Good evening… As you arrive… Please sit ‘evenly’ at tables Discuss with a partner the following: What are the main differences between a behaviourist and humanist approach to teaching and learning? Which is most suitable for your own subject specialism? Why? 08/12/2011 CGAP Direct TOT Session 5

To get the party spirit going we are going to play a game

teams of equal numbers Each team has one envelope First person takes one of the cards out of the envelope and without saying the word on the paper describes the famous person. Once answered the envelope can pass to the next person, who takes another paper and describes to the next person in the line and so on. First team to empty envelope WINS !!!!

Learning outcomes Identify the key characteristics of Cognitivism Identify the key characteristics of Constructivism Apply what you have learnt so far about Behaviourism, Humanism and Cognitivism/Constructivism to your own teaching practice

Cognitivism Cognitivism places the focus on mental processes such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving. These are, of course, unobservable processes, which is why Cognitivists describe it as opening the “black box” of the human mind. Cognitivists place focus on how we gain and organise knowledge (cognise)

Key points knowledge is a process rather than a product learning is a cognitive process which involves the learner in: acquiring new information, transforming the learning with regard to existing knowledge and then, checking the knowledge against a new situation a curriculum as it develops should revisit basic ideas repeatedly, building upon them until the student has grasped the full concept – the Spiral Curriculum knowledge is a process rather than a product

Key points cont. education should train one’s powers of ‘reflective thinking’ and ‘the teachers influence is paramount’ the key to effective learning is the students relating their new learning to existing cognitive structures prior experience with related problems is necessary for a learner to deal successfully with new and novel situations Cognitivists argue that our mind actively processes information and converts it into new forms and categories

How do we do this in the classroom? Let learners discover things for themselves. In discussions let learners lead them Point out the structure of the topic - Stress relationships Point out what learners already know and what they need to know (advance organisers) If your learners want to find out answers to something personal USE IT- if you can relate it personally your are more likely to explore it and remember it. All of these are related to the importance of the structure of the subject – so you are attempting to promote learning through insight of the cognitive structures of the subject and the concepts embodied in it. Cognitivists argue that: Students learn best when they gain insight to and understand the underlying structure of the knowledge. They need to be active in seeking new information and need to be active in the teaching methods. They learn best when they discover concepts for themselves.

So what was the point of the game? In groups discuss and present

Group activity 2 jigsaw paragraph – you can only read your card and must listen to the others to construct a compete paragraph. What is this about? Using prior knowledge in our brains. IF given the narrative we don’t use all this knowledge of grammar, construction , listening etc. to make the whole.

Group activity 3 Put the right answers in the boxes

A Constructivist approach…. Teachers make assumptions about what students know at the start Teachers should start by finding out what ideas students currently have to see if they need to construct new ones Learners may share learning experiences but will each construct their own meaning This is continuous – we are always constructing new meanings and understanding

Applied to learning………….. The purpose is to allow individuals to construct their own meaning, not just memorise “right answers” The curriculum should therefore be customised to the students’ prior knowledge Teachers should focus on fostering new understanding, encouraging learners to analyse, interpret, and predict information This should be an active process and students should take responsibility for it

Compare with original ideas Organiser Entry Behaviour Compare with original ideas Restructuring Applying Review

Consider the constructivist model Do you agree that learners should be given the opportunity to construct their own meaning rather than just memorising “correct answers” If you think they should then use the model above to say how you will encourage this in your practice i.e. give examples of how you will develop this behaviour AND think about how you already do this

Some thoughts from Vygotsky… What do you think? Teach knowledge OR skills? Learners can get up-to-date knowledge from the internet or books Learners should work at a level above their present capacity Children engage more in play than academic instruction. Is it the same for young people?

Bringing it all together Read the outcomes for the assignment Complete the final task Relate to the assignment

Have a great Christmas!