EFFECTIVE TEACHING & LEARNING: LATEST RESEARCH A Presentation for Program on Improving Quality in Educational Systems June 10, 2003

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EFFECTIVE TEACHING LEARNING LATEST
RESEARCH A Presentation for Program on
Improving Quality in Educational SystemsJune
10, 2003

• Evangeline Harris Stefanakis, Ed.D.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education

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WHAT IS EFFECTIVE TEACHING LEARNING?

• Personalize connect to individuals
• Use Interaction active learning/ working in
  groups
• Focus Understanding - Mastery of Competencies
• Use Multiple Formats in Curriculum/Assessment

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A Century of Learning Theories Examine the
relationships of student, content, and teacher
Student
Teacher
Content
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Behaviorist Learning Theory(B.F. Skinner
)Teacher as Transmitter of Knowledge
Student
Teacher
Content
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Research based Concerns with Behaviorist
Learning

• Intelligence can not be measured
• Some students learn, many do not
• Student motivation is limited
• Student participation is limited
• Student retention is limited
• Student learning is dependent on incentives

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Constructivist Learning Theories (Dewey, Bruner,
Piaget, Chomsky)Learner Constructs Knowledge
-Teacher As Guide
Student
interaction
Teacher
Content
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Socio-Cultural Learning Theories (Vygotsky,
Lennenberg)Learning is Social Interaction -
Context is Key
Student
Social / Cultural Context
interaction
Teacher
Content
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Multiple Intelligence Theories (Gardner,
Sternberg, )Learner Constructs Knowledge Focus
on Individuals
Student
Multiple Formats for Instruction Assesment
Teacher
Content
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LEARNERS CONSTRUCT THEIR MEANING (Piaget, Dewey,
Bruner )

• To learn is to invent on your own. ( Piaget)
• Understanding is constructing your own knowledge.
  (Dewey, Bruner, Chomsky)
• Learning is assimilating and accommodating new
  information. (Piaget)
• Learning is information processing

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NO SINGLE INTELLIGENCE, BUT MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCESGardner 1993, Sternberg 1994

• All people have all 8 intelligences
• Each individual has a unique profile
• Effective learning is personalized
• Individuals learn in different ways so
  multiple assessments guides instruction
• Learning is active, not a passive process

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How do students learn best? What does good
teaching look like? TIMMS Tape and
simulation!!! 1) What are students doing? 2) What
are teachers doing? 3) How is the content being
translated? FOCUSED OBSERVATION GROUPS
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IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHINGCHANGING ROLES TEACHERS

• Shift Beliefs/Actions
• Classroom Activity
• Teacher Role
• Student Role
• Instruction
• Concepts
• Demonstration
• Assessment

• Knowledge Transfer to Construction
• Teacher Centered to Learner Center
• Fact Teller to Facilitator or Guide
• Listener to Collaborator
• Facts/Memory -Relationships/Inquiry
• Accumulate Facts to Transform Facts
• Quantity vs. Quality of Understanding
• Multiple Choice Vs Competency- Multiple
  Assessments Performances

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Effective Teaching Research suggests

• 1. Effective teachers adjust their instruction
  to
• The Goals- Expectations of the system
• The Content- Requirements of their subject
• The Context- In school factors
• The Context- Out of school factors
• 2. Use a variety of techniques to teach reteach
  content
• 3. Effective teachers use a sequence of skill
  training
• 4. Effective teachers are motivated to improve
  their teaching

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Recent Research Suggests...
Time on Task
Learning Materials
Curriculum
Increased Learning
Quality of Teaching
Teachability
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Out of School Factors What does research
suggest...
Please examine Handout 2 Out of School
Factors Which factors apply to your educational
system? What unique factors would you add to
this list?
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In School Factors-What research suggests

• Resources defined as access to school, school
  size, condition of building, school furnishing,
  materials for learning, school staff
• Research supports the need for
• 1) a building a teacher
• 2) learning materials (books, writing tools,
  blackboards)
• Research suggests
• 1) Overcrowding poor lighting, ventilation, do
  not necessarily affect achievement, but do affect
  attitudes of teachers and learners
• 2) The role of class size depends on the context,
  teachers perform better with smaller class size
  fewer grade level groups
• 3) teachers of multi-grades, or multi-shifts need
  more training materials
• 4) Double shifts- due to lack of facilities-
  affects teacher performance

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In School Factors- What research suggests

• Time Allocation- defined as time spent on task,
  daily time in the classroom, length of school
  year
• Research supports the need for
• 1) Increased time on task
• 2) Increased time on subjects
• Research suggests
• 1) Time allotted for tasks should be matched to
  educational objectives.
• the students, the subject, and the environment,
• 2) Optimal patterns vary according to the
  teachers style of combining
• formal presentation, interactive teaching,
  mixed activities.

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In School Factors-What research suggests...

• Classroom Management -defined as teacher
  instructional strategies, attitudes, teacher
  organization
• Research supports the need for
• 1) Instructional strategies which include
• Clear oral language defined goals
• Flexible Grouping of students
• Learning technologies re-teaching the content
• 2) Teacher attitudes which include
• Prompting students, giving feedback, assessing
  students learning often
• 3 ) Teacher organization which includes
• pacing lessons, monitoring learning, combining
  assessment instruction
• 2) Optimal patterns for instructional activities
  consider

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To Summarize, reconsider a process. Create
a Design for your SystemFocus on Quality of
Teaching LearningUsing Research as a Guide
Handout 10 -Follow-up Planning A Process of
Teacher Development