Could I be a behaviorist? - surely not

It is suggested that behaviourists focus on the outcomes of stimulus, without necessarily attending to social meaning (Brockbank and Magill, 2007) and that all learning can be measured (Armitage et al., 2003). When reflecting on my own teaching I can see opportunities develop students through trial and error (Thorndike, 1928) and initiating key behaviors using the assessment framework to generate the desired actions in what could be described as a stimulus and response (Pavlov, 1927) strategy. I can also recognise that I may be using a form of operant conditioning (Skinner 1951) within my assessment framework where the desired level of work and commitment is shaped by the reward (the grade or feedback), (Jarvis, 2004). Yet within a behaviourist approach, it is argued that learning should be progressed step by step, building on previously learned material (Armitage et al., 2003) and the role of the teacher is to deliver or transmit learning through small simple tasks (Tusting and Barton, 2006). The tasks are practiced repeatedly and positive feedback reinforces the desired behaviour and stimulates motivation for the learner to continue (Tusting and Barton, 2006; Armitage et al., 2003).


Behaviourism therefore assumes cognitive processes are not necessary to explain the acquisition, maintenance and generalisation of behaviour (Schunk, 2009). I cannot subscribe to this pure view of behaviourism but I can see opportunities to use some of the concepts in my teaching with some interesting issues surrounding the ideas of gamification of education (Gee, 2008) - a concept worthy of further research.


References



Armitage, A, Bryant, R, Dunnill, R, Renwick, M., Hayes, D, Hudson, A, Kent, J, & Lawes, S. (2003) Teaching and training in post-compulsory education 2nd edition (Buckingham, Open University Press).


Brockbank, A. & Magill, I. (2007) Facilitating reflective learning in higher education, Second Edition (London, Open University Press).


Pavlov, I.P. (1927) Conditioned reflexes (New York, Oxford University Press)


Gee, J. P. (2008).  Learning and games. In Katie Salen (Ed.) The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation series on digital media and learning). 
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Jarvis, P. (2004) Adult education and lifelong learning: Theory and practice 3rd edition (London, Routledge).

Schunk, D.H. (2009) Learning Theories: an Educational Perspective (5th edition) International Edition New York Pearson Prentice Hall.


Skinner, B.F. (1951) „How to teach animals‟, Scientific American, 185(12): 26-29

Thorndike, E.L. (1928) Adult learning (New York, Macmillan).


Tusting, K. & Barton, D. (2006) Models of adult learning: A literature review (Leicester, UK, NIACE).

Trap of Success

In my ongoing thread relating to development of graduates I have found myself reflecting on how Higher Education institutions are maintaining their validity in an increasingly croweded training market place. SkillsActive the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning promote themselves as an independent, employer-led, UK-wide organisation designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand. I find myself reading this and wondering if business, sports and leisure higher education programmes across the UK were to provide a clear vision and description of their role whether it would or should be that far removed from skills active.

Should Higher Education mirror the same priorities and like Skills Active at a local level work as the central link between all active leisure and learning sector partners, as well as represent the needs of the sector to the local Government, maintain communications with awarding bodies, service providers, funding agencies and policy makers.

Skills Active priorities (2009)

1. To improve recruitment and retention of the workforce
2. To upskill and professionalise the existing workforce
3. To match training supply to employer demand
4. To redirect and secure new funding for training to meet employer needs
5. To increase sector investment in our people

On review of their priorities my concern is that other large scale institutions are emerging which are driving industries and subsequently general society and that without a major step change in philosophy will superceed and replace the broad institutions that make up the Higher Education sector. Everything inevitably changes and HE may be caught in a trap of success.

Have we taken our eye off the ball?

We are in danger of trying to maintain a system that is desperately trying to hold on to the past and in our efforts to resist and maintain our status in society are failing to realise that Universities influence as a major social instution is being eroded and replaced by institutions that are more in tune with industries, customers and citizens needs. Can Higher Education survive this transition? The answer is probably, but we need to rediscover our passion and role in society and take the time to realingn our priorities.

Reference

Skills Active (2009) A Guide to Sucessful Workforce Development in Wales. Skills Active.

500 applications - No jobs

If you are a follower of my blog you will no doubt realise that I am passionate about my industry and one of my core aims as a lecutrer is to produce graduates that not only have the skills to gain a job on graduation but to have the skills, passion and drive which will allow them to contribute to the ongoing development of sport and leisure in the long term. My previous posts on how students should be fit for purpose have provided the stimulus to continue to reflect on my teaching. I wish to challenge my delivery to ensure that students have the best possible experience whilst ensuring I meet the needs of the industry -  which at present is in the midst of a sea change.

What would Kolb make of my challenge.

A recent industry graduate level job in sport was advertised with up to  500 graduate applications 3 were short listed with 95% not even close to the mark. There is a growing swell of discontent with industry employers. The challenge is not only to provide front line early career skills and qualifications for students but also to expose students to managerial decision making, programme design, staff management and problem solving. I can teach the decision making process as a model but need students that can deal with the pressure of making decions. The often stale and sterile environments in which we teach are limiting; role plays, scenarios and case studies can make it interesting but these strategies and environments are safe havens for both teachers and students. Placements can expose students to real world sceanrios,  but partners often will not take the risk on new, untried and untested staff, leaving students focused on front line operational tasks. This is a valuable experience but students still need the opportunity to progress.

The Final Transition - LSM - Leisure and Sport Management Society

Final year management and business undergraduates training to work in any industry need valid experiences - someone needs to take a risk on them and challenge both their academic skills and professional competencies. I have set myself the challenge of creating challenging teaching plans and assessments that provide students the opportunity to make the final transition into a professional.

LSM has been set up as a student led society with a remit to improve sport health and well being of staff and students within the University. Final year students have each been given a functional areas in which they must lead. They have multiple assessments/modules associated with this role and will plan, deliver and monitor their own work. My intention is to assess the process at each stage and record how valuable these experiences are to their overall development. In parallel to my blog post regarding teaching philosophies,  I intend to keep a reflective account of this experimental programme of work.

What is Learning?

As I enter in to this new year of teaching I am starting to reflect on the key question of what is learning ?

Hodkinson et al., (2008) suggest that there are significantly different ways of understanding learning and that any understanding relates to how the person is perceived, the nature of reality and the nature of knowledge. My interpretation of this statement is that all teachers need to be aware that there are underlying philosophies that inform understanding. According to authors such as Light, 2008; Brockbank and Magill, 2007 it these underlying philosophies that frame theories, theoretical models, and subsequent practice . Jarvis, (2004) notes that importantly, theory is not value free and cannot be divorced from the wider world of ideology and belief.

It would seem that the core theories of learning are based on assumptions concerning the individual, the world and the relationship between the two (Cushion et al 2010).  Merriam and Cafferella (1999) amongst others typified the variety of learning theories as behaviourist, cognitive, humanist and social, while Brockbank and Magill (2007) collapsed humanist and social theories seeing them simply as constructivist.

My intention is to reflect on these key learning theories over a series of blog posts to explore how they can influence my delivery and to reflect on my own core values and philosophy towards learning.

References

Brockbank, A. & Magill, I. (2007) Facilitating reflective learning in higher education, Second Edition (London, Open University Press.

Hodkinson, P., Biesta, G., & James, D. (2008) Understanding learning culturally: overcoming the dualism between social and individual views of learning, Vocations and Learning, 1, 27-47.

Jarvis, P. (2004) Adult education and lifelong learning: Theory and practice 3rd edition London, Routledge.

Light, R. (2008) „Complex‟ learning theory in physical education: An examination of its epistemology and assumptions about how we learn, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 27(1), 21-37.

Merriam, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. (1999) Learning in adulthood 2nd ed (San Francisco, Jossey-Bass