REFLECTIONS ON SESSION 3

Summary of learning

We learnt about the different researchers who contributed to the knowledge we have today about learning environments and how the LE can be assessed - Lewin, Murray, Leary, Walberg, Moos, Fisher and Fraser.

If we want to create an effective learning environment, we need to understand the factors that influence the environment. There are basically two factors - the pupils' needs and the environment (presses) that affects the expression of these needs.

One of the earliest researchers, Lewin, recognised that human behaviour depends on the person and the environment. Murray went a little more in-depth and said that "person" referred to personal needs that needed to be met if the appropriate behaviour is to be exhibited. He came up with a list of 27 needs, of which he focussed on 3 - Power, Affiliation and Achievement. Murray described the environment press as the external situation that supports or hinders the realization of the personal needs. Based on these basic principles, the other researchers determined what they felt were the personal needs that they considered important and should be addressed and crafted validated instruments for measuring various types of learning environments.

Assessment of this LE can be done in 2 ways. If the LE is assessed by the learners themselves, it is called beta press. If the LE is assessed by a detached /outside observer, it called the alpha press.

The inter-relationship of the learning environment and the assessment mode (the inter-relationship between Lewinina's formula and Murray's needs-press model) can be seen in the model shown to us by Dr Quek.

The instruments used in assessment (questionnaire/surveys) in schools/ classrooms are based on Moo's schema, which categorised the psychosocial human environment into three dimensions :
(1) Relationship dimension (the nature and intensity of personal relationships within the envt)
(2) Personal development dimension (basic directions along which personal growth and self
enhancement tend to occur)
(3) System maintenance and Change dimensions (the extent ot which the environment is
orderly, clear in expectations, maintains control and is responsive to change)

Any instruments used must be valided and be reliable.

Reflections

We must keep in mind that meeting the pupils' needs is very important if we want effective learning to occur. Most times, we focus on the teacher's needs - the easiest way that we can desseminate information in the shortest time possible - and not on how the pupils need to learn and that information is not the end goal. We are focussed in drilling so pupils can get good grades and not in cultivating in them a love for learning. Teaching in the way that meets pupils' needs is time consuming and requires a lot of preparation on the teacher's part. This is why collaboration is crucial. There must be an acceptance that initially a lot of time will need to be invested in order to prepare engaging and learner-centred lessons. However, not all lessons need be learner-centred. The teacher-centred lesson and drilling also has an important part to play.

Meeting pupils' needs is not just having engaging lessons but also building a relationship with the pupils. This means having meaningful conversations with the pupils and interacting with them outside the classroom. It means making the pupils feel that he/she is important and not feel like an unknown "seed" lost among the crowd. A teacher who creates a safe and secure environment will be able to connect with her students emotionally. That is the first step in creating an good learning environment.

I found the series of videos very interesting. We know that we should use a variety of teahcing methodologies to make lessons interesting and as well as to cater to different pupil learning styles. We ourselves have used (effectively or not) these various methodologies. However, actually seeing how the same lesson was taught by the same teacher to the same students using different methodologies really had an impact on me - especially since I am a Biology teacher and actually understood the content of the subject. It really inpsired me to make an effort to try to make my lessons more interesting by trying these different styles.