The Methods And Activities Of Teaching Education Essay

Teaching method is the survey of the methods and activities of instruction ( Cambridge online lexicon ) . This Assignment will look at how we can associate teaching method in learning Applied ICT to a group of Year 11 pupils of assorted ability in a typical interior metropolis Secondary school, to the theories of larning which are the foundations of how we teach and learn. Based on what has been observed during a arrangement in the secondary school, and besides on farther reading it is hard to specify precisely what â€Å" larning † is, but for the intent of this assignment acquisition can be linked to alterations in behavior, apprehension, capableness and the cognition that is acquired by both instructors and students. In a simplistic position it can be said that there are many different theories of acquisition, but the two chief countries that underpin this in instruction are the humanistic attack, looking at what pupils â€Å" want to larn † , and the behavioral attack, concentrating on what â€Å" the instructor is desiring † the student to larn. It was noted that within the schoolroom and whilst on a school visit at that place seemed to be no important behavioral jobs within the group of students. Teaching Applied ICT gives the chance to travel out of the schoolroom environment and visit companies and administrations so that pupils are able to see ICT working in context within the workplace. Giving pupils this chance should assist them derive a broader cognition and apprehension of this topic, but taking pupils out of a schoolroom environment can make alterations in the behavior of pupils, and it is besides of import that the capableness of all the pupils is challenged. The Humanistic position to acquisition is that of ‘natural desire ‘ , where acquisition is student lead and personalized, and the function of the instructor is thought of as more of a facilitator. One of the cardinal premises of this humanistic position harmonizing to Huitt ( 2001 ) is the fact that people act deliberately and with values. Humanists believe that you should look at the person as a whole, and that it is of import to see how an person learns throughout their life as they grow and develop. Smith ( 1999 ) discusses the basic concern for the human potency of growing. It was noted that in some instances in the schoolroom environment pupils are non needfully come ining the schoolroom with the purpose of larning. As pupils have chiefly decided on taking to larn and prosecute in the subject of ICT within the 14-19 course of study, this suggests that at some phase the pupils did hold a natural desire to take up the topic in order to prosecute in the acquisition and hopefully come on onto makings. The possibility is that the existent desire of pupils on a twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours degree may be greatly different to the desire that they have to larn over a longer period of clip. Abraham Maslow ‘s Hierarchy of demands argues that people aim to run into basic demands first, and so they seek to run into in turn higher demands in the signifier of a hierarchy until they reach self-actualization, or self fulfillment. Behavior and acquisition is motivated by an persons desire for personal growing an the demand to go all the things that a individual is capable of going ( Maslow,1970 ) . Although non straight linked to the instruction of ICT within the schoolroom it is really important that pupils are likely to hold other demands other than that of larning in order to accomplish their true potency. I have noted on several occasions that pupils have non been concentrating during the beginning of lessons, even when the starting motor exercising has been accessed by the bulk of pupils. When these pupils were questioned, particularly during forenoon periods, the reply given was that they could non concentrate and they were hungry, which coincides with the lowest degree on the hierarchy. Maslow foremost introduced his construct of hierarchy in 1943 in his paper â€Å" A Theory of Human Motivation † , which was closely followed by his book â€Å" Motivation and Personality † . There are many facets of this theory that can be linked to the person ‘s motive either within the parturiencies of a lesson, or over a period of clip. These hierarchies are closely linked to the construct of ECM which is now high on the authorities ‘s docket for schools. There is nevertheless a few exclusions that often occur within this theoretical account, such as persons when questioned did experience safe and secure in the schoolroom environment even when they have non had breakfast. In the theoretical account it is merely possible to seek the safety of a secure environment when the physiological demands are met, hence another issue with this theoretical account is that there are no clip limits set. An person could perchance drop to the underside of the hierarchy within a lesson if a student has forgotten a jammed tiffin or their dinner money. They may get down to merely believe of where they are traveling to acquire their following repast. Closely linked with the humanistic attack theoretician David A. Kolb suggests â€Å" acquisition is the procedure whereby cognition is created through the transmutation of experience † Kolb, ( 1984, p. 38 ) . The theory consists of a rhythm which is in four phases, where you are able to get down at any one phase, but so each phase must follow in sequence: â€Å" Make † or Concrete experience â€Å" OBSERVE † or Brooding observation â€Å" Think † or Abstract conceptualisation â€Å" Plan † or Active experimentation Along with the larning rhythm Kolb besides offers a manner into understanding the single people ‘s acquisition manners. Within Applied ICT it is really helpful taking pupils out of the schoolroom and into organisations where they can ‘observe ‘ ICT working. Rather than learn pupils how and why the ICT is being used it was found to be more productive to allow the pupils experience the ICT working in the normal environment of an organisation before inquiring the pupils to organize sentiments on what the engineering may be used for. In the instance of detecting a working eating house, pupils were able to see restaurant staff taking orders and so walking back to the order desk to put the orders on a touch screen. Once observed the pupils reflected on why the staff were continually traveling towards the same computing machine terminus after taking orders, organizing an sentiment as to why they must be inputting the information into an ordination system for the kitchens. The pupils besides noted that it would besides be possible to utilize the same ordination system to associate the drinks orders to the saloon staff. All of this information was so confirmed by allowing pupils really taking an order themselves and come ining it into the order database, where they gained a concrete experience. Looking at how the pupils really learned, Kolb ‘s acquisition manners can get down to go understood. Some pupils found it much easier to understand the usage of engineering by come ining the order, and so reflecting on how this would be utile when watching the servers ( diverging ) . Assimilator scholars found that it was easier to gestate how the ordination would take topographic point before watching the order pickings and so reflecting on how this wasaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ Learners who had conceptualized the order pickings, but had non truly understood how and why the ordination worked through observations started understand more when they started to believe how it would work if they had really witnessed a drinks order being processed ( meeting ) . Finally the scholars who were ‘Accommodating ‘ merely understood truly what was traveling on when they non merely entered the orders themselves, but started to believe about which other types of orders could be placed on the system. The whole work of Kolb underpins the course of study and how it may be delivered in schools today, although readying for the trip was non simple as one of the issues with Kolb ‘s work is that vitamin E does non take into history the different attainment degrees to which the pupils are working at, therefore it was necessary to fix resources for the pupils at different degrees so that all pupils could prosecute with the acquisition and develop their cognition. The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Howard Gardiner in 1983. He suggests that persons possess a figure of different independent intelligences ( at least seven ) , and that these can be acquired at different degrees. Gardner besides suggests that if persons have an ability to larn in a certain mode, they should be encouraged to develop their acquisition utilizing this endowment. Gardner material During instruction, the thought of pupils being able to develop their abilities to larn focussed planning on the single pupils and how to include and develop all pupils within the category. This attack closely links back to the Every Child Matters docket and how to develop the cognition of all persons within the schoolroom. Although concentrating on certain facets of Gardner ‘s intelligences, such as the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities of pupils within the schoolroom it is besides of import to see the overall interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities of pupils more to supply a more rounded and balanced course of study. There is a demand to provide for pupils at different abilities, whether within the schoolroom, the twelvemonth group, or the cardinal phases. Depending on how pupils are grouped should impact the manner in which lessons are planned and delivered. Although some of the thoughts behind the theory of Gardner are used within the schoolroom the overall footing of the theory is non adequate to alter the manner in which persons are grouped, as at that place seems to be stronger influences that bind persons larning together, such as those described by Maslow. It is possible to distinguish within lessons so that an effort is made to assist the pupils to larn to the best of their ability. How far you can continue with this construct whilst taking into history that pupils are on the whole grouped together in age instead than overall ability, and besides sing the ability of the instructors to develop the lessons with the equipment and resources available makes it hard to do a judgement on whether each kid is larning to the best of their ability. No affair what the ability of pupils there is a theory that suggests that by detecting and copying behaviour, this can take pupils to ‘think for themselves ‘ , which is cardinal to a pupil ‘s patterned advance throughout their instruction. The Social Learning Theory developed by Bandura ( 1977 ) stresses closely the nexus between pupils detecting behaviours that may hold been modeled and copying these, taking to larning. Bandura ( 1977 ) provides a elaborate description on acquisition. For him Learning would be extremely arduous, non to advert risky, if people had to trust entirely on the effects of their ain actions to inform them what to make. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through mold: from detecting others one forms an thought of how new behaviours are performed, and on ulterior occasions this coded information serves as a usher for action. ( Bandura 1977, p.22 ) Within the schoolroom environment it was noted that it is really utile to pattern undertakings to pupils as they will so hold a higher and better apprehension of the undertaking and what they need in order to finish the activity. Outside the environment of the schoolroom, whilst engaged in larning within an organisation that the pupils were analyzing it was noted that pupils responded in several different ways. The behaviour of pupils, instead than going more riotous became more professional and respected. This may hold been the fact that they were in a professional environment with other members of the populace in attending. One other facet of the pupils ‘ behaviour became noticeable when they met the usher demoing them around the edifice. It was obvious that pupils accidentally copied the idiosyncrasy of the usher, which can be attributed to the positive attitude and attributes that were seen by the students on what they perceived as a function theoretical account. Although whilst pupils are acting right in and out of the schoolroom, there are times that pupils do non prosecute with lessons and get down to misconduct. Piaget ( 1932 ) discussed the moral development of persons and an apprehension of others. It can be noted that morally pupils should truly cognize they are at school to larn, and non interrupt the schoolroom. Further work by Piaget ( 1952 ) , produced by decennaries of detecting immature kids lead to his theory of cognitive development. The footing of the theory of cognitive development is that there is a displacement of kids ‘s thought over certain phases of their ripening, as they are turning up. These phases were split into four, with the concluding phase, when a pupil is in adolescence they should be able to ground hypothetically and infer results, hence actively build their ain cognition and understand results, believing for themselves. In instruction it is clear that persons are grouped in phases, therefore miming theory of Piaget. Year groups are grouped into Key Stages for development, but although pupils still receive lessons in their twelvemonth groups it is obvious that non all students develop at the same rate. Within the schoolroom environment and besides whilst taking visits it is still really of import to distinguish lessons so that all students are able to entree the lesson, and besides supply extension undertakings where students have completed work to a satisfactory degree within the clip and have no other work to finish. The theory behind cognitive development does non associate to â€Å" how † a pupil can be cleverer with relation to their knowledge harmonizing to their age. There is besides small or no grounds of other factors such as societal or emotional facets which may act upon larning. Similarly at that place seems to be no nexus towards unnatural development or development upsets that may be present in a pupil. Unlike Piaget where it is considered that the development of a kid must predate their acquisition, the sociocultural position of Vygotsky ( 1978 ) argued that â€Å" acquisition is a necessary and cosmopolitan facet of the procedure of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological map † ( Vygotsky 1978, p.90 ) . This position suggests that in existent fact that societal acquisition would predate the development of an person. Therefore whereas Piaget would reason that the development of a student is due to them being actively funny and desiring to be involved in the acquisition taking topographic point, Vygotsky would reason that the societal part and interaction, for illustration with the usher on the visit, helped the procedure of development of the students. Taking the thoughts of Vygotsky into the schoolroom it has been noted that pupils working collaboratively, when they are socially interacting either with their equals or instructors, or whether working in braces or groups, will bring forth a high degree of work if kept on undertaking. This cooperation Vygotsky argues leads to cognitive development. Vygotsky ( 1978 ) besides viewed the Zone of Proximal Development as an country where counsel or instructions can be given, leting students to work on their ain to develop higher mental maps. Within the planning and instruction of a lesson it is clear that aims and success standards have been planned and shown to the students. This clearly develops the ability to finish undertakings to different degrees of accomplishment for the students, and allows them to progress their acquisition in a manner that is clear and concise. In kernel, on an single footing, a pupil needs to understand how they can ‘learn to larn ‘ in order to derive the best instruction they can accomplish. Students have to take duty for their ain acquisition, with the aid of instructors, parents and as many resources as possible that will profit them overall. The pupils single acquisition manners must besides be noted down by instructors in order for them to be after, develop and present lessons in a individualized manner, for as many persons as possible in each lesson. Taking into history that pupils are grouped in cardinal phases and in twelvemonth groups, and even possibly in sets, there will ever be a scope of pupils within the schoolroom that have to be catered for. It is of import for instructors to encompass as many instruction and acquisition manners as possible if they are appropriate to travel any of the single scholars in the schoolroom forward. In Applied ICT although the pupils may understand the theory of the existent ICT, it may be hard for the pupils to set the existent application of the usage of the ICT into context. Timetabling deductions mean that it is impossible to wholly personalise the acquisition of an person at present as the resources are clearly non available for this to go on. As this is the instance personalization has mostly got to take topographic point within lessons associating in with the humanistic attack to distinguishing for the person or groups. This attack will besides assist with the multiple intelligences within the schoolroom and cater for different ability pupils, scaffolding lessons so that all pupils engage within the acquisition environment and are able to come on in a safe environment.A