Learning was considered to learn to be ‘sensitive’ to self, to life and environment.
My definition of learning was in a nutshell, “Learning was considered to learn to be ‘sensitive’ to self, to life and environment. Within that sensitivity everything operated.” Frankly, it does not make any sense to me right now! What did I mean by this? Lol…This is so philosophical. This is more of a goal for life not for school learning of Maths. I was very confused about my own understanding.
This term
for me has been a chance to break out of existing mind-set and take a fresh
look at my own age held beliefs. If this is ONE term…I wonder what next!
My pedagogical philosophy is: ‘There is no silver bullet which can be universally applied to all students: teachers must be equipped with a toolbox of appropriate strategies and techniques for a range of contexts’. (Calnin, n.d., p.1). I looked for a standard pedagogy for many years and always discovered that there would be some students who would not respond to it. Then I encountered the SEN (Special needs) students on whom no pedagogy seemed to work. It is through them that I realised that it does not exist! Every day is a new day.
However, since I require a basis for
developing lesson plans, I work on basis of the context in which I am working.
For a classroom in a modern school in an urban set up with all the tools
available, I would have one set of tools. While in a village school with no
resources I would have a different set up. However, once I am in the class, I
improvise as I go. Fr me ‘knowing the student’ is the core (Calnin, n.d., p.1)
Moving
forward in your teaching career, what values do you consider a priority?
Everything
has to have a focus. For me, it is now to develop ‘adaptive expertise’. (Bransford,
2000, p.133) So that I can learn to be better at ‘contextualized learning’ in all situations and not just the
classroom as explained by (Andriotis, 2017). To keep understanding which ‘…principles
are used as the framework for the design of curricula, instruction, and
assessments for advanced study…’.
(Gollub, 202, p.118) Which means to not think that I have arrived and learnt it
all! I would say develop the qualities of lifelong learner would be my focus
which would lead to the others that I have described. I would not like to be a
specialist.
Which
theoretical principles will drive your classroom planning?
Make
learning emotional is by far for me the most important base. For that ‘Project-based
learning (PBL) is winning ground…’ for me (Hudson, p.4). ‘The practices and
activities in which people engage while learning shape what is learned.’
(Gollub, p.119). To learn to create
classroom experiences that “… engage the learner to a point where what is being
learned and experience strikes a critical, central chord within the learner.” (Schwartz,
2012, p.2). I would like to keep tinkering with models of experiential
learning.
Which
student characteristics do you think are critical to successful learning?
‘Learners’
motivation to learn and sense of self affects what is learned, how much is
learned, and how much effort will be put into the learning process.’ (Gollub,
p.119)
In
conclusion
‘Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) has been defined here as a way to introduce content using a variety of active-learning techniques designed to help students connect what they already know to what they are expected to learn, and to construct new knowledge from the analysis and synthesis of this learning process.’ (Hudson, p.5). In my (now humble), to ‘knowing the student’ is the core (Calnin, n.d., p.1). I would only add that the core of that is ‘know thyself’ (Chinmoy, 1968).
I can only know the children as far as
I know myself. That is where I find lacunae in the brilliant western educational
expertise. This is the gap that I find the eastern philosophy of life fills
very neatly. Hopefully someday I will be able to work in a set up where the
east and the west meet. ‘Constructing educational perspectives from the east
and the west’ (White, 2008) is my quest.
References
1.
Andriotis,
N. (2017). Contextualized Learning: Teaching made highly effective! Retrieved
from https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2017/06/contextualized-learning-effective-elearning.html
3.
National Research Council (2000).
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.-Bransford, J.D
4.
Calnin, G. (n.d.). Establishing
the conditions for student learning growth. Retrieved from https://www.studiosity.com/hubfs/Studiosity/Downloads/Research/Establishing%20the%20Conditions%20for%20Student%20Learning%20Growth%20-%20Review%20by%20G.%20Calnin.pdf
5.
Gollub, J. P., Bertenthal, M.
W., Labov, J. B., & Curtis, P. C. (2002). Learning and understanding:
Improving advanced study of mathematics and science in US high schools.
Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/download/10129#
6.
Hudson, C. C. & Whisler, V.
R. (2008). Contextual teaching and learning for practitioners. Retrieved
from http://www.iiisci.org/journal/cv$/sci/pdfs/e668ps.pdf
7.
Schwartz, M. (2012). Best
practices in experiential learning. Retrieved from https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/ExperientialLearningReport.pdf
8.
White,
S. R. (2008). Multicultural Visions of Globalization: Constructing Educational
Perspectives From the East and the West. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10780-008-9042-7
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