Question 1:
Reflect on your own learning experiences decide what the dominant teaching paradigm was when you were at school and University/college.
High School Learning Experiences:
Well let’s rewind the memory back a few years to 1981-1986 (high school years – not going back further). Yes, 6 years in high school. I repeated year 12 as I wanted to go to Teachers College and my first TE score did not make it close.
I remember enjoying all of the hands on subjects; art, music, graphics and manual arts. The others??? I was bored and struggled with how they were delivered. Read and write information (vital for tests) from OHT’s. I could never keep up and always missed the last 2 paragraphs at least! To be different, we could also read and write from the blackboard (as it was called that back then) as well as from our text books. Watching TV “educational” programs. Why were they so boring? Even now the education DVD’s can be very costly for little educational entertainment to promote a wanting to learn. The TV’s were also so old that once the volume was loud enough for the class to hear, the speakers rattled and distorted.
There were some demonstrations depending on the subject, and these were mostly interesting and a good learning experience. I do not recall having the opportunity to teach another student something, although this could have just happened as an informal learning experience and not intentional from the teacher.
Teachers College:
Most of the lectures were just that; lectures. Had to learn to keep focused and take notes. The practical classes I loved. There was a lot of talking/lecture at the start, but that was necessary for our own safety. Once we started “doing”, that was fun and there were many great learning experiences. I remember this one subject about teaching strategies and the lecture delivered every lecture using OHT’s and read directly from them. One lecture he read… ‘avoid reading from OHT’s every lesson…’. Well, everyone tried very hard not to laugh. But we can still all remember it…a valid effective learning experience?
Question 2:
Is school teaching now substantially different from your own experiences as a student at school?
Technology is certainly different; we now have white boards (Sorry, textaboards instead of chalkboards). Some classrooms have interactive white boards. I have never used one or had the opportunity as yet.
I predominately use a data projector and whiteboard in the delivery of graphics lessons. Students practice by doing. As this subject is driven by software, students are able to “informally” teach each other new commands or functions they discover as we learn the software. This peer tutoring is encouraged and at times students will use the data projector to teach the entire class as well. Group planning of ideas and drawings is completed using the whiteboard, information is then photographed and emailed to students as a record and sometimes these discussions are videoed and made available for students to use as a record in their planning and learning experiences.
All practical manual arts classes are delivered through demonstration and students practice by doing. There is some group work to assemble each other’s projects and small group discussions on how to fix problems when they occur in students’ projects. Small group discussions is possibly the most beneficial in practical classes as students work at different rates and cannot all use the same machines, tools and equipment at the same time as there is just not enough resources or the space for them. Sharing and taking turns is an informal learning experience in practical classes. Students, who are very capable and ahead of others are encouraged to demonstrate and assist other students, peer tutoring.
Image Courtesy of ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence
Reflecting on the stages within the learning pyramid, I tend to deliver learning environments using the bottom stages. It is good to know that how I deliver learning experiences to students using strategies that enable them to retain the learning.
Question 3:
How could you use student-centred learning environments to improve the effectiveness of your teaching?
My teaching could always be improved. Each year students are different, different experiences, different technologies, different media influences. Student-centred learning around these experiences and influences will make learning more meaningful and students will own their learning, as individuals and as a group.
Without even realising it, I think I have been using student-centred learning environments to some extent. I do know that when students are involved in a group learning activity they learn and retain more than as an isolated individual. However, in saying that, I do know that there are some students who just do not like and cannot learn in a group. So flexibility is needed on the teacher’s part to include these students and all students in all types of learning environments.
