Week 6: Tying things together...

The last five weeks have focused on broad areas of course implementation. We've explored various theorists and their views of learning, different methods of instruction/interaction (group, lecture, self-directed), lesson plans and preparing for instruction, teaching practical skills, and motivation. In the proces, we have explored Bloom's taxonomies (the most prominent being his cognitive taxonomy), Chickering and Gamson's "good practice" at college level instruction, Wiggin's Facets of Understanding, and Gagne's events of instruction. We have also explored concepts of scaffolding, leading students beyond where they are comfortable, holding high expectations, using review as a means of connecting new information to what is known (the value of repitition!), and means to extend the classroom for increased effectiveness of the learning experience.

One of the key concepts I've emphasized during this course is that of "intentionality" - i.e. we do things for a reason. Our use of lecture, small group discussion, the types of assignments we require, and so on, are clearly thought out and reflective of our philosophy and views of education. We are intentional in all of our planning, teaching, and interaction with the learners.

This week, we will focus on another key concept - consistency. Our instruction needs to be seamless. Our learning outcomes influence our instruction, content and learning activities. Our assessemnt (beyond the scope of this course, but those who are continuing on with me will encounter this next month :)) needs to be tightly related to what our outcomes profess and what we have taught.

To bring these ideas together, we will spend time reviewing Bloom's taxonomy (simply because it is prominently in use in Manitoba college systems...though keep in mind earlier criticism of it's lack of focus on "understanding" and the erroneous notion of graded thinking scales).

1. Blooms cognitive taxonomy is explored well in this short tutorial.

2. Spend time on the RRC Learning Outcome support site - review the tutorial on writing outcomes (this is a component of the Course Development course in the CAE program, but it's important to be aware of these requirements in planning a seamless and consistent instructional approach - from outcomes to teaching to evaluating)

3. Review the material from week 4 on classroom sessions. Which teaching methods best align with the level of Bloom's taxonomy you are trying to achieve?

4. Review this article on moving from passive to active learning

5. Read this article: Motivating to learn