Last week we started a GCSE maths course with Year 9, so I took the opportunity to experiment! Based on a suggestion in Moodle Docs for Moodle’s Glossary module I thought we’d have a go at a collaborative glossary. I found a fairly extensive list of key words for maths and gave each student a unique strip of paper containing approximately 8 words.

I then invited students to either enter their own description of a word or carry out an internet search for assistance. I explained to them why just copying and pasting a definition is not as beneficial as writing it in their own words [although for some this fell on deaf ears!].

The process seemed to go rather well. They even started using the ‘Add image’ button to further improve their definitions. There is a feature in Moodle to allow automatic linking of glossary entries – so if a word from the glossary appears anywhere within the course it will be highlighted and the word becomes a link to the glossary entry.

Pros

It got the students actively contributing to their Virtual Learning Environment. I sensed an increased feeling of ownership from the students. This activity is not exclusive to maths and should work with almost any subject.

Cons

The students only investigated approximately 8 key words each. Perhaps this could be improved if each student is entering more words (not sure how… any ideas?)