Student Learning

PoLT Online Professional Learning Resource – Principle 3

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Theory snapshot

The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twentieth First Century (1999) states that schooling should be socially just. Student outcomes should be free from the effects of negative forms of discrimination based on sex, language, culture, ethnicity, religion, disability and of differences arising from student socio-economic background or geographic location.

Principle 3 affirms:

  • the importance of student identity
  • the right of every student to participate in a socially just learning environment
  • our legal responsibilities under Australian Law

Principle 3 leads us to question our assumptions about pedagogy, curriculum and assessment. This recognises that we have much to learn about improving our practice and how we enact this in a learning community. Stereotyping fails to acknowledge the complexity of identity. Education theory has moved beyond the ‘one size fits all’ approach. Learning programs built upon labelling and deficit models are discriminatory and an impediment to learning and teaching.

When confronted with issues of diversity, more often than not, teachers defer to experts, specific programs and resources. These issues are complex. Working against deficit categorisation and developing transformed curriculum structures that are enabling of learning for all, is a key part of changing responsibilities, professional knowledge and practice in the twentieth first century.

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Learning Styles

Bennett and Rolheiser (2001) emphasise the need for students to recognize the importance of working outside their strengths. They advocate taking time to discuss with students their learning style and that of their classmates as a means to develop empathy and respect for self and others. The Learning Styles literature is clearly illustrated in the work of Bernice McCarthy (1995) and Rita Dunn (1993). In addition to helping inform the teacher and student about the differences in how individuals go about learning or solving problems; learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn is primarily the consequence of whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning. Individuals perceive and process information in very different ways.

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Multiple Intelligences

Well known, but not without recent criticism is the work of Howard Gardner of Harvard University and his theory of Multiple Intelligences. Rather than seeing students as having preferred learning styles, Gardner argues that each of us, each student, has a variety of intelligences, some of which he and others are still discerning. These include verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, body-kinaesthetic, musical-rhythmical, interpersonal, intrapersonal; and naturalistic. As learners, we need to develop all these intelligences in order to more fully engage in profound learning. His work differs from learning styles theories which emphasise preferences in ways of learning. He contends that traditional schooling heavily favors the verbal-linguistic and logicalmathematical intelligences and suggests a more balanced curriculum that incorporates the arts, self-awareness, communication, and physical education. Gardner advocates instructional strategies that appeal to all the intelligences, including role playing, musical performance, cooperative learning, reflection, visualization, story telling, and so on. His theory calls for assessment methods that take into account the diversity of intelligences, as well as selfassessment tools that help students understand their intelligences.

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