Better orchestrated classrooms boost education
Many new educational technologies have emerged in recent years, but their adoption has been slow due to lack of testing in real classroom settings. It is important to design such technologies with teacher coordination in mind, i.e. taking into consideration the ‘orchestration load’ of teachers. The EU-funded MIOCTI (Modeling and integration of orchestrated classrooms through tangible and paper interfaces) project furthered strategies to enhance classroom usability and by extension education. It articulated solutions to simulate and advance such orchestration in actual classroom settings by using paper and other tangible objects widely available in classrooms. To achieve its aims the project observed how teachers orchestrate classroom technologies using eye-tracking technology, questionnaires and sensors. It then studied and articulated classroom technologies that are more easily orchestrable, noting obstacles to technology adoption. The project team overcame these obstacles through online and cross-platform frameworks that facilitate classroom technology deployment. It showed the success of its proposed solutions in lessons ranging from language learning to mathematics, making these open-source solutions available online. MIOCTI’s outcomes have been disseminated through a dedicated workshop, several events and 20 scientific publications, as well as to teachers and pedagogic professionals. The results also opened the door to more cutting-edge research to support teachers in everyday teaching practices, capture classroom interactions and study affective/emotional dimensions of orchestration. Ultimately the novel techniques to measure and model orchestration in classrooms are set to enhance European excellence and competitiveness in education and boost professional development of teachers. If successful, the approach could be applied to other professions, furthering Europe's goal to become a more reflective society.
Keywords
Orchestrated classrooms, education, MIOCTI, classroom technologies, pedagogic
