Module 4_2:Observing a Discussion

Module 4_2: Observing a Discussion

One misconception that I have cleared up through this internship is the fact that online teachers design their entire courses from scratch.  Learning that the modules are already set up with readings, questions, and other activities, I begin to ask myself, “How can the teacher creatively deliver this material to students online?”  Sull and Skora (2014) describe online learning like a soup without spices, “…fine for nutrition, but adding some spark to it can make the soup more exciting.”  According to the article, online teachers should incorporate creative elements in order to engage the students more while also allowing some creative autonomy for students.  Therefore, this week as I observed a discussion, I looked for creative elements.  How does the professor creatively engage the students?  How do the students exhibit creativity?

This week in my internship economics course, I decided to look at the most recent discussion post about the advantages and disadvantages of organizing a business as a partnership.  According to the prompt, students were to discuss the advantages and disadvantages, and then choose a character from one of Aesop’s Fables to be a partner.  The goal was to discuss why the chosen character would be a good business partner, and what skills they possessed that would make the partnership successful.  I found this prompt interesting because one way bring creativity to online learning is to connect a topic to an animal, city, color, etc so that students are able to look at the subject from another view (Sull and Skora, 2014).  Mr. W. was creative in his approach to the topic, which in turn led to some creative responses.  For example, one student chose a fisherman from one of the stories as his business partner because, in the story, the fisherman noticed that he was able to obtain more fish by playing his bagpipe.  The student chose the fisherman based on the fisherman’s ability to be flexible and change his strategy when necessary.  So, not only did Mr. W. introduce an element of creativity in the discussion post, but he also helped students connect the topic to a more familiar topic, fables.  Additionally, this was a brilliant way to integrate reading into social studies.

I learned this week that even when modules are already created, online learning does not have to be solely linear moving from course readings to online discussions to assignments due.  Instead, the professor can add an element of creativity, and allow the students to do the same.  I love the way Mr. W. engages the students immediately from the homepage through his graphics and memos.  He continues to engage the students through creatively wording his prompts.  Upcoming prompts include writing your ideal tax speech, listening to a Podcast from a guy who Mr. Walker claims gets paid to shop and find out prices, and discussing whether or not you will get a credit card when you turn 18.  With these three prompts alone the teacher is having students relate the content to real life and incorporating audio.  “These creative approaches to learning add some fun to the course and have students look at the course material from varied angles, a sure way to reinforce their absorption of the subject (Sull and Skora, 2014, p. 20).”

Sull, E. C., & Skora, C. M. (2014). Creativity: use it effectively to enhance your online teaching.  
     Distance Learning, (3), 17.