EDUC 5210: Written Assignment Unit 1

There is a widely shared belief that learning environments and instructional designs

based on emerging paradigms of learning will lead to better learning results in terms of

quality of knowledge and skills as well as in terms of equality of different learners (Elen,

2004). Moreover, learning environments are physical or virtual settings in which learning

takes place. Learning theory provides the fundamental for the design of learning

environments. However, according to Bransford et al (1998) there is no simple recipe for

designing learning environments (Ifenthaler, 2012). In my almost 20 years of teaching

experience, I can totally affirm that designing learning environment takes so much time and

effort on my part as a teacher. I have proven that I need to do more research and to consider

several factors to be an effective teacher. Additionally, the design of learning environments

will always change in alignment with the change of educational goals. Hence, the design of

learning environments in the 1800s or 1900s was extremely different to the twenty-first

century design of learning environments (Ifenthaler, 2012). Based on e xperience, the way I

was raised and taught when I was still studying in the early years have changed already, from

learning through dictation, and merely discussion to a more collaborative and more

innovative approaches in teaching.

Generally, the design of learning environments includes the three simple questions:

What is taught? How is it taught? How is it assessed? (Ifenthaler, 2012). In this written

assignment, I will be describing and discussing a learning environment that demonstrates the

point at which each of the three Bransford’s perspectives on learning environment intersects.

Firstly, the term learner-centered refers to “environments that pay careful attention to

knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs that learners bring to the educational setting”

(Bransford et al., 2000). On the other hand, according to Prawat et al (1992) knowledge-

centered environments focus on the kinds of information and activities that help students
develop an understanding of disciplines. Thus, these two environments intersect when

instruction begins with a concern for students’ initial preconceptions about the subject matter

(Bransford et al., 2000). In the school where I am currently working, we follow a particular

standard stated in our course syllabus, given with thematic topics and lessons to be discussed

per period. In my experience, every time I prepare my lesson, I always check our syllabus to

guide me as to what learning competencies and criteria I needed to follow. Then, when I start

making activities and other learning materials, I always begin with the lead-in. Given the

topic and theme for a particular unit, lead in activities enable my students to bring out to the

class what they already know about the topic. Moreover, these lead-in activities come in

forms of pair or small group discussions, some game quizzes, puzzles, video clips, and the

likes. Additionally, lead-in activities serve as motivational part for students to be engaged in

the discussion by sharing what they know and based on what they understand. For instance,

one topic for my Grade 6 class is on transportation vocabulary. Instead of starting the class

with introducing the list of words and pictures, I started the discussion by showing pictures of

unique vehicles that can only be seen in Vietnam. With guide questions, students work in pair

to think about the set of pictures and to share what they know and what they’ve experienced

with those vehicles. Then, from that point, I started to follow up discussions and to give other

activities to achieve the goals and competencies stated in our syllabus. According to Bell

(1982), this activity attempts to discover what students think in relevance to their culture, and

by giving situations that enabled them to readjust their ideas to the competencies and set of

knowledge expected from the students’ level (Bransford et al., 2000).

Moreover, being learner centered and knowledge centered, “effectively deigned

learning environments must also be assessment centered. The key principles of assessment

are that they should provide opportunities for feedback and revision and that what is assess

must be congruent with one’s learning goals (Bransford et al., 2000). The manifestation of
the intersection of learner-centered and assessment centered learning environment in my

classroom set-up is when I always include reflection stage when I prepare my lessons and

activities in the class. This reflection serves as a source of feedback to improve students’

skills and whether they were able to achieve the goals and competencies for the day.

Moreover, feedback “must focus on understanding” (Bransford et al., 2000), therefore I help

students to build skills of self-assessment in a form of self-reflection, then I allow them to

learn to assess their own work, as well as their peers. For instance, in my writing class, I

include students in crafting our scoring rubrics. Then I gave them a form to reflect on their

own writing and provide proofreading marks so they can check their peers’ written work, and

allow them to give comments and constructive criticism, either oral or written form. Also, I

ask students to compile all their written outputs from their drafts to the final output. All their

written tasks are put together in a portfolio. Feedback and comments are given for every

writing stage, then students got the opportunity to see their writing progress and development

in one portfolio. According to Wiske (1997) and Wold (1988) keeping these records of

students’ work as they progress in the whole school year are also used to discuss with other

teachers, parents and fellow students their achievements and difficulties. Such assessment is

an important part of the metacognitive approach to instruction (Bransford et al., 2000).

Furthermore, knowledge-centered and assessment centered may intersect in a form of

summative assessment where we measure what students have learned at the end of some set

of learning units or chapters (Bransford et al., 2000). In our school, we follow a particular

standard pattern to Cambridge Program. Consequently, activities and learning activities in

our classroom are aligned with the competencies according to the level of students’

competence, for instance, in Grade 9 classes, students move to different moving classes

during their English class to be with other students with the same English proficiency level,

for example in Grade 9, other students attend Stage 7 class, while others are on Foundation
classes, and others are already placed in Stage 10 classes. At the end of the unit or term, those

Grade 9 students receive different test formats, all stage 7 classes receive KET, while Stage 8

classes take PET, and higher levels take FCE format. In case Grade 7 and Grade 9 students

are both in Stage 9 classes, both receive FCE format, but the level of difficulty for Grade 9

classes are higher compared to Grade 7. They are both assessed using the same test formats,

yet the content such as vocabulary, grammar points, and reading and writing items vary.

In conclusion, these three perspectives serve like guiding stars as I prepare learning

activities, to the actual teaching, and up to the evaluation stage of my lessons. These

perspectives allow me to be more effective and end efficient in the teaching craft as it

provides me a wider perspective in addressing the needs of my students as I facilitate learning

in accordance with the school’s standard prescribed by their country’s Ministry of Education,

considering what my students can offer, and as a teacher what I can do in taking active part in

my learners’ progress and development.

References:

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain,

mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved

from: https://www.nap.edu/download/9853

Elen, J. (2004). Students’ perspectives on learning environments. International Journal of

Educational Research.

Ifenthaler D. (2012) Design of Learning Environments. In: Seel N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of

the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-

1428-6_186