What is effective teaching and learning?

Just thought I'd pop this here....it's a post from my PGCert in March 2, 2021 when I was new to reflective writing...

What is effective teaching?

For me effective teaching is about engaging your students in the lesson to the extent that they feel like they have discovered something new and feel like they can apply it in their studies or work.

It should place high demands on students but give them the resources to achieve the learning outcomes.

Part of the engagement is about being authentic, sharing experiences, making the subject relatable and using analogies from personal experiences. This also helps to inspire respect and trust in students. I try to draw on my design experience regularly to add a wider context to what I am teaching.

Empathy – knowing your audience, the ability to put yourself in their shoes

Removing barriers – understanding what barriers there might be and finding teaching strategies to work around them.

Summary

• Engage your audience – keeping students engaged is key to them absorbing information

• Demand high – but with support

• Be authentic – Having a true connection what you are teaching.

• Facilitate - It’s about removing barriers to learning helping students understand giving them the tools to understand

• Empower -allowing students to take responsibility for their own learning
  

What is effective learning?

Remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, creating (Blooms taxonomy)

Some of my most notable learning experiences were when I was ‘dropped in the deep end’ or required to ‘learn on the job’ My first 2 jobs required me to get to grips with the workings of a knitwear supplier where I could be asked to do anything from ordering yarn; to presenting my collections to fashion buyers. It gave me a fantastic overview of the industry and how my role fitted into it.

Summary

• Engagement – being entirely present and engaged allows for better learning – make time for this, get into the right mindset

• Learning through doing – Most of my learning has been done ‘on the job’ when I was dropped in at the deep end, it's risky but such a rich learning experience which I thrive on!