Course Description
This course builds students’ observation, planning and teaching skills to create or support meaningful learning opportunities in response to diverse learning styles. Using a common set of values, students will explore several teaching strategies and how these match with different learners' needs.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- Teaching and learning are interdependent processes which are integral roles of classroom and community support practitioners. Teaching is the act of providing opportunities for learning; learning is the adaptation to changes in situations, information and interactions.
- Teaching and learning are lifelong activities which occur across all life domains and environments.
- Individuals are unique in how they teach and learn. Classroom and community support practitioners can enhance the teaching and learning processes by identifying, recognizing, respecting and responding to learning characteristics of the people they support.
- Effective practitioners plan strategies to maximize the learning potential of each situation, adapt and use unforeseen opportunities and experiences, and rely on their intuition in responding to changing contexts. Their awareness of their personal teaching and learning styles increases field effectiveness.
- Observing, recording, interpreting and reporting are the basis of effective teaching and learning.
- Planning, implementing, evaluating and revising are integral elements of teaching and learning. Positive approaches, methods and language are bases for skill building and enhancing individual self esteem, self worth and self -confidence.
- The principle of caring underlies the classroom and community support practitioners actions and interactions in all aspects of teaching/learning and supporting individuals as they become active, participating members of their communities.
Learning Activities
- Lecture
- Group Work
- Audio / Video Presentations
- Case Studies
- Hands-on Practice
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Tests / Quizzes
- Online contributions
- Individual assignments
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe a variety of factors which influence teaching and learning
- Identify values related to learning
- Identify factors across domains, environments and life stages
- Recognize own learning preferences
- Recognize others preferred learning methods
- Describe several theories of learning, e.g.: Social Cognition, Brain-based, Behaviourism
- Use individualized teaching and learning strategies
- Write clear objectives in observable terms
- Write clear and complete task analysis
- Use strategies to teach discrete steps in a task
- Use a variety of approaches for teaching whole tasks, e.g.: total task, forward and backward chaining, shaping, etc.
- Use techniques for providing and fading assistance, e.g., using physical, modelling, gestural, verbal assists, expectant delay, etc.
- Use natural cues and corrections
- Think critically when planning support
- Recognize components of a complete learning plan
- Describe strategies for implementing and revising plans, using a decision making process for effective support
- Use a variety of observation and recording techniques to collect and evaluate data
- Describe a range of observation and recording techniques, e.g., duration, frequency, time sampling, narrative methods
- Match technique to purpose and setting
- Employ and models respectful language
- Develop clear recording mechanism
- Gather information using a variety of methods
- Recognize own biases and filters
- Record and evaluates progress