Reflection: What is Teaching & Understanding Yourself as a Learner...

The term "teacher" refers to any role that focuses on helping people learn in a structured and intentional way and one who manages the learning journey, or learning manager. If you examine how "teaching" is used most commonly it has two dominant uses. One, is where the focus is on what the teacher is doing ("teaching" in the task sense) and the other where the focus is on whether the teacher achieves or fails in achieving helping others learn ("teaching" in the achievement sense). This distinction helps explain how someone can claim to be teaching while nobody learns and paradoxically, how teaching seems to imply learning (Fasso, 2010).

So what does the term teaching or teacher mean to you?
What is the difference between a teacher and a learning manager? Is there a difference?

A Teacher to me is a person who focuses on delivering content to others while maintaining control of the environment and persons involved.  Success is often measured by the ease of delivery and is separate from learning which is measured through a final examination of the participants.  A Learning Manager is a person who focuses on structuring learning experiences for individuals specific to their needs and interests. Success is measured by the degree of engagement of the learner within the content and assessment is both formative and summative.  A Teacher places themselves at the center of the learning experience while a Learning Manager places maintains a learner-centered environment. A Teacher teaches students to recall knowledge whereas a Learning Manager teaches students 'a process of integrating new subject matter into the learner's world of sense and meaning' (Danner, 1995:242) as cited in (Killen, 2003).

Recall an experience where another person performed all kinds of teaching or training tasks designed to help you learn yet you were still unable to learn what it was that was hoped you would learn. Apply the distinction between "teaching" as a task term and "teaching" as an achievement term to your experience and list the activities or tasks the person performed designed to help you learn. Then try to identify the factors and variables that you believed prevented you from learning. What does your analysis suggest for your own teaching practice? 

I recall my Teacher moving through the process, describing in one or maybe two ways, how to mark out a circle on an isometric view.  As a visual person I found the verbal instructions difficult to follow.  The teacher did not consider various learning styles or preferences nor did he check understanding at any point throughout the process or soon after.  There was a lack of focus on teaching as an achievement. To be successful the teacher should have provided for variety of learning styles, included formative assessments, followed up with struggling individuals or extended challenges for those who finding the pace too slow.

UNDERSTAND YOURSELF AS A LEARNER:

What was the reason for your learning? Did it "just happen" or was it planned?

 I undertook a planned workshop course aimed at obtaining some basic ITD Graphics skills.

Were you anticipating success? Was your motivation intrinsic or extrinsic?

 I did anticipate successful completion.  I was intrinsically motivated to succeed due to my interest and enjoyment in the subject. I also experienced extrinsic motivation in specific tasks when my interest declined and I drove myself to do things under pressure to achieve final grade rewards.

Was it a useful or desirable thing to learn?

 Yes.

Was it a by heart (rote) type of learning (eg multiplication tables) or was it more about understanding and using the information?

 The workshops established knowledge, scaffolded the development of skills and then provided an opportunity to demonstrate understanding.

What sort of aids did you have in learning? eg did you repeat it over and over again (like a telephone number); did you practice until you were successful; did you sit and ponder its significance?

 Learning aids where limited to personal instruction and printed manual.  Practice was limited and intense.  No time for reflective thoughts.

Who did you learn from? Did somebody support you, model or explain the desired learning outcome?

 A teacher provided scaffolded instruction and presented hardcopy examples and tutorials from a manual. 

How did you know you were successful in learning it? Did someone praise you; did you experience a feeling of success or satisfaction?

 Feedback provided after a summative assessment submitted.  Written feedback was brief.  I experienced a sense of satisfaction and achievement.  

Finally, if these are the informal learning characteristics of your students, how similar or different are they to the characteristics you expect in a formal school situation? Do you think they categorise "learning" and "school learning" as different types of experiences? If they are different, do you think this could potentially cause learning issues in your middle phase classroom?

I am anticipating a predominant crossover of characteristics from informal learning into formal school situations; although, the advent of formal learning will generally produce additional issues associated with concurrent assessment and statistical agendas.  I do not believe that the categories of "learning" and "school learning" are the best way to describe informal or formal learning environments; nevertheless, they are two different types of learning experiences.  

I believe that the middle phase classroom will be affected by both informal learning and formal school learning experiences and this will create issues.  First, I see formal school learning as a predetermined, methodical and monitored format.  This format is broadly structured so as to meet a broad variety of learner’s expectations and needs.  Some of which may be overlooked, underestimated or misinterpreted; hence creating its own issues.  Second, informal learning most often occurs outside of the school environment, at home and in other workplace or social environments.  As this form of learning is not in the majority predetermined, methodical or monitored it leads to the development of a variety of positive and negative behaviours, understandings, beliefs, standards, mindsets or views.  This informal learning environment provides the diversity of youth experience, with strengths and weaknesses upon which the formal school learning environment should seek to embrace as necessary to its advantage.

Reference

Fasso, W. (2010, June 27). The concept “teaching”. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDSE11006 Middle Phase Pedagogy, http://www.e-courses.cqu.edu.au

Killen, R. (2003). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice (3rd ed.)(chap. 1). South Melbourne, VIC: Thomson Learning Australia. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDSE11006 Middle Phase Pedagogy, http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au