Enabling Learning Teaching Style

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Hannah Sentinella Learners and Learning ‘Enabling Learning’ Teaching and learning is a process that needs a supportive environment where learners and teachers can have a good experience. To enable learning, many theorists have come up with approaches to improve the classroom.

Recently, researchers have found a lot more information on how to make the classroom the best for learning. Enabling learning in the classroom is affected by the rules that are made in a school or learning environment. Educators and teachers may act in ways that make learning a lot harder. The diversity of learners is also something that can affect how well learning is enabled. The idea that learners are not at the same level of intelligence, will put the teacher in a position where they have to adapt their teaching to each student and therefore enabling learning. Thus, ‘enabling learning’ refers to the things that make learning possible, easy, and practical for the learner.

The phrase ‘enabling learning’ uses theories, ideas and approaches that make the classroom experiences practical and effective. To enable learning, teachers have to find out how and what to teach. Ideas on theories like experiential learning, observation learning, and experiential learning help the learner to understand the things taught in the classroom. The ability of the learner to learn new things is not jeopardized by the teaching methods. However, the teaching methods and approaches selected for the classroom activities determines whether the learner’s ability to understand simple and complex concepts is unlocked (Aubrey and Riley, p.62).

The teacher and learner centered approaches need to be balanced for learning to be enabled. Learners of different levels learn best when they are taking part in classroom activities. It means that the learners need to be given opportunities to reach their full potential. Enabling learning needs to use methods like group discussions, practical experiments and also reflective teaching using the student’s own experiences. Using these approaches as well as the teacher just talking at the front of the classroom will make the experience in the classroom good. When both of these approaches are used then learning is enabled and the teachers job is made a lot easier.

According to the current research in education, setting goals and completing these goals impacts learning. ‘Enabling learning’ is made of the behaviors that a teacher should follow so that learning can happen. Therefore, for learning to take place, educators should be in a position to select the best learning and teaching methods, understand their learners, and finally, set proper objectives to be met in the teaching process (Beetham, and Sharpe, 2003, p.106). Learning cannot be separated from teaching. Enabling learning means that there must be enabled teaching. The teacher need to teach in the right way so that the learning is easy and effective.

Enabling learning can be made easier through new technologies. During the 21st century new technology has changed the way we do many things. This means that the way we learn and teach has become easier and less complicated. One of the biggest changes, and aids to learning is the use of computers. Computers now have lots of apps that focus on improving learnings. Personally, having a laptop I have found that I have all the information I need at my fingertips and I can find out things about the other side of the world just with one search. I can also watch videos of things taken in outer space, that 100 years ago even scientists and astronauts didn’t know much about. Secondly, being able to represent models in technical subjects has helped in the understanding of things with a lot less difficulty. Model representations enables learning by allowing the learners to have a visual representation of the subject in discussion, which is a much easier and simpler way to learn compared to the theoretical knowledge (Swann, p.103). I find it far easier to understand things when I can see them visually layed out for me instead of just listening to it being described. Lastly, on the use of technology in enabling learning is the use of charts. Charts can be used to show complicated things in a clearer layout, like a diagram for instance. Personally, I think that artists draw a picture to portray a certain message and the art in a picture can say a lot. For example a picture of two people who are together can be used to relay the theme of love and peace, all without writing or saying a word. The same can be achieved with more educational diagrams.

All of the technologies listed above help to enable learning.‘Enabling learning’ is something that needs progression in the learning environment. There are a lot of changes that happen in education that need the system to be adaptable. Learners need to be taught using the most up to date methods and getting the most recent information. Therefore, the education system needs to be able to adapt its ways of teaching constantly throughout the learning process. The idea that learning is progressive is also a big part in enabling learning. Learning changes therefore so should the environment. The styles of teaching should reflect the new technology, new methods of teaching, and new ways to motivate. The educators should therefore demonstrate and cultivate for a progressive culture and always thinking on how they can make learning better (Beetham, and Sharpe, 2003, p.106).Teachers should be aware of how to teach in a classroom before starting so their efforts can work. They should completely understand what sort of environment they are in and this will really help learning. Educators and teachers should understand the age of the learners. Children at their age need a lot of care in order to establish a good background in their future learning (Smith, Cowie and Blades, p.210).

A good foundation for learning means that even at a later level in learning they will have that strong basis and will be good learners. Teachers should make sure they can be heard and are straight forward with their teaching to enable learning. Students normally lose focus when the teachers give a lot of information without breaking it down in smaller bits, to help this teachers can do a question and answer bit at the end of teaching to understand what the students do and don't know. It is the teachers responsibility to keep energy levels up and to keep the students attention. Teachers should avoid being boring or just talking for hours and should give personal experiences or at least an example to help promote learning.. Discussion of a real life situation will help the students to understand and relate. Many students don't have the necessary skills to enter the market after leaving school. Teachers should focus on giving the students skills not just theoretical knowledge to help enhance the learning.

To enable learning, both teachers and learners should be motivated. An environment where the teachers are given incentives and the learners are rewarded for good performance would help learning. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Moylett (2014) shows that when the psychological needs of both the teachers and the students are met, they will be able to increase the performance. Students who are motivated will tend to work harder to meet good grades. Teachers also will teach better so that they can be rewarded when the students pass their exam. Therefore, learning is enabled in the environment where there is motivation of staff. Motivation reinforces positive behavior. An environment without motivation results to bad performance and reluctance of students and teachers to work.

In conclusion, the phrase ‘enabling learning’ shows how learning can be promoted and enhanced within various settings. Each participant in learning, both teacher and student has a role to play to enhance and enable proper learning. For the teachers, their work is to create a good environment for the students to learn smoothly. On the other hand, the students should be open to learning and new things and follow the given instructions. Both the teachers and students should be ready to accept any changes that comes along the way during teaching and learning. They should be open minded and ready to face the changes and this helps to promote and enable learning.

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