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Assessment 1: Presentation

Malanie Allison 5849209

Swinburne University of Technology

EDU10004 Theories of Teaching and Learning

Jia Xu

Word Count 1,077

Monday 30th March 2015 (Week 4)

MalanieAllison-5849209

Helloandwelcometomyarticulatedstorythatwilldepictmy
personalperceptionsandexperiencesoflearning,aswellasan
understandingofwhatlearningtheoriesareandtheirpurposein
learning.

Cognitive development (2013)

<http://v.gd/NuNxyk>

MalanieAllison-5849209

She took a deep breath and exclaimed to her audience, I believe learning is a continuous
path which as a practicing teacher, I am like a watering can, sprinkling wisdom and providing
thirst for knowledge, sprouting new seeds in the inquisitive mind.
With this opening statement, she captivated her audience; she took a moment to compose
herself and continued with her most vivid memories of learning whilst at primary school.
I believe learning is about engaging children in a topic and engrossing them in a love of
learning. Learning can also be defined as a change in an individuals knowledge, ability to
perform a skill and to participate in an activity with other individuals (Swinburne Online,
2015).
There are numerous methods to classify different learning strategies and styles, which can
get you thinking about the ways you have learnt and recognise your favoured style. You can
use this same approach to implement strategies to assist children to learn more effectively.
For example I am a
Kinesthetic Learner. What
this means is I learn best
when I am touching and
doing. I require pauses in
what I am doing. I like to
move around, as well as
using my hands and
gestures as a form of
speech. I can do a recount
of events, but struggle with
what was actually said or
https://online.vitalsource.com/books/97811182
what I seen.
96288/content/epub/OEBPS/images/03_76_f000
1.jpg
Malanie Allison - 5849209

The practicing teacher looked out into

the audience, shifting uncomfortably
on her feet, clinging to her notes,
with sweaty palms. She continued
expressing her views on learning and
her beliefs with why this was so.
Learning is about experimenting with
technology, utilising this in the digital
age we live in is also imperative. This
is a continuous learning journey,
gaining knowledge as we learn from
one another as a community of
learners of new technology.
Her justification for her opening
statement was further explained
through her own real life experiences.
Visual metaphor (2009) <http://v.gd/paIAE8>

Malanie Allison - 5849209

Personally, when attending primary school, my teacher along with the

rest of the class, collaboratively created a learning environment that
worked for all.
My teacher asked her students opinions on learning and working areas,
as well as taking into consideration all the students views on how they
learnt best.
Why is this important you may be thinking? Ask yourself do you learn in
a certain way? Do you learn the same as your best friend?.
She further expressed her beliefs and links between learning and
experience, which she articulated her understandings of what learning
theories are and their purpose in learning.

http://www.justajourney.co.uk/images/layout/rightH
and_teachers_home.jpg>

Malanie Allison - 5849209

I believe my teacher created a partnership with all, identifying each students

learning style appreciating where the students were coming from in terms of our
prior experiences, our families and our cultural backgrounds.
This partnership was vital in ensuring the success of all the students in learning.
Furthermore Wade (2012), suggests connectivism is the ability to nurture and
maintain connections between ideas is a core skill necessary to enable the

recurring nature of learning. This is very supportive of my personal opinions

that attributed to my outlook on theories to whom and what informed my
ideas about learning and teaching.
Executive functioning was an imperative facet that the teacher implemented.
She was able to provide a suitable learning environment and was aware of the
capacities that supported the ideas of (Whittington, 2012).
She continued.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-07-21partnership.jpg
http://thestudyacademy.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2014/01/ExecutiveFunction.jpg

Malanie Allison - 5849209

One of the many complexities involved in teaching others is understanding that

everybody has a different preference when acquiring knowledge. Many teachers
rely heavily on their own learning style when teaching students. Learning styles
can impact upon your experience of education (Swinburne Online, 2015).
The young pre service teacher has spent many years reflecting on her own practice
and how her understandings of her own personal values and beliefs may have
influenced her understandings of practical theory.
I believe learning theories encompass a description of how learning emerges. This
could consist of the following eight aspects. One, memorisation. Two, being able to
pay attention. Three, acquiring facts or procedures. Four, understanding reality.
Five, making sense of the world and abstracting meaning. Six, how someone feels
about learning. Seven, what the motivating factors are. Eight, whether learning
takes places in isolation or with others as well as thinking creatively and the
development of new ideas (Swinburne Online, 2015).
Malanie Allison - 5849209

http://erincunia.com/portfolio/MSportfolio/ide621/id
e621f03production/images/firstconceptmap.gif
Malanie Allison - 5849209

Dr Chris Beckett (2005, p.39), believes

that theory is a set of ideas or
principles used to guide practice.
These ideas and principles are
sufficiently coherent that they could if
necessary be made explicit in a form
which was open to challenge.

Explanations of theory deal with

variations over time and typically
intertwine with many facets. This
includes the following three aspects.
One, it should describe changes over
time within an area or several areas of
development. Two, it should describe
and explain changes among areas of
development. Three, it should be peer
reviewed and /or tested in some way
by experts in the field.

http://conspiracytheorychannel.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/01/shutterstock_1054325
42.jpg

Malanie Allison - 5849209

Furthermore, there have been several

theories of development which have
swayed our practice during the 20th
century. But no-one theory has
sufficient substantiation to define and
explain learning or development.
She further explained her reasoning.

Theories of learning can influence

ones teaching as well as the use of
technology. The learning activities in
which students engage whether it is
mentally, physically or socially will
regulate what a student learns in the
classroom. These are all imperative
aspects that shape learning theories
within the classroom learning
environment. Teachers pick and
http://conspiracytheorychannel.com/wpchoose several aspects of different
content/uploads/2015/01/shutterstock_105432542.j
theoretical frameworks such as
pg
cognitivism, humanism, constructivism
and behaviourism, to conduct effective
classroom teaching.
Malanie Allison - 5849209

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Her understandings of learning and what learning theories are were

developed through research of historic variations in how individuals think
about teaching and learning and also how we interpret children and human
development (Swinburne Online, 2015).
It is about knowing what it is that directs your choices, your beliefs and
goals that direct your choices among countless learning strategies,
resources and modes of assessment (McGill, 2013).

Mindmap (2013) <http://v.gd/EWhYrU>

Malanie Allison - 5849209

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She completed her presentation with a closing

statement stating, These are my own personal
views and beliefs on who and what has informed my
practice which has been underpinned through the vast
learning and teaching theories, utilising aspects to
recognise and understand the complexity of these
concepts, aligning learning with theories of teaching
and learning and their purpose in learning.

Malanie Allison - 5849209

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Reference List
Beckett, C. (2006). What do we mean by theory? Essential Theory for Social Work Practice. London:
SAGE publications.
McGill, M. (2013). Theorising about teaching practice. In R. Churchill, P. Ferguson, S. Godinho, N.
Johnson, A. Keddie, W. Letts,... & M. Vick (Eds.), Teaching making a difference(Vol. 2, pp. 488-529). Milton, QLD:
Wiley Publishing.
Swinburne Online . (n.d.). Week 01: What is learning?. Retrieved March 13, 2015, from
https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4632977-dt-content-rid-24213405_2/courses/2015-SO1-EDU10004204028/UnitLearningMaterials/week-01.html
Swinburne Online. (n.d.). Week 2: What is theory?. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from
https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4632978-dt-content-rid-24213406_2/courses/2015-SO1-EDU10004204028/UnitLearningMaterials/week-02.html
Swinburne Online. (n.d.). Week 3: Theorising teaching and learning. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4632979-dt-content-rid-24213407_2/courses/2015-SO1-EDU10004204028/UnitLearningMaterials/week-03.html
Wade, M. (2012, May 29). A Critique of Connectivism as a Learning Theory [blog post]. Retrieved from
http://cybergogue.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/critique-of-connectivism-as-learning.html
Whittington, V. (2012). Executive function in the early years ( Everyday learning Series vol. 10 ). Canberra:
Early Childhood Australia
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Images
Bolstad & Lin. (2009). Shifting thinking [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.shiftingthinking.org/?
tage=visual-metaphors
Educational ideas for teachers. (2013.) 7 Characteristics of future learning [Image]. Retrieved from
https://ideesekpaidefsis.wordpress.com/tag/teachthought/
Executive Functioning. (2014). http://thestudyacademy.ca/wp-content/iploads/2014/01/Executive
Functioning.jpg
First Concept Map. (2012).
http://erincunia.com/portfolio/MSportfolio/ide621/ide621f03production/images/firstconceptmapg
Margulies, M. (n.d). My Values and Principles- Mind Map [Image]. Retrieved from
http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Mindmap/myvalues.htm
Partnership. (2014). http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-07-21-partnership.jpg
Right Hand Teacher. (2014). http://www.justajourney.co.uk/images/layout/rightHand_teachers_home.jpg
Student Learning. (2015).
https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781118296288/content/epub/OEBPS/images/03_76_f10001.jpg
Theory Channel. (2015). http://conspiracytheorychannel.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/01/shutterstock_105432542.jpg

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