I enjoyed the video.
But I too worry about stereotypes, and that 'intelligently strategic'
learning (i.e. fit for a particular purpose) seems to be downgraded to
'surface learning'.
As student learning is usually driven by assessment (e.g. John Cowan), the
depth of learning can be profoundly influenced by what exactly we try to
draw from our students by our assessment instruments and processes. That
said, students need feedback from us (and particularly from each other) on
how well what they do (their evidence of achievement of the intended
learning outcomes) demonstrates that they have indeed achieved the
outcomes to the extent that the assessment criteria require.
In my workshops, I suggest that John Biggs' constructive alignment can be
thought of along the lines of my 'ripples on a pond' model of learning as
in slide 1 attached (from 'Making learning happen, 2005).
I do, however, continue to worry about the word 'understanding' as often
being used in a rather woolly way, and use the little 'dialogue' (slides 2
attached) in my workshops to try to help colleagues to be much more
specific about what they really intend their students to become able to
do.
Perhaps this is (in the language of the video) helping teachers to be
'level 3' and helping their students also to behave in 'level 3' ways?
Phil Race
Visiting Professor: Assessment, learning and teaching
Leeds Metropolitan University
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