TEACHING AND LEARNING

In the f i r s t chapter o f t h i s r e p o r t t h e Committee has attempted t o present some important ideas about s o c i e t y , students, and the purposes o f secondary education.

Since teaching and l e a r n i n g are t h e two major e x p e c t a t i o n s held about schools, i t i s necessary t o discuss some

e s s e n t i a l f e a t u r e s o f these two a c t i v i t i e s , and t o con- s i d e r t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between them, before c o n s i d e r i n g the general o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e school c u r r i c u l u m .

A necessary c o n d i t i o n o f teaching i s t h a t t h e teacher should i n t e n d t h e student t o l e a r n something such as a b e l i e f , some f a c t s , a s k i l l , an i n s i g h t . There are two p a r t s t o t h i s f u n c t i o n o f the t e a c h e r , t h e

i n d i c a t i v e aspect and t h e s t u d e n t - c e n t r e d aspect.

F i r s t , the teacher's a c t i v i t i e s w i l l i n d i c a t e , e x p l i c i t l y or i m p l i c i t l y , t h e "something" t h a t i t i s intended t h e student should l e a r n . T h i s i s one o f t h e problems t h a t teachers face when they set up c o n d i t i o n s f o r independent i n q u i r y . How can they i n d i c a t e what they expect each student t o be l e a r n i n g ? For example, even i n t h e t y p i c a l " p r o j e c t " assignment, t o take a s t r o n g l y t e a c n e r - c o n t r o l l e d case, i s i t t h e techniques for g a t h e r i n g t h e i n f o r m a t i o n , t h e i n f o r m a t i o n i t s e l f , or b o t h , t h a t t h e teacher expects t o be learned? As the v a r i a t i o n i n t h e a c t i v i t i e s of d i f f e r e n t students increases, so does t h e d i f f i c u l t y o f t h e teacher i n i n d i c a t i n g t o each what t h e teacher i n t e n d s him t o

l e a r n . This e x p l a i n s why a c t i v i t i e s l i k e d e m o n s t r a t i n g , t e l l i n g and p r o v i n g , which provide e x c e l l e n t means f o r i n d i c a t i n g an i n t e n t i o n , have always played such a c e n t r a l p a r t i n t e a c h i n g . I t also e x p l a i n s why, when these are m i s s i n g , students sometimes f e e l t h a t they are l e a r n i n g n o t h i n g .

Secondly, the teacher's a c t i v i t i e s w i l l be c e n t r e d on the p u p i l , t o the extent t h a t they must take place at a l e v e l where t h e p u p i l can acquire what i t i s intended he should l e a r n . The task o f the teacher i s t o b r i d g e the gap between t h e knowledge, s k i l l s or s t a t e o f mind of the l e a r n e r and what he i s t o l e a r n , and t o ensure t h a t the gap i s not too wide t o be b r i d g e d . As H i r s t has i n d i c a t e d t h i s a p p l i e s i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t h e teaching method favoured:

. . . I n these terms opposing v i r t u e s and d e f e c t s have tended t o c h a r a c t e r i z e both t r a d i t i o n a l

formal teaching methods and more contemporary- p r o g r e s s i v e a l t e r n a t i v e s . T r a d i t i o n a l teaching methods have above a l l concerned themselves w i t h the i n d i c a t i v e f e a t u r e s of these a c t i v i t i e s , o f t e n meeting the present l e a r n i n g s t a t e of the p u p i l s i n an o v e r - g e n e r a l i z e d and inadequate way.

I n r e a c t i o n , more p r o g r e s s i v e methods have tended to c a t e r extremely w e l l f o r the present l e a r n i n g s t a t e o f i n d i v i d u a l p u p i l s , but at the expense of the necessary i n d i c a t i v e f e a t u r e s t h a t teaching a c t i v i t i e s must embody. I t i s not t h a t e i t h e r group of methods i s of i t s e l f n e c e s s a r i l y d e f i c i e n t as teaching a c t i v i t i e s , and each might w e l l have

i t s place according t o what e x a c t l y i s being taught and t o whom. What i s important i s t h a t we come t o r e a l i z e t h a t i n a l l teaching a c t i v i t i e s both these necessary f e a t u r e s need the f u l l e s t respon- s i b l e c o n s i d e r a t i o n . (1)

The Committee regards the i n d i c a t i v e and student- centred approaches t o teaching as poles o f a continuum of teaching techniques a v a i l a b l e t o a school. A l l

p o i n t s on t h e c o n t i n u u m o f t e a c h i n g t e c h n i q u e s a r e l e g i t i m a t e , a n d a n y t e c h n i q u e i s l i k e l y t o be d i s a b l i n g i f u s e d e x c l u s i v e l y.

What has been s a i d above i s t h a t , i n the teaching a c t i v i t y , the i n t e n t i o n r e s i d e s i n the mind o f the tea- cher. I t may be asked how t h i s can be r e c o n c i l e d w i t h the Committee's view t h a t students also b r i n g i n t e n t i o n s to school? The key appears t o l i e i n the teacher's awareness of "the s t a t e of mind o f the l e a r n e r " - t h a t

i s , i n the teacher's readiness t o respond t o the i n t e r e s t s , m o t i v a t i o n s and degree of m a t u r i t y of the l e a r n e r . On many occasions one or another of these

w i l l make i t f e a s i b l e t o i n i t i a t e the l e a r n i n g experience intended and wanted by the p u p i l . When the teacher

approves o f what the p u p i l wants to do, and provides him w i t h the resources and the o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o do i t , he

i n d i c a t i v e l y expresses t h a t h i s i n t e n t i o n s c o i n c i d e w i t h those of the student as f a r as the immediate a c t i v i t y i s concerned.

However, the s k i l l e d and s e n s i t i v e teacher who knows the l e a r n e r w i l l seize the o p p o r t u n i t y t o express i n d i c a t i v e l y other l e a r n i n g which he intends the student to acquire by making suggestions, asking q u e s t i o n s , seek- ing e x p l a n a t i o n s , i n f l u e n c i n g personal encounters, stim- u l a t i n g f l a g g i n g enthusiasm, and so on. Even when the

1n i t i a t i v e comes from the s t u d e n t , i t remains the

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the teacher t o have some i n t e n t i o n about what the student w i l l l e a r n . However, t h i s i n t e n t i o n

needs to be r e l a t e d t o the readiness of the student to

a cc e p t i t .

s

W r i t i n g i n The Learning Society, Husen s a y s :

... I b e l i e v e t h a t one o f the most o v e r r i d i n g problems o f the present teenage school i s how young people are t o be given o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o l e a r n meaningful t h i n g s and not t o be d e t e r r e d by the teaching t o which they are exposed - f o r a l l i t s good i n t e n t i o n s . (2)

The p l a y on the word " i n t e n t i o n " i s not a s l i p . I t provides a l i n k between what has been s a i d p r e v i o u s l y and the p o i n t Husen goes on t o make - t h a t the teacher determined program i s extremely demanding on the teachers themselves because they are c o n t i n u a l l y f r u s t r a t e d by the r e l u c t a n c e o f students t o become i n v o l v e d i n i t . As the Sydney study 12 to 20 showed, t h e r e i s a danger t h a t the secondary school:

s e l e c t s out from the mass o f p u p i l s a s c h o l a r l y t y p e , t o which i t accords success. Rather than promoting the development o f i n t e l l e c t g e n e r a l l y , i t makes i n t e l l e c t a s p e c i a l i t y , a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a c e r t a i n type of work and aimed towards a

c e r t a i n path i n l i f e . (3)

The c o n c l u s i o n o f the i n q u i r y i n t o Poverty and Education in Australia was t h a t , where t h i s occurs many students w i l l opt out o f the academic process and " w h i l e out-

wardly conforming view schools as something separate from t h e i r everyday l i v e s . " (4)

The d i s c u s s i o n so f a r has been mainly concerned

w i t h teaching. The f i r s t p o i n t t h a t the Committee wishes to make about learning provides a l i n k between the two

a c t i v i t i e s . Students w i l l simply go through the motions o f the academic game unless the subject matter which they c o n f r o n t i s seen t o be meaningful and i n t e r e s t i n g and p e r s o n a l l y r e l e v a n t

to them, and purposeful i n the mind o f the teacher.

As Stone and Church say:

S c i e n t i s t s and philosophers as w e l l as n o v e l i s t s and poets have been g r a p p l i n g f o r years w i t h e x a c t l y the same cosmic problems t h a t f a s c i n a t e and f r i g h t e n the adolescent, and i t does not debase the wisdom o f the ages t o take time t o f i n d i t s relevance f o r the adolescent and h i s concerns. (5)

A second p o i n t t o be made about l e a r n i n g i s the c r u c i a l r o l e o f language and experience. Learning

comes about through t a l k i n g and doing - asking q u e s t i o n s , t e s t i n g h a l f - f o r m e d t h o u g h t s , demonstrating, g e s t i c u l - a t i n g , expressing f e e l i n g s , and handling m a t e r i a l . Of these, language i s pre-eminent s i n c e , much as teachers might wish otherwise, many o f the issues which students w i l l c o n f r o n t i n school must be mediated by words. The relevance discussed above " i s most l i k e l y t o emerge when the adolescent i s allowed t o do h i s share o f t h e

t a l k i n g , both t o t h e teacher and back and f o r t h w i t h h i s f e l l o w s . " (6) The need f o r the teacher i s t o be a l e r t t o the way the language used by the student shows what he has grasped and what he has f a i l e d t o understand, and t h i s i n t u r n c a l l s f o r a l l teachers t o develop a s e n s i t i v i t y t o t h e way they and t h e i r students use language.

T h i r d l y , l e a r n i n g i s a s o c i a l l y - i n t e r a c t i v e process. The q u a l i t y o f t h e i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h i n the group o f teacher and students has a powerful i n f l u e n c e on the q u a l i t y o f the l e a r n i n g . A view o f l e a r n i n g as i n t e r a c t i o n leads t o the involvement of a l l members o f the group i n r o l e s o f b o t h student and teacher, and e x p l a i n s why secondary schools are tending t o reduce the time spent on s i l e n t work and p r i v a t e study.

F o u r t h l y , students d i f f e r from each o t h e r and l e a r n d i f f e r e n t t h i n g s from what the teacher may take • to be the same s i t u a t i o n . The d i f f e r e n c e l i e s i n such t h i n g s as :

b i o l o g i c a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , temperament, w i d t h and v a r i e t y o f i n t e r e s t s , r e l a t i o n s w i t h peers, r e l a t i o n s w i t h f a m i l y , membership of s o c i a l

groups, nature o f home and neighbourhood, b e l i e f s and a t t i t u d e s ... I n o t h e r words, i t i s not

p o s s i b l e by any manner o f grouping t o e l i m i n a t e , or even g r e a t l y reduce, the range of d i f f e r e n c e s between human beings. (7)

Related t o t h i s i s the f a c t t h a t human development i s a g r a d u a l , stage-by-stage process t h a t i s n o t

amenable t o great a c c e l e r a t i o n . The p r o v i s i o n of a p a r t i c u l a r k i n d o f l e a r n i n g f o r a group o f students a t a given moment i n time i s bound t o be out o f phase w i t h the development o f most o f the group. This p o i n t s t o the p o t e n t i a l l y d i s a s t r o u s consequences o f a school program which gives students o n l y one chance t o succeed i n or drop out o f a p a r t i c u l a r k i n d of l e a r n i n g . (8)

The emphasis i n t h i s d i s c u s s i o n o f teaching and l e a r n i n g i s on involvement, q u a l i t y r e l a t i o n s h i p s and meaningful a c t i v i t i e s . The Committee regards these as

e s s e n t i a l i n g r e d i e n t s o f a school program t h a t w i l l not be so shaped by the teacher's f u t u r e - o r i e n t e d i n t e n t i o n s t h a t students see i t as i s o l a t e d from adolescent

i n t e r e s t s and s o c i a l l i f e .

3.2 GUIDELINES FOR A BALANCED CURRICULUM