New Model Learning

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See also: Learning in the Information Age | Learning Theories and Styles | Instructional Design
Educational Technology - an Introduction for Teachers and Learners | Learning Technology: the Myths and Facts
Learning and the Impact of Technology | Learning, Distance Learning and Learning Technology Links

Introduction | Approaches to Learning | Technology-Mediated Learning

Approaches to Learning

Surface or shallow learning is learning in which the learner tries to do just enough to avoid failure. It involves committing facts to memory without any attempt to understand their meaning or add them to the learner's internal knowledge model. Shallow learning is often used by immature learners, or learners for whom the learning itself is not the primary goal, eg working people who need to pass an exam in a subject of little interest in order to secure a pay rise.

Deep learning is learning in which the learner seeks to understand the meaning of the learning and to make it part of his/her internal knowledge model. Deep learning tends to occur among more mature learners and where the learner has a genuine interest in the subject of study.

Strategic learning is a sophisticated approach adopted by learners who focus their efforts on the efficient achievement of specific goals. Strategic learners may use a combination of shallow and deep learning and often their efforts will be focussed on satisfying assessment requirements. To ensure strategic learners meet learning outcomes assessment should be match required outcomes.

Constructivism is the educational approach that views learning as the process of learners developing and refining their personal internal models of knowledge. It contrasts with the traditional behaviorist approach in which learners learn to produce the appropriate response to given stimuli. Constructivism has gained rapid favor among educationalists and may be more appropriate for the 21st century in which trained mechanical responses may be inadequate to cope with the climate of rapid change.

Constructivism should produce learning of a higher quality because it builds mental models that can be generalised to novel situations rather than rote memorization. However, it is an active rather than a passive process and requires greater effort on the part of the learner. For this reason some learners may prefer the traditional "spoon feeding" approach. This preference for the traditional is likely to be more pronounced in learners already accustomed to a more passive style of learning.

In general people change slower than technology. It will take time for the acceptance of technology-mediated learning as being of equivalent value to the traditional classroom based variety. But the ultimate acceptance of new model learning by all stakeholders (learners, teachers, institutions, government, employers...) is inevitable, as is its eventual ubiquity.

The Role of the Teacher

Why do we need teachers, and not just literacy and libraries? Teachers provide a roadmap through material, create syllabi of appropriate learning content for particular purposes ("courses"), support learner progress and assist learners who experience difficulties. Teachers also certify the competence of the learner on successful completion of studies, eg for professional licensing, employment etc.

New model learning does not make the role of teacher redundant but, rather, changes it from being the guardian of knowledge, released little by little to students, to that of learning facilitator or coach, guiding learners through the mass of readily available information.

The Role of the Higher Education Institution

Traditionally universities encompass both teaching and research. Students wish to learn from those at the forefront of their respective fields. But teaching and research are very different activities and are often seen as competing priorities or demands by faculty / academics.

There may be some merit in the approach of "poor" teaching, ie of simply throwing knowledge at students and allowing them to get on with it, after all that is what they will face after graduation. But perhaps higher education should be a gradual weaning of students from carefully packaged and sequenced learning to making sense of a mass of facts rather than an abdication of teaching responsibility by those who would sooner be conducting research.

Should there be a separation of teaching and research functions, with individuals following the path they are most inclined to? Should there be a cascading of the teaching function, with top researchers supervising research students, who in turn boost their incomes by assisting taught students?

There is certainly need to recognize teaching as a valuable activity in its own right.

The increasing demand for learning of greater variety and flexibility is likely to attract for-profit learning providers in force. This in turn will force traditional institutions to become more flexible and competitive. There will likely be scope for fruitful partnerships between traditional and for-profit institutions. The entry of more providers will raise the issue of quality assurance as learners need to be alert to bogus institutions offering degrees up to doctorate without need for academic study.

Institutionalized learning will become more "modular" with students choosing from a larger number of smaller learning blocks. Blocks delivered by different institutions will count towards a single qualification. A much wider range of study options will need validation for qualification purposes. Cohesion in the learner's knowledge model should be encouraged, eg by the availability of a personal tutor/counsellor to guide the learning process.

The School Sector

Traditionally schools have not only delivered factual learning but have participated in preparing their students for citizenship. Will (or should) schools be exempt from the learning revolution? Though socialization and citizenship training are essential parts of maturation, recent years have seen homeschooling and so-called "virtual" schooling growing in popularity. There is no reason why academic and social development have to be delievred together. Technology such as the Internet increase immensely the potential for homeschooling, either for the whole or part of a child's education, eg students attending a conventional school may opt to take certain subjects online.

Face-to-Face v Distance Learning

Traditionalists may cite face-to-face instruction as the only legitimate form of learning partly due to the interaction between teacher and learner. But in many mass educational situations the great majority of interaction is the one-way transferrence of knowledge from teacher to learner (ie the lecture). Distance learning done well can actually promote more two-way teacher-learner and learner-learner interaction.

Due to the increasing need for students to take part-time jobs there are now relatively few actual full-time face-to-face students . Also the increasingly modular nature of degrees, a positive step providing increased individualization, means learners may find it difficult to schedule time together for group work. But group work is a necessary part of learning since economic activity, and society as a whole, demands co-operation and collaboration. Technology mediated communication provides means for group working without the need for spatial or temporal proximity.

The 20th century saw formal education taking more and more time from more and more people. The 21st century is likely to see the demand for learning accelerate. However this learning will be met in increasingly flexible ways, through part-time, distance, open and blended learning which will include, but not exclusively consist of, on-campus classroom tuition.

Next: Technology-Mediated Learning

Learning, Distance Learning and Learning Technology Links