Applied Learning in Practice

1. Applied Learning in Practice Desley Forrest Sharon Graham Rebekah Haagsma

2. What is Applied Learning? • Contemporary theoretical perspectives of education • Understanding how adults learn best is part of being an effective teacher/educator • Principles of applied learning informed by the national teaching Standards

3. 1. Start where Learner is at. “Learners enter an educational experience at different levels of readiness for transformative learning” (Mezirow,1991)

4. 2. Negotiate the curriculum. Engage in a dialogue with learners about their curriculum. Negotiating the curriculum is essential as it assists learners to; • take responsibility and ownership for their learning (Itin, 2014). • enhances the likelihood of learning (Boud, 1988). • Ensures that it is learner centred (Dewey as cited by Vale, 2010).

5. 3. Share knowledge. Recognise the knowledge learners bring to the learning environment We are not the fount of all knowledge, but there to facilitate the active thinking of learners to build their knowledge (Itin, 1999).

6. 4. Connect with communities and real life experiences. What employers, governments and nations require are learners that display attributes necessary for knowledge building communities: learners who can create, innovate, and communicate in their chosen profession. (Herrington & Herrington, 2006)

7. 5. Build resilience, confidence and self-worth – consider the whole person. The whole person needs to be considered when in a learning environment. Dispositions of the learner can engage or hinder their learning, they could be emotional, behavioural and academic. (Gibbs & Poskitt, 2010).

8. 6. Integrate learning – the whole task and the whole person. In life we use a range of skills and knowledge. Learning should reflect the integration that occurs in real life tasks. Applied learning is about working with learners as a whole person in a holistic manner (Harrison, 2005).

9. 7.Promote diversity of learning styles and methods. Everyone learns differently. Accept that different learning styles require different learning/teaching methods. But value experiential, practical and ‘hands on’ ways of learning As a teacher, we must realise that not all students will be ready or willing to adopt particular methods of learning (Boud, 1998).

10. 8. Assess appropriately. Use the assessment method that best ‘fits’ the learning content and context. “does the method best fit the learning context, or in other words does the assessment allow the learner to show what they can do with their knowledge not just regurgitate it”. (Herrington and Herrington, 2006).

11. Questions

12. Leave you with this thought….. We as educators are preparing students to live independently in the world. If there is any responsibility in the cycle of life it must be that one generation owes to the next that strength by which it can come to face ultimate concerns in its own way. Erik Erikson 1902 - 1994

13. Reference • Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2012). Graduate Teachers- AITSL, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from AITSL, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/Download • Boud, D. c1988, Moving toward autonomy (in) Boud, D. J.: Developing student autonomy in learning, Kogan Page, London • Harrison, L. 'What is applied learning? : exploring understandings of applied learning amongst beginning teachers', AARE CONFERENCE 2006, Adelaide • Gibbs, R., Poskitt, J. (2010). Student engagement in in the middle years of schooling (years 7-10). New Zealand: Ministry of Education. • Herrington, A. c2006, What is an authentic learning environment? (in) Herrington, Anthony, Herrington, Jan., ebrary, Inc.: Authentic learning environments in higher education, Information Science Pub., Hershey, PA • Itin. C.M., 1999, 'Reasserting the philosophy of experiential education as a vehicle for change in the 21st century', The Journal of experiential education • Mezirow, J. 1991, Fostering transformative adult learning (in) Mezirow, Jack: Transformative dimensions of adult learning, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco • Vale, C, Weaven, M, Davies, A & Hooley, N 2010, ‘Student centred approaches: teachers’ learning and practice’, paper presented at the Shaping the future of mathematics education: Proceedings of the 33rd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, viewed 21 May 2013, http://www.merga.net.au/documents/MERGA33_ValeEtAl.pdf