TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

Principles and strategies of teaching and learning

Principles and strategies of teaching and learning

Introduction

Teaching is a difficult profession, one that relies on developing and implementing standards to help students learn. The standards can also help teachers teach more effectively. This paper discusses five principles of teaching that apply to a middle-school math class.Below are the five principles of teaching and learning derived from different theoretical frameworks such as adult learning theory (Knowles, 1980), reflection on practice (Schon, 1987), experiential learning (Kolb, 1984), and constructivism learning theory (Piaget, 1950). The five principles are complimenting one another and are a few among other principles that need to be taken in consideration when designing a curriculum in order to foster student-centered approach to teaching and learning.

Learning should actively facilitate deep learning

With the great shift of medical education from teacher centered to student centered approaches to teaching and learning. Knowles theory of adult learning, states that as a person matures they become more self dependent. Moreover, mature person is capable of identifying his own learning needs and planning the strategies to meet them (Swanwick, 2010). Self directed learning as defined by Spencer and Jordan; involves the learner as an active participant and encourages the development of a deep approach to learning for life long learning.

Students learn both in superficial and deep ways. Superficial learning is simply learning to “fit for purpose”. It takes place when the learner accepts the information and memorizes it as isolated or unlinked facts i.e. to pass an exam. On the other hand, the Higher Academy of Education (2011), defined deep learning as; “ a learning that involves a critical analysis of new ideas, and liking them to already known concepts and principles, and leads to understanding and long term retention of concepts so that they can be uses for problem solving familiar contexts”.

The advantages of encouraging deep learning among learners in my setting are based on the fact that, until today our teaching and learning system is still controlled by the teacher. Evidences have shown that, self directed leaning is the educational strategy that is most likely to produce doctors prepared for lifelong learning and are able to meet the changing needs of their patients (Spencer & Jordan, 1999); this will apply to all the health professional staff. Problem based learning is a classic example of student centered or self directed learning which uses cases to reveal information about a specific patient situation as learners work through it. The role of the learner is to verify what is to be learnt guided by the given instructions by the instructor; who his role will be to facilitate and guide students learning with very minimum control of the learning process (Swanwick, 2010).

(2) Teaching should be tailored to learning style

As teachers have preferred styles for teaching so are the students having preferred styles for learning. Successful medical teaching requires teachers understanding learner's needs variations in learners' styles and approaches (Vaughn & Baker, ...