How to design a Connections-based Learning experience

The Google Hangout hasn't even happened yet but it has been amazing to see the learning that has taken place. Taking the time to co-construct learning goals with students has allowed the ownership of the learning to change hands.  It has been wonderful to see students take ownership of the connection and use it for their purposes, teasing out what they want from it and how they know they got what they wanted.  Here I outline the who, why and how of the learning design in a Connections-based Learning activity.

Designing Learning - Who?

Our class' Connections-based Learning is around the solar system and I have set up a Google Hangout with Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist who has worked extensively on exploring Mars.  From working on the Mars Curiosity Mastcam to working on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera and the Mars Color Imager at Malin Space Science Systems, she has been contributing greatly to amassing a wealth of information about Mars.

After giving my students a short bio and directing them to her website, I asked students to do their own searching about who Tanya is and what she is all about. I wanted them to follow their own rabbit trails as they first touch on this connection.

What does she blog about?
What Youtube videos has she done?
How does she describe herself?
What are her hobbies?
What does she share on social media?

It is important for students to get a feel for the person with whom they will be connecting.  It is not just about being able to ask the right questions but more so, to start forming their own connections to the expert.  What do they have in common? What is surprising about this person?  What do they like about her?  What might be places of disagreement?

Designing Learning - Why?

Connections-based Learning is all about the why.  My desire is for my students to get out of this interaction not only the most possible, but the most meaningfulness possible: to own the conversation, to get their questions answered, to create their own goals for the interaction.  When students have been given a voice about what they will learn, their engagement rises, their attention is strategic, their excitement increases.  Eventually I am going to ask them to create a response for their interaction.  I want that response to be true to who they are and what they can offer the expert.

Designing Learning - How?

After they began to "know" Tanya (from her own presence online), I asked my students to write learning goals in response to what they know about Tanya.

Here are some of the goals:
- "I'd like to learn and have a better understanding of Mars and the Curiosity mission"
- "I want to know the difference between the Mars Rover and the Curiosity"
- I want to know "how she chose the camera she did"
- I would like to "discover what space photography is and to learn about it"
- "My goal is to successfully understand the concept of how big everything in outer space is"
"Hoping to discover what new technology has been innovated in space photography."
"Hoping to discover how Mars rovers work and function"
"To have Tanya comment on my blog post."

These are their words, not mine: learn, understand, discover.

I also asked students for a sign that they have achieved their goal.
"If I can list 3 differences. . ."
"When I can explain it to others"
"If I learn something new that fascinates me"
"When I can describe how it looks"
When "I am able to understand the difference in physical appearance and function and share it on my Edublog"
"That there is a comment from Tanya on my Edublog post"

One student said: "I would like to learn what it was like to be in the environment of making everything happen."  I asked her to explain further as I knew she was getting at something but it needed clarification.  She ended up with wanting to know, "what it was like working on the rover process and describe the environment -  and how it made you feel." That is the co-construction piece.  I need a chance to have a voice into their goals, to help them extract, refine, clarify, polish.

Once learning goals are co-created, the questions flow easily.  They are meaningful and they are not the teacher's.  They connect with the students own personal goals.  The conversation revolves around the students own curiosity and wonderings. 

Now we are ready.

5 Steps to Sharing the Process

 

Now that educators are dialoging more about Connections-based Learning, a common question that surfaces is around assessment.  If the focus is encouraging students to ask "Who can I learn this from?", what considerations should be put into place to guide students down the path of learning?  What process sets the student up for authentic assessment?  What does that assessment look like?

In an approach to teaching that focuses on connection, feedback from multiple sources would seem to make sense.  In Connections-based Learning, the facets of Share the Process and Feedback Meaningfully encapsulate the CBL learning progression.  In this post I will focus on the facet: Share the Process.  Here we see how a CBL begins and how it supports students along the way toward their presentation of learning.  The assessment here is all formative.

I see five parts to Sharing the Process.  A task that opens the door to multiple points of entry is the first part of setting up a CBL.  At this point, students make a proposal as to with whom they are going to connect and what that connection might look like.  Students are asked to make some group guidelines about their collaboration and as the CBL continues, time is allotted for regular peer and teacher check-ins.  Finally the process is shared live and/or electronically.  Keep in mind, this represents half of the CBL process.

To add lucidity to the steps of a CBL, I offer an example used in my Science 9 class.  The learning outcome was to:

"relate electrical energy to power consumption." 

Here are the five parts outlined.

Connection criteria 

 

The connection criteria is meant to guide students in a general way to make some choices about learning. The topic is offered and the students are given examples regarding with whom to connect. The desired criteria is shared with the students and they are encouraged to ask themselves: are there people in the community, organizations or experts that can help us do something about this topic?

In the Power Connections example, students were asked to brainstorm experts or organizations they could connect with to solve a problem or promote awareness surrounding power use.

Learning Proposal

 

In order to make sure students are on the right track, a learning proposal is required.  Students answer questions such as:

- Who in the community, what organizations or which experts will help us do something about this topic?
- what information are we hoping to find?
- what solutions are we hoping to offer?
- what innovative ways to connect and present learning are we planning?

 

The proposal isn't just a quick answering of some questions.  Students are to put as much effort into the proposal as they do the presentation.  Formative feedback is given regarding the proposal and all proposals are available for each other to see.  I like to put the proposals up on the bulletin board to help us keep focused on where we are all going.

Collaboration Reflection

 

Facilitating effective collaboration is paramount in any group work.  Here a look at Crockett, Jukes, and Churches 21st Century Fluencies (2011) would be beneficial.  In the Crocket et al. Collaboration Fluency, a checklist is included that causes students to reflect on how the collaboration will go.  In CBL, the students agree on what guidelines they will follow as the CBL continues. Again, this opens the door for formative assessment, allowing the teacher to make comments on the agreed upon guidelines and decide on what mini-lessons are required to facilitate great group work. 

Progress Check-ins  

Throughout the CBL, providing peer and teacher check-ins is important to guide students along the way and to increase effectiveness of the process. This is not simply asking "How is it going?" but offering assistance as the students make their connections, develop questions to ask experts and organizations, and develop ways to share what they have done. An important question for the teacher to ask oneself is: What connections do I have that can move the group forward?  

Process Sharing

 

  

The process and learning is shared. This provides yet another feedback opportunity as students, teachers, principals or parents either make meaningful comments on presentations uploaded to student digital portfolios or make "questions, comments, or suggestions" during live presentations. The learning isn't over as students need to respond to comments made. I will outline that in Part 2 where I will discuss Feedback Meaningfully.

Why does CBL focus on the process?  Here is a good example of why:

Boti and Michael proposed an amazing idea.  They would contact companies that sell generators and connect them with homeless shelters hoping that the companies would provide free generators to these shelters. 

How can I honour and support their idea even if it might not work?  Focusing on the process opens the door for this. 

The boys made many attempts to connect but no one responded. When process is focused on, setbacks do not mean failures. The process and learning can still be shared and celebrated.

Innovative ideas that take risks can still be approved, honoured, and supported because everyone can share their process.

There is something special about watching students seek connections and take charge of their learning.  Engagement is high. Authentic learning leads to authentic feedback. And giving and receiving that feedback is pregnant with learning possibilities and brings us to Feedback Meaningfully.

 

 

Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is not enough: 21st-century fluencies for the digital age. Kelowna, B.C.: 21st Century Fluency Project.