Using Glow Forums to Support Learning
Overview
Andrew Hutchison is a Geography class teacher in Mearns Castle High School, East Renfrewshire. He has recently started to look at ways that Glow can be used to support teaching and learning in his classroom.
In this cookbook we will look at how Andy used Glow Forums to support teaching and learning in his S3 Geography class. The cookbook will act as an exemplar of this good practice and shows how to re-create it.
Context
The S3 class are studying Geography at Mearns castle and Andy uses the Glow Discussion web part to evaluate the topics the children had been studying. With the introduction of Glow Forums he has decided to use this web part as it supports the overarching experiences in literacy as well as AifL strategies.
The learners are currently studying geology and land use conflict in Scotland. They recently took part in a field trip to Loch Lomond were they looked at the geology of the land and the Highland boundary fault. They have also been looking at land uses and conflicts between farmers and tourists in this area.
On return from the trip Andy posted five discussions for the pupils on the trip and used Glow Forums as a way of evaluating and assessing the knowledge they had gained from the trip.
He posted the questions as discussions shown.
*Discussion 1
*Discuss through the forum what the geology is like in the area around Balmaha.
*Can you remember the names of any rock types?
*How were these rocks formed?
*Discussion 2
*This is a field sketch of the top of Conic Hill
*Why did the ranger take us up this hill?
*Discussion 3
*Imagine that you are a farmer.
*Use the Glow Forum to complain about tourism within the National Park.
*What things might you post on a farmers’ forum?
*Discussion 4
*Imagine you are now park rangers reading the farmers’ forum.
*Post solutions to some of the farmers’ complaints in order to reduce conflict.
*Discussion 5
*Why are byelaws within the National Park important?
*Half the class will give an example of a byelaw in force in the National Park. The other half will say why that byelaw is important.
The learners then had the opportunity to participate in the forum. They had to think of reasoned arguments from both sides. This discussion could have taken place outwith Glow as part of a classroom discussion however Andy recognises that not all learners participate in this form of discussion and that those who are reluctant to verbally respond are usually among the first to post a written response. There is also the opportunity for peer assessment, supporting the AifL strategies Andy uses with this class, where class members comment and support each other in their Forum posts as well as add information they have missed. By ‘doing’ the learning Andy has found that the children are retaining the knowledge much more.
The second stage of this lesson was to put the learners into groups of four where they had a responsibility/role, park ranger, local councillor, farmer, and tourist. They were given scenarios and through using the Glow Forum created a role palsy scenario where each had to give their reasons for and against the National Park. By using Glow Forum the learners were able to add their comments and also the scenarios were available for the teacher to check as evidence at a later date. They also provide a basis for discussion and revision for the learners.
Another way the Forums were used that week was by giving learners a role within the class to develop a conflict scenario. The scenario posted required the learners within their role, Environmentalist, hill walker, local resident etc, to give their view regarding land use within the National Park. They used the buttons post reply or quote to comment on each others’ posts and argue against their comments or suggest possible solutions. This encouraged the learners to go back and read each others’ answers, which in turn reinforced knowledge. It also afforded the opportunity for quieter learners to voice an opinion.
Learners were activiely involved in the task for a large part of the period and although they are working as a class on a topic they were working independently as logged on individually, all class members were effective contributors to the task. Quieter group members were involved throughout and this suited the learning style and social style for many users.
CFE Outcomes and Experiences met through this process are,
I can explain how the interaction of physical systems shaped and continue to shape the Earth’s surface by assessing their impact on contrasting landscape types. SOC 4-07a
I can discuss the sustainability of key natural resources and analyse the possible implications for human activity. SOC 4-08a
I can develop my understanding of the interaction between humans and the environment by describing and assessing the impact of human activity on an area. SOC 4-10a
Through discussion, I have identified aspects of a social issue to investigate and by gathering information I can assess its impact and the attitudes of the people affected. SOC 4-14b
I can evaluate the impact which decision making bodies have on the lives of people in Scotland or elsewhere. SOC 4-18a
Overarching experiences in Literacy
I develop and extend my literacy skills when I have opportunities to:
• communicate, collaborate and build relationships
• reflect on and explain my literacy and thinking skills, using feedback to help me improve and sensitively provide useful feedback for others
• engage with and create a wide range of texts in different media, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by ICT
When I engage with others I can make a relevant contribution, ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute and encourage them to take account of others’ points of view or alternative solutions. I can respond in ways appropriate to my role, exploring and expanding on contributions to reflect on, clarify or adapt thinking. LIT 4-02a
When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can:
• communicate detailed information, ideas or opinions
• explain processes, concepts or ideas with some relevant supporting detail
• sum up ideas, issues, findings or conclusions. LIT 4-09a
By considering the type of text I am creating, I can independently select ideas and relevant information for different purposes, and organise essential information or ideas and any supporting detail in a logical order. I can use suitable vocabulary to communicate effectively with my audience. LIT 4-26a
I can persuade, argue, evaluate, explore issues or express and justify opinions within a convincing line of thought, using relevant supporting detail and/or evidence. LIT 4-29a
Ingredients
What did Andy need to do use Glow to support this learning and teaching.
1. A Glow Group
2. A Glow Forum web part
It was necessary to ensure users had Contributor rights within the Glow Group to enable them to contribute to the Glow Forums.
In the next section, we’ll take a look at the Geography Glow Group and learn how to recreate elements within it.
Recipe
The videos that then follow show how these elements can be recreated. Details are:
What does the Geography Glow Forum look like?
Video Clips
Creating a Glow Forum
Posting a reply on a Glow Forum
Introduction to moderation
Adding an Avatar
Andrew Hutchison comments on impact of Glow Forums
Impact
There have been a number of impacts from this project. The class teacher is now much more familiar with the components of Glow Forums and now hopes to develop his use to support teaching and learning. He also feels that the learners have now had a good experience with Glow and are capable of using the web part confidently to contribute to a class discussion.
Learners commented,
‘Very easy to use’
‘easy to find everything’
‘better than talking in front of the class’
‘you feel more interactive with the class because you can comment on answers and see everyone else’s answer’