Innovation Profile 072

eLearning? Or learning with ICT?

Is ‘e-learning’ distinctly different from traditional learning processes or is it just part of learning? Though learning happens without the ‘e’, can e-learning happen without any of the other aspects of learning?

Moveable type did not just create book-learning, it fundamentally changed education and learning processes and the curriculum. Likewise, e-learning is the catalyst that is fundamentally changing education, learning and the curriculum today.

People actively developing the use of e-learning are the change-agents for learning as a whole. This means that we should be debating the deep changes happening in the teaching of all the different subjects and phases of the curriculum. This must include understanding the new ways learning happens in the brains of students now that ICT is with us, the changed teaching and learning practices to promote this learning, and the content of curricula that it is appropriate to teach and learn.

This is a frightening way to state the challenge ahead of us; it is so big. But every journey is started by taking the first small step along the path. To start moving teachers need clear examples and undeniable reasons for change. People providing guidance about ICT, to teachers expert in teaching their subject or pupils of different ages, must know what examples will catch their imagination.

For the next few weeks the E.E.P. Innovation Profiles will look at specific examples from different subjects and phases of education.

But we can all learn from each other. A human being is not split into different ‘subject beings’, Deep changes in how students are learning in one curriculum area or phase are likely to have impact on their reactions to other areas.

We hope we will also be able to draw some more general conclusions about pedagogy from these examples. This will feed into the work that the E.E.P. is doing to develop a concise and easily understood '21st century pedagogy'.

We would also like to receive your answers to the question "What new pedagogical approaches are necessary for effective 21st century education?" - by email to Roger@eep-edu.org please.

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If you know of examples of innovative use of ICT-for-learning that others would be interested in, please email innovations@eep-edu.org

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