Pedagogical Theory and Practice and Student Learning Experience
Our beliefs in true learning are informed by pedagogical theories and practices that were ably enumerated in the works of leading school reform researchers6. A large scale school restructuring study undertaken by Newmann and Wehlage in mid 1990s concluded that pedagogical theories and practices were necessary in improving student learning experiences7. The study identified three criteria’s of improving student learning experiences: one, engaging learners actively in constructive knowledge where the primary role of the teacher is to allow learners to actively engage their intellect in learning and problem solving; two, allowing learning to happen through disciplined inquiry in which learners develop deep understanding of concepts and theories through examining specific problems, applying complex forms of language for both learning and communication8; and three, ensuring that student learning experiences have value beyond measuring success in school9. Student’s experiences outside of learning environment should be integrated with school learning, and knowledge should extent beyond the classroom into the lives of students10.
Research on pedagogical theories and practices have had an impact on how nations have organized educational change initiatives. For instance, the state of Queensland in Australia focused their reform efforts in transforming teaching and learning efforts through New Basic Project, an integrated framework for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment11
The New Basics are clusters, families or groups of practices that are essential for survival in the worlds that students have to deal with. There are four clusters that act as curriculum organizers and are entitled, Life Pathways and Social Futures, Multi-literacy and Communication Medias, Active Citizenship, and Environment and Technologies12. These clusters are intended to assist students understand: who they are and where they are going; how they make sense of and communicate with the outside world; understand their rights and responsibilities in communities, culture and economies; and describe, analyze and shape the world around them 13.
The key features of the New Basics project included: productive pedagogies, explained as teacher practices that have a positive influence on student outcomes; productive assessment, which provides high order thinking and problem solving emphasis; and rich tasks through which learners “demonstrate their understandings, knowledge and skills through performance on Trans-disciplinary activities that have obvious connection with the outside world”14. There is much to learn from the research based initiative such as the New Basics Project. It offers evidence that pedagogical theories and practices are required to improve student learning experiences15.