EDU-10033 - Understanding Learning
Coordinator: Sian Edwards Tel: +44 1782 7 34290
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Is learning a matter of conditioning or making impressions on a blank sheet, or is the mind itself active in exploring the world around it? Do we learn individual items one by one or in a random way? What is the relationship between language and learning? Why do some people learn easily at school and in higher education while others encounter enormous or insuperable difficulties? What are the most effective learning strategies to adopt? This module introduces students to contemporary and historical theories of learning. It makes use of these in an exploration of educational practice at various levels and encourages students to focus on and reflect on their own learning in the context of higher education.
Lectures include topics such as: Naturalism and Behaviourism; The National Curriculum; Social backgrounds; Intelligence and Learning styles; and Gender in Education.

Aims
To enable students to reflect critically on some of the more significant contributions to our understanding of the nature and processes of learning and their relevance to educational practice and students' learning in higher education.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/edu-10033/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

articulate the central contribution of a number of theorists to an understanding of the learning process and some of the limitations and reservations to which they are subject: 1
apply their knowledge to some substantial areas related to learning and education
: 1
recognise and contribute to debates about formal and informal contexts for learning
: 1
communicate ideas and arguments about different educational learning environments and the values underpinning their organization: 1
identify how they best learn, and the strengths and weaknesses of their individual approach to learning: 1
1
drawing on a range of sources of information, recognise, analyse, sythesise, evaluate, and identify problems and solutions: 1
comment on ways in which theorists contribute to educational studies and educational practice
:

Study hours

11 lecture hours
11 seminar hours
60 hours preparation period for the assessment
68 hours directed and private study

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Essay weighted 100%
2000 word essay
Students are required to write a 2000 word essay from a list of options on module themes