Reducing Racial Disparities in Poor Birth Outcomes: A Review of 3 Strategies
Less is more : reducing contact time, improving learning outcomes
description
Transcript of Less is more : reducing contact time, improving learning outcomes
Less is more :reducing contact time, improving learning outcomes
French Intermediate (2nd year) & French Beginners (3rd year)
School of HumanitiesJanette Bradley and Rachel Munns
Who?
o 18-20 students : diverse cultural backgrounds and learning habitso Majority of group worked together in previous yearso Motivated and enthusiastic learnerso Module is 25% of degreeo Languages ‘protected’ contact time @ 3 hrs per weeko Includes one scheduled hour in language labo Tutor’s expectation of 8 hrs weekly directed/independent studyo Continuous assessment throughout semester in 4 skill areas @ 25%
weighting each.
Why?
o Traditional view that maximum contact is essential for language learning
o Over-teaching/spoon-feedingo Insufficient choice/lack of flexibility
for students o ‘Safe’ learning environment creates
culture of dependency rather than independence
o Assessment tasks used as a tool to keep students on track
o Process of learning not sufficiently intrinsic
o High expectations not explicit for all students.
Graduate Attribute intellectual curiosity and effective learning and research abilities.
Surface learningo task as external impositiono strategic approach to task completion rather than understanding
What?
Reduced contact @ 2 hours per week
1 hour designated ‘off-campus’ Weekly learning grid : designated on-line and seminar preparation tasks to cover all skills
Emphasis on collaboration Variety of materials Choice of tasks Completion of OL formally logged
each week Bonus points 4-1 on overall grade
for 100-75% task completion.
Outcomes
Majority embraced challenge ‘Reluctant’ independent learners
more engaged Students trained themselves to
understand native delivery speed through enforced exposure to TV websites
Improved results in listening ability, acquisition of vocabulary and oral expression
Sense of achievement Increase in learning time Improved overall grades, no
failures (5 @ 1st) Learning outcomes surpassed.
Graduate Attribute The skills of communication, independent and team working…and self-management.
Deep learningo higher level of processingo relation of previous knowledge to new knowledgeo challenges are rewardingo higher quality learning outcomes
Student viewpoint
Without this I might not have spent as much time on French as I should have; it's a great motivation to push yourself harder.
It speeds up the learning process, in terms of acquiring new vocabulary and practising pronunciation
It ensured that I did the activities and once I was engaged in them I found other areas that I wanted to work on, which I would do independently
I was able to focus more on the areas that I was weaker at, whereas in class with set tasks it was more difficult to do this
When collaborating on-line, we were able to comment on each other’s work. This meant that students like me who struggle with grammar could learn from other students.
The real web-based programmes were a great opportunity to prepare for my year abroad.
Graduate Attribute The skills of communication, independent and team working…and self-management..
Deep learning Sense of achievementAwareness of learning process and self-reflection
Graduate Attribute Intellectual curiosity and effective learning and research abilities.
Some challenges
Colleagues enjoy face- to-face time with students and don’t want less contact
Only suitable for students with advanced levels of language
Possible dissolution of the learning time
Time-consuming to prepare materials
New fees structure and ‘supermarket’ mentality may lead to expectation of maximum scheduled contact time.
Students at all levels of learning should be offered a similar experience
Importance of coherence between levels of study
Exposure to content used daily by native speakers
Important preparation for employability
Students are given higher expectations of themselves
Increases sense of achievement Emphasis on collaboration,
sharing knowledge and independent learning.