If I could only use one
resource within my teaching, it would be post-it notes. In short, I love them.
Below I expand how I use them and why I could not be without them.
For Planning
My use of this versatile resources starts in the planning
stages. I will use them to organise my thoughts for a session by writing on
each something that needs to be covered; learning objectives, connect activity,
recap*. Once I have writing down everything, I think I need to cover I will
place these on a large sheet of paper in the correct order.
*Side note, at this stage
the post-it notes are as vague as just the titles of activities, once I have
consolidated a running order I will return and add detail.
At this point I will start to consider the session length and
how long each point will take to cover. Then I can either fill in the gaps of
time with added activities or see what can be omitted from the session if it is
running long. It is the movability of the post-it notes that I love, it allows
you to not get the planning right straight away, gives time to reflect on the
flow of the session and clearly shows each activity as a block of time.
I have used this method when planning a two-day training programme,
totalling 14-hours of delivery. By using this method, I found that I could much
easier – in comparison to working straight onto a session plan for example (or
anything digital for that matter) to visualise the time and work with it. I
could move activities from day one and two without hassle and follow the flow
of the training.
Using the post-it notes in conjunction with a large sheet of
paper allowed me to expand on these ideas and assign them to parts of the session plan. When planning
I follow the CSPAR Session plan: Connect, Share, Present, Apply, Review. CSPAR
has clear links to the Kolb’s Experimental Leaning Cycle (1984), giving learners a change
to experiences something new, reflect on that, conceptualise it and apply it to
the world around them.
From the paper-based planning I am then able to create the
expected session plans with little confusion.
For Group Work
I am a big advocate of using group work within session, as I
believe that peer-learning is so important. However, I am yet to meet a group
of learners who is thrilled to be set group work – particularly when it means splitting
them up into new group formations. This technique lends itself well to random
allocation (Hartley and Dawson, 2010), so it is not ideal if you are wanting
to take advantage of MKO’s (Vygotsky, 1978).
However, I have found that splitting learners up with the use
of Post-it notes makes the task less odious on me as the teacher. Possibly due
to the random aspect of it and learners not feeling singled out (?).
I will use the same post-it notes in several ways in the same
session to sort learners out into groups, they are as followed;
- By post-it note colour (this can be limiting if you do not have
an array to pick from)
- By adding numbers to the post-it notes
- By adding letters to the post-it notes
I usually stop here due to small cohort sizes meaning that by
this point most learners have worked with each other and due to length of
session and wanting tasks set to be meaningful, not rushing through. However,
you can expand this further by adding different symbols or words.
By using this technique and implementing group work I am able to
embed wider skills into the session including developing their communication skills
(Hartley and Dawson, 2010).
For Peer Feedback
Within my Exploring
Drawing and Illustration course I allow for time at the end of activities
for learners to clear feedback on each other’s work, on post-it notes. They are
encouraged to write two points; something positive and something to work on,
allowing for reflection and development to take place (Sackstein, 2017). Due to
the nature of the course being short and unaccredited the focus is primarily on
the positive. With the aim being to encourage learners and build confidence.
Learners have some control
over what they receive feedback on, by leaving their sketchbooks open on a
certain page. They are also allowed to
leave their feedback anonymously, creating a feeling of a
safe peer assessment setting (Rotsaert, Panadero and Schellens, 2017).
From
my perspective the most important thing with this type of activity is that it
is carried out with respect and that it encourages conversation and sharing of
ideas.
Regarding the subject matter, it is also a
very effective way of showing the learners that each of them has their own
style of drawing and illustration and that, that is OK.
References
Hartley, P. and Dawson, M. (2010) Success in groupwork. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (Pocket study skills).
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning:
Experience as the source of learning and development (Vol. 1).
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Rotsaert, T., Panadero,
E. and Schellens, T. (2017) Anonymity as an instructional scaffold in peer
assessment: its effects on peer feedback quality and evolution in students’
perceptions about peer assessment skills. European Journal of
Psychology of Education. January 2018, Volume 33, Issue 1.
Sackstein, S. (2017) Peer Feedback in the Classroom: Empowering
Students to Be the Experts. ASCD.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind
in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
