Do you still remember this onion? Curry put student instructional preference such as individuals' choice of environment for learning as the outermost layer of her onion model, which means students' instructional preferences interact most directly with the learning environment, such as the demand of assessment, the nature of the task, teachers' approaches to teaching, teacher expectations, and so on. The middle layer of her learning style onion is information processing style such as individual's intellectual approach to assimilating information, which interacts less directly with the environment and is more stable than instructional preference. The innermost layer is cognitive personality style such as individual's approach to adapting information, which is an underlying personality dimension. It does not interact directly with the environment and is most stable according to Curry. So how much impact do teachers have on students' preferences in learning? We will start small in this video to look at student approach to learning, which belongs to the information processing layer of Curry's onion model, teacher approach to teaching, which is a part of the learning environment, and how they interact with each other to seek for implication for our practice. Let's look at student approach to learning first. Here is a question. In your opinion, which of the following learning approaches is more likely related to higher quality learning outcomes? Option A and B in this question describe extremely surface and deep learning approaches defined by John Biggs and his colleagues. Through extensive qualitative and quantitative studies in different parts of the world, educational researchers found that student intention in learning ranged from getting a degree to looking for deep understanding. In line with such intentions, students used different learning strategies. The choice of strategy is a behavioural expression of student's learning motivation. Student approach to learning therefore is defined in terms of motivation and strategy components in the process of learning. Option A in this question represents an extremely surface approach to learning. Obtaining a qualification is the motivation component of this approach. The learning is motivated by the fear of failure. So learning strategies in this approach involve rote memorizing information needed for assessment, sticking closely to the course requirements, doing the minimum for assessment, focusing on discrete elements without integrating them, and failure to distinguish principles from examples. Option B represents an extremely deep approach to learning. The motivation component of it is self-actualisation through learning. This approach indicates an interest in the subject matter of study. The intention is to understand the learning materials. So learning strategies involve meaningfully memorizing information for later use, relating new ideas to previous knowledge, relating concepts to everyday experience, and relating evidence to conclusions. This approach means extra time and work beyond course requirements until one can form one's own conclusion or understanding. Back to the question we asked, which of these approaches is more likely related to higher quality learning outcomes? Research has consistently demonstrated the correlations between students' deeper approaches to learning and higher quality learning outcomes. However, it will become a bit tricky to answer this question if we replace 'higher quality learning outcomes' in the question with 'higher scores', because 'high scores' don't necessarily mean 'high quality learning' unless they measure high quality learning. For example, student X, who normally approaches learning by rote memorization, may find the strategy won't work if the assessment involves presenting one's own critical analysis on ideas. So this student may go deep because of the demand of the learning environment. He or she can only obtain 'higher scores' if he or she goes deep. For another example, student Y is a student who normally engages deeply with learning materials and searches for deep understanding. He or she may choose strategically to recite the specific facts when he or she finds that the achievement will be measured based on the accuracy of his or her memory of the facts. In this case, surface approach may be correlated with 'high score' instead of deep approach. There can be many possible interactions between student and the learning environment. In both examples, students decide to learn in certain ways as a result of their interpretations of the learning environments. That is why scholars in this field have reminded people not to categorize student s as 'surface learner' or 'deep learner'. Rather they should be seen as a function of individual characteristics and the learning environment such as teacher's approach to teaching. the demand of assessment, teacher expectations, and so on. Now that we know deeper approach to learning was found to be related with higher quality learning outcomes. In your opinion, which of the following teaching approaches is positively related to student deep approach to learning? What is your choice? Option A and B in this question describe two extreme categories of teaching approaches proposed by Trigwell, Prosser and their colleagues. Along the continuum between the two extremes, there are three other categories. Similar to student approaches to learning, each teaching approach has an intention and a strategy component. Option A represents an extreme of information transmission or teacher-focused approach where the intention is to transmit information to the students. The teaching strategies involve a focus on detailed information instead of the relationship between them, and helping students to pass the formal assessment instead of engaging them actively in learning. Option B represents an extreme of conceptual change or student-focused approach. The intention here is to help students change their conceptual understanding of the subject. The teaching strategies involve a focus on helping students to construct their own knowledge. Students are given the responsibility to produce new conceptions. What the students are doing is considered more important than what a teacher is doing. The other three approaches between these two extremes along the continuum are teacher-focused strategy with the intention that students acquire the concepts of the discipline, Teacher and student interaction strategy with the intention that students acquire the concepts of the discipline, and student-focused strategy aiming at helping students to develop their conceptions. Back to the question we asked, which of these approaches to teaching is positively related to student deep approach to learning? Research found more student-focused approach to teaching was correlated with student deeper approach to learning. In the classes where teachers described their teaching to have a focus on transmitting knowledge and on what they did, students were more likely to report a surface approach to learning. In the classes where student reported significantly deeper approaches to learning, teaching staff in the same research were more likely to describe their teaching as having more emphasis on what students did and on changing the student conceptions. So what kind of learning do you want to encourage among your students? What kind of learning environment would you like to offer to support such kind of learning? These are big questions. There can be many reasons why students learn in certain ways and why they reach certain levels of achievement. Some might be due to their interests. Some can be traced back to their previous learning experiences. As students continue to learn, their experiences continue to shape their perceptions and behaviours in learning. We, teachers, will inevitably be involved in students' learning history. What we do might shape students' future learning as well. What we discussed in this video only touches on one aspect of the possible relationship between our teaching and student learning. I hope it can offer some food for thoughts about how you could approach your teaching.
