What+a+good+Learning+Enviroment+looks+like


 * What does good VLE use look like? ||

Red Herrings -
 * This document aims to give new VLE users an idea of what good VLE work can look like. It aims to dispel some common misconceptions and highlight how the best VLE work can actually be the simplest from a technical point of view. Examples of good work are included.
 * 1) [[image:http://www.teachingandlearningtameside.net/images/stories/DF_images/herring.png width="120" height="80" caption="herring.png"]] There are a range of misconceptions around what using a VLE can really mean for your school. First of these is the idea that a VLE is some form of a resource bank, a repository for activity sheets or homework documents. In fact the temptation for people who take control of their VLE for the first time seems to be to start to 'fill up' the VLE with documents created previously, like homework activities or other documents like PowerPoint files, worksheets etc. Whilst there are some small advantages to keeping such documents within a VLE, it is time-consuming to use the VLE for such a purpose because this is not really what it is intended for and therefore it doesn't lend itself to this very well.
 * 2) Second on the list of misconceptions is the idea that VLEs are best used for homework activities or other times when pupils are away from school. Whilst there are obviously good reasons for using the VLE for homework-related courses, the best VLE use can be within lesson time.
 * 3) The final misconception that I want to tackle here is that the VLE is in some way a 'new way' of teaching. The simple truth is that good teaching looks the same wherever you are - if group work seems like a good idea in class for a certain activity then it will also work in the VLE for the same good reasons.

The underlying educational principle of a Moodle VLE is one of collaboration and cultural mediation, a theme explored in depth by Lev Vygotsky. The idea that pupils only learn best when presented with a raft of resources or a knowledgeable adult is one that has been discredited within the classroom, and the same is true within a VLE. To return to the first 'red herring', the nature of learning facilitated by a VLE is not that pupils will somehow absorb and learn from an array of content. (We would not after all expect pupils to absorb facts contained with Encyclopaedia Britannica just by being placed in close proximity to a set in the hope that they will open a volume.) Instead Vygotsky suggests that if we want to see what a child can do we should see what they achieve as part of a group. So if we take Vygotsky's idea and put it in the context of a VLE, the first tools we should be trying out are the ones that aid collaboration. The collaborative tools are as follows: Having witnessed a range of VLE projects take shape over the past few years, I can confidently state that the single most important factor contributing to success has been effective school leadership. If a single class teacher works very effectively using a VLE and their pupils make good progress as a result we would all like to see that good work spread across a school. However the practice of that individual teacher will remain isolated unless it is part of 'something bigger'. In other words, there needs to be a Vision for what the VLE can bring to Teaching and Learning within the school. This Vision must be articulated by the Senior Management Team of the school. In that context your VLE champions will have the space to flourish and the knowledge about the direction they should be taking their VLE work.
 * a WIKI (single document that permits editing by a range of people, e.g. to reach a group consensus on the definition of a word, to write a poem together, etc)
 * the FORUM (acts as a virtual discussion around a topic - permits uploading of files for discussion, e.g. a graphic file a pupil has produced and would like some feedback on)
 * CHAT (the ability to have real-time typed conversations like MSN etc, but with the advantage of being between a tightly-controlled group of users)

There are couple of good VLE-related videos on Teachers' TV. The first one in particular contains some good examples of practice and a super interview with a very thoughtful Head Teacher. The second video linked to here is more about the decision-making process around choosing the right VLE for your school. If you are a Tameside school then that choice has been made for you (feel relieved now).

External link to a video about good practice and VLE implementation at Kirkby Lonsdale School, Cumbria. External link to a second video about choosing Moodle for a VLE. ||