MA Digital Technologies, Communication and Education / Course details

The course unit introduces major classical and contemporary schools of thought in teaching and learning theory, and asks participants to apply one or two of these theories in depth to a learning experience they have had. 

The unit aims to:

Develop students’ knowledge and understanding of classic and contemporary theories of teaching and learning, and to enable them to reflect upon the application of these theories in the context of their own learning and/or teaching experience.

The course unit content and its assessment are intended to raise awareness of the place of theory in learning and teaching. Many of the students will be familiar with some of the theories and theorists, not least from awareness of theories of language learning. This unit seeks to widen the theoretical base of the students by introducing them to a wide array of authors, and so provide a broader theoretical platform from which educational policies and practices at local, national, and international levels can be examines and critiqued. The notion of there being underlying theories of instruction in formal and informal educational settings is intended to be thought-provoking. Enhanced critical thinking skills will be developed by the possibilities, as demonstrated in the course, of constructing, adapting, using, and critiquing theory, as well as by the demonstration of how theories change over time, and both achieve and lose dominant status. It is expected that these theories will be used and usable far beyond the confines of this course. The same can be said of the critical and analytical skills that the course encourages. General outcomes achieved through instruction and classroom activities will include the ability to understand and discuss major schools of thought, analyse theories for strengths and weaknesses, and find the implications for the application of theory.

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

The syllabus is divided into two parts, starting with classical theories and ending with contemporary theories. There is therefore a roughly chronological structure to the course. The syllabus below is indicative as the expertise and availability of staff, and trends in learning and teaching theories, may change year on year.

Any of the themes and theorists below may take up more than one week.

Introduction to and overview of the course; what it means to discuss teaching and learning; what it means to construct, use, and critique a theory.

Piaget and cognitive constructivism: schema and child development.

Vygotsky, social constructivism, social learning theory and its influence.

Bruner and the role of scaffolding in teaching and learning.

Modern perspectives on and studies using Dewey’s transactional pragmatism.

EDI perspectives on learning, with special reference to bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins.

Mayer’s theories on multi-media learning (MML).

Bourdieu, Freire, critical theory, and social reproduction in sociological thinking.

The course unit is structured around classroom times consisting of eleven two-hour lectures and eleven one-hour seminars.

The course’s Blackboard page holds not only course readings but also reading guides and a series of podcasts produced by the course lecturers, so that students have a variety of starting points into the theoretical content.

Summative assessment is supported by unassessed formative assessment in the form of a template-based assignment proposal on which students receive feedback.

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the theoretical content and potential for application of one of the themes or theorists
• Understand the key ideas and aims underpinning theories of teaching and learning

• Think critically and analytically in relation to the form of various teaching and learning theories 
• Critically examine the implications of applying teaching and learning theories for learners and teachers in different social and cultural learning contexts

• Contribute to conceptual debates about teaching and learning in different institutional, policy and socio-cultural contexts
• Examine educational practices in the light of emerging understandings of teaching and learning theory

• Analytical skills
• Information handling
• Presenting a case

On Turnitin, within 15 working days

   
The reading list for the course is relative to the syllabus, and each subject or theorist will have their own specific lists. We have adopted two volumes (Aubrey & Riley; and Illeris) that are recommended to support the course, and general reading for the course is as follows:

Aubrey, K., & A. Riley (2022) Understanding and Using Educational Theories, 3rd ed., London: Sage.

Illeris, K. (ed.) (2018) Contemporary Theories of Learning: Learning theorists … in their own words. London: Routledge.

Pollard, A. (ed.) (2014) Readings for Reflective Teaching, 2nd ed. London: Continuum.
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