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Principles of Blended Learning:

Shared Metacognition and Community of Inquiry

Norm Vaughan

Mount Royal University

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Overview

Student engagement�
Community of inquiry (CoI)

Roles of an effective teacher in the digital age�
Seven principles of online and blended learning�

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Student Engagement

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Student Engagement

What does this term or concept mean to you and your students?

Or in the words of MRU’s First President�“enabling the young mind to catch the gleam”

(George W. Kerby, Principal’s Report to the Board of Governors, July 3, 1912)

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The 3 R’s of Engagement

Relevance�(Connections and Curiosity)�
Relationships�(Community and Collaboration)�
Rigour�(Challenge and Creativity)

Dennis Littky

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Metacognition

Metacognition . . . .

is key to learning how to learn. �
approaches to learning starts with designing and planning the learning experience. �
means increasing awareness of the learning �process and taking responsibility to control �the learning process

(Chick, 2013)

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The Shared Metacognition construct reflects the dynamic dimensions of self and co-regulation each exhibiting a monitoring (awareness) and a managing (strategic action) function (Garrison, 2016; Garrison & Akyol, 2015)

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Two-Eyed Seeing

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The Mi'kmaw Nation of Nova Scotia have developed a “two-eyed seeing” process in order to collaboratively weave Indigenous and EuroAmerican ways of knowing. �
“To see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing, and to see from the other eye with the strengths of EuroAmerican ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together” (Bartlett et al., 2012, p. 335).

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Community of Inquiry�(CoI)

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Community

… community means meaningful association, association based on common interest and endeavor. The essence of community is communication

John Dewey, 1916

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Community of Inquiry

The importance of a community of inquiry is that, while the objective of critical reflection is intellectual autonomy, in reality, critical reflection is “thoroughly social and communal”.

Matthew Lipman, 1991, 2003

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Social Presence

The ability of participants

to identify with the

community (e.g., course

of study), communicate

purposefully in a trusting

environment, and

develop inter-personal

relationships by way of

projecting their

individual personalities.

Community of Inquiry Framework

Cognitive Presence

The extent to which

learners are able to

construct and confirm

meaning through

sustained reflection

and discourse in a

critical community

of inquiry.

Teaching Presence

The design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes. (Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson & Walter Archer, 2000)

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The roles of an effective teacher in the digital age

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The Role?

What are the roles of an effective teacher in the digital age?�

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Teaching Roles

Models of Teaching Roles in a Computer Conferencing Environment

Anderson, T., L. Rourke, D.R. Garrison and W. Archer (2001) ��

Berge, 1995	Paulsen, 1995	Mason, 1991	Anderson, Rourke, Garrison & Archer, 2001
Managerial	Organizational	Organizational	Instructional design and organization
Social	Social	Social	Facilitating Discourse
Pedagogical	Intellectual	Intellectual	Direct Instruction
Technical

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Categories of TeachING Presence

Categories	Design & Organization: (Relevance) Setting curriculum & methods	Facilitating Discourse: (Relationships) Shaping constructive exchange	Direct Instruction: (Rigour) Focusing and resolving issues
Indicators	Setting the curriculum Designing methods Establishing time parameters Utilizing medium effectively Establishing netiquette	Setting climate for learning Drawing in participants, prompting discussion Encouraging, acknowledging, or reinforcing student contributions Identifying areas of agreement/disagreement Seeking to reach consensus/understanding Assess the efficacy of the process	Present content/questions Focus the discussion on certain issues Confirm understanding through assessment and explanatory feedback Diagnose misconceptions Inject knowledge from diverse sources e.g., textbook, articles, internet, personal experiences (includes pointers to resources)

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CoI: Seven Principles

Design for open communication & trust �that will create a learning community
Design for critical reflection & discourse �that will support inquiry�
Establish cohesion and community
Establish inquiry dynamics �(purposeful inquiry)�
Sustain respect and responsibility for collaboration
Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution and shared metacognitive development�
Ensure assessment is aligned with intended learning outcomes

Vaughan, Dell, Cleveland-Innes, & Garrison, 2023

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Design & Organization

In terms of student engagement, Littky and Grabelle (2004) emphasize the importance of establishing relevance at the beginning of a course (1st R of engagement). �
They indicate that students should have a sense of curiosity and connectedness with the learning outcomes for the course.

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Design & Organization

Online needs assessment survey

What are your goals for this course; bottom line �- what do you want to ‘take away’ from your course experience?
What do you expect will happen during the class sessions? What will the professor do in class and what will you do?
What type of work do you expect to do outside of the classroom for this course, if any?
How do you think your learning in this course will be assessed?
What type(s) of assistance with your learning do you expect to receive in this course and from whom?�

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Design & Organization

Online discussion forum: Power of stories

Students can be engaged in an exercise where they each reflect back on an event that was a very powerful learning experience for them – it might or might not have been school related.�
Debrief as a whole class about what makes learning experiences powerful and then co-create a set of engagement guidelines for �the course.�

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Design & Organization

Setting personal learning goals for the course or program

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Design & Organization

Importance of designing and scaffolding learning activities that support the development of co-learning (shared metacognition) �
It does not happen overnight - repetition is important�
The power of storytelling is that �each time we hear the story, we �learn something new�Leroy Little Bear

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Facilitation

The second R of engagement that Littky and Grabelle (2004 ) advocate for is relationships.�
Creating a sense of community and collaboration are key for helping students develop their capacity for shared metacognition and their professional identities.

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Facilitation

Tuckman’s (1965) group development model

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Facilitation

Constructive (critical) friends��Two stars and I wonder?

Look to the left, look to the right, friends for life

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Facilitation

Structured reading groups (SRGs)

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Facilitation

Importance of the teacher modelling ‘professional practice’ - engaging in challenging and difficult conversations�
More than a “guide on the side and sage on the stage”

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Direction

Littky and Grabelle’s (2004) third R of engagement is rigour. �
In order to prepare for professional practice, this involves students completing real world tasks, challenging problems, tasks and assignment that force them to confront different perspectives and create new ways of thinking.

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Direction

Place-based seminars

Pre-seminar reading and online discussion
Place-based seminar with professionals
Journal reflection - connecting theory to practice

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Direction

Professional Learning Plans (ePortfolios)�

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Direction

Learning contracts for collaborative work�

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Direction

Team-Based Learning Collaborative

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Direction

Learning leader - captain moving the ship forward �
Nudge factor - moving beyond exploration to integration and resolution phases�
Learning space vs social space

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Discussion�

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ako

In te ao Māori, the concept of ako means both to teach and to learn. �
It recognises the knowledge that both teachers and students bring to learning interactions, and it acknowledges the way that new knowledge and understandings can grow out of shared learning experiences. �
This powerful concept has been supported by educational research showing that when teachers facilitate reciprocal teaching and learning roles in their classrooms, students’ achievement improves �(Alton-Lee, 2003).

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Visible Teaching - Learning

When teachers SEE learning through the eyes of their students

When students SEE themselves as their own �teachers

(Hattie, 2011)

and

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Principles of Blended Learning

and

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Contact Information

Norm Vaughan

nvaughan@mtroyal.ca�

Community of Inquiry Website

https://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/

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