Principles And Methods Of Teaching

[Skye Severy]

Thediscipline of horticulture has principles and practices that can be presented in written form, but the hands-on and experiential nature of working with plants makes the printed page a difficult delivery medium. As we learned about the format and possibilities of electronic textbooks from Great River Learning, it became more and more apparent that this was the ideal means to teach horticulture.

This reference has been modeled after the approach we each take to teaching introductory horticulture. Between the two of us, we have taught horticulture at six different colleges and universities to a broad array of students. In our classes we have strived to introduce the principles and practices of our profession, but also to describe the career possibilities of working with plants, which we feel is important information for beginning students. Currently there is a shortage of employees in the horticultural and green industries across the United States and the demand and opportunities for skilled, talented, and passionate people is greater than ever.

For centuries, education has provided a foundation for societal growth and prosperity. Up until the mid-20th century, however, our understanding of learning theory was informed mostly through observation and research dedicated to the education of children (i.e., pedagogy).

As society advanced, the need for more highly qualified workers steadily grew, necessitating a need for more formal education opportunities for adults. While efforts were made to support these needs, adult education at the time was viewed as an uncoordinated enterprise that failed to advance any specific kind of knowledge.

Knowles theorized that adult learning and childhood learning are entirely different and that adults do not process or retain information in the same manner as children. As such, he proposed an alternative set of assumptions about adult learners that serve as the basic adult learning principles:

As Knowles noted, adult learners use their accumulated life experiences in their learning and place a significant emphasis on achieving long-term goals. This focus sets adult education apart from traditional teaching methods, offering a distinctive and effective framework for the educational development of adult learners.

Adults might face a variety of challenges when trying to learn, whether in school or at work. This means that learning as an adult requires different strategies and support compared to when we were younger. Some common challenges include:

The same applies, she says, to UOPX classrooms, where information, collaborative opportunities and deadlines are presented to students, who can then leverage everything according to their experiences and schedules.

"All of this mimics what they might experience in a work environment while teaching them techniques and giving them tools to further their knowledge and skills applicable to the career path they chose," Savron says.

Michael Feder is a Content Marketing Specialist at University of Phoenix, where he researches and writes on a variety of topics, ranging from healthcare to IT and everything in between. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars program, and a New Jersey native!

Dr. Marc Booker, University of Phoenix Vice Provost for Strategy, has more than two decades of experience working with online and distance education students at the post-secondary level. He currently oversees critical path academic initiatives to improve the student experience. Dr. Booker is a regular speaker, author and contributor to national higher education associations.

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Background: There is a growing awareness of the need for LGBT + competency training to ensure that the health and social care services offered to older LGBT + people is affirmative and gender sensitive.

Objective: To conduct a synthesis of the literature that describes the pedagogical principles, curriculum content and methods (teaching and assessment) used to educate health and social care practitioners on the experiences and needs of older LGBT + people.

Method: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement, this review examined peer-reviewed papers published in English, prior to April 2018 that addressed pedagogical and curriculum issues on the inclusion of needs and experiences of older LGBT + people.

Results: The combined searches yielded 2214 papers of which 17 papers were eligible for inclusion, 10 discussion papers and 7 evaluation studies. Analysis identified the following themes: i) Acknowledging the wider historical context of older LGBT + people's lives; ii) Recognising that older LGBT + people are not a homogenous group; iii) Incorporating a multitude of theories and models from different perspectives; iv) Alerting practitioners to the health issues and disparities facing older LGBT + people; v) Including content that supports inclusive care for older LGBT + people; vi) Addressing barriers to older LGBT + people accessing health care; vii) Interactive activities are the preferred pedagogical strategy; viii) Involving older LGBT + people in curriculum development is a core principle; and ix) Mandatory education is not always the solution.

Conclusion: As the field matures there is a need for more exploration of curriculum principles, assessment strategies and strategies to overcome barriers to the inclusion of issues experienced by older LGBT + people within curricula.

An integrated, accessible text on principles, methods, and special issues surrounding sexuality education today

The emergence of the AIDS pandemic has forced a sea of change in the debate over sexuality education. Even schools previously reluctant to offer sexuality education now face HIV/AIDS education mandates.

Teaching About Sexuality and HIV provides professionals with an integrated, accessible text on the principles, methods, and special issues surrounding sexuality education today. Chapters discuss such subjects as Effective Sexuality and HIV Education: What Works and Why, Creating a Productive Learning Environment, and Introspective Methods: Helping Learners See Relevance, and Methods for Helping Learners Develop Skills. This practical, original, and user-friendly guide will be invaluable to anyone whose work is connected with health and sexuality education.

Evonne Hedgepeth, Ph.D. is Executive Director of Lifespan Education in Olympia, Washington and has served as adjunct faculty at four colleges. Both have worked as public school teachers, community health educators, teacher-trainers and consultants in sexuality education.

Andragogy, also known as Adult Learning Theory, is a theory that states that adults must be actively involved in the formation, delivery, and assessment of their own learning programs. In other words, training materials for adults must support the notion that adults are self-directed and can make good decisions on their own.

Andragogical approaches to learning center the learning needs of adults, which leads to higher knowledge retention rates. With andragogical teaching methods, adults are made to engage with their surroundings, instead of passively sitting behind a desk and listening to a teacher explain things.

It was, however, Malcolm S. Knowles, an American educator that popularized the idea and built the foundation for modern andragogy. In the 1950s, Knowles was the Executive Director of the Adult Education Association of the United States of America. He later served as a Professor of Education at Boston University (BU) from 1960 to 1974. It was during his time at BU that Knowles began to notice the insufficiencies of formal learning settings and seek a more comprehensive approach to adult learning.

Malcolm Knowles wrote popular works on informal adult education and self-direction with his wife, Hulda. His work was the defining factor that shifted the focus of adult educators from merely teaching people to helping them learn better.

In his argument for andragogy, Malcolm Knowles proposed six principles to guide educators who wanted to adopt andragogical teaching methods. These principles are Self-concept, Adult learner experience, Readiness to learn, Orientation to learning, Motivation to learn, and Active learning.

For example, a pedagogical middle school agriculture teacher may stand in front of the class and explain, with a diagram, how seeds in the soil germinate, grow, and become trees. The andragogical approach to this would be encouraging learners to get seeds of any fruit or crop of their choice, plant it in whatever container they like, tend to it daily, and record their observations over the next couple of weeks/months.

As children grow into adults, they move away from subject-based learning to problem-based learning, which focuses on new knowledge that can be applied in practical situations. Their orientation shifts from a postponed application of knowledge and prioritizes the immediacy of application.

Think back to the time when you were a kid and you dragged your feet when the bus came to pick you up from school. But your parents convinced you to go anyway. And when you got to class, you had to pay attention to your studies because your parents and/or teachers expected good grades from you. You also took your school work seriously because you understood that, without it, you may not get a good job.

Strategies that promote active learning include reflective activities, group discussions, case studies, debates, and role-playing. These techniques are especially effective in fields like medicine, engineering, and psychology.

During the learning process, encourage discussions and collaborations between learners (and instructors). And once they finish the course, ask your students for feedback on the lesson and the way it was presented.

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