Page 74 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

An Example of Using the Reading Methodology

Scenario: Jennifer wanted to learn more about Process Education, the philosophy behind
Foundations of Learning, and asked her instructor for an article about it. Her instructor
knew of an article in the International Journal of Process Education that would give
Jennifer a bit more information. What follows is an excerpt from that article as well
as Jennifer’s use of the Reading Methodology.

Article Excerpt:

Process education also shares many components with problem-based learning, or PBL. (www.pbl.org).
PBL was introduced as a term at McMaster University and was written on extensively by Barrows and
Tamblyn, who applied it to medical education. In medical education, faculty were frustrated with the
effectiveness of traditional teaching methods. They found that graduates in their internships after medical
school were often not able to apply what they had learned to the challenges they faced in the hospital.

Through PBL, students are presented with an ill-defined problem. They work cooperatively to solve the
problem, accessing resources as needed. An important component of PBL is that it is student-centered,
with the students, rather than the instructor, managing the problem-solving process. The faculty member
in PBL serves as a facilitator of that learning.

Central to the methods described above is the role of the faculty member as a facilitator of the learning
process. There are many strategies for facilitative learning, with the main goal of moving the teacher
away from the center and locus of control. Many have written about the use of cooperative learning in
education. As Wong and Wong stated in 1998, “Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate
as it is cooperating to learn.” As they and others have indicated, cooperative learning extends far deeper
than just placing students in groups. Two elements are key, according to proponents of cooperative
learning: positive interdependence and group and individual accountability.

References

Barrows, Howard S. and Tamblyn, Robyn M. (1980). Problem-based learning: an approach to
medical education. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). How to be an effective teacher: the first days of school. Mountain
View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.

Jennifer’s Application of the Reading Methodology:

Step Action Jennifer’s Notes
1 Establish
purpose My primary intent is to learn a bit more about what makes Process Education
“tick.” I think this information could make me a better learner in this class
2 Set objectives and onward.
and criteria
I want to be a journalist and believe it is important to have breadth and depth
of knowledge. I want to learn enough about Process Education to be able to
explain it to other students. I will assess how I have met this goal by how
well I can explain what I read to my classmate, Molly.

68 Foundations of Learning