Champkin, Linda (2022) How Can I Use Personalised, Digital-Based Learning to Enhance my Teaching of Reading Comprehension? Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
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1895863804 - LINDA ANN CHAMPKIN 44645_LINDA_ANN_CHAMPKIN_Linda_Champkin_MEd_Thesis_Sept_2022_387363_532628968.pdf
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Abstract
This self-study action research project explored: How can I use personalised, digital-based
learning to enhance my teaching of reading comprehension? My focus on increased separation
and decreased interaction due to Covid-19 restrictions (DES, 2021) caused me to retreat to a
didactic approach in my teaching of reading comprehension. Through a combination of critical
reflection on the mismatch between my practice and my values, in addition to engagement with
Irish policy documents on enacting high-quality teaching (GOI, 2021a; DES, 2022), I realised I
needed to teach in a more responsive manner; one in which engagement could be maximised
despite the Covid-19 social distancing measures.
During the course of a ten-week action research cycle, my students completed a number
of digital-based reading comprehension tasks which developed the skill of connecting. The first
three weeks of the intervention focused on direct teaching of the digital skills needed to both
self-select a text from a digital library and create content to demonstrate learning. Scaffolding
was then provided as the students engaged with text and recorded their learning according to
their own preferences and needs. The digital library Epic was used, in addition to
content-creation software such as BookCreator, GoogleDocs and Jamboard.
It was found that the provision of personalised, digital-based learning experiences
enabled the children to experience themselves as agentic learners. The enactment of student
agency resulted in the students feeling empowered to use their voice, to make responsible
choices and to take ownership over their role in the process. The following two elements were
found to be important in empowering the learner to engage with personalised, digital-based
learning: establishing a supportive climate and enabling student agency by providing meaningful
learning opportunities in which responsibility is gradually released.
My own stuckness in relation to teaching reading comprehension has evolved as I moved
beyond a focus on the acquisition of knowledge and skills, towards a more holistic model of
learning. I now realise the significance of adopting a pedagogic approach that offers the students
the opportunity to discover information for themselves based on their own interests, needs and
preferences when using digital tools.
Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
---|---|
Additional Information: | M.Ed. Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education |
Keywords: | Personalised; Digital-Based Learning; Enhance; Teaching; Reading Comprehension; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education |
Item ID: | 17259 |
Depositing User: | IR eTheses |
Date Deposited: | 01 Jun 2023 10:06 |
URI: | https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/17259 |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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