Learning as dialogue

Many of the earlier learning theories place the learner in splendid isolation. From the neo-behaviourist theories of Thorndike, Watson and Skinner, we were led to believe that learners respond to stimuli and make associations between the two, and that these links represent learning. This passive, reductionist explanation of learning prompted a number of pedagogical strategies, including reinforcement of behaviour, punishment and reward, and the introduction of teaching machines with their instructional texts, structured assessment of learning and remedial loops. Later, Piaget, Inhelder and others were responsible for introducing a cognitive version of learning theory which held that children were 'solo scientists' who constructed their own meaning through exploration of their environment. This prompted new approaches in schools that included discovery learning and progressive curricula that neatly reflected Piaget's stages of cognitive development model. And yet these theories paid scant attention to the social contexts within which learning occurs.

It was not until social theories such as Vygotsky's social constructivist model were introduced that education as a whole began to capitalise on the dialogic power of learning. Indeed, the Zone of Proximal Development and other social pedagogy models were largely unheard of in the West before the 1970s. Vygotsky's writings were ideologically repressed by those opposed to their Soviet Socialist provenance. Once Vygotskiian influences began to pervade classroom practice, teachers were quick to seize on the power of dialogue as a strategy. The ancient Socratic forms of education - where teachers questioned learners and where learning became a conversation - experienced a revival. Participatory and collaborative forms of education soon followed, as student centred approaches to education were adopted across all sectors of education. Behaviouristic, passive forms of learning fell out of favour, although vestiges of these didactic practices still remain.

Dialogue has proved time and again to be a very powerful aspect of learning. Ask yourself - how much have you learnt through conversations when compared to reading books? Learning through dialectical processes that lead to synthesis of disparate ideas or opposing perspectives turns out to be a strong foundation for successful critical thinking. Our ideas in isolation have limited power and reach. Our ideas, when shared, modified, repurposed and amplified, have a value that pertains to entire communities of interest. Extensive conversations with others within one's community of practice are now easier than ever, thanks to social media such as social networks, wikis and blogs. How much we can learn from each other is now moderated by the extent of our personal learning networks, rather than the boundaries of our classroom walls. Each of the pedagogies featured above has clearly played its role in the evolution of our school systems, but dialogic forms of pedagogy, in whatever format they occur, are the most influential in promoting long lasting educational impact.    

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Learning as dialogue by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Personal devices in higher education

Here are some of my recent thoughts on learning spaces at universities, and the impact of student owned personal technologies:

As the shift from location specific learning to untethered learning gathers pace, so the personal device gains increasing importance. Distributed forms of learning are burgeoning, and geographical distance between learners and their parent institutions is less of a problem. This is because learners are intimately familiar with the capabilities of their own devices, and are able to use them to learn in creative and productive ways. 'Bring your own device' is now common place in universities and students no longer need to study in a single location. If students are no longer required to be in the same place as their teachers, several things become apparent.

The first is that traditional spaces such as the lecture hall, computer suite and classroom assume less significance. Some would argue that the millions invested in building traditional rooms for education in the last few years might easily have been spent on more relevant and future-oriented projects. However, physical spaces retain their importance for many universities, and the manner in which they are configured needs to be reappraised. Why, for example are lecture halls designed with fixed chairs in rows and tiers, thus limiting student interaction? Where do students plug their laptops and mobile phones into when they need to recharge their batteries? Are today's lecture halls designed with enough power sockets within easy reach? Why do we still tether computers to desks, row upon row in computer suites? Does this not simply replicate the style of traditional lecture halls? Does computing still need to take place in a specific location? This is misplaced ICT and such resources could be deployed more effectively. If learning spaces on university campuses are to remain physical spaces, then a radical overhaul of their design is long overdue.

Secondly, the pedagogy that underpins higher education is in need of reform. Although the traditional lecture still has its place, it is becoming increasingly anachronistic in an age where much knowledge is shifting from objective certainty to subjective provisionality. A number of other effective alternatives are possible when each student owns a mobile, personal learning device to accommodate their individual needs. Learning becomes more self-directed, creating knowledge as well as receiving it. Students become more active and wide-ranging in their learning approach. Collaborative learning activities become more feasible, and can extend beyond traditional times and physical locations. Learning through making, doing and problem solving is extended as students are no longer constrained by class times and space boundaries. Ultimately, the role of the teacher changes, as lecturers assume supportive and facilitative, rather than directive duties. They remain as experts, but acknowledge that their students can also bring knowledge to the learning process, and can also teach each other.

Thirdly, if students are now connecting remotely into campus services, the development of digital content and the provision of better communication channels is required to ensure the success of distributed learning methods. If students study exclusively, or predominantly away from the traditional campus, their prime connection to peers, experts and content will be through their personal devices. If this fails for any reason, students are suddenly separated from their resources and expert support. Universities must therefore ensure that institutional services such as Learning Management Systems and the provision of other centralised software remain stable and accessible at all times.

As the personal device becomes more prevalent among student populations, so universities will need to reappraise their strategies for course provision. One of the most important decisions to be made is to ensure that student expectations are met, whether they attend the traditional campus or not.

Photo by Reader Walker 


Personal devices in higher education by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Mr. Harold's Mini Review - 15mm.co.uk Loud Ninja Games Space Raptors

Mr. Harold of ClearHorizon Miniatures was kind enough to review the entire 15mm Chuhuac range on his regular video review channel on YouTube.

Thanks,

Mr. H!

Loud Ninja Games at Salute 2014

Hey all you UK conventioneers!

We here at Loud Ninja Games are happy to announce that, while we will not be at the convention ourselves, our partners at 15mm.co.uk are going to be carrying us to Salute 2014 (http://www.salute.co.uk/salute/salute-2014/). Come see us at their stand, TF07.

So, if you haven't got your claws on any 15mm or 28mm Chuhuac, come on by and let Gavin Syme and his mates help you put some dinosaur goodness onto your sci-fi gaming tables.

Thanks,

-Eli

Loud Ninja Games Open for Business!

Today marked the opening of our LNG store page at the 15mm.co.uk site. Our partners have set us up with a lovely little home there from which we can provide our products to both sides of the Atlantic with incredible service.

From here on out, this will be the place to find all your LNG product needs, Chuhuac and otherwise. 

-Eli

Tomorrow is the Day!

Tomorrow, March 10th, we open for business on the LNG page at the 15mm.co.uk site. Please feel free to stop by and look over the entire range of Chuhuac miniatures available for regular purchase for the very first time. 

Looking forward to having you there!

-Eli

Space Raptors Spring on the Scene Soon!

We are happy to announce that the Chuhuac will soon be available for sale. It's been a long haul but that amazing time is upon us. Our partners at 15mm.co.uk will be opening the Loud Ninja Games page on their site, Monday March 10th 2014!

Here is a listing of the codes we will be putting up on Monday:

RAP001 Chuhuac Troopers (6)

RAP002 Chuhuac Leaders and Support Weapons (6)

RAP003 Chuhuac Command Section (4)

RAP004 Chuhuac Herdmaster (1)

RAP005 Chuhuac Spec Ops (6)

RAP006 Chuhuac Assault Troopers (6)

RAP007 Chuhuac Battlesuits (2)

RAP008 Sirrus APC (1)

RAP009 Chuhuac Grav Bikes (3)

RAP010 28mm Chuhuac Alphas (3)

RAP011 28mm Chuhuac Troopers (3)

There are also bigger packs that offer savings and ready made platoons and wings:

RAP007P Chuhuac Battlesuit Section (6)

RAP008P Sirrus APC Platoon (3)

RAP009P Chuhuac Grav Bike Wing (9)

RAP001P Chuhuac Platoon (28)

RAP004P Chulhuac Herd (75)

Wow! That's eleven codes and five unit pack offers right out the gate!

We're super excited to finally have made it to this point. Thanks to each and every one of the Kickstarter backers, friends, family and our partners at 15mm.co.uk for all the support and faith in Loud Ninja Games and the Chuhuac. This is just the beginning!

Sincerely,

Eli & The LNG Crew