Planting a Field, Growing an Orchard, Using Literature Response Blogs With Students in the United Arab Emirates and the United States

• In Event: Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: Using Literacies: Multiple Literacies to Explore Students’ Identities and Experiences

Abstract

Preservice teachers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States (US) engaged in online discussions of multicultural literature that raised social and cultural issues related to their respective cultural traditions. Researchers analyzed the discussions to learn more about ways that the online discussions contributed to authentic learning and sharing of multiple perspectives. The Communities of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) was used as a model to analyze discussions for evidence of social engagement and higher level thinking. Findings include evidence of social and cognitive presence that are associated with deep levels of learning.

Authors

• Patience A. Sowa, Zayed University

• Cynthia M. Schmidt, University of Missouri - Kansas City