A visualiser is for active teaching and learning

Elisabetta Lando, Educational Technologist at City St George's, University of London, introduces her team's new guidance on using the visualiser for active teaching and learning in this post originally published here.

“You see, Baldrick, this pencil is not just for writing. It’s for pointing out stupidity, stirring tea, and, if the situation calls for it, making tiny holes in annoying people’s portraits.”  Blackadder BBC.

To paraphrase Blackadder: a visualiser is not just for projecting bits of paper. It’s for scaffolding learning, thinking aloud, and, if the situation calls for it, collaborating on some mind maps with students (and so much more).

With many thanks to the academics who responded to our call in the learning and teaching community on Teams, and told us how they use visualisers in their teaching. We have now put together some guidance on different ways of using this learning spaces technology for active learning and teaching.

These ideas also support inclusive and adaptive approaches in the classroom, which is now an even bigger focus in the new Professional Standards Framework (PSF) for teaching and supporting learning.

Scaffolding Learning: Use the visualiser to break down complex problems into manageable steps.  This helps all students, especially those who may struggle with abstract concepts, to follow along more easily.

Think Aloud: Use the visualiser to model thinking processes. This technique helps students understand the reasoning behind each step and can be particularly beneficial for students who need explicit instruction on cognitive strategies.

Collaborative Mind Mapping: Engage students in collaborative mind mapping activities using the visualiser. This fosters a sense of community and encourages participation from all students.

Student Work Showcase: Display student work under the visualiser to highlight diverse approaches and solutions. This not only celebrates different ways of thinking but also allows students to learn from each other. It can be particularly empowering for students with different learning strengths.

Interactive Annotations: Encourage students to annotate texts, diagrams, or images projected by the visualiser. This interactive approach supports adaptive learning.

Real-Time Feedback: Use the visualiser to provide real-time feedback on student work. For example, during a writing exercise, you can project a student’s paragraph and discuss its strengths and areas for improvement. This immediate feedback helps all students understand the criteria for success and how to improve their work.

To find out more about the new Professional Standards Framework, see Dr Clare Tyrer’s Learning at City blog

See more ideas in the new Visualiser guidance