Home Archived Research corner Back Research corner 7th November 2014, 12:00am Tes Editorial Share Research corner https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/research-corner-65 Copy Link `The nature of teacher engagement at an online high school’ by Borup, J, Graham, C R and Drysdale, J SBritish Journal of Educational Technology, 455: 793-806,September 2014 (Wiley)Reams have been written about massive open online courses (Moocs). These internet-based programmes, often led by universities, were heralded as the end of higher education - before people quietly admitted that this wasn’t the case at all and they were sorry for making such a fuss about the matter.But what about online schools? The number of students enrolling in online learning is growing. Although no name has been agreed for the phenomenon at present, we here at TES would like to humbly offer our own suggestion of “massive open online school education”, or Moose.And now three academics have looked at how teachers can successfully engage with students in such Moose-based endeavours. They used the Open High School of Utah (OHSU), an online charter school with 381 students in grades 9-12 (aged 14-18), as the basis for their research. Of the 21 teachers there, 11 were selected to take part in two, hour-long interviews. From this, the academics extrapolated information about teachers’ roles in online learning.Most teachers who had previously had face-to-face teaching experience said they were afforded more opportunities to interact individually with students in online courses. In addition, students preferred to interact with their teachers via text-based methods rather than audio or video options.The academics concluded that OHSU was able to achieve good course outcomes because teachers were provided with a pre-prepared curriculum, allowing them more time to interact with pupils. However, they said it was difficult to engage reluctant learners.And the secret to good online teacher engagement? It is not a million miles away from good offline teacher engagement. The research splits the answer into six distinct parts: facilitating discourse with students and parents, designing and organising learning, nurturing, instructing, monitoring and motivating.Sarah CunnaneShare your views by tweeting @tesHot off the pressThe Gunpowder Plot Unclassified by Nick Hunter (Bloomsbury)ISBN 9781472908568Using original documentation and photographs from the National Archives, this book takes readers on a journey back in time to explore accounts of the plot to destroy the House of Lords in 1605 and discover how it was prevented just in time.Head of Department’s Pocketbook by Brin Best and Will Thomas (Teachers’ Pocketbooks)ISBN 9781906610678Managing diverse teams in a climate of inflated performance expectations is no easy task. This book offers tips and techniques that will help teachers in the driving seat of “the engine room of change” to manage their departments confidently and effectively.Teaching Children to Write Great Poetry by Hazel Bennett (Edgware Books)ISBN 9781500878504Aiming to enthuse even the most reluctant writers, this book provides fresh ideas to stimulate pupils of all abilities. From haiku and clerihews to cautionary tales and nonsense rhymes, there’s plenty here to inspire young poets and build their confidence.For book queries, please email chloe.darracott-cankovic@tesglobal.com Want to keep reading for free? Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters. Register Log in Keep reading for just £1 per month You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get: Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content Exclusive subscriber-only stories Award-winning email newsletters Subscribe now Read more Sats: Key test dates for 2024 Tes Editorial • 7th May 2024 Weekly round-up: No 'revolution' for embattled Ofsted Tes Editorial • 2nd May 2024 Weekly round-up: Ofsted grades and teacher pay fears Tes Editorial • 25th April 2024 Weekly round-up: Capita loses Sats and GCSE fears Tes Editorial • 18th April 2024 Recent Most read Most shared Teacher workload: Delay class-contact time target, says report News 7 May 2024 GCSEs: How alumni advice is boosting resilience for Year 11s Teaching & Learning 7 May 2024 Praise motivates pupils - but it tails off as they get older News 7 May 2024 Why you’re probably wrong about the science of learning Teaching & Learning 1 May 2024 Ofsted scraps ungraded inspection deep dives News 4 May 2024 GCSEs 2024: Exam dates, timetables and key information Analysis 9 April 2024 Ofsted scraps ungraded inspection deep dives News 4 May 2024 Is teacher training finally going to approach SEND properly? Teaching & Learning 6 May 2024 Just 1% of heads say SEND funding meets pupil needs News 4 May 2024
