• Current paradigm
• Why transcend the classroom?
• Some Terminology
• Alternatives to "in-the-room"
• Strategies
• Operational issues
• Faculty Issues

The Paradigm Shift

Current Models

• Correspondence model
• "In-the-room" model

Why Transcend the Classroom?

• New tools require new techniques
• "As good as" isn't good enough

Alternatives to "In-the-room"

• Correspondence
• Video conference
• Hybrid
• Online

Strategies

• Immersion
• Case study
• Simulation
• "Soap opera"
• Seminar

Strategies

• Immersion
• Intense involvement with authentic tasks
• High degree of interaction among students
• Often used in conjunction with simulation

Strategies

• Case study
• The case is the hub
• High degree of interaction between students and content
• Goal is case analysis for insight into content
• Basis for "soap opera" strategy

Strategies

• Simulation
• Usually based on a case
• Student's actions influence outcomes
• Requires large instructor investment
• Example: EDSE542 - Assessment

Strategies

• "Soap opera"
• Similar to case
• Incremental discovery of information
• Rich story line usually with student as actor
• Example: EDSE450 - "Joey's Journey"

Strategies

• Seminar
• Read/write/discuss within cohort
• Substitute message boards/email for lecture
• Familiar format but little student "buy in"
• Example: EDSE 643 - Psycho-social Implications of BVI

Operational Issues

• Use of graphics
• Limitations of audio and video
• Time management
• Student involvement
• Assessment

The basic toolbox

• Email
• Web pages
• Blogs/Aggregators
• Instant messaging
• Message boards
• Print
• Chat
• Phone

The advanced toolbox

• Text based virtual environments
• One-on-one video conferencing
• Video tape/DVD production
• Audio tape/podcasts

Faculty issues

• Change = anxiety
• We do what we know . . .
  • How we were taught
  • How we've always taught
• Control
• Academic freedom

Greatest fears

• Lack of control
• Lack of learning
• No interaction
• Lack of "teaching"
  • Obsolete?
  • Replaceable?

A funny thing happened on the way to online . . .

Summary

• Important reasons to change
• Change is not impossibly difficult
• Techniques and tools exist
• Your final answer isn't.

Together we can do more.