What do we know about student learning

1
What do we know about student learning?

• QUT Sessional Academic Program, 14 March 2009
• Fiona Lombard, Teaching and Learning Support
  Services

2
Learning outcomes from this Session

• From this session you should be better able to
• Discuss some ideas around how and why learning
  takes place
• Identify ways to encourage student learning and
  to engage students in the learning process
• Apply factors and approaches which underpin
  student learning to your own teaching and
  interactions with students

3
How do you learn (as an adult)?

• Activity 1
• Think of something you know you are good at
• Write a few words about how you became good at
  this

4
Learning Theories

• Many theories surrounding adult learning styles
• Popular discussions revolve around cognitive
  styles or the way individuals prefer to process
  information
• Examples include
• Activists or doers, reflectors, theorists,
  planners,
• Innovative learners, analytical learners, dynamic
  self-directed learners, experiential or
  hands-on learners
• Visual, auditory, or prefer a combination of
  stimuli
• Intelligence Theories

5
A Constructivist Approach to Learning

•  Constructivism is the term used to refer to
  building up your knowledge by connecting new
  information with your existing information and
  forming concepts or constructs which are models
  of reality  (Biggs, 2003).
• Learners construct meaning for themselves through
  active engagement (thinking, explaining and doing
  rather than memorising or reciting facts)
• Learners make links between what is taught and
  the learners own real life experiences,
  interests and abilities
• Constructing meaning is individual and social.
  Learners need opportunities to collaborate/talk
  to each other

6
What do Learning Styles tell us?

• Learning styles
• Help us to remember that each of us has different
  learning preferences, strengths and weaknesses
• Remind us to ensure we offer something for
  everyone and combine a mix of methods and
  preferences in learning activities and
  interventions
• Dont forget you will also have a preferred
  learning style (s) which will influence what you
  do and how you approach and select learning
  activities

7
2 Questions to Consider

• What kinds of learning do we want to encourage
  and promote with our students?
• How can we promote this learning in light of such
  diversity of learners and learning styles?

8
Activity 2

• Read the two examples of teaching styles
• How do they differ?

9
Categories of learning

• Quantitative increase in knowledge acquiring
  knowledge, knowing a lot
• Memorising storing information that can be
  reproduced
• Acquiring facts, skills and methods that can be
  retained and used as necessary
• Making sense, abstracting meaning, relating parts
  of the subject matter to each other and the real
  world
• Interpreting and understanding reality in a
  different way. Comprehending the world by
  reinterpreting knowledge
• (Saljo, in Ramsden, 2003, pp..27-28)

10
Making learning meaningful Surface versus deep
learning

• Surface Learning
• Learning remembering to repeat facts at a later
  date
• Rote learning without understanding
• Memorise information for assessment
• Narrow view, concentrate on detail
• Fail to distinguish principles from examples
• Stick closely to course requirements
• Motivated by fear of failure (extrinsic)

• Deep Learning
• Learning actively seeking to understand
  material/subject
• Interact vigorously with the content
• Make use of evidence, inquiry and evaluation
• Broad view relates new ideas to previous
  knowledge and integrates ideas/tasks
• Read and study beyond course requirements
• Motivated by interest (intrinsic)
• (UCD, Dublin, 2003)

11
Strategic Approach to Learning

• Strategic Learning
• Cue seeking learners

12
In students own words...

• "Learning is about getting it into your head.
  You've just to keep writing it out and eventually
  it will go in". (Student 1)
• "Learning is about trying to understand things so
  you can see what is going on. You've got to be
  able to explain things, not just remember them".
  (Student 2)
• "When you have really learned something you kind
  of see things you couldn't see before. Everything
  changes". (Student 3) from Gibbs
  (1990)
• What approach to learning do you want your
  students and take and how can you encourage this
  approach?

13
Activity 3

• Going back to your earlier example of something
  you are good at, write a few words about why you
  think you became good at this / what helped you?

14
Some principles of adult learning

• Has to have a purpose
• Needs to be linked to learners own experiences
• Needs to be problem-centred and linked to real
  life situations (practical)
• Is enhanced if it is collaborative and social
• Is enhanced by positive feedback
• Is closely linked to self concept, values and
  beliefs

15
Promoting Student Learning 1

• Deep approaches are stimulated by challenging
  assessments, teaching which stresses meaning and
  relevance to students, opportunities for choice,
  interest in and background to the subject matter,
  and explicit, clearly stated academic
  expectations (Ramsden, 2003)
• Planning learning opportunities which allow them
  to build up their learning, stepwise, in their
  own individual ways (Morss and Murray, 2005)

16
Promoting Student Learning 2

• Applying classroom gathered knowledge to real
  world problems - inquiry based teaching (seeking
  the right answer versus developing inquiring
  minds )
• Cooperative learning
• Project-based learning
• Design-based - understanding and application of
  knowledge e.g. creating, assessing, redesigning,
  self and peer assessing and collaborating. Often
  used in disciplines such as science, technology,
  art

17
Learning Activities are...

• ...vehicles through which learning occurs e.g.
• making notes (from lectures, videos or print
  materials)
• Team work / group discussions
• Role playing
• Debates
• Accessing and completing exercises
• Information and data gathering
• Practical sessions
• Laboratory work
• Field work

18
A Question

• Given the variety of learning activities
  available, what is the basis for choosing to use
  one or some of these activities over others?

19
An Answer and an Additional Question

• The answer depends on how you answer the
  question What do students need to do in order
  to demonstrate that they have met the learning
  objective?
• Be aware of or have knowledge of
• Describe
• Explain
• Analyse
• Judge
• Create
• Evaluate

20
Learning Activities to Promote Deep Learning

• making forward and backward references
• comparing and contrasting
• categorising and classifying
• predicting
• explaining (summarising, describing, discussing,
  defining)
• generating multiple solutions
• planning, justifying and strategising
• reflecting (evaluating, integrating, extending,
  generalising)
• meta-communication about the learning process.
• adapted from Dufresne, Leonard and Gerace
  (19958-10)

21
Six Principles of Effective Teaching in Higher
Education

• Interest and explanation
• Concern and respect for students and student
  learning
• Appropriate assessment and feedback
• Clear goals and intellectual challenge
• Learner independence and engagement
• Learning from students
• (Gibbs, 1990)

22
Taking the Pulse of your Students -

• Watch them
• animated or disinterested?
• Talking about the subject during the break or
  after class?
• Consider what stimulates their interest
• Talk to them
• Discuss the issue of personal learning styles
  with students
• Vary activities and communicate this to them
• Make them aware that they will at times need to
  move beyond their comfort zone for learning and
  that this is not your fault or their
• Evidence of reading
• Ask them post it notes, voting