Learning process

  • the processes, methods, and strategies by which students engage learning
  • the Learning Process deeply impacts classroom management and student engagement

Learning process in general

Learning process in pedagogy

from the pedagogical, or teaching, perspective the learning process engages students in two basic steps:

  1. teacher showing
  2. student doing

These are called

  1. Guided practice
  2. Independent practice

Guided Practice

  • by "guided" we mean "teacher shows, demonstrates, explains," etc.
    • i.e., "guided" = the teacher helps the student
  • by "practice" we mean the student "does" along with what the teacher "guides"
  • for the student guided practice may entail:
Teacher Shows Student Does Methodology Positive Negative
Lecture
  • listen
  • take notes
  • ask questions
  • Lecture-based Guided Practice extends student prior knowledge
  • instructional and informational transfer can be maximized via lecture
  • pacing must match classroom and individual student "prior knowledge", upon which new learning is built and practiced
  • students must be "guided" in effective lecture- based learning
  • students may process new information at different paces
Cooperative (or Group) Work
  • follow teacher or project instruction
  • actively participate
  • with teacher guidance students practice in groups so that each becomes both teacher and student
  • So long as the students have been guided properly on goals steps, outcomes, etc., cooperative practice yields more active student practice than lecture
  • students may not cooperate with one another
  • the learning will be constrained by the limits and parameters of the activity

Independent practice

  • by "independent" we mean the student engages the "practice" alone, without teacher guidance
    • paired or group practice is not entirely independent

Feedback

  • Guided Practice is connected to Independent Practice via teacher feedback
  • feedback comes in the form of
    • questions and answers
    • formal or informal assessment with correction
      • informal assessment: teacher asks or presents students with questions, usually without grading
        • i.e., in-class Question and Answer
        • worksheets
        • review
      • formal assessment: graded independent practice to be measured by a grade
        • homework, quiz, test, project, etc.

Learning process depictions

Feedback Loop

Guided & Independent Practice

Assessment