-
Summary below. See the full blog post here: Pedagogy Science | Pedagogical Reflections-
Teachers and educational organisations need to ensure that the pedagogy which we employ and condone is grounded in evidence-based research.
-
Pedagogy needs to become more scientific
-
Teachers Make a Difference: What is the research evidence? by John Hattie (2003)
-
Hattie looks to ‘highlight that which truly makes a difference’ and identifies particular practices which – backed by extensive research – are most likely to enhance student learning. His first point, however, establishes the role of teachers as a key source (30%) of variance in student achievement – second only to the student themselves (50%). This means that, according to Hattie, the home, school, principal and peers make very little difference to student achievement.
-
Hattie then goes onto list the influences in order of effect on student achievement: Continue reading “Pedagogy Science | Pedagogical Reflections”
-
Month: March 2012
bookmark_borderUsable Knowledge: What is Teaching for Understanding?
What is Teaching for Understanding? That’s the title of a Harvard site named “Useful Knowledge” I was naturally intrigued by the title, but as I read on, I was disappointed. The site describes that the Harvard Framework is designed to keep teachers focused on student understanding. I can not discover how this ‘framework’ adds anything new to the discussion about effective teaching. The site is summarised below. Make up your own mind. I’d love you to explain to me that the good people at Harvard have not just stated the bleeding obvious: Continue reading “Usable Knowledge: What is Teaching for Understanding?”
bookmark_border#Abundance; some videos about an optimistic future
It’s always hard to mark up your mind about the way the world is heading. I am generally quite optimisc, believing in Ester Boserup’s population theories and “necessity is the mother of invention”. With my Year 10 students, we do an opinion line where they place themselves according to the “Boomster vs Doomster” opinion line. The Boomster side is Ester Boserup and Julian Boserup, the Doomster side are the Malthusians and the Neo-Matlhusians. When I do that activity in class, most students cluster towards the middle / optimistic side, while there are always some who choose one of the opposite ends; and are able to defend their position very strongly.
Next time I do this in class, I plan to show them two videos from TED2012. This came from a post by @BiologyStephen on http://i-biology.net/2012/03/02/so-is-the-earth-full-or-is-abundance-our-future-ted2012/
Here are the two videos: Continue reading “#Abundance; some videos about an optimistic future”