UWA SPOT/SET Project

3)      I have gained a good understanding of concepts and principles in this field

“Knowledge does not exists solely in books, mathematical formulas or philosophical systems; it requires active learners to interact with, interpret, and elaborate these symbols” (Kolb, 1984, p. 121).

• In the section ‘Managing the learning process,’ Kolb (Kolb, 1984) describes four learning environments, each of which fosters a specific type of understanding. These environments can affect students learning differently, depending on their preferred learning styles.
• Lowe (Lowe, 1997) found that “it's easier for a student to start with a simple, concrete example and then generalize from that.” He also believes that “reducing an explanation to its most important concepts makes the explanation more effective.” He discusses other issues related to providing effective explanations.
• Marton and Ramsden (Marton & Ramsden, 1988) describe eight teaching strategies that can help students to form the appropriate conceptions. These strategies recognise that students often have prior conceptions regarding a phenomenon and that the pre-conceived ideas may need to be changed.

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.

Lowe, J. P. (1997). Effective explanations [World Wide Web]. Penn State Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Retrieved 9 December, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.psu.edu/celt/PST/LowePST.html

Marton, F., & Ramsden, P. (1988). What does it take it to improve learning? In P. Ramsden (Ed.), Improving learning - New perspectives. London: Kogan Page.