LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Comparison of Learning Environments

Application: Comparing Learning Environments, Part III

Introduction

Learning is the only way through which a human being can grasp different skills and expertise. Learning is the procedure which has enabled human beings to distinguish themselves from animals; it is the procedure through which human beings became a social and civilized entity. There are several forms of learning; face to face learning, distant learning and hybrid procedure of learning. The face to face learning is the procedure through which a person interacts with his teacher in person. This type of learning takes place in classrooms in form of lectures and workshops. Distant learning is the procedure through which a person does not need to be physically present in the class room; he can access the lectures from anywhere. This type of learning usually involves sources such as online lectures. Finally, there is a contemporary type of learning which is known as hybrid learning; this is the new methodology of learning that is a combination of both face to face and distant learning. This paper will enlighten and distinguish each type of learning and will conclude which type of learning is more adequate and sophisticated (Price, 1995).

Discussion and Analysis

Face to Face Learning

Changing the traditional learning and lecturing methodology is one of the means to integrate active learning in the classroom. Studies have shown, for example, if a teacher gives students an opportunity to consolidate their notes to stop three times in two minutes, at a conference, students learn much more information (Lang, 1996). Two other simple but effective ways to engage students in the class to insert brief demonstrations or short, ungraded writing exercises followed by discussions in class. Some alternatives to the conference format to enhance the participation of students: the feedback lecture, which consists of two mini-conferences, separated by a meeting in a small group study is based on exploitation, and guided the conference, in which students listen to 20 - 30 minute presentation without notes, and then burn in five minutes what they remember, and spend the rest of the class into small groups to refine and develop material (Price, 1995).

Several other strategies to promote active learning have also shown a positive effect on student attitudes and achievement. Visual-based instruction, for example, can provide useful information for other interactive methods. Being written in other disciplines, effective way to get students involved in this kind of thing and think about what they do. Two teaching strategies based on the popular model of problem solving involve a method on the example of teaching and guiding concepts (Lang, 1996). Other active learning methods are worthy of coaches used to enable collaborative learning, discussion, drama, role play and simulation, and peer learning. In short, the literature on alternatives to traditional classroom presentations provides a rich menu of different approaches faculty can readily add to their repertoire of teaching skills (Rivera, 2002).

Distant Learning

Distance learning includes a set of technologies that provide students with the basic delivery of study material, interactive communication between ...