Project - NEtwork of Multigrade EDucation
Supported by European Commission - Programme Socrates – Action Comenius 3
Project Number 114323-CP-1-2004-1-GR-Comenius-C3PP
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MODES OF LEARNING TEMPLATE v.3
TEACHERS SHARING OF INFORMATION ON OWN PRACTICES CONCERNING MODES OF LEARNING IN THE MULTIGRADE CLASSROOM
(“Modes of Learning” Working Group[1] - 2005)
NEMED is a European Union project, aiming the development of a Network for multigrade teachers (teachers who work with more than one curriculum grade at the same time).
The core node of the network’s function is a web portal in permanent construction.
This portal supports teachers by facilitating communication and exchange, sharing of information (like a “trade market” of ideas and practices) and conducting of research, as well as provision of professional support and training.
Help to construct the NEMED web portal by sharing information on your practice as a multigrade teacher. You, and all multigrade teachers, can then benefit by consulting the web address www.nemed-project.org.
0. Personal Information
0.1. Nationality
0.2. Age
0.3. Sex
0.4. Number of years as multigrade teacher:
Your sharing of information will be focused here on your practices concerning Modes of Learning in the multigrade classroom.
Each pupil can vary his or her way of learning – there are various learning modes (e.g. learning can be more an individual process or more a cooperative one).
A pupil can vary the Mode of Learning according to the nature of the learning situation and his or her learning needs (e.g. revising by rote learning, for multiple-choice questions, or revising by comprehending, for writing long answers).
Part I
I. 1. Please indicate the degree in which you vary your teaching method, accordingly to your pupils’ learning modes, in multigrade classrooms, using the following scale:
1- Never
2- Sometimes
3- Half the times
4- Many times
5- Always
I. 2. In what ways do you vary your teaching method, accordingly to your pupils’ learning modes, in multigrade classrooms?
I. 3. What learning modes do you encourage, if any, in your multigrade classes?
Part II
In any class, but specially in a Multigrade class, where individual variation is higher and teachers must often attend separately to various sub-groups, pupils must be particularly able to be positively motivated, to learn in an active way and cooperative way, to learn by combining listening, seeing and touching, and to learn autonomously. Furthermore, an active learning with ICT can be especially helpful in this context.
It would be very helpful if you could share the ways you use in your classrooms to promote these learning modes for your pupils. Especially the ways you feel have been most successful in your classes, considering that there are not “wrong” or “right” practices.
II. 1. Practices for developing and encouraging Positive Motivation
Positive Motivation implies that pupils learn for the pleasure and personal full-filing implicated in learning as well as for success. With such a motivation pupils normally go beyond what is demanded, perceive tasks as involving, get a lot of satisfaction from learning, strive for good marks and show a lot of involvement.
II. 1. What teaching practices you use for fostering your pupils’ positive motivation?
II. 2. Practices for developing and encouraging an Active Learning Mode
An Active Learning Mode means that learning is focused less in knowing mechanically by heart than in trying to understand the meaning of the content (e.g. to relate them with previous knowledge, to be open to new contents and to change personal ideas, to memorise by comprehending, to critically analyse and have an opinion on contents, to be creative as well as organized and sensible to teachers’ evaluation).
II. 2. What teaching practices you use for fostering in your pupils’ an active learning mode?
II. 3. Practices for developing and encouraging Cooperative Learning Mode
Cooperative learning refers to a mode of learning in which pupils work together collaboratively in small groups toward a common goal, taking care of each other’s learning as well as their own. Trough cooperative learning pupils can discuss and help, share, encourage, explain or teach each other.
II. 3. What teaching practices you use for fostering your pupils’ cooperative learning?
II. 4. Practices for developing and encouraging Multi-sensory Learning Mode
In multigrade classes, pupils will benefit if their learning is based not just on listening the teacher but in a combination of listening, seeing and touching (or using their body)
II. 4. What teaching practices you use for fostering this combination?
II. 5. Practices for developing and encouraging Autonomous Learning Mode
In multigrade classes, children will very often have to independently manage their learning while the teacher is busy with others in the class. Autonomous learning refers to the process of managing one’s own learning. By autonomous learning, learners move from being externally controlled by teachers to being active in the control of their own learning processes.
II. 5. What teaching practices you use for fostering your pupils’ autonomous learning?
II. 6. Practices for developing and encouraging a Mode of Active Learning with ICT
An Active Mode of Learning with ICT means that pupils construct knowledge with the help of technology (rather than just receiving knowledge from ICT), by engaging in critical thinking about the content and by representing their knowledge in different, meaningful ways
II. 6. What teaching practices you use for fostering in your pupils’ a mode of active learning with ICT?
0.5. Name (optional, if you want your ideas to be identified as yours)
Collecting of resources and illustrations
- Can you please facilitate any resource/material you use along the practices you’ve mentioned?
- Can you please facilitate any photos/movies of your classes that illustrate the practices you’ve mentioned?
[1] Duarte, A. ( - University of Lisbon); Paasimäki, J. ( – University of Jyväskylä); Pincas, A., ( - University of London); Koulouris, P. ( - Ellinogermaniki Agogi)