Learning Strategies
This page has been kept for reference.
It will no longer be updated by ICVET.
Reviewed and Updated: January 2008
If you think about learning as being the primary aim of your work as a teacher, you’re probably already experimenting with strategies that engage your students actively in the teaching-learning process. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out some of the following links and readings.
Make sure you also have a look at the assessment section of this web site. Effective teaching and learning is intimately tied up with authentic and meaningful assessment.
Websites
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Developed for the professional development NSW Department of Education and Training school teachers, this site has a list of numerous learning strategies with web links.
Designing eLearning
Australian Flexible Learning Framework site which includes the best available samples of the many different e-learning strategies it identified, ranging from quizzes and demonstrations to role plays and simulations.
Digital storytelling
Excellent teacher resource on the University of Houston site providing background information to digital storytelling, educational goals & objectives, examples, practical tips, information about software, resources, evaluation
Active Learning Strategies
New horizons for learning
Contains information on some of the best researched and the most widely implemented methods of helping all students to learn more successfully. The information includes a description of how the teaching and learning strategies work, where they have been applied, results, and where to find further information from experts in the field, books, websites, and other resources.
Teaching Tips and Techniques - Alternative Participation Formats
Here are some really good ideas for getting your students active in the learning process.
Collaborative Learning
This Central Queensland University site is “ devoted to world's best practice in online collaborative learning in higher education, and related topics: here you'll find links to online articles, books, journals, and other relevant information.” Despite being aimed at higher education the principles are the same and there is a lot here for VET practitioners.
Training Games
Some cite Thiagi as the 'guru of games'. Certainly, he has an international reputation in this area of teaching and learning. On this site you’ll find free games to use in your own teaching environment.
Problem Based Learning
This link from the University of Central Queensland is a portal to a whole range of resources on problem based learning.
A Strategy for Teaching Oral Presentation Skills
The material is all about making good oral presentations by focusing on five key components such as fear reduction and appropriate forms of assessment. This resource was developed for students at the Flinders University of South Australia but the information is relevant to anyone doing a presentation of any length.
Digital Storytelling - Southern Westernport Learning Communities
Digital storytelling is a new method of capturing lives, experiences and creating community. It is more than just adding images to text. Digital stories are like short movies with voice-overs, audio, captions and special effects.
Notes on Lecturing
Phil Race is a name commonly associated with online and distance learning. However, in this item he provides some really good tips for those of us who still, on occasion, need to use the traditional lecture. His assumption is that this is being done in a lecture theatre (university style) but I think you’ll be able to transfer his ideas into a classroom.
Publications
SIEMENS, G 2004, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, elearnspace, December 12, 2004.
A learning theory which specifically addresses the issues of technology. It concludes by stating that our ability to learn what is important for tomorrow is more important than our ability to learn what is important today.
YURKIW, S 2002, Learning with Confidence: encouraging risk and failure in learning, elearnspace.
Emphasises the important role of the teacher in creating a classroom atmosphere where learners are encouraged to take risks to examine a range of possible solutions to the problems offered.
CAMPBELL, L 2002, Mindful Learning: 101 Proven Strategies for Student and Teacher Success, Corwin Press, California.
As the title says here are 101 tips for successful teacher/learner interactions.
BOUD, D & Hawke, G 2003, Changing Pedagogy: Vocational Learning & Assessment, Oval Research Working Paper, The Australian Centre for organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning, Sydney.
This paper poses a new approach to assessment which the authors call “sustainable assessment”. The basis of this approach is to answer the question: “does the assessment activity equip learners to be more effective in judging their own learning”.
SMITH, P & Dalton, J 2005, Accommodating Learning Styles: relevance & good practice in VET, NCVER, Adelaide.
A wide range of teaching suggestions to successfully integrate learning design, delivery and assessment. The paper stresses the need to provide practical examples of good practice and practical teaching suggestions. As well the importance of the development and implementation of effective learning to learn training is emphasised.
FORSTER, M 2004, Higher Order Thinking Skills in Research Developments, No 11 Winter 2004, ACER.
A call for the development of higher order thinking skills over and above minimal competencies as outlined in most curriculum.