1. Reflect and evaluate your path towards expertise during the LET programme on the basis of
Being interested in becoming an expert of learning, I decided to make the list of my expertise and define the main ones, that are:
- Theory and methodology of teaching foreign languages and cultures
I have already had a linguistic and pedagogical background as I have graduated from Moscow State Regional University as a specialist of linguistics and theory and methodology of teaching foreign languages and cultures where I was taught all aspects of pedagogy and methodology: solving of didactic problems, planning and the construction of the lesson, ability to evaluate, teaching of reading, writing, speaking, grammar and listening, project-based and distant learning. The main purpose in our University was to develop communication skills in language and cultural competence. Moreover I had a lot of experience in the area of education by means of teaching the English language to children, making a lesson plan, developing training programs and using interactive games.
- Intercultural communication
Intercultural communication was one of the major subjects in Moscow University, where we were taught the cultural differences and cultural competence. I also have international experience, as the International Center sent me to Germany several times, where I studied the German language and the culture of Germany. As the LET group consists of students from different countries and cultures, I have got more international experience and consolidated my cultural and communicational competences.
The Master’s Degree Programme in Learning, Education and Technology (LET) educates experts in learning. The core of the education consists of three theoretical issues: self-regulated learning, collaborative learning, and the learning of expertise.
As the LET Programme deals with a lot of educational technologies after completed Technology enhanced learning and ICT Workshop courses I have a good technological background on how to use technological tools in learning and education.
I have participated in the tutor training offered by University of Oulu and tutored new International Master’s Degree students in the Masters’ Degree Programme Learning, Education and Technology during autumn term 2013. The purpose of tutoring is to provide information and support for new students about study environments and student life.
The University of Oulu see its aim to develop students’ academic writing skills, so that I possess a lot of theory on how to write academic texts. Moreover I have a good experience in writing academic articles working both individually and collaboratively and writing Master’s thesis.
ß self-regulation model (Zimmermann)
Self-regulation is an essential process of learning that assists students in managing their thoughts, behaviors and emotions in order to successfully regulate their learning. In self-regulation students are assumed to master such learning skills as goal setting, planning and motivating strategies, regulating emotion and attention, flexibly using learning strategies, being able to self-monitor, seeking help appropriately and being able to self-evaluate (Zumbrunn & Roberts, 2011). Self-regulated students are more engaged in their learning. Self´-regulation is considered as a complex process that requires students to regulate their cognitive and metacognitive learning processes.
Zimmerman’s self-regulation model reflects that self-regulation involves three cyclical phases: forethought, performance, and self-reflection (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Zimmerman’s (2000) cyclical model of self-regulation.
The forethought phase is a first planning stage, where the learner considers what goals and strategies need to be initiated, and how self-efficacy and self-motivation can be controlled in order to accomplish the task. I have learnt how to set goals and choose right strategies, and how to control motivation and emotions.
The performance phase involves self-control and self-observation, processes that are essential for continued doing a task. Doing a task, I useself-explanations about how and why do I need to use self-observations to self-control my learning. The challenge is how to act according to the plan when there are a lot of internal and external factors that can affect motivation and effort, but I do my best in order to succeed.
During the self-reflection phase, the learner makes self-judgments and self-reactions on their performance. In this phase I evaluate the quality of the work done and the learning result (the learning achievements) and identifies the gaps in my knowledge. It helps to reconsider the forethougрt/planning phase. Theoretical knowledge does not bring expected results without constant training and vast experience. I cannot call myself as an expert of self-regulated learning, but I am on a right way and the more I practise the higher results are achieved.
ß knowledge construction
I understand knowledge construction as an active process of structuring separate knowledge into complete clusters. It reminds me a theory of the planet Earth’s genesis that assumes that the Earth appears by means of stardust that was attracted by a strong gravitation. In our case, the separate knowledge is stardust and if a person can manage to combine the separate knowledge together or construct it, he or she is going to possess expert knowledge that forms knowledge construction. The gravitation is associated with such factors as possessing strong motivation, metacognitive and self-regulation skills.
Knowledge construction is the core element of constructivism theory that emphasizes the importance of the knowledge, beliefs, and skills an individual brings to learning experience. It represents the construction of new understanding as a combination of prior learning, new information and ability to learn.
Now I would like to reflect how I managed to develop my expertise through knowledge construction. Previously, I have just learn a certain subject by evaluating my current knowledge and what particular area is needed to be learnt. I tried to control my motivation but I have never before thought that I could regulate the way the new knowledge can be processed and constructed in my head. During the studying in LET programme I learnt how to self-regulate my learning: plan, monitor, control and evaluate through reflecting the learning process that brings a new understanding of knowledge construction. The Expert course has taught me how a big amount of knowledge can be processed and remembered by means of dividing it into main groups and identifying the relations. I have spend a lot of time to consider how the existing knowledge can be systematized and divided it into expertise and metacognitive processes about domain specific knowledge. It helps me to use fast existing knowledge when it is needed and on the other hand to remember a big amount of information in a short time.
ß expert performance
Experts are expected to have and use proficiently expert performance skills that contributes with both self-performance and work-related performance. Expert performance is triggered by self-regulation, metacognition, self-beliefs and self-efficacy.But having all this skills is not enough as person needs to have a skill of reflecting his or her ideas or thoughts and have an ability to express and argument these ideas, distinguishing core ones.
During my studying in LET Programme I have come a long path in developing my expert performance skills. Started with cognitively performing difficult tasks such as writing essays and reading difficult articles, writing reflections in my blog I started to use metacognitive knowledge and skills being aware in setting goals and choosing strategies by asking draw questions to myself (Why do I need to do this task? What are my goals? How can I use and reflect my knowledge?). In order to write a good reflection, I had to research basic theoretical framework, connect new knowledge with existing one, to define core ideas that need to be reflected and discussed and after that it was time to consider what is the best way how the result can be performed. Work-related performance is going to be evaluated by experts who master this area, but who have no idea if and how I managed to learn learning material, that is why it is important to pay attention to performance itself. Performing assignments in blog was easier to me, as I had time to systemize my ideas, identify connections between concepts and structure my response while performing in public was one of my weaknesses because of a fear of public speaking. But the experience of augmenting my idea and thought in a written form through technological tool has brought more self-confidence to me.
I think concept “expert” presumes having expert performance skills. I see expert performance as deep engagement in learning, applying motivation, choosing strong strategies and ability to express and share one’s knowledge.
ß collaboration
I possess the basic knowledge of collaborative learning and know the main aspects how to achieve good collaboration.The research proves collaborative learning is more effective in achieving high learning results than individuals working alone (Järvelä, Hurme & Järvenoja, 2011). In spite of the fact that collaborative learning has become an important instructional intervention that is expected to lead to positive results, to achieve successful collaboration is still a big challenge. In order to be successful, learners must participate in the construction of joint cognitive products that require shared understanding. Collaboration is seen as a challenging process that requires not only responsibility and creativity but cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and socio-emotional skills. As the core element of collaboration is getting shared understanding that could be reached by means of active and focused social interactions, it requires socially shared cognition and metacognition. As we see, collaboration itself cannot be neither efficient or inefficient. According to Dillenbourg and Baker (1995) collaboration works under some conditions: the composition of group, the features of the task, the context of collaboration and the medium available for communication. Besides the essential requirements to the task the role of the difficulty level should be underlined. Collaboration never takes place when all of the group members know how to solve a problem themselves. To provoke active interactions task should make students not only use their own knowledge and skills but identify a problem and chose a right strategy how to solve it working together with the whole group. Research provides the evidence that collaborative learning is more effective in more complex learning environments (Dillenbourg, Järvelä & Fisher, 2009). Speaking about collaborative learning it is necessary to mention the role of teachers. A successful collaboration is not complete without certain planning or education. Teachers have to do more than establishing groups and telling them to study together. To provide collaborative learning and expecting students to achieve socially shared metacognition in problem-solving teachers need to take the following roles: educational, social, administrative and technical roles. In other words the main role of the teacher is to provide appropriate scaffolding paying attention to the students who face difficulties while working in a group.
First collaboration seemed challenging to me as each group member has his or her own expectations and preferences, own learning style and at the first time there is some barrier that is needed to overcome in order to achieve shared understanding. As collaborative learning allows to get more knowledge through problem solving and working with other experts I have managed to fulfill my expertise and find new perspectives and approaches in mastering learning area.
2. Reflect the role of interest, motivation and engagement in your studies
In this point I am going to reflect the role of interest, motivation and engagement in my studies, that are the important factors achievement of high learning results depend on. I think the question gives a good direction for knowledge construction, as the concepts are in the direct order. It seems obvious that motivation is triggered by interest while engagement is triggered by motivation of students. But at the same time both interest and motivation can vary because of the level of engagement into studies. That means that all of the concept “ interest”, ”motivation”, ”engagement” equally depends on each other.
Previously, I found myself high-motivated person who is always eager to cope with difficulties on the way of mastering a new learning field. But this issue was connected mostly with interest than motivation, as I was interested in self-development and acquisition of a new knowledge. When I met difficulties I tried to control and regulate the level of the interest. On the one hand regulation of interest is close to motivation in its meaning, but now I realize that it is impossible to control motivation without mastering and understanding motivation theory.
During my studies in LET programme I have gained a strong theoretical competence of self-regulating, metacognition and motivation. On the one hand motivation can be included in SRL theoretical framework as motivated students regulates cognitive and meta-cognitive learning processes that leads to achieving high results and provides positive emotions, and vice versa when a student has a low motivation, he or she is expected to give up doing the task that brings negative emotions and a lack of self-belief that leads to loss of interest. Students who are motivated to learn, are more likely to invest the necessary time and energy needed to learn and apply appropriate SRL skills. In order to determine the role of motivational beliefs in self-regulated learning the researchers are considering the role of the three general types of motivational beliefs: self-efficacy beliefs (judgments of one’s capabilities to do the academic task), task value beliefs (beliefs about the importance of, interest in, and value of the task), and goal orientations (whether the focus is on mastery and learning of the task, grades or extrinsic reasons for doing the task, or relative ability in relation to social comparisons with other students).
Self-regulated learning is a key competence for lifelong learning. Three areas where students can benefit from self-regulated learning: academic performance, motivation to learn, learning strategies. From here we see that motivation can be a separate concept. The term motivation is derived from the Latin verb movere, which means to move. In other words, motivational theories attempt to answer questions about what gets individuals moving (energization) and toward what activities or tasks.
Having learnt the theoretical framework I have been working hard by applying motivational strategies and I have learnt how motivation can be controlled as a result that affected engagement into my studies.
Engagement in learning is difficult to be achieved, as learning is complex process that requires self-regulation skills. The more self-regulated the person is the more he or she is engaged. Motivation is a strong factor but if there is interest plus strong motivation person is going to achieve high results. As for me I learnt how to control interest, motivation and engagement so that I can perform any task till the end and master new skills even if I do not have innate talent.
3. Reflect and ponder what kind of effect the LET programme brings to your future, and work
life, when considering you as an expert in learning and educational technology.
The Programme of learning, Education and Technologies give students a good chance to practice the new knowledge and skills. By means of successful completion of the following courses I get a good experience on how the theoretical knowledge can be applied in practice:
TEL (Technology-Enhanced Learning)
Having the opportunity to design a real course we were taught the whole processes of idea development, writing pedagogical and technological scripts and developing of the whole learning formal and informal environment.
Educational projects
I was introduced to the new working area that is running educational projects. I have learnt the best ways of complying with the client’s requirements and ability to lead the project from its beginning to the very end with a little use of scaffolding given from experts. As the project topic was distance learning, I managed to fulfil my expertise in this particular field.
Student tutoring
I managed to benefit the following experience from working as a student tutor at the University of Oulu:
I have already had a linguistic and pedagogical background but I have never been working to students that is why I gained a new working experience.
- International communication
As the group consisted of students from different countries and cultures, I got international experience and consolidated my cultural and communicational competences.
Active group is the main task of each experienced student tutor. It can be reached by means of student-tutor, tutor-tutor and tutor-teacher collaboration. Being a student tutor I have applied a lot of effort to show a perfect example of collaboration and cooperation.
I have experienced myself as a mentor to the new LET students, finding the main goal to foster students’ adaptation in the International Master’s Programme of Learning, Education and Technology and to provide students with an appropriate scaffolding on how to take maximum advantage from learning by means of fostering students’ own individual style of learning, showing students how the theoretical knowledge can be adopted into practice, activating students’ thinking and providing them with a deeper understanding of mentoring process and enhancing motivation.
TEL 2 (Designing technology-enhanced learning in global school systems)
The course presumes students to achieve the following learning outcomes:
- recognise the needs, problems, situations and practices of pedagogical use of technologies in school systems worldwide and find research-based solutions for the shortcomings
- examine future trends of technology enhanced learning
- determine current problems, situations and practices of technology enhanced learning in a global context
- analyse the concept of technology-enhanced learning
I find this course an important practice of what I have learnt during the two years at University of Oulu as it gave me an opportunity to define problems in learning contexts and search for appropriate solutions. The topic of the problem our group was working with was multiculturalism in Icelandic schools so that I had an opportunity to learn about multiculturalism and 21st century skills in nowadays world. I am going to use this knowledge in my work, as it is essential aspects expert needs to master.
The programme of Learning, Education and Technology has given to me a lot of support and helped to change the way of thinking. Have been learnt how to self-regulate my learning, control emotions and raise self-esteem, I have become more confident in my abilities and started to believe in myself. I have learnt to set higher goals and consider the wider range of perspectives that can be given to me. By means of collaborating with groupmates and teachers I have learnt how to communicate with people of different categories not being scared to present my point of view. I have known what helps me to foster cognitive and metacognitive learning processes, how to motivate and sometimes punish myself, what life and learning models suit me and what qualities are need to continue working on. For the last two years I have made a big step forward, have developed my expertise and learnt how to apply and share my knowledge. I have achieved huge results if to compare with the beginning of my studying at the University of Oulu. Studying at the University of Oulu has given me an opportunity to work with serious, purposeful, well-read and experienced people who have shown a good example how to succeed in learning.
REFERENCES:
Järvelä, S., Hurme, T.-R., & Järvenoja, H. (2011). Self-regulation and motivation in CSCL environments In S. Ludvigsen, A. Lund & R. Säljö (Eds.), Learning in social practices: ICT and new artifacts-transformation of social and cultural practices. Pergamon.
Zimbrunn, S., Tadlock, J., & Roberts, E. D. (2011). Encouraging self-regulated learning in the classroom: A review of the literature. Proceeding of Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC).
Livingston, J. A. (1997). Metacognition: an overview. Retrieved August, 11, 2006.
Dignath, C., Buettner, G., & Langfeldt, H. P. (2008). How can primary school students learn self-regulated learning strategies most effectively?: A meta-analysis on self-regulation training programmes. Educational Research Review,3(2), 101-129.
Zimmerman, B. J. (1998). Developing self-fulfilling cycles of academic regulation: An analysis of exemplary instructional models.
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