Methodology and lessons plan for training course ‘M-Easy’

This online methodical material has three main aims:

• to introduce adult educator with reversed training methodology and flipped learning method in order to ensure the participatory approach of the low-skilled learners;
• to develop adult educator competence on being facilitators for improving mathematic skills of the low-skilled adults;
• to define the content and structure of the training sessions, their durations and type (on-line, class-room-based) using the reverse training/flipped learning method.

By the end of self-learning on this Module, adult educators will improve the following competences:

• Competence on being facilitators for developing skills for mathematic competence of the low-skilled learners;
• Competence on using reversed training methodology and flipped learning method to ensure the participatory approach for the low-skilled learners;
• Competence in effective applying experiential training of mathematical skills based on problem-oriented learning and reflections in accordance with the Lesson Plan.

The pedagogical strategy of this M-Easy training course is based on the blended learning approach: combination of traditional and virtual learning via developed e-learning platform as Open educational resources with the possibility to perform self-study at convenient time and place.

The course is innovative as it is built on ICT-based reversed training methodology using Open Educational Recourses (OERs) presented as Mobile Apps and online web-based applications.

Source of the picture: https://sites.google.com/a/mahidol.edu/how-gen-z-learn-by-il-mu/techforactivelearning/7---tools-for-flipped-classroom

Deepening knowledge for each of 27 math skills is ensured by the possibility to use the learning materials which are developed as OERs on mobile devices and e-learning platform. The e-learning is very important learning part of this training course, which contains 28 academic hours in total.

In order to increase the motivation of the learner to learn as well as to make the whole training course on 27 skills more learner-friendly and attractive, the following Lessons plan is suggested for facilitator.

The Lessons plan is developed to help to organize M-EASY training for low-skilled adults.  This plan gives a step-by-step overview of the blended learning process using reversed training methodology defined in the Part 4. The training course is planned for 28 a. hours with 5 sessions, 3 –face-to-face sessions and 2 online sessions for self-learning. However, the adult educator-facilitator could adapt the lessons plan to the needs of the learners and to re-arrange the Lessons plan (with more or less training sessions).

*Note: 1 academic hour = 45 minutes

** Matrixes for mobile Apps for covering the math skills in e-Directory and Set of Mobile Apps are presented in the Module III “Guide on how to work with the mobile Apps on developing the math skills”.

Before starting M-Easy training course, the trainer has to be ready to fulfil the tasks not only as a teacher but also as a facilitator. It means, that “the facilitator’s role is to support everyone to do their best thinking and practice“. To do this, the facilitator encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding and cultivates shared responsibility. By supporting learners to do their best thinking, a facilitator enables learners to search for inclusive solutions and build sustainable agreements” (Sam Kaner, 2007). Working as facilitator, a trainer has to know the main principles of working with learners from which the success depends.

The main principles to be good facilitators in M-EASY project are defined below:

• Ensure that learner contributes to the teaching/learning process with his/her experience in using math skills in everyday situations. This is the basic of effective learning.

During the first and other face-to-face sessions (conversations, discussions, and practical assignments) carefully evaluate each learner’s life experience coherent with the using of the maths skills. Explain to learners, that improvement of basic maths skills is based on real-life problem solving tasks in order to respond appropriately in the situations and solve problems in a real-life context. Show that you caring and interested in learner’s life experiences, problems and achievements. Try to motivate the learners to show their experience to use maths skills in the different situations, help them analyse it, compare and share with others.

• Ensure that your teaching subject will be useful and adaptive to the learner’s life

Put your efforts to explain that maths skills obtained by learners could be immediately used in their daily activities for work or personal life. Inadequate level of these basic maths skills can negatively affect an individual’s ability get a job and feel engaged and valued in society, especially those from the disadvantaged groups.

At the beginning of the training course the learners want to know what impact the learning will have on their professional life, how their life quality will be improved and how they will be able to implement their knowledge in reality. Thus, clearly introduce training /learning program objectives, content, duration, access to learning resources and the flexibility of the time and the place for learning. Try to speak in a clear, understandable language. Introduce the interactive learning material (M-Easy tools) and instruct how to use them as well as let them to try at least one Mobile App. Do not forget to get the feedback after every face-to-face session, summarize the results and focus on the learners’ initiatives, motivation and achievements. Discuss the feedback at the beginning of the next face-to-face session in order to make necessary improvements in the teaching/learning process.

• Ensure the monitoring of the achievement

Motivate learners to assess their mathematical skills before the training course and after the training course, so, they can see the progress of their learning.

• Ensure an appropriate learning environment which meets the learners’ needs, expectations and is oriented to further self-learning

It is very important to create the right learning environment in which the learners feel safe, positively evaluated, feel free to discuss different topics and ready to acquire new experience. In this case, they are motivated to watch themselves from aside, see the own and others‘ best experience. Introduce the learners a new learning approach „flipped/reversed“, which will be used in their learning process, and show its benefits and advantages (that encourages the learner to take greater responsibility for their own learning, problems self-solving, making decisions, etc.). Try to establish friendly relationships, share information about your way of life, work experience, hobbies, leisure time etc. The learners like that and that will help them to trust the trainer better.

The institution, which plans to organise the M-EASY training course for low-skilled adults, should ensure a convenient learning environment, technical equipment and tools, necessary for innovative teaching and learning process based on the blended learning approach, thus, has to ensure the following facilities:

• classroom with Internet , multimedia projector and a computer in order to show the M-EASY web-site with the e-learning platform http://measy.lpf.lt/tc_learner_part.html;
• access to the set of the personal computers with the internet connection to Open Education Resources and learning platform of M-Easy project measy.lpf.lt in order to check the Learner’s Guide and other training materials for learners
• during the face-to-face sessions;
• if learners do not have their own computers at home for online sessions, the organisation has to provide them with the possibility to use the computer at their premises;
• mobile Android devices for face-to-face sessions to tray mobile Apps as well as for self-learning during online sessions; if learners do not have their mobile device at home, the organisation has to provide them with the possibility to use the mobile device at their premises
• other organizational tools for face-to-face meetings (board, handouts, paper and etc.).

The trainers of the M-Easy training course should be prepared for teaching process respectively. They should:

• have printed in advance a table with 27 math skills, and both Matrixes (for e-Directory and Set of Apps) in order to help learners to find an Apps corresponding to the needed math skills;
• create a psychologically friendly learning environment;
• be acquainted with the background of the audience and be aware of their needs and expectations;
• have experience on how to work with low-skilled adults;
• have the knowledge and skills to organize e-learning sessions;
• have a good knowledge of the teaching content (set of the apps for developing math skills) and good understanding of all 27 maths skills which will be developed within the M-Easy training course.
• have essential personal characteristics: have good communication skills, tolerant, able to motivate learners and poses of positive self, evaluation skills;
• be a good facilitator.

• Downes S. (2007). Models for Sustainable Open Educational Resources. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects 3 29-44.
• Friesen N. (2009). Open Educational Resources: New Possibilities for Change and Sustainability. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Volume 10, Number 5.
• Schuwer R., Mulder F. (2009). OpenER, a Dutch initiative in Open Educational Resources. The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 24:1, 67-76.
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Open educational resources (OER). Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/programs/education/open-educational-resources /.
• Butcher N., Kanwar A. (Ed.), Uvalic -Trumbic S. (Ed.). (2011). A basic guide to open educational resources (OER). Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning, and Paris, France: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.col.org/oerBasicGuide.

Annex 1. Evaluation of the impact of the training course (pre-assessment and post-assessment)
Excel PDF

Annex 2. Personal feedback sheet for learning via math APPs
Word PDF

Annex 3. Evaluation questionnaire of the quality of the training course (to be filled in by the participants at the end of the training course)
Word PDF

Annex 4. Template for the Certificate
Word PDF