Module Code: H9TLT
Long Title Theories of Learning & Teaching
Title Theories of Learning & Teaching
Module Level: LEVEL 9
EQF Level: 7
EHEA Level: Second Cycle
Credits: 10
Module Coordinator: Leo Casey
Module Author: Stephanie Roe
Departments: NCI Learning & Teaching
Specifications of the qualifications and experience required of staff  
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module the learner will be able to:
# Learning Outcome Description
LO1 Discuss and compare contrasting conceptions of the nature and purpose of human learning processes with respect to their critical implications for teaching.
LO2 Differentiate and contrast the implications for practice of various theoretical perspectives (e.g., behavioural, cognitive, constructivist, transformative) on how students learn, as presented in the current scholarly literature.
LO3 Critically discuss and provide examples of the influence on teaching of learner differences including motivation, learning disposition, identity and previous experience.
LO4 Describe and contrast theoretical and value-based approaches to lifelong learning and discuss the implications for policy and practice.
LO5 Develop a practical teaching philosophy integrating theoretical perspectives with practical design of learning environments and instructional approaches.
Dependencies
Module Recommendations

This is prior learning (or a practical skill) that is required before enrolment on this module. While the prior learning is expressed as named NCI module(s) it also allows for learning (in another module or modules) which is equivalent to the learning specified in the named module(s).

67802 H9TLT Theories of Learning & Teaching
Co-requisite Modules
No Co-requisite modules listed
Entry requirements  
 

Module Content & Assessment

Indicative Content
The nature of learning (25%)
• Learning theories overview • Learning and development • Constructivist Approaches – e.g. contributions of Piaget, Vygotsky and Dewey • Cognitive and inquiry-based theories of learning • Behavioural theories of learning
Scholarship of teaching (25%)
• Teaching as the facilitation of student learning • Types of learning and types of teaching • What makes a good teacher? • Instructional design and design for learning • Constructive alignment and the use of the outcomes-based approach to learning and teaching
Learning through the lifespan (25%)
• Adult education approaches • Transformative learning • Critical pedagogy • Motivation and learning - ‘why we learn’
Developing a personal philosophy of teaching (25%)
• Developing underpinning values for teaching • Teaching and sustainable development • Teaching and inclusion • Teaching and equality
Assessment Breakdown%
Coursework100.00%

Assessments

Full Time

Coursework
Assessment Type: Assignment % of total: 60
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4,5
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
Students are required to prepare and submit two discussion papers which explore topics covered under the curriculum areas above. A choice of topics will be available. Discussion papers are no more than 1500 words. They must demonstrate critical understanding by use of examples and discussion of practical implications.
Assessment Type: Assignment % of total: 40
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4,5
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
A teaching philosophy statement is a personal, reflective statement about your educational values and beliefs, which provides concrete examples of how you enact these in your teaching practice with learners. It addresses fundamental questions such as: Why you teach? What you teach? Who you teach? How you teach? How you evaluate your effectiveness as a teacher? It identifies your goals in teaching and provides a clear rationale for the approaches you take to achieving them. It accounts for your understanding of the purposes of education, the nature of teaching and learning, and the nature of the teacher-student relationship.
No End of Module Assessment
No Workplace Assessment

Part Time

Coursework
Assessment Type: Assignment % of total: 60
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4,5
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
Students are required to prepare and submit two discussion papers which explore topics covered under the curriculum areas above. A choice of topics will be available. Discussion papers are no more than 1500 words. They must demonstrate critical understanding by use of examples and discussion of practical implications.
Assessment Type: Assignment % of total: 40
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4,5
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
A teaching philosophy statement is a personal, reflective statement about your educational values and beliefs, which provides concrete examples of how you enact these in your teaching practice with learners. It addresses fundamental questions such as: Why you teach? What you teach? Who you teach? How you teach? How you evaluate your effectiveness as a teacher? It identifies your goals in teaching and provides a clear rationale for the approaches you take to achieving them. It accounts for your understanding of the purposes of education, the nature of teaching and learning, and the nature of the teacher-student relationship.
No End of Module Assessment
No Workplace Assessment
Reassessment Requirement
Repeat failed items
The student must repeat any item failed
Reassessment Description
Students must pass both components of the assessment; a component fail leads to a component repeat.

NCIRL reserves the right to alter the nature and timings of assessment

 

Module Workload

Module Target Workload Hours 0 Hours
Workload: Full Time
Workload Type Workload Description Hours Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture Lecture 36 Per Semester 3.00
Independent Learning Independent Learning 214 Per Semester 17.83
Total Weekly Contact Hours 3.00
Workload: Part Time
Workload Type Workload Description Hours Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture Lecture 36 Per Semester 3.00
Independent Learning Independent Learning 214 Per Semester 17.83
Total Weekly Contact Hours 3.00
 

Module Resources

Recommended Book Resources
  • Illeris, K. (2017), How We Learn: Learning and non-learning in school and beyond, 2nd ed. Routledge.
Supplementary Book Resources
  • Armitage, A. et al. (2007), Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, McGraw-Hill/Open University Press, Maidenhead.
  • Biesta, G.J.J. (2017), The Rediscovery of Teaching, Routledge, London.
  • Brookfield, S. in Jarvis, P. (ed). (2009), On Being Taught, The Routledge International Handbook of Lifelong Learning, Routledge, Oxford.
  • Dewey, J. (1938), Experience and Education, (60th anniversary ed). Kappa Delta Pi, Indianapolis.
  • Dewey, J. (1944), Democracy and Education, (First Free Press Paperback ed). Macmillan, New York.
  • Dweck, C.S. (2000), Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Essays in social psychology, KY: Psychology Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florence.
  • Driscoll, M.P. (2005), Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon.
  • Deforges, C. and Fox, R. (2002), Teaching and Learning, Blackwell, Oxford.
  • Henry A. Giroux. (2011), On Critical Pedagogy, Continuum, London, p.192, [ISBN: 9781441162540].
  • Gredler M.E. (2001), Learning and Instruction Theory into Practice, Merrill Prentice Hall.
  • Freire, P. (1970), Pedagogy of the Oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.), 30th ed.. Continuum International Publishing, New York.
  • Knowles, M. S. (1978), The adult learner: A neglected species, 2nd ed. Gulf Pub. Co., Book Division, Houston.
  • Mezirow, J. (2000), Learning as transformation: critical perspectives on a theory in progress, The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
  • Vygotsky, L.S. (1978), Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological processes, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
  • Wlodkowski, R.J. (1999), Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults, Rev ed. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Supplementary Article/Paper Resources
  • Active Learning in Higher Education.
  • Adult Learner.
  • Adult Education Quarterly (Journal).
  • British Educational Research Journal.
  • Educational Researcher (Journal).
  • International Journal of Learning: Annual Review.
  • International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education.
  • Irish Educational Studies.
  • Journal of Adult & Continuing Education.
  • Journal of Educational Research.
  • Journal of Learning for Development.
  • Journal of Teaching & Learning.
  • Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning.
Other Resources
Discussion Note: