Education Commons^™

The Adult Learner: Nature Or Nurture?: A Case Study Of Teacher Educators And Teacher Learners, Christine Kassis

Theses

Adult learning is very broadly viewed in the literature. The wide-ranging gamut of views, include those that interpret adult learning not dissimilarly to child learning, all the way through to theorists that propose a separate set of considerations for adult learners. When it comes to learning, pedagogy was traditionally associated with child learners and andragogy was born from the need to find a separate niche for the adult learner. As such, pedagogy and andragogy may be positioned opposite to one another—as one pertains to the needs; characteristics; and, behaviours of the child, and the other of the adult learner. These …

The Design And Development Of E-Textbooks To Support Problem-Based Learning In Secondary School Science Classrooms, Nigel Stewart

Theses

Problem-based Learning (PBL) is widely used in education and extensive research has been conducted into the use of PBL to improve student learning. E-textbooks are a relatively recent development and represent the next stage of evolution of print media with improvements in the presentation of information. They also offer the possibility of being used as a learning tool rather than just as a store of knowledge. This thesis attempts to develop a set of design principles that allow the development of e-textbooks to promote PBL in secondary school science students.

This research presents the results of a four-year study, between …

A Pedagogy Of Freedom: Why Primary School Teachers Should Embrace Educational Emancipation, Doireann O'Connor

Education Conference Papers

Rich stories of learning journeys that arose from a Life History Research Project resulted in the development of a growing awareness on the part of the author in the role that freedom can productively play within the primary school classroom. The stories that adults told of their most memorable learning experiences almost exclusively occurred outside of the classroom within play and social situations where they were free to engage in a meaningful and personalised learning experience. Learning stories involving risk and even danger, conflict and resolution, freedom from supervision and responsibility as a self-regulated mantle of growing maturity were common …

Pedagogies And Policies Of Impediment: How A Lack Of Connectivity Is A Barrier To Learning, Doireann O'Connor

Education Conference Papers

Connectivity is a multi-faceted concept. It relates to three main central pillars of early years learning. These are; the inter-personal connections between educators and children, the connections between the children themselves and the connectivity to learning that exists within each individual child. The interpersonal connections, whether they are between the children and their educator or peer to peer are important because their level of positivity leaves the child either free to learn or unable to progress. If there is a lack of positive inter-personal connectivity within a child’s central relationships, they are unable to focus on anything else to any …