In 1991 in the USA Chickering and Gamson created a framework to evaluate and improve undergraduate teaching which gave birth to the Seven Principles for Godd Practice in Undergraduate Education. The seven principles resonates well with out recommendations, they are:
promote contact between students and instructors
encourage cooperation among students
engender active learning
demand prompt feedback
emphasise time on task
communicate high expectations
respect diverse talents and ways of learning
Chickering, A. and Gamson, Z. (1991) 'Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education@, 47th edn. Jossey-Bass, San Franscico
There is no doubt that new learning paradigms are forming, reviewing the literature revels a move from teacher centred delivery to student centred education. The teaching approach is perhaps moving more slowly but there is need for a move from lecturing content to facilitating students' autonomous learning. Content is not king. Learning style is also changing from passive learning to active and collaborative learning. If we look at what learning theories underpins the new learning paradigms the learning theories have been on offer for many decades and include constructivist learning where the emphasis is on the active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge. The teacher supports the learning rather than communications knowledge (Vygotsky). Situated learning where there should be a promotion of learning in an authentic context and culture (Friere). Collaborative learning where learning is promoted through social interaction (Bandura). Informal and lifelong learning where learning activities are supported outside a dedicated learning environment and are outside a formal curriculum (Friere). Finally the behaviourists approach is also still evident with the emphasis on promoting learning as a change in observable actions (Skinner).
Effective Practice in a Digital Age http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/effectivepracticedigitalage.pdf is designed for those in further and higher education who aim to enhance the student learning experience through apt and imaginative uses of technology. A visually rich publication, Effective Practice in a Digital Age outlines key aspects of designing learning in a technology-rich context and is structured to address the needs of experienced practitioners as well as those new to technology-based learning and teaching – the ten newly researched case studies offer a choice of pathways reflecting the diversity of approaches taken by practitioners in current UK practice. NB: This publication has also been cross referenced into Technology to Enhance and Support Work-based learning, informal learning, APL
there are some intersting reports on the TLRP WEB SITE
learner needs, particularly in helping disadvantaged, under-achieving and ... and stereotypical adaptations to curricula and pedagogy. Students' own .... TLRP has attempted to be innovative in relation to outputs and impact strategies. ...
They also point out that further education is resilient and innovative. .... their everyday lives these apparently disadvantaged students are using a wide .... targets and competences, dominate much pedagogy in vocational education. ...
The report reviews research on post-16 learning styles, evaluates 13 of the main models of learning styles, and discusses their implications for learning and teaching.
The future of higher education: how technology will shape learning is an Economist Intelligence Unit white paper, sponsored by the New Media Consortium. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s editorial team executed the survey, conducted the interviews and wrote the report.
In the context of widening participation policies, polarisation of types of university recruitment and a seemingly related high drop-out rate amongst first generation, working class students, we focus on the provision offered by the universities to their students. We discuss how middle class and working class student experiences compare across four different types of higher education institution (HEI). Exploring differences between the middle class and working class students locates widening participation discourse within a discussion of classed privilege. We conclude that, whilst there is a polarisation of recruitment between types of universities, there exists a spectrum of interrelated and differentiated experiences across and within the HEIs. These are structured by the differential wealth of the universities, their structure and organisation; their ensuing expectations of the students, the subject sub-cultures, and the students' own socio-cultural locations; namely class, gender, age and ethnicity.
JISC have funded a number of projects promoting the use of e-portfolios in education. The JOSEPH project is of particular interest as it explores the use of e-porfolios to support learners as they progress through different stages of education.
As part of the research for this project I have been looking at Canadian, Australian and New Zealand interventions in excluded communities engagement with Higher Education - in these cases there are factors not faced in UHOVI, specifically the racial factors in the Inuit, Aboriginal and Maori provision - however the learning emerging from the reports consistently reflect key factors which we can build on. They all highlight elements of the following:
Self-determination - A focus on an enabeling learning environement, to remove previous stigma of failure.
Validating and legitimating aspirations - changing the story which says the only values are those imposed by outside.
Situated Learning -Learning which is relevant to the local context and are not imports from other social milieu.
Collaborative Learning - Learning which recognises the value of learning from, and valuing, others. Not learning which is imposed by an outside 'expert'
This sits well with those of us who already espouse a social constructavist view of learning, but will still be challenging as most of our lecturing staff are not embedded within this community so may find the first three a particular challenge. I'd be fascinated to hear how we might address this.
The international and comparative education literature is not in agreement over the role of schools in student learning. The authors reexamine this debate across 25 diverse countries participating in the fourth-grade application of the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The authors find the following: (a) In most cases, family background is more important than schools in understanding variations in student performance; (b) schools are nonetheless a significant source of variation in student performance, especially in poor and unequal countries; (c) in some cases, schools may bridge the achievement gap between high and low socioeconomic status children. However, schools' ability to do so is not systematically related to a country's economic or inequality status.
I have been in contact with Professor Beverley Oliver in Curtin University Australia as she has been involved in some very interesting work with disadvantaged learners and innovation in pedagogy. This is the link to her work
RCT has supported an innovative programme, Step in the Right Direction, targetting young people who are leaving care. The programme provides traineeships for these young people and is highly successful. See below for information about the project and a video of a recent celebration event.
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