IPSWICH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Pedagogies
Teaching to the individual is extremely important, but in most teaching areas it is near impossible. The best way to attempt to teach to the diverse natures and learning styles within the classroom is to employ a wide variety of pedagogical styles. By doing this, teachers will also be able to make their classrooms an actively engaging and interesting learning environment. Creating such an environment will also encourage success on both an academic and personal level. Pedagogical theories have been in existence for the longest time, and interestingly, they almost appear timeless within context. In contemporary times, the best process of employing pedagogy in the classroom is to work from a
combination of theories, changing them to best suit the clientele. The most common theories used in this unit include those listed on the left of this screen. Where possible, these pedagogies will be used either in conjunction with each other, or on their own to enhance the teaching of the content. The following links contain a wide selection of pedagogical checklists that have been designed to provide ideas to the
teachers. Space is provided for reflection and comments throughout the unit. Highlighting used tools would also show the variety of pedagogical tools used by the individual teacher for their specific class.
Habits of Mind
Educational outcomes in traditional settings focus on how many answers a student knows. When we teach for the Habits of Mind, we are interested also in how students behave when they don't know an answer.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learnabout a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem. Studentslearn both thinking strategies and domain knowledge.
Bruner's studies on learning led to his research and ultimate development of the famous scaffolding theory in education, which identifies the importance of providing students with enough support in the initial stages of learning a new subject.
Experiential learning is an approach to education that focuses on "learning by doing," on the participant's subjective experience. The role of the educator is to design "direct experiences" that include preparatory and reflective exercises.
Dewey continually argues that education and learning are social and interactive processes, and thus the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take place. In addition, he believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning.
Bloom's taxonomy is a way of distinguishing the fundamental questions within the education system. It is named after Benjamin Bloom, who chaired the committee of educators that devised the taxonomy.
The theory of multiple intelligences is a theory of intelligence that differentiates it into specific (primarily sensory) "modalities", rather than seeing intelligence as dominated by a single general ability.
This pedagogical idea combines both the Multiple Intelligences and Bloom's Taxonomy to create a diverse learning tool, to allow creative classroom ideas to develop (designed by Eric Fragenheim and Tony Ryan).
Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. It has influenced a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, education and the history of science.
Six Thinking Hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. A powerful tool set, which once learned can be applied immediately