Experiences from using learning strategies: seen from the pupils' perspective

Author(s):

May Britt Postholm

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 04 B, Research on Pedagogical Approaches in Teacher Education

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-28

16:00-17:30

Room:

NIG, HS 3F

Chair:

Kennert Orlenius

Contribution

The overall question for a research project consisting of four sub-projects, was: “With the students learning as the starting basis: How can teachers and researchers work together to develop the school as a learning organization?” The presentation is based on the sub-project framed by the question: “How can various work methods focusing on learning strategies contribute to each and every child’s social and subject development. So, the pupils’ leaning was in focus and the objective for this study being conducted in the framework of constructivism. The purpose of the presentation is to illustrate how pupils in 8th to 10th class experience the teaching processes arranged by the teachers when the teachers together with a researcher collaborate to develop the teaching processes with the focus directed to various working methods and learning strategies. The pupils are observed during the teaching and learning processes for two years. In addition all the pupils gave their answers to questionnaires three times each of the two years. To get a more in depth understanding of the pupils appreciation of the their learning processes when using learning strategies, I interviewed nine groups of pupils in each grade three times each of these years. This material gave me the possibility to get insight in how the pupils’ experiences developed over this time span.

Method

The cooperation work between the teachers and me, the researcher, was guided by R &D work (research and development work) developed by Engeström (2001). This work is based on the activity system (Engeström, 1987, 1999) and the expansive learning circle (Engeström, 2001). The expansive learning circle visualized the development process. To make the research process visible, Postholm and Moen (in press) has made a new model building on Lewin (1952), Carr and Kemmis (1986), Coghlan og Brannick (2005) and Engeström (2001). During the development work the aim was to develop the teaching for the pupils’ learning. We learned that reflection processes between teachers is the key activity for developing practice (Postholm, 2008). During R&D work all forms of data collection are possible, and as you know, I used observation, questionnaires and interviews to understand the pupils’ experiences.

Expected Outcomes

The project have a duration of three years, and we are now in the last year analysing data which was collected the two first years. The preliminary findings is that the pupils become more metacognitive (Flavell, 1979, 1987) or more conscious of their own learning when learning strategies are introduced systematically. But it is decisive how the strategies are introduces, how strategies are adapted to various tasks and how the strategies are adapted to the various pupils. Learning strategies is perceived as tools for pupils in the process of being self-regulated (Pintrich, 2000, Zimmerman, 2000). The study shows that pupils even at the age from 13 to 16 years need help from teachers both to learn and to control their own learning processes. These finding have consequences for the teaching of student teachers and teachers in-service as well, when it comes to the themes self-regulation and learning strategies.

References

Carr, W. & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming Critical. Education, Knowledge and Action Research. London: Falmer Press. Coghlan, D. og Brannick, T. (2005). Doing Action Research in your Own Organization. London: SAGE Publications. Engestrøm, Y. (1987). Learning by Expanding. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit Oy. Engestrøm, Y. (1999). Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation. In Y. Engestrøm, R. Miettinen & R. Punamaki (eds.), Perspectives on Activity Theory, p. 19-38. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive Learning at Work. Toward an Activity-Theoretical Reconceptualization. London: Institute of Education, University of London. Flavell, J.H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, p. 906-911. Flavell, J.H. (1987). Speculations about the nature and development of metacognition. In F.E. Weinert and R.H. Kluwe (eds.), Metacognition, Motivation, and Understanding, p. 21-29. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Lewin, K. (1952). Group decisions and social change. In G.E. Swanson, T.M. Newcomb & F.E. Hartley (ed.), Readings in Social Psychology, p. 459-473. New York: Holt. Pintrich, P.R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M. Boekarts, P.R. Pintrich and M. Zeidner (eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation, p.451-502. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Postholm, M.B. (2008). Teachers Developing Practice: Reflection as Key Activity. Teaching and Teacher Education. 24 (7), p. 1717-1728. Postholm, M.B. (in press). Forsknings- og utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Metodebok for studenter, lærere og forskere. [Research and development work in school. A methodological book for students, teachers and researchers]. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget [Publishing firm]. Zimmerman, B.J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekarts, P.R. Pintrich and M. Zeidner (eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation, p.13-39. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Author Information

May Britt Postholm

NTNU

Programme for teacher education

Trondheim

158

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