Highlights from Theme 1 of Innovating e-Learning 2011: Learning in transition : JISC e-Learning Blog Day 1 Reflections If you haven’t been able to participate yet in this year’s JISC online conference, here are a few of the highlights from Theme 1: • David Puttnam, Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, in his opening keynote at Innovating e-Learning 2011, argued for greater investment in ICT to enable UK universities, colleges and schools to deliver a world-class education. ‘Digital technology is the driving force behind change. We cannot afford not to invest in it.’ • Bill Rammell, deputy vice-chancellor of Plymouth University, outlined the tensions of collaboration in a changing landscape. • Tansy Jessop and Yaz El-Hakim ((University of Winchester) and Paul Hyland (Bath Spa University) explored work originating in the TESTA project on addressing specific disciplinary and programme-wide issues in assessment and feedback: ‘Programme teams are often working hard without energising their students or working smartly.’
Kagan Structures Enhance Brain Engagement! Dr. Spencer Kagan To cite this article: Kagan, S. Kagan Structures Enhance Brain Engagement! San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan Online Magazine, Spring 1999. www.KaganOnline.com Teachers using the Kagan Structures consistently report that their students are more engaged. The focus in this article is not on the engagement we see in our students, but rather the engagement we cannot directly observe — what is going on in the brains of our students when we use Kagan Structures. Contrast a picture and a quote. First look at the faces and the body language of the students in the picture below: There is obviously a level of engagement — intense, focused attention and concentration — that is never achieved for most students while they work alone. Now read the following quote: "School was so boring today that I actually finished the day dumber than when I woke up." Brain Engagement View the following brain scans adapted from Rita Carter's book, Mapping the Mind. Why is this so? Why? Emotion