Teaching practitioner top tips
Link resources to your lesson plans
The best way to embed digital resources into the curriculum is to integrate them into teaching and learning preparation. Find relevant resources which support your lesson plans and update your teaching resources and PowerPoint presentations. It will be time well spent as learners are more likely to use and benefit from the services if they become part of their learning programme and are reminded to use them.
Link to resources from virtual learning environment (VLE)
If your subject area has its own VLE, make sure you have links not only to the service site, but to specific resources that you want your learners to look at. Make it easy for learners to find and use the resources.
The resources can be inserted as links so that your learners can easily locate them with the click of a button. If you are unsure about how to do this, ask your LRC Manager or digital leader.
Blended learning techniques
Supplemental blended learning – make your activities digital by including the resources in your lesson plan. Videos and animations are excellent tools to introduce a topic. Learners can watch them at their own pace, pausing and taking notes when they need to. Info-graphics, guides, worksheets, and transcripts can be printed off and used as homework, in classroom activities or for group work. Quizzes or activities can be used for end of lesson reflection and self-assessment
- Flipped learning – introduce learners to content before the lesson and then use valuable face to face classroom time to support them as they practice what they’ve learned.
- Encourage learners to access the resources themselves – it will improve their digital literacy.
- Interactive revision – promote the resources as a revision tool, motivating learners to revise more effectively.
- On the go – our resources can be used from mobile devices, offering a flexible approach to learning that allows time poor learners to access content at a time and place that works for them.
- Reinforce classroom learning – resources can be used as homework to reinforce classroom learning.
Improve learners’ information literacy
In the age of the internet, learners can access information from a range of resources. Whilst opening realms of new information to learners, when it comes to their education, not all learners are equipped with the necessary information literacy skills needed in order to discern between types of information. Learners might google ‘construction revision’ and be faced with a range of resources, from blogs to walk-through videos. Whilst these can be helpful, they do not always provide the information that learners need for their exam board. With Jisc FES services, you can be certain that your learners are accessing high quality, reliable, academic information that is tailored to their NOS and curriculum.
Direct learners to extension exercises
If your learners have access to a PowerPoint used in class, these can be a valuable way of ensuring learners are able to access the relevant resources easily. For example, a slide at the end of each lesson could direct learners to the relevant supporting resource which has related resources linked into them. When learners come to revise for the subject, they will know exactly where to find high quality revision materials.
Keep track of where you have embedded resources
When setting up your VLE areas, presentations and lesson plans, we recommend keeping a log of what materials you have prepared, and which resources have been embedded or referenced. This can be useful as a checklist when the course or curricula are revised.
If we’ve missed something helpful or you’d like to share your best practice with other teaching practitioners contributions to make to this list, we’d love to hear from you, please email content.feandskills@jisc.ac.uk
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