Activity 1–1: What is learning and teaching?
Answer the following question based on your current understanding:
What is the relationship between teaching and learning?
Teaching and learning are intertwined. In the classroom teachers should guide and facilitate the learning through effective teaching strategies. If teaching is not effective then little or no learning will occur.
Teachers should also be aware that learning can exist without teaching as people can learn through their experiences. A good teacher will use that knowledge and build on it in the classroom.
Recall an experience where another person performed all kinds of teaching or training tasks designed to help you learn yet you were still unable to learn what it was that was hoped you would learn. Apply the distinction between “teaching” as a task and “teaching” as an achievement to your experience and list the activities or tasks the person performed designed to help you learn.
Then try to identify the factors and variables that you believed prevented you from learning.
What does your analysis suggest for your own teaching practice?
I have found that some of the training at work on the use of new computer systems do not achieve their goals of training staff to use the new system. One of the reasons is that quite often the training occurs as a demonstration. The instructor is at the front of the class and shows you what to do. But this has its drawbacks. For example, the system may look different on their screen to what you see. This can happen when the instructor has different permissions in the system or have customised their screens. Also I find it hard to follow what they are doing. You have to concentrate really hard to see where they are clicking to get to the next screen. If someone in the audience talks or in any way distracts me then I can get lost and not understand how they got to the screen on display.
It would be better to do hands-on training so that you could actually experience the system while the expert is present to help you. But that too has its drawbacks. People learn at different speeds and the instructor usually works at the speed of the slowest learner so the rest of the audience are waiting for others to catch up and can go off on a tangent. If someone's computer has an error then the instructor has to fix it and that too can hold up the class.
Ideally to teach a class a new computer system you would have some self-paced learning. That will then mean people can progress at their own rate. The instructor can give some guidance and will then have time to work with those people who need more help.
Of course in an ideal world a computer system would be able to teach the users how to use it by having pop-ups and help screens. And would be written in an intuitive way that was easy for people to use.
Activity 1–2: The teaching profession
In the table below, you will notice a variety of thoughts relating to whether teaching is in fact a “profession”. After reading each concept and argument in the table for and against teaching as a recognisable profession, outline if you agree or disagree with the argument being presented:
Professions conduct research into methods of improving the field, and teaching is no exception. VS
The application of research findings to improve practice generally has been disappointing.
I think that the application of research findings in schools have improved teaching.
Teacher preparation requires a specialised period of intellectual training. VS
Historically, teachers have not had a long period of specialised training. Even today, their training is shorter than it is for many other professions.
I think that the depth of training for teaching and the requirements of the accrediting bodies have ensured that teachers are well-trained before they are registered as teachers.
The teacher’s work is essentially intellectual in character, much like the work of doctors, lawyers, or engineers. VS
Teachers do not always use the available intellectual knowledge in the classroom, and some tend to resort to a rule–of–thumb approach more typical of a semi– or nonprofession.
Teaching is very intellectual in character and as well training requires a the ability to adapt to new situations.
Teachers are the sole providers of a crucial social service. VS
Through home schooling and informal learning networks in the community, the public–school monopoly is breaking up.
I believe that teaching children is a partnership with the schools, parents and the community.
Standards for teaching competence have been raised recently by use of entrance and exit exams and strengthened certification standards. VS
Teaching has not maintained as sufficiently high standards of entry and exclusion as have other professions, such as medicine, law, and engineering.
I don't have enough evidence to make a judgement.
A professional code of ethics has been developed, widely disseminated, and periodically revised. VS
Codes of ethics are inadequately enforced in education.
In my experience as a parent of a school-age child codes of conduct for staff, students and parents and visitors have been made public and reinforced.
Through collective bargaining and other means, teachers have greater decision–making power and autonomy than ever. VS
Teachers have less autonomy than other professionals.
This is a big statement, I don't have enough evidence to make a judgement.
Answer the following questions based on your argument presented above:
1. Why is being in a profession something worth working towards?
2. What are the differences between being a professional, working professionally and being in a profession?
3. Outline your thoughts on teaching as a profession. Will you be graduating and starting a career as a professional?
4. Go to the discussion forum for this topic and share your ideas about teaching as a profession.
I really believe that teaching is a profession. I would NOT be changing my life and putting time and energy into this teaching qualification if I did NOT think that it was a worthwhile profession.
Activity 1–3: Principles of teaching
Listed in the table below are some very traditional beliefs about teaching presented as “principles
of teaching”.
Indicate on this table your beliefs as they relate to the principles of teaching that are presented.
- Teachers should not coerce, bully or intimidate learners.
- Teachers should respect learners by not belittling or abusing them in any form.
- Teachers should try to improve the learner’s self–worth.
- Teaching should be about collaboration with learners concerning the aims, purposes and methods of the learning situation wherever possible.
- Teaching should be about praxis.
- Learners should be encouraged to reflect on their personal experiences as a means to their educational development.
- Teaching should foster critical minds so that learners realise that much of knowledge, values, beliefs and behaviours are socially constructed.
- Teaching should be both informed and open–ended. Teachers should know enough to facilitate learning and teachers should also be honest about what they do not know and use this as an opportunity to learn with the learners.
Are there any other principles of teaching that you consider need to be part of this?
Remember, we are using “principles” here in terms of what should or ought to be the case. You are offering a prescription for good teaching.
Go to the discussion forum for this topic and share your principles for teaching.
Keep it fun!
Activity 1–4: What is pedagogy?
What do you understand about pedagogy?
Why is it so important as a teacher to know how to design pedagogy that is effective?
Go to the discussion forum for this topic and add your own thoughts on what pedagogy means to you.
Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching. It is complex and it requires that the teacher herself be willing to learn through reflection on her teaching.
Activity 1–5: What is effective pedagogy?
In your understanding of learning and teaching so far, construct your own principles of effective pedagogy.
Go to the discussion forum for this topic and add your ideas to what effective pedagogy means to you.
I really relate to the five standards for Effective Pedagogy outlined by the CREDE (Centre for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence) based at Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). These five standards establish principles for best teaching practice. Over the course of the next two years I will add to this list.
1. Teachers and learners working together
Use instructional group activities in which learners and teacher work together to create a product or idea.
2. Developing language and literacy skills across all curriculum
Apply literacy strategies and develop language competence in all subject areas.
3. Connecting lessons to learner’s lives
Contextualise teaching and curriculum in learners’ existing experiences in home, community, and school.
4. Engaging learners with challenging lessons
Maintain challenging standards for learner performance; design activities to advance understanding to more complex levels.
5. Emphasising dialogue over lectures
Instruct through teacher-learner dialogue, especially academic, goal-directed, small-group conversations (known as instructional conversations), rather than lecture.
Note: On their website are a number of media files which demonstrate each of the Standards.
Activity 1–6: Pedagogical content knowledge
Similar to the diagram presented earlier in this topic, create your own version of the PCK taxonomy diagram based on one of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs).
From this PCK diagram, create a concept map for this KLA identifying all of the possible areas that are covered in this KLA.
The following uses the Australian Curricula for Mathematics adapted from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/Content-structure
Australian Curricula Standard (KLA): Mathematics
Content Strands (Domain Specific PCK):
- Number and Algebra
- Measurement and Geometry
- Statistics and Probability
- Number and place value
- Fractions and decimals
- Real numbers
- Money and financial mathematics
- Patterns and algebra
- Linear and non-linear relationships.
Hi Jo
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading parts of your blog but gave up after a while because the font was too small to read comfortably. Can you increase the font size next post to 10 or 11 points.
Thanks