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THE FRoLLM
Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials.
We have created the FRoLLM to support your reflections on learning materials.
Teaching and learning materials are an important core element of your everyday teaching and learning experiences. However, we rarely reflect on the materials we actually work with on a deeper level. The FRoLLM helps you think more deeply about the teaching and learning material you use on a daily basis. It was designed to support the inclusion-sensitivity of educational materials, taking into consideration various learners’ needs.
The FRoLLM has six areas of reflection. Each area comes with questions guiding your reflection. There are several examples for each guiding questions for clarification. Start with the area that speaks to you the most. When reflecting on your materials, there is no right or wrong! Your reflections, thoughts and perspectives are what matters.
Six Areas of Reflection
Philosophy
Author(s) of a material should explain its philosophy and conceptions. This implies comments on design choices and theoretical backgrounds. Target groups should be made explicit as well as needs the material addresses. Moreover, a material’s limitations should be made transparent. Also, the material should clarify how it relates to the national school curriculum.
Reliable sources should be provided in order prevent mis- and disinformation. Whenever a material claims to be ”inclusive”, the authors should clarify their understanding of inclusion thoroughly.
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Does the material give explanations regarding its set-up, choices and design? (transparency)
Learning and teaching philosophy/design applied in the material is explained. For example:
- project teaching and learning,
- on problem-solving,
- on constructivist ideas in general, it may favour
- storytelling,
- case-studies
It is suggested how to use the material. For example:
- mainly as a reference book
- learning tasks repository
- comprehensive guide to lessons
- for the whole class vs. self-study
- if it is necessary to go through the material systematically, from beginning to end, or, the contrary, it is possible to select parts of the text; the material may be preferably designed for whole-class teaching or can be used for self-study as well.
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Does the material comment on intentions and limitations regarding inclusion?
The material contains specific information directed to the teacher and students on its content, how it can be used and the key ideas in how it is set up. This includes a definition of inclusion, if inclusion-sensitivity is claimed. The intentions and limitations regarding inclusion and different target groups are mentioned.
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Is the material structured logically and comprehensible with a focus on the subject matter?
The material is ordered in a transparent and coherent way. The general idea of learning and teaching, content and core concepts are presented early. A navigation or mapping function supports the understanding of the material's structure. Subject areas are displayed and ordered in logical sub-sub areas. When entering these, there is first information on the topic followed by clarifying videos or other resources. It is always possible to navigate back and to understand where in the material one is at the moment.
The material contains signals for distinguishing content with different levels of importance and novelty. For example:
- graphical markers (signaling basic
- polygraphic signals (different colours or fonts for certain parts of the text, etc.). At the level of expository text or instructions, this can be, for example, so-called signal words (such as: firstly, secondly..., for example ..., as in ..., as opposed to ..., as compared to ..., the result is...) or advance organizers (like Venn diagram or Fishbone chart to show cause and effect relationships, etc.). content, information to memorize)
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Is the content represented in the material referring to valid sources (against misinformation)?
The content is validated by references and refers to the latest scientific knowledge. References are both old and up-to-date.
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Does the material refer to curricular requirements and main research results?
The material encourages learners not to work on a task if it is categorised as unsuitable for their own learning path/needs. This gives learners control over their own learning path.
Learner's Enviroment(s)
Based on a broad understanding of environment, the material should be adaptable for various kinds of learning scenarios, might they take place in groups or individually. A material should be adaptable to different physical surroundings (at home/ in the classroom/library/hospital), but also digital environments (e.g. during distance learning scenarios). Hence, the material should not have any particular demands, which may limit the usage to a specific location or setting. This implies the inclusion-sensitivity of digital materials in terms of accessibility and openness.
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Can the material be used in different kinds of group work as well as for individual work?
The material can be used by one student but also provides impulses so that two or more learners can work on the same task together. This makes it necessary to provide, for example, additional selected stimuli to the material in order to encourage discussion with the partner(s). For example:
- Comparing the partners’ ideas on action on climate change in a shared online mind map.
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Can the material be used in different physical and digital learning settings?
The material can be used in the classroom as well as at home, in the library or in hospital etc. Also, it is usable in different digital learning scenarios. There are different requirements for this.
This requires that tasks are based on easily accessible components.
For example:
- the material may also be accessible with a poorer internet connection
- there are alternatives for audio content if headphones are not available or the environment is noisy
- it consists of easily accessible components, e.g. a task in science education might be to build a bridge out of paper in order to learn about statics.
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Is the material available and freely accessible in different formats?
The material is available on the PC or tablet as well as in a mobile phone version. This implies that the material requires formatting that makes images, text modules and interactive elements easy to display on different technical devices. The material is available in different formats and published under an open license, allowing for people to freely use, adapt, remix and share it.
Learner's Needs
The material should be sensitive to various learners’ needs (different learning levels, interests, backgrounds, potentials and limitations). Hence, it should offer various ways of how learners can learn about the same subject matter on different levels of complexity. The material should rely on different kinds of media and should be adaptable to certain needs of the individual (accessibility, cultural representation). The material should help the learner to actively shape their learning paths themselves, enabled by providing choices between different options on how to work/proceed with the learning material.
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Does the material offer various learning paths/ tasks for the same subject matter in a differing complexity level?
According to the learner’s needs, the material allows students to work on different learning levels. For example,
- it provides a framing of the content (e.g. statics in bridge building) and
- an overarching question (e.g. how can you stabilize your bridge so that it can carry cars?)
Even though all students work on the same question, the level of complexity on how to approach the question can be .
For example
- a student can build a bridge with prefabricated components while another constructs a bridge without pre-given information. A third student might use “info cards” that provide information about static elements such as the stable triangle.
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Does the learning material offer different levels of scaffolding?
The material offers scaffolding to problem-solving. For example:
- by indicating the sequential steps of the solution,
- showing what to start with
- giving hints
- modelling
- asking guiding questions
When a task requires writing an essay, graded scaffolding can be offered, for example
- by providing an outline/structure
- by providing guiding questions for each paragraph
- by providing a model text to imitate
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Are there different kinds of representation of the subject matter adapted to various learners’ needs?
Key concepts presented in one form of representation (e.g., a text or a math equation) are supplemented with an alternative form of representation.
For example:
- an illustration
- diagram
- table
- diagram
- model
- video
- comic strip
- animation
Alternatives for visual or auditory information are available.
For example:
- descriptions are provided for images and videos
- graphic symbols are provided with text descriptions
- relationships between elements are made explicit
- highlighting the transition words in an essay,
- links between ideas in a concept map etc.
- support for vocabulary and symbols within the text is embedded
- hyperlinks
- footnotes
- definitions
- explanations
- illustrations
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Can the material be adapted to individual needs by changing it partially (OER)?
The material can be so it is possible to make adaptations and changes.
For example:
- size of text and images
- the colour used for emphasis
- the volume or rate of sound
- the speed or timing of video etc.
In addition, adaptations to the learners, their learning environment and local, temporal and political contexts are also feasible.
Learners’ reflections on learning
The material should actively support the learner’s knowledge about different learning strategies. The learner should be encouraged by the material to try out different learning strategies and to integrate them into their learning process. Also, the learner should generally be supported on how to reflect on their learning process as a whole, regarding their progress, main strengths as well as weaknesses.
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Does the material give explanations about and refer to different learning strategies/techniques?
The material suggests different ways to approach the assignments.
For example:
- group discussions
- learning from text
- hands-on experiments
- creating videos
- story-telling
- reciprocal questioning
- peer teaching
The assignments/tasks are not stereotypical, i.e. it is possible to apply different cognitive operations to address the task.
For example:
- concept formation (e.g. classifying animals by their characteristics or defining abstract concepts like democracy or justice)
- problem-solving (e.g. finding the best route to a destination or designing an experiment to test a hypothesis)
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Does the material actively encourage the student to individually reflect on their own learning process?
The assignments (sometimes) require students to explicitly describe and/or evaluate their thinking process.
For example:
- what steps they took,
- how they thought about the problem,
- why they adopted the procedure, or
- give reasons why they solved the problem in a way they did.
Students are encouraged to work deliberately with mistakes, either their own or those of their classmates.
Learners’ agency
Within a material, learners should be considered agents of their own learning path. The material should enable the learners to express their individuality within the learning process. This is about a learner’s needs, but also a learner’s wishes, creativity and boundaries. This approach is based on inclusion as an ethical standard related to human rights.
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Does the material provide opportunities for the learners to make their own decisions within their learning process?
The material encourages learners to reflect on their own learning, their strengths and capabilities.
For example:
- by addressing the learner directly and taking them seriously, by offering opportunities for self-reflection and dialogue,
- posing different types of tasks, enable decision making, using encouraging language.
- by encouraging a learner to opt for another material if they do not find the material they are currently working with helpful.
- A material enables learners to generate their own ideas.
For example:
- when not everything is directed at a specific learning goal or outcome,
- a student is invited to make up more examples/scenarios for a learning objective on his/her own
- is asked to engage with the learning objective creatively.
- In order to leverage this kind of agency, the material is committed to transparency.
For example:
- by explaining its intentions and learning goals clearly
- providing context about learning theories
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Does the material address the student as able in handling and controlling their own learning process?
The material and its authors are committed to the idea of open and participatory further development of materials, e.g. by enabling automatic feedback and providing a space for comments, ratings and reviews.
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Does the material empower the student to critically reflect on the material?
The material and its authors are committed to the idea of open and participatory further development of materials, e.g. by enabling automatic feedback and providing a space for comments, ratings and reviews.
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Does the material respect the diversity of learners overall?
The material reflects the diversity of learners in terms of their identities as well as social, family, cultural, religious and community backgrounds. This is reflected in images and texts that avoid stereotypical or even discriminatory content. Learners, no matter their background, feel seen and respected.
- Pictures/contents mirror the diversity of people in the community. There are no stereotypical, biased or even discriminatory pictures/contents.
- Cultural and religious diversity is being represented, but not in a stereotypical or biased manner.
- Diverse perspectives are being represented.
- Issues like racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and homophobia are not detectable.
The material reflects the diversity of environments and lifeworlds (or it can be adapted easily).
- This is reflected in images and texts that avoid stereotypical or even discriminatory content.
- Aspects like family life, social life, communities, religion, sexuality etc. are not presented in normative ways.
- Different social, political, financial backgrounds or places to live (cities, rural areas) are being represented.
Learning feedback for learners
The material should imply elements of qualitive as well as quantitative feedback. It should enable self-assessment formats as well as peer-feedback. Feedback can be designed as immediate learning feedback or as a more broad reflection on the learners’ progress. The provided feedback elements should support the learners in reflecting on their learning process in a valuing and affirmative way. Additionally, feedback options may appoint to next steps in a learning journey.
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Can the children use the feedback to reflect on their learning process on their own?
The material can contain examples or models that illustrate the expected outcomes or standards of performance for a given task or assignment.
For example:
- an example for a math textbook might show how to solve a complex problem using different methods or strategies, and explain the steps and reasoning involved.
- a model for an English textbook might show a sample essay or paragraph that demonstrates the use of effective writing techniques, such as topic sentences, transitions, evidence, and analysis.
The material includes the correct solutions to the learning problems if they are convergent in nature or a suggestion of possible solutions if they are divergent in nature.
The material comprises assessment tests for students to check for themselves whether they mastered the subject matter.
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Does the material imply different kinds/formats of feedback?
The material includes checklists or rubrics that guide students to evaluate their own work or the work of others and provide criteria for improvement.
For example,
- a checklist for writing a persuasive essay might include items such as “I have a clear thesis statement”, “I have provided relevant evidence to support my arguments”, “I have addressed possible counterarguments and refuted them”, and so on.
- a rubric might assign different levels of performance (such as excellent, good, satisfactory, or needs improvement) to each item, and provide descriptors for each level.
FRoLLM TRAINING MODULE
The FRoLLM sounds interesting to you? You can jump right in and use it freely and intuitively. Just apply the questions to materials that you are using.
If you need a little more introduction, try our teaching module! This module is designed for educators, students, and anyone with a curiosity about inclusive education and the evaluation of learning materials. In this concise module, you'll explore the Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials (FRoLLM) and learn how to:
- Assess the inclusion sensitivity of educational resources
- Consider the diverse needs of learners
- Reflect thoughtfully on the materials you encounter
Whether you're looking to enhance your teaching practice or simply want to understand more about inclusive education, this module offers valuable insights in a straightforward format. Join us to discover how to make educational materials more accessible and effective for all learners.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FRoLLM?
Just like Living Learning Materials, our Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials (FRoLLM) is living as well! We have created it with the help of participants sharing their feedback, insights and criticism. This process is ongoing. Let us know what you think about the FRoLLM in the chat. How did you like working with the FRoLLM? What appeared useful/helpful? What was difficult for you (to work on, to understand…) Tell us everything that comes to mind. As the FRoLLM is a living document, it will be updated periodically according to user feedback.
NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!
Hey, tolles Projekt. Wünsche mein Lehrer würde das lesen! Mies ihm den Link zu schicken?
Hey, tolles Projekt. Wünsche mein Lehrer würde das lesen! Mies ihm den Link zu schicken?
Hey, tolles Projekt. Wünsche mein Lehrer würde das lesen! Mies ihm den Link zu schicken?
NOOOOOPE!!! Super Idee! Mach das auf jeden Fall!
Hey, tolles Projekt. Wünsche mein Lehrer würde das lesen! Mies ihm den Link zu schicken?
LATEST FRoLLM VERSIONS
FRoLLM French
07_2024
French
FRoLLM: Cadre de réflexion sur les matériels pédagogiques vivants
Undervisningsmaterial och läromedel - t.ex. läroböcker, arbetsblad, appar för lärande, utbildningsvideor osv. - är en viktig del av den dagliga undervisningen och lärandet. The Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials hjälper dig att tänka djupare kring det material för undervisning och lärande som du använder dagligen. Det utformades inom DigiLLM-projektet för att stödja inkluderingskänsligheten i användandet av läromedel, med hänsyn till olika elevers behov. Sex ”områden” kan vägleda reflektioner om läromedel och deras möjlighet att verka inkluderande.
FRoLLM Czech
07_2024
Czech
FRoLLM: Rámec pro reflexi živých učebních materiálů
Vymezení: Materiál by měl aktivně podporovat znalosti žáka o různých strategiích učení. Žák by měl být povzbuzován k tomu, aby si vyzkoušel různé strategie učení a začlenil je do procesu učení. Žák by měl být také podporován v tom, jak reflektovat svůj proces učení jako celek, pokud jde o jeho pokrok, hlavní silné i slabé stránky.
FRoLLM Swedish
07_2024
Swedish
FRoLLM: Ram för reflektion av levande läromedel
Undervisningsmaterial och läromedel - t.ex. läroböcker, arbetsblad, appar för lärande, utbildningsvideor osv. - är en viktig del av den dagliga undervisningen och lärandet. The Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials hjälper dig att tänka djupare kring det material för undervisning och lärande som du använder dagligen. Det utformades inom DigiLLM-projektet för att stödja inkluderingskänsligheten i användandet av läromedel, med hänsyn till olika elevers behov. Sex ”områden” kan vägleda reflektioner om läromedel och deras möjlighet att verka inkluderande.
FRoLLM English
07_2024
English
FRoLLM – Framework for the Reflection of Living Learning Materials.
Teaching and learning materials – e.g. textbooks, worksheets, learning apps, educational videos etc. – are an important core element of your everyday teaching and learning experiences. However, we rarely discuss the materials critically. The Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials helps you think more deeply about the teaching and learning material you use on a daily basis. It was designed within the digiLLM project to support the inclusion-sensitivity of educational materials, taking into consideration various learners’ needs.
There are six “areas” guiding your reflections.
FRoLLM German
07_2024
German
FRoLLM – Framework zur Reflektion von Living Learning Materials.
Lehr- und Lernmaterialien – z. B. Lehrbücher, Arbeitsblätter, Lern-Apps, Lernvideos usw. – sind ein wichtiges Kernelement alltäglicher Lehr- und Lernerfahrungen. Allerdings setzen wir uns nur selten kritisch mit den Materialien auseinander. Das Framework for the Reflection on Living Learning Materials (FRoLLM) hilft Ihnen, tiefergehend über das Lehr- und Lernmaterial nachzudenken, das Sie täglich verwenden. Es wurde im Rahmen des digiLLM-Projekts entwickelt, um die Inklusionssensibilität von Bildungsmaterialien zu fördern und dabei die unterschiedlichen Bedürfnisse der Lernenden in den Fokus zu rücken.
