Week+Five


 * Week 5 - Models of Teaching and Learning

Lecturer: Greg Powell**

//Week beginning March 30th 2009//

Hi everyone. Thanks Bec. This is Ken Nee. This week's lecture was about the Different Models of Teaching and Learning, and what makes effective pedagogy. There is no one set answer. It is different things at different times. It also depends on individual Beliefs about the respective roles of 'Student' and 'Teacher'. Different Learning Styles and Theories about Education were mentioned, including **Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory**; **Marzano's Six Basic Notions** - one of which suggested that having "large **interdisciplinary** curricular themes is the most effective way to promote learning"; **Bloom's Taxonomy** and the significance of Creativity; **Cooperative Learning** and the benefits of learning through groupwork; **Inquiry-based Learning** and the huge role of asking Intelligent **Questions** - "it's not only about __what__ students learn, it's also about **//how//** they learn". How do we as educators, best facilitate the individual evolution of each student in order to build **a community of active learners** and **active problem-solvers** who are passionate, engaged, interested in the world around them, and well-balanced as **caring, human beings** ? What models of Teaching and Learning are most relevant for the 21st century ? ......and "Why don't we teach kids Dance every day, the way we teach them maths and english ?" (Sir Ken Robinson). There are no set answers.......just questions that continuously highlight our blind spots, so that we may become more aware, awaken, and take action........

Hello folks, Nick here. I have just finished reading the lecture notes and the workshop readings and I have some points I'd like to add. We have been presented with a range of educational theories and models from a variety of individuals, all of which are very relevant and insightful. They do however to my mind cover very much the same ground simply in different terminology. The key ideas I have taken away from the readings and the course so far all centre upon these four ideas: - encourage children to really strengthen the way they learn, rather than simply ingesting facts eg. the way you learn is so much more important than what you learn - all children learn in different ways so teach in many different styles to give all children an equal opportunity to access the curriculum material eg. multiple intelligences - building strong relationships is essential - encourage children to learn from eachother and collaboratively - respect and enjoyment are crucial to a successful learning environment

I have a bit of a keen interest in finding out more about alternative learning methods like montessori and steiner at the moment so I found the video clips embedded in this week's lecture very interesting. The common theme across all the different alternative methods is a child focus and a development of their individuality and creativity. I think there is a lot to be gained from all of these learning approaches. My only concern is that these methods are early years focused and so at some stage the child must enter the mainstream system which I think would be much harder than is really admitted. I suspect a lot of what the child learns may even be unlearnt in many instances. I see a real value in the focus given to imagination and character development that could be integrated into every classroom eg. self-directed project work, creative arts etc.

Happy holidays everyone and see you all soon

Nick

It is week 5 fellow ‘riskfactor’ wiki members and it is Ian here. Wow I certainly feel like the semester is travelling by very quickly. Before we know it we will be experiencing our first practicum and therefore the real classroom environment. Exciting but nerve-racking times! Dr Howard Gardner, Robert Marzano, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygodsky, David Kolb, Peter Honey & Alan Mumford, Bernice McCarthy and Benjamin Bloom. These are all names that before this week I knew little to nothing about. Having subsequently attended the lecture and workshop on models of teaching and learning and followed this up with the required reading, I now have a deeper understanding of the impact these educational psychologists and theorists have had and continue to have on pedagogy. As already highlighted in Ken Nee’s summary, there are a number of questions that have arisen. Personally I believe the most important of these are: 1) What is your belief system? 2) What models of teaching and learning are relevant for the 21st Century? These questions are pertinent to consider in the process of establishing our professional identities. I also found it important to note that within the teaching strategies and learning activities that we employ, we will need to use a variety of the studied models. This will require effective planning and thought as to which model and style are most effective in any given discipline or lesson. For example if we consider the humanities assessment that we are undertaking this semester, it requires us to adopt the inquiry based learning model. This may well be relevant to undertaking a humanities unit but is it for any other subject? There is also the possibility that elements of several of the models of teaching and learning styles are required within a single lesson! I think what we need to have as newly qualified primary teachers is the ability to adapt and change to an ever evolving pedagogy. The models of teaching and learning are not set in stone. They are undergoing development all the time. This was most apparent through reading Dr Howard Gardner’s thoughts on his Multiple Intelligences theory. Even though his original theory was aired in 1983, it still holds relevance today and is still widely used by teachers and educators world wide. Happy Easter everyone and I look forward to seeing you all in week 6!

Hello all, Bec here with my week 5 reflections. This week was at once interesting, inspiring and overwhelming! We were presented with many relevant theories and models for classroom teaching in the lecture and were given a very good introduction to Socratic circles in our workshop. From the many theorists we were introduced to this week, I was already very familiar with Edward de Bono and his Six Thinking Hats, and had heard of Bloom's taxonomy and knew of Inquiry Based Learning (from Humanities). I love the concept of the thinking hats, I think in part because I consider myself both a creative thinker and an analytical thinker, and dividing 'types' of thinking up seems a very effective way to learn and come to conclusions. This would be such a great way to introduce students to the concept of anaylsing and the importance of incorporating facts, emotion, creativity and 'pros and cons' into that process.

I found the discussion of belief systems started to raise some questions in my own head about the way that I would like to teach. I value relationships and I do not think a child would be able to learn effectively without a good relationship with their teacher, or if they were kept at a distance from their teacher. In that way I identify most with belief systems three and four. However I personally feel that a combination of the four belief systems that Greg presented us with is probably necessary in reality. I think that there is a place for collaboration between students and teacher, and a place for authority and boundaries set by the teacher. Hopefully combining all elements would create the most effective pedagogy.

As an extension of the themes we explored this week surrounding belief systems and theories of teaching and learning, I'd like to share an inspiring experience I had recently. I was lucky enough to join in with a group of teachers who were being introduced to using philosophy in the classroom by two of their colleagues who had trialed it in a yr 4/5 unit. They were using a method introduced at Buranda school in qld (http://burandass.eq.edu.au/wcmss/index.php/Philosophy-Training.html) which currently runs online courses for teachers and schools. The method is based on using a book to introduce subject matter, and then instructing students to come up with 'philosophical' or 'higher-order thinking' questions surrounding the themes in the book in small groups. The class then discusses their responses to the questions by sitting in a circle and speaking one at a time (whoever is speaking is holding a ball, or talking stick etc). Geniune discussion is encouraged by a rule that you cannot put up your hand to speak until someone else is finished talking, and if you laugh at someone else's answer, judge someone else's answer or put someone else down then you are sent out of the circle to sit in a hoop next to the group, so you can no longer participate but you must still listen to the discussion.

The teachers took us through the exercise as a group and it was amazing what came out just as a group of adults. They shared the experiences they had had with the class and the consensus was that the exercise had been a roaring success among the students. Both teachers commented that the philosophy classes encouraged their students to genuinely think about and discuss difficult questions of morality as opposed to a guided sort of obligation that is often present in schools surrounding issues of respect and fairness etc. I took a personal interest in the exercise because I have always had an interest in and love of philosophy, but what I found most inspiring was that every teacher in the room was so enthusiastic about implementing the subject across the school at all ages. Even the pre-school teacher thought there was a place for philosophy in her classroom, and a specialist autistic teacher at the school wanted to incoroporate her verbal students into the program. This experience was one of the most significant for me so far as a training teacher. It showed me that it is possible to translate big ideas into everyday teaching, and most importantly, that students do respond to concepts like philosophy well.

I have since found there is an association in Victoria for philosophy in schools - VAPS - the Victorian Association for Philosophy in schools. Their website (http://vaps.vic.edu.au/) has information about workshops for teachers, schools and students, and I found this interesting article through their website about philosophy classes that have been being taught at St Kilda Park Primary School since the 1990s. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Education-News/Ponder-this/2005/05/16/1116095896133.html%20

I think thats enough for me for this week - I got so excited about philosophy in the classroom that I think I have to go and have a lie down!