The Teacher conundrum...

Throughout the course I've been taking, the discussion has been about Teachers and Learners. Each share certain attributes - styles and strategies for managing learning tasks; approaches and methods for adapting to the learning; a desire to have the best learning experience possible, and so on. There has been much discussion surrounding the idea of the learner... what is a learner?; why are they in your (my) classroom?; how does the teacher best accommodate the learning goals for the learner?; and so on.

But I can't remember any discussion about what is a Teacher? Surely, a Teacher is a person that is involved in providing a learning experience based on material delivered to an individual or group of people who want to acquire that same knowledge, right? Sure, that would be a nice, clinical sort of representation of what a teacher does, but does it describe what a teacher is? Hmmmmm...


As with all things in an adult's life, there are thousands of differing perceptions relating to the noun Teacher (go back and read my blogs on social constructivism for more clarity). So, if the 'teacher' standing in front of me doesn't meet my perception of a 'teacher', how does this impact anything else that occurs in the relationship between 'teacher' and 'learner'?

What if I come, for example, from a poor area of a country where teachers are instructors who provide learning by rote, and all learning is provided in a teacher-centred approach? Now I am in Canada, where the 'teacher' acts more like a friend than a teacher, and I feel uncomfortable because a teacher/learner relationship is all about mutual respect and rules and discipline? How will I ever learn with this class clown in front of me? How can I take the teacher seriously? Wait a minute, I've missed half of what I should be learning because I've spent too much time worrying about how I can learn from this person! Oh, the misery...

OK, so that's probably a little overstated, but as a teacher I have to be aware of the teacher conundrum. When I was growing up, my teachers were exactly as I have described above... serious, no nonsense instructors who had agendas, and they needed to be met within strict guidelines and to strict standards. All, that is, except one... my Music teacher. She had a way of connecting with her students that was subliminal, gentle, and lasting (I still remember her after nearly 40 years). I learned from the strict ones, but only in a cold and factual fashion. Their teaching worked, but didn't provide fun or warming memories. As for the Music teacher, her methods worked as well, but I also had a desire to learn more from her... she made me want to learn.

If the learner in front of you can't connect with you, they will probably suffer through your classes in a similar fashion that I did in my younger years. The learning may or may not happen, and teaching should never be a Crap shoot. The teacher in Canada needs to be a Chameleon, not a conundrum. Learn how to act.. by that I mean, become an actor. The teacher must be all things to all students. A teacher's interpersonal skills are incredibly important to the learning process. Read about the countries your students come from. Understand the nuances and customs/values they share. Demonstrate understanding for the fear your learners show toward change... this is new for most of them, and you have to be obliging.

When a learner enters a classroom, most of them need to feel that they own the learning experience. For them to do that, the role you demonstrate to them cannot overshadow their understanding of your role.

Don't be a conundrum!

Transformative Learning

Jack Mezirow

I have been inspired by the course I'm currently taking, to revisit a topic that I found consuming and fascinating when I was studying adult learning theories. Transformative Learning was responsible for one of my major Aha! moments during my course of studies back then. I couldn't get enough of it, and immediately applied it in my instructional approach. Considering social constructs (discussed in another part of this blog) forms part of my understanding of this seemingly complicated yet naturally beautiful theory proposed by Jack Mezirow.


Think of an open field of grass...

A vast, expansive area of beautiful, lush greenery looming before you. You run through the grass, barefoot, experiencing the sensation of the blades of grass as they pass between your toes, gently tickling you in a soothing and satisfying way. The smell of the grass gently hangs in the air, and the soft dampness cools your feet as you run. Exhausted, you lay down in the field, staring up at the blue sky and cotton wool clouds above your head. Your mind forms shapes from the clouds, stirring memories and entertaining you all at the same time. The tufts of grass form a pillow, upon which you slowly fall asleep with a smile on your face and childish thoughts in your head.

Or...

You run through the grass, panicking and terrified. Your breathing becomes harder and harder as you realise you can't outrun the animal that is chasing you. You know what will happen if you are caught, and the thoughts become too gruesome to bear thinking. Adrenalin fuels your already-burning muscles, as your brain races to find a solution. Your eyes search for a safe haven - a cave, a tree, or perhaps a weapon to fight back. You hear the pounding of the animal's pads in the dirt, gaining ground and driving your fear to screaming point. Suddenly, you feel the blow of the animal's paws on your back... powerful, oppressive, sending you to the ground in searing pain as the claws rake the skin from your back. Your face lands in the dirt, and your lungs and mouth are filled with dry grass and dust. You role over and finally face your foe, feeling the ultimatum that is your fate. Suddenly there is no more pain, just a warm, glowing sensation that overwhelms every nerve in your body. You close your eyes as the memories of your life flash through your mind. Finally, peace comes to your body and you are no longer afraid. You rest, wrapped in everlasting silence.


Both of these stories demonstrate a reality for someone. We started with a field of grass. We can all picture a field of grass. But the meaning associated with that artifact can be as different as the two stories. Neither perception takes away from the other in validity. But how do you teach the fear of the second story to someone whose understanding of a field of grass belongs to the first story? How do you persuade someone who has experienced the second story that the first story is also a reality... an alternative reality.

We should never take away from someone the validity of their experience. But we need to learn to teach in such a way that our learner's can accept, if only academically, both stories as part of their understanding and knowledge arsenal. Applying Transformative Learning to our instructional process can help broaden the knowledge base of any learner. I have found Transformative Learning also increases the quality of a learner's perception of what is being instructed.

In language acquisition, we must, as teachers, take into account the perceptions of the students as they relate to various artifacts of their world. We need to gather as much knowledge of other cultures, perceptions, and values to help us to see the world the way our students do.

As learners, we need to understand that there is always more than one way to understand something, and that this does not mean that either view is false.

How's your view of the world today?

Learning style and strategies... Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

I just completed a reading about learning styles and learning strategies, and it made me think of the movie The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy, the Tin Man and Scarecrow are talking about the Eerie Forest... but enough about my childhood LOL

Here's my view and interpretation of what I've learned on these topics. Learning styles are personal, may or may not be shared by others around me, and help me cope in learning situations.

However, not all people who share the same learning style will adopt the same learning strategy in a given situation. That's because we have a tendency to adopt the learning strategy that best suits our learning style, motivation, desired outcome, and so on.

So what is a learning strategy?

I can best identify this as the group of tools we implement in a learning situation.

Let's say I want to assemble a piece of flat-pack furniture. Because of my Multimodal learning style, I'll probably take the pieces from the box and examine them, then maybe see if I can lay them out in an arrangement that will let me put them together. If this fails, I'll likely move on to checking the instructions and follow the step-by-step. I'll probably also adapt my learning from the first couple of steps in the instructions into instrumental learning. I'll try any universal assembly techniques that I've identified and see if they apply to assembling the rest of the furniture. If I succeed, the instructions will probably be ignored until I hit a snag or successfully finish putting the furniture together. If I really can't figure it out, I might invite a friend who has put this together before to show me how they did it, and learn by observing. Or, if they can't come over, I'll ask them to talk me through it over the phone.

One thing is for sure, I will put the furniture together... because I'm also a tenacious learner. I don't quit just because I don't 'get it'. I keep going and going, like the Energizer bunny, because I know that eventually the light WILL go on.

So, as a teacher, what can I do about the varied learning styles in the classroom? Should I do anything about it? What if, instead of adapting multiple, varied classroom delivery units and teaching strategies, I simply focus on the learning strategies shared by the 5 learning styles, and deliver material that incorporates common learning strategies rather than multiple learning styles? (Told you the light would go on eventually LOL).

Maybe I can't always do this, but if I use my needs assessments, and formative and summative evaluations properly I should be able to improve my success rate, shouldn't I? It will definitely help to improve my student's success rate, and that's what it's all about for me.

Cheers

p.s. If you haven't already done so, you should complete the V.A.R.K. questionnaire, located here. This truly helped me to understand so much about how I learn... things that were intuitive to me before, but that I am now conscious of. *News Flash* - I am a Multimodal Learner, just like 60% of the general population!

Social Constructivism in Learning

From the start of my teaching career, I have advocated the role of social constructivism in the learning process, particularly for adults.

For me, the theory of social constructivism identifies the way in which we as individuals can all agree on certain social constructs as fact, but may not agree to those artifacts (tangible or intangible) when it comes to placing meaning on or in them.

Let me demonstrate what I mean by providing an example I use with my students.

My student group comes from a wide range of countries, bringing with them a variety of beliefs and values. I ask the group to think of the color red. Then, from a selection of colored bars in a wall chart, I ask them individually to select the correct color. Naturally, they all select the same colored bar.

Next, I ask them to take a moment and write down what they believe the color red represents. The results of this exercise are sometimes pleasing, sometimes startling. I have had responses that range from the Sun, Love, and Roses, to death, fire, and murder.

Next we discuss the fact that, although we all agree on what the color red looks like, why do we have such differing ideas on what the color represents? This discussion is often heated, but invariably fun. Eventually, we are able to agree that the differences in meaning arise from the differences in cultural beliefs, life experiences, a view of the world that surrounds them, and so on. In other words, the meaning arises from the social artifacts that exist in their own portion of what we call life. Even students from the same cultures and similar backgrounds have sometimes disagreed, supporting the idea that social constructivism is as much a personal as a group phenomenon.

Just one of those things that makes me go Hmmmmm...

Autonomous Thought

What role can there possibly be for autonomous thought in adult learning?

Surely, the learner should indulge in the material that is set before them, and not pursue any interests outside of these borders. Or can they allow their minds to wander to other areas of learning that are associated with the topic. What if the topic of autonomous thought is not associated with the learning topic, but the ideas surrounding the autonomous thought are related?

This is deep stuff, I know. And, rather than incur the wrath of many, or cause additional expense to you in the form of the academic equivalent of an aqualung (Scuba gear), I'll stop there, for now.

However, I did recently experience something that inspired me to consider the role of autonomous thought in the learning process... if somewhat indirectly. I am engaged in a course of learning that requires, as do most formal academic studies, a set of learning material. This learning material takes the form of a pre-printed package of excerpts from various authors of interest. When I got my course package and read (skimmed) through it, I discovered that one of the readings had the pages printed out of sequence. I made due inquiry as to why, and the blame game began.

It comes down to autonomous thought, in my opinion. The material was provided for printing in a specific sequence, which happened to place the pages of this reading out of order. Rather than confirming the out-of-sequence printing of the material, the printing was performed literally... that is, exactly the way it had been provided, including the out-of-sequence pages. Remember, this is a reading for an adult learner in a course of study.

I'll be honest, I don't know if it is the out-of-sequence reading that has me worked up, or the lack of autonomous behaviour on the part of the printers, but I am worked up, that's for sure.

Initially it was simply the out-of-sequence pages that caused my learning to take a side road, hit a speed bump, or any other metaphor of choice. Suddenly, the impact of this inconvenience becomes compounded by the lack of ownership by the printers of the error. Or perhaps it should be the provider of the material that is to blame? No matter where the 'blame' lays, this has definitely caused me to deviate from the material of the course, and I shall now have to redouble my efforts to get back on track.

Aaaaah, the joys of higher education!

The drop-in student

A thought crossed my mind earlier today, and I thought it sufficiently noteworthy to jot it down.

I teach young immigrants - I've mentioned that before. The environment is a computer training class. The classroom has a set schedule for training and breaks. However, I find it hard to keep all the students in the classroom for the full period of training. They are often wandering out of the classroom - to the bathroom, or on other short ventures - at random times throughout the day. I have had conversations with them regarding bladder control... the importance of not missing topics or elements of the delivery... appropriate time management... and various other associated classroom control techniques.

It recently dawned on me, however, that their need to get up and walk away may be a symptom of today's learning accessibility. These young people come from the technology age. They have access to the Internet on an almost 24/7 schedule. If they find something interesting to research, they immediately take a look at what the Internet has to offer on the subject. When they become bored... have found enough information to satisfy their curiosity... run out of time... or, for whatever reason, need to look no further, they simply close the page and move on.

I believe that the classroom behaviour I have recently observed is, at least in part, a demonstration of this throw-away learning style that many of them bring to the learning arena. The desire to 'close the page' - to establish a disconnect with the material - is expressed through leaving the room for a short time.

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the subject. This may be worthy of an official study at some point?

Emerging theories

There is an interesting Wiki located here with a discussion on emerging theories of adult learning. After reading this, there seems to be some controversy raised regarding the division between Andragogy and Pedagogy.

The authors suggest that the separation exists within the manner in which learning styles are applied, not in the learning styles themselves. The newest(?) theories proposed by the authors include four approaches: 
Action Learning: working on a real project is the learning environment. 
Experiential Learning: the learner becomes intrinsically involved in the learning material. 
Project-based Learning: students work in groups to solve authentic, interdisciplinary problems.
Self-directed Learning: individuals take on the responsibility for their own learning process by diagnosing their personal learning needs, setting goals, identifying resources, implementing strategies and evaluating the outcomes.

What I got from this article is - and as I have believed from the first day of my instructional practice - learners bring a multitude of independent factors to the learning arena, whether as children or adults. These factors impact the learning that takes place, and the outcomes achieved.

Form or Function?

 
Frank Lloyd Wright

There's been a lot of discussion this week about usage/function versus form/structure in teaching alternative languages (EAL for example).

For me, these are separable but do their best in producing the most well-rounded learner when combined together in the learning experience. In formal settings, the teacher has control over both of these styles, but in the real world that isn't always the case.

I've made a case for a learning scenario where only usage and function was the focus - a need to get by in a foreign country.

Someone else provided an example whereby only form and structure were studied - creating an academic but impracticable knowledge.

It is best to keep in mind that teaching is never a one way street - we cannot simply provide information in a vacuum. There is a learner on the other end. When we discuss styles, methodologies, and so on, it is wise to understand that the teacher has little or no control over the reaction of the learner. We can only offer a best case scenario for the learner, and let them make of it what they will. Sometimes we forget that, and become frustrated that our teaching is not getting through.

That may be the wrong perspective... it may not be our teaching that is not getting through, but rather that the learning is not taking place.

Negative reinforcement

B. F. Skinner

I've been thinking about B. F. Skinner's behaviour modification using Negative Reinforcement.

In the examples given in the document located here, it is a fairly easily understandable theory. However, how would you apply this in an adult learner setting? Particularly in a classroom full of autonomous, self-reliant, independent thinkers?

My current student demographic includes young adults who are the technology generation. They have grown up with it, lived, eaten and breathed it, from the day they were born. Their usage habits are ingrained into their personalities. Trying to teach them to use a computer effectively and efficiently, while maintaining a professional attitude, is difficult to say the least. I will give it some more thought, but I would really appreciate some feedback on how Negative Reinforcement might work to help change the learned habits into professional and appropriate usage of the computer.

How would you apply this in the language classroom... for example, to help students drop the bad habit of putting an 's' on the end of nouns (staffs versus staff)?

Any and all feedback welcomed :)
Cheers.

The foundations

I want to become a sower of seeds in the minds of humans.

The purpose of this blog is to let me write down, and expound upon, my thoughts regarding adult learning as a whole, and also teaching EAL (English as an Alternative Language) to adult learners.

I have been in the field of teaching adult learners for a number of years. I advocate the 4MAT style of instructional design, and practice a holistic teaching style of instruction, based upon social constructivism. That sounds like a bunch of jargon, which it probably is. What it means is that, I believe in allowing learners to learn using their own needs, beliefs and value systems as a foundation for understanding their world. Recognising how these value systems impact adult learners helps us (teachers) to adjust our view of the 'right' and 'wrong' way to teach.

As a learner, I love informal, self-directed learning. How about you? How do you like to learn?

When I find a course that makes me go "hmmmmmmm...", I grab hold of it and just go for it. Technology facilitates this type of learning beautifully in today's world.

Have you ever been sitting around the lunchroom at work... somebody says something or starts a conversation on a topic that just makes you want to know more? Then you whip out your BlackBerry, log on to Ask.com or Wikipedia, and start researching for yourself. There's nothing more satisfying to me than finding that answer, and smugly putting away the tools of today's learning, knowing that I have become smarter in the last 30 seconds than I was when I came to work! LOL