Assessing the Learner, Readiness to Learn, Barriers: Tailoring Teaching to The Learner.
Tailoring Teaching to The Learner: Assessing the Learner, Readiness to Learn, Barriers
Tailoring Teaching to The Learner
Traditionally, colleges and universities were viewed as institutions for the cultivation of new ideas and skills, occupational and professional training, and discovery about self and others. Teaching was conceptualized as the transmission of knowledge and facts about which learners previously knew little, for later application in the real world. Current research indicates a new perspective that embraces both faculty and student learning.
A shift from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered paradigm focuses on creating a learning environment that enables students to realize their potential to learn through the discovery of knowledge for themselves. Research indicates that deeper learning occurs when students are engaged in, and aware of, their own learning experiences and have opportunities to reflect on and evaluate those experiences (Light, 2001).
But even the best college teachers struggle with how to engage and make students aware that learning is occurring (Bain, 2004). Parker Palmer (1998) suggests “that students who learn, not professors who perform, is what teaching is all about . ” . . . that students learn in diverse and wonderful ways, including ways that bypass the teacher in the classroom and ways that require neither a classroom nor a teacher!” (p. 6).
Faculty must begin to act as facilitators of learning, guiding students on an inner journey to realize their own potential to learn. As a first step, faculty should strive to understand who their students are, their level of preparation, and their expectations. Faculty who develop a clear understanding of their students can facilitate the connections among their subjects, their students, and themselves.
Assessing the Learner
In a very broad sense, assessment of the learner begins with the faculty member attempting to get to know who the learner is while providing a safe, secure, and respectful environment. Assessment implies data gathering with interpretation so that learners’ needs and characteristics can be identified and utilized to plan effective educational activities (Dean, 1994). Faculty members who develop an understanding of their students can use this information to maximize the learning opportunities for students.
There is no guarantee that learners will learn by merely providing them with information. Finding out information about students (such as the learner’s knowledge level, previous coursework, ability to read and understand the material, confusion about the reading assignment, etc.) provides the basis for building teaching strategies to meet their learning needs. Learning needs can be described as internal forces that motivate the learner to pursue a goal that bridges the gap between one’s present level of competence and the desired level of performance.
When planning an assessment of learning needs, the faculty member must be able to identify the learner’s current level of knowledge, attitudes, and skills as well as use their own professional judgment to decide upon the desired level of competency that is expected.
Actively seeking input as to what learners’ needs are encourages learners to feel that they have a personal investment in helping to guide decision-making about instruction (Bastable, 2003). Connecting new learning to students’ previous learning also helps them to examine, challenge, and improve upon their understanding before they can begin internalizing or learning it. Various assessment strategies (Bastable, 2003; Haggard, 1989) can be used to identify the learner’s needs, such as:
- Informal conversations or open-ended questions that encourage the students to reveal pertinent information about their learning needs
- Structured interviews that ask the learner specific questions about learning needs before instruction
- Focus groups that use group input about a certain topic to provide feedback about needs
- Self-administered questionnaires that permit the learner to write responses to questions about learning needs
- Pre-tests administered (can be online) before presenting the content, which can provide information about the learner’s level of knowledge and comprehension of assigned readings.
Readiness to Learn
Readiness to learn represents the degree to which the learner demonstrates an interest in and receptivity to learning (Bastable, 2003). Readiness to learn may be based on what learners want or need to know, their goals, and their expectations. Assessing the learner’s readiness to learn should be accomplished before the actual teaching session because it represents a prime time for gathering information about the learner.
Readiness to learn can be addressed using many of the same methods discussed under assessing learning needs, such as informal conversations, structured interviews, focus groups, self-administered questions, pre-tests, and observations. Readiness to learn can be influenced by a range of physical, emotional, and experiential factors and knowledge constraints that may or may not act as obstacles to learning. If faculty members assess readiness before instruction, these obstacles may be identified and potentially avoided or minimized.
Barriers to Student Readiness
One factor that affects readiness is the complexity of the task. Learning typically occurs from simple to more complex levels of difficulty. Therefore, faculty should be cognizant of presenting the material in an increasingly complex and logical sequence. Likewise, the physical and emotional environments also play an important part in contributing to the learner’s readiness to learn.
A secure, trusting, and stimulating environment tends to keep the learner interested and engaged in learning. Environmental effects (for example, excessive noise and uncomfortable room temperatures) can negatively affect concentration and the students’ readiness to learn. Learners also must be emotionally ready to learn. Anxiety can influence the learner either positively or negatively.
Some degree of anxiety actually may motivate students to learn, but high anxiety or fear of reprisal may affect learning negatively. Being clear about expectations for assignments and course objectives can help to alleviate some of the anxiety that grades and unfamiliar requirements often have on learning. Peer support systems can also influence emotional readiness. Peer groups can provide emotional support or act as a study group to assist the student to learn, thereby helping to alleviate anxiety.
Student motivation and a desire to perform successfully affect emotional readiness to learn and perform task mastery. Experiential readiness (for example, whether previous learning has been positive or negative) may affect whether the student is motivated or willing to try to acquire new knowledge and skills. Learning disabilities and low-level reading skills may require special approaches to bolster readiness to learn.
Students who are at risk for poor performance may become discouraged unless faculty recognize their special needs and help them to access resources to overcome their problems. Matching instructional tools and resources to the learner’s special individual needs (such as various learning styles) helps to peak interest in learning and facilitate understanding and comprehension. Cultural influences also may affect whether a student is ready to learn. Students who perceive that the material conflicts with their belief system may not be motivated to learn the material.
Language can also be a barrier if the learner is not fluent in the language used by the educator. Particularly problematic is the idiomatic dialogue that faculty or other students may use, making it difficult for some students to understand or comprehend. Striving to be clear, offering opportunities to clarify concepts and gain feedback about learning, and encouraging collaborative learning can all assist in minimizing barriers that affect comprehension.
Developmental Assessment
The American higher-education system enrolls a wide variety of students in many settings. Learners today are quite different from a few decades ago. Although the majority of students are the traditional 18- to 24-year-olds, larger numbers of older students add to the diversity of the student body.
In order to facilitate learning, faculty is becoming interested in understanding where students “are coming from,” literally and figuratively. What do faculty members need to know about these students so that they can develop an informed perspective and provide a more effective learning environment?
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