Timeless Interplay between Learners, Teachers & Learning

Learning is a complex process and the learners’ previous experiences, immediate values and perceptions on their future selves have a huge impact on the outcome. Ultimately, it is the learners’ responsibility to learn. However, the educator’s role in the learning process is vital; teachers may impede or enhance learning depending on their practices, perceptions and beliefs.

This session is going to introduce the participants to some research-based information on learning dynamics both from the learners’ and the teachers’ perspectives, allowing them to discuss these findings by taking ELT into consideration and hopefully offer food for thought to implement necessary changes.

Burcu Tezcan-Unalburcu.tezcan@bilgi.edu.trwww.btezcan.edublogs.org@burcutezcanunal

The Flow

• Learning is like…• Affecting factors• Learning Theories• Dynamics in ELT • Questions and Comments

Timeless Interplay between Learners, Teachers & Learning

IGNORANCE KNOWLEDGE

LEARNING IS LIKE…..a youth pill

a bridge

a gift diving into cool water & finding

incredible surprises

breathing fresh air

a tree growing with the help of rain

light in the darkness

LEARNING IS LIKE ..

climbing up never ending stairs

witha - continuous

- suffering

that can be cumbersome

PROCESS

being the captain of your own ship against tides

throwing a stone into a bottomless well, you do not know when you will get the reaction(benefits)

a never ending journey

food as you can’t survive without, but you must have a balanced approach to digest it.

Learning is like……. making shapes with building blocks. Everyone has more or less the same items, but everyone's creation is different.

…. stepping on the gas pedal in an unfamiliar road. (you can adjust the speed by yourself).

….. falling in love. It takes curiosity, enthusiasm, ambition, devotion, self-sacrifice, sometimes pain.. But somehow you always get what you pay for.. And it changes you...

• Effects on learning

• Individual/ learner related factors• Teacher-related factors• Context-related factors

Please think about two learning experiences: one good and one bad- what is good or bad depends on your own description

BACKGROUND TO THE ACTIVITY

NOW- REFLECT BACK ON YOUR

EXPERIENCES AND TICK AS MANY

EFFECTS ON THE LIST

Individual/Learner Related Factors that trigger learning

“..... the learner already possesses in abundance what is needed for learning.......[when] given the o............y , sp........ and e..........ment, then learning will happen.”

Rogers’s “abundance model” (1983) as cited in Brockbank and McGill (1998, p. 25)

Theories and explanations of learning

• Behaviourist• Cognitivist• Humanist• Social constructivist• Constructivist

• By means of information processing

• reflection, perspective transformation

• Via social interaction• By positive reinforcement,

reward-punishment, feedback• For reaching self-

actualisation, for fulfilling needs

LET’S QUICKLY RECALL & MATCH

THEM

Theories and explanations of learning

• Behaviourist• Cognitivist• Humanist• Social constructivist• Constructivist

• By positive reinforcement, reward-punishment, feedback

• By means of information processing

• For reaching self-actualisation, for fulfilling needs

• Via social interaction• reflection, perspective

transformation

LEARNER LEARNS THANKS TO A COMBINATION OF ALL

in most cases!!

•Post-16 learners attend formal education environments with their baggage (Atherton, 2011, n.d.)

•and the choice, the reason, the timing, the place, the amount and the quality of learning depend on their “possible selves” (Markus & Nairus, 1986), which may change in time so as the learning engagements of the learner (Leondari, 2007; Bloomer & Hodkinson, 2000).

Making a choice for learning is complex

baggage “Possible selves”

that may change in time

A learner makes or doesn’t make a learning choice depending on

Individual / Learner Related Effects

How teachers/facilitators may influence learning

• “.... [teachers] certainly know more about the process of learning [when] compared to students...” (Svinicki, 1999p. 24),

• therefore, • it is expected that the existence of a

competent teacher in the learning environment enhances the learning.

Teachers may enhance or

impede learning by, implementing

or not implementing

Strategy Training

Reinforcement, Deliberate

Practice

ScaffoldingTeaching ways of

thinking/ Modeling

A variety of teaching and

assessment toolsFormative Feedback

• Teacher-related Effects on Learning

Establishing Rapport

Hattie’s Research on Educational Interventions

• Reinforcement, • Feedback and • Instructional quality

• Cited from (Atherton, 2011)

Dynamics in ELT

• Let’s discuss current situation in our society.Conclusion???Solutions???Suggestions???

Let’s first accept that learning is a complex phenomenon.

Improve our skills on strategy training and giving feedback.

Let’s allow time for learning individual differences, modeling and meaningful practice.

Let’s demand high, «cultivate the growth mind set», be a role model

What have we discussed today?

• Metaphors on Learning • Learning Theories• Learner perspective• Teacher intervention• Dynamics in ELT

References• Atherton, J. (2011). Learning and Teaching. http://

www.learningandteaching.info/learning/index.htm• Bloomer, M., & Hodkinson, P. (2000). Learning careers: Continuity and change

in young people's dispositions to learning. British Educational Research Journal, 26(5), 583–597.

• Bourdieu, P. (1990). Structures, habitus, practices. The logic of practice, 52-65.• Brockbank, A., & McGill, I. (1998). Facilitating reflective learning in higher

education. Open University Press: Buckingham.• Leondari, A. (2007). Future time perspectives, possible selves, and academic

achievement. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 114, 17–26. • Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41,

954–969.• Svinicki, M., (1999, Winter). New directions in learning and motivation. New

Directions for Teaching and Learning, 80, 5–27.