Teaching Machines (TM) plus and minus

[ElizabethECharl]

The following is my first take on this activity:

Both Socrates and Illich would like that Skinner’s Teaching Machine (TM) views learning as pleasurable, and that this draws out what the individual knows with both advanced and standard learners able to progress at their own speed whilst covering the same programme of study.  As would be the step-by-step/’chunking’ of learning content and the importance of high quality course materials. Hints and suggestions with immediate feedback equates to Socratic guidance and support resulting in formative learning.

The Socratic method would oppose the prescriptiveness of TM and although undertaken in the classroom not much social discussion/communication was taking place, they all appear to be working separately under test-like conditions – but I could be wrong.  This method of teaching does not allow for independent thought.  Illich would see attending school as a mistake for certain subjects that could be taught at a different type of institution other than schools.

Socrates would have wanted a more social environment for teaching and learning with the individual’s learning being ‘challenged’ by other classmates to check the integrity of understanding/ideas being presented. Illich would move the teaching of particular subjects/topics outside the school and encourage social activities so as to promulgate learning.   The social and communication elements need to be integrated in some aspect into the timetable of the use of TM in and around it with a facilitator/teacher supporting these interchanges.

[AliSheph]

Interesting stuff, Elizabeth!

I looked at emergent learning and Freire, and both of those theoretical viewpoints would suggest the need for a facilitator and social interaction, and that peer-peer interaction (in emergent learning, teacher brokering between students’ interests and learning outcomes to negotiate course content etc, in Freirian dialogic learning value of communication around the shared experiences of students and teacher as facilitator).  For me the problem with Skinner is exclusion of all other aspects – the ‘teaching machine’ idea may be appropriate for parts of syllabus, certain areas of disciplines may have value (e.g. multiple choice question banks used by students online during revision to test themselves and get immediate formative feedback).

[AliSheph]

A colleague suggested I read about Freire a while back for a paper I was writing – it was about using students’ placement experiences in teaching in my subject area (accounting), but  I’ve included one section below which was about Freirian methods (dialogic education) more generally.  Feel free to rip it to shreds – I gave the paper at a conference, but then changed institutions so didn’t get any further with the project!
Freire worked to develop the literacy and cultural awareness of socially disadvantaged groups.  As the ability to read was needed to vote in elections, this work, and his left-wing views exposed him to scrutiny by the authorities, and causing him to spend a decade in exile in the US and Europe (Freire, 1998). 
His pedagogies were based on the contrast between ‘banking education’ in which the expert teacher transfers knowledge to students, who are likened to empty vessels to be filled, and ‘dialogic education’, in which the teacher and students are co-investigators, albeit with differing levels of initial expertise (Bebbington et al, 2007, Freire, 1998, Renshaw, 2004, Shor and Freire, 1987, Thomson and Bebbington, 2004).  Although originally grounded in grassroots adult literacy programmes, dialogic educational approaches have been applied in a variety of settings, including within the UK higher education context (Thomson and Bebbington, 2004) and vocational training (Shor, 1988). 
In a dialogic approach, the teacher is a knowledgeable assistant for the students’ investigation (Renshaw, 2004), and develops their own learning through the discussions of issues and potential solutions with students (Shor and Freire, 1987).  An important element of such an approach is the identification of ‘limit situations’ (Thomson and Bebbington, 2004, p.614) or problems that constrain groups within society, and which can form the focus of co-investigation between teacher and students.  A limit situation relevant to the skills dilemma might be the extent to which accreditation places restrictions on content included in an accounting programme.  Potential solutions may revolve around changes to methods for teaching/learning some of the content, such as case-based study of financial statement analysis techniques using a particular company to underpin the course.
Thomson and Bebbington (2004) acknowledge that a completely dialogic approach as used and espoused by Freire, is unrealistic given the programme and institutional constraints in UK undergraduate accounting education, such as the expectations of accounting students regarding what they will learn, the importance of accreditation of courses to gain exemptions for professional accounting qualifications, and the need to devise courses significantly in advance of their presentation, rather than the curriculum evolving during the course presentation (Thomson and Bebbington, 2004).  However, their work at two Scottish universities aimed to introduce an element of dialogic education into a variety of courses, such as enabling students to choose essay topics in negotiation with their tutor.  They emphasise that, while the content may have to be relatively fixed because of accreditation requirements, how it is taught may be open to more flexibility. 
Shor (1988) emphasises that a starting point for dialogic education is ‘issues that matter to students’ (p.112), and suggests an approach to vocational training in which trainees interview workers in their chosen field and ask what they found useful in their own training, as a way to generate ideas of relevant issues.  This could be applied to students who have undertaken accounting work experience.  Indeed, Shor and Freire (1987) emphasise the importance of using students’ experiences as a concrete starting point with which to explore wider issues, and Bebbington and Thomson (2004) suggest that work experience is ‘valuable material’ for accounting classes (p.621).  In gathering information regarding placement students’ workplace experiences, and asking them to reflect, in conjunction with academic staff, on areas of their work for which they felt underprepared by their academic studies, and how these could be addressed as part of the programme, a dialogic approach to co-investigation of a limit situation (problems faced during work experience) would be taken.  

[LauraMcLoughlin]

I looked at communities of practice and social constructivism. I suppose it coild be argued that social constructivism would appreciate an attempt to look at learning from the learner’s perspective, which the introduction of the teaching machines might be doing. Skinner does refer to learning at own pace, so that is a change of focus from teacher-centred enviornments. However, the interaction with the environment is missing and there is no collaborative construction of knowledge. Nor do the students form a community of practice, as their only interaction is with their machine. Interesting experiment for the 1950s, certain,y an early form of technology-enhanced teaching. Today, I like to see an element of social networking together with the use of technology. I teach foreign languages, social interaction (and the skills involved) is not optional.

 

[ElizabethECharl]

Indeed I would agree that a facilitator and social interaction in any educational setting is important, and that is very obviously missing from Skinner’s approach. I would find it quite worrying that it would be acceptable to not have these elements in place.

[ElizabethECharl]

Laura – I totally agree that alhough there are some postive aspects to Skinner’s TM –  key elements of interaction and social learning/networking  are absent.  Which is where I feel Mazur provides this space for engagement with the subject on many levels whilst working in small groups and sharing/teaching each other with the teacher as facilitator.

[ElizabethECharl]

Ali – thanks for sharing this.

Strangely enough I came across the following via Twitter (19/04) and though you might find it of interest:   http://t.co/WbZDeF6A5D

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