Improving Learning Quality

Some basic principles

Dr. Peter den Boer

Lecturer VET-college W. Brabant

Improving Learning Quality

• LQ concerns students – learners / Lerner• How can we see this quality:

– Competencies of students: knowledge, skills, attitudes

• What does this quality reflect?– The quality of the educational environment: the quality of

teachers, teaching, trainers, supervisors, counsellors

Improving Learning Quality

• Basically concers teachers/trainers and teaching (in school, companies, etc)

TeachingQuality

Learning Quality

Qualities of Learner

How can teachers improve quality

• By being good professionals (didactics & Pedagogics)– NZL: John Hattie (2003)– NL: Robert Marzano (2003) Marzano & Miedema (2011)

• By working in a supportive environment:– Learning environment: buildings, class rooms, possibilities

for learning in companies, leraning materials, etc etc– Supportive / learning teams– Supportive Management

TeachingQuality

Learning Quality

LearnerQualities

Quality/SupportTeam

Quality ofManagement

Quality of management (very briefly)

Appreciative Inquiry:

4D

+ !Flexible leadership

Expert teams are learning teams

Situation awareness

Plan execution

Plan formulationTeam Learning

Shared mental modelsTeam situation awareness

Psychological safety

(Salas et al. 2006)

Quality of learners

• Learning capacities (=? Time)• Learning strategies (cf Hattie & Marzano)• Motivation

Motivation

• Content of subjects• Perspective

Chocolate

Chocolate study Chernev, 2003

• Assignment: Choose a chocolate• Preparation

– What is your favourite (i.e. truffle , pure, vanilla, hazelnut)

• Offer– Group 1: 4 chocolates– Group 2: 16 chocolate

• Assignment: choose 1• Question: do you want to swap?

Results Chernev (2003)

4 bonbons 16 bonbons0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

swapno swap

Norway Netherlands

• 9 domains 350 training programmes• Both: problems with choice, drop out and

switching behavior• WHY ?

Chocolate-metaphor revisited

Experience (with labour)

Metal processing

VocationalIdentity

Self-direction

Empirical evidence (N=15)

.71 .65

Den Boer, Jager & Smulders, 2003

Help them gain perspective!

Two types of reflection

• Task reflection:– what went well? what went wrong? what will you do

differently next time? what do you want/have to learn?assessement by expert necessary!

• Personal reflection:– what have you experienced? how was that for you? what

was the most important thing? what made that so special? what does that tell you about your preferences in work?

Craftsmanship 60’s & 70’s

Perspective / Identity

Work attitude

Knowledge Skills

Craftsmanship 80’s - 2000

Perspective / Identity

Work attitude

Knowledge Skills

Craftsmanship 21st century

Perspective / Identity

Work attitude

Knowledge Skills

Talent

• Galton (1865): possibilities limited by innate factors

• Recent research (Ericsson & Lehman, ‘99): people we consider talented have spent much more time practicing than the rest

• 10 year rule• 10.000 flying hours

Deliberate Practice(Ericsson, 1996, 1998)

• Deliberate, well structured practice:– Focussed (concentration)– Programmatic– Extended periods of time– Monitoring & guidance (trainers)

• Examples:– Chess– Sports – Epke Zonderland– Typing

Does good typing make a good secretary?• Broader concept of talent / expertise• What about teachers, trainers, tutors

supervisors, etc.?

Mostteachers(Gen. Educ.)

Education

Subject

practice

practice

theory

theory

Fields of expertise teachers

Pe

dag

ogu

es

SubjectEnthousiasts

Education

Subject

practice

practice

theory

theory

Practitioners

Expert teams (revisited)

• Shared mental models• Team situation awareness• Psychological safety

Teachers & Students

• Both need a perspective to enhance learning• Teachers are AT WORK:

– Experiential learning!– With time outs for off the job training, BUT:– Transfer does not occur automatically

• Students too need experiential learning– When what?

Learning strategies

2 basic types of learning• Knowledge / Skill acquisition – pouring

knowledge into their heads / cognitive apprenticeship

• Participation – experiential learning

2 types of learning: not either or, but which when?

Knowledge / Skill acquisition• Context of certainty

Experiential learning• Context of

UNcertainty• Learning through

reflection

Principles 1

1. ILQ is about teachers, tutors, trainers, counsellors, supervisors, etc.

2. ILQ is about motivating students by helping them gain perspective:– Organise experience– Take time to reflect on that to make learning possible– Perspective motivation, meaning

Principles 2

3. ILQ is about which type of learning when:a. Knowledge acquisition when needed

b. Experiential learning when context (including motivation) uncertain

4. ILQ is about a supportive learning environment:a. Learning teams

b. Supportive management (knowing how to encourage and lead different processes appropriately)

Principles 3

5. Supportive teams use the available talents in the team:

Subject knowledge, practical knowledge, pedagogical knowledge

6. Talent needs practice!a. 10 year rule

b. 10.000 flying hours