What do you know now that you did not know prior to starting the course?
- Much of the information provided to this point wasn’t necessarily new; however, I really appreciated the exploration and breakdown of the practical inquiry model. Additionally, my background is not in education, so I am always interested in exploring theories and practices that strengthen and/or reinforce my teaching. I am grateful for a forum that allows us the opportunity to explore these ideas.
What gaps or discrepancies do you notice between your ideas in Post 1 and what you have learned since then in Lesson 1?
- The gap that stands out for me most is the iterative nature of the learning. In my previous post I reflected in the importance of safety and responsiveness, and perhaps I missed the fact that as critical inquiry is iterative my attention to the quality of the environment must be iterative as well.
What questions would you like to explore on the topic of cognitive presence?
- I am interested in further exploring practical opportunities to best support meaning making and genuine engagement within the CoI thereby maximizing that teaching presence. I really appreciated the focus on process and product as well, and I hope to explore these aspects further.
Provide an example of how you have seen effective cognitive presence modeled in online learning.
- In my online teaching experience, I do see this process in every cohort, and with almost every student-participant. I teach adoption education courses (AEP’s). In the first of the twelve modules student-participants are introduced to the concept of openness with birth family (triggering event), and this concept is often uncomfortable and even upsetting for many learners. Throughout the course, the student-participants engage (exploration) with the course material, each other, and myself. Here they are encouraged to test the applicability of the theory plus their feelings on the issue of openness against adoption research, the experiences of previous adoptive families, child-development, and the legislation. A great deal of personal reflection, and group exploration occurs throughout this period. In their (integration) phase, student-participants must construct their own meaning with the idea of openness, and it’s value to both themselves and their future child(ren). From this point, student-participants must begin to achieve (resolution) an understanding of openness into their family planning. They must be able to articulate their desired openness model to adoption professionals and each other.
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