“W HAT TEACHING STRATEGIES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR INCREASING ENGAGEMENT IN IT CLASSROOMS ?” by Lorraine Blyth Enquiry Based Project Integrated Teaching

W HY ? IT classrooms are different to traditional classrooms The role of the teacher changes Management issues: off task behaviour inappropriate use of technology changes in classroom interaction

L EARNING T HEORY Constructivism Learners are active participants in their learning Learners are self ‐ regulated Social interaction is necessary for effective learning Individuals are encouraged to make sense of information for themselves

K EY TERMS Engagement: Measured by levels of student misbehaviour Learning strategies: group work, self-direction, discussion IT classroom: Subject specific, but can be applied to any class in a computer room also.

L ITERATURE R EVIEW Everyone agrees learning about computers is ESSENTIAL. VELS integrates computer skills throughout the curriculum –emphasis is on making sure teachers have the necessary technical skills and knowledge to deliver content Management issues are well known, and often related to limitations of teachers, schools and curriculum.

M ETHOD Observation (qualitative) Attitude survey (quantative) Focus group discussion with students(qualitative) Informal interviews with teachers in IT and other teachers that use IT classrooms

S TRATEGIES FROM C ONSTRUCTIVISM PrinciplesRelated Task Learners are active participants in their learning Students were given opportunity to choose topics for their website project Learners are self ‐ regulated Learners were expected to manage their own projects by determining appropriate time and resources for activities Social interaction is necessary for effective learning Teams were allocated for the project, and students were required to contribute and evaluate their ability to work as a team Individuals are encouraged to make sense of information for themselves Students were given examples and multimedia content, but no worksheets or step-by-step instruction.

E XCEPT... “I would like more group work and collaboration in my IT subject”

L EVELS OF B EHAVIOUR

F INDINGS As confirmed in the readings, most teachers approach IT classes in a similar way regardless of the engagement levels of students Tasks based around constructivist principles were successful at increasing engagement compared to skills-based traditional IT activities Students indicated that they would like more constructivist-model tasks in their IT studies

C ONCLUSION Incorporating tasks that were consistent with constructivist principles was effective in increasing engagement in this instance.