Transcript Original Session 3 - Leeds Beckett University

THEME 3:
HOW PEOPLE LEARN &
LEARNING THEORIES
SESSION 3:
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
& THEORETICAL MODELS
Think about your own learning
Would you categorise your learning
usually as
surface
deep
…or …strategic
Or something else?
http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/play/port_lofi.cfm/sound_iid.4696
APPROACHES TO STUDY
 Marton (1975): Approaches to study
 Students’ approaches to a task (their intention),
(perhaps) determines the level of engagement & thus
the quality of the outcomes
 These approaches may be classified as either DEEP
or SURFACE
 More recently extended to include ‘STRATEGIC
LEARNING’ (Entwistle, 1997)
 http://www.learningstyles.co.uk/enh_eyls_msl_.php
 http://ericec.org/digests/e638.html
‘SURFACE’ APPROACH TO LEARNING
 Generically refer to ‘inappropriate’ learning activities
as comprising a surface approach to learning….
 Intention to (merely?) complete the given task
 Memorize the information - Rote learning
 No distinction between new ideas & existing
knowledge
 Superficial cognitive processing gives the impression
that max. learning has occurred.
Facts are learned outside a context of meaning
‘To cope with course requirements’
SURFACE APPROACH
 “Learner sees task as external imposition
 Instrumentally or pragmatically motivated and
seek to meet demands of task with minimum
effort
 Overall involved in study without reflection on
purpose or strategy with the focus of that
study on the words, the text, or the formulae.”
 Adopt strategies which include:
*focus on unrelated parts of the task
*separate treatment of related parts (such as
principles and examples)
*focus on what are seen as essentials (factual
data)
*reproduction of the essentials as accurately
as possible
*rote memorising information for assessment
purposes rather than for understanding
(PROSSER & TRIGWELL, 1999)
Ch.1
‘DEEP’ APPROACH TO LEARNING
 Generically refer to ‘appropriate’ learning
activities as comprising a deep approach to
learning….
 Intention to seek and understand meaning
 Relate concepts to existing experience
 Distinguish between new ideas & existing
knowledge
 Critically evaluate & determine key themes &
concepts
Facts are learnt within a meaningful framework
‘To understand for yourself’
DEEP APPROACH
“Learner aims to understand ideas and
seek meanings
Learner has intrinsic interest in task and
expectation of enjoyment in carrying it
out
Overall focus on meaning in argument,
the message or the relationships, aware
of meanings carried by words, text or
formulae”
 to help satisfy curiosity e.g.
*making task coherent with own experience;
*relating and distinguishing
evidence/argument;
*looking for patterns/underlying principles
*integrating task with existing awareness
*Seeing parts of task making up the whole
*forming hypotheses
*relating what s/he understand from other
parts of the same subject and from different
subjects
(PROSSER & TRIGWELL, 1999) Ch.1
‘STRATEGIC’ APPROACH TO
LEARNING
Often seen as engaging elements of both
surface & deep approaches
 Put consistent effort into studying
 Find the right conditions & materials for
learning
 Managing time and effort effectively
 Being alert to assessment requirements &
criteria
 Gearing work to perceived preference of
lecturers
‘To achieve the best possible grades’
PRACTICAL TASK
What factors might contribute to a
particular approach to study being
adopted?
Please provide a practical example!
How might this awareness impact upon
your own professional practice?
BIGGS’ MODEL of CONSTRUCTIVE
ALIGNMENT
To encourage deep learning focus on:
 PRESAGE: student factors and teaching context
 PROCESS: activities focused to encourage deep and
discourage surface learning
 PRODUCT: learning outcomes – facts; skills;
structure; transfer; involvement
 http://www.engsc.ac.uk/er/theory/cons
tructive_alignment.asp
“Factors encourage surface
learning from student’s side”
 Intention only to achieve minimal pass – meal
ticket? Relevance?
 Non-academic priorities exceeding academic
 Insufficient time, workload too high
 Misunderstanding requirements – recall
adequate
 A cynical view of education
 High anxiety
 Genuine inability to understand particular
content at a deep level”
BIGGS (1999)
“Factors that encourage surface
learning from teacher’s side”
 Teaching in piecemeal fashion: providing lists, not
bringing out intrinsic structure of subject
 Assessing for independent facts – short answers and
multiple-choice tests
 Teaching and especially assessing in a way that
encourages cynicism
 Providing insufficient time to engage in tasks,
emphasising coverage at the expense of depth
 Creating undue anxiety or low expectations of
success: “Anyone who can’t understand this isn’t fit to
be at university”.
BIGGS(1999)
“Factors that encourage deep
learning from student’s side”
 Intention to engage the task meaningfully and
appropriately (intrinsic curiosity or determination to do
well)
 Appropriate background knowledge; ability to focus at
high conceptual level, working from first principles,
requires well-structured knowledge base
 A genuine preference, and ability, for working
conceptually rather than with unrelated detail”
( BIGGS,1999)
“Factors that encourage deep
learning in the teaching environment”
 Teaching and assessing in a way that encourages a
positive working atmosphere, so students can make
mistakes and learn from them
 Emphasising depth of learning, rather than breadth or
coverage
 In general, and most importantly, using teaching and
assessment methods that support the explicit aims
and objectives of the course”
(BIGGS,1999)
“Factors that encourage deep
learning in the teaching
environment”
 Teaching in such a way as to bring out the structure
of the subject explicitly
 Teaching to elicit a positive response from students,
e.g. by questioning or presenting problems, rather
than teaching to expound information
 Teaching by building on what students already know
 Confronting and eradicating students’ misconceptions
 Assessing for structure rather than for independent
facts”
(BIGGS,1999)
PROMOTING DEEP LEARNING
 PROVIDE CLEAR STATEMENT OF GOALS
 INCLUDE LEARNER INPUT TO COURSE
STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
 TUTOR/LEARNER INTERACTION
 LEARNER/LEARNER INTERACTION
 ACTIVE/INTERACTIVE EXERCISES
 TEACH LEARNING SKILLS EXPLICITLY
 CHOICE AND/OR RANGE OF ASSESSMENT
TASKS
 ENGAGE LEARNERS IN INVESTIGATION AND
REFLECTION
 COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
 FULL FEEDBACK
Should we be promoting deep,
surface or strategic learning?
Do we promote any of these
unintentionally?
How does the use of virtual
learning environments affect the
student or teacher approach to
learning?
How does deep learning relate to
teaching smarter?
Not everything that is deep is
beautiful…..
Or serious…
REFERENCES
 BIGGS, J., 1999,
Teaching for Quality at University
Open UP and SRHE, Buckingham
Especially Chapter 2
for theory of “Constructive alignment”
 PROSSER,M. & TRIGWELL,K, 1999,
Understanding Learning & Teaching: The Experience
in Higher Education
Open UP and SRHE, Buckingham
Especially Chapter 7
Deep and surface approaches to learning
–an introduction
 http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9512/articl
e1.htm
 http://www.engsc.ac.uk/er/theory/learn
ing.asp
 http://www.learningandteaching.info/le
arning/deepsurf.htm
 http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/learnteach/e
nhance/understand/index.html
 http://www.lsda.org.uk/files/PDF/1543.
pdf
 Read the original authors for detail