Innovation in Language Learning
Teaching and Learning Language and Content in the Digital Age with Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO)
Uri Shafrir, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto (Canada)
Masha Etkind, Department of Architecture Science Ryerson University (Canada)
Abstract
Pedagogy for conceptual thinking with Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO) increase motivation and peer cooperation, and enhance learning outcomes. MERLO Learning Analytics provide teachers with feedback on the evolving level of deep comprehension of the conceptual content for each learner in the class, as well as with detailed diagnostics of her/his specific misconceptions. It is based on real time data of individual learners’ activities in the context of Interactive Concept Discovery (InCoD) - semantic searches of the Knowledge Repository of a course that contain comprehensive collection of all course-relevant documents; the outcomes of these activities include Individual Indexes, annotations, tagging, links, and Concept Maps. As well as a class Concepedia (conceptual encyclopedia), updated weekly, that contain aggregations of all Individual Indexes, as well as commentaries on other learners’ annotations.
Pedagogy for conceptual thinking and MERLO Learning Analytics were developed and implemented since 2002 at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of University of Toronto (OISE/UT); Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture at Ryerson University; Russian Academy of Sciences - Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg; Independent Learning Center (ILC) of TVOntario; Material and Manufacturing Ontario (MMO) Centre of Excellence; and Roots and Routes Summer Institute - RRSI-2012, at University of Toronto Scarborough; in the following knowledge domains: language (ESL; learning disabilities); social science (psychology; teacher education); history; architecture; mathematics; science (physics; biology); business (project management; risk management).
This paper describe a workshop that provides hands-on, experiential learning of the implementation of MERLO Learning Analytics for instructors and librarians in k-12 and post-secondary institutions, as well as in public and private organizations with professional learning programs. The workshop covers a total of 72 instruction hours, including: lectures; individual and group work; and final project presentations.
