Referring to learning theories in your unit plan rationale for learning sequence and summative assignments.
In the Australian Curriculum you will
see many learning theories in action via the inquiry model used in HaSS
Can you see
any of these learning theories (or others) in action in your unit plan?
Constructivism
The philosophy about learning, that proposes learners need to
build their own understanding of new ideas, has been labelled constructivism.
Various educationalist have developed an instructional model for
constructivism, called the "Five E’s"
Explore
Students
carry out an activity/discussion in which they can explore the
knowledge/concept/skill. This phase allows students to acquire a common set of
experiences that they can use to help each other make sense of the new concept
or skill.
Explain
Only after
students have explored aspects of the knowledge/concept/skill does the teacher
provide the explanations/learning stories to develop student understanding. The
significant aspect of this phase is that explanation follows experience.
Elaborate
This phase
provides opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to new
situations and so develop a deeper understanding of the concept/understanding.
It is important for students to discuss and compare their ideas with each other
during this phase.
Evaluate
The final
phase provides an opportunity for students to review and reflect on their own
learning and new understandings. It is also when students provide evidence for
changes to their understanding, beliefs and skills.
Blooms taxonomy
Some other learning theories to refer to in HaSS:
·
Multiple Intelligences
·
Systems thinking
·
Experiential learning
