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Home Work Support Project.
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By: Isaac
COMPARISON BETWEEN
LEARNING IN AFRICA AND IN
AUSTRALIA.
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The two major approaches to
teaching & their differences.
Why is it different in Africa than in
Australia?
The two major approaches to
teaching & their differences.
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Traditional Transmission Instruction is based on a theory of
learning that suggests that students will learn facts, concepts,
and understandings by absorbing the content of their teacher's
explanations or by reading explanations from a text and
answering related questions.
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Constructivist-Compatible Instruction is based on a theory
of learning that suggests that understanding arises only
through prolonged engagement of the learner in relating new
ideas and explanations to the learner's own prior beliefs.
Transmissionist classroom
Constructivist classroom
View of
learning
Knowledge - a fixed body of information
(i.e. objective) which can be
transmitted intact from teacher to
student
through ‘telling’ and ‘reading’
Knowledge is subjective and individuals
construct their own knowledge
through discussions with others and
reflection on prior experiences
Ownership of
knowledge
Textbook and teacher are authoritative
Student owns knowledge. The authority
sources of knowledge
for constructed knowledge resides in the
students agree because they respect or ideas in argument and evidence
fear teacher
students appreciate the knowledge
-owned by teacher and author of
textbook
Managing
students’
learning
Teacher is responsible for this:
provides information
lead students through activities
Teacher and students share responsibility
for initiating and guiding learning
Instruction
style
Teacher explains, checks for
understanding, and judges correctness
of students’ responses
Teacher facilitates discussion of ideas:
poses questions ,seeks clarification,
promotes dialogue
help group to reach consensus
Nature of
Conforms to what has been taught
Divergent and open ended
A constructivist teaching approach attempts to make learning a
more self-directed, personally-responsive, and sociallymediated process in which a learner's own motivation and
effort are just as important, if not more central, to a
student's education than the content or facts learned. This
involves creating a learning environment so that students:
Identify their own issues and problems to be solved rather
than having questions defined for them
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Decide how to explore an issue or solve a problem rather
than having these procedures defined by the teacher
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Reflect further and makes sense of what they have
experienced, and
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Interact with peers by presenting their solutions, describing
how solutions were reached, and receiving feedback.
4.1.4 Use student group structures as appropriate to address teaching and learning goals
Why is it different in Africa than in
Australia?
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The quality of education provided by the
vast majority of schools in Africa is low
due to the lack of resources, facilities and
basic teaching materials along with an
extreme shortage of trained teachers.
Teachers rely mostly on a transmission
based theory in Africa.
DIFFERING CULTURES OF
LEARNING
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Relationships in the learning environment
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Learning styles and approaches to learning
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Attitudes to knowledge and learning
Relationships in the learning environment
Western cultures
Generally,
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Teachers expect students to be independent, to take control of their own learning
and to take responsibility for their own success.
There is an expectation that students will initiate conversation.
Teachers and students have an informal way of relating to each other.
Teachers are not always automatically respected. They earn respect from
students.
Students can question and challenge teachers and their classmates.
Relationships in the learning environment cont.
Other cultures
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Generally,
Teachers take control of the teaching and leaning process.
Students are used to high levels of personal support and assistance from their
teachers, both in class and with assignments.
Teachers and students have a formal way of relating to each other.
Students show great respect for their teachers.
Students do not refer to their teachers by their first name.
Students do not question or challenge their teachers or their classmates.
Learning styles and approaches to learning
Western cultures
Generally,
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Learning is student-centred.
Students are expected to work independently on assignments.
Students are expected to engage in critical thinking. This means that students should do
more than reproduce knowledge; they should question and challenge the ideas of others
and forward their own opinions and ideas.
The role of the student is to understand, think deeply about and make sense of information.
Teachers will not tell students the ‘correct answer’. Many different ‘answers’ might be
provided by the teacher and students are expected to reach their own conclusions.
Many different forms of assessment are used.
Being a successful student means being able to think critically about others’ ideas and be
creative and original in constructing new ways of thinking.
The approach to learning that is expected of Western students is often called ‘deep
learning’.
Learning styles and approaches to learning cont.
Other cultures
Generally,
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Learning is teacher-centred.
Students tend to rely on teachers to transmit information.
Students are used to teachers telling them the ‘correct answer’.
The role of students is to accumulate knowledge.
Students tend to rely on memorising information
Students tend to reproduce the information and knowledge that has been passed on to
them by their teachers.
Students work collectively in study groups.
Students believe that they will be successful if they work hard.
Exams and tests usually form a major part of the assessment.
The result or product of learning is often considered more important than the experience of
learning.
Attitudes to knowledge and learning
Western cultures
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Generally,
Ideas can be owned. This is called intellectual property.
The ideas of others need to be acknowledged. If the source of ideas is not acknowledged it
is considered a form of academic dishonesty.
The primary function of learning is considered to be the extension of knowledge
Attitudes to knowledge and learning Cont.
Other cultures
Generally,
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No-one can ‘own’ knowledge. Knowledge is owned collectively.
Students are free to reproduce, in their assignments, the ideas of their teachers and the
ideas found in sacred writings without acknowledgement.
It is considered disrespectful to acknowledge the source of ideas. It is expected that
teachers already know this.
The primary function of learning is considered to be the conservation of knowledge
Sudanese Profile
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The Civil War in Sudan has caused a numbers of
Educational, social, cultural and economical problems
for Sudan. Many social changes took place, not only in
the southern Sudan, where the war has been fought
since its inception, but also in the Sudanese Nation as
a whole.
The conflict in the Sudan has many historical reasons,
some of which relate to the colonial era.
Causes of the Sudan conflict
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As the British administration prepared for Sudanese
independence between 1931 and 1945/6, it did not have
a clear plan on the future of Southern Sudan.
The British believed that Southern Sudan could not exist
as an independent state on the grounds of its poverty.
This belief has, however, since then been proven wrong.
After the 1978 discovery of oil in Bentiu in Southern
Sudan, people argued that the North could not
independently survive, if South Sudan were to be
separated.
The British proposed that South Sudan should be
annexed to Northern Sudan or to another East African
country, such as Kenya or Uganda.
Effects of the war on children in
Australia
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Children who came to Australia between
the ages 9-12 years old are disadvantaged
because some of them were born in
camps, some kept moving from place to
place due to insecurity.
In Australia, they attend intensive English
program for 1 year and are put in schools
according to their ages.