Blog Post #2:

Learning Environments – EDCI 335 

Open Pedagogies as an Instructional Approach

Open Pedagogy in a learning environment facilitates connections through the experiences in the classroom (Program for Open Scholarship and Education, n.d.). The concept of open pedagogies focuses on engaging students as creators of information. Therefore, this concept moves away from the idea that students are purely consumers of information and rather that they are capable of acquiring knowledge through self-exposure and experience (University of Texas at Arlington, n.d.). Furthermore, this idea embodies that students must participate and collaborate if knowledge acquisition is desired.  

The open pedagogy approach could be very beneficial in teaching elementary students about health and well-being. However, pedagogies are often associated with an older demographic. Because of this one might initially think they are not suited for the elementary environment when compared with other teaching methods. Nevertheless, this form of teaching could be easily incorporated if broken down, especially amongst the older elementary grades such as grades 4, 5, and 6. You could have students collaborate and use group projects to solve real-life health problems. This fosters teamwork and critical thinking, which aligns with the foundational ideas of open pedagogy. The health problems may not be so complex at this grade level, but exploratory learning can still be implemented. For example, a group of students could develop a step-by-step hand-washing routine that helps prevent the spread of the common cold. This could require a small amount of research on how the typical cold spreads and preventative measures that can be put in place. The students could collaborate and make a video presentation on the topic or a poster board. Or maybe the students work together to develop a “healthy eating cookbook.” This could be done digitally, or a physical copy could be designed. This could require the students to work together to take photos and compose recipes aligned with healthy food choices. 

These are just a few examples of how Open pedagogy can be incorporated into elementary teachings of health and well-being. While following the principles of Open pedagogy, it is essential to integrate collaborative learning, components such as student empowerment, mentorship and guidance, continuous improvement, and real-world applications (Werth & Williams, 2023). To embody these ideas, encouragement from the teacher is necessary. The teacher should also provide opportunities for students to share their work with peers and the community. Teachers should additionally give feedback to the learners along the way and implement a reflective practice that allows for evaluation and opportunity for improvement. There should also be connections made between the activities at hand and the natural world health issues that they relate to to make the learning relevant and engaging.

Limitations

Despite this being a usable method, it is essential to note some potential limitations. Much of the research surrounding open pedology, including (Werth & Williams, 2023), surrounds its benefits in higher education. Although workable for the older elementary grades, it may not be best suited for the lower grades as it can be pretty complex and requires a certain degree of formal education and knowledge. As stated by (Wiley, 2013), Conceptualizing open pedagogy involves knowledge of the 5 R’s of Open Educational Resources (OER): the ability to revise, remix, redistribute, retain, and reuse content. Therefore, it may be too in-depth for more simple teachings, and as stated previously, the application of student-generated content may be too complicated for the younger grades. 

Importance of environment 

Lastly I will state that I think it is extremely important to understand learning and the learning environment before determining what form of instructional approach is best for the scenario. The post by (Sorensen-Unruh, 2019) states that learning involves synapses that are built and form connections within one’s brain. These forms of synapses change the brain physically. Therefore I think it is important to consider the age of the learner and what developmental stage their brain might be whilst assessing what form of instruction should be implemented. Furthermore it is important to utilize an effective learning environment. As discussed in this week’s reading (Merrill, 2018) overly technical environments can distract from the information being presented through instruction and information alone is not instruction. This is another reason why I think that open pedagogy as a method might be too advanced for younger education. This method often uses technology as a tool which might increase the complication of the instruction. With all considered when implementing an instructional approach it is important to keep both the age of the learner and the components of that instructional method in mind.  

References 

Chen, D., & Hendricks, C. (2023). Open Pedagogy Benefits and Challenges: Student Perceptions of Writing Open Case Studies. Open Praxis, 15(1), 27–36.

Merrill, M. D. (2018). Using the first principles of instruction to make instruction effective, efficient, and engaging. Cc_By. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/using_the_first_principles_of_instruction

Sorensen-Unruh, V. a. P. B. C. (2019, April 21). 5R Adult Learning Assignment 5: Learning – the Neuroscience and the Neuromyths. Reflective Teaching Evolution. https://clarissasorensenunruh.com/2019/04/20/5r-adult-learning-assignment-learning-the-neuroscience-and-the-neuromyths/

Subject and course guides: Introduction to open pedagogy: Home. Home – Introduction to Open Pedagogy – Subject and Course Guides at University of Texas at Arlington. (n.d.). https://libguides.uta.edu/openped 

Werth, E., & Williams, K. (2023). Learning to be open: instructor growth through open pedagogy. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 38(4), 301–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2021.1970520

What is open pedagogy. Program for Open Scholarship and Education. (n.d.). https://pose.open.ubc.ca/open-education/open-pedagogy/defining-open-pedagogy/ 

Wiley, D. (2013, October 21). What is open pedagogy? Improving Learning. https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/2975.