MPUMELELO PRINCE MBATHA

201123975

TEACHING STUDIES 3B

Authentic Learning Tasks

WHAT IS AUTHENTIC LEARNING?

• Authentic learning can be seen as a teaching method, that allows a student to discuss, connect concepts and relationships that has relevance to the real-world and explore and learn something that is genuine, meaningful and real to a student (Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999).

LEARNING OUTCOMESBY THE END OF THIS ACTIVITY

LEARNERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:Name the different forms of energy sources in South

AfricaWrite a report on their experience during the 4 week

research periodDesign a wind powered electric charger

TASK

• Activity: The activity involves learners from a grade 8 Technology class. The teacher has taught about renewable energy sources in South Africa for example solar power energy and wind power stations. Learners are requested to design a wind powered electric phone charger.

• Learners should commence the activity by educating their respective communities about the advantages of using renewable energy.

• Learners should do the following research.• Find out the different forms of power stations • Disadvantages of coal powered stations• Research about renewable energy sources• Advantages of renewable energy

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST HAVE REAL-

WORLD RELEVANCE

Authentic tasks is a reflection of what a task should involve and must provide knowledge from a real-life experience.

Learner activityLearners are engaged in a real-life

experience, global warming is a worldwide issue and there is an urgent need for

renewable sources of energy

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST BE ILL DEFINED, REQUIRING STUDENTS TO DEFINE THE

TASKS AN SUBTASKS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY

• authentic activities are relatively undefined and open to multiple interpretations, requiring students to identify for themselves the tasks and subtasks needed to complete the major task.

• Learners should interpret the goal of the authentic task given about the wind powered phone charger by identifying different research aspects to complete the main task given.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST COMPRISE COMPLEX ACTIVITIES TO BE

INVESTIGATED BY STUDENTS OVER A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME.

• An authentic task should be completed over a sustained period of time, rather than a series of shorter periods of time. Learners should be granted a longer period of time to complete an authentic task given by the educator.

• The authentic task given to the learners will have a duration period of 4 weeks, so the learners have 4 weeks to complete the task, this enables relevant information and good research discovered to be used to complete the task successfully.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE TASK FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES,

USING A VARIETY OF RESOURCES.

• Learners are divided into groups of five and are further given the opportunity to divide themselves into small work groups by using manifold resources like: Books, newspapers, magazines, quality internet resources, learners should also visit the Ingula Hydro electric power station to see the construction of the hydro power station in the outskirts of Ladysmith, this will help learners to have real experience of other forms of energy in South Africa.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY

TO COLLABORATE

• Learners should be engaged in discussion, gather or share research on the topic. The true power of authentic learning is the ability to actively involve students together to relate to a better understanding of the topic.

• By working in groups of five rather than an individual learner, they are given the ability of creating higher-order thinking skills like predicting, analysing, evaluating and this will produce more relevant and creative ideas all together for the task given.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT AND INVOLVE

LEARNER’S BELIEFS AND VALUES

• Authentic activities should enable learners to make choices and reflect on their learning, both individually and as a team or community. Students should act upon reflection. Students should reflect on the online learning environment as well.

• Written report: Learners should write a report on their experience during the 4 week research period.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST BE INTEGRATED AND APPLIED ACROSS

DIFFERENT SUBJECT AREAS AND EXTEND BEYOND DOMAIN SPECIFIC

OUTCOMES• Tasks encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and enable diverse roles and

expertise rather than a single well-defined field or domain.

• The authentic task given to the learners about The South African Energy Industry includes the integration of subjects like:

• English• Tourism• Science• Geography• Economics

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST BE SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED WITH

ASSESSMENT

• Assessment is not merely summative in authentic activities but is woven seamlessly into the major task in a manner that reflects real-world evaluation processes.

• By collaborating with others learners are involved in integrated assessment. They have the opportunity to read, write, collect, evaluate and create tangible objects using the information gathered in the research project.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST YIELD POLISHED PRODUCTS VALUABLE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT RATHER THAN A

PREPARATION FOR SOMETHING ELSE• Authentic tasks should be a creation of a whole new idea

of a topic rather than a step by step preparation or just merely an exercise given to the learners to complete.

• Learners should be able to create their own ideas and use own initiative for the research. They will create a wind powered electric phone charger.

AUTHENTIC TASKS MUST ALLOW COMPETING SOLUTIONS AND

DIVERSITY OF OUTCOMES• An authentic task should have no limits in rules,

regulations or procedures.

• In the authentic task given the teacher will not limit the learners to any research rules so that the learners can have a diversity of outcomes to achieve during their creation of the wind powered phone charger.

REFERENCING• Authentic Learning. (n.d). Available from:

http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Experiential_Learning&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=24&ContentID=4697. Accessed 09 September 2015).

• Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong. (c2005). Available from: http://www.authentictasks.uow.edu.au/framework.html. (Accessed 09 September 2015).

• Gram, T. (2009). Designing Authentic Learning Tasks. Available from: http://gramconsulting.com/2009/05/designing-authentic-learning-tasks/. (Accessed 09 February 2015).

• Herrington, J., Oliver, R., Reeves, T.C. (2004). A Development Research Agenda for Online Collaborative Learning. (Vol. 52, p. 53-65).

• Herrington, J ., Oliver, R., Reeves, T.C. (2002). Authentic activities and online learning. Available from: http://learnatics.sydneyinstitute.wikispaces.net/file/view/Reeves.pdf. (Accessed 09 September 2015).

• Lombardi M. Marilyn. (c2007). Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview. Available from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3009.pdf. (Accessed 09 September 2015).

• Mims, C . (2003). Authentic Learning: A Practical Introduction & Guide for Implementation . Available from: http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/win2003/authentic_learning/3.html. (Accessed 09 September 2015).

• Www.slishare.net. Authentic Learning tasks. Please follow this shortened URL. http://goo.gl/akvN4h (accessed on 09 September 2015)