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58 Maximizing learning opportunities
ing, “I’ll use a simple word . . . don’t worry.” She erased “miscellane- ous” and wrote: “other items related to wedding.”
A video replay of this episode shows that the other students in class were unaware of what was happening. The teacher ignored a learning opportunity she herself created when she introduced the word miscellaneous. She also failed to bring to the attention of the other students the question raised by a learner, thereby failing to utilize an excellent learning opportunity created by that individual.
Reflective task 3.4
It was stated earlier that what is taught is different from what is available to learn. The teachers in these episodes focused on helping the learners under- stand euthanasia, desert/dessert, etc. Read the four episodes again. Apart from what the teachers explicitly taught, what else was actually “available” for the learners to learn if they were paying full attention to the input and in- teraction in class?
The discussion so far has highlighted the importance of learner in- volvement and teacher questioning in maximizing learning oppor- tunities in class. The analysis of classroom interactional data, in particular, has revealed the collaborative nature of the creation and utilization of learning opportunities. Such a collaborative work can form the basis for a more systematic participatory research aimed at generating learning opportunities outside the classroom.
Learning Opportunities Outside the Classroom
When we think about participatory research, we seldom think about involving our learners. If, however, we consider teachers and learn- ers as co-participants in the generation of learning opportunities, then it makes sense to involve them in this process. The fundamen- tal belief governing participatory research is that human beings have a natural tendency to observe, analyze, and reflect on life experience. In our specific context, the term participatory research may be used narrowly to refer to sustained and systematic activities in which