# data[].attributes.body
My Spanish is a spoken word poem by Melissa Lozada-Oliva, who is an educator along with being a poet. I came across this just a few weeks ago and found it extremely relevant in regards with the discussion around otherness. Although this piece cuts across several themes and not just education but the overall premise deals with the notion of otherness via medium of language. The poem encapsulates the feeling of being left out, othered and ridiculed on the basis of one’s language. Within the realm of education many adult learners face a setback if their mother tongue is not the dominant language of discourse within the education structure.

Personally, this made me move as I come from a post colonial country where language clearly creates social difference, especially in the setting of educational institutions. In the capacity of an adult educator, I feel, it is extremely significant that we pay attention to the context learners belong to. The learning environment at least should not feed into the hegemonic lingual structure and should not play a part in further marginalising such learners.

# data[].attributes.body
Daphne Koller’s TED Talk presents peer grading as one of the possible solutions to provide feedback in online courses when the number of participants is large. I am personally critical to the idea of peer grading. Grading constitutes an element of competition and given that multiple participants in a course are working towards same goal there is a possibility of being biased and unreasonably critical of other colleagues’ work. Furthermore, grading requires in depth know how of the subject matter and expertise. Fellow participants in the course might not possess such knowledge; hence grade has the possibility of being not reflective of the student’s effort. Therefore, I feel in cases where peer grading needs to be implemented there should be a pre-designed grading rubric for students to follow. Furthermore, it should be accompanied by tutor grade or supervision.

On the other hand peer feedback, I believe, is an immensely useful tool in online forums and otherwise. Constructive feedback from peers can help participants grow and learn. Feedback from multiple sources allows different perspectives on one’s work. In my viewpoint the best possible solution in cases where peer grading becomes necessary is to pair it with peer feedback. Provision of feedback along with the grade will make the process more transparent and constructive for all participants involved.

# data[].attributes.headline
Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education

# data[].attributes.subject
Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education

# data[].attributes.body
My personal learning style falls within the paradigm of constructivist theories. Within this school of learning theories I find Observational Learning Model truly suitable for adult education.

In terms of learning theories, Albert Bandura’s observational learning model can explain a great deal the way adult learners learn. Since adult learners are much more immersed in their social condition, it becomes more apparent that their learning will be more affected by their surroundings (Athanasou, 2008). Observational learning theory combines elements from cognitive, behavioural and social psychology; presenting a wholesome picture of the learning process which in nature is complex. Practitioners of adult education, therefore, need to take this fact into consideration that observed occurrences from past and present may help or hinder the process of learning. Social learning does not only occur because of observance of one particular event by the learner. Socio – cultural norms and practices over the years influence how learners observe their surroundings and later act in a given situation. Multi faceted nature of observational learning model renders it useful for understanding the way adults learn from their past and present surroundings (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2003). Learnt observational behaviours tend to influence the way adult learners interact in their learning environment.

In development of online learning environment and curriculum, adult educators should keep this in consideration that social learning is dynamic and constant. Furthermore, realisation that observation plays a significant role, may help to integrate adult learners into the learning environment in a better manner.

References:

Athanasou, J. A. (2008). Adult Educational Psychology. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Zimmerman, B., & Schunk, D. (2003). Educational psychology: One-hundred years of contributions. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum.

# data[].attributes.body
French (2015) explains the rationale behind this particular approach to learning emerges out of recognition of certain needs such as, “the need to cater to more diverse student groups by creating greater flexibility and student mobility, the desire to allow students greater choice in developing and managing their own studies, the desire to respond to the needs of employers and improve student employability, the desire to introduce interdisciplinarity and breadth into the curriculum, and the need to reduce costs and maximise resources and efficiency.”

In the light of this rationale the approach of mixing and matching learning modules seems suitable for all kind of adult learners. It provides flexibility and diversity. Many universities around the world now allow their students to opt for modules that interest them the most. One of the benefits of this approach is that, learners can tailor their learning according to their interests. While such an approach seems extremely beneficial and interesting it also raise certain concerns such as whether all students are can appropriately mix and match their learning if not then to what level should they be provided guidance. Another aspect of this approach, which I personally feel, has the potential to make the learning more productive is that learners should be given certain core modules and then only should be allowed to mix and match. This would lead to more informed decision making process. On the whole, the concept of mixing and matching learning modules renders itself really well to humanities and social sciences in general as it allows more of an interdisciplinary approach, which in turn has the potential to make the learning experience more holistic.

References:

French, S. (2015). The Benefits and Challenges of Modular Higher Education Curricula. Issues and Ideas Paper. Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

# data[].attributes.headline
A comical take on observational learning

# data[].attributes.subject
A comical take on observational learning

# data[].attributes.body
Image obtained from http://psychtutor.weebly.com/bandura---imitation-of-aggression.html

# data[].attributes.body
In my opinion and experience I have felt that a positive learning environment carries elements of cognitive, social and teaching presence which are intricately intermingled. If we analyse these elements separately, it would appear that they all hold immense value. Cognitive presence for me takes place the most significant spot in the mix; as for any kind of learning to occur cognitive presence is necessary. I have always felt that teaching presence works as a supplement to the cognitive presence. A well laid out teaching presence helps the learning environment to become ever more conducive for learning. These two presences go hand in hand. As far as social presence is concerned, I believe that its magnitude should depend on the context and learners. Some learning situations render themselves well to encourage more of a social presence while some may hinder it. Furthermore social presence is also culture specific. Speaking from experience, in a lot of Asian learning environments cognitive and teaching presence are a lot more prominent than social but that does not indicate any lack in learning that participants may obtain. Moreover, not every learner might be comfortable with an excess of social presence in the learning environment, therefore it might prove uncomfortable or even detrimental. On the whole I believe the best balance between these three significant elements has to come from the context. There is no fixed formula as to what should be done in every learning situation. Educator and learners should collaboratively decide on the right mix of cognitive, social and teaching presence.

Reference:

Garrison, D. R., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2007). Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(3), 157-172.

# data[].attributes.body
Open Educational Resources are relatively new to the world of academia. Previously closed off repositories of academic resources have gradually started to become available for anyone interested to consume. On one hand, this movement has numerous benefits associated with the fact that they make materials available for the whole academic community to access; thus allowing greater equality in terms of ‘right to use’. On the other hand, such open educational resources also present with challenges. One of the issues is that of the reliability of the resources. Making materials in bulk available can have a potential impact on the reliability of the content. Another issue that arises from huge amount of resources being freely available is that of quality. In an effort to make more and more material accessible there is a potential challenge to maintain the quality of the content. Another potential challenge associated with open educational resources is that, it can create highly individual centred learning situation (Knox, 2013). Individualistic or learner centred mechanisms put all the responsibility of cognitive process on the learner, relieving the institutions from their share. On the whole, Open Educational Resources can be immensely beneficial but it would be wise to keep the potential challenges in view; a critical approach is what is needed.

Reference:

Knox, J. (2013). Five critiques of the open educational resources movement. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(8), 821-832.