The power of learning environments to influence student learning

1
The power of learning environments to influence
student learning

• Jan Vermunt
• Utrecht University

2
Content and structure

• 1. Some recent developments in research on
  student learning
• 2. Main teaching-learning environments in higher
  education and the quality of student learning
• 3. Implications for teaching and curriculum design

3
Part 1

• Some recent developments in research on student
  learning

4
How students learn Qualitative differences

• Reproduction directed learning
• Meaning directed learning
• Application directed learning
• Undirected learning
• Independent learning
• Cooperative learning

5
Consistency and variability in the use of
learning strategies

• At course level (Vermetten 1999)
• Anova ? variation
• Correlations ? consistency
• Conclusion Both context and person bound
• Test retest correlations (6 months interval,
  Vermetten 1999)
• Learning strategies .51 - .72
• Learning orientations .58 - .71
• Learning conceptions .54 - .64

6
Dissonance in learning patterns

• Vermunt Verloop (2000)
• Lack of differentiation within learning
  strategies, conceptions, or orientations
• Lack of integration between learning strategies,
  conceptions, and orientations
• Incompatible learning strategies, conceptions,
  orientations
• Missing elements from learning patterns

7
For exampleincompatible learning strategies

• Beishuizen et al
• Combinations with good outcomes
• Deep approach and self-regulation
• Surface approach and external regulation
• Combinations with bad outcomes
• Deep approach and external regulation
• Surface approach and self-regulation
• Are these strategies incompatible?

8
Relations with personal and contextual factors

• Epistemological beliefs (Rozendaal e.a. 2001)
• Meaning directed learning associated with
  relative view of knowledge
• Reproduction directed learning associated with
  absolute view of knowledge

9
Relations with personal and contextual factors

• Perception of the study environment (Wierstra
  e.a. 2003)
• Meaning directed learning associated with a
  learning environment perceived as
  student-oriented and emphasizing connections
• Reproduction directed learning associated with a
  learning environment perceived as stressing the
  memorization of facts and not encouraging active
  participation

10
Relations with learning outcomes

• Exam results (Vermunt, 2005)
• Undirected learning is consistently negatively
  correlated
• Meaning directed learning is mostly positively
  correlated
• Application directed learning is mostly not
  related
• Reproduction directed learning is neutrally to
  negatively correlated
• Portfolio (Lonka e.a. 1997)
• Meaning directed learning positively associated
• Reproduction directed learning negatively
  associated with score

11
Part 2

• Main teaching-learning environments
• in higher education
• and the quality of student learning

12
Main teaching-learning environments

• Traditional teaching
• Assignment-based teaching
• Problem based learning
• Project-centred learning
• Self-directed specialisation learning
• Dual learning
• Autodidactic learning

13
Regulation of student learning in these
environments

• Learning Teacher Shared Student
• Process regulated regulation regulated
• Problems 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Objectives 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Learning activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• (Re)sources 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Criteria outcomes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Assessment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

14
Problem Based Learningand how students learn

• Discourages undirected learning
• Discourages reproduction directed learning
• Encourages meaning directed learning
• Application directed learning?
• Encourages cooperative learning
• Independent learning?

15
Dual learning and how students learn

• Oosterheert e.a. (2001)
• All student teachers learn application oriented
  in a dual learning environment, but in different
  ways
• Survival oriented
• Reproduction oriented
• Meaning oriented

16
Deep approach in student teachers dual learning

• Zanting (2001)
• Deep approach is here
• Explicate ones own beliefs based on practical
  experiences, elicit the mentors practical
  knowledge, study the theory and
• Compare these three information sources and
• Draw conclusions for ones own actions and/or
  personal theory.

17
Deep approach self-regulation in student
teachers dual learning

• Mansvelder-Longayroux (2002)
• Most portfolio-fragments refer to
• Describing an event
• Evaluating that event (that went well, wrong,
  bad, cool, etc)
• Only few fragments refer to, for example,
  analyzing, diagnosing, critical processing,
  reflecting of/on those events ( meaning directed)

18
Part 3

• Implications for
• teaching and curriculum design

19
Key features of powerful learning environments

• They prepare students for lifelong,
  self-regulated, cooperative and work-based
  learning
• They foster high quality student learning
• The teaching methods change in response to
  students increasing metacognitive and
  self-regulatory skills
• The complexity of the problems dealt with
  increases gradually and systematically

20
Decreasing teacher regulation and increasing
student-regulation

• Regulation of learning processes
• Often teachers
• students
• Sometimes
• Elapse of time

21
Constant regulation of student learning in
unchanging environment

• Regulation of learning processes
• Often teachers
• students
• Sometimes
• Elapse of time

22
Increasing student-regulation in tasks and
assignments

• Degree of student
  regulation
• Elements of Teacher Shared Student-
• assignment regulated regulation regulated
• Cases or Designed by Devised by Suggested by
• problems teachers teachers and students
• students
• Objectives Presented Suggested Generated by
• explicitly implicitly students
• Guiding Provided by Students Invented by
• questions teachers questioning students
• each other

23
Increasing student- regulation in tasks and
assignments cont.

• Degree of student
  regulation
• Elements of Teacher Shared Student-
• assignment regulated regulation regulated
• Learning Prescribed By mutual Chosen by
• activities agreement students
• Literature Per page Listed in back Search for
• references of block book themselves
• Literature Syllabus with Syllabus with No
  syllabus
• provisions all literature hard-to-find lit.
• Assessment Exams Peer-assess-, Self-
• by teachers ment, portfolio assessment

24
Increasing complexity of tasks and problems

• Dimension Degree of
  complexity
• of task/
• problem Simple Average Complex
• Clarity Many cues Some cues Few cues
• Noise Little Average Much
• Time span Some days Some weeks Whole block
• Connected to Directly Considerable Far away
• prior knowledge distance
• No of disciplines One Two Multi
• Subject matter Textbook Edited Scientific
• scientific art. articles

25
New teachers roles and skills

• Tutor, assignment constructor, presenter, skills
  trainer, portfolio coach, project supervisor,
  diagnostician, challenger, model, activator,
  monitor, reflector, evaluator, competence
  assessor, professional growth consultant,
  educational developer, ICT-er, cooperation coach,
  authentic assessment constructor, block
  coordinator,

26
References

• Vermunt, J.D. (2003). The power of learning
  environments and the quality of student learning.
  In E. de Corte, L. Verschaffel, N. Entwistle J.
  van Merriënboer (Eds), Powerful learning
  environments Unravelling basic components and
  dimensions (pp. 109-124). Oxford Pergamon.
• Vermunt, J.D., Vermetten, Y.J. (2004). Patterns
  in student learning Relationships between
  learning strategies, conceptions of learning, and
  learning orientations. Educational Psychology
  Review, 16(4), 359-384.