Enhancing Learning Quality: Principles for Educators and Trainers

1. Improving Learning QualitySome basic principles Dr. Peter den Boer Lecturer VET-college W. Brabant

2. Improving Learning Quality • LQ concerns students – learners / Lerner • How can we seethisquality: • Competencies of students: knowledge, skills, attitudes • What does thisqualityreflect? • The quality of the educational environment: the quality of teachers, teaching, trainers, supervisors, counsellors

3. Improving Learning Quality • Basicallyconcersteachers/trainers and teaching (in school, companies, etc) Qualities of Learner Teaching Quality Learning Quality

4. How canteachersimprovequality • By being good professionals (didactics & Pedagogics) • NZL: John Hattie (2003) • NL: Robert Marzano(2003) Marzano & Miedema (2011) • By working in a supportive environment: • Learning environment: buildings, class rooms, possibilities for learning in companies, leraning materials, etcetc • Supportive / learning teams • Supportive Management

5. Quality of Management Quality/ Support Team Learner Qualities Teaching Quality Learning Quality

6. Quality of management (verybriefly) AppreciativeInquiry: 4D + ! Flexibleleadership

7. Expert teams are learning teams Psychologicalsafety Shared mentalmodels Team situation awareness Situation awareness Plan formulation Team Learning Plan execution (Salas et al. 2006)

8. Quality of learners • Learning capacities (=? Time) • Learning strategies (cfHattie & Marzano) • Motivation

9. Motivation • Content of subjects • Perspective

11. Chocolate

12. Chocolate studyChernev, 2003 • Assignment: Choose a chocolate • Preparation • What is your favourite (i.e. truffle , pure, vanilla, hazelnut) • Offer • Group 1: 4 chocolates • Group 2: 16 chocolate • Assignment: choose 1 • Question: do you want to swap?

13. ResultsChernev (2003)

14. Norway  Netherlands • 9 domains  350 training programmes • Both: problems with choice, drop out and switching behavior • WHY ?

15. Chocolate-metaphor revisited

16. Empiricalevidence(N=15) Experience (withlabour) .71 .65 Vocational Identity Self-direction Metal processing Den Boer, Jager & Smulders, 2003

17. Help them gain perspective!

18. Two types of reflection • Taskreflection: • what went well? what went wrong? whatwillyou do differently next time? what do you want/have tolearn?assessementby expert necessary! • Personal reflection: • what have youexperienced? how was thatforyou? what was the most important thing? what made thatso special? what does thattellyouaboutyourpreferences in work?

19. Craftsmanship 60’s & 70’s Perspective / Identity Knowledge Skills Work attitude

20. Craftsmanship 80’s - 2000 Perspective / Identity Knowledge Skills Work attitude

21. Craftsmanship 21st century Perspective / Identity Knowledge Skills Work attitude

22. Talent • Galton (1865): possibilities limited by innate factors • Recent research (Ericsson & Lehman, ‘99): people we consider talented have spent much more time practicing than the rest • 10 year rule • 10.000 flying hours

23. DeliberatePractice(Ericsson, 1996, 1998) • Deliberate, well structuredpractice: • Focussed (concentration) • Programmatic • Extended periods of time • Monitoring & guidance (trainers) • Examples: • Chess • Sports – Epke Zonderland • Typing

24. Does goodtyping make a goodsecretary? • Broader concept of talent / expertise • Whataboutteachers, trainers, tutors supervisors, etc.?

25. Fields of expertise teachers Education practice Mostteachers (Gen. Educ.) Subject theory practice theory

26. Education practice SubjectEnthousiasts Practitioners Pedagogues Subject theory practice theory

27. Expert teams (revisited) • Shared mentalmodels • Team situation awareness • Psychologicalsafety

29. Teachers & Students • Both needa perspectivetoenhancelearning • Teachers are AT WORK: • Experientiallearning! • With time outs for off the job training, BUT: • Transfer does notoccurautomatically • Studentstooneedexperientiallearning • Whenwhat?

30. Learning strategies 2 basic types of learning • Knowledge / Skill acquisition – pouring knowledge into their heads / cognitive apprenticeship • Participation – experiential learning

31. 2 types of learning: not either or, but which when? Knowledge / Skill acquisition • Context of certainty Experiential learning • Context of UNcertainty • Learning through reflection

32. Principles 1 • ILQ is about teachers, tutors, trainers, counsellors, supervisors, etc. • ILQ is about motivating students by helping them gain perspective: • Organise experience • Take time to reflect on that to make learning possible • Perspective  motivation, meaning

33. Principles 2 • ILQ is about which type of learning when: • Knowledge acquisition when needed • Experiential learning when context (including motivation) uncertain • ILQ is about a supportive learning environment: • Learning teams • Supportive management (knowing how to encourage and lead different processes appropriately)

34. Principles 3 • Supportive teams use the available talents in the team: Subject knowledge, practical knowledge, pedagogical knowledge • Talent needs practice! • 10 year rule • 10.000 flying hours