Learning Contracts

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Learning Contracts

• A Presentation by Jason Jennings
• for Curriculum in Practise I
• (Prof. Robert Sargent, MSVU)
• November 2005

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• What is a learning contract?
• a written agreement between teachers and students
  that outline what students will learn, how they
  will learn it, in what period of time, and how
  they will be evaluated (Parke, 1989, pp.70-71).
• a.k.a
• learning plans
• learning commitments
• study plans
• learning agreements
• self-development plans

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• secondary education can seek to move from
  pedagogy (teacher-directed learning) to androgogy
  (student-directed learning) ? adult education
• androgogy theorist Malcolm S. Knowles
• many post-secondary institutions employ learning
  contracts to adhere to androgogical ideals
• Knowles outlines need of self-directed learner
• The need to know.
• The need to be self-directing.
• The need to have the learners' unique experiences
  taken into account.
• The need to gear learning to the learners'
  readiness to learn.
• The need to organize learning around life tasks
  or life problems.
• The need to promote intrinsic motivations.
• learning contracts can meet these needs

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• informal, understood contracts already exist in
  traditional education
• student agrees to attend class
• teacher set expectations and activities for
  achievement of outcomes
• student performs activities for reward of grades,
  skills, knowledge, greater understanding
• teacher agrees to assess activities based on a
  pre-determined scale or rubric

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• What are the benefits of a learning contract?
• allow students to engage actively in the
  decision-making process, directing their course
  of study
• helps students to set daily and weekly work goals
  and develop management skills
• allows students to work independently
• allows students to work at an appropriate pace
• targets learning styles and multiple
  intelligences
• eliminates unnecessary skill practice
• helps teacher keep track of each students
  progress
• can be used for enrichment or whole-class
  activities
• could be used a part of curriculum compaction
• varies learning by content, process and product

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• What are the hazards of a learning contract?
• Discomfort, insecurity about reaching desired
  academic goals/grade, fear because idea is
  unfamiliar to many students
• Tensions honesty in grading, autonomy vs.
  heteronomy, illusion of vs. real empowerment
  (ownership of learning)
• Time commitment

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• What are the issues of implementations of a
  learning
• contract?
• Importance, nature extent of teacher guidance
• Flexibility freedom vs. structure limitations
  (Scope quantity of decisions initially to be
  made by student, idea of amendment to contract)
• Trust between teacher and student
• Class size time commitment
• Comfort and teaching experience

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"Contract learning is, in essence, an
alternative way of structuring a learning
experience It replaces a content plan with a
process plan." -Malcolm S. Knowles
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• What are the components a learning contract?
• what will be learned (ie. outcomes, knowledge,
  skills)
• how it will be learned (ie. activities, projects,
  readings, learning behaviours)
• amount of time for learning (ie. due dates,
  recommended duration periods for activites)
• how the work will be evaluated (ie. grading based
  on pre-test results, total-point structure,
  rubrics posted in advance, self-correction)
• signatures of student, teacher and possibly
  parent/guardian (optional)

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..contract grading allows the instructor to
incorporate a number of learning principles into
grade contracts. -Thompson and Poppen
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• What are the guidelines of a learning contract?
• ensure that student has mastered basic concepts
  (ie. pre-testing)
• match the skills to the readiness of the learner
• match the content to readiness, interest, and
  learning profile (ie. learning styles, multiple
  intelligences) of the student
• allow student choice, especially in the
  content-based topics
• provide rules for contract in writing
• establish clear and challenging standards for
  success
• blend both skills and content-based learning in
  the contract
• vary the levels of independence and time span to
  match student readiness

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• What are the guidelines of a learning contract?
  (contd)
• prepare enrichment activities and assemble
  materials (these should require students to
  respond at more advanced levels of cognitive
  domain theories (ie. Blooms Taxonomy, Ebels
  Relevance Guide, Six Facets of Understanding
  Wiggins McTighe)
• install a schedule for re-examining/revising
  contract with individual student (if necessary)
• define what evidence will be presented to
  demonstrate that the outcomes have been
  accomplished
• clearly explain how evidence will be evaluated
• specify how much credit is to be awarded and what
  grade is to be given

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• What are the guidelines of a learning contract?
  (contd)
• refrain from giving excessive directions as
  instructor
• emphasize self-competition de-emphasize
  competition with others (encouraging cooperative,
  peer learning activities)
• develop with students a sense of freedom from the
  threat of failure
• provide feedback to student on the
  appropriateness of her or his efforts through
  self-evaluation of student
• generalize learning to other life situations
• provide physical space for students on contracts
  to work
• allow students to present products to whole class
  or smaller group
• allow students to return to non-contracted
  student group if expectations of individual
  contracts not being met

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Instruction begins where the students are,
not at the front of the curriculum
guide. -Carol Ann Tomlinson
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• What are the DOs of learning contracts?
• help students set realistic deadlines
• explain the role and function of contracts
• renegotiate the contract when it isnt working
• involve students gradually in contract
  development
• start small, ie. 1- or 2-day contracts

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• What are the DONTs of learning contracts?
• do not expect all students to be able to or want
  to use contracts
• do not expect all students to like contracts
• do not assume contracts can take the place of
  regular instruction
• do not use contracts without a good classroom
  management system

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"Allowing students to decide which grade they
wish to strive for, which activities they will
engage in, and how they will demonstrate that
they have satisfactorily completed their studies
permits a teacher to seize upon powerful
motivating forces within individual students.
-Frymier
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• Questions for further discussion
• What are consequences for off-task behaviour of
  contracted students?
• Does contract learning increase paperwork for
  teacher?
• How does a teacher reckon a grades for contracted
  and non-contracted students in the same class?

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• BIBLIOGRAPHY FURTHER READING
• Caffarella, R. S., Caffarella, E. P. (1986).
  Self-directedness and learning contracts in adult
  education. Adult Education Quarterly, 36(4), 226
  - 234.
• Cross, K. P. (1981). Adults as Learners. San
  Francisco, CA
• Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-Directed Learning.
  New York Cambridge, The Adult Education Company.
  
• Knowles, M. S. (1980). The Modern Practice of
  Adult Education From Pedagogy to Andragogy.
  Englewood Cliffs, NJ Cambridge Adult Education.
• Knowles, M. S. (1986). Using Learning Contracts.
  San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.
• Parke, B. N. (1989). Gifted Students in Regular
  Classrooms. Needam Heights, MA Allyn Bacon.
• Thompson, C. Poppen, W. (1972). For Those Who
  Care Ways of Relating to Youth. Columbus, Ohio
  Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.
• Tomlinson, C. (1995a). How to Differentiate
  Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms.
  Alexandria, VA Association for Supervision and
  Curriculum Development.
• Tomlinson, Carol Ann (1999). The Differentiated
  Classroom Responding to the Needs of All
  Learners. Association for Supervision
  Curriculum Development
• Winebrenner, Susan (1992). Teaching Gifted Kids
  in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MA Free
  Spirit Publishing Inc.
• URL http//members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/diff
  erentiating_article.html. Enhanced Learning with
  Technology
• URL http//www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resou
  rces/readingdifferentiation.asp. The Access
  Center Differentiated Instruction
• URL http//www.southlakecarroll.edu/index.htm.
  Carroll Independent School District
  Differentiated Instruction
• URL http//www.ucd.ie/teaching/assess/as11.htm.
  Learning Contracts