Administer a short evaluation the students’ authentic learning experiences

ADMINISTER A SHORT EVALUATION THE STUDENTS’ AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES AT THE INSTITUTO CATÓLICA PARA FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES (ICFP), BAUCAU

Crisogno Soares Freitas Pereira Instituto Católico para a Formação de Professores Diocese de Baucau Timor-Leste This paper relates an evaluation conducted with a group of undergraduate students in a tutorial class at the Instituto Católica para Formação de Professores (ICFP), Baucau. The evaluation aimed to determine the extent to which each student experienced authentic learning over the course of the current semester. I will report on why I chose the four statements, make an analysis of the results and provide some observations, and finally make some suggestions as to how I could make the learning experience more authentic for the students in this tutorial class.

A.

Why I chose the four statements used in the evaluation?

Statement 1:

My teachers relate to me and my fellow students in an open and welcoming way, showing understanding of our personal and social situations and our talents and potential

This statement was selected because ‘social support’, also described by some authors as ‘good working relationships with students’, is an important criteria mentioned in the literature relating to achieving authentic learning (Starratt, 2005; Duignan, 2006; Haynes et al, 2006). Haynes et al, (2006) cite research that talks about, “the importance of classrooms where in which students felt safe ‘from insult and diminishment’” (p. 63). Socially supportive classrooms provide environments where students feel encouraged and their presence valued, including those less skilled or proficient. Among the six criteria for promoting the morality intrinsic to teaching and learning, Starratt (2005) names the goal to; “Establish good working relationships with each student based on open communication, 1 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

understanding of the student’s cultural and immediate social potential” (p. 408). These authors point to the importance of relationships that encourage mutual respect and encouragement to foster authenticity. Parens (2005) argues this point strongly when he states, “however you understand authenticity or flourishing or personhood, the capacity to enter into intimate relationships is central” (p. 40).

Statement 2:

I receive quality instruction and assistance from my teachers that helps to deepen my knowledge and understanding of literacy

The second statement was selected as the literature consistently refers the importance of quality teaching for authentic learning to be realized (Welhage, Newmann & Secada, 1996; Rowe, 2006). Starratt (2005) proposes the virtue of ‘presence’ as being central to achieving authentic learning. Starratt says that presence affirms who the learner is, enables her or him to realize her or his potential. Addressing what makes certain teaching practices effective, Rowe (1996) states, “Educational effectiveness for all students is crucially dependent on the provision of quality teaching by competent teachers” (p. 105). In this sense we can conclude with Rowe that teachers can and do make a difference to students experiencing authentic learning through the quality of their teaching, which needs to be focused, well directed, and recognize the educational needs of students.

Statement 3:

During the tutorials I am able to make a connection between the content and the reality of my life

“Awareness of the relationships between the self and the content of study” is one of the six key characteristics of authentic learning identified by Duignan (2006, p. 129). Therefore, we can conclude that learning becomes authentic for students when they see a clear connection between the content they are learning and how it relates to, and has meaning for the reality of their lives. When such a connection is made, this learning can then lead to further questions and the desire to explore and find deeper meaning. This process is important because it encourages students to reflect critically in order to understand more deeply, and to appreciate the importance of the knowledge they are gaining and the origin of particular theories or concepts (Rowe, 2006). Starratt (2005) emphasizes this point when he says that teachers, “need to look beneath the expository texts and work sheets to ask how this material might 2 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

have some personal connections to the learners’ experience and to their life world, as well as to the more public worlds of their neighborhoods and local communities” (p. 409).

Statement 4:

My learning experiences in the literacy tutorials help me to develop my personal ability, skills and character

Another of the key characteristics of authentic learning affirmed by Duignan (2006) is, “students develop their capacities as authentic and capable human beings” (p. 129). This statement underlines the goal of growth and development of individual learners as being foundational to authentic learning. Duignan (2006) says that educational leaders need to attend to what he calls the ‘transformative possibilities’ of students’ learning by, “inviting teachers to create learning opportunities and experiences for their students that will help transform their lives” (p. 130). Such a goal poses the great challenge for teachers to focus on being facilitators of learning that will encourage growth of the whole person, in the context of the student’s social context, and as responsible members of the global community (Starratt, 2005).

B.

Summary and analysis of the authentic learning experience evaluation The authentic learning experience evaluation instrument was given on the 15 th April, 2011 to twenty five Third Year students in a Literacy tutorial class that forms part of the Bachelor of Teaching program at Instituto Católica para Formação de Professores (ICFP), Baucau. Each tutorial class is two hours once a week and usually follows a one hour lecture on the same topic. The evaluation instrument consisted of four statements. These statements were originally written in the Tetun language, one of the two official languages of Timor-Leste.

The students were asked to indicate the extent to which the statement was true for them in regard to their learning experience of the Literacy tutorial class during the current semester by marking either ‘always’, ‘often’, ‘sometimes’ or ‘never’. The results of the evaluation are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: No 1

Items My teachers relate to me and my fellow students in an open and welcoming way, showing understanding of our personal and social situations and our talents and potential.

Always 8 (32%)

Often 9 (36%)

Sometimes 8 (32%)

Never

3 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

2

I receive quality instruction and assistance from my teachers that helps to deepen my knowledge and understanding of literacy.

3

During the tutorials I am able to make a connection between the content and the reality of my life .

My learning experiences in the literacy tutorials help me to develop my personal ability, skills and character.

4

14 (56%)

7 (28%)

4 (16%)

5 (20%)

13 (52%)

7 (28%)

11 (44%)

11 (44%)

3 (12%)

Analysis: Generally speaking, the majority of students seem to indicate they either often or always experience authentic learning during their Literacy tutorial classes, according to the criteria selected. On average, only about six of the twenty five students indicated they only sometimes experience authentic learning. No students indicated they never experienced any of the aspects of authentic learning.

The results of statement one indicate sixty eight percent of students think their tutors always or often relate with them in a way that shows understanding of their personal and social situations. Interestingly, of the four statements, this first statement attracted the largest number of students (8 or 32%) who indicated this statement is true for them ‘sometimes’.

The results may indicate: a)

The majority of students experience their tutors as being friendly, welcoming and taking a personal interest in them as individuals.

b)

There are a small but significant number of students who only sometimes experience tutors as being welcoming, open and interested in them. This perception may point to some students needing more personal attention or time, or that tutors need to give attention to how they are present to each of the students, both inside and outside the class.

The results of statement two show the highest percentage (84%) of students choosing ‘always’ for a particular aspect of authentic learning. In this case, a high percentage of students indicate they received quality instruction and assistance from teachers that also helped to deepen their knowledge and understanding of literacy. This may imply students 4 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

appreciate the quality of the teaching and learning experiences provided by the tutors, and/or the tutors’ willingness to be present to them to answer questions and to clarify issues.

The results of statement three indicate a shift in significance from the other statements.

Fewer students chose ‘always’ and a significant number chose ‘sometimes’, while the largest percentage were in the ‘often’ category. This may suggest: a) Perhaps there are a relatively significant number of students who don’t experience the tutorial connecting with their personal lives. Therefore, for these students the learning may be less relevant. b) Because the tutorial deals with different aspects of literacy and teaching, there are some students who view the learning as something that relates to their professional rather than their personal lives; which is one way the statement could be interpreted. c) Perhaps some students struggle with understanding the during the one hour lecture prior to the tutorial class, and therefore they may have difficulties getting involved in the tutorial.

The results of statement four were surprisingly strong. Eighty eight percent (88%) of students indicated their learning experience of the tutorials either always or often helped them to develop their personal abilities, skills and character. One interpretation of this result may be that most students see the tutorial classes helping to develop their own literacy abilities and skills such as reading and writing well, and/or the enrichment of their vocabulary.

C.

How can I as a teacher/tutor/facilitator help to make students’ learning more authentic?

While the results of the evaluation on authentic learning undertaken by the students in Bachelor of Teaching literacy class at ICFP Baucau show most students often experience some dimensions of authentic learning, there still remains the challenge of how the tutors of this class can further improve the quality of teaching and learning so these same students can experience truly authentic learning. The following are some suggestions of how the tutors may meet this important challenge: 5

Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

1. The tutors can be welcoming and open and show better understanding of the students personal and social situations, talents and potential by: a) Recognizing the differences in individual students’ intellectual and emotional b) c) d) e) f)

capacities; Showing care, warmth toward and personal interest in each student; Showing empathy and understanding toward students to motivate them to learn; Indicating a willingness to serve the students (sense of presence); Encourage students to develop self-confidence; Help students to be aware that a mistake is beginning of the process of truth.

2. The tutors can maintain the goal of providing quality teaching and providing best practice learning processes by: a) Planning lessons that focus on learning strategies that will help the students to engage creatively and actively with the content they have learned; b) Make better use of strategies that recognize the different intelligences or learning styles; c) Having regular formative assessment that evaluates how well the students have understood the content or achieved the desired learning outcomes.

3. The tutors can assist students to make connections between the content and their personal lives by: a) Creating opportunities in the learning process for students to reflect on and discuss with each other how various aspects of the content being studied relate to their personal lives; b) Introducing more real life case studies, relevant to the Timorese culture and social situation, when learning about literacy; c) Provide opportunities through research tasks or learning opportunities for students to engage with children to learn about their development of literacy 4. The tutors can also encourage the development of authentic learning by: a) Planning a variety of learning activities challenge higher order thinking skills. b) Invite a wider participation of students in individual and group activities.

References: Duigan, P. (2006). Educational Leadership: Key Challenges and Ethical Tensions. Why we need authentic educational leaders. Chapter 9, pp. 127-141. Cambridge University Press.

Haynes, D., Mills, M., Christie, P., & Lingard, B. (2006). Productive pedagogies. In D. Haynes et. al (Ed.), Teachers and schooling making a difference. (pp. 31-38) Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

6 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011

Parens, E. (2005). Authenticity and ambivalence: Towards understanding the enhancement debate. Hastings Centre Report, 35 (3), 34-41.

Rowe, K. (2006). Effective teaching practices for students with and without learning difficulties: Issues and implications surrounding key findings and recommendations from the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy. Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 11, (3), pp. 99-115. Australia: Learning Difficulties Australia Starratt, R.J. (2005). Cultivating the moral character of learning and teaching: A neglected dimension of educational leadership. School Leadership and Management, Vol. 25, (4), pp. 399-411. Routledge: Taylor & Francis.

Welhage, G. G, Newmann, F. M. & Secada, W. G. (1996). Standards for authentic achievement and pedagogy. In F. Newmann & Associates, Authentic achievement: restructuring schools for intellectual quality. (21-28). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

7 Paper submitted to the Australian Catholic University as a task for master education degree in faculty of education. Timor-Leste: ICFP-Baucau. 2011