Response: Content and
Process required for knowledge acquisition in 21st Century.
Article two:
Steve Maharey, Chancellor of Massey University
Education is
about more than just knowledge
New Zealand
Herald, September 17th, 2013
Please click on the hyperlink to view the article:
Summary:
Maharey (2013) agrees that content knowledge is a crucial
aspect of education, however not at the cost of understanding the processes of
knowledge acquisition. He identifies
that the learning areas of the curriculum indeed require content to attain achievement
of learning outcomes. Confidence is
placed in the teaching professionals as to how best deliver content that engages
and motivates their learners.
Formative feedback is highlighted as assessment for
learning, possible when the focus includes processes.
Personalising learning so that emphasis is placed on
home/whanau links, as well as adapting learning environments and school hours
to allow the highest possible levels of success through construction of
learners own knowledge.
Concluding that there needs to be more leadership in
education within New Zealand today, focused on 21st Century learning
requirements.
How does this relate
to Learning Theory?
Personalising learning takes on humanist and constructivist
views of learning. Maslows hierarchy of
needs see’s the peak of one’s success only obtainable when other basic and
growth needs are first satisfied. By
placing emphasis on home and whanau links, not only are teachers able to draw
on prior knowledge to engage in learning and memory stores, but a sense of
belonging is able to be developed that fulfills the need for affection by
learners. As the rate of learning
differs for all, so too does the time required to achieve mastery. With this approach, and flexible learning
hours not broken into ‘topic’ slots, competitiveness is removed and belonging
needs are further satisfied. Two fold;
this also can motivate students to take risks in the classroom, as the safety
needs are also resolved by removing the fear of failure (Krause, Bochner,
Duchesne & McMaugh, 2007). Only when
these basic needs are meet by learners, according to Rogers & Freiberg
(1994) is self-actualisation within reach, through the freedom and capability
to harness our full human potential. As
Maharey (2013) discusses, a personalised education system where teachers
facilitate student’s highest possible learning success promotes achievement towards
this peak. Some schools and classrooms
around New Zealand prescribe to this view of learning completely.
Montessori and Stiener classrooms see freedom of choice in
learning completely student centred.
Also in these classrooms and schools the environment is purposefully
organised to optimise learning choices.
The Montessori education idea of specialised child sized and friendly furniture
and environments has seeped into mainstream classrooms around the country, with
furniture now more group and child centred (in size) facilitating a more child
centred pedagogy.
Self-assessment plays a large part in the Humanist view of
learning, building the internal locus of control when we no longer have to look
to others to see our progress. “Meaningful
and lasting change occurs when we look inside ourselves for answers” (Rogers
& Freiburg, 1994, p.119). We have
seen the incorporation of success criteria into mainstream classrooms. Promoting metacognition and self-regulation
(as part of a Cognitive view to learning), but also as a means to unlock
learning so that it is not limited to passing a test, but becoming a skill for
life out of the classroom.
As Maharey (2013) highlights, formative assessment in the
form of feedback, becomes a tool for learning. Learning becomes situational when the teacher is able to give feedback within the process of learning. Through observation in authentic settings,
teachers can spotlight behaviours.
Taking a behavioural view point, they can ascertain the antecedent and
use this stimuli to promote further learning success. Feedback relative to the co-constructed
success criteria can help focus learning, promoting meaningful connections to
their own real world content. The
problem-based learning pedagogy is an example of this situational learning,
where feedback can have huge learning capacities, and learning flow is not restricted
by time blocking of subject areas.
This collaborative approach to discovering learning theory (Jerome
Bruner) reduces the dependency of students on others for the acquisition of
knowledge. Learning becomes intrinsic,
not reward based (Behavioural view) through problem solving. Students can work collaboratively, or independently,
as best suited to themselves. This
approach uses prior knowledge as a foundation to discover new material and
elevate original understanding.
Facilitated by the teacher children are able to find understanding on their
own, so it has more meaning to them and so is more likely to be remembered
(Snowman & McCown, 2012). Nuthall
(2007) proved in his research that content required by the curriculum to attain
Learning outcomes is recalled by students by association to such integrated
(Wananga) learning experiences.
In this constructivist view of learning, the teacher
facilitates and the learning is co-constructed with the student and other peers. The cultural competencies of Taitaiako
(Ministry of Education, 2011) aid the teacher in facilitating the success of
diverse students, especially for Maori, as Maori. The competency of Ako sees the teacher also
as learner, with learning taking place in reciprocal conversations. These conversations will require teaching professionals
to use their own content knowledge as a tool to enable students to reach their
socially constructed Zone of Proximal development.
This brings me to the point in this article of the
confidence needed in teaching professionals to maintain a high level of content
knowledge. Not easy in the 21st
Century, when knowledge is constantly being re-constructed. However, I do wonder why when there seems to
be an oversupply of beginning teachers, that there is not a minimal level of
content knowledge required by student teachers.
There is a minimum level of understanding or knowledge that a student
teacher must have for numeracy and literacy, but not for any other learning
areas of the curriculum. Perhaps this
would see the teacher as better equipped to facilitate learning for the students
of 21st century. Able to facilitate collaborative learning through
expertise in the building blocks of knowledge that Rata (2012) deemed as crucial
to attain critical and reasoned thinking. So what are the learning requirements of the 21st Century?
No comments:
Post a Comment