Unit_4_-_Theories_and_Principles_for_the_Planning_and_Enabling_of_Teaching_and_Learning

Unit 4: Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning There are a number of contributing factors that may affect the learning process and can affect how effective teaching and learning is. In the first instance, and as previously studied, it is important to look at different approaches to teaching and learning in correlation to learners needs and requirements as different learners will learn in different ways. Whilst the principles for teaching remain relatively solid, the fluidity required alongside this rigidity ensures motivation for learning and the way in which learning is received can be refined to the nearest point of perfection. There are two types of learning based on how it takes place. Pedagogy is where the learner is dependent upon the lecturer for all learning, whereas Andragogy is self-directed – i.e. student centred. The two have equal benefits and for different learning environments have positives and negatives. For my field of media and creative arts, I drive forward with Andragogical teaching – putting the control in the hands of my learners. This massively increases the respect they have for their own subject, their own learning and subsequently the decisions they make. Here is a table that illustrates the differences between the Pedagogy and Andragogy styles of learning: All of my learners are either year 2 cohorts on courses or adult learners so both want to be taught – therefore there is a certain level of demand and desire and as such Andragogy naturally rises as the more favourable approach. Abraham Maslow theorised that basic human needs must be cemented before learning can take place, as per his Hierarchy of Needs pyramid (above) If any of these levels are not met and are missing, the foundations for higher levels aren’t there, and therefore, according to Maslow, learning cannot take place. To reach the top level of self-actualisation, he theorises that learning can be disrupted at any stage if the low basic needs fail to be met. Although I don’t necessarily agree with his theory, I understand the principle behind it. I believe that you can temporarily survive in this pyramid without a lower level, but can only ever do so temporarily. A permanent exclusion of the foundations of the rest of the pyramid would be detrimental and, although could survive on a temporary basis, would not solve any issues longer term – a much more rigid version of this is required to be truly in the state of self-actualization that Maslow suggests. There are other barriers to learning that include language differences, physical or mental disability, learning difficulty, inexperienced or unmotivated lecturers and personal views, prejudices and misconceptions about education. A learner who has a disability may struggle to understand a task that is set and may need additional support in understanding the learning outcomes and objectives expected of the unit. For example, one of my AS Media students was deaf and used hearing aids. Given that my father is also deaf, I understood how to gesticulate and ensure my lip movements were clear and concise. Through lip reading and careful consideration, this student was able to sustain a normal learning life within the same learning environment as other ‘able-bodied’ learners. Thankfully, this learner was an excellent worker and was completely driven to do well in his sessions and frequently completed work well ahead of time, driving the Andragogious approach to learning completely – he came out with top-of-the-class marks and an excellent final grade. One intense struggle I find with AS Media is that there is a common misconception that Media is going to be a ‘doss’ subject – a subject that doesn’t require much thought ‘cause it’s about making films, innit!’ Historically taken as the ‘fourth choice’ in A-Level selection, it was initially a battle to engage the learners that perhaps weren’t interested in making films and were just hoping for an easy ride. I engaged them, however, by linking the subject of film creation with cinema and matching films they may have seen to films they may like to create. By talking about film in an analytical and critical way I’ve managed, from day one, to engage all learners, irrespective of initial motivation. Learners also initially start the course pre-empting what is required or what it takes to make a film. I am a keen promoter of giving full creative control to my learners – film (or indeed art itself) can never be rigid. It ALWAYS has to be a flexible, ‘no rules’ process. Certain film directors never got to where they are today without breaking the codes and conventions of film and once I have bought learners round to this concept of working they love and excel in it. It creates high-level work and gives them a sense of achievement, thus adding to motivation towards learning. In my teaching, my older learners are less willing to ‘change old ways’ and have preconceived ideas and processes for completing work. Yet in the ever-developing nature of our subject, this cannot be solid. Piaget’s Theory of Accommodation and Assimilation talks about assessing why this occurs and how this issue might be addressed. Piaget suggests that ‘accommodation’ is the process of altering existing ideas as a result of new information or new experiences. ‘Assimilation’ is the process of taking new information in to our previous existing ideas – almost crowbarring new ideas into our pre-existing beliefs. As adults who have developed our own set ways and processes, we find no issue with assimilating new information and ideas which conveniently fit in with our existing lives. However we find it somewhat difficult (in varying degrees) to accommodate new information in new categories and ‘changing’ our pre-conceived processes – it could almost be seen as contradicting the years prior yet I feel it’s something that is required to move forward in development. Learning barriers that affect a learners motivation towards education can have many implications on a learner’s achievement. These include: * Lack of Confidence * Access to Facilities * Low Self Esteem * Exclusion by Peers * Difficulty Understanding a Task or Brief * Attendance * Time Management * Financial Limitations Inclusive learning requires the lecturer to recognise, accommodate and meet the learning needs of all learners equally. It is therefore important that lecturers do not ‘pigeon hole’ learners into categories. For example, learners may have a range of differentiation issues but from the offset may only visually appear to be categorised by one. It is this multi-inclusive learning strategy that requires multiple reassessments to ensure learning is enabled to its maximum. For example, using a range of teaching styles and methods would maximise its accessibility by all learners, rather than by individual learners. Teaching should always be clear and accessible so that it can easily be received, decoded and understood by learners. Feedback is a two way process that forms part of the assessment stage and is a useful process to establish whether the needs of learners are being met and to ensure inclusive learning and effective communication are taking place. I use a number of different techniques during assessment, including presentations, one-to-one tutorials and feedback sessions. To maximise the promotion of effective communication throughout the learning stage, I use a range of different communication methods and rarely rely on learners to complete their own work without any kind of driving factor. By this I mean, I like to remain practical, hands-on and to encourage learners through visual media. This could include film showings, trips, short activities or web resources – not only are these interactive but on par with current life – our students are the ‘Facebook-generation’ of social media and communication through the internet. When creating resources I also take into account differentiation to allow successful assessment to take place – if an element within a unit affects a learners ability to learner to their maximum, this is clearly a disadvantage over other learners, thus adjustments have to be made to accommodate for this. Actively promoting opportunities to communicate in the learning environment, I give learners the chance through questioning, feedback, peer reviews and discussion. It is important early on to use plain English, reduced jargon (at least not without explaining what the jargon means) and gauging the level of comfort between me as their lecturer and them as learners. I feel comfortable talking with my A2 group about mature or taboo subjects and showing them content perhaps others wouldn’t appreciate, yet I only feel comfortable doing this as I have assessed their level and allowed them communication. If I am required to use a range of jargon language or industry specific language I will conduct brainstorm sessions for learners to try and work out what it means – this allows learners to research and piece together what something may mean, rather than simply being told. Being taught something is relatively short term – researching it themselves and becoming part of that process should integrate the knowledge within their brains. Ultimately, any student that has a disadvantage to learning should have an equal chance as others to be assessed fairly – any barriers in the way can be combatted to maximise potential student achievement. Bloom’s Taxonomy Bloom’s Taxonomy is a helpful model to refer to establish whether learners have effectively synthesised information in order to produce a body of work and be creative in developing an idea to fruition. A learner first needs information, which can be either Pedagogiously or Andragogiously provided and further they then need to understand the context. The learner is then able to analyse the information to compare, contrast, criticise, discriminate, examine, experiment, question and then evaluate so sufficient confidence is gained and they are able to justify the final outcome or creation which is dictated in this pyramid as the ‘tip’ or ‘final’. Both Cognitivist and Gestalt Theory is related to arts education and both theories reject earlier behaviourist approaches to learning – in my opinion they are right to reject earlier behaviourist approaches as they are restrictive and blocking in creative process throughout learning. Gestalt psychology suggests learning as a process of knowing, considering the learners mental process. Learners are encouraged to work with initiative and intuitively with guidance of the lecturer and other industry professionals. Lateral thinking is highly promoted through experimental and exploratory approaches and through this learners are able to assimilate an increased variety of sources and information by considering the ‘wider picture’ or by thinking ‘outside-of-the-box’. James Hartley’s key principles are applicable to my own practice and promote inclusive learning through good communication and planning. He says that: * Instruction should be well organised so it is easier to learn and to remember * Instruction should be clearly structure with logical relationships between key ideas and concepts – which link the parts together * Prior knowledge is important. Things must fit with what is already known if it is to be learnt – know your learners and their personal needs * Differences between individuals are important, as they will affect learning. Remove barriers top learning differentiation. Lesson observations from working colleagues and inspectors provides positive (whether the feedback is or not) review regarding delivery and performance. This allows careful planning from a lecturer perspective on new and improved ways of teaching and is equally a two-way process with regards to improving teaching AND learning. I will continue to provide my learners with a fun yet hard working learning environment to work in that is inclusive and that promotes creativity throughout. Bibliography Pedagogy vs Andragogy http://www.floridatechnet.org/inservice/abe/abestudent/andravsped.pdf Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Maslow's_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg/450px-Maslow's_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg.png Piaget’s Theory of Accommodation and Assimilation http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm Blooms Taxonomy http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/fx_Bloom_New.jpg Gestalt Psychology/Principles http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm James Hartley’s Principles http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-cognitive.htm