COMMUNICATIONS

REPORT
eLearning for Adult
Learners - AET/541
Patricia M. Hammock
Professor Leo Giglio
March 31, 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
Methods for Editing .................................................................................................................. 1
Generic Rubric for Grading Any Presentation or Paper .......................................................... 4
Socratic Questioning Techniques ............................................................................................ 4
Reflection and Review Strategies ............................................................................................. 7
Positive Reinforcement Methods .............................................................................................9
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 10
References: ............................................................................................................................... 11


PAGE 1
Introduction

This Communications Report is offered to demonstrate methods, tools and styles of
communications that engender engagement, provide feedback and motivate learners.
Efforts are made to differentiate instructional and communication methods to address
multiple intelligences, ability levels and learning styles. Methods for providing feedback,
document editing tools, a sample rubric and other visuals are contained within intended
to provide a framework for positive instructor/learner interactions.
Methods of Feedback and Communications

Learning facilitators should be able to offer learners a number of different types of
communication modes [to] support the diversity of individual learning styles and help
meet the needs of all learners, (Stavredes, 2011, p. 170). In Effective Online Teaching, the
author offers the following exhibit to demonstrate variety of communication tools for
both synchronous and asynchronous communication, (Stavredes, 2011, p. 170).

PAGE 2
Methods for Editing

Instructors may use comment boxes to call attention to areas within documents submitted
by students. Comment boxes can be used to encourage and motivate learners if framed
positively.


Below the instructor is applauding the students real-world content application.



Revision marking or Track Changes is another editing option available to instructors.
With this method, the reviewer can mark through text that is presented and suggest
revisions within the document. Below, the instructor is offering guidance on a well-
structured paragraph. Although the guidance offered is meant to correct a behavior, it is
framed as a suggestion for improvement of future academic writing.

PAGE 3
No discussion of feedback that motivates and
informs a University of Phoenix student would
be complete were it not for the mention of the


S


No discussion of feedback that motivates and informs a University of Phoenix student
would be complete were it not for the mention of the welcomed green S which denotes
acceptable performance on
discussion question
responses and the follow-up
discussions which ensue. One
may approach graduate
education with the thought
formality of the academe,
however, the use of a simple,
perhaps even juvenile, visual
symbol effectively serves
to communicate learner content mastery. The green S is a formative assessment tool
used to gauge understanding and synthesis of newly learned material.
Conversely, the red U, which denotes that a discussion question post or response was
not deemed adequate or appropriate by the professor is perhaps unwelcomed, but also
serves to provide feedback which informs and may motivate learners to strive to meet
learning objectives and respond to posts in the discussion forum substantively.
Professors also have the option of using emoticons to provide feedback to learners.
Common emoticons are reminiscent of the smiley face one may recall receiving as a very
young learner. We recall the smiley face or star indicated we performed well on a specific
PAGE 4
day or at a specific task. This positive feedback was usually reinforced when we arrived
home and shared the accomplishment with our parents. Many have learned to associate
emoticons with acceptable performance warranting praise. As such, emoticons serve as a
method of feedback fostering learner engagement and motivation.
Generic Rubric for Grading Any Presentation or Paper

The rubric below is presented as an example of a rubric suitable for the evaluation of any
presentation or paper.
LEVEL

CHARACTERISTICS
OF PRODUCT WHEN:
CONCEPTS COMMUNICATION MECHANICS CRITICAL THINKING/
SYNTHESIS
PROFICIENT
4
Standards are
exceeded. Concept
mastery
demonstrated.


Consistently identifies
key concepts.
Consistently applies key
concepts. Engaging.
Compelling. Interesting.

Logical flow. Excellent
sentence structure,
grammar, word choice &
usage. Well Organized.
Very detailed. Vividly
descriptive.
Consistently explains
and applies concepts.
Consistently able to
make connections and
draw conclusions.
Demonstrates mastery
and application of critical
thinking concepts.
Synthesizes of old and
new learning for
knowledge construction.
ONTARGET
3
Standards are met.
Proficiency
demonstrated


Identifies most concepts Almost always applies
concepts learned
Easy to follow. Good
sentence structure,
grammar, word choice &
usage.
Organized. Adequately
detailed. Descriptive.

Almost always explains
and applies concepts.
Almost always able to
make connections
LEARNING
2
Standards met at very
lowquality or with
some exceptions.
Novice proficiency
demonstrated
Identifies some concepts Sometimes applies
concepts learned
Basic sentence
structure, grammar,
word choice & usage.
Some detail. Limited
descriptions.
Inconsistently explains
and applies concepts.
Inconsistently makes
connections.
NOVICE
1
Standards are not met
or limited proficiency
is demonstrated

Does not identify key
concept
Does not apply concepts
learned
Frequent errors in
sentence structure,
grammar, word choice &
usage. Little detail. Few
descriptions.
Does not explain and
apply concepts. Is
unable to independently
make connections.

What is Socratic Questioning?

According to Paul & Elder (1998), only students who have questions are thinking and
learning. Socratic questioning is a method of inquiry and Element of Thought promoted
by the Foundation for Critical Thinking and its founders Linda Elder and Robert Paul.
The Foundation promotes eight Elements of Thought that lead to sound thinking.
PAGE 5
Socratic questioning is an Element of Thought, according to The Foundation for Critical
Thinking.
Through Socratic questioning students
are taught how to think critically
through complex issues and problems.
Socratic questioning seeks to offer
questions instead of providing answers.
The technique asks open-ended
questions to which there are no right
or wrong answers only additional
questions. Socratic questioning probes
assumptions, reasons and evidence;
probes viewpoints and consequences.
Socratic questioning questions the
question. Paul & Elder (1998) indicate
questions define tasks, express
problems, and delineate issues and
should turn on learners intellectual engines.
The cultivation of 21
st
century skills requires that learners must be enabled to discern,
evaluate and analyze information. The global economy requires a workforce who can solve
problems through creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and
information literacy. (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010).
The 21
st
century is quite different from the 20
th
in regard to the skills people now need for
work, citizenship, and self-actualization. Proficiency in the 2st century differs primarily
due to the emergence of very sophisticated information and communication technologies
(ITCs), (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010, p. 51).
The screen capture below from The Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills (2008) 21
st
Century
Skills Education & Competitiveness: A Resource and Policy Guide, p. 2 denotes a sense of
urgency in the development of these skill sets:

PAGE 6




The image above is a Socratic Questioning word cloud created through the Wordle website (http://www.wordle.net/).

Source: Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, (2008).
PAGE 7
Socratic Questioning Techniques

Socratic questioning can begin with question stems such as:
What do you mean by?
Would this be an example of?
What does this question assume?
What could we be assuming instead?
Is this always the case?
What other information do we need?
What would someone who disagrees say?

Six Types of Socratic Questions

TYPES OF QUESTIONS QUESTIONS

Questions for clarification Why do you say that?
How does this relate to our discussion?
Questions that probe assumptions What can we assume instead?
How can you verify or disprove that
assumption?
Questions that probe reasons and evidence What would be an example?
What is analogous to?
What do you think causes this to happen?
Why?
Questions about viewpoints and perspectives What would be an alternative?
What is another way to look at it?
Would you explain why it is necessary or
beneficial? Who benefits?
Why is this best?
What are the strengths and weaknesses
of?
How are and similar?
What is a counterargument for?
Questions that probe implications and
consequences
What generalizations can you make?
What are the consequences of that
assumption?
What are you implying?
How does affect.?
How does tie in with what we learned
before?
Questions about the question What was the point of this question?
Why do you think I asked this question?
What does mean?
How does this apply to everyday life?
Six Types of Socratic Questions. (2013). University of Michigan.

PAGE 8
Reflection and Review Strategies

One of the reasons problem solving and critical thinking are stressed for the adult learner
in the elearning environment is so that our brains become trained to self-monitor and
self-assess our own learning and the quality of our thinking. Through this practice, we
learn to apply the critical thinking lens to authentic problems. In Examples of E-Learning
Practice Multimedia, (n.d.), it is stated, As mental models become more robust,
allowing students to reflect on their performance, provide peer feedback, or comparing
their performance with an expert is a great way to provide feedback, (para. 2). Reflection
allows learns to make meaning of knowledge and synthesize old and new concepts.
Reflection adds layers to the mosaic of learned material, creating a more comprehensive
body of knowledge.
Methods of encouraging reflection in the online environment include well-crafted
essential questions posed for discussion. Socratic questioning techniques used to spawn
new connections and engaged, lively discussion among learners and the facilitator.
Weekly summaries or journals offer learners the opportunity to reflect on the concepts
learned in a given week and to make connections between the content learned that week
in the context of prior and future learning.
Instructors may also allow learners to post their reactions to various learning materials in
the learning forum that may serve as a conversation between the learner and the professor.
If fellow learners have similar or dissimilar reactions to the material, opportunities are
created for further engagement and motivation.
_______________________
Reflection has many facets. For example, reflecting on work enhances
its meaning. Reflecting on experiences encourages insight and complex
learning. We foster or growth when we control our learning, so some
reflection is best done alone. Reflection is also enhanced, however when
we ponder our learning with others, (Association for the Supervision
and Curriculum Development, (2008), para. 2).
_______________________
The Association continues its discussion on the value of reflection by saying Teachers
who promote reflective classrooms ensure that students are fully engaged in the process of
making meaning. They organize instruction so that students are the producers, not just
consumers of knowledge, (para. 4).
Instructors may also model reflective behavior when interacting with learners in
discussion forums, via email, and in responding to learner reactions to learning material.
If it is true that we do what we know, having reflective behavior modeled for learners will
serve to shape and inform their future interactions with learned material and the guidance
they will offer those who will come under their tutelage.
PAGE 9
Positive Reinforcement Methods

Instructors have a number of options available to them as methods of providing positive
reinforcement to learners. Among those most influential in my own graduate experience
have been encouraging words, denoting the professors faith and belief in my abilities and
predictions of my success as an adult education and training professional. These affirming
messages have been shared with me in the instructors comments in grading assignments,
in responses to Weekly Summaries and in private messages between various professors
and me shared in the online learning management systems. I was most encouraged at the
completion of my first doctoral course when the professor encouraged me to pursue
doctoral studies.
Understanding Encouragement

We learned in Coaching and Mentoring the importance of providing encouragement to
encourage positive behaviors. DuBrin (2005) defines positive reinforcement as a means of
increasing the probability that behavior will be repeated by rewarding people for making
desired responseTo use positive reinforcement properly, a reward must be connected to
doing something right, (p. 88). One means of providing encouragement is to offer
recognition and praise. Complimenting learner behavior also serves to motivate and
encourage learners.
As our focus in this work is on feedback that encourages and motivates, the use of
punishment as a means of discouraging negative learner behavior is avoided. The practice
of extinction, however, is explored as a behavior modification strategy which stresses
acknowledgement of desired behaviors. Extinction is decreasing the frequency of
undesirable behavior by removing the desirable consequences of such behavior, (DuBrin,
2005, p. 107).
It may seem counterintuitive to those unfamiliar with the structure of online learning to
discuss classroom management in relation to the online learning environment, but in
the Providing Effective Student Feedback audio cast, it was 2010 Online Teacher of the
Year finalist Steven Sproles opinion that the asynchronous learning environment offered
enhanced interaction options.
____________________
You can provide the feedback. The student can get that, digest it; communicate
back with you. For me, it often results in synchronous communications to help
them improve. That is very different and very refreshing when you are able to do
that much more so in an online environment than when you are face-to-to-face
(Sproles, S., Virtual Virginia. 2010 Online Teacher of the Year (Finalist).
____________________
PAGE 10
Other positive reinforcement strategies can be addressed through the instructors
classroom management techniques. Knight (2009) recommends increasing the number of
opportunities learners have to respond during instruction; increasing the number of praise
statements, and an instructor changing her praise-to-reprimand ratio as effective means of
positive reinforcement.
According to Knight (2009), increasing the number of opportunities learners have to
provide responses generates more learning, provides important feedback to the teacher,
and increases on-task behavior, (p. 105). This can be achieved in the online learning
management system through the instructor posting follow-up questions in response to
learner posts.
Praise is another important
classroom management strategy
that can be readily observed.
Increasing positive interactions
between teachers and students in
classrooms has profound effects on
student outcomes, (Knight, 2009,
p. 106). Knight goes further to add
that teacher praise of students
should be behavior-specific so
that learners know about which
behavior they are receiving praise.
This informs the learner of the instructors expectations. Additionally, Nonverbal praise
such as thumbs up, [green S], stickers [emoticons] and high fives is considered general
praise, (Knight, 2009, p.106).
Conclusion

This Communications Report has offered methods, tools and styles of communications
that engender engagement, provide feedback and motivate learners. Efforts were made to
differentiate instructional and communication methods to address multiple intelligences,
ability levels and learning styles. The Communications Report detailed methods for
providing feedback, document editing tools, a sample rubric and other visuals intended to
provide a framework for positive instructor/learner interactions.




Increasing positive interactions
between teachers and students in
classrooms has profound effects
on student outcomes
Knight (2009), p. 106
PAGE 11
References:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2008). Learning through
reflection. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/chapters/Learning-Through-
Reflection.aspx
Bellanca, J., & Brandt, R., (2010). 21
st
century skills. Rethinking How Students Learn.
Bloomington, IN. Solution Tree Press.
DuBrin, A. (2005). Coaching and Mentoring Skills. Pearson Education Canada, Inc.,
Prentice-Hall.
Elder, L., & Paul, R. (1998). The Role of Socratic Questioning in Thinking, Teaching and
Learning. Clearing House, 71(5), 297-301.
Examples of E-Learning Practice. (n.d.). [Multimedia]. Retrieved from the University of
Phoenix E-Learning for Adults AET/541 Course Website.
Knight, J. (2009). Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives. 1 e. Sage Publications.
Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills. (2008). 21
st
Century Skills, Education &
Competitiveness: A Resource and Policy Guide. Why We Need To Act Now [Screen
Capture]. Retrieved from
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/21st_century_skills_education_and_compe
titiveness_guide.pdf
PAGE 12
Providing Effective Student Feedback. (n.d.). College of Education Podcasts [Multimedia].
Retrieved from the University of Phoenix E-Learning for Adults AET/541 Course
Website.
Six Types of Socratic Questions. (2013). University of Michigan. Retrieved from
www.umich.edu/~elements/probsolv/strategy/cthinking.htm
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching: Foundations and strategies for student
success. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.