Developing a dialogic intersect within the asynchronous realm.
Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by Phil in Instruction
The student instructor interaction
Developing a dialogic intersect within the asynchronous realm.
Instructors Perspective
Dialogue is a term that links education theory to instructional practice. Dialogue as it is defined here involves talking with but never at. Dialogue is built upon: inclusion, respect, active listening, reflection, and suspending judgment. The goal of dialogue is learning about the perspective of others. Dialogue may be viewed as a value system, and a key education component. As a value system it presents a belief in the importance of human communication and connection. Dialogic communication is the essence of cultural competence in that it rests upon a foundation of complete acceptance of the unique otherness of the individual to whom one is relating. Learning is a goal of dialogue. Dialogue is further defined not as talking and listening but relating and experiencing. Dialogue is focused on the interactional experience and thus, is present centered. Change occurs within the dialogic space which is created between the student, their peers, and the instructor.
One key idea:
The beliefs, values and attitudes of the instructor directly impact the instructional process.
Goal
Summarize dialogic theory and discuss ways that it can be incorporated into instructional practice.
Objectives
Participants will verbalize their understanding of how beliefs and attitudes affect ones interactions.
Participants will discuss the values and philosophy behind their practice.
Knowledge
Participants will gain an understanding of dialogic theory.
Skills
Participants will be able to integrate dialogic theory into their instructional practice.
Attitudes
Participants will gain an appreciation of the values, beliefs, and core constructs that drive dialogic practice.
Course Anchor
Instruction without interaction is content without process
Twelve Principles for Effective Adult Learning:
One basic assumption in all this is that adult learning is best achieved in dialogue. Dia means “between,” logos means “word.” Hence, dia + logue = “the word between us.” The approach to adult learning based on these principles holds that adults have enough life experience to be in dialogue with any teacher about any subject and will learn new knowledge, attitudes, or skills best in relation to that life experience (Knowles, 1970). Danah Zohar calls dialogue a quantum process, the means of doing quantum thinking (Zohar, 1997, p.136). (Vella)
Twelve Principles for Effective Adult Learning (Jane Vella)
1. Needs Assessment: The First Step in Dialogue. Discover what the group really needs to
learn, what they already know, what aspects of the course that we have designed really fit their
situations. Listening to learners’ wants and needs helps to shape a program that has immediate
usefulness to adults. Who decides?
2. Safety: Creating a Safe Environment for Learning. Create an inviting setting for learners.
Begin with simple, clear, and easy tasks before advancing to more complex or difficult ones. The
environment is nonjudgemental. Affirmation of every offering.
3. Sound Relationships: The Power of Friendship and Respect. Foster an open
communication process involving respect, safety, listening. Balance between advocacy and
inquiry. Relationships must transcend personal likes and dislikes.
4. Sequence and Reinforcement: Knowing Where and How to Begin. Program knowledge,
skills, and attitudes in an order that goes from simple to complex and from group-supported to
solo efforts. Reinforcement means the repetition of facts, skills, and attitudes in diverse,
engaging, and interesting ways.
5. Praxis: Action with Reflection: Doing with built-in reflection, an ongoing beautiful dance of
inductive and deductive forms of learning. Doing-reflecting-deciding-changing-new doing.
6. Learners as Subjects of Their Own Learning: Recognizing learners are decision
makers. The dialogue of learning is between subjects, not objects. Learners are not designed to
be used by others. They suggest and make decisions about what occurs in the learning event.
Do not steal the learning opportunity from the learner.
7. Learning with Ideas, Feelings, and Actions: Mind-Emotions-Muscles: Equality?
conceptualize it, get a chance to feel it, and do something with it. Make every learning task an
element of ideas-feelings-skills.
8. Immediacy: Teaching What is Really Useful: Experience the immediate usefulness of new
learning, what makes a difference now. Combine with sequence and reinforcement.
9. Assuming New Roles for Dialogue: The Death of the “Profesor”: “Only the student can
name the moment of the death of the professor” (Paulo Freire). No disaggrement? No
questioning? No challenge? No dialogue? Whatever impedes dialogue must be courageously
addressed and eradicated. Whatever enables dialogue must be fearlessly nurtured and used.
10. Teamwork: How People Learn Together. Teams provide a quality of safety that is effective
and helpful. Teams are the real world (feelings are not simulated!) but also are limit situations.
Teams invite the welcome energy of constructive competition. Consider results-processrelationships.
11. Engagement: Learning as an Active Process. Invite learners to put themselves into the
learning task … into the delight of learning! Without engagement there is no learning.
12. Accountability: Sucess Is in the Eyes of the Learner. How do learners know they know?
What was proposed to be taught must be taught; what was meant to be learned must be learned;
the skills intended to be gained must be manifest in all the learners; the attitudes taught must be
manifest; the knowledge conveyed must be visible in learners’ language and reasoning. (Vella)
Experiential Learning (C. Rogers)
Overview:
Rogers distinguished two types of learning: cognitive (meaningless) and experiential (significant). The former corresponds to academic knowledge such as learning vocabulary or multiplication tables and the latter refers to applied knowledge such as learning about engines in order to repair a car. The key to the distinction is that experiential learning addresses the needs and wants of the learner. Rogers lists these qualities of experiential learning: personal involvement, self-initiated, evaluated by learner, and pervasive effects on learner.
To Rogers, experiential learning is equivalent to personal change and growth. Rogers feels that all human beings have a natural propensity to learn; the role of the teacher is to facilitate such learning. This includes: (1) setting a positive climate for learning, (2) clarifying the purposes of the learner(s), (3) organizing and making available learning resources, (4) balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning, and (5) sharing feelings and thoughts with learners but not dominating.
According to Rogers, learning is facilitated when: (1) the student participates completely in the learning process and has control over its nature and direction, (2) it is primarily based upon direct confrontation with practical, social, personal or research problems, and (3) self-evaluation is the principal method of assessing progress or success. Rogers also emphasizes the importance of learning to learn and an openness to change.
Roger’s theory of learning evolved as part of the humanistic education movement (e.g., Patterson, 1973; Valett, 1977).
Scope/Application:
Roger’s theory of learning originates from his views about psychotherapy and humanistic approach to psychology. It applies primarily to adult learners and has influenced other theories of adult learning such as Knowles and Cross. Combs (1982) examines the significance of Roger’s work to education. Rogers & Frieberg (1994) discuss applications of the experiential learning framework to the classroom.
Rogers Main Principles:
1. Significant learning takes place when the subject matter is relevant to the personal interests of the student
2. Learning which is threatening to the self (e.g., new attitudes or perspectives) are more easily assimilated when external threats are at a minimum
3. Learning proceeds faster when the threat to the self is low
4. Self-initiated learning is the most lasting and pervasive. (Kearsley)
Maslow presented ten points that educators should address:
- We should teach people to be authentic, to be aware of their inner selves and to hear their inner-feeling voices.
- We should teach people to transcend their cultural conditioning and become world citizens.
- We should help people discover their vocation in life, their calling, fate or destiny. This is especially focused on finding the right career and the right mate.
- We should teach people that life is precious, that there is joy to be experienced in life, and if people are open to seeing the good and joyous in all kinds of situations, it makes life worth living.
- We must accept the person as he or she is and help the person learn their inner nature. From real knowledge of aptitudes and limitations we can know what to build upon, what potentials are really there.
- We must see that the person’s basic needs are satisfied. This includes safety, belongingness, and esteem needs.
- We should refreshen consciousness, teaching the person to appreciate beauty and the other good things in nature and in living.
- We should teach people that controls are good, and complete abandon is bad. It takes control to improve the quality of life in all areas.
- We should teach people to transcend the trifling problems and grapple with the serious problems in life. These include the problems of injustice, of pain, suffering, and death.
- We must teach people to be good choosers. They must be given practice in making good choices. (Simons, Irwin , & Drinnien, 1987 )
Autocratic, Dialogic-Enabling, and Overly-Permissive Instruction
(Guilar)
References:
Guilar, J. (2006). Intersubjectivity and dialogic instruction. Radical Pedagogy, (8), 1-10.
Kearsley, G. (4/25/2011). The Theory Into Practice Database. Retrieved from http://tip.psychology.org
Simons, J, Irwin , D, & Drinnien, B. (1987 ). The search for understanding. New York : West Publishing.
Vella, J. (4/25/11). Learning to listen learning to teach. Retrieved from www.englishbox.co.cc/../twelve-principles-for-effective-adult.html
