Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: Insights from Learning Styles and Learning Theories

The paper of Barber, Donnelly & Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead” addresses some significant issues in higher education and poses some challenging questions to ODL (Open and Distance Learning) administrators, policy makers and of course to ODL faculty in general. Barber et al.’s paper does not specifically address the area of teaching and learning theories, strategies and methodologies per se. In this paper I would therefore like to reflect on the impact that the contemporary changes and challenges that Barber et al. describes, have on teaching and learning approaches and paradigms. In doing so I draw on earlier work about future learning paradigms and navigationism (Brown, 2006). We need a fresh approach and new skills to survive the revolution ahead. We need to rethink our teaching and learning strategies to be able to provide meaningful learning opportunities in the future that lies ahead.

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Initial Beliefs of Preservice Chemistry Teachers in Croatia

Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal ◽

10.26529/cepsj.730 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 37-57

Author(s):

Lana Šojat

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Epistemological Beliefs ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Chemistry Teachers ◽

Teaching Objectives ◽

Open Questions ◽

Teachers Beliefs ◽

Beliefs About Teaching ◽

Teacher Professional

In the past thirty years, there have been many political changes in Croatia. These changes have had an impact on the education system, as well. The success of such educational changes depends on the teacher. The importance of teachers’ knowledge and their beliefs about teaching and learning for their action in the classroom is well known. Beliefs influence teachers’ representation of science, science knowledge and the organisation of knowledge and information. Keeping teacher professional development in mind, preservice teachers’ beliefs need to be sought out and examined by educators. These beliefs should be developed in the direction of teaching chemistry taking into account recent reforms, as well as teaching and learning theories. Various studies have been undertaken in different education backgrounds and systems regarding the beliefs of both preservice and in-service teachers. These studies show different results depending on the context in which they are undertaken. Transferring data to the Croatian system is therefore difficult. However, there are no studies in Croatia focusing on the teachers’ beliefs regrading teaching and learning chemistry. The present study evaluates the initial beliefs of preservice chemistry teachers in Croatia. The participants were instructed to draw themselves as chemistry teachers in a typical classroom situation in chemistry, and to answer four open questions. Data analysis follows a pattern representing a range between the predominance of more traditional orientations versus more modern teaching orientations, in line with educational theory focusing on: 1) beliefs about classroom organisation, 2) beliefs about teaching objectives, and 3) epistemological beliefs. The data revealed mostly traditional and teacher-centred knowledge among all of the participants. In the present paper, the data will be discussed and the implications for Croatian chemistry teacher training will be established.

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The Importance of Identifying Learning Styles in Medical Education

Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica ◽

10.1590/1981-52712015v42n3rb20170111r1ing ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 189-193

Author(s):

Cynthia Caetano ◽

Roseli Luedke ◽

Ivan Carlos Ferreira Antonello

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Learning Approach ◽

Student Centered ◽

Student Centered Learning ◽

Essential Information ◽

Passive Learning ◽

Teachers And Students

ABSTRACT Learning is a complex construct that involves several factors, mainly the interaction between teachers and students in the process of teaching and learning. Understanding how students learn and which factors influence academic performance is essential information for lesson planning and evaluation, in addition to allowing a better use of students’ learning potential and outcomes. The ability to constructively modify one’s behavior depends on how well we combine our experiences, reflections, conceptualizations, and planning to make improvements. This seems particularly relevant in medical education, where students are expected to retain, recall, and apply vast amounts of information assimilated throughout their training period. Over the years, there has being a gradual shift in medical education from a passive learning approach to an active learning approach. To support the learning environment, educators need to be aware of the different learning styles of their students to effectively tailor instructional strategies and methods to cater to students’ learning needs. However, the space for reflection on the process of teaching is still incipient in higher-education institutions in Brazil. The present article proposes a critical review of the importance of identifying students’ learning styles in undergraduate medical education. Different models exist for assessing learning styles. Different styles can coexist in equilibrium (multimodal style) or predominate (unimodal style) in the same individual. Assessing students’ learning styles can be a useful tool in education, once it is possible to analyze with what kind of learning students can better develop themselves, improving their knowledge and influencing positively in the process of learning. Over the last century, medical education experienced challenges to improve the learning process and curricular reform. Also, this has resulted in crucial changes in the field of medical education, with a shift from a teacher centered and subject based teaching to the use of interactive, problem based, student centered learning.

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Advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning using Learning Theories and Reflectivity

Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal ◽

10.26529/cepsj.298 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 191-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lester Brian Shawa

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Constructivist Learning Theory ◽

Scholarship Of Teaching ◽

Policy Perspective ◽

Academic Level ◽

South African Universities ◽

Social Constructivist Learning ◽

Postgraduate Diploma

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains a mostly elusive notion. For universities to genuinely contribute to SoTL, they must delineate clear parameters of engagement. For example, while some engage SoTL at the academic level, others examine it from an institutional policy perspective. Others view it from national and international frameworks that impact teaching and learning in universities. Engaging SoTL at the academic level, this article uses a postgraduate diploma module, Higher Education Context and Policy (mostly attended by university academics from South African universities) to show how a facilitator could draw from learning theories and reflectivity to teach and advance SoTL. More specifically, it demonstrates how a facilitator could mediate the module utilising a social constructivist learning theory perspective.

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The importance of respecting the learning styles in the teaching process: An example of Kolb's model of experiential learning

Norma ◽

10.5937/norma2101067t ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 67-79

Author(s):

Lana Tomčić

Keyword(s):

Experiential Learning ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Learning Difficulties ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Teaching Process ◽

Analysis Techniques ◽

Teacher Student ◽

Common Learning

The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of knowing and respecting the learning styles in the teaching process through the presentation of Kolb's model of experiential learning. The goal is achieved at the theoretical level, using the method of theoretical analysis and content analysis techniques, starting from the analysis of concepts and classifications of learning styles in the most common learning theories, through different ways of respecting learning styles to Kolb's model of experiential learning. Knowledge of learning styles is of multiple importance for pedagogical theory and practice: the acquired knowledge contributes to better knowledge and understanding of students, their way of learning, the quality of teacher-student interaction, but also to shedding light on the causes of learning difficulties and preventing school failure.

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INSIGHTS INTO LEARNING STYLES PREFERENCE OF ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) ◽

10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp390-409 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 390-409

Author(s):

Nadia Nur Afiqah Ismail ◽

Tina Abdullah ◽

Abdul Halim Abdul Raof

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Language Learning ◽

Engineering Education ◽

Learning Style ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Learning Style Preferences ◽

Style Preferences ◽

Learning Style Preference ◽

Engineering Undergraduates

Background and Purpose: Education at higher institutions prepares graduates for the real world. To develop and maintain quality, the focus must not only be on what institutions can offer but also on the learning needs and styles of learners. Despite many studies on engineering learners’ learning styles, limited research has been conducted to compare the learning styles of Engineering and Engineering Education learners. This study was conducted to ascertain the learning style preferences of first-year undergraduates from both groups in a science and technology-driven university in Malaysia. Methodology: This descriptive study consisted of 40 Engineering and 40 Engineering Education learners who attended an English language course at the university. Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire was adopted as the survey instrument. The data were analysed using self-scoring sheet and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Findings: While both groups chose Kinaesthetic as a major learning style preference, the Engineering Education learners also chose Group, Tactile, and Auditory learning styles as their other major preferences. Both groups chose Visual and Individual as their minor preferences. Contributions: The findings extend research demonstrating the significant role of specific disciplines in Engineering to determine the learning style preferences of learners. The findings also provide useful insights that suggest implications for practice and policy. Keywords: Engineering, engineering education, English language, learning styles, teaching and learning. Cite as: Ismail, N. N. A., Abdullah, T., & Abdul Raof, A. H. (2022). Insights into learning styles preference of engineering undergraduates: Implications for teaching and learning. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1) 390-409. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp390-409

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Ngāti Whakaue Iho Ake – An Iwi Science Education Exploration

10.26686/wgtn.17008291.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Hiria Stacey McRae

Keyword(s):

Science Education ◽

Student Engagement ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Local Environment ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

School Science ◽

Secondary Science ◽

Tribal Community

This thesis aims to provide a pathway to improve Māori student engagement with science education. Internationally, some indigenous communities have worked with schools in the delivery of science programmes, resulting in positive indigenous student engagement. These outcomes show that together indigenous students, schools and indigenous communities can contribute to the development of their particular place when science programmes allow the exploration of self, relating to others, the local environment and the wider world. This thesis investigates the perceptions of Māori students, teachers and kaumātua of science education in the Māori tribal community of Ngāti Whakaue to identify how Ngāti Whakaue is recognised in school science programmes. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with local Māori elders, Māori secondary science students, and secondary science teachers from six English and Māori medium secondary schools in Rotorua. Data analyses revealed that participant perceptions and experiences of place, science and the Māori culture were disconnected from Ngāti Whakaue, despite its rich potential as a setting for science education. Participants held diverse perceptions and views within and between groups, including student and teacher understandings of Māori culture, attitudes regarding the place of Māori culture and knowledge in science education, and preferences regarding teaching and learning styles. Findings are examined as to how schools and Ngāti Whakaue could work together to better support positive Māori student engagement with science education and suggestions are made about how these relationships could be improved.

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