1. Learning Theory

2. Adult Learning Principles (Knowles)
Principles of adult learning;
The need to know — why do I need to learn it?
Learner self-concept — responsible for own decisions/ treated as capable of self-direction
Role of learners' experience — own experiences the richest resource for learning
Readiness to learn —ready to learn those things they need to know in order to cope effectively with life situations.
Orientation to learning — motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that it will help them perform tasks they confront in their life situations.
Motivation – internal rather than external
Good place to start is with Knowles. He addresses a number of items on that list
Go through these and explain a little more fully.
Ask group – does this seem valid to them?
Reference them back to your heavy focus on why they need to know about learning theory at the induction day and the start of today. In doing this I was attempting to enhance the need to know, the readiness, the orientation and the motivation.

3. What is ‘knowledge’?
What is ‘learning’?

4. Hand round sheet of pictures and get students into pairs and threes to talk about what each says to them about process of learning.
Give them a few minutes then draw out some responses to each picture, with the overall aim of making the point that when we start to think about it learning is much more than the piccy in the top r hand corner, and that there are many types and facets

5. What is learning? A process, or a product?
A change in knowledge, beliefs, behaviours or attitudes?
Adaptability?

6. What have you had to learn to do your job?

7. Michael Eraut Knowing others Knowledge of ..
People
Situations
Practice
Conceptual
Process
Control
Managing oneself & one’s own behaviour
Ability to read the situation one finds oneself in
Knowing how to do things / go about things
Patient diagnosis, management, assessment …
Talk thru these boxes. Give the group 10 minutes to match their ideas with the slide
Did you find that the majority of yours fitted in the Practice box?
Did you have something that wouldn’t fit into Michael Eraut’s boxes?
How did you acquire that knowledge? DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING
(Say at the end that Eraut was talking about head teachers and his thinking moved on (see article Knowledge creation & knowledge use in professional contexts – Studies in Higher Education, 10:2, )
Theories & principles held
Michael Eraut

8. (the what, the facts, the who)
Knowing how
(the how)
Tacit knowledge
Theories in use
Practical
Performance
Knowing that
(the what, the facts, the who)
Facts
Technical
Formal theories
Formal or codified knowledge
The literature uses a number of terms to describe the knowing how to do something versus the knowing that / or the what.
Explain and discuss as a whole group

9. “When I chisel at a wheel, if I go slow, the chisel slides and does not stay put; if I hurry, it jams and doesn’t move properly. When it is neither too slow or too fast, I can feel it in my hand and respond to it from my heart. My mouth cannot describe it in words, but there is something there. I cannot teach it to my son, and my son cannot learn it from me. So, I have gone on for seventy years, growing old chiselling wheels. The men of old died in possession of what they could not transmit. So, it follows that what you are reading are their dregs.”
Account by Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi ( BC)
Wheelwright talking to a powerful general

11. How do people learn?

12. …Broadly in 4 ways…..

13. Behaviourism.. Stimulus/ response

14. Humanism.. Being all you can be….

15. Cognitivism.. The mind as active processor…

16. Constructivism
The mind actively creating knowledge through experience

18. Question?
Exercise:
Write down your thoughts in response to the following:
what motivated or inspired me as a learner was………
Share with neighbour
Group exercise
Firstly do the motivation part. Do on own for 2-3 mins, the ask group to share with neighbour and discuss for 5 mins (watch energy levels)
Then do demotivated in same way
Then go round group and put up answers on whiteboard. Proceed to next slide assuming their responses more or less match up

19. Question? Write down your thoughts in response to the following:
What inhibited or demotivated me as a learner was…..
Share with neighbour
Group exercise
Firstly do the motivation part. Do on own for 2-3 mins, the ask group to share with neighbour and discuss for 5 mins (watch energy levels)
Then do demotivated in same way
Then go round group and put up answers on whiteboard. Proceed to next slide assuming their responses more or less match up

20. Workplace learning

21. A dynamic interaction….
Teacher
Learner
Learning
From past experience of doing this exercise I have listed the following (go through them briefly and compare with the list the group generated). Check group happy with these.
Experience / content
Environment

22. …A thought….
Move from?; ‘What do I want to teach them?’ To ‘Who are my learners?’ ‘What do they need to learn?’ ‘How will they best learn it?’

23. The learner - motivation

24. What motivates learning?
"Learners are motivated within a context of interlocking rewards and relationships, incentives and barriers.’ (Mann, 1999)
One of the most powerful motivators is assessment
The ‘hidden curriculum’
Intrinsic & extrinsic motivation
We will pick up on the themes you have identified. To begin this we want to look at motivation
Motivation is a multi-faceted phenomenon
Educationalists have identified a wide range of processes & factors that motivate learners including:
need satisfaction (need to know, need to solve a problem) – links with knowles
behavioural reinforcement (rewards & punishment, feedback) – to please, to be well thought of etc
personality characteristics – different levels of motivation within and between learners
reduction of discomfort
self development - achieve goals
‘Learners are motivated…..’ is a quote from an article by Karen Mann (part of the recommended reading for the module) which highlights the complex & multi-faceted nature of motivation. Interested in ‘motivation’ for the learning module assignment – Read this article. A Bandura – self efficacy, Maslow – hierarchy of needs
One of the most powerful motivators is assessment
Everyone knows this, and it is a much lamented phenomenon in teaching & learning – ‘But what do we need to know for exams?….’. Known as ‘the tail that wags the dog of learning’. However, it can be exploited by making sure that assessment is congruent with intended outcomes, and is explicit. 2 egs of my own
The ‘hidden curriculum’
Much of what is learnt may be neither intended nor intentionally delivered; known as ‘the hidden curriculum’ – and is often the medium through which values, attitudes and behaviours are transmitted, for example through role modelling; these may be different from what is intended
Extrinsic & intrinsic motivation
A common classification
Intrinsic = ‘Doing something for its own sake’ – satisfaction from directly understanding something, or developing a new skill; generates enthusiasm & commitment
Extrinsic = ‘Doing something for other reasons’, e.g. because they have to, in order to gain a tangible reward or avoid negative consequences; may be associated with anxiety
The two are not mutually exclusive, and may be complementary

25. ‘Hidden curriculum’ curriculum as assessed curriculum as intended
curriculum as delivered
‘Hidden curriculum’
curriculum as learnt

26. The environment

28. Discussion… What might this mean for your teaching?
Can you think of examples from your teaching or learning where aspects of these were at play?
Does it give you any thoughts for changes to your teaching?

30. Learning from experience

31. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984)

32. Experiential learning cycleDo
(practice)
Go through the cycle. Important to emphasise;
Importance of following each step in the cycle
Can start anywhere in the cycle
A teaching event may not itself address all the stages in the cycle; in that case attention needs to be paid to thinking how the cycle will be completed
Review
(reflect)
Apply
(plan)
Theorise
(interpret)

33. Discussion… What might this mean for your teaching?
Can you think of examples from your teaching or learning where aspects of these were at play?
Does it give you any thoughts for changes to your teaching?

34. Learning from experience

35. Social learning

37. Socratic questioning

38. Situated learning theory
Apprenticeship
Communities of practice
Legitimate peripheral participation

39. Discussion… What might this mean for your teaching?
Can you think of examples from your teaching or learning where aspects of these were at play?
Does it give you any thoughts for changes to your teaching?