As part of the UNESCO “Strengthening ICT in Schools and SchoolNet in ASEAN Setting” project, a training session was recently provided for teachers which aimed to assist them in learning to facilitate telecollaboration (sharing knowledge through the internet) with their students, and how this enhances teaching and learning.
The telecollaboration activities that are undertaken as part of the above-mentioned project are referred to under the broad title of “ASEAN Bridges of Learning”.
During their training, teachers learned to use “Learning Circles”, an e-learning activity which brings together teachers and students over the internet to collaborate on investigative activities, involving the sharing of information and experiences. The “Learning Circles” concept was developed by Margaret Riel (http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/~mriel/office).
The telecollaboration training was followed by the first round of Learning Circles in the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) region. Teachers and students from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand participated in this pilot round.
The investigative learning activities in the Learning Circles are centred on certain secondary-school subjects and curriculum-related themes. In the first round, there were three Learning Circles:
Mathematics
Theme: Measure by Measure
English
Theme: People and Places
Science
Theme: World Environment
Participation in a Learning Circle can be a very rewarding experience for both students and teachers. For teachers, it provides a way to develop working relationships and team-teach with other teachers in a virtual classroom.
Developing such relationships with fellow-educators all over the globe enables teachers to gain knowledge and develop their teaching skills. This tool for professional development is more dynamic and up-to-date than traditional training avenues.
The second round of the Learning Circles will start in January 2006. Teachers in 24 participating pilot secondary-schools in eight ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam – will be invited to participate.
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