Approaches to Learning Ways of Learning 1

1. Approaches to Learning Ways of Learning 1 Year 1 PS Semester 2 Week 3

2. Word grid: find the 9 letter word and see how many words of 3 letters and over you can make using the centre letter in all words and each letter only once.

3. Thoughts so far on…….. Your personal learning experiences: • Were they positive or negative learning experiences? What made them so? • Were there any “significant breakthrough” moments? What triggered these? • Who played a significant part in your learning- how? • Compare e.g. learning to cycle with learning to read. Similarities? Differences? • Is all successful learning fundamentally the same?

4. SELF STUDY This is a very full seminar, so you will need to look at the PowerPoint on the LN and follow up the video links and references in your own time.

5. What did the Victorians believe about learning?

6. What do we believe now?

7. Educational Theory • Over the next few weeks we will be discussing key theorists but today will focus on Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner And Bruner and some of the theories that they put forward –e.g. constructivism, behaviourism – note links with Child Development module semester 1. • It is important that you know about and read further about these theories as they underpin much of what you will see today in the 21st Century classroom.

8. Prior to 1960s Teaching methods primarily influenced by Pavlov, Skinner and Watson – the behaviourists Believed that learning was through classical conditioning –learning through association Child seen as passive receiver of knowledge Led to teaching by direct instruction – didactic, chalk & talk Little reference to developmental stages of the child which might affect what s/he can understand Historical influences on teaching style

9. 1960s Work of Piaget (cognitivist) and Vygotsky (social constructivist) became influential (tho’ their theories were put forward during 1930s and 40s) ‘Child centred’ theory of learning challenged didactic teaching Both development psychologists recognised that children have their own way of thinking. They are not little adults. Plowden Report 1967 -recommended a shift away from didactic teaching to child centred teaching Historical influences on teaching style

10. Burrhus Skinner 1904-1990 • EARLY LIFE • Stable family life in a small railroad town in Pennsylvania • His inventive interests came early • http://www.davidsonfilms.com/giants-of-psychology/b.-f.-skinner-fresh-appraisal

11. Rewards • What rewards have you seen used to reinforce desired behaviour / learning in the classroom and beyond? • Are there any disadvantages to offering rewards?

12. Limitations of the approach • Work was carried out on rodents & pigeons but applied to humans – its critics say it provides a simplistic view of human learning & motivation • Rewards can be counter-productive – EXTRINSIC v INTRINSIC motivation • Child is seen as passive receiver of knowledge • Led in the past to teaching by direct instruction – didactic, chalk & talk • Ignores emotion & complexities of human behaviour – no ‘mind’ or ‘soul’ only a brain! • Focuses on behaviour rather than thinking or feeling – so can be authoritarian by nature • Ignores judgement / reflection / ways patterns of learning can be adapted to new information • Little reference to developmental stages of the child which might affect what s/he can understand

13. Jean Piaget 1896 - 1980 • Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, was the first person to propose an overall theory of cognitive development, based on the way children of different ages behave. His theory is called CONSTRUCTIVISM • http://www.davidsonfilms.com/giants-of-psychology/piagets-developmental-theory-overview?zenid=vgo93fld6ufbruu62obpcu6hr5

14. His theory: • Based on the idea that the minds of young babies work in very different ways from the minds of adults – they are not mini-adults • Thinking passes through a series of distinct and consecutive stages en route to its adult form.

15. Key ideas • Schema: the mental representations that develop as children have new experiences & put new ideas together (Ref: Child Development Semester 1) • Assimilation: the process of taking in and recognising when experiencing something new • Accommodation: the process of learning by altering existing states of knowledge • Disequilibrium: new ideas cause discomfort. They need to be assimilated to restore equilibrium – feeling comfortable with our thinking.

16. PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT:

17. Implications for Learning & Teaching • Ideas & knowledge should be presented at a level consistent with that the child is at • Teaching should be matched to the needs of the individual: children need to be presented with experiences that trigger assimilation & accommodation – e.g. when teaching a new concept in science, we must ask how closely this is related to the child’s previous learning (accommodation) or is it completely new (assimilation). • Learning should be supported by action – first-hand experience • Periods of play & exploration are needed for development

18. Limitations • Piaget used a limited range of subjects in a clinical situation – including his own three children! • The stages are not a continuous development but are ‘shifts’ in thinking; implying a ceiling on children’s development rather than emphasising what they can do. • There is too little emphasis on the social and emotional aspects of learning. [Susan Isaacs] • There is not enough emphasis on the social components of the learning experience. [Lev Vygotsky]

19. Activity

20. Lev Vygotsky 1896-1934 Born in 1896 in Orsha, Belarus. Grew up in Gomel in prosperous Jewish family. Attended Moscow University, majoring in law. Graduated 1918. Returned to Gomel and taught in a wide variety of situations and pursued the study of psychology. In 1924 he moved to Moscow, frenetically working on an amazingly diverse set of projects. He died of tuberculosis in 1934, leaving a wealth of work that is still being explored. http://www.davidsonfilms.com/giants-of-psychology/vygotskys-developmental-theory-introduction?zenid=f5oqqs4742agmjsmpvt8r4s2l7

21. Social Constructivism • Social constructivism is a form of cognitive constructivism that emphasises the collaborative nature of much learning • Vygotsky admired Piaget’s work but did not see the child as ‘lone-explorer’ • He believed that social and cultural influences crucially influence intellectual development, and was particularly interested in the role of language and social interaction. • He also thought that play and imagination were important to development and learning

22. Or put more simply… The difference between what a child can learn alone and what he can learn through interaction with others.

23. Implications for Vygotsky’s thinking on classroom practice • Play is important as it helps children to experiment with new roles and ideas and stimulates cognitive development • Teacher needs to take into account what child already knows and believes and plan accordingly. • Giving support to learners at the appropriate time and level allows further understanding • Learning can be supported through discussion, practical activities, resources etc. • Children should be engaged in active learning with the teacher actively assisting what they are doing • The thinking that peers are important influences on learning has led to co-operative group work. • Children need to be taught appropriate language and how to use it so skills can be transferred to other contexts. • NLS and NNS are essentially Vygotskyan

24. Potential limitations to Vygotsky’s work: • In emphasising the nurture side of learning (the impact of others and the scaffolding they offer to learning), it could be argued that there is not enough emphasis on children’s role in their own development – the nature of learning and the child’s own personality. • Some of Vygotsky’s critics have taken issue with his methodologies as much of his work was not based on empirical evidence but were untested ideas or hypotheses.

25. Continues the constructivist approach to learning Introduced term ‘scaffolding’ – the way in which new ideas are presented to us can influence the way in which we master them Model for understanding includes perception, thought, language, other symbol systems,, creativity, intuition, personality and motivation. Children represent experiences and turn them into knowledge. They move between stages. Spiral curriculum Thus, the extent to which a teacher varies presentation to fit content, and provides stimuli and prompts to aid a lesson, affects the extent to which pupils can grasp new concepts. Jerome Bruner 1915 –‘Knowing how something is put together is worth a thousand facts about it’

27. The poster “presentation” • Not assessed, but do think about making it interesting for your audience. Done in seminar groups/rooms. • During the seminar you will be directed by your tutor to a specific board to put your poster on.

28. You will also include an Assignment Diary: • 1 per group • In a plastic assignment folder • Including a group assignment cover sheet – all names / numbers • Agreed guidelines for group work (seminar 2) • A ‘register’ of dates of meetings and attendance • Agreed areas of responsibility with agreed deadlines, outcomes etc. This needs to convey to the marker the contributions of each group member. • Hand in with poster in Week 8 seminar

29. No seminar in Week 4 • Use next week’s seminar time to work on your poster. • There is a LL though: more about learning styles and an introduction to multiple intelligences. • Make sure your diary is up to date. • Check assignment details / marking criteria carefully.Have you met them all?

30. Word grid: find the 9 letter word and see how many words of 3 letters and over you can make using the centre letter in all words and each letter only once.

31. Bibliography / Further Reading • Kyriacou, C. (1997) Effective Teaching in Schools: (Theory and Practice, (2nd edition)) Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Chapter 3: How Pupils Learn • Potter, R. Chapter 5: An Introduction to Children’s Learning in Jacques, K. and Hyland, R. (2000) Professional Studies: Primary Phase. Exeter: Learning Matters • Pritchard, A. (2005) Ways of Learning: Learning Theories and Learning Styles in the Classroom. London: David Fulton (or 2011 updated edition) • Wood, D. (1998) 2nd edition, How Children Think and Learn. Oxford: Blackwell

32. INDEPENDENT STUDY TASK Meet your assignment group. Read Sotto, E, (1994) When teaching becomes learning (In reading pack)