Science Education News (SEN) Journal 2017 Volume 66 Number 4 December 2017 | Page 48

GENERAL ARTICLES
Simplistic Advice for Teachers on How to Teach Won’t Work (continued)
national productivity and wellbeing. This is a pressing challenge
for effective learning in this century.
relational factors in learning, and the dependence of effect sizes
on both what learning strategy is used, and when it can be used
successfully within a larger learning sequence. Problem-based
learning is effective if students have a relevant knowledge base to
draw on. Explicit teaching and the use of instructional packages
are effective in teaching basic skills, but less so for advanced
creative problem-solving.
This advice for teachers offers a limited vision of teacher and
student roles. Crucial questions are not addressed in this
extended focus on how to organise teacher-designed learning.
These questions include when and in what ways teachers
provide explicit guidance to individual students and groups, and
when they encourage and trust students to work independently.
This advice fails to take into account the need for teachers to
establish a generative learning environment whe re productive
relations between students and teachers, and between students,
flourish.
Advice to teachers on teaching should be based on rich,
persuasive and justifiable evidence. This advice should also
acknowledge the diverse range of desirable learning outcomes
prescribed in national curriculums worldwide.
Advice should also provide practical support to develop
teaching approaches that justify and integrate strategies which
otherwise remain fragmented and prone to faddish take-up or
abandonment.
There is no hint, within the HITS “differentiated teaching”
strategy, of cultural, gendered, or socio-economic dimensions
to difference. Learning to follow explanations and procedures
is clearly a desirable goal, but a narrow teacher focus on this
dimension of learning is likely to be counterproductive. Developing
a generative and supportive classroom culture, including shared
and celebrated goals and successes, would likely be sacrificed.
Where to from here? This article was originally published in ‘The Conversation’ on 9th
November, 2017. Its authors are Vaughan Prain, Professor in
Science Interdisciplinary Education Research, Deakin University,
and Russell Tytler, Professor of Science Education, Deakin
University.
At a recent Science of Learning conference involving
neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, and educators, some
strong themes emerged. These included addressing gender
stereotypes, the productive role of struggle by learners, key STANSW thanks both authors for their permission to republish
their definitive article, and once again expresses gratitude to ‘The
Conversation’ for encouraging republication of relevant material.
– Editor.
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