1.2 Understand how students learn

A reliable understanding of how students learn is crucial for achieving the aims of modern education. Clear aims for educators were outlined in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians in 2008 (Barr et al. 2008). These are that:

1. Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence.

2. All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.

To meet these goals, teachers need to know how students build knowledge about the world around them and apply it in a range of contexts To promote equity amongst the diverse range of students, we need to understand general models of learning and be able to apply, expand and adapt them when teaching different students.

One of the most widely accepted general models of learning is Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory (Piaget, 1936). According to this theory, all people, including young children, have pre-existing mental models of how the world works. When we encounter new information, we can respond to it in the following ways:

a) Assimilation. Where we fit new information into our current understanding of the world.

b) Accommodation. Where new information conflicts with our existing understanding so we must change our worldview in order to the incorporate the new information. Conflict between new and existing knowledge is unpleasant so our minds with undergo the process of accommodation until we reach and equilibrium.

Learning occurs as we expand our knowledge and understanding of the world through these processes.

The teacher’s role is to facilitate this process by presenting new and relevant knowledge and helping them to develop the skills needed to understand and apply it. Another well established model of learning is Lev Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory which asserts that people construct knowledge socially, and that they have a Zone of Proximal Development – and knowledge or skill level that can be achieved with the assistance of a teacher (Vygotsky, 1978).

Information and communication (ICT) technology can be used to engage and enhance learning. I have used ICT to help Year 7 Science students learn to use and create dichotomous keys for biological classification. What makes biological classification is the great diversity amongst living creatures. I began the unit with a web quest where students could freely research animals they were interested in and discuss their common characteristics in small groups. I created an A3 table for students to record their results (Figure 1), it was also available as a digital copy for students who preferred to type their notes. After the task was completed students could share the characteristics of their favourite animals that make them unique to a particular biological group.

Figure 1. A screenshot of the web quest table I produced for my Year 7 Science students for researching the characteristics of different vertebrate classes.

To become proficient at using biological keys, students need to repeatedly practice the task. Distributed practice and practice testing are effective learning techniques (Dunlosky et al, 2013), students may get bored of this approach – especially energetic Year 7s. I used range of ICT resources where students could practice the same skills in different formats and contexts. In addition to textbook and worksheets, I used animations, videos (Figure 2) and interactive websites that students could use to review biological keys. Students particularly enjoyed using an interactive website on fish identification because they could get immediate feedback and feel a sense of accomplishment when they completed the task (Figure 3). A key strength of using ICT in science is its potential to make practicing skills more novel and engaging. In future, I would like to experiment with using coding software, such as Scratch, to create interactive biological keys for students to use – or even challenging them to create their own.

Figure 2. An educational YouTube video on using dichotomous keys for biological classification. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M51AKJqx-7s

Figure 3. A screenshot of the interactive fish identification websites I used in classes about biological classification keys. From: https://fergusonfoundation.org/btw-students/fish-identification/

References

Barr, A., Gillard, J., Firth, V., Scrymgour, M., Welford, R., Lomax-Smith, J., & Constable, E. (2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. Victoria, Australia.

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.

Piaget, J. (1936). Origins of intelligence in the child. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Vygotsky, Lev (1978). Mind in Society. London: Harvard University Press.