TANYA JAWAB FILSAFAT

1.    Setiap kelompok masyarakat pastilah memimpikan pemimpin yang bijaksana. Apakah kriteria orang bijaksana?
Tidak ada manusia di dunia ini yang benar-benar bijaksana sebab sebenar-benar bijaksana adalah Tuhan. Manusia hanya mampu menggapai bijaksana. Salah satu cara agar orang bisa bersikap bijaksana adalah dengan belajar filsafat. Filosofi bijaksana menurut pandangan orang barat dan orang timur memiliki perbedaan. Menurut orang barat, orang yang bijaksana adalah orang yang berilmu, sedangkan menurut orang timur, orang yang bijaksana adalah orang yang berilmu serta memiliki rasa dan karsa. Tujuan utama berfilsafat menurut orang timur adalah menjadi bijaksana dan menghayati kehidupan, dan untuk itu pengetahuan harus disertai dengan moralitas. Pengetahuan akan kebenaran selalu berkaitan dengan kebijaksanaan dan mengandung dua unsur, yakni pengetahuan akan kebaikan tertinggu dan tindakan untuk mencapai kebaikan tertinggi. Pengetahuan dan tindakan haruslah hadir di dalam diri seorang yang bijaksana.

2.    Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara yang menjunjung tinggi agama, Indonesia juga merupakan negara yang memiliki banyak sekali suku bangsa dengan budayanya yang berbeda-beda. Bagaimanakah cara untuk menyelaraskan hubungan antara agama dengan budaya?
Agama mengatur hubungan Tuhan dengan ciptaannya sedangkan budaya mengatur hubungan manusia dengan sesamanya. Di dalam agama memuat budaya sedangkan di dalam budaya kita tidak akan menemukan agama. Oleh karena itu, mereka yang beragama mudah bila ingin menciptakan suatu budaya atau kebudayaan. Sedangkan mereka yang hanya berbudaya maka mereka tak mengenal Tuhan.

3.    Tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa reputasi pendidikan di Indonesia tercoreng karena budaya mencontek yang terus ada dari masa ke masa. Bagaimana cara untuk mengatasi fenomena budaya mencontek?
Kebiasaan mencontek memang dianggap wajar oleh siswa atau pun mahasiswa sekalipun. Padahal, telah disadari bahwa mencontek merupakan tindakan yang tidak terpuji dan merupakan suatu pertanda dari ketidak mampuan seseorang dalam menyelesaikan sesuatu hal. Akan tetapi, seperti yang terlihat saat ini, banyak orang yang menghalalkan mencontek, apabila ditinjau dari filsafat moral atau etika, ini merupakan fenomena keputusan atau tindakan seseorang yang tidak didasari pertimbangan kesesuaian dengan norma dan persetujuan hati nurani. Jadi orang yang mencontek, mempunyai suatu motivasi tertentu, misalkan ingin mendapat nilai bagus, kemudian orang yang mencontek karena melihat situasi dan kondisi sekitar, misal seseorang berani mencontek karena pengawasan yang lemah, dan hal ini berpengaruh pada seseorang dalam memahami bentuk perbuatan tersebut, yakni mencontek dianggap sebagai sesuatu yang biasa, dan mereka juga melihat dampak secara langsung, yakni berhasil mendapat nilai bagus, akan tetapi sesungguhnya orang yang mencontek adalah orang yang mengabaikan norma dan hati nurani. Budaya mencontek di kalangan siswa dapat diatasi guru dengan cara melakukan refleksi terhadap dirinya sendiri. Siswa dapat mencontek itu berarti guru memberikan celah bagi siswanya untuk melakukan hal tersebut. Guru hendaknya memperbaiki cara mengajarnya sehingga model pembelajaran yang digunakan disukai oleh siswa dan materi yang disampaikan mudah dipahami oleh siswa.

4.    Bagaimanakah menghilangkan subjektivitas dalam penilaian?
Penilaian yang dilakukan seseorang cenderung subjektivitas artinya tergantung siapa dulu yang menilai. Penilaian yang tidak subjektive jika menggunakan teknologi atau alat penilaian yang valid. Subjektivitas dari guru tidak dapat dihindarkan dalam penilaian. Suatu contoh, seorang guru yang terlalu banyak mengoreksi karangan cepat merasa lelah sehingga tidak cermat lagi dalam membaca tulisan peserta didik, akibatnya, tidak terjadi konsistensi penilaian. Hal-hal lain seperti impresi awal dapat pula menyebabkan penilaian tidak konsisten sehingga menimbulkan ketidakadilan bagi peserta didik. Ada dua cara yang dapat dilakukan untuk mengurangi subjektivitas penilaian. Pertama, penilaian inter-rater, yaitu lebih dari satu orang memberikan penilaian terhadap naskah yang sama. Kedua, adalah dengan menetapkan benchmark, yaitu sampel kinerja yang berfungsi sebagai standar yang dipakai untuk menilai sampel kinerja lainnya.

5.    Bagaimana cara kita membangkitkan kreativitas para siswa?
Sebagi seorang guru, kita bukan mengajarkan tetapi memfasilitasi siswa yang belajar matematika. Guru bertindak sebagai fasilitator bukan mengajar saat proses kegiatan belajar mengajar sedang berlangsung. Cara untuk membangkitkan kreativitas siswa dalam belajar maka berawal dari kita sendiri sebagai guru yang harusnya kreatif. Anak memiliki kecenderungan untuk meniru orang tuanya maka tak ubahnya ketika seorang guru kreatif maka siswanya pun termotivasi dan berkeinginan untuk mau kreatif. Syarat dasar kreatif adalah merdeka. Tidak merdeka berarti tidak kreatif. Contoh: ketika seorang mahasiswa takut dengan dosen, maka ia menjadi tidak kreatif. Tetapi kalu dia tidak takut dosen, bias dikatakan bahwa dia kurang ajar.

6.    Mengapa mahasiswa pendidikan matematika harus mempelajari filsafat?
Mahasiswa pendidikan matematika adalah calon guru matematika dan seorang guru matematika hendaknya tidak hanya hafal rumus. Jika seorang guru matematika mendidik siswa dengan hanya menghapal rumus, itu namanya mitos. Guru harus mengetahui makna dari setiap materi yang diajarkan kepada siswa, sehingga siswa juga dapat memaknai setiap materi yang disampaikan oleh guru. Begitulah mengapa mahasiswa pendidikan matematika harus mempelajari filsafat.

7.    Apakah tujuan utama mempelajari filsafat?
Tujuan mempelajari filsafat adalah untuk bisa menjadi saksi. Mempelajari filsafat pendidikan matematika untuk menjadi saksi tentang pendidikan matematika. Tidaklah mudah menjadi saksi itu. Jika ada praktek-praktek pembelajaran matematika yang tidak sesuai dengan hakekat matematika dan engkau tidak menyumbangkan pemikiranmu maka engkau telah gagal menjadi saksi. Itu hanyalah satu contoh saja,

8.    Kapan kita bisa yakin bahwa hati kita sudah cukup bersih untuk mulai berfilsafat?
Tidak ada patokan awal untuk mempelajari filsafat. Seperti pada Adil, kita hanyalah berusaha untuk membuaut hati kita bersih. Konsep awal (memulai) itu sering diabaikan namun terkadang menentukan segala-galanya. Dalam filsafat, awal itu merupakan fondasi yang mengembangkan pemikiran-pemikiran selanjutnya.

9.    Bagaimanakah cara berfilsafat yang baik dan benar?
Ketika pertanyaan lain muncul mengenai tata cara berfilsafat yang baik dan benar, dapat dikatakan bahwa cara paling bagus dalam berfilsafat adalah berinteraksi atau terjemah dan menterjemahkan pemikiran orang lain yang berguna membangun filsafat kita sendiri.  Tidak ada seorang filsuf pun yang tidak terpengaruh orang lain karena hidup kita tidak terisolasi. Ketika kita mau berusaha untuk mengidentifikasi sesuatu, maka kita akan tahu itu membangun atau merusak. Sama halnya dalam berfilsafat, ketika kita mau berfikir kita akan tahu ide-ide yang muncul akan membangun ataukah merusak pemikiran kita.

Proses berfikir sebenarnya merupakan proses mencari keseimbangan dan untuk mengimbanginya kita pun tidak boleh terlepas dari doa-doa kita terhadap Tuhan. Karena berfilsafat merupakan pola pikir manusia yang refleksif, maka dapat dikatakan hanya seseorang yang mau berfikirlah yang dapat mempelajari filsafat. Bagaikan aliran sungai, filsafat itu semakin ke hulu semakin jernih (semakin universal) dan semakin ke hilir semakin kontekstual (seperti pelaksanaan norma dalam kehidupan seseorang dengan seseorang yang lain). Pemikiran kita memang akan dipengaruhi oleh pemikiran orang lain. Namun, filsafat kita adalah filsafat hasil dari originalitas pemikiran kita (akibat pencarian pure reason). Yang pasti, agar kita dapat memulai berfilsafat yang baik dan benar, kita harus menaati norma-norma yang telah disepakati

10.    Apakah manfaat filsafat?
Ketika kita berbicara manfaat berfilsafat itu akan sama artinya dengan apa manfaat berpikir. Sehingga dapat dikatakan pula bahwa orang yang tidak mau belajar filsafat sama dengan orang yang tidak mau berpikir (mati pikiran).  Manfaat filsafat bagi para pelaku di lingkup pendidikan matematika adalah memikirkan apa yang ada dan yang mungkin ada dalam Pendidikan Matematika.
(PRIMANINGTYAS_09313244004 & OKTAVIANA MUTIA_09313244003)

TO IDENTIFY DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS OF MATHEMATICS

Though Mathematics being so important subject and occupying a central position. Teaching of mathematics is not only concerned with the computational knowhow of the subject but is also concerned with the selection of the mathematical content and communication leading to its understanding and application. So while teaching mathematics one should use the teaching methods, strategies and pedagogic resources that are much more fruitful in gaining adequate responses from the students then we have ever had in the past.

The teaching and learning of mathematics is a complex activity and many factors determine the success of this activity. The nature and quality of instructional material, the presentation of content, the pedagogic skills of the teacher, the learning environment, the motivation of the students are all important and must be kept in view in any effort to ensure quality in teaching-learning of mathematics.

Mathematics teachers to enhance teaching innovation, the key is to design innovative teaching, although teachers new ideas for teaching design provides a source of innovation, but to raise the level of Mathematics teaching effectiveness, must be under the foot in the instructional design effort in the classroom to attract full attention of students, stimulate creative thinking, to improve student learning initiative.

First, the instructional design of your life. The new curriculum standards so that each secondary school Mathematics teaching students to be useful in Mathematics, for students to learn mathematics from the mathematical necessities of life, so that different students in the learning process of mathematics to develop, so during instructional design, teachers should be as close to real life, so that students understand "the math from life, exists in life, and applied to life."

Second, the instructional design to new technology. A new instructional design can focus the attention of students allowed to maintain a high degree of interest, thus effectively improving their perception, memory, imagination, thinking and practical ability to effectively improve the effectiveness of classroom teaching in mathematics in the garden, fun questions abound,  teachers in the instructional design of these interesting questions can be linked with the new knowledge, setting lively and interesting teaching situations, ask thought-provoking questions to stimulate students' curiosity.

Third, interest-based instructional design to Education  promote "the rise of teaching", to enable students to confidently head high, with interest to the lectures and active learning, the interest is the key. Psychological research shows: people interested in a positive, proactive understanding of objective things, a kinds of mental tendencies. famous psychologist Jean Piaget has pointed out: "Interest is the energy regulator, has launched its affiliation stored in the inner power, enough to work with fun, thus making it look easy to do, and decrease fatigue. "Therefore, teachers should make good use of student interest to create a relaxed, happy and harmonious atmosphere of teaching, improve teaching quality.

Fourth, the instructional design to professional. Mathematics classes taught by teachers according to the professional, general understanding of the content of professional courses to make appropriate arrangements for specialized services for the progress of teaching, such as teaching professional classes die, their courses include basic mechanical measurement and content knowledge related to trigonometric functions However, the time conflict with the teaching of mathematics, mathematics, after a semester to explain the contents of trigonometric functions, to allow students to better learn the knowledge, I adjust the progress of teaching, taught in advance the contents of the trigonometric functions.

According to David Ferrero (2006), teachers are divided by traditionalism and innovation, but teaching that leads to achievement gains when one embraces standardized testing does not mean that teachers have to choose between one or the other. There is a concept of "innovative traditionalism" that is student-centered, yet has been shown to improve standardized achievement test scores. The following table illustrates the essential differences in education's ideological divide, which can be bridged.

Education's Ideological Divide
Traditional	Innovative
Standardized tests	Authentic assessment
Basic skills	Higher-order thinking
Ability grouping	Heterogeneous grouping
Essays/research papers	Hands-on projects
Subject-matter disciplines	Interdisciplinary integration
Chronology/history	Thematic integration
Breadth	Depth
Academic mastery	Cultivation of individual talents
Eurocentrism	Multiculturalism
Canonical curriculum	Inclusive curriculum
Top-down curriculum	Teacher autonomy/creativity
Required content	Student interest
Source: Ferrero, D. (2006). Having it all. Educational Leadership, 63(8), 11.

The goals of differentiated instruction and innovative traditionalism are to ensure effective learning for all. Best practice learning adheres to 13 principles. Best practice is student-centered, experiential, holistic, authentic, expressive, reflective, social, collaborative, democratic, cognitive, developmental, constructivist, challenging with choices and students taking responsibility for their learning.

Some might not appreciate the true essence of cooperative learning. Learners are responsible for not just their own learning, but the learning of others. Shared learning leads to success for all, as each member of a learning group has a specific role to play in reaching a common goal. Successful groups include positive interdependence--if one fails, the entire group is affected. There is both individual and group accountability; although some work might be completed individually, some must be accomplished by group interactions. Typical cooperative learning strategies include think-pair-share, the three-step interview, the jigsaw, and numbered heads. Techniques might include focused listing to brainstorm or examine concepts and descriptions, structured problem solving, one-minute papers, paired annotations, guided reciprocal peer questioning, and send-a-problem.

In short, as long as the innovative, bold reform, designed to meet the students in the actual instructional design, the level of mathematics teaching effectiveness will be further improved, so as to achieve the teaching of specialized services for the purpose of truly reflect the grade mathematics outline the requirements.

Refference: 

• Teaching and Math Methodology Instruction: Introduction to Teaching Challenges http://www.ct4me.net/math_methodology.htm

• http://www.waymadedu.org/StudentSupport/Rachnamadam.pdf

Definition of Instructional Design

Instructional design can be interpreted from different perspectives, such as discipline, as a science, as a system, and as a process. As a discipline, instructional design research and discuss various theories about the strategy and process development and implementation of learning. As a science, a science of instructional design to create the specification development, implementation, assessment, and management of situations that provide learning facilities in the macro and micro scale for various subjects at various levels of complexity. As a system, the design of learning is a learning system development and system implementation including the means and procedures to improve the quality of learning. Instructional design as a process of systematic development of the specification of learning by using learning theory and learning theory to guarantee the quality of learning. Instructional design is the overall process of learning needs and goals as well as its delivery system. Included is the development of materials and learning activities, materials testing and evaluation, and implementation of learning activities.

Thus we can conclude the preparation of instructional design is the practice of media and communication technologies to help fill that knowledge transfer can take place effectively between teachers and learners. This process contains the determination of the initial status of student understanding, the formulation of learning objectives, and designing the "treatment"-based media to help the transition. Ideally, this process is based on information from the theory of learning that has been tested pedagogical and can occur only on the students, guided by the teacher, or in community-based setting.       

Some definition of instructional design according to some experts:

1.      According to Reigeluth (1983); instructional design is the lattice of the application of learning theory and learning to facilitate the process of learning one's

2.      According to Rothwell-Kazana (1992); formulate the design of learning by improving the quality of one's performance and impact to the organization

3.      Gagne, et al (1992); developed the design concept of learning by stating that the design of learning helps the learning process one in which the learning process itself has immediate and long-term stage

4.      Gentry (1994); is a process of formulating and determining learning objectives, strategies, techniques and media in order to achieve common goals

5.      Raiser (2002); instructional design was shaped as a series of procedures to develop a system of education and training programs with a consistent and proven.

Refference:

·         http://tepenr06.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/desain-pembelajaran/

·         Dadang Supriatna, M.Ed, Mochamad Mulyadi, ST, M.Ed, (2009). Konsep Dasar Desain Pembelajaran. Pusat Pengembangan Dan Pemberdayaan Pendidik Dan Tenaga Kependidikan Taman Kanak Kanak Dan Pendidikan Luar Biasa

·         http://zuhairistain.blogspot.com/2009/04/pengertian-desain-pembelajaran_16.html

How To Develop Mathematics Instructional Design

Instructional design, also know as instructional systems design, is the analysis of  learning needs and systematic development of instruction. Instructional designers often use instructional technology or educational technology as tools for developing instruction. Instructional design models typically specify a method, that if followed will facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills and attitude to the recipient or acquirer of the instruction. Obviously paying attention to "best practices", and innovative teaching methods will make any instructional design model more effective.

There must be contrast in order to have information (if a page is all white, no black ink, there is no contrast and therefore no information)

Many instructional designers, in an attempt to make content simple, take out information. Unfortunately, this leaves learners wondering, "Why the heck am I learning this?”  The solution isn’t to take away content, but to present it an a simpler way. This is the art of good instructional design. When deciding what to leave out, it is essential to consider what content, when removed, will not harm the backbone of the learning.

Educational researchers take different positions on the question of instructional design for different content domains. Some say the content disciplines are essentially unique; teaching strategies that work in social studies, for example, will not work in mathematics. Following this view, the development of teaching models should be unique to the content domain. The field of mathematics education is predicated on the view that content-specific instructional strategies are essential. Others believe that we can develop a set of generic teaching methods that can be selectively used in the teaching of different content domains (Reigeluth, 1983, 1987).

A moderate position affirms the value of both generic and content-specific research and strategies. This moderate approach seems to be less dogmatic and more promising in the long run, granting value to various forms of knowledge about teaching. Because content domains draw on common learning mechanisms, there are likely some models and strategies that would be appropriate across domains. Even so, instructional research in specific domains can complement whatever generic understanding we have of instructional processes. Particularly valuable activities include conducting deep content and cognitive task analyses, testing out specific teaching strategies, and examining learner differences in specific learning environments.

The field of instructional design is based on the notion that generic strategies of instruction can have value across any content domain (Reigeluth, 1987; Wilson, Jonassen, & Cole, in press). The primary aim is to distill what we know about learning and instruction based on current research and theory, then to develop prescriptive models and strategies for teaching . Simon (1983) suggests that "design sciences" such as instructional design can articulate explicit principles of design that can be useful in solving real-life problems. Viewed in this way, instructional design is more a technology than a pure science.

Instructional implications of connectionist and interpretative approaches have not yet been thoroughly worked through. At a time of such basic re-thinking about the nature of cognition, it is hard to be dogmatic about what teaching strategies comprise the "optimal" instructional design in any subject matter. Perhaps the main lesson for now is that the discussion below should be read with a certain degree of skepticism. Our knowledge base in cognition and instructional design really is fragile, depending on a shifting foundation that will likely continue to change in the years to come.

How do the ideological disputes within instructional design relate to mathematics education? Mathematics education, like instructional design, is a derivative, applied field rather than a basic scientific field. Mathematics educators, like instructional designers, depend on cognitive science and other theoretical foundations to provide grounding for specific models and strategies. Mathematics education, like instructional design, is constantly in a state of re-construction as it re-examines its theoretical underpinning in light of new understandings in philosophy and cognitive science. As sympathetic observers, we ask how current theories such as connectionism and postmodernism have affected mathematics education? We hope that someone will pick up the work and articulate implications of these theories for the practice of mathematics education.

Design instructional

·         Various/ type

·         Background/ ground/ phylosophy

·         Example

Design of teaching and learning mathematics

·         Various/ type

·         Ground

·         Example

·         Comparation/ reach marking

·         Appropiate design

A major goal of all instructional design is to make a lasting impression on the learner. A purportedly ancient Chinese proverb posits:

"I hear and I forget

I see and I remember

I do and I understand"

Though oversimplified, the popularity of this aphorism suggests there is something to it. What is it we would like to accomplish with problem-solving activities in our schools? Employers and society in general would probably agree that self-confident, adaptive, conscientious graduates (high school, Bachelor, PhD, etc.) with the ability to apply knowledge in a variety of situations would be an appropriate goal. Recent developments in cognitive science combined with developing technologies applied to education now make it feasible to achieve this goal by re-creating important aspects of the world-at-large within the classroom. As we continue to learn more about effective instructional design, we need to expect continuing change in schools and classrooms as educators test out and apply their knowledge to improve student learning.

 Refferences:

·         Wilson, B. G., Teslow, J. R., & Taylor, L. (1993). Instructional design perspectives on mathematics education with reference to Vygotsky's theory of social cognition. Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, 15 (2 & 3), 65-86 : http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~bwilson/mathed.html

·         Dr. Marsigit, Ma. “Landasan Pengembangan Desain Pembelajaran Matematika Di Sekolah Lanjutan”: http://staff.uny.ac.id

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/

PROMOTING VARIOUS INTERACTION IN TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL OF TEACHING

PROMOTING VARIOUS INTERACTION IN TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL OF TEACHING

By: Primaningtyas Nur Arifah (09313244004)

The latest issue in the quality of human resources in Indonesia has led to a debate over the nature of education and its implications for society. Education in its broadest sense presupposes a better understanding of teaching and learning. On one side, teachers are supposed to be able to impart their knowledge through the many approaches, methods and techniques at their disposal. Teaching mathematics, for instance, requires a basic skill in explaining abstract mathematical concepts. Abstract thinking is one of the skills to be introduced to students at an early stage of learning this science. In Indonesia, however, mathematics has often been cited as a “monster” that troubles the students’ progress in learning for a higher level of education. On the other, students particularly those who will continue their studies to a tertiary level are confronted with the various problems of life. They lack books, especially the translated texts, and other learning aids. Unlike in advanced countries, the students in Indonesia entirely depend on the explanation given by their teachers. This is especially true of learning mathematics as the basic science to further their studies.

In reality, there is a big chasm between teachers and students. Teachers believe that they can produce a change of behavior, as is defined in the process of learning, after explaining everything about mathematical concepts. Students, on the other hand, feel that they have not learned enough from their teachers. As a result, there is a kind of “ tug of war” between the two parties. The question is which party should be given more treatment, the teachers or the students.

For the feasible purposes, teachers should be given more training and knowledge on how to teach mathematics. Part of the solution is that the teachers should change their perception about their students. Students are no longer “ containers to be filled” , instead they are curious people with much potential to learn anything new. What is needed today is the cooperation between teachers and students in finding solutions to the problems of teaching and learning mathematics. Both parties must realize the importance of sharing and exchanging experiences. Mathematics must be a very interesting course that can help the students solve the many problems they face. In the United States, mathematics is first taught by relating it to the reality of life before going on with the advanced concepts such as in calculus. Teachers can no longer boast of their overt knowledge of mathematics. Students can be expected to contribute to the understanding of this science. The old saying “ a teacher knows better” is no longer applicable.

This fact raises a question about the quality of teaching and learning interaction in class. The interaction, if it is properly performed, will produce desired results such as a better understanding and appreciation of mathematics in everyday life. Students will be motivated to learn it when their teachers also show some kind of professionalism and positive attitude in doing their job. A mathematics teach do many things to improve his or her professionalism. The Indonesian government has launched improvement programs in the form of workshops, seminars, symposium and other educationally related activities. The knowledge and skills they received from such events can be used to make their teaching performance much better. Professionalism grows from within, that is, they will appreciate their work after reaching a level of satisfaction in the job.

In order for teachers to facilitate student learning several things need to occur. The processes that the teacher as facilitator needs to undertake are as follows:

• assess the students;
• plan the learning;
• implement the plan; and
• evaluate the process.

Assess the students

This aspect is conducted in a number of areas and will develop as the teacher builds rapport with the students. It can be seen as ‘getting to know’ the students. Some aspects to be assessed are:

The student's willingness and ability to learn are key to developing learning opportunities that will engage and extend the students. The willingness is associated with the student's values and feelings about the school learning process. Each student’s ability to learn refers to their understanding of and the skills involved in particular tasks. A part of assessing student's value systems is to understand what is important and interesting to them. These are related to how and why students engage in learning. Students also have feelings and beliefs about themselves and the learning process. These are related to their self confidence, their willingness to take risks, their beliefs about learning and how they view themselves as learners. Cambourne (1989) suggests that students will not engage with the learning unless the following three criteria are met. The learner needs to believe that:

·         they are potentially able to do the learning;

·         the learning will somehow further the purpose of their lives; and

·         they are able to suffer and live through the risks (from an emotional perspective) associated with engaging in learning.

A student’s beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning will interact with a teacher’s beliefs. The teacher therefore needs to understand what students expect and are willing to do as well as what they themselves expect of the students.

As well as assessing the student's willingness to learn the teacher needs to assess the student's ability to learn the material that they intend to teach in their subjects. This is the understanding of and the skills involved in the learning. This is akin to determining where a student is placed in relation to various criteria in either key learning areas (such mathematics, science and technology and so forth) or domains (such as cognitive, social/emotional, psychomotor, asthetic and so forth). 

The student’s preferred learning styles. All learners have a preference for how they learn. There are many ways of viewing and assessing learning style preferences. Burns (1989) suggests that first we perceive information and then we process the information. The way we perceive and process information is our learning style. Burns (1989) places the learning styles on a 4-matrix system. With perceiving extending from concrete to abstract and processing from active to reflective approaches. 

Plan the learning

Following student assessment the teacher is in a better position to plan learning opportunities that will provide a fit with the student’s needs and interests and thus optimise student learning opportunities. A part of this process is to determine student learning outcomes. The teacher will determine these outcomes as a result of the interplay between what is contained in the course documentation, the teacher’s personal theories about teaching and learning and the teacher’s assessment of student needs. Once the learning outcomes have been determined the teacher plans the unit outline and individual lessons. There are therefore many aspects to the planning. These include:

Understanding the philosophy behind the intended objectives and learning outcomes of the course documents. Kemmis, Cole & Suggett (1983) present three orientations to curriculum, the vocational/neo-classical, the liberal/progressive and the socially-critical. The orientations shape the approach to many important educational issues including knowledge, desired learning outcomes, teaching, learning, assessment, the role of community and so forth. The orientations have embedded within them assumptions about the nature of teaching and learning. The role of teacher as facilitator and the constructivism approach to learning are consistent with the liberal /progressive orientation to the curriculum⁴. A part of the role of teacher as colleague and community partner is to be involved in what is developed in course documents.

The philosophy embedded in the course documents will interact with the teacher’s theories of teaching and learning. The teacher in the classroom context is able to respond to variables that are different from those that are uppermost on the course document developer’s agendas (Lundgren, 1983; Tylee 1992). The interaction between the teacher’s view and those of the course documents will influence what is actually taught in the classroom. For example, the course may contain a vocational/neo-classical orientation whereas the teacher is oriented towards socially-critical theories. In the classroom the teacher will work with students as co-learners to critique socially important issues such as the nature of ‘work’, while providing the students with ‘work’ related skills.

Teachers build ‘personal theories’ about the nature of teaching and learning. These ‘personal theories’ may be based upon established and researched ideas or substantially upon personal experiences. Teachers need to understand their personal theories as they influence the way they proceed with their teaching (Tylee 1992).

Develop student learning opportunities. This takes into account the course documents, the teacher's personal theories of teaching and learning, the student’s interest, their preferred learning styles and their understanding and skills. It is in this area that the teacher as facilitator is able to provide opportunities for student learning that will take hold of the students' interests and thus motivate them to engage in the learning opportunity. Harrison (1998a & b) has presented the S.P.A.C.E. model for creating optimal learning conditions. The conditions for optimal learning include the following:

Self-affimation – the learner’s view themselves as effective learners and the teachers provide them with feedback to that effect;

Personal meaning – the learners are able to find personal meaning in the learning. That is, the learning is relevant to them;

Active learning - the learners are active in the learning, whether that activity is physically doing something (as for concrete learners) or intellectually doing something (as for abstract reflective learners).

Collaborative – the learners are able to collaborate with others in the learning process and not to view learning as an isolating experience;

Empowering – the learners are able to shape the learning process, to have control over what is learnt and the direction of the learning.

These factors need to be considered as the teacher develops the learning opportunities and as they shape the classroom process.

The teacher needs to give attention to this part of the planning to see that the classroom processes and emotional climate are conducive to optimal learning. The classroom and general school climate needs to encourage students to take risk and try out new approaches. This will interact with the student’s willingness to participate or engage in the learning. Among other things, this means that the learners:

·         need to feel safe;

·         attempts to solve problems need to be respected;

·         unconventional approaches will be rewarded;

·         will feel confident that the lecturer knows where to pitch the challenge for them – that is not too hard or too easy or too repetitive;

·         will work on real problems with personal relevance to them and is therefore relevant; and

·         work on challenging problems that provide opportunities for creative thinking.

Implement the plan

This will include the classroom management and the teaching strategies that will cater for the varied learning styles of the students. It will also include the emotional climate of the classroom and the quality of the interactions between the students and the teacher.

Evaluate the process

The teacher as facilitator will revise their student assessments. At the completion of a classroom session there will be an assessment of the learning that has taken place and this will inform following teaching. The emotional climate will be subject to continual evaluation so that any problems can be identified and a plan developed that is able to deal with the problem.

The assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation process may be extended to include the school. The teacher as colleague will work with others to plan and implement changes that will enable the school, to become more effective in facilitating student learning.

The processes outlined above should not be seen as exclusively linear, although they can function as a structure for thinking. Many of the functions are able to occur simultaneously.