What we know: Conclusions by Chris Rust · May 20, 2013 The ‘What we know’ theories are going to be published here as a series of blog posts over the coming weeks but are also available now collected as a free eBook from the OCSLD shop, where there are now four titles available. Our new book, Assessment Literacy: The Foundation for Improving Student Learning is available in paperback and kindle formats. Education is patently not an exact science. While the theories summarised above may be commonly accepted in the research literature, these ideas come with no guarantees. Every context and every individual student is different. The experience of higher education for the student will be an ever-changing collection of different combinations of factors and influences. Teaching is a complex and dynamic activity that requires the teacher to make a multitude of decisions about goals, curriculum and strategies before, during and after each instructional episode. It is both intellectually and emotionally challenging and demands a high degree of involvement by the teacher. The often-frenetic pace of teaching does not leave much time to reflect, on the teaching-learning process. Thus, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of action without reflection. It may be therefore be helpful to explore the gap between ourselves and our learners in the knowledge, skills and attitudes which we consider important in the subject we teach, and how we can help them reduce that gap as they move through their course of study. The fundamental challenge for the scholarly teacher who wants to improve the learning of their students is to understand these theories, to know which to choose and how to apply them in their teaching, and especially how to adapt them to different contexts. Tags: ebooks / what we know
What we know: Teaching for learning: The best teachers (as rated by students) are enthusiastic about what they teach, respect their students, and are effective in helping the latter find connections with the former. 23 Apr, 2013
What do we think we know about student learning, and what are the implications for improving that learning? 28 Mar, 2013