Week+5

Models of Teaching and Learning.

We all want to be effective teachers and as teachers we must learn to adopt all different strategies to improve the learning outcomes of students. In the lecture this week, Greg discusses Pedegogy (the art of teaching) and the importance of an effective pedagogy practise to ensure the wellbeing of the students, teachers and the community as a whole. Greg also discussed the Belief system in teaching. I must be honest and say I had difficulty in grasping the ideas presented in the 4 belief systems and I believe that my teaching belief systems may vary slightly. I believe that teachers and students must work together in order to make the most out of the learning experience and I also believe that it is not just the students who learn from the teachers but there is a lot that Teachers can learn from their students. Teachers have an important role of being modeIs to their students and I also believe that what is taught to students in the earlier years of their education is invaluable and sets up their learning techniques for the future.

Greg also presented the Principle of Learning and Teaching in the lecture and I found these to be great because in a way they summarised many different areas that we have be taught in all subjects into one clear and concise set of points. • ** The learning environment is supportive and productive ** • ** The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation** • ** Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning program** • ** Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application** • ** Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning** • ** Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom** I also enjoyed learning about Marzano's Six basic notions and although I related better to the above Principles of Learning and Teaching I strongly agreed with his point on assessment: "Assessment should focus on students' use of knowledge and complex reasoning rather than on their recall of low-level information". I think this point is great because so much of what I was assessed on during school was just the low-level information that I had memorised for a particular test etc and didn't really focus on my use of knowledge.

Co-operative learning was also mentioned and I have always found this method of learning one of the most successful methods for myself. It involves small groups of students working together to maximise their learning. I believe that this is important because every member of a group brings a different knowledge bank and set of values to the group and as long as teachers monitor the groups to ensure there are no members not co-operating, a great deal of student-to-student learning can occur. This week as part of my readings, I read an article by Roger and David Johnson "An overview of co-operative Learning" and by the end of its first line I was hooked. They discuss that without the co-operation by all members in society we would cease to exist and this proves why it is so important to teach co-operative learning to students from prep (and even before then). They make a fantastic comment that much time is spent on ensuring interaction with students and teachers and students and learning materials but there seems to be very little focus on ensuring the interaction fo students with other students in the learning enviroment and not just in the school yard. An example of co-operative learning is not students sitting around their table talking when they are completing individual work. They must be working together towards a common goal.

I believe that as I gain more and more experience in the field of teaching I will become more effective and I expect for their to be a few hiccups in the beginning as I learn about my students etc. But all teachers should see themselves as students in life and always try to learn different ways to becoming an effective teacher!.

Emily Toomey March 31st, 2009