Educator Instruction

The Academic lecture has and continues to be the backbone of Higher Education teaching practice, such that when we hear the word ‘University’ it is likely the first image we imagine is a lecture theatre full of students listening intently to an academic addressing their audience. However, for all the history and tradition of a Lecture as a teaching approach, it has its limitations, in particular due to it being inherently a passive experience for the students, centred around a one directional didactic transmission mode of delivery. The result can be boredom and a lack of engagement, which might lead to poor attendance, and ultimately an ineffective and inefficient learning experience. There is hope however, as below I outline six ideas and approaches that can be adopted, to enhance the effectiveness of lectures for both the lecturer and audience alike. Be clear on the goal of the session (and let the students in on it as well - see signposting below!) Clarity of the purpose of a sessio...

This post will provide a brief overview of what the Behaviourist theory of learning is, and some examples of the learning design approaches that can be aligned to behaviourist theory. Central to the Behaviourist theory of learning is the premise that: Learning is the acquisition and replication of observable behaviour . Behaviour is seen as a response by an individual to a stimulus from the environment, and importantly the individual is considered a passive responder to the stimulus/environmental cues, and shaped by the feedback they receive. It suggests that we learn from the feedback we get from an action, for instance if we are rewarded (reinforced) for an action then we are likely to repeat it, and if we experience negative feedback (punishment) then we are less likely to repeat this action. Over time we therefore learn (and can be relied upon to execute) the responses and behaviours that are appropriate, based on the environmental cues we are presented – we have learnt! In this th...

  It is the first weeks of term and you have many things to consider and organise. You want to make sure your teaching gets off to a good start so the question is, what should you focus on? If you could only concentrate on one aspect my number one recommendation would be to work towards building positive relationships with your students. Clearly the process of creating a positive and collaborative relationship with students is an ongoing endeavour, that will perhaps never have an end point, however the benefits of engaging in this process can be significant, with engaged and motivated students who are open to a variety of learning activities and approaches, importantly leading to the progression and achievement outcomes both they and you desire.  So how do we build positive relationships with our students?  Remember names - while this is a big challenge for large cohorts, the value of being able to remember names is considerable, for instance it can immediately mean that...

Of the many challenges presented by teaching, answering the elusive question ‘what is the most effective teaching approach?’ is one of the most demanding. A significant impediment to discovering the answer and one that novice and experienced teachers will attest to alike, is the fact that the dynamic characteristics of learning environments, where every student, cohort, programme, institution, and educator, brings to any given situation a distinct set of considerations, perspectives and demands, mean that a one size fits all approach is unworkable. That notwithstanding academics have endeavoured to provide an answer, with notable contributions including that of John Hattie (2009) in his research on Visible Learning, and the ideas of Robert Bjork (1994) exploring the cognitive science of learning and memory and the benefits that ‘Desirable Difficulties’ have on learning. While providing instructional guidance and compelling empirical evidence in respect to the effectiveness of appro...

  Information overload is a challenge for everyone in the hyper connected world in which we live and can impact many aspects of our lives from our general wellbeing to our ability to function effectively daily. This experience is also true of students, who are challenged to navigate not only new surroundings, and the intricacies of university life, but also the significant task of engaging with new, novel, and complex ideas and concepts in their studies. Ask yourself the question, have you ever witnessed students in your sessions unable to process, retain and apply learning? Or fail to engage with learning activities at all – if so, this may be due to ‘cognitive overload’. Cognitive Load Theory Cognitive load theory (Sweller, 2010) is an instructional theory, built upon knowledge of how humans learn. It provides not only a window on what is happening in the minds of students when they experience cognitive overload, but critically what steps we can take to manage cognitive l...