20th century there has been a shift intheoretical understandings of how people learn

Past: emphasis on understanding andplanning

Present: emphasis on understanding howdevelopment is defined

American DAP curriculum

Te Whariki curriculum

Vygotsky: just as a mould gives shape to asubstance, words can shape an activity into astructure’

Sociocultural theory has likewise producednew curricula

Sociocultural model of learning

“Emotions function cognitively only whenthey embed beliefs. For example, an emotionsuch as ‘fear’ cannot be genuine if one doesnot believe in danger.”

“An emotion provides a frame of reference.For example, parental love is a frameworkwithin which one organizes a set of feelings,attitudes and actions.”

“Emotions can help or distract our focus.”

“Emotions can make things stand out byheightening our awareness and redirecting ourattention.”

Recognise emotional responses in oneselfand others can lead to self-control both sociallyand educationally

Knowledge and values are acquired andtheorised within an individual’s particularcommunity

Family, neighbours, friends, and colleagues

Belonging to a community

Different types of learning communities

Collaborative learning

Collaborative curricular structures withininstitutions

“ Purposely restructure the curriculum to linktogether course or course work so thatstudents find greater coherence in what theyare learning as well as increased intellectualinteraction with faculty and fellow students.”(Gabelnick et al. 1990:5)

Surface knowledge and learning isunreflective studying of a fragmentedcurriculum, unthinking acceptance of texts orother authorities and memorizing withoutunderstanding.

Deep knowledge requires time to study indepth a limited number of topics and subjects.It demands an enquiring and analyticalapproach to information and interpretations,and it requires subject expertise on the part ofteachers.

Deep thinking and learning also have socialand emotional dimensions

Piaget

“Cognitive learning theories view learning asa process of understanding andinternalizing….aspects of the world aroundus.”

Distinct stages of cognitive development

Develop mental tools to help processinformation

Influenced curriculum development

Vygotsky

Requires social interaction

Zone of estimated ability

Scaffolding

Learning leads development

Vygotsky

‘Zone of proximal development’ (ZPD)

Help from teachers/ peers/ caregivers

Children’s learning becomes increasinglycomplex as the child grows

Active participants in learning

Learners actively construct frameworks ofunderstanding

Prior knowledge and new information

Prior ideas must be engaged and re-workedas new information

Learning is therefore an active process

Cognitive schema

Develop new ideas and concepts based upontheir existing knowledge.

Brune

Scaffolding

Support teachers give to students toconstruct and extend skills

Human interaction

Shifting responsibility

How an experiences motivate individuals andtheir learning

Meaningful experiences

Experiences change an individual’sknowledge

Social and constructivist theories of learning

‘Self-initiated’ learning

Rogers

New learning influences existing learning

Learning can only be facilitated: we cannotteach another person directly

Gardner

Each person’s level of intelligence actuallycomprises a number of distinct faculties

eight intelligences

Linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial,bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, andintrapersonal

Lave and Wenger

“The relational character of knowledge andlearning…the negotiated character ofmeaning, and … the concerned (engaged,dilemma-driven) nature of learning activity forthe people involved…there is no activity that isnot situated.”

Learning is most effective when it occurs incommunities

Learning is said to occur most effectivelywithin ‘communities of practice’

Learner-centered classrooms

My Learning Profile demonstrated that I wasa kinesthetic learner.

I learn better visually and by being creative dueto the right hemisphere of my brain scoringhigher in the Whole Brain Quiz.

A teacher can add value to a learningexperience by being engaging andknowledgeable towards students.

Qualities of an effective teacher:

Confidence

Understanding and knowledge of what theyare teaching and the world around them

Engaging

Make children excited about learning a

Encourage children to want to learn

Allow children to feel comfortable and safe inthe classroom

Assessment Tasks, such as spelling tests,quizzes and games that monitor children's learning and their ability.

Being engaging

Learning can be assessed effectively bypreforming assessment practices, such asspelling tests, quizzes etc. This enhances anindividuals learning because it monitors theirknowledge and understanding of what theyhave learnt, therefore enhancing learning.

There are many factors that affect learning,emotions, social settings, cognitivedevelopment, experiences and the influencesof others and the environment.

Emotion is an important factor affectinglearning because emotion influences how aperson may think, feel or act resulting inlearning being affected. Emotion can distractfocus but in some cases in can cause anindividual to become focused.

The social setting in a classroom is importantto learning because learning is more effectivein communities with peers working together, tolearn from each other and work together tosolve problems. Social setting influence ourlearning because it allows us to gainknowledge from others.

People and relationships affect learningbecause they influence how individualsperceive certain values and beliefs, thechange in values in beliefs will create achange in others understandings.

Lifelong learning is developing skills andknowledge that is necessary for generalcapabilities and specific performance in worksituations.

Discipline knowledge is important because itallows thinking to be expanded and to gain aninsight on knowledge retained from pastlearning experiences.

It is beneficial to learn in groups because itinvolves collaborative learning, allowingcommunities/groups to acquire knowledgefrom one another and broaden understandingsand absorb information from others involvedin their groups.

The benefits of rich tasks are that rich tasksdraw on knowledge, skills and practices acrossdisciplines.

The different between learning about ICTs andlearning with ICTs is learning about ICTs is thelearner understandings how ICTs impactsociety, and how values and power are usedand communicated in technology. Whereas,learning with ICTs involves learning how tocommunicate, project management, publish,managing digital artefacts and problem solvingthrough the use of ICTs.

Knowledge gained through experiences andstudy to increase understanding

By absorbing information and knowledge.Everyone learns differently.

We learn best when in a social setting becauseit is more effective to work in “communities”, itallows us to work together to createunderstanding.

Children and adults do not learn in the sameway. Children absorb new knowledge and whatthey have learnt, compared to adults due tohaving previous experiences, knowledge andset views on specific topics to draw on.

The development of knowledge andunderstandings.

Individual learns from study, experiences,teacher and absorbs information.

Learning is influenced by our values and beliefsbecause they affect how we perceive things.