Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Learners and Learning

Product type

Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Learners and Learning

Coursera (CC)
Logo Coursera (CC)
Provider rating: starstarstarstar_halfstar_border 7.2 Coursera (CC) has an average rating of 7.2 (out of 6 reviews)

Need more information? Get more details on the site of the provider.

Description

When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: The teacher’s work becomes meaningful when it is informed by research and theories of learning, and their relationship to actual practice. This course provides an opportunity for you to identify and understand students’ expectations and prior learning.

Created by:  Commonwealth Education Trust
  • Taught by:  Associate Professor George Oduro, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership

    University of Cape Coast, Ghana
  • Taught by:  Professor John MacBeath, Professor Emeritus

    University of Cambridge, UK
Commitment 3-4 hours per week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4…

Read the complete description

Frequently asked questions

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.

When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: The teacher’s work becomes meaningful when it is informed by research and theories of learning, and their relationship to actual practice. This course provides an opportunity for you to identify and understand students’ expectations and prior learning.

Created by:  Commonwealth Education Trust
  • Taught by:  Associate Professor George Oduro, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership

    University of Cape Coast, Ghana
  • Taught by:  Professor John MacBeath, Professor Emeritus

    University of Cambridge, UK
Commitment 3-4 hours per week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.6 stars Average User Rating 4.6See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from your peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

Commonwealth Education Trust The Commonwealth Education Trust invests in primary and secondary education and the professional development of teachers throughout their careers. Through education it seeks to enhance the opportunities for children from all walks of life to contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


The lives of children



How much, as teachers or parents, do we understand about the lives of children and what affects their learning? How is their identity shaped, who shapes it, and in what circumstances? How many different ‘selves’ do children inhabit and how does their ‘self’ emerge in different contexts? How are boys and girls affected differently by their upbringing and the expectations we hold of them? And how do these issues play out in the multi-cultural school and classroom? We will consider these important questions in the materials this week.


5 videos, 3 readings expand


  1. Video: Introduction to Learners and Learning
  2. Reading: Syllabus
  3. Reading: Grading and Logistics
  4. Reading: Outline for Week One
  5. Video: Lecture 1.1: Who are the learners?
  6. Video: Lecture 1.2: Issues of identity
  7. Video: Lecture 1.3: Boys and girls
  8. Video: Lecture 1.4: The multicultural classroom

Graded: Quiz 1

WEEK 2


How children learn



We know a lot about children’s learning, but there is a lot that we still have to learn. How important is self-confidence and self-esteem? What do we understand by ‘agency’, the confidence to take initiative, to learn for yourself and with others? In what ways do schools and teachers often discourage agency, and how may learning be fostered in the classroom and in out-of-school contexts? How can teachers take account of so many different learning needs and ‘styles’ and differentiate teaching for different individuals and groups? And how can teachers involve children in shaping rules and roles in the classroom? These are the issues discussed over the course of these four lectures.


5 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Outline for Week Two
  2. Video: Lecture 2.1: Self confidence and self esteem
  3. Video: Lecture 2.2: The concept of 'agency'
  4. Video: Lecture 2.3: Differentiating learning and teaching
  5. Video: Lecture 2.4: Rules and roles
  6. Video: Interview 1: Looking at weeks one and two

Graded: Quiz 2
Graded: Peer Assessment One

WEEK 3


Engaging with students



The theme for this week is 'engaging with students'. We begin with the language of the classroom, the crucial issue of questioning how and for what purpose children are rewarded, and the use of paired and group work to engage students more actively in the lesson. We start with the question - How would you describe the nature of social interactions within: Your own classroom? Your own school? Your own country? This is a vital starting point as everything else hangs on relationships and, as discussed at the end of week two, a shared understanding of rules and roles lays the groundwork for a collaborative classroom ethos.


4 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Outline for Week Three
  2. Video: Lecture 3.1: Language in the classroom
  3. Video: Lecture 3.2: Rewarding and celebrating achievement
  4. Video: Lecture 3.3: Questioning in the classroom
  5. Video: Lecture 3.4: Working in pairs, triads, and groups

Graded: Quiz 3

WEEK 4


The power of the peer group



The four lectures this week are all related to the theme of peer groups. We look at the positive and negative effects of peer groups, including how smoking drugs and alcohol problems can affect the classroom and the school, the concerning issue of bullying, and the problems that emerge when we label students in particular ways. I encourage you to write a narrative in which you bring together a reflection on your own classroom, the relationships that peers have within it and how this impacts on your teaching. At the end of this week we are offering you the second interview between myself and Professor John MacBeath, where will discuss some of the issues that arose during weeks three and four. Also, this week, as well as the quiz, you should be starting to finalise the second peer assessment essay.


5 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Outline for Week Four
  2. Video: Lecture 4.1: Understanding peer groups
  3. Video: Lecture 4.2: Smoking, alcohol, drugs and peer pressure
  4. Video: Lecture 4.3: Bullying
  5. Video: Lecture 4.4: Labeling
  6. Video: Interview 2: Looking at weeks three and four

Graded: Quiz 4
Graded: Peer Assessment Two

WEEK 5


Learning that travels



This week we consider how learning happens as it travels out of the classroom. We consider ways in which students learn at home, including the thorny problem of homework, and the important understanding of how transitions, from one school to another or from one place to another, can impact on our learning. We consider how we might use indicators to make judgements about how well our students are learning and how we can make adjustments in the school to maximise the use of indicators.


4 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Outline for Week Five
  2. Video: Lecture 5.1: Learning in the home
  3. Video: Lecture 5.2: Homework
  4. Video: Lecture 5.3: Transitions
  5. Video: Lecture 5.4: The uses and value of indicators

Graded: Quiz 5

WEEK 6


Four key thinkers



Who are the great thinkers that have shaped our understanding of education and schooling? Whose insights have benefited our thinking and practice often without even knowing it? In this sixth week of the course we will discuss four key thinkers (from Nigeria, the U.S, and Russia). They are Pai Obanya, David Perkins, Abraham Maslow and Lev Vygotsky.


5 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Outline for Week Six
  2. Video: Lecture 6.1: PaiObanya
  3. Video: Lecture 6.2: David Perkins
  4. Video: Lecture 6.3: Lev Vygotsky
  5. Video: Lecture 6.4: Abraham Maslow
  6. Video: Interview 3: Looking at weeks five and six

Graded: Quiz 6
There are no reviews yet.

Share your review

Do you have experience with this course? Submit your review and help other people make the right choice. As a thank you for your effort we will donate $1.- to Stichting Edukans.

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.