What Are Open Pedagogies?
Open pedagogies are a learning approach where students create information instead of just consuming it (Woods & Copur-Gencturk, 2023). This kind of learning is based on student interest and is very self-led. Students can choose the pace of their learning and when to complete assignments. This type of learning approach is very student-centered and gives the learner more independence.
Tech-Mediated Environments
An example of what open pedagogies could look like in a tech-mediated environment is when a course has modules that are self-paced. Students can submit assignments whenever they are ready. The topics are also open-ended, so students get to pick the specifics and choose how they want to express their ideas. For example, one student might write a paper, while another could create a video or infographic. The main goal is that students get to choose what works best for them.
Strengths and Challenges
There are many strengths to using open pedagogies. One is that students have lots of choice, they can focus what they are interested in, which can lead to intrinsic motivation (Woods & Copur-Gencturk, 2023). Another strength is that it builds real-world skills, like time management and self-direction. This helps students figure out what they enjoy and are good at. However, there are also challenges. Since there isn’t a set structure, it can be difficult to assess students fairly (Woods & Copur-Gencturk, 2023). Everyone might be doing something different, making it hard to compare outcomes. Another challenge is that with no strict due dates, some students might fall behind or not complete the work at all.
Our Group Project: Storytelling
Our Interactive Learning Resource is focused on storytelling for a Grade 4 classroom. This topic fits well with open pedagogies because storytelling encourages student voice and gives them the chance to choose how they want to share their ideas. While we haven’t fully used open pedagogies in our design, we have included many opportunities for choice. Since assessment is still a major part of our plan, I think open pedagogies are a partial fit, but combining them with other approaches gives us the best balance.
References
Woods, P. J., & Copur-Gencturk, Y. (2023). Examining the role of student-centered versus teacher-centered pedagogical approaches to self-directed learning through teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 138, 104415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104415
Hi Sarah,
I haven’t had much experience with open pedagogies in the past, so I really enjoyed how comprehensive your blog post was. This teaching approach clearly fosters independence and I’d love to try it out in the future!
I focused my blog post on direct instruction and like you, I noted that our project will take on a mix of different teaching styles. From my past classroom experience, I’ve definitely found that blending learning styles can be much more beneficial than sticking more rigidly to one. It’s super important to foster student voice and give them opportunities for creation, which will certainly play an important role in our learning resource.
Excited to work with you in the future!!