Dialogue as a Learning Method - Essay Example

The Use of Power Point Presentation to Enhance Adult Teaching Life is getting more complex and more demanding that coping with it is not getting any easier, as today’s modern society is increasingly becoming more dependent ‘on its ability to develop and manipulate knowledge, [thus making] the capacity to recognise useful and reliable knowledge becomes ever more significant – and ever more burdensome’ (Field 2006, p. 147). Now, the old saying that ‘knowledge is power’ becomes even more relevant, that lifelong learning, which simply implies learning as a lifetime process, has sparked off widespread interest especially among adults believing that there still remain ‘untapped inner potential’ (Field 2006, p. 46) in them that should be nurtured and transformed for them to become valuable assets of today’s society. However, Sutherland and Crowther (2006) warned that for adults to truly benefit from lifelong learning, it should be done ‘on conditions that respect and support the unique requirements of adult learning’ (p. 15). One basic assumption is that dialogue is a powerful method in educating adults, because given their experiences in life they are mature enough to exchange ideas with any teacher on any given subject matter (Vella 2002, p. 3). Furthermore, as adults no longer belong to the ‘compulsory education sector’, they do learn in various ways most oftentimes through informal education (Hillier 2002, p. 29), which may imply that adults could find classroom teaching boring. This leaves a challenge to adult education teachers: how to make learning interesting to adult learners, especially today that post-compulsory education is a matter of government concern. Good thing though, continuing advances in information and learning technology such as electronic teaching and learning resources (Armitage et al. 2007) have provided more strategies and methods to make teaching lively and interesting. However, as teachers utilise different methods to gain the attention, interest and participation of adult learners, the vitality of content knowledge should be emphasised, because it is in striking the complementing roles of correct teaching methods and content knowledge that teaching becomes learning (Sotto 2007). Meaning to say, the method is only the medium in order to reach the objective, which is no other than the content knowledge. A particular case in point is the utilisation of power point to enhance learning. Undeniably, power point when used properly could be a wonderful learning tool, as it could ‘add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain abstract concepts, while accommodating all learning styles’ (Power Point in the Classroom 2010, p. 1) and at the same time allowing learners to ‘create dynamic digital workspaces’ (Lamb & Johnson 2007-2009) where they could freely organize and share their thoughts and ideas innovatively. However, if not used properly, power point can be more confusing, boring and even paralysing. So how, could adult teaching be enhanced through the use of power point? In the first place, the choice of any method should centre on satisfying the question that Cunningham (2005) comprehensively delved into: What is expected of a teacher and what the learner expects of the teacher. To provide the learner’s expectation, knowledge of the learner would help a lot, which in the case of adult learners Knowles posits: (1) that adult learners need to know why the instruction; (2) that their learning is better when experience-based; (3) that they are more interested in subject matters relevant to their jobs or personal life; and (4) that adult learning is problem-centred than content – oriented (Training Programs: Adult Learners 2009, p. 12). On this framework the teacher should define the learning objective as to why power point presentation is appropriate in teaching a specific lesson, for it to be acceptable and relevant to the adult learner. For example, for lessons that are too technical or too abstract, power point would be great to simplify or to make the lesson easy to be absorbed and to make learning enjoying. But for adult learners to appreciate its relevance, the teacher should explain why is the lesson and why is it being presented using power point, and how it will be utilised in the discussion. Since adult learners are experienced, power point should not be the all methodology in teaching but only a tool for other methods such as discussion, self-reflection, group dynamics that would help adult learners develop self-directed learning. To be able to do this, teachers should organise their presentation well, as to when should discussion comes in, when should reflective thinking should be best, when is group dynamics appropriate. In other words, power point should only trigger a more basic pattern of learning that would develop in the adult learner the higher levels of thinking, the life-long skills, and the positive behaviours. Designing power point for adult learners would differ very much from that of children in terms of graphics, colours, images/pictures, and most importantly structure. Unlike for children, who are drawn to bright colours, lively sound, animated designs and art work, for adult what is important is the clarity of thought, the readability of the texts, the relatedness of images to the learners’ experiences and views in life, the logical sequencing of the slides, and the participation that is appropriated for learners. Furthermore, since anything under the sun could be discussed with adults, mature images could be utilised without having to worry censorship, provided of course, that these images used are related and relevant to the subject matter. For example, if the subject matter deals with negative social realities such as crime and violence, drugs and prostitution, etc. images to be used should be real pictures than sketches or animations, as real pictures would make them easily relate things that they themselves might have experienced or might have personally seen – this would make understanding of abstract concept easier for them and this would encourage learner’s participation, although it may also trigger subdued or unconscious negative emotions and /or behaviour. Similarly, the sounds that should be used should emphasise the emotion that comes with the image, although the teacher should be sensitive and adept enough to determine which between the image and the sound should be emphasised. If what the teacher would like the learner to understand better is the emotion that is caused by such reality, then emphasis should be on the sound, but if the teacher would like to inculcate the face of that reality then it should emphasise the image. Thus, the teacher should also know how to choose sounds and images. Now to avoid power point paralysis, which happens, the teacher should always prepare a back-up using traditional materials, although in the case of adult learners, what interests them more is the process and not the materials. Thus it is wrong to think that utilising power point in instruction lessens teacher preparation and mastery of the lesson. On the contrary, for power point to be truly effective, the teacher first and foremost must have mastery of her lesson and her learners for her to be able to zero-in on the interest and need of the learners and for her to be able to efficiently facilitate learning. Therefore, teachers should understand that utilising power point in instruction is not the end all of instruction, rather it is only a motivating tool to make learning interesting and to enhance learning. Given this proper assessment on the value of power point in instruction, the problem of ‘power point paralysis’ (Power Point in the Classroom 2010, p. 1) will not be a problem teachers should encounter, because power point is only a part of an array of many interrelated methods. At the core of any method and tools for instruction that teachers use is no other than their facilitative skill. Reference List Armitage, Andy, Bryant, Robin, Dunhill, Richard, Hayes, Dennis, and Renwick, Mandy, 2003, Teaching and Training in post-compulsory Education, 2nd edn, Open University Press, New York. Cunningham, 2006, Mentoring Teachers in Post-Compulsory Education: A Guide to Effective Practice, David Fulton Publishers, UK. Field, John, 2006, Lifelong Learning and the New Educational Order, Trentham Books Limited, England Hillier, Yvonne, 2002, Reflective Teaching in Further and Adult Education, Continuum, London. Lamb, Annette and Johnson, Larry, 2007-2009, ‘Prevent Power Point Poisoning’,Technology-Enhanced Learning Spaces and Power Point Sidekick, viewed 26 January 2010 http://eduscapes.com/sessions/sidekicks/poison.htm ‘Power Point in the Classroom’, 2010, teAchnology: The Online Teacher Resource, viewed 26 January 2010 http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/powerpoint/ Sotto, Eric, 2007, When Teaching Becomes Learning: A Theory and Practice of Teaching, 2nd edn, Continuum International, New York. Sutherland, Peter and Crowther, Jim, 2006,’Introduction’, in P. Sutherland and J. Crowther (eds) Lifelong Learning: Concepts and Contexts, Routledge, New York Training Programs: Adult Learners, 2009, ReadySet Present.com, viewed on 27 January 2010 http://www.scribd.com/doc/11578912/Adult-Learners-Power-Point- Vella, Jane Kathryn, 2002, Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA Read More