Moodle's Pedagogical Referents

Helen from Moodle HQ was kind enough to post the slide deck that Moodle Founder, Martin Dougiamas, used for his presentation at the recent Moodle Moot Japan 2011, which took place at the Kochi University of Technology.

While much of the presentation focuses on the new features, functionality and direction of Moodle 2.0, part of the presentation focuses on the pedagogical focus of Moodle. While much of the information is posted on the Moodle HQ website, I wanted to highlight Moodle's pedagogical referents and progression, or more simply, the inspiration behind Moodle's creation and how to use it within the context of teaching and learning.

For new users to Moodle, a quick look at Moodle's major tenants can help bridge the gap between the software and a traditional curriculum.

Pedagogical Referents (the inspiration):

1. All of us are potential teachers as well as learners - in a true collaborative environment, we are both.
2. We learn particularly well from the act of creating or expressing something for others to see (Papert, Aristotle).
3. We learn by observing the activity of our peers (culture).
4. By understanding the contexts of others, we can teach in a more transformational way (constructivism).
5. A learning environment needs to be flexible and adaptable, so that it can quickly respond to the changing needs of the participants within it.
   

Pedagogical progression (how do people teach and learn with Moodle)

1. Publish content (Resource, SCORM)
2. Provide a passive forum
3. Use interactive Quizzes and Assignments
4. Wikis, Glossaries, Databases (collaboration/media)
5. Facilitate discussions in the Forum. Questions!
6. Combine the activities into sequences
7. Introduce external activities and games
8. Use Survey tools and logs to study/ reflect
9. Give students more power (structure/grades)
10. Research, custom code, communities of practice!
    

You can access the Moodle Moot Japan 2011 slide deck here.