Chapter 5

The teacher as a mediator of learning

Teaching as mediation
- A teacher is a mediator of learning.

- The teacher mediates between the learners personal knowledge or current way of
thinking and doing and new information from the body of public knowledge (learning
content).

-Teacher respects current knowledge and background of learners as a resource.

-The teacher guide and facilitate and encourage learners to question and is not a
dispenser of knowledge.

Writing lesson outcomes for the cognitive domain

The cognitive domain deals with the acquisition of knowledge and the development
of intellectual abilities and skills. You can regard these as minds-on outcomes.
Bloom developed a taxonomy for the cognitive domain that shows a progression
from the simplest to the most complex levels of knowledge and intellectual skills as
follows:
 Knowledge
 Comprehension
 Application
 Analysis
 Synthesis
 Evaluation
 In the revised Bloom’s taxonomy, transfer and creativity are also included.
Below we have ‘translated’ the levels of the cognitive domain into descriptions of
outcomes. We mentioned before that lesson outcomes must have an action verb.
Table: Outcomes for the cognitive domain (minds-on outcomes)
Level in
Bloom’s Description Action verbs
taxonomy
Recognition or recalling of ideas name select state
Knowledge
and facts define list tell
compare discuss
Requires an understanding of
Comprehension illustrate tabulate
the facts
justify
solve predict
Where the learner can use
Application differentiate
theory in a new situation
determine
The breakdown of content into
analyse identify
Analysis parts, and discovering the
contrast differentiate
relationships between parts
Recombination of parts into a organise design
Synthesis
whole synthesise
evaluate assess
Evaluation Judgements about the theory
criticise defend

Writing lesson outcomes for the psychomotor domain

The psychomotor domain is a combination of intellectual and manipulative skills
(motor skills). It includes hand skills and hand-eye coordination. Both sensory skills
(sense organs) and motor skills (using hands) are necessary to master skills and
techniques. Examples are where learners are expected to make posters, drawings or
models. In the natural sciences laboratory techniques will also fall under the
psychomotor domain. You can regard these as hands-on outcomes. They are:
 Manipulative skills — e.g. controlling variables such as light, moisture or
temperature in an experiment.
 Investigative skills — e.g. designing an experiment to investigate a
phenomenon
 Creative skills — e.g. making wall charts or models.

Writing lesson outcomes for the affective domain

This domain can be regarded as the hearts-on outcomes. Here the development of
desired character traits, such as a positive attitude, certain values and motivation, is
the ultimate goal. Outcomes include persistence, co-operation by the learner,
enthusiasm, sensitivity, objectivity, etc.
Six questions to guide lesson planning
Who?
There are two stakeholders involved during teaching and learning: you as the
teacher, with your strengths and weaknesses, and the learner. You will have to plan
and present your lessons for a diverse learner population- refer to chapter 6. Let us
look at a few practical examples, to illustrate this point:
 If there are 80 learners in a class the educator will be forced to teach differently
than she would for say 20 learners.
 The language proficiency of the learners will have an influence on the teaching
approach.
 The cultural background of learners will play a role, for example, rural Afrikaans
and Zulu speaking learners might have different opinions on lesson topics such
as The Great Trek or Apartheid.
 The emotional state of an individual learner- e.g. in Beverley’s lesson on
HIV/AIDS, she needs to keep in mind that some learners may have friends or
family who are HIV positive.
 Religion of the learners- when teaching evolution in the Life Sciences classroom,
learners might feel that science is in conflict with their religious beliefs (especially
Christian and Muslim learners).
 You need to be aware of learners with special educational needs (LSEN
learners), and make provision for various barriers to learning.

Why?
Answering this question reveals the situation that calls for the educational event. A
good way to respond to this question, is to complete the sentence that begins with
“The learners need...”, thus specifying the primary identified learning needs.

What for?
What are the outcomes? Here it is necessary for us to look at the requirements of
the National Curriculum Statement, the NCS. Various categories of outcomes can be
identified.
When?
Answering this question establishes the time frame (available time) and requires
serious consideration of just how much can be learned in the available time. We
need to remind ourselves that the focus is on how much can be learned (a learner-
centred approach), and not on ‘how much can be covered’ (a teacher-centred
approach) in a given time. Here you also need to consider the “vibe” you might
encounter during a particular lesson. For instance, the period before an important
sport or cultural event, learners might be restless.

Where?
How does your classroom look like? What facilities are available? Are the furniture
(tables and chairs) arranged in a manner that will facilitate group work? You need to
ensure that the classroom environment is conducive for learning. Hopefully you will
teach in a well-resourced classroom. However, if you are not, you can improvise. In
the next paragraph we provide you with some ‘shoestring-teaching’ ideas.

What?
What content should be learned? Refer back to the section on the cognitive, affective
and psychomotor domains. We should not only be concerned about knowledge, but
also skills, values and attitudes.
How?
Answering this question leads to the design of learning tasks, and the materials to be
used. A learning task is a task for the learner.

Developing a lesson plan

Guidelines for students’ lessons:

The lesson plan

TEACHER’s ROLE LEARNER’s ROLE

1. The invitation Contextualization. The The learner gives
(In academic terms, we teacher needs to help account of her prior
could talk of the ‘inductive learners to get in touch knowledge on the topic-
task’. Inductive tasks with their existing e.g. by answering a
serve as an invitation to knowledge, and to identify question, give a
learners to reflect on their gaps or flaws definition, or discuss
own experiences in (misconceptions) in their expectations.
relation to the learning knowledge. For instance,
content.) Learners’ pre- the teacher will ask
knowledge play an questions (see the later
important role in learning. paragraph on baseline
assessment), or ask
learners to write down a
definition for a concept.
2. Engaging with the The teacher mediates The learner follows the
new content learning of the new teacher’s guidelines,
(Also known as the input content, by facilitating participate in discussions,
and implementation discussion, guiding engage in discussions,
phase). Input and learners during the and critically question the
implementation tasks are conduction of an new content.
utilised to present the experiment, engaging the
new content via a lecture, learners in an educational
handout, demonstration, game, etc.
case study, and so forth.
3. Summary and The teacher needs to The learner will reflect on
integration ensure that the learners what she has learned in
Summary tasks invite understood the new the lesson- e.g. by
learners to reflect on what content, and are able to drawing a mind-map,
they have learned. apply it in everyday making a summary,
Integration tasks require contexts. The teacher solving problems, etc.
learners to integrate may ask learners to
different sections of compile a mind-map of
learning content when the lesson, write a one-
addressing a problem, or minute paper on the most
apply what they have meaningful content
learned to their life. learned, or solve a
problem.

Methods of engaging with new content

1. Classroom conversation
-The most common teaching method used in the classroom is the classroom
conversation. However, many other methods that can be used to engage the
learners actively in the lesson.
-The teacher think, enquire and reason together.
2. The Nuanced spectacles technique
The Nerd (Clinical or neutral colour)
The optimist (Good points)
The drama queen (emotions to lead thinking)
The cynic (Critical thinking)
The innovator (Lateral solutions, creativity and innovative suggestions)
The manager (Self-analysis, evaluation and holistic thinking)

3. Quiet Round Robin

 Split the class into groups of three to six learners. Each learner should have a
sheet of paper and a pen.
 Let each learner write down his/ her ideas about the topic (e.g. why the Titanic
sank, or whether a ‘marriage’ between traditional healing and western medicine is
possible). After a given time (say, three minutes) give a signal (a whistle works
well) and let the learners change sheets (within his/her own group).
 Each learner passes his/her paper to the person to the left, reads the new sheet,
and then continues to write more ideas on that piece of paper
 Repeat the swapping of response sheets until the learner’s own sheet is returned
or until ideas dry up.
 Each group can then discuss their findings and report back to the whole class.
4. Noisy Round Robin
 This method differs from the previous one in the sense that there is talking. Each
group has only one response sheet and one scribe.
 At the command to pass on the sheets of paper, each group passes the paper to
the table to their left (thus another group).
 The normal Round Robin rules apply. This method created great energy in the
class. Hot Potato method
 Divide the class into small groups.
 Each group is given a different problem to solve, related to the same theme (e.g.,
different aspects related to the Titanic that sank). One group, for instance, can
look at the problem of icebergs and another group at the physics on board the
ship after the Titanic hit the iceberg.
 At a given signal, each group begins to discuss their problem, with one person
writing down all the responses.
 After a period of time, a signal is given and the sheets are exchanged. In this
manner, each group now receives a different problem to address.
 Towards the end of the period, the whole class can be engaged in a class
discussion.
4. The jigsaw method can generate lots of energy in class. It can be used when
learning about various topics in the curriculum. Say that you need to focus on
mining in science. Instead of explaining everything in a more ostensive style,
you can work more heuristic. Learners should be randomly divided into expert
groups and home groups. It requires a lot of planning and preparation, but the
energy and enthusiasm that you will experience in your class will make it worth
your while.
In each home group there will be 6 experts: one learner will be an expert on
one of the 6 themes
 Expert group 1: The mouth
 Expert group 2: The oesophagus and stomach
 Expert group 3: Small intestine
 Expert group 4: The liver as associated organ
 Expert group 5: The pancreas as gland
 Expert group 6: The large intestine and anus

5. Field work and excursion

-It plays a valuable role in learning and can bring a subject alive.
E.g. visiting JSE for Ems subject
Art and culture visiting a local art museum or a play in a theatre for languages.

6. Laboratory work
- If you are teaching natural science or technology fields, lab work is an
effective approach. Laboratory can take interesting and stimulating forms
- Use HIV/AIDS game from Acterbergh as an example during the tutorials.