The Missing Link?
For the purposes of this project pedagogy taken
to be the 'activities that impart knowledge'. However in the project so far, the team has continually
encountered a kind of 'confused black hole' in relation to
- the specific tasks and activities involved in
pedagogy
- how these tasks and activities are generally
related and organised
Thus there
are two notions involved:
- pedagogy as a
process (see below)
- pedagogy as a system
Aspects of pedagogy
Pedagogy = teaching for learning
- Teaching = scaffolding learning activities +
mediation of learning experiences
- Learning = (activities ->) experiences + programmed knowledge + questioning insight
These come together in the pedagogy as process model according to the various contributions of the teacher and the learner to each 'step' in the process. It is too simplistic to treat the model as if the teacher did some steps and the learner did others. Indeed
to a greater or lesser extent both teacher and learner contribute to each task.
These contributions may or may not be conscious, agreed and/or intended
Some of the outcomes of mediating the learning experience are that
- the learner can make a greater contribution to each step in the process
- the learner has greater awareness of each step...
And where does technology fit in?
- Technology is used in activities: in doing things
- Activities use resources such as tools (embedded technology), information, materials....
- Activities contribute to the completion of tasks
- Tasks are undertaken in order to achieve a
result or outcome
- Pedagogy is intended to provide knowledge, experiences
and insights that result in learning, that is,
Summary:
Technology -> activities -> tasks
-> (products + experiences -> learning) -> outcomes
Pedagogy as process
Processes are made up of various related tasks
and activities. A basic
set of 'generic pedagogical tasks' has been assumed at this stage
of the project. Not all the
following steps are necessarily explicit in all teaching and learning.
1. Establish rapport as the basis
of working relationships
- establish trust, develop shared overall purposes
and distribution of responsibilities as a basis for ongoing negotiation
of
- control
- affection
- and inclusion
2. Choose a
learning
focus
- achieve an agreed specific purpose for the efforts to follow
- address several dimensions of
learning: hopes, needs, interests, benefits
3. Check on prior learning:
- check on hopes, needs, knowledge and experience
- establish a sound
basis and starting point for new learning
- establish the zone
of proximal development (ZPD) ...more
- make existing knowledge
and skills more readily available
- experience provides a basis for future learning and for
independent checking thinking against reality
- saves on rework
4. Design learning
task and make provision
- make purposes (hopes and expectations)
and policies explicit
- specify activities and schedules ...
- include means of knowing about progress
and achievement
- organise and assign requirements (resources,
permissions & responsibilities...)
5. Undertake Learning
Task (Do it !!)
- teacher and/or student provide scaffolding
for the learning activity
- learners act and acquire, process and (re)present information
- (#) monitor progress
with the task and activities
- teachers mediate
students' undertaking the learning task
6. Check on learning:
(*) Assessment and evaluation
- reflect on activities, processes, products, experience and learning:
- knowledge &
skills acquired
- effectiveness of
learning processes used
- self as learner
(insights)
7.
Explore transference of learning
The
above leads attention to teacher and student actions and thus to action
learning, teacher skills
and scaffolding and mediation.
Interpretation
and application
The
balance and emphasis given to the contributions of teacher and learner at each
step in the above may vary significantly.
- The
process model can be understood as consistent with other contemporary
frameworks such as Powerful
Pedagogies.
- Similarly
the model can also be understood as consistent with very traditional and/or
allegedly authoritarian styles of teaching.
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