FROM: Paul Paulson [EMAIL PROTECTED] (858) 673-4269
DATE: Sunday, July 09, 2006
TO: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SUBJECT: Peer to peer teaching, San Diego style
Dear BBracey
More peer to peer teaching has to happen, and the children have to help with
the learning.
I saw that sentence in your digitaldivide email of Friday, July 7, 2006 8:15
PM.
As an advocate of computer literacy for older adults, I would add another
sentence:
To raise the level of adult computer literacy, more peer to peer teaching
has to happen, and adults have to help each other with the learning.
When you and other computer literacy leaders come to San Diego, please take
some time of observe what goes on during the computer lab classes of Gini
Pedersen, the most effective computer literacy teacher I have every seen.
She is a graduate of San Diego State University, an outstanding instructor,
a powerful advocate of computer literacy for older adults, and a gifted user
of a student-helping-student method of instruction.
Gini is an instructor at the North City Campus of the San Diego Community
College District located at 8401 Aero Drive. She often is a volunteer guest
speaker for two groups of older adults, the Seniors Computer Group (SCG) and
the Rancho Bernardo Community Computer Club (RBCCC). When Gini is a guest
speaker, members come early to get a good seat.
The governing board of the Seniors Computer Group recently awarded Gini an
Honorary Lifetime Membership for her outstanding work in the community. She
has won many other awards, and she is a popular presenter and a panel member
at San Diego conferences of the Southwest Regional User Groups of the APCUG
(Association of Personal Computer User Groups).
To explain her success, I will describe what happens in her computer lab
classes, but to appreciate her effectiveness as an instructor, you and other
educators should observe one of more of her lab classes. Here are some of
her coming classes:
. Developing a Webpage
2 Mondays, July 10 and 17 . . . 5:30-9 pm
. Buying the RIGHT Computer
1 Tuesday, July 11 . . . 1-5 pm
. Word Tips and Tricks
1 Tuesday, July 11 . . . 5:30-9 pm
. Excel
3 Mondays, July 17, 24, and 31 . . . 1-5 pm
. Top 10 Computer Problems and Solutions
2 Tuesdays, July 18 and 25 . . . 1-5 pm
. Intro to Computers
1 Tuesday, July 18 . . . 5:30-9 pm
. Windows File Management
1 Monday, July 24 . . . 5:30-9 pm
. Windows Basics
1 Tuesday, July 25 . . . 5:30-9 pm
. Access
2 Mondays, July 31 and Aug 7 . . . 5:30-9 pm
Go to her web site at www.iteachyou.com to see her current schedule of
classes.
Here is what you can observe in her classes.
. . .
Gini welcomes each student as they enter the lab, has them take a seat at a
vacant computer, and distributes registration forms, pencils, and the course
outline. As the completed forms are turned in, Gini notices any missing
items and returns them for corrections.
Gini wears a portable microphone so she can continue the orientation as she
moves around the lab to help students get settled and fill out the forms.
For a class of about 40 students, all this preliminary administration takes
less than 10 minutes.
In Phase 1, Gini demonstrates and explains each step of the first
mini-module. Her demonstration on her computer is projected onto the large
screen at the front of the class. The networked computers allow each student
to also view the same demonstration on their own computer screen.
During this phase the students hear the instructor describe each step, they
see the instructor demonstrate each step, and they can read the written
step-by-step instructions in their course outline.
In Phase 2, the instructor leads the students step-by-step through the same
mini-module. Students are given control of their computers so they can do
each step on their own computer as directed by the instructor. Students get
immediate personal feedback. Their action on their keyboard and mouse
produces results that show up on their own monitor.
If a student falls behind, Gini notices their predicament and personally
comes to their aid or asks her assistant to help them catch up.
In Phase 3, the instructor requires the students to pair off with a
co-learner. The two co-learners use a buddy system to practice the
mini-module.
* One of the co-learners plays the role of READER while the other
co-learner plays the role of DOER.
* Using the printed directions on the course outline, the READER
reads the step-by-step instructions aloud, one at a time, to their
co-learner. The DOER works the mouse and the keyboard as directed by their
co-learner.
* As the DOER uses the mouse and the keyboard, they tell their
co-learner what they are doing. (Example, "I'm moving the mouse pointer to
the START button at the lower left of the screen.") This close association
of the words spoken with the action taken is an important feature of this
hands-on Buddy System of learning. Computertalk is a new language for many
students. Learning this foreign language happens as they read a new word in
the course outline, hear the new word spoken by the Reader, and say the new
word aloud while describing what they are doing with the mouse and the
keyboard.
* During this exercise, the READER provides positive feedback each
time their co-learner accomplishes one of the many step-by-step tasks of the
mini-module. Gini moves around the classroom to observe student progress and
give help when needed.
In Phase 4, after the co-learners have completed the mini-module one time,
they change roles (Reader becomes the Doer, Doer becomes the Reader) and
they repeat the same mini-module.
* When all students have completed the mini-module twice, the
instructor resumes control of all monitors and begins Phase 1 of the next
mini-module.
This READER/DOER buddy system of Phase 3 and Phase 4 is a feature used to
culminate each of the mini-modules. The classroom gets a bit noisy at this
time, but real learning is taking place. As a DOER, each student
demonstrates to themselves and to their co-learner that they can do each
task of the mini-module. Furthermore, for each completed task, the DOER gets
positive feedback from the READER.
The most important and longest-lasting impact of this buddy system occurs in
the READER. When a co-learner performs in the role of READER, they are
helping their partner learn. Knowing that their partner can now do something
that they couldn't do before this session, makes the READER feel useful. As
the READER, the co-learner acts as a coach, a tutor, and a teacher. Teacher
Gini Pedersen has recognized the importance of this role by posting this
quotation at the front of the classroom:
. . .
We learn
..10 percent of what we read,
..20 percent of what we hear,
..30 percent of what we see,
..50 percent of what we both see and hear,
..70 percent of what is discussed with others,
..80 percent of what we experience personally, and
..95 percent of what we TEACH to someone else.
William Glasser.
. . .
Gini Pedersen is great as a speaker and as a teacher, but she also
encourages student participation in the learning/teaching process.
She believes that some students sometimes learn better from a learning
person than from a learned person.
I encourage you and other leaders of the educational community to take some
time to observe Gini Pedersen in action.
Her methods of instruction are almost magical.
Please recognize her service and help share her magic with other educators.
Thank you.
Paul Paulson [EMAIL PROTECTED] (858) 673-4269
18022 Cotorro Road
San Diego, CA 92128
Member of SeniorNet, Seniors Computer Group, and Rancho Bernardo Community
Computer Club
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 8:15 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [DDN] Nicholas Negroponte- ISTE NECC Speech
I am listening to Nicholas Negroponte, telling his story about the computer
that will change the world.
. . .
More peer to peer teaching has to happen, and the children have to help with
the learning.
. . .
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