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Is it the student's responsibility to learn or the teacher's responsibility to provide the learning experience? 

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Is it the student's responsibility to learn or the teacher's responsibility to provide the learning experience? 

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Graham writes that as we act, there will be consequences – providing new information to address – a new experience to incorporate into our belief systems.  In essence, any action will always provide learning of some type but it is the student who must connect with the process of incorporating it.

CMU explains that (practice) action and feedback result in changing the quality of the learning experience. There is a subtle onus on the instructor to provide the best program or assessment to make the learning connect. DN

Did I read or interpret this correctly?  I'd love to know your thoughts.

Yes, I believe you did. It was a great way to put it. Graham talked about essentially learning from ones consequences. The consequences could be incorporated by two people in two different ways. It is essentially up to the student to see and comprehend the situations whereas CMU it is the instructor to help the student understand that the behavior isn't appropriate.
I wonder if CMU takes maturity level into consideration. I think younger studnets need the help more so than the older students. -KH

I wonder then, what is the responsibility of the teacher if she/he notices a child is NOT learning?  There can be multiple factors.  I don't want to get to a place where we say "Sorry kid - the learning is up to you...you should have acted on it..."  DN

I agree that we shouldn't say, "Too bad you didn't learn! You should have acted on that." I think there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, but I do think it is a teacher's responsibility to try and find out why a student isn't learning. Is there a learning disability? Something going on at home? A lack of motivation? I think we have to try to reach the student from multiple directions and see if we can cause a change. -JM

I was just watching a professional development presentation about behavior intervention and I think what it maintains is what you're talking about JM. We might not be able to do much about why a student isn't learning - the factors behind the obvious that are impacting his learning. On the other hand, we might be able to do more than we think. Every once in a while I think of what Vernard Gant says; if you have a student falling asleep in class, provide a bed - they're not going to learn anyway if you just keep telling them to stay awake! I would not have thought about it that way; I probably would've just blamed the home situation and gone on teaching! Mr. Gant, I think, has a good approach. DH

In our campus, we are dealing with very young children - ages 3 to 10.  I would completely agree with you Dianne about looking at all of the factors rather than just coming to a conclusion.  In grade 3, my daughter was not attentive in class, she was clumsy and falling, and she couldn't finish her work.  She was always tired and had a headache.  Unfortunately, the teacher at the time believed my daughter didn't want to learn and my parenting was the issue. After 5 different doctors, we found out it was a benign brain tumor that caused hydrocephalus.  I think it is really important to listen and involve the parents when it comes to learning and behavior.  Usually, parents are willing to support the school to try a variety of solutions.   So - I think that it is important that we monitor student's motivation to learn - and if it is not there, the teacher should try to see a variety of factors and work with the parents as much as possible. DN

DN, involving the parents is so important. They know their children and can provide valuable insight! Thankful you were able to find answers for you daughter! :) -JM

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Graham talks about the relationship between belief (commitments/learning) and action (behaviour). He states that “action will influence attitude and belief” (Belief and Action, para. 6).  CMU refers to action when it talks about goal directed practice and targeted feedback as being critical to learning.   DN
It makes me think of the chicken/egg scenario - is it belief or action that initiates learning? I suspect that, since we are such amazingly and intricately-made creatures, the answer is "yes." :)  DH

Yes is a good answer... sometimes action is minimal until results are demonstrated - then motivation kicks in because of the evidence.

The key word here is influence.  I wonder if action could also be inferred as the work of the student (i.e. practice, project, etc.) or even the work of the teacher (i.e. reteaching, correction, assessment) - I don't think that is what Graham speaks to but CMU does.  Learning is a result from the relationship between the student and the teacher. DN

Graham mentioned that the teacher cannot do much about the genetic factors that influence development and learning, the same is not true with considering the effect of the environment. "Creating the best environment does not guarantee that the children will learn what they need to learn." In my eyes, it is combination of relationship and environment. Having a true and authentic relationship, combined with a positive environment gives the best situation for the students to learn. Environment is something teachers can control and relationships can be developed with the right environment --KH

I agree that environment and relationships, which can in part be controlled by the teacher, play a factor in helping students learn. I think back to my 4th grade year. My teacher, in my eyes, was mean. :) She didn't seem to like very many people and I was afraid to go to school. I hated being there and focused on how much longer it was until I got to go home rather than doing my work. I probably could have done better that year had I had a better relationship with her. -JM

So -as a teacher, (very human teacher), I found that there are on occasion, some students who I just cannot connect with.  What would you do in this situation?  I can tell it's not a good year or that the student does not respond to me.  DN

Isn't that a sad place to be, Darlene? Yet it happens. I know. I've been there, too. First of all, after working on it as much as we can, I think we need to "relax and let God" (I don't like that phrase a lot but sometimes it seems to fit). Be at peace with knowing that we've done what we know how to do...and then pray and be at rest. Secondly, since we cannot be everything to everyone, perhaps we can find out if there's another teacher who's doing a good job of relating to that student. (There's a difference, of course, between not connecting and having a relationship of animosity). If so, perhaps we don't need to be as closely connected to that student as we originally thought. Perhaps that teacher has an idea of how we can relate better to him/her. Thirdly, sometimes continuing to develop a  relationship with a student who is a friend of student A helps open doors, too. Any other ideas? DH

Yes, it is truly a sad place.  Fortunately, it can be rare.  I think focusing on prayer is wise advice.  Sometimes, I have found parents to be helpful - not always, but there might be an insight.  You have to be careful on how to approach it - very sensitive.  I had one colleague who would try to discover an interest in each student and find a book on  it to share with them early in the year.  It really made strong "learning" connections quickly.  DN

That is hard when we struggle to connect with a student. I have had students where I just can't seem to make a connection. I like the advice to pray. We can't always see the work of the Holy Spirit and maybe we have planted a seed which was all we were called to do with that student. I have also tried to find someone else that connects with a student more than me to see if that makes a difference. I had a student a couple years ago that really related to our resource room teacher. When he was having an off day or struggling, I would ask her to come and meet with him. She and I also met once a week to go over things I could differently to help him since she knew him better than me. -JM

Those are great ideas - I recall getting resource people to support and connect too. It is good that we work in community. DN

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Graham talks about the heart as being the center of our ability and ruling over areas of emotion, will, though, sin, regeneration, and spiritual renewal.   When the heart is engaged, the person’s whole being is participating in learning.  CMU reflects this in a similar way in No. 7:

"Learners may engage in a variety of metacognitive processes to monitor and control their learning—…When students develop the skills to engage these processes, they gain intellectual habits that not only improve their performance but also their effectiveness as learners."

It doesn’t use the word heart  - but I think that the word metacognition ( an awareness and understanding of one’s own thought process) is very much a description of the word “heart” in Graham’s writing.  The process of understanding our heart is developmental.   It is also something one chooses to engage in – a deliberate action.  DN

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CMU discusses that students need to develop various skills to enhance the effectiveness of their learning.
Graham says it has to start with the hear. He mentions that "If teaching is to foster learning, it must target the heart". -JM

What do you think of that, JM? :) Is it primarily the achievement of skills that leads to more learning, or is it primarily knowing that a teacher loves you that leads to more learning? As I think of my own learning, I think it's both but perhaps a little more toward the achievement side. I've had teachers that were instrumental in my desire to become an English teacher, for example, but I'm not sure if that was more so because of their relationship with me or my achievement in their classes. DH

I agree with you! I think it is both. I do think that students have to achieve skills, but their achievement may be a direct result because of their relationship with the teacher. Feeling safe to participate, ask questions, and even fail in class because of the type of teacher you have may foster more learning. -JM

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CMU talks only about positive/negative learning environments.
Graham states that "there has to be a commitment between teacher and student that exemplifies God and His people. This is more of a controlling factor than the environment itself." -JM

So is the environment a conglomeration of factors?  poverty/wealth,  classes with resources/classes without..or does the environment that CMU  reflects include the teacher/student relationship.  It talks about the interaction of the emotional element in development - I think that can only be done well if there is a commitment between the teacher and the student.  Graham says that there will be nuggets of truth in all learning theories. DN

I think you're right, Darlene, in that teacher/student commitment is seen as part of the environment in cmu...and it is! However what I think Graham might say is that it should be put on a much higher level than other factors that cmu mentions as environment. I think he's probably right; yes, poverty, classroom resources, heredity are all factors but there's nothing quite like a personal, loving, merciful and just relationship between a teacher and a student/students to make learning "click." Basically, I guess, it''s the realization and acting upon the idea that your students are created in the image of God to show them IALAC (I am lovable and capable). DH

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Both texts talk about a students' motivation and consequences. Graham says the consequences of our actions influence our belief system for future action. CMU describes something similar when it says students will be motivated to learn when they achieve a desired outcome. -JM

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Both texts mention a student's learning environment as playing a role in how a student learns. Both suggest the teacher is responsible for creating the best possible environment for learning. -JM

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I could have comprehended wrong but Graham mentions that the heart is the motivating center for all behavior, whether behavior, is good or bad. CMU notes that behavior is learned and the teacher's role to engage certain skills so that student will be motivated to learn. They don't engage the processes
naturally. -KH
I was wondering about this as well. Are we dealing here with almost a nature/nurture distinction? It seems to put more responsibility on the teacher (we could discuss whether rightly or wrongly). It seems to me that children "naturally" are very motivated to learn and perhaps we are, indeed, somewhat to blame for de-motivating them. However, it is also an indication, I think, of their own fallen-ness, that they are not interested in engaging in learning. DH

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Both text mentions that a positive environment does influence learning as motivation -KH

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- Graham mentions the connection between environment and learning and points to "a commitment between teacher and student that exemplifies God and His people."
- cmu notes that teachers create a climate but describes it only as positive or negative.  DH

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Both frameworks note that "heredity and environment" (Graham) or prior "knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes" influence learning. DH

gni

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-cmu principles note that students' development levels "interact with the social, emotional, and intellectual climate of the course to impact learning." There is no mention of the spiritual nature of the student.
- Graham refers to students as "fallen and redeemed image bearer[s] of God," a connection to our spiritual nature. DH

In our public schools, here in Vancouver, there is a big push for the spiritual nature - either "mindfulness" or "yoga" or "First Nations Circles" - however, a Christian worldview is not permitted. So, it is interesting that students, who are created to be spiritually hungry (Ecclesiastes 3:11) are getting taught lies or half-truths. It is so important that as teachers we are careful to speak truth - and speak it carefully. DN

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- Graham notes that knowledge produces action, but also that actions produce knowledge.
- cmu principles mention only that knowledge leads to action DH

I agree with Graham. He talked about how consequence for our actions (could be good for bad) give us new information that we must make sense out of. These consequences then influence our belief system. So I do think that actions can also produce knowledge. -JM

I think that this is evident when/how  teachers use fieldtrips -  for example, if the trip is at the beginning of the unit, it functions as a place to create questions that need answering.  Even at the end of a unit, a fieldtrip can confirm knowledge but also stimulate more questions/wonderings.  Can anyone else think about "actions that produce knowledge"? DN

Behavior is another area in which this happens. Example from my classroom:  Nate (with sensory processing issues) sees Brad (on the autism spectrum) "smiling" at him. Because of Nate's insecurity and experiences with bullying in the past, he assumes that Brad is making fun of him. Nate tells Brad to "Stop it." Brad has no idea what Nate is referring to. The actions of the boys led them to a time of talking (with teacher aid) about what they thought they saw, what each was feeling, etc. Their actions, though not the best, led to new knowledge of the other and of themselves. DH

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Both frameworks acknowledge that a goal of learning is action or behavior change. DH