Journal Entry 1
“Education must be made
Learning centered rather than degree centered, and new technology must be used,
in order to meet the economy’s growing need for flexible human capital.”
Objective:
Learning centered
education is centered on the individual learner, his or her progress and the
understanding of the material, rather than the marks and broad coverage of
topics. (ARUL) More and more
educators are adopting the learner centered approach for the classes they are
teaching because the students are benefitting in a number of ways; they are
more actively engaged with the subject, they are more motivated as learners and
they learn more skills, including discipline knowledge, collaborative and
communication skills. Learning centered education places the focus on each
student’s individual needs.
Reflective:
No longer is the
role of the teacher to just lecture in front of the class, it shifts to be the
role of architect of students’ education. One has to accept the fact that not
all students will learn at the same pace and instructions have to be amended to
reflect this and accommodate the student’s needs. An interesting realization I
have gained is that this is very much in line with the Social Learning Theory (Bandura,
1977)
where the aspect of modeling behavior by the instructor is as important as the
lecture or the content of the learning outcome. The instructor has to model
that learning is the most important factor in the class room. Students in the
Learner Centered classrooms feel significant as their opinions and ideas count
and their view points are an integral part of the classroom experience.
Especially Adult students as they have live long experiences and a need to have
their views respected. Adults are autonomous and self-directed. They must be
free to direct themselves. Educators must actively involve adult learners in
their own learning process and act as facilitators.
Interpretive:
Through personal
experiences as an Instructor for the past two years and reflecting on my own
style of teaching, which was mainly based on gut-feeling rather than science, I
realized that what has worked for me thus far is much in line with the idea of
a learning centered education approach. Soon after my first few class blocks I
learned that students are more concerned with a top mark or grade instead of
the real learning experiences. Although the school and society in general wants
us all to be graded and measured, the problem with measuring learning or
assessment of learning is that it is different with each individual, also
different for each student from topic to topic. Giving students the autonomy to
be in charge of their learning at their own pace and intensity or level,
created a more engaged class and positive learning environment. Learner
motivation and actual learning increase when learners have a stake in their own
learning and are treated as co-creators in the learning process (McCombs
& Whistler, 1997)
Decisional:
One of the more
important parts of the learning centered education model for adult learners is relevancy
of the materials. If students see the correlation between what is being taught
and how they can apply new learned knowledge in the future or at the current
work place, they will have a greater buy-in. Everything taught should have
clear relevance and application, students want to know the why and how.
Introducing industry examples contribute an important factor in the learning process.
(Barr
& Tagg, 1995)
Suggests Student-centered learning has
subtle but profound implications for instructors. To move toward in this new
model, instructors must be willing to emphasize learning while sharing power
with learners in the classroom. This can be done in a thoughtful way through
planning and the use of incremental steps. First, instructors can help learners
set goals for themselves and can offer self-directed activities through which
learners can build both their self-confidence and their learning skills. As a
result, learners become motivated to take greater control of their learning,
and instructors gain confidence in managing the new environment. Instructors
can encourage learners to discover how they learn best and apply different
strategies suitable for each learner. Sharing decision-making with learners
helps them become more self-directed. When the learner is self-directed (i.e.,
setting his or her own goals and standards), the instructor becomes a
facilitator who reviews learner-set criteria, timelines, lists of resources,
collaborations, etc. In the student-centered classroom, the learners have
choices in their education, they are responsible for their learning, they
measure their own achievement, and they have power in the classroom.
Works Cited
ARUL, L. (n.d.). The Role of ICT in learning
Centered Education. Retrieved from Academia.edu.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Leraning Theory (Albert
Bandura). Retrieved 10 8, 2013, from Instuctional design:
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html
Barr, R., & Tagg, J. (1995). From Teaching to
Learning. A new Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. , Change, 13-25.
Corley, M. A. (n.d.). Student-Centered Learning.
Retrieved from TEAL: https://teal.ed.gov/tealGuide/studentcentered
McCombs, B. l., & Whistler, J. S. (1997). The
learner-centered classroom and school: Strategies for increasing student
motivation and achievement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Merriam, S. B., & Brocket, R. G. (2007). The
Profession and Practice of Adult Education. San Fransisco, CA:
Joessey-Bass.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Journal Entry 2
“The overriding goal of
educational institutions at any level would be to learn how to learn, since
specific content becomes obsolete in a fast-changing society.”
Objective:
Real learning and
understanding are two different things, most people can learn new things but
this does not mean that the new learned knowledge is actually understood and retained
for use in real life situations. In the US more than 50% of the nation’s high
school graduates continue on to college and each year our universities and colleges
enroll thousands of students from other countries. Despite these statistics,
several recent studies have shown that many college seniors have neither good
general knowledge nor the necessary skills for reasoning in today’s society (Fink, 2003) . As an example, (Saunders, 1980) compared U.S.
students who had completed a yearlong economics course with those who had never
taken a course in economics. At the end of the course, the test scores of those
students who had completed the economics course were only 20% better than those
who had not taken the course, and this difference dropped to less than 10%
seven years after completion of the course. Equally shocking are the results of
a study of critical thinking and college faculty in California. Although most
of the faculty (75%) claimed to value critical thinking and to promote it in
the classroom, less than 19% were able to provide a clear explanation of
critical thinking, and less than 10% were able to identify criteria for
evaluating the quality of students’ thinking. The results of these studies, and
many others, strongly suggest that our current instructional practices are not
working and that many students are not learning, or retaining what they do
learn (Fink, 2003) .
Reflective:
As an instructor
I have to be greatly aware of the fact that learning new material and retention
of new knowledge are not always the same thing,
and ensure that the course materials are current, relevant and of
interest to the learner. I have to adjust my teaching methods to consider all
the different interests, reasons and motivations of students in a particular
class. I must take steps to understand why these students are taking this
class, what is it they want to get out of it, what do they need or have to
learn to be successful in their endeavor of pursuing the education they have
chosen or in the industry they work in.
Interpretive:
Encouraging
students to focus on learning rather than achieving a high grade, working with
them to help them understand the curriculum and materials in their own way,
opens their eyes and minds to new ways of learning. I have found in many of the students coming
from High School that they are missing basic learning skills, many of them were
very good at memorizing context but had no idea of how to apply this to the
rest of the course materials. Often my teaching methods were questioned, why I
would not use actual test questions during test preparations or theory time. I
would answer this by explaining that there is a difference between
understanding and memorizing material. I would help them to relate what would
be in tests to what was learned and taught during class and practical work. I
also had to build trust that all test materials and questions were touched on
and used in the class room in a very relevant way, a way that would allow the
learner to relate it to the learning outcomes.
Decisional:
Not all learners
are learning and retaining knowledge in the same way or pace, steps need to be
taken to adjust to individual learner’s needs. I have to probe for
understanding of knowledge or skills on a daily basis in order to ensure
success for each student. I have to use effective assessment strategies to assess
learning of each student. With some students extra time will have to be spent on
finding a different way of learning that will help them to align their learning
style with my teaching style. It will also involve adaptation of my teaching style
to the different learning styles of student’s. One could say, both students and
teachers teach each other to learn and teach.
Works Cited
Fink, D. L. (2003). Creating significant learning
experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. San
Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.
Saunders, P. (1980). The lasting effects of
introductory economics courses. Journal of Economic Education.
Wirth, K. R., & Perkins, D. (n.d.). Learning
to learn. Retrieved from Macalester.edu:
http://www.macalester.edu/academics/geology/wirth/learning.pdf
Journal Entry 3
“The most effective
adult learning is achieved through dialog.”
Objective:
“The most effective
adult learning is achieved through dialog”; one basic assumption of this is
that adult learning is best achieved in dialogue. Dia means “between”, logos
means “word.” Hence, dia + logue = “the word between us.” The approach to adult
learning based on these principles holds that adults have enough life
experience to be in dialogue with any teacher about any subject and will learn
new knowledge, attitudes, or skills best in relation to that life experience (Knowles, 1970) . (Vella, 1995)
Talks about twelve principles and practices that can serve as ways to approach
adult learning,
to begin, maintain and nurture dialogue. Some of these principles that stood
out the most for me were; Safety in the environment and process. Building and
maintaining sound relationships between teachers and learners, and amongst learners!
Respect for learners as decision makers. Ideas, feelings and actions; practice
cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects of learning. Engagement of the
learner in what they learn. Accountability: how do they know they know?
Reflective:
Adult learners
have different expectations about their role in the class room, they want to be
involved and in control of their learning. They come with life experiences
which they like to have respected and included in their learning. They learn
best when they have a direct say in what is learned and how it is taught. Adult
learners need to know why the lesson content is relevant to them, they want to
know and understand how it will translate into real life or the future /
current work place. Creating a safe environment that considers these points us
as teachers must engage in dialogue with the learners and educate ourselves
about the needs of our audience.
Interpretive:
The power
relationship that often exists between learner and professor can be a function
of a mechanistic system where power is frequently used to dominate. Our efforts
through dialogue education to build a world of equity and mutual responsibility
cannot be designed without attention to the power of sound relationships. We do
make the road by walking (Horton & Freire, 1990) Healthy adults’
desire to be subjects or decision makers and resist being treated as objects,
some-thing that can be used by someone else. In dialogue education, we assume
that people are not designed to be used by others. From personal experiences I
have realized that learners’ best respond when given the chance to take control
of their destination have a say in what is important to them, and what they
want or need to learn.
Decisional:
Communication and
dialogue can be some difficult aspects for any teacher or student, skills that
need to be practiced and taught at any level of education. It is most important
to create a safe environment where learners are confident to express their needs
and wants. Also by fostering sound open relationships between all learners and the
instructor, we can better understand one another. After all we all work with people,
and communication or dialogue is a crucial part of any successful organization.
People want to feel inclusion in whatever they are involved in.
Works Cited
Horton, M., & Freire, P. (1990). We make the
road by walking: conversations on education and social change.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Knowles, M. S. (1970). The modern practice of
adult education; andragogy versus pedagogy,. New York: Association Press.
Vella, J. K. (1995). Training through dialogue:
promoting effective learning and change with adults. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Works Cited
Journal Entry 4
“Adult learning should
be about developing critical thinkers who examine assumptions and the world
they live in.”
Objective:
The
art of thinking about your thinking while you are thinking in order to make
your thinking better: more clear, more accurate, or more defensible. Critical
thinking can be distinguished into two forms: "selfish" or
"sophistic", on the one hand, and "fair-minded", on the
other. In thinking critically we use our command of the elements of thinking to
adjust our thinking successfully to the logical demands of a type or mode of
thinking (Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms, 2013) . Adult
learning, critical
thinking, and decision-making are fields that receive attention individually,
although they are interspersed with elements of each other’s theories and
philosophies (Moore, 2010) . My first Joyce was
to go with “Without the doing, without the taking action, all of the analysis
or reflection is disempowered” but quickly learned the two statements have to
go hand in hand. (Moore, 2010) Notes that; one without the other creates weakness;
all must be present if learning is to be effective and rewarding. Critical
thinking should lead to better decision making and confident decisiveness in
adult learners. While adults are responsive to some external motivators (better
jobs, promotions, higher salaries, and the like), the most potent motivators
are internal pressures (the desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem,
quality of life, and the like).
Reflective:
In a survey of Business and None Profit
Leaders, more than 75 percent of those surveyed
say they want more emphasis on five key areas including: critical thinking, complex problem solving, written
and oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings (Employers More Interested in Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving Than College Major, 2013) . This seems to be in
agreement with many educators that support the importance of critical thinking
skills in the class room. Giving the learners’ the opportunities to practice
critical thinking and approaches will not only help them in achieving their
goals it also creates greater engagement and class room participation, thus a
more productive learning environment for all students.
Interpretive:
One of the
greatest insights I gained as a result of this research is how interconnected
critical thinking and characteristics of an adult learner are. It has to be
said, that not only is critical thinking a must in adult education but it is
also the backbone of why and how adults pursue education. They want to know
what they are learning and how they are going to learn it, they also want to
know why it is important to know and how it will impact them in their job or
career.
Decisional:
Incorporating
activities that stimulate critical thinking is key, group discussions and group
projects are a great way to involve the students in engaging in critical processes.
Developing assessment strategies that involve the learner in the assessment process
is another strategy that will allow for critical thinking and thought process. Giving
students the autonomy over their learning by allowing for input to the learning
content and delivery will encourage learners to take control over their learning.
This falls into a constructivist type approach where learners construct their own
knowledge, plan and direct their own learning. As an instructor my role is more
that of an architect and facilitator of learning.
Employers More Interested in Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving Than College Major.
(2013, April 10). Retrieved from AAC&U :
http://www.aacu.org/press_room/press_releases/2013/leapcompactandemployersurvey.cfm
Glossary of Critical Thinking Terms. (2013). Retrieved from The Critical Thinking
Community:
http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/glossary-of-critical-thinking-terms/496
Moore, K. (2010). The Three-Part Harmony of. Journal
of Adult Education, 39(1). Retrieved from
http://www.mpaea.org/docs/pdf/Vol39No12010.pdf
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