Reflections
What defines a school learning environment?
Basically there are eight areas:
- Leadership: School leaders must share their vision to staff, school culture
- Physical environment: School culture
- Teachers: Teaching methodology, support staff, teacher-student interaction
- Students: Learning styles, emotional learning, attitude
- Working with parents: Parents must be supportive of school activities
- Collaboration with external agencies: greater exposure for our students
- Security: School must be a safe place for our students and teachers
- Budget: Money is important to implement certain programmes
Find this instrument SLCEQ very interesting to use and it can be tied in with Moo's theory. The following are the links:
SLCEQ Instrumentation - Moo's Schema
Student Support - Relationship dimension
Affiliation - Relationship dimension
Professional Interest - Personal growth
Achievement Orientation - Personal growth
Staff Freedom - System maintenance
Participatory Decision Making- System maintenance
Innovation - System maintenance
Resource Adequacy - System maintenance
Work Pressure - System maintenance
Some comments on SLCEQ Instrumentation:
- Better to put SA (Strongly agree) first followed by SD (Strongly disagree)
- Items should be spread over the scales and not put in category. This is to ensure that students or teachers don't get tired of answering the questions and see a pattern.
- Have a gauge of 4 to 5 items per scale
- As a first cut, do not have more than 25 items
- Try out the questionaire with a group first, before implementing with the actual group
I liked the hands-on session on the case study. We had the opportunity to assess a school learning environment and see the positive and negative aspects of the environment and make recommendations to improvement the environment. I could use this questions to assess my own school environment.
I also found a lot of resources that I can use on the eduweb. onlinelearning. I will use some of them when planning my Food and Nutrition lessons.
I also had a taste of answering a questionaire and how to collect data and then to transport it to SPSS. It has been a fruitful session today.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Paired-sample t-test
A t-test is any statistical hypothesis test in which the test statistic has a Student's t distribution if the null hypothesis is true. It is applied when sample sizes are small enough that using an assumption of normality and the associated z-test leads to incorrect inference.
Dependent t-tests are also used for matched-paired samples, where two groups are matched on a particular variable. For example, if we examined the heights of men and women in a relationship, the two groups are matched on relationship status. This would call for a dependent t-test because it is a paired sample (one man paired with one woman). Alternatively, we might recruit 100 men and 100 women, with no relationship between any particular man and any particular woman; in this case we would use an independent samples test.
See link for history, use, assumptions, formulas, calculations, determining type and matched-pair
Dependent t-tests are also used for matched-paired samples, where two groups are matched on a particular variable. For example, if we examined the heights of men and women in a relationship, the two groups are matched on relationship status. This would call for a dependent t-test because it is a paired sample (one man paired with one woman). Alternatively, we might recruit 100 men and 100 women, with no relationship between any particular man and any particular woman; in this case we would use an independent samples test.
See link for history, use, assumptions, formulas, calculations, determining type and matched-pair
Cronbach alpha reliability
Cronbach's α (alpha) has an important use as a measure of the reliability of a psychometric instrument. See attachment for formula
Reflections of the first day
On the first day the following is what have I learnt:
- How the theory on Learning Environment was developed from 1930 to 1990 and different people involved.
- In our own groups, we researched on Henry A Murray. His work was focused on personaltiy test. He focused on basic needs in personality which he called psychogenic needs. From the 27 traits, he picked up the three important traits; Power, Affiliation and Achievement.
- The different modes of assessment such as WIHIC and QTI are the most useful modes of assessment to use and they come in prefered and actual form.
- These information is important in our Future Schools, where there must be student engagement in Learning and there must be Knowledge Construction taking place in each of the students where each learner must be actively involved in learning.
- One thing I need to research is Flexible Learning Environment.
- How the theory on Learning Environment was developed from 1930 to 1990 and different people involved.
- In our own groups, we researched on Henry A Murray. His work was focused on personaltiy test. He focused on basic needs in personality which he called psychogenic needs. From the 27 traits, he picked up the three important traits; Power, Affiliation and Achievement.
- The different modes of assessment such as WIHIC and QTI are the most useful modes of assessment to use and they come in prefered and actual form.
- These information is important in our Future Schools, where there must be student engagement in Learning and there must be Knowledge Construction taking place in each of the students where each learner must be actively involved in learning.
- One thing I need to research is Flexible Learning Environment.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Assessing Learning Environments
There are many tools one can use to assess the learning environment but the two useful instruments are: Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and What is Happening in this Classroom (WIHIC). The scales classified according to Moo's Scheme are from three areas: Relationship dimensions, Personal development dimensions and System maintenance and change dimensions. All these three areas must be coherent so that assessment will be valid.
The hands-on on different theories on papers done by researchers was refreshing. This gave me an idea of what was prescribed then, for example, Henry A. Murray in the 1930's on power, affiliation and achievement is further developed and expanded by other researchers such as Moo as he developed on the schema and we can determine which instruments we want to use. I also learnt that students must be our focus. As teachers, we must create a learning environment where students understand what that has been taught. The old method of chalk-and talk could be deemed obsolete if the whole session is focused on the teacher talking. In didatic teaching, I personally feel that students become passive and the teacher is the one who is sharpening her skills day in and out. Hence, I would recommend that different teaching methodologies and cooperative learning strategies to be used, where the students become engaged in their own learning giving feedback and contribute to the learning circle. In this changing world, students must be taught to take onus of their own learning. And as for assessment, there are many tools can be used to find out whether learning has taken place effectively such as the QTI and WIHIC.
The hands-on on different theories on papers done by researchers was refreshing. This gave me an idea of what was prescribed then, for example, Henry A. Murray in the 1930's on power, affiliation and achievement is further developed and expanded by other researchers such as Moo as he developed on the schema and we can determine which instruments we want to use. I also learnt that students must be our focus. As teachers, we must create a learning environment where students understand what that has been taught. The old method of chalk-and talk could be deemed obsolete if the whole session is focused on the teacher talking. In didatic teaching, I personally feel that students become passive and the teacher is the one who is sharpening her skills day in and out. Hence, I would recommend that different teaching methodologies and cooperative learning strategies to be used, where the students become engaged in their own learning giving feedback and contribute to the learning circle. In this changing world, students must be taught to take onus of their own learning. And as for assessment, there are many tools can be used to find out whether learning has taken place effectively such as the QTI and WIHIC.
Background of Murray
Henry Murray's earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1915, a medical degree from Columbia in 1919 and then completed a doctorate in biochemistry from Cambridge nine years later.
His start in psychology occurred after reading Jung and eventually arranging a meeting with him. During this meeting, Jung convinced Murray to study psychoanalysis, which he did at Harvard University. After completing his training, Murray actually began teaching psychology and psychoanalytic theory at Harvard, and he remained there for the rest of his professional career.
Murray's Background. See link
His start in psychology occurred after reading Jung and eventually arranging a meeting with him. During this meeting, Jung convinced Murray to study psychoanalysis, which he did at Harvard University. After completing his training, Murray actually began teaching psychology and psychoanalytic theory at Harvard, and he remained there for the rest of his professional career.
Murray's Background. See link
Henry A Murray
Henry A Murray focused on basic needs in personality which he called psychogenic needs. He believed these needs were largely at the unconscious level. After researching this area, he narrowed these needs down to 27, although the list and names vary depending on the time frame and the author.
Three of these, especially, have been the focus of study: the need for Power, Affiliation, and Achievement.
The need for Power refers to the desire or need to impact other people, to control or be in a position of influence. Careers that involve these aspects are better suited for high nPow people, such as teachers, psychologists, journalists, and supervisors. They don't necessarily make the best leaders though. Research has found that those with high nPow are more likely to rate an employee higher if that employee has a tendency to schmooz or flatter the subject where those with low or moderate nPow rate employees the same. In this sense, those with high nPow would do well if they also had traits of self-control and objectivity.
The need for affiliation has a long history of research, and studies show that those with a high nAff often have a larger social circle. They spend more time interacting with other such as talking on the phone and writing letters, and they are more likely to be members of social groups or clubs. Those with high nAff are also more likely to get lonely than those low in nAff, so their need for affiliation may be related to their sense of self and their desire for external stimulation.
Those with a high need for achievement (nAch) demonstrate a consistent concern about meeting obligations and accomplishing tasks. They are, however, more focused on internal motivation rather than external rewards. For example, those high in nAch are more likely to value intelligence and personal achievement over recognition and praise.
Preview the link.
Three of these, especially, have been the focus of study: the need for Power, Affiliation, and Achievement.
The need for Power refers to the desire or need to impact other people, to control or be in a position of influence. Careers that involve these aspects are better suited for high nPow people, such as teachers, psychologists, journalists, and supervisors. They don't necessarily make the best leaders though. Research has found that those with high nPow are more likely to rate an employee higher if that employee has a tendency to schmooz or flatter the subject where those with low or moderate nPow rate employees the same. In this sense, those with high nPow would do well if they also had traits of self-control and objectivity.
The need for affiliation has a long history of research, and studies show that those with a high nAff often have a larger social circle. They spend more time interacting with other such as talking on the phone and writing letters, and they are more likely to be members of social groups or clubs. Those with high nAff are also more likely to get lonely than those low in nAff, so their need for affiliation may be related to their sense of self and their desire for external stimulation.
Those with a high need for achievement (nAch) demonstrate a consistent concern about meeting obligations and accomplishing tasks. They are, however, more focused on internal motivation rather than external rewards. For example, those high in nAch are more likely to value intelligence and personal achievement over recognition and praise.
Preview the link.
Key concepts about Learning Environment:
Conducive Learning physical environment (social setting) must fit the child's background he comes from: students needs, attitude, physio-social, assessment, attitude, cognitive development, community and others.
What to assess in LE:
Physical: Seating arrangement, noise level, space provision for movement and work, ventilation, rewource provision
Students: Working in groups/individually, stud behaviour toweards each other, group sizes and composition, student concentration
Social: Teacher's modes of instruction, teacher's acceptance/rejection, types of educational tasks required, types of activities.
These are good points to take into account when assessing the Learning Environment as the environment must be looked in totality which means not only the physical environment but the students and the teachers interaction do play a crucial part.
Inter-relationship between Lewinian's formula and Murray's meeds-press model
Learning environment can affect the child whether positive or negative.
1930: Murray and Lewin and Theary
1950: Walberg (1968) & Moo's (1968) developed Learning Environment
Inventory (LEI) for Harvard Project Physics.
1960/70: Frazer and Fisher
I find this lecture interesting and relevant. As a teacher, I have to make the classroom environment fit into the student's needs and background he comes from. I must ensure that learning takes place in the classroom. I can use different survey modes to get feedback form the students.
Conducive Learning physical environment (social setting) must fit the child's background he comes from: students needs, attitude, physio-social, assessment, attitude, cognitive development, community and others.
What to assess in LE:
Physical: Seating arrangement, noise level, space provision for movement and work, ventilation, rewource provision
Students: Working in groups/individually, stud behaviour toweards each other, group sizes and composition, student concentration
Social: Teacher's modes of instruction, teacher's acceptance/rejection, types of educational tasks required, types of activities.
These are good points to take into account when assessing the Learning Environment as the environment must be looked in totality which means not only the physical environment but the students and the teachers interaction do play a crucial part.
Inter-relationship between Lewinian's formula and Murray's meeds-press model
Learning environment can affect the child whether positive or negative.
- One can engage a group of people (participants like our pupils) form the Beta press, they have been in the environment for some time to assess the environment.
- The other group the Alpha press (assess and exerts), eg, climate survey, the detached observer summarises the survey. Quantitative measure - sample size 30 people; otherwise does not show the result, go for four-point scale instead of five-point scale. The instuments are found in the supplement of the handout. Qualitative measure - even one is enough (just follow the journal).
1930: Murray and Lewin and Theary
1950: Walberg (1968) & Moo's (1968) developed Learning Environment
Inventory (LEI) for Harvard Project Physics.
1960/70: Frazer and Fisher
I find this lecture interesting and relevant. As a teacher, I have to make the classroom environment fit into the student's needs and background he comes from. I must ensure that learning takes place in the classroom. I can use different survey modes to get feedback form the students.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Design of Learning Environments
The Design of Learning Environments
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School
After reading this article, I strongly believe that how people learn is greatly influenced by an effective and engaging learning environment. School children’s academic performance and well-being in school is not merely influenced by the physical environment but more importantly, the different kinds of learning goals adopted by the school which requires different approaches to instruction and creating opportunities to learn with the broader society.
Creating an inspirational education environment includes the architecture, layout, decoration and facilities of the school. Physical environment does play a vital role in shaping the learning environment. Whatever, a child’s academic ability, pleasing surroundings such as an attractive, well-lit and colour coordinated school classrooms will definitely lead to better attendance, improved concentration of the child and a healthy dose of motivation and self-esteem. For example, during my daughter’s Primary One Orientation Day, we had a chance to look at the classroom she will be in for next year. This ‘feel-good factor’ that her classroom was cozy, tidy, tables put in groups (and not the regimental rows), teacher has a computer and overhead projector in the classroom already ensured us, the parents, that effective learning will take place in the classroom.
To achieve the above stated learning goals in paragraph 1, we need to explore the design of learning environment from four perspectives, which are: learner centred, knowledge centred, assessment centred and community centred. This vision requires rethinking on what is being taught, how teachers teach and how learning is assessed.
The term ‘learner-centred’ refers to environments that pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting. This term includes teaching practices that have been called ‘culturally responsive’, ‘culturally appropriate’, ‘culturally compatible’ and ‘culturally relevant’ (Ladson-Billings, 1995). In this environment teachers play a vital role in knowing their learners beliefs, understandings and cultural practices that they bring to the classroom. As such diagnostic teaching is a key strategy where learners are prompted to explain, make predictions and explain with reasons for their predictions to a task. In our school environment, we too must consciously make an attempt to understand our pupils’ background and not merely shout at them if they could not produce a satisfactory answer.
Knowledge-centred environments take seriously the need to help students become knowledgeable (Bruner, 1981) by learning in ways that lead to understanding and subsequent transfer. People construct new knowledge based on their current knowledge. Likewise, primary students come with innate sense of wanting to know their world. They come with pride, bringing with them prerequisite knowledge to the learning situation. They frame new experiences and information within the context of what they already know. An interesting new approach is ‘progressive formalization’ which supports learning with understanding and encourages sense making. This also calls for teaching using different strategies and methodologies to bring meaning to the concept taught. With modern technologies such as IT, websites, video editing, video conferencing and blogging, opportunities are generated for local to global collaborative curricular projects and lessons can be made more interactive, interesting and effective.
Assessment-centred environments focus on providing feedback and revision on what has been taught. There are two forms of assessment: formative and summative assessments. In our society, much stress is on summative assessment aligned with the state and national achievement assessments, which students take at the end of the year. In my opinion, formative assessments are equally important. Student’s thinking can be made visible through discussions, group work and presentation, and in all these activities, feedback must be provided to show pupils’ understanding of concepts. In my school, pupils who offer Food & Nutrition at upper secondary have to do a coursework which requires them to go through seven stages: Task Analysis, Research & Development, Decision-making, Planning, Execution and Evaluation. Students carry out the task independently and teachers become facilitators where they mark each stage upon completion and they give comments to students. In this way, learning takes place and they are guided to make informed decisions on what to cook for their chosen profile.
Community-centred environments are also important where students learn from one another and continually attempt to improve themselves. To a larger extend, community also involves the home, nation and the world. It is also important as a school to get connected with the community at large. In my school context, students are involved in CIP projects and NYAA where they practice what they have learnt in the classrooms to the projects at hand bringing out their leadership qualities.
In conclusion, the expectations of schooling must be revisited. Schools must create an effective environment where students learn with understanding and a broad range of subjects interconnected within a discipline. Feedback is fundamental to learning and students actively involved with community centers and CCA have significant effects on students’ academic achievement. All these four areas must be properly aligned to making learning effective both within and outside schools.
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School
After reading this article, I strongly believe that how people learn is greatly influenced by an effective and engaging learning environment. School children’s academic performance and well-being in school is not merely influenced by the physical environment but more importantly, the different kinds of learning goals adopted by the school which requires different approaches to instruction and creating opportunities to learn with the broader society.
Creating an inspirational education environment includes the architecture, layout, decoration and facilities of the school. Physical environment does play a vital role in shaping the learning environment. Whatever, a child’s academic ability, pleasing surroundings such as an attractive, well-lit and colour coordinated school classrooms will definitely lead to better attendance, improved concentration of the child and a healthy dose of motivation and self-esteem. For example, during my daughter’s Primary One Orientation Day, we had a chance to look at the classroom she will be in for next year. This ‘feel-good factor’ that her classroom was cozy, tidy, tables put in groups (and not the regimental rows), teacher has a computer and overhead projector in the classroom already ensured us, the parents, that effective learning will take place in the classroom.
To achieve the above stated learning goals in paragraph 1, we need to explore the design of learning environment from four perspectives, which are: learner centred, knowledge centred, assessment centred and community centred. This vision requires rethinking on what is being taught, how teachers teach and how learning is assessed.
The term ‘learner-centred’ refers to environments that pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting. This term includes teaching practices that have been called ‘culturally responsive’, ‘culturally appropriate’, ‘culturally compatible’ and ‘culturally relevant’ (Ladson-Billings, 1995). In this environment teachers play a vital role in knowing their learners beliefs, understandings and cultural practices that they bring to the classroom. As such diagnostic teaching is a key strategy where learners are prompted to explain, make predictions and explain with reasons for their predictions to a task. In our school environment, we too must consciously make an attempt to understand our pupils’ background and not merely shout at them if they could not produce a satisfactory answer.
Knowledge-centred environments take seriously the need to help students become knowledgeable (Bruner, 1981) by learning in ways that lead to understanding and subsequent transfer. People construct new knowledge based on their current knowledge. Likewise, primary students come with innate sense of wanting to know their world. They come with pride, bringing with them prerequisite knowledge to the learning situation. They frame new experiences and information within the context of what they already know. An interesting new approach is ‘progressive formalization’ which supports learning with understanding and encourages sense making. This also calls for teaching using different strategies and methodologies to bring meaning to the concept taught. With modern technologies such as IT, websites, video editing, video conferencing and blogging, opportunities are generated for local to global collaborative curricular projects and lessons can be made more interactive, interesting and effective.
Assessment-centred environments focus on providing feedback and revision on what has been taught. There are two forms of assessment: formative and summative assessments. In our society, much stress is on summative assessment aligned with the state and national achievement assessments, which students take at the end of the year. In my opinion, formative assessments are equally important. Student’s thinking can be made visible through discussions, group work and presentation, and in all these activities, feedback must be provided to show pupils’ understanding of concepts. In my school, pupils who offer Food & Nutrition at upper secondary have to do a coursework which requires them to go through seven stages: Task Analysis, Research & Development, Decision-making, Planning, Execution and Evaluation. Students carry out the task independently and teachers become facilitators where they mark each stage upon completion and they give comments to students. In this way, learning takes place and they are guided to make informed decisions on what to cook for their chosen profile.
Community-centred environments are also important where students learn from one another and continually attempt to improve themselves. To a larger extend, community also involves the home, nation and the world. It is also important as a school to get connected with the community at large. In my school context, students are involved in CIP projects and NYAA where they practice what they have learnt in the classrooms to the projects at hand bringing out their leadership qualities.
In conclusion, the expectations of schooling must be revisited. Schools must create an effective environment where students learn with understanding and a broad range of subjects interconnected within a discipline. Feedback is fundamental to learning and students actively involved with community centers and CCA have significant effects on students’ academic achievement. All these four areas must be properly aligned to making learning effective both within and outside schools.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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