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| April 2007 | |
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The Director's Corner What's New Facilitation Fundamentals Housekeeping
Up Close
Events
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The Director's Corner Dear FOR-PD Facilitators, Where has the time gone? It seems like we were just beginning our spring sections a few weeks ago. At the end of April, a majority of the spring courses will close. Facilitators should be communicating with their participants on a weekly basis. Encourage them to keep up with the course schedule. Provide them feedback on their progress. Reaffirm their responsibilities and yours as the course is coming to a close. If you haven't already done so, please submit your invoice for your spring course. Invoices are due by April 23, 2007. This semester, facilitator professional development and the facilitator newsletter have focused on presence and discourse. Why have we focused on these two aspects of online learning? Based on data that we have collected from both facilitators and participants, it indicated a need to develop expertise in these two areas. Much of the feedback from participants about facilitators indicates a need for more communication on participant progress in the course. Some facilitators send out progress reports periodically throughout the 14 weeks. This is an excellent tool for communicating participant progress. At the end of the course all facilitators must send their participants communication as to their status of course, completion. If you are not providing progress information to your participants, please incorporate this into your facilitation. Other feedback received indicates a desire and need for more discussion about the topics of the FOR-PD course. Creating discussion in an online environment can be tough. There are several facilitators who hold course chats or office hours for participants to come and discuss the reading. These are excellent examples of ways to encourage discussion about the content of the course. The professional development focused on using questioning to elicit continued discussion. We hope that you will use what you have learned about discourse and questioning in your future courses. What are our next steps? We will continue to focus on presence and discourse. Remember that we look at your interactions with your participants through the QAC process. In the coming semester, we will focus on the impact of the professional development by collecting data on the types of presence and discourse we find in future courses. Registration for summer courses is currently open. The number of facilitators needed will be determined by the number of registrations we receive. If you have not indicated your interest in facilitating this summer, please email forpdfac@mail.ucf.edu.
What's New
Guest Speakers Join Facilitators Only Chats It has been a while since FOR-PD had guest speakers join the Facilitators Only Chats. While not an entirely "new" practice, we are "renewing it." During the year we plan to continue having guests whose have expertise will aid facilitators. This month we had our first guest speaker. Carol Mc Williams, Assistant Director of SUNLINK, joined us for April's chat. In May Dr. Atsusi "2c" Hirumi, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Instructional Technology program at the University of Central Florida, will be joining us. Please check the Events and Chat schedule section of this newsletter for more information on both of these guest speakers including preparation information for Dr. Hiurmi's visit with us.
New Facilitators - Applications for New Facilitator Training Course We have had a very good response with over 145 applicants applying for the Facilitator Training course opening May 7th. We are currently reviewing the applications and selected applicants will be notified by April 30th. Thank you!
Here are the new email addresses for the FOR-PD Project and staff. Please update your records. Also make sure you update your address books and spam blockers to allow the new email addresses to go through. FOR-PD Project - forpd@mail.ucf.edu
Facilitation Fundamentals Spring Professional Development Has Been Completed! Facilitators indicated the following: An appreciation of the resources gathered, felt the design of the course and the layout of the information assisted in their learning, and enjoyed the opportunity to practice in the assignments and monitor growth of their knowledge through the Knowledge Checks and follow up Comprehension Checks. Some were less satisfied due to the following reasons:
If you have any questions regarding the professional development, feel free to contact Candace Whitehead. cgwhiteh@mail.ucf.edu
Last month, we reviewed the “Taxonomy of Personal Engagement” originally designed by Norah Morgan and Juliana Sexton (1985) to help drama teachers engage their students in the study and practice of the art. We continued with an examination of how the authors related that taxonomy to the use of questioning, in their book Asking Better Questions. When you begin an investigation of questions you might employ to engage learners, you uncover a wealth of information. Soon, you will discover there are various classifications for categorizing questions. Some focus on the type of question, while others focus on the level of thinking the question will illicit, and still others focus on the outcome the question intends. These classifications include the following: Bloom's taxonomy, five types of questions (that combine the focus from Bloom's), Socratic questioning, Essential questions, and classifications by general function relating to the intention of the question. As we look at using questions to engage learning, we will review several of these classifications and how they might relate to your facilitation. Because this is a brief review, you may find that you will want to do further research. Think about your own practice keeping the following questions in mind. After reading, please respond in the FFF Discussions section of the For Facilitators Only section of Web CT. How have you used questions in the past? Do you have a new understanding after learning more about questioning? Are there changes you plan to implement? If so, please offer an example. Bloom's Taxonomy: Traditionally in the field of education, particularly when focusing on the cognitive domain, Bloom’s taxonomy has been a primary resource. Using this tool helps teachers focus on the types of thinking they intend to engage learners in when writing learning objectives and/or choosing questions to pose to learners. The depth of the cognitive engagement of the learner increases along the hierarchy from knowledge to evaluation. The taxonomy is often broken into ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ levels of thinking with Knowledge, Comprehension and Application being at the lower end and Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation considered ‘higher order thinking.’ While teachers often ask lower-level questions to ensure knowledge, as a facilitator, you should think how you might engage participants at a higher level of thinking in response to their discussion postings. Not that lower level questions should never be used. They are useful, particularly when you need to determine if the participant has specific knowledge of the content. Five Types of Questions: On the portion of her website dedicated to reviewing newer innovations in education entitled "Newer Views of Learning," Dr. Leslie Owen Wilson lists five basic types of questions that are similar and describes them as follows. We have included an example for each that would apply to FOR–PD.
Example: What are the six (6) perspectives from which students explore a topic in the Cubing strategy?
Example: How do you decide which reading strategies to teach?
Example: How might you become a literacy leader in your community?
Example: What are the factors that affect your ability to implement professional development and how do you overcome the obstacles?
The Socratic method of questioning is a tool to encourage critical thinking. It is intended to get students to think about the logic of their assumptions and move forward in their thinking. For example, if a participant made a statement like: My role as a teacher is much broader than I expected. I can be influential not only with my students, but with faculty as well. Sample responses: Can you give some examples on how your expectations have changed? Please explain how and why you think you may be influential with other faculty? Richard Paul (1990) developed the following Taxonomy of Socratic Questions based on the Socratic method:
This is a valuable technique to help FOR–PD participants understand the content, express their thoughts or ideas clearly, and understand assumptions. Essential Questions: When you hear the terminology "essential questions," it brings to mind the idea that these are questions that are the most important. Of course that idea could relate simply to the important content, which may include simply factual information. However, essential questions go deeper than just recall of content. Often essential questions are mentioned in discussions regarding curriculum mapping, explaining how teachers can help learners get to the heart of the content by thinking critically. Essential questions that would be relevant to engaging FOR–PD participants might include the following: What are the characteristics of effective teachers? What makes someone a good reader? What factors will help you succeed in this course? We’re sure you can think of many others. Classification by General Function: In Chapter 5, "A Classification of Questions" from the book Asking Better Questions, authors Norah Morgan and Juliana Saxton offer their own classification of questions based on the intention of the question. They believe it is more practical to ask what you want a question to do as opposed to what type of question you should ask. Their classification of questions is as follows:
A final note in thinking about crafting quality questions. We’d like to offer one more resource. Visit the "Crafting Questions for Online Discussions" page, which is part of the resources offered by Penn State Universities’ Teaching and Learning with Technology department. Read the sections on "Responding and Facilitating" and "Strategies." These pages are short and easy to read. "Hone your questioning skills by practicing asking different types of questions, and try to monitor your teaching so that you include varied levels of questioning skills." Leslie Owen Wilson, 1997 Professional Development Certificates Certificates of completion will be offered to those who completed the four week course as well as those who have participated through reading the monthly resources January through April and responding on the discussion boards. Because there was additional reading and assignments required in the self-contained course, FOR-PD will recommend a higher number of professional development points for that course. The appropriate Certificate of Completion will be emailed to all course participants within the next few days. Those who participated through the monthly resource will receive a certificate at the end of April or beginning of May.
Facilitator Roles and Expectations As a reminder, these are the roles and expectations of those currently facilitating. If at any time you have questions regarding your responsibilities, please refer to the FOR-PD Facilitator Roles and Expectations document located in the Facilitator Manual. Early Spring Sections: As a reminder, these are the roles and expectations of those currently facilitating: Last Few Weeks of Class The facilitator role is similar to the previous weeks in that the motivational role is critical now. Participant evaluation is still very important, and there are several tasks associated with these roles that should be completed during this time.
At week 12, you should have posted a general discussion message reminding course participants that the course is coming to an end. This should be posted in the Facilitator Announcement Discussion Area. You may also wish to inform them that deadline extensions are only available on a case-by-case basis. Extensions will only be granted to those who are one or two lessons behind or have a few revisions to post. If they wish to be granted an extension, they must contact you. However, you also have the discretion to offer an extension. Since you have two weeks to complete grading and send course closing information, you may let a student back into the course to redo an assignment as needed. Remind participants to check with their district for special requirements. Some districts require a hard copy of the Literacy Logs be sent to them directly. Remind participants that if hard copies of the Literacy Log are required, they should copy them to a word processing document prior to being denied access. Participants are responsible for knowing their district requirements. NOTE: Remember that Literacy Logs are necessary for ALL participants to meet the requirements for successful completion of the course. You are required to grade participant literacy logs at the end of the course and put the grades in the grade book under the appropriate column. Now is also the time to do the following:
After the course officially closes (the course closing date which is April 30, 2007), student access will be denied (May 1, 2007). You have 2 weeks to finish up the administrative duties associated with closing your course. Here is a quick reminder of the task list:
Later Spring Sections: Middle of Course Continue your role as motivational coach, teaching new content to some, and refreshing others' minds. Also continue the role of course manager.
NOTE: When you notify the FOR-PD office that a participant has dropped voluntarily OR a participant has lagged seven lessons behind and was denied access on that basis, please indicate which was the reason.
Housekeeping
Invoices for ALL spring sections MUST be faxed to the FOR-PD office no later than April 23, 2007. A blank invoice is available for download in the Facilitators' Manual in the For Facilitators Only section. Please follow the directions for submission on the bottom of the invoice. Please complete the invoice with all the information requested, including your zip code. Without all of the required information, it takes longer to process your invoice.
As a reminder, here is the process.
To avoid repetitive contact, which often makes participants irritated or confuses them regarding who to contact, FOR-PD will no longer automatically contact lagging participants at the QAC checks. We feel that the increased communications provided in the new bi-weekly emails will help to encourage participants without sending the same "you are lagging behind" messages. We will, however, send you a report with laggers and non-starters.
We will be happy to support you by contacting those you feel will benefit from our extra communication, after you have made the expected attempts. Second Check:
If you have any questions regarding the QAC process, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our intention is to support you.
Below are some questions the Help Desk received in the past few weeks: I posted the wrong discussion posting on the board. How do I delete it? Unfortunately, you cannot delete a discussion posting once it has been posted. That can be easily corrected by reposting a correction. In cases where the posting was not entirely incorrect, but just needed some addition, having the second posting can open the opportunity for discussion on the content and the additions. However, in extreme cases, where the posting is entirely unacceptable for some reason, the Help Desk can help.
I took last week's quiz and submitted it, but Web CT won't let me take the next quiz. Why not? Even if a participant clicked submit correctly, sometimes Web CT will not grade correctly, for various reasons. If this is the case, the quiz will need to be force graded before the next quiz is available. Remind participants to check their grades and see if a grade was issued. If not, they should contact their facilitator to have the quiz force graded.
WebCT will not let me take the Lesson 14 Quiz, but I have completed all of the other quizzes. Why not? As we near the end of the spring semester, please remind your participants that the Post-Course Survey needs to be completed prior to the Lesson 14 Quiz. The Lesson 14 Quiz will not be made available until the participant completes the Post-Course Survey.
Tech Help - Allowing and Denying Access If you need to allow or deny access to any participants, follow these directions: 1. Choose Manage Students. 2. From the Options:Records menu select View Some Students and click Go. 3. Click the box beside Last Name to un-check the boxes beside all students. 4. Check the box next to the student(s) you need to allow or deny access. 5. Click View at the top of the page. 6. From the Options:Advanced menu select either Allow Student Access or Deny Students Access and click Go. 7. The window will say Confirm Allow Access or Confirm Deny Access. To confirm this, you click the Allow Access or Deny Access button. Remember, if you are denying access to participants who have dropped the course or lagged seven lessons behind, notify them and include information on registration for the upcoming semester. Then notify FOR-PD forpd@mail.ucf.edu.
Facilitator Training Course Dates April 2 - 16, 2007 - Open application period
FOR-PD Course Schedule Spring 2007
Summer Registration Update: Open Enrollment Registration Up Close FOR-PD Staff Member - Melanie Edwards Staff Member Name: Melanie Edwards Extended Info: Email Address: meedward@mail.ucf.edu FOR-PD Facilitator - Suzanne Jarvis We are very happy to include a bio of another of our wonderful facilitators in this month's edition. Thank you for sharing, Suzanne!
Bio for FORPD Facilitator, Suzanne Jarvis A native Floridian, I began my teaching career as a Music Teacher. I also had the opportunity to teach middle grades Mathematics. After many years of noticing that students who came to my music classes had difficulty reading the texts of the songs, I became interested in brain development and how children learn to read. I returned to my alma mater, Florida Atlantic University, and earned a Masters Degree in Reading. As part of the Palm Beach District School’s first Reading Cohort program, I taught Intensive Reading at Glades Central Community High School and Jefferson Davis Middle School. Not ignoring my musical background, I have continued to teach piano and organ, and presently I’m the organist/instrumentalist at my church. I find it very interesting to see how teaching students to read music and to read text can have similar strategies. Many times I remind my music students to read their notes in phrases, not just note by note. Similarly, I remind reading students to read their words in phrases, not just letter by letter. It has been an exciting adventure to share my love for music and reading with my students and to be able to network and encourage educators while serving in the capacity of a facilitator with the Florida Online Reading Professional Development program. My teaching career spans 20+ years consisting of public and private schools, private music studios, and online opportunities. What an exciting time to be part of the field of education and the experiences that are provided through technology! As an extra, Suzanne would like to share her favorite "teacher" books! They are: "I Read It, But I Don't Get It" by Chris Tovani (Great comprehension strategies for Adolescent Readers) "Not Quite Burned Out But Crispy Around the Edges" by Sharon Draper (Inspiration, laughter, and encouragement for teachers) "A Soprano on Her Head" by Eloise Ristad (right-side-up reflections on life and other performances)
FOR-PD Facilitator - Karen Young For those of you who have been following this event, here is a picture of Karen Young's grandson! Thank you for sharing, Karen. He is beautiful!
Events Guest Speaker for May Facilitator Chat - Dr. Atsusi (2c) Hirumi Please join us in welcoming Dr. Atsusi Hirumi to our May Facilitator Chat. As an Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Instructional Technology Program at the University of Central Florida, Dr Hirumi is responsible for the design and delivery of seven graduate level and two undergraduate level courses. His accomplishments are many, including development of e-learning systems and assisting universities, community colleges, K-12 school districts and businesses across the United States and in Mexico to establish online certificate and degree programs. In preparation for this chat, Dr. Hirumi has requested that you read one of his papers that was also published as a book chapter (references below), "Get a life: Six tactics for optimizing time spent online." This publication discusses how online learning is often more time consuming and steps course designers and instructors/facilitators can take to keep time spent online to a minimum. The section that will likely interest many of you is on feedback. You can download a copy of this document from the Announcements topic on the discussion board of the For Facilitators Only section. Please prepare two questions you would like to ask Dr. Hirumi. After a brief introduction, we will take as many of your questions that time allows. Hirumi, A. (2003). Get a life: Six tactics for reducing time spent online. Computers in Schools, 20(3), 73-101.
We would like to thank Carol McWilliams, Assistant Director of SUNLINK for attending our April Facilitator Chat. She presented some terrific tips for online facilitation based on her vast experiences. Some of her suggestions are as follows:
If you were unable to attend, please read the chat transcript posted in on the discussion board in the For Facilitators Only section of WebCT.
The call for facilitators interested in a summer section has begun. The last day to respond will be May 14, 2007. Facilitators will be notified on May 22, 2007. If you requested a March 2007 section and were not chosen, your name was moved to the list of faciltators interested in a summer section, unless you notified us to remove your name. If you received confirmation that you were added to the original list, there is no need to respond to this call. If you feel your name is not already on the list and wish to facilitate a summer section, please email forpdfac@mail.ucf.edu no later than May 22, 2007. Please note: Only requests sent to FOR-PD Facilitator email address will be added to the list. Thank you!
The Literacy Symposium was a great success with over 700 attendees. David Booth, Professor Emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and published author, was the morning Keynote speaker. Mr Booth discussed how we must teach students for their future and not our past. Text is changing, and we must learn how to incorporate emails, computer software and technologies (blogs, internet, video) into our classroom instruction. Of course, we cannot forget the book, but books are changing too. Efforts we make to improve engagement and motivation will be through the new technologies available to us. Mr Booth offered the following example. There was a boy who said he read a book about a famous painter, and then he was asked to find more info on the painter via the internet. The boy found the artwork, a picture of the artist's house, a synopsis of the artist's life, and other important details. During a luncheon for presenters and others, Mr. Booth continued on this theme discussing what is reading? An addtional example referenced a blind children's book author who does most of her reading through audio books. Is this accomplished author not reading? David Booth makes a good point that there are many different types of "reading," and learning is the overall goal. Dr. Timothy Blair, Professor in Reading and Literacy at UCF, was the afternoon Keynote Speaker. Among other topics, he shared good information regarding the free UCF summer reading camp that has helped numerous students to prepare for FCAT. Don't miss next year's event! Thanks to all of you who participated.
Facilitator Only Chats May 8, 2007: In preparation for this chat, please see the Events section. June 13, 2007: Tech Chats May 22, 2007:
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Just in case you missed it! New Email Addresses 
Professional
Development
Monthly Resource
Socratic Questioning:
Spring Invoice Due Date
QAC Process and Reports 
Help Desk Questions
