El caso de Corea del Sur y las economías del Sudeste de Asia

The fourth archetypal matrix category is Mrs Howell or Sloth. Such instances within the FLOTE experience showed a lack of participant understanding with respect to the demands of an online course. It was not necessarily that participants were lazy or slothful, but rather that there was little appreciation for what engaging online actually meant with respect to professional learning. This style of learning was new for all the participants. Previous experiences of learning and teaching in no way prepared the participants for the experience of FLOTE. All participants had recently undertaken face-to face professional learning programs in their target language. In these programmes, however, time and tasks were managed for them and there was often

little personal accountability. The shift of responsibility to participants themselves had significant implications for success within the FLOTE programme. FLOTE provided a professional experience that left some participants wondering where to start and some hoping that someone else might complete the programme for them.

5.2.7.1. Previous Professional Development Experiences

The previous professional development experiences of participants were very

significant. Not only were they face-to-face, and tightly managed by the ‘presenters’

through a transmission model, it was suggested that these previous experiences had not been particularly rigorous or taxing for those involved. Varian, who eventually only managed to complete three modules of FLOTE had this to say.

varian: I know how little work some people did on the Intensive Language Courses so it will be interesting...the Indonesian course that is

tracey: I guess if you get stuck in the beginning, it seems more manageable

varian: well...I hope I cope as organised is not an adjective I'd apply to myself

It appeared that participant professional learning in the language programmes, that preceded the FLOTE methodology programme, did little to support the level of engagement, and self-regulation that learning online through FLOTE demanded. This left me wondering about participant preparation and motivation.

MY JOURNAL: 21/02

I must admit that I just keep thinking ‘so why did you put your name down for an online course’ so I guess peoples expectations of exactly what the professional development would actually entail was one big problem.

5.2.7.2. Trouble Getting Started

Trouble getting started was certainly one of the big issues for most of the participants in the programme. In the first year, as there was no requirement to ‘turn up’, one quarter of participants failed to ever log on to the FLOTE website. In the second year, an orientation day was introduced in order to go some way to address the problem from the previous year. Significant technology issues around the CD and the firewall, however, compounded the ‘getting started’ problem, and negated the benefits of the orientation day. One third of the participants failed to log on and for others, just getting underway eroded time and undermined commitment.

mamie: Just starting I think.I was so ready and keen after our orientation day, then with discs and internet problems the time just slipped away.

Even for those who did access the modules there was the need to manage both the receptive and productive dimensions of the program. Data from the Content Management System (CMS) of FLOTE show that whilst many participants were logged as being online for considerable periods of time, this often did not translate into completed modules and ejournals. Mamie, for example, is logged as having spent 20 hours online but she only completed the ejournal of a single module. Rodney is logged for 15 hours. He failed to complete a single module in spite of expressing a determination to do so.

rodney: I have been working on it today as I was away sick from work with the flu. I must admit it has been hard getting started but I will have just keep going. No Hadithi you have not scared me off!

The time required to complete module tasks and ejournals was underestimated by participants.

freda MMPrv:i know, it took me ages to get motivated and then it took me about 3 days to do one module!!

Getting started and getting to grips with what was required was a significant stumbling block for many participants.

5.2.7.3. Can someone do it instead of me?

As the challenging nature of the programme became clearer many participants

struggled to get through the content. Bradley (below) jokingly asks Hadithi to do it for him.

bradley: u can come round & do it 4 me if u wish. that would solve many problems

hadithi: bother - can't quite manage that - anyway - i've done my bit by putting it together!!!!!!!!!

Whilst articulated with tongue-in-cheek Bradley’s comment encapsulates the experiences of many participants. It was all too hard and required too much work.

5.2.7.4. Self-Direction

As mentioned previously, this was an area where participants really struggled.

Managing their time, setting their own work plan and goals for the programme, and generally organising themselves to make completion possible proved very difficult.

Participants were used to being told what to do and when. In the first year, participants’ lack of self-direction was so apparent that it was decided to build a module to support the development of self-directed learning. Participants in the second year had the option of undertaking this module online or engaging with the content through a face-to face orientation day.

Self-direction in learning then became a focus of discussion in the second year of the programme. For some participants this provided a valuable opportunity for self-critique of their capacity to self-direct.

hadithi_n: all a bit problematic given that we are supposed to be teaching kids to be self-directed + e-learning is rapidly going to become part of everyone's educatinal experience

idena: I am a great indian will have to polish up my chief's head-dress

I should have looked at this module in the beginning because I have been a very poor self-directed learner and my husband is tired of me complaining about the computer and the structure of the course. It has taken a while for me to feel at ease with this way of learning and here I am with only two modules completed

wishing I had been more disciplined with my time……I am going to be burning the midnight oil for the next three weeks.

Such discussions were a reality check for some of the participants who began to acknowledge that this was an area that needed to be actively addressed, both with respect to themselves and also their expectations and practices with students in the classroom.

For others, however, it continued to be all too hard with inertia, withdrawal from the programme, or failure to complete being the consequence.