Educational Theories For Small Group Facilitation
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Agree with Mary, a bit on Kolb would be good here.
Honey & Mumford Learning Styles
ACTIVISTSLearn best when: / Learn least from (and may react against) activities where:
· There are new experiences, problems and opportunities from which to learn.
· They can engross yourself in ‘here & now’ activities such as games, competitive teamwork tasks, role-playing exercises.
· There is excitement, drama, crisis, and things chop & change with a diverse range of activities.
· They have a lot of limelight/high visibility e.g. you 'chair' meetings, lead discussions, give presentations.
· They are allowed to generate ideas without constraints of policy or structure or feasibility.
· They are thrown in at the deep end with a difficult task i.e. a challenge with inadequate resources and adverse conditions.
· They are involved with other people i.e. bouncing ideas off them and solving problems as a team.
· It is appropriate to 'have a go '. / · Learning involves a passive role i.e. listening to lectures , monologues, explanations and statements of how things should be done.
· They are asked to stand back and not be involved.
· They’re required to analyse and interpret lots of 'messy data'.
· They’re asked to do solitary work e.g. reading, writing, and thinking.
· They’re asked to assess beforehand what they will learn, and to appraise afterwards what they have learned.
· They’re offered 'theoretical' statements e.g. explanations of cause.
· They’re asked to repeat over & over the same activity e.g. practising
· They have precise instructions with little room for manoeuvre.
· They are asked to do a thorough job i.e. attend to every detail.
REFLECTORS
Learn best when: / Learn least from (and may react against) activities where:
· There are new experiences, problems and opportunities from which to learn.
· They can engross yourself in ‘here & now’ activities such as games, competitive teamwork tasks, role-playing exercises.
· There is excitement, drama, crisis, and things chop & change with a diverse range of activities.
· They have a lot of limelight/high visibility e.g. you 'chair' meetings, lead discussions, give presentations.
· They are allowed to generate ideas without constraints of policy or structure or feasibility.
· They are thrown in at the deep end with a difficult task i.e. a challenge with inadequate resources and adverse conditions.
· They are involved with other people i.e. bouncing ideas off them and solving problems as a team.
· It is appropriate to 'have a go '. / · Learning involves a passive role i.e. listening to lectures , monologues, explanations and statements of how things should be done.
· They are asked to stand back and not be involved.
· They’re required to analyse and interpret lots of 'messy data'.
· They’re asked to do solitary work e.g. reading, writing, and thinking.
· They’re asked to assess beforehand what they will learn, and to appraise afterwards what they have learned.
· They’re offered 'theoretical' statements e.g. explanations of cause.
· They’re asked to repeat over & over the same activity e.g. practising
· They have precise instructions with little room for manoeuvre.
· They are asked to do a thorough job i.e. attend to every detail.
Activitsts learn best when:
- you are allowed or encouraged towatch/think/chew over activities.
- you are able to stand back from events and listen eg. watching a group at work, taking a back seat, watching a video.
- you are allowed to think before acting ie. time to prepare in advance
- you can carry out painstaking research ie. investigate, assemble information, and get to the bottom of things.
- you have opportunity to review what has happened, and what was learned
- you are asked to produce carefully considered analyses and reports
- you are helped to exchange views with other people without danger ie. by prior agreement within a structured learning experience.
- you can reach a decision in your own time without pressure and tight deadlines.
You learn least from, and may react to activities where:-
- you are 'forced' into the limelight, ie. to act as leader, chairman, or to role-play in front of an audience.
- you are involved in situations which rEIuire action without planning.
- you are pitched into doing something without warning.eg. produce an instant reaction, or top-of-the-head idea.
- you are given insufficient data on which to base a conclusion.
- you are given cut and dried instructions on how things should be done
- you are worried by time pressures or rushed from one activity to another
- you have to make short cuts or do a superficial job in the interest of expediency.
LEARNING STYLES.
THEORIST
You will learn best from activities where:-
- what is being offered is part of a system, model, concept or theory
- you have the time to methodically explore associations and interrelationships between ideas, events and situations.
- you have the chance to question and probe the basic methodology, logic or assumptions behind something.
- you are intellectually stretched eg. by analysing a complex situation or by searching questions.
- you are in a structured situation with a clear purpose.
- you can listen to or read about ideas and concepts that emphasise rationality or logic and are well argued/elegant/watertight.
- you can analyse then generalise the reasons for failure or sucess.
- you are offered interesting ideas and concepts even though they are not immediately relevant.
- you are rEIuired to understand and participate in complex situations.
You will learn least from and may react to activities where:-
- you are pitchforked into doing something without a context or apparent purpose.
- you have to participate in situations emphasising emotions & feelings.
- you are involved in unstructured activities where ambiguity and uncertainty are high eg. open-ended problems, sensitivity training.
- you are asked to act or decide without a basis in policy, principle or concept.
- you are faced with a hotchpotch of alternatives and contradictions without exploring any in depth.
- you doubt that the subject matter is methodically sound eg. unvalidated questionnaires, or no supporting statistics.
- you find the subject matter platitudinous, shallow or gimmicky.
- you feel yourself out of tune with other participants eg. in the presence of lots of Activists, or people of lower intellectual calibre.
LEARNING STYLE.
PRAGMATIST
You learn best where:-
- there is an obvious link between the subject matter and the problem or opportunity on the job.
- you are shown techniques for doing things with obvious practical advantages eg. how to save time, or deal with awkward people.
- you have a chance to try out and practice techniques with coaching & feedback from a credible expert.
- you are exposed to a model you can emulate eg.a respected doctor, or a film showing how it is done.
- you are given techniques currently applicable to your own job.
- you are given immediate opportunities to implement what you have learned
- there is high face validity in the learning activity. eg. 'real' problems.
- you can concentrate on practical issues eg. drawing up action plans with an obvious end product.
You learn least from, and may react against activities where:-
- the learning is not related to an immediate need you recognise; you connot see an immediate relevance or practical benefit.
- the organisers of the learning seem distant from reality; 'ivory towered', all theory and general principles; pure 'chalk and talk'.
- there is no practice or clear guidelines on how to do it.
- you feel that people are going round in circles , getting nowhere fast.
- there are politcal, managerial, or personal obstacles to implementation.
- you can't see sufficient reward from the learning activity. eg. improved performance, promotion, increased income.
Bloom's Taxonomy *
Benjamin Bloom created this taxonomy for categorizing level of abstraction of questions that commonly occur in educational settings. The taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorize test questions, since professors will characteristically ask questions within particular levels, and if you can determine the levels of questions that will appear on your exams, you will be able to study using appropriate strategies.
Competence /Skills Demonstrated
Knowledge / · observation and recall of information· knowledge of dates, events, places
· knowledge of major ideas
· mastery of subject matter
· Question Cues:
list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.
Comprehension / · understanding information
· grasp meaning
· translate knowledge into new context
· interpret facts, compare, contrast
· order, group, infer causes
· predict consEIuences
· Question Cues:
summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend
Application / · use information
· use methods, concepts, theories in new situations
· solve problems using rEIuired skills or knowledge
· Questions Cues:
apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover
Analysis / · seeing patterns
· organization of parts
· recognition of hidden meanings
· identification of components
· Question Cues:
analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select, explain, infer
Synthesis / · use old ideas to create new ones
· generalize from given facts
· relate knowledge from several areas
· predict, draw conclusions
· Question Cues:
combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design, invent, what if?, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite
Evaluation / · compare and discriminate between ideas
· assess value of theories, presentations
· make choices based on reasoned argument
· verify value of evidence
· recognize subjectivity
· Question Cues
assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select, judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize
* Adapted from: Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York ; Toronto: Longmans, Green.
RIGHT AND LEFT BRAIN. THE HERRMANN MODEL
Ned Herrmann developed a model of defining thinking styles based on the original work of Roger Sperry in the late 1970s. This described ways of functioning and thinking in terms of right and left brain hemispheres. In general terms these are as follows:
LEFT BRAIN: This is the logical, analytical and mainly objective aspect of brain function, dealing with details. This is sometimes referred to as ‘male’ type thinking.
RIGHT BRAIN: This refers to the functions of emotional, intuitive and creative functions. These are often linked to music and rhythm and are sometimes referred to as ‘female’ type functions.
Ned Herrmann further developed this into subdivisions of left and right based on the theory of higher cognitive or intellectual functions in the brain cortex, and lower visceral or emotional functions in the limbic brain. The result is four types; two left and two right brain styles. It is possible to complete a questionnaire to discover your personal typing and preferences. This is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Inventory or HBDI. This can be found on the Internet at <www.hbdi-uk.com> or directly with the Herrmann Institute, at 2075 Buffalo Creek Rd. Lake Lure, North Carolina, USA
This model builds on the concept of dominance in brain functions, such as natural right – handedness, or being natural left eye dominant. This work by Ned Herrmann further developed the characteristics of left and right brain functions as follows:
UPPER LEFT:
· Logical
· Analytical
· Fact based
· Quantitative
LOWER LEFT:
· Organised
· SEIuential
· Planned
· Detailed
LOWER RIGHT:
· Interpersonal
· Feelings based
· Kinaesthetic
· Emotional
UPPER RIGHT:
· Holistic
· Intuitive
· Integrative
· Synthesising
JOHARI WINDOW
JOHARI WINDOW APPLICATIONS
ThIS model of the Johari Window designed by two psychologists, Joe Ingram and Harry Luft. The combination of their names, Joe and Harry give the model its name. It can be applied in a variety of situations, such as group work, one to one relationships and in social settings. The main message in this model is the value of maintaining a balance between disclosure and seeking feedback in human interactions. This is also a reminder of the value of maintaining balance in all aspects of life.
WHAT’S THE MODEL ABOUT?
The Johari window is a model, which can be used to describe creative and open relationships. It gives a pictorial view of how we can ‘open the window on life’ and perhaps ‘let in fresh air, have new views and possibly see things afresh’. The model is an invitation to consider how to create an open relationship, with an emphasis on feedback; both the seeking and giving of feedback. It has a place in group work, and can be used by a facilitator to create an effective learning environment
GROUPS:
Introducing the model to participants in a group can help to be explicit about the purpose of self- disclosure within the group as well as being explicit about your hopes for the type of communication that will happen in the group. At the same time you can clarify that disclosure is not necessarily expected at all costs. By trying to achieve a balance alongside the principle of respect for each other, it would be up to each person to decide when and how much to disclose.
EXTRA JOHARI STUFF
Johari Window
Known to Self / Not Known to SelfKnown to others /
Open
/Blind
Not known to others /Hidden
/Unknown
The Johari Window, named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, is one of the most useful models describing the process of human interaction. A four paned ‘window,’ as illustrated above, divides personal awareness into four different types, as represented by its four quadrants: open, hidden, blind, and unknown. The lines dividing the four panes are like window shades, which can move as an interaction progresses.
In this model, each person is represented by their own window.
1. The ‘open’ quadrant represents things that both I know about myself, and that you know about me. For example, I know my name, and so do you. The knowledge that the window represents, can include not only factual information, but my feelings, motives, behaviours, wants, needs and desires... indeed, any information describing who I am. When I first meet a new person, the size of the opening of this first quadrant is not very large, since there has been little time to exchange information. As the process of getting to know one another continues, the window shades move down or to the right, placing more information into the open window, as described below.