Arz Speaks

As the saying goes... that books over boys.

Here is my new views about the teaching profession.

11.   What is teaching?

Teaching is a profession that can yield something amazing when the right ideas and beliefs are implemented in the classroom. I hold many ideas and beliefs about teaching. I have held some of these beliefs for a very long time, while others have come about as a result of the educational experiences I have had over the years as a pre service teacher. Teaching refers to the process of imparting knowledge and skills from a teacher to a learner. It encompasses the activities of educating or instructing. It is an act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual.

2.   What are the principles of teaching? (Explain each principle)

 1.  Effective teaching involves acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom teaching.

When we teach, we do not just teach the content, we teach students the content. A variety of student characteristics can affect learning. For example, students’ cultural and generational backgrounds influence how they see the world; disciplinary backgrounds lead students to approach problems in different ways; and students’ prior knowledge (both accurate and inaccurate aspects) shapes new learning. Although we cannot adequately measure all of these characteristics, gathering the most relevant information as early as possible in course planning and continuing to do so during the semester can (a) inform course design (e.g., decisions about objectives, pacing, examples, format), (b) help explain student difficulties (e.g., identification of common misconceptions), and (c) guide instructional adaptations (e.g., recognition of the need for additional practice).

 

2. Effective teaching involves aligning the three major components of instruction: learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities.

Taking the time to do this upfront saves time in the end and leads to a better course. Teaching is more effective and student learning is enhanced when (a) we, as instructors, articulate a clear set of learning objectives (i.e., the knowledge and skills that we expect students to demonstrate by the end of a course); (b) the instructional activities (e.g., case studies, labs, discussions, readings) support these learning objectives by providing goal-oriented practice; and (c) the assessments (e.g., tests, papers, problem sets, performances) provide opportunities for students to demonstrate and practice the knowledge and skills articulated in the objectives, and for instructors to offer targeted feedback that can guide further learning.

3.  Effective teaching involves articulating explicit expectations regarding learning objectives and policies.

There is amazing variation in what is expected of students across American classrooms and even within a given discipline. For example, what constitutes evidence may differ greatly across courses; what is permissible collaboration in one course could be considered cheating in another. As a result, students’ expectations may not match ours. Thus, being clear about our expectations and communicating them explicitly helps students learn more and perform better. Articulating our learning objectives (i.e., the knowledge and skills that we expect students to demonstrate by the end of a course) gives students a clear target to aim for and enables them to monitor their progress along the way. Similarly, being explicit about course policies (e.g., on class participation, laptop use, and late assignment) in the syllabus and in class allows us to resolve differences early and tends to reduce conflicts and tensions that may arise. Altogether, being explicit leads to a more productive learning environment for all students.

   

  4.   Effective teaching involves prioritizing the knowledge and skills we choose to focus on.

Coverage is the enemy: Don’t try to do too much in a single course. Too many topics work against student learning, so it is necessary for us to make decisions – sometimes difficult ones – about what we will and will not include in a course. This involves (a) recognizing the parameters of the course (e.g., class size, students’ backgrounds and experiences, course position in the curriculum sequence, number of course units), (b) setting our priorities for student learning, and (c) determining a set of objectives that can be reasonably accomplished.

 

5.  Effective teaching involves recognizing and overcoming our expert blind spots.

We are not our students! As experts, we tend to access and apply knowledge automatically and unconsciously (e.g., make connections, draw on relevant bodies of knowledge, and choose appropriate strategies) and so we often skip or combine critical steps when we teach. Students, on the other hand, don’t yet have sufficient background and experience to make these leaps and can become confused, draw incorrect conclusions, or fail to develop important skills. They need instructors to break tasks into component steps, explain connections explicitly, and model processes in detail. Though it is difficult for experts to do this, we need to identify and explicitly communicate to students the knowledge and skills we take for granted, so that students can see expert thinking in action and practice applying it themselves.

6.      Effective teaching involves adopting appropriate teaching roles to support our learning goals.

Even though students are ultimately responsible for their own learning, the roles we assume as instructors are critical in guiding students’ thinking and behavior. We can take on a variety of roles in our teaching (e.g., synthesizer, moderator, challenger, commentator). These roles should be chosen in service of the learning objectives and in support of the instructional activities.  For example, if the objective is for students to be able to analyze arguments from a case or written text, the most productive instructor role might be to frame, guide and moderate a discussion.  If the objective is to help students learn to defend their positions or creative choices as they present their work, our role might be to challenge them to explain their decisions and consider alternative perspectives. Such roles may be constant or variable across the semester depending on the learning objectives.

7.      Effective teaching involves progressively refining our courses based on reflection and feedback.

Teaching requires adapting. We need to continually reflect on our teaching and be ready to make changes when appropriate (e.g., something is not working, we want to try something new, the student population has changed, or there are emerging issues in our fields).  Knowing what and how to change requires us to examine relevant information on our own teaching effectiveness.  Much of this information already exists (e.g., student work, previous semesters’ course evaluations, dynamics of class participation), or we may need to seek additional feedback with help from the university teaching center (e.g., interpreting early course evaluations, conducting focus groups, designing pre- and posttests). Based on such data, we might modify the learning objectives, content, structure, or format of a course, or otherwise adjust our teaching. Small, purposeful changes driven by feedback and our priorities are most likely to be manageable and effective.

3.   What is learning?

Learning is often defined as a relatively lasting change in behavior that is the result of experience. Learning became a major focus of study in psychology during the early part of the twentieth century as behaviorism rose to become a major school of thought. Today, learning remains an important concept in numerous areas of psychology, including cognitive, educational, social, and developmental psychology.

4.   What are the characteristics of learning?

(1) Learning is growth

The individual grows as he lives. This growth implies i both physical as well as mental development of the learner. The individual gains experiences through various activities. These are all sources of learning. The individual grows through living and learning. Thus growth and learning are inter-related and even synonymous.

(2) Learning is adjustment

Learning enables the individual to adjust himself properly, with the new situations. The individual faces new problems and new situations throughout his life and learning helps him to solve the problems encountered by him. That is why; many psychologists describe learning as "a process of progressive adjustment to the ever changing conditions which one encounters." The society in which we live is so complex and so dynamic that any one type of adjustment will not be suitable for all or many situations and problems. It is through learning that one could achieve the ability to adjust adequately to all situations of life.

(3) Learning is purposeful

All kinds of learning is goal-oriented. The individual acts with some purpose. He learns through activities. He gets himself interested when he is aware of his objectives to be realized through these activities. Therefore all learning is purposive in nature.

(4) Learning is experience

The individual learns through experiences. Human life is fall of experiences. All these experiences provide new knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. Learning is not mere acquisition of the knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is also the reorganization of experiences or the synthesis of the old experiences with the new.

(5) Learning is intelligent

Mere cramming without proper understanding does not make learning. Thus meaningless efforts do not produce permanent results. Any work done mechanically cannot yield satisfactory learning outcomes. Learning therefore must be intelligent.

(6) Learning is active

Learning is given more importance than teaching. It implies self-activity of the learning. Without adequate motivation he cannot work whole-heartedly and motivation is therefore at the root of self-activity. Learning by doing is thus an important principle of education, and the basis of all progressive methods of education like the Project, the Dalton, the Montessori and Basic system.

(7) Learning is both individual and social

Although learning is an individual activity, it is social also. Individual mind is consciously or unconsciously affected by the group activities. Individual is influenced by his peers, friends, relatives’ parents and classmates and learns their ideas, feelings and attitudes in some way or others. The social agencies like family, church, markets, and clubs exert immense, influence on the individual minds. As such, learning becomes both individual as well as social.

(8) Learning is-the product of the environment

The individual lives in interaction of the society. Particularly, environment plays an important part in the growth and development of the individual. The physical, social, intellectual and emotional development of the child is molded and remolded by the objects and individuals in his environment. Therefore, emphasized that child's environment should be made free from unhealthy and vicious matters to make it more effective for learning.

(9) Learning affects the conduct of the learner

Learning is called the modification of behavior. It affects the learner's behavior and conduct. Every learning experience brings about changes in the mental structure of the learner. Therefore attempts are made to provide such learning experiences which can mould the desired conduct and habits in the learners.

5.   What are the principles of learning? (Explain each principle)

Principles of Learning (Horne and Pine, 1990 in Corpuz and Salandanan, 2007)

1.      Learning is an experience which occurs inside the learner and is activated by the learner. This means that learning will not take place unless the learner her/himself allows it to happen in his/her mind. It is not primarily controlled by the teacher, rather on the learners' wants, interests and motivation to learn. In real classroom setting, the teacher must engage learners in activities that are connected to their lives.

2. Learning is the discovery of the personal meaning and relevance of ideas. This is somewhat the same with principle number one. Learners can easily understand concepts if these are relevant to their needs and problems. Hence, as teachers, we must relate the lesson to the learners' needs, interests and problems.

3. Learning is a consequence of experience. In short, use experiential learning as much as possible period. Hehehe...

4. Learning is a cooperative and collaborative process. Learners will learn more if they are given chances to work together and share ideas. Make use of group activities.

5. Learning is an evolutionary process. Learning especially if this means a change in behavior, does not happen in a click. This requires time and diligence. So as teachers, be patient. Be patient. Be patient. Be patient.

6. Learning is sometimes a painful process. This means that learning requires sacrifice, hardwork, study time. Let the learners realize this okay?

7. One of the richest resources for learning is the learner him/herself. Let's not be too "centered" upon ourselves. Let's draw the discussion not only on our own experiences as teachers but on the learners' experiences as well. Listen and let the learners share their prior knowledge, stories, information, etc that can enrich the learning process. Encourage free sharing inside the classroom. 

8. The process of learning is emotional as well as intellectual. Learners can't learn that much if they have something that is bothering their minds. These can be problems and worries they have either in or out of the classroom. Thus, as teachers, let us be sensitive to our students' problems. We can't teach learners with empty stomachs remember?

9. The process of problem solving and learning are highly unique and individual. Make use of different teaching strategies that can cater multiple intelligences and learning styles. This principle states that learning processes are highly engaged in problem solving wherein what was learned can eventually be used in order to solve problems. Upon problem-solving processes, the tendency to learn more is also possible.

6.   Do you agree with these principles? Or they are not always correct?

If learning is a ship; the student/s are the captain and teacher/s are the map and the voyage is wherein learning will take place. Maps are there to guide the captain help him in navigating his course at the sea, but whether the captain will use the map is his own prerogative. In order for the captain to use the map, the map itself has to be in perfect condition it has to be readable, easily understandable, and of course it must be updated. As you can see above, there are nine (9) principles of learning according to Horne and Pine (1990). Each principle is used in different learning experience and different scenarios. It is there for us (teachers) to remember that learning is not merely a classic picture of students sitting in their chairs while a teacher talk, talk, and talk in front. That simply is not enough for us to conclude that learning took place already. Students might disagree, if I may say so myself some of us will still do, that learning is first and foremost began when the student himself is ready to learn. But that is the truth, we would see a continuous struggle between teachers and students always blaming one another, ready to fight just to prove that the other one is the problem (teacher or student) and not him (teacher or student). So for us to settle various queries or discussion on whose to blame it is important for students to understand that he alone, no matter how dull the teacher is, can choose whether he will learn new things or settle to what he already know. But that doesn't mean that the teacher wouldn't do his part, it is expected that teachers will continue to excel and not settle for less. After all teaching is an art embody in science. It is said (correct me if I am wrong) that simple knowledge or recall is the easiest thing to master because it is the lowest level of thinking. That is why learning has to meant something, teachers must relate their lessons to the needs, interests, and problems of the learners. Therefore, what will occur in the learning process will be relevant and applicable to the lives of the students.