Peter Twining JISC CETIS/Eduserv Conference Glasgow, January 2009 Acknowledgements: The Schome Park Community NAGTY, Innovation Unit, Becta, OU www.sc h ome.ac.uk

Virtual worlds -> pedagogical exploration Evolution of the Sc h ome Park Programme Dimensions of practice Pedagogy Theoretical stance Curriculum definition and choice Conclusions Discussion … www.sc h ome.ac.uk

Virtual worlds -> pedagogical exploration

Evolution of the Sc h ome Park Programme

Dimensions of practice

Pedagogy

Theoretical stance

Curriculum definition and choice

Conclusions

Discussion …

www.sc h ome.ac.uk Virtual worlds = new frontiers (Castronova 2007) Castronova, E. (2007). Exodus to the Virtual World . New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Design grammar (Gee 2003) Gee, J.P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Playfullness & boundary testing Difficult or impossible in the physical world ‘ Meaning of space’?

www.schome.ac.uk Learn about Learn by becoming Learn by doing Learn through role play

www.schome.ac.uk Individual constructivist Sociocultural Acquisition Participation Commodity Creative process (knowing) Knowledge

www.schome.ac.uk ‘ Curriculum’ Traditional school Group A’s prep work Externally defined Externally constrained Freely negotiated Self- determined Curriculum definition Imposed Free choice Imposed choice Self-imposed commitment Curriculum choice Discrete Integrated Dissociated Authentic No control In control De-motivating Motivating

www.schome.ac.uk Schome Park ≠ schome Virtual worlds = another tool Virtual worlds = unknown Unknown = potential What should education be like? Where do we go from here?

www.sc h ome.ac.uk

www.schome.ac.uk Experimentation vs control Product-Process dimension Focus on Product Focus on Process Bureaucratic Simple Regulation dimension ‘ Serious’ Playful

www.schome.ac.uk Learners Learner Teacher Empty Vessel Expert

www.schome.ac.uk Teacher power Equality (of power) Schome Park ‘ Relationships’ Current MUTINY AGAINST THE STAFF … the issue of the US students maybe not being as open and showing as much as their personality due to the fact that their teacher is there. In SL, …, we do have an unusual situation. The staff and the students are much more friendly and comfortable with each other than those that are in the same situation in Rl are. In Rl, there are certain unspoken and spoken rules that everyone has to abide by. When it comes to teacher-student relationships, it would be even more difficult. Students are expected to respect teachers, which is correct and i agree with. But we are trying to use a new environment, a virtual world where non of us have ever met, to break down those barriers. Even when the US students are in-world, they will automatically fall into the role of student and will act accordingly. What i hope we can achieve with this party is not segregation between student and staff, but a chance for the students to be with other students only, so that they can relax and be themselves. Once they have got used to all the new people they have met, and gotten to know us, they hopefully they will be more relaxed and independant when the staff and their teacher is there also. (Schomer D in forum)

www.schome.ac.uk ‘ Curriculum’ Imposed Free choice Imposed choice Self-imposed commitment Curriculum choice Externally defined Externally constrained Freely negotiated Self- determined Curriculum definition Discrete Integrated Dissociated Authentic No control In control De-motivating Motivating

The Schome Park Programme Phase 1 Mar - May 2007 Phase 2 Jun - Dec 2007 Phase 3 part1 Jan - Mar 2008 Phase 3 part 2 Mar - May 2008 NAGTY Group Open Invitation After School Club SEGfL School Based Groups Others Educational Programmes Typology Vision building activities + Aspire Pilot eSIR Reference Statement The potential of using an Open Virtual World led to… Which is developing our thinking about… Dimensions of practice Education Systems … … … …

13 to 17 year olds – from NAGTY, SEGfL, home education, CLCs, etc. from UK, USA (& Falkland islands) plus adults (paid, volunteers, teachers, etc)

Aims empowerment (personalisation) www.sc h ome.ac.uk www.becta.org.uk search for Educational change and ICT Governance Archaeology * Artificial intelligence Ethics and philosophy * Physics * Languages Research * Marina Theme park Media and design Machinima ... Environment anywhere anytime learning Actors increased range learner responsibility & control collaboration Curriculum increased range knowledge-age skills Support Increased range; student choice

Aims

empowerment (personalisation)

Environment

anywhere anytime learning

Actors

increased range

learner responsibility & control

collaboration

Curriculum

increased range

knowledge-age skills

Support

Increased range; student choice

Second Life TM Virtual World New forms of representation

Wiki Focus Groups Aspire Pilot Home Ed workshops + Forum Like now only better Like now only better Like now only better

Wiki

Focus Groups

Aspire Pilot

Home Ed workshops

+ Forum

Aims empowerment (personalisation) www.schome.ac.uk www.becta.org.uk search for Educational change and ICT Governance Archaeology * Artificial intelligence Ethics and philosophy * Physics * Languages Research * Marina Theme park Media and design Machinima ... Environment anywhere anytime learning Actors increased range learner responsibility & control collaboration Curriculum increased range knowledge-age skills Support Increased range; student choice

Aims

empowerment (personalisation)

Environment

anywhere anytime learning

Actors

increased range

learner responsibility & control

collaboration

Curriculum

increased range

knowledge-age skills

Support

Increased range; student choice

www.sc h ome.ac.uk

www.schome.ac.uk Coercion Trust Schome Park ‘ Stance’ Current "I think that what Schome is doing through breaking down the barriers between 'teachers' and 'students', making it hard to see where one stops and the other begins, is fantastic, because when everyone is on a learning curve together, it brings about less of a feeling of segregation and a greater feeling of equality, and this leads to people trusting more." Schomer A (wiki)