TASK: REPORT ON THE LEARNING RESOURCES

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IntroductionLearning resources are primarily any tool that facilitates the process of learning for both the

teachers and the students. Learning resources in contemporary times are more than outdated

study materials and its effectiveness is dominated by the variation in the teaching process and

innovative learning materials. Every individual has its own learning needs and learning style. In

a similar manner, every teacher uses different teaching and learning resources that indicates

towards the effectiveness of the teaching process. This report attempts to shed light upon

different teaching and learning resources during the teaching practice in the time of the teacher

training. Along with the purpose of the resources, this report also present a detailed analysis of

different learning and teaching techniques and resources in order to understand the effectiveness

of using different innovative learning resources.

Purpose of resources in teaching and learningLearning resources are often considered as educational materials for instance long and tedious

printed classroom textbooks with outdated information and content which can primarily covers

the breadth of any particular subject but it often fails to cover the depth of the subject. Learning

resources are more than that and it can be summed up as various tools that provide the teachers

with the opportunity of teaching effectively in order to offer an easier learning process to the

students (Savery, 2015).

Teaching materials or learning resources are designed mainly to support teaching and learning in

different contexts. The major purpose of learning and teaching resources is to provide a source of

learning experience that is effective enough to invoke interaction among students and teachers in

the learning or teaching process (Savery, 2015). An effective learning resource has the ability of

helping the students in the learning process and broaden the learning experience of the students

along with meeting the learning needs of the students.

Effective usage of proper learning resources help the students to construct more than superficial

knowledge that is building in depth knowledge on a particular subject and also developing their

individual learning strategies, values, attitudes and generic skills. It is important to use proper

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learning resources in the teaching process in order to build a solid foundation for lifelong

learning.

Effectiveness of specific resources in meeting individual learning needs in

teaching and learning contextClassification of learning and teaching resources

In this age of technological advancement learning and teaching resources are not confined to

textbooks and they are available in several different forms like reference books, workbooks,

worksheets, web-based learning materials, computer based learning, structured coursework and

audio-visual teaching aids. Libraries and learning communities also serve as effective tools in the

natural environment of learning (Savery, 2015). Specific learning resources have their own

credibility in meeting individual learning needs and few of the effective resources that are used

in the senior secondary curriculum are evaluated below in order understand their individual

effectiveness.

● Textbooks

Textbooks are considered to be the primary learning resource that provides the learners core

elements of learning in the subjects that are recommended by the Curriculum

Development Council. Selection of the textbooks is an important process as textbooks are

mainly used as the primary tool to develop the critical and creative perspective of the

students along with their other generic skills thorough activities and information provided

in the textbooks.

Experts have opined that quality textbooks have the ability to assist the teachers by providing a

one stop shop for the aiding materials that are helpful in planning the scope and sequence

of their teaching (Savery, 2015).

Selecting appropriate textbooks is important for effective learning and the following guidelines

need to be followed:

1. It is of sheer significance that the selected textbook is in line with the aims and

objectives of the curriculum and contains the core elements of the curriculum.

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2. A textbook needs to be potent enough so that it can provide the students with a

range of materials at several difficulty levels and increase their ability of problem

solving along with developing different perspectives in them.

3. It also needs to enhance the generic skills and motivate the students by

stimulating curiosity regarding the subject.

4. The primary education offered by the textbook broadens the scope of will of

further learning among the learners. It also brings forth the scope of individual

learning and encourage self-access.

Apart from the primary learning resources the table below sheds light on the resources that can

be used in teaching the learners in an outdoor environment.

Resource Meeting individual learning needs

Worksheet

e.g. measuring the velocity of train● This learning resource is effective as it

can be adapted to suit the individual

learning needs of the students such as

dyslexia.

● This can also be discussed in order to

suit the aural learning preferences.

● Provides the opportunity for the

learners to include their own notes on

the sheet.

● Can be performed individually and in

groups. Therefore it provides a chance

for individual learning as well as ability

of team work in a group.

ID guides ● Supports the preferences of visual

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learning.

● Different ID guides meet different

learning needs in accordance to its

design.

● Extra time for individual learning can

be provided.

The natural environment ● More interesting to suit the learners

who find the classroom learning tedious

and boring

● Increase the concentration of the

learners facing issues regarding

concentrating in a confined classroom.

● Suits a range of learning preferences

● Provides a new learning experience to

the learners.

Community resources ● Enriches learning experience of the

students

● Builds the ability to learn via listening

activities

● Enhances practical knowledge of the

students.

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Principles of resource designLearning resource design is a design of learning experience. The primary purpose of resource

designing is to support a particular learning goal or objective or in order o address a defined

challenge or problem in a particular learning environment (Beetham and Sharpe, 2013). Effective

learning design is a result of productive collaboration among the content experts, learning

practitioners and learners. Learning resource designing is guided by few principles and they are;

● Respect

The prime motif of this principle is to honour the intention, experience and expertise of the

teacher and help one to achieve the goals by leveraging used learning resources.

● Iteration

It primarily indicates small step development along with early and frequent feedbacks. This is

necessary in order t provide a resource design that supports in achieving the goals.

● Collaboration

Collaboration is supported through clear roles, documentation and decision making principles.

● Efficiency and effectiveness

In order to learn from the resources in is important to develop focus along with that provide the

learners with usable resources as quickly as possible.

● Sustainability

Sustainability of any learning design or project is dependent on the consideration.

Usage of theories, principle and models of inclusive curriculum design in

informing resource developmentAccording to Dale’s Cone of Learning, it has been proved that the learners retain more

information by doing or performing an activity rather than hearing, reading or observing. For

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outdoor practitioners it is important to incorporate the moot principles of this theory as it

facilitates the process of providing several opportunities for the outdoor learners to participate in

various activities in order to increase their practical learning through ‘doing’ rather than reading

and hearing (Prosser and Trigwell, 1999). For examples, learners can read or have a basic

knowledge of habitats but it is important for their lifelong learning to experience the habitat and

it helps in retaining their knowledge and also invokes their curious spirit. Experiencing a habitat

like woodland and participating in the learning experiences and activities that are associated with

the specific habitat can result in long lasting remembrance of the particular lesson. The following

figure helps in understanding the effectiveness on Dale’s Cone of Learning and Experience.

Figure 1: Cone of Learning

Source: (Savery, 2015)

The teaching and learning cycle is consisted of identifying learning needs of the students, plan

and designing the lesson, delivering, assess and evaluation. The theory of Inclusive Curriculum

as defined by John Kerr is all the learning processes which are planned and guided by any

educational institutions whether it is carried on in groups or individually and it can be applied to

both inside and outside the institution (Savery, 2015). Curriculum theory is considered to be

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successful approach in the light of Aristotle’s influential classification of knowledge into three

different disciplines, which are the theoretical, the practical and the productive.

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Figure 2: different disciplines

Source: (self developed)

In higher education the term curriculum and programme are used interchangeably and it is used

in order to indicate the following:

● The structure and content of a unit or a subject

● The structure and content of a programme of a study

● The experience of the students of learning

● A dynamic and interactive process of learning and teaching

Sources of resource developmentIn a particular or specialized area in order to inform resource development, it is important to

evaluate the sources that are associated with resource development (Savery, 2015). The first step

of the process is to identify the sources.

Identification of resources

● Awarding body

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Syllabus Process Product

Praxis

● Industry

● Colleagues

● Institutional

● Online teaching resources

Criteria for evaluating the resourcesLearning resources can be evaluated using the technique CRAAP which indicates currency,

relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose (Lage, Platt and Treglia, 2000).

This is an effective technique as it provides a scope for necessary evaluation of the learning

resources. It is important to analyze the timeliness of a particular information in order to provide

current and revised information to the learners (César and Santos, 2006). Te next step is to

evaluate the relevance of the information. As there are many learning resources and they often

vary from one other, it is important to analyze the relevance of the resource along with the source

of the information. After the authority it is important to judge the accuracy of the information in

order to understand the reliability, correctness and truthfulness of the content. The last step is to

understand the purpose of the information that indicates the reason behind the existence of the

information.

Designing resources In order to design a learning resource it is important to consider the curriculum, ID framework

and the technological specifications. In order to understand the design of the learning resource

used in the teaching process following table has been provided.

Climate Identification

of the learners

Assessment style Learning tasks Instructional

strategies

● Inclusive ● learnin ● traditiona ● group ● cooperativ

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● Stimulatin

g

● Challengin

g

● Complex

● questionin

g

g styles

● thinkin

g styles

of the

student

s

l

assessme

nt style

● authentic

assessme

nt

● assessme

nt based

on

learning

needs of

the

learners

activities

● pairing

activities

● presentatio

n

● small

groups

● individual

tasks

e learning

● culturally

relevant

and

responsiv

e

● responsiv

e to the

learning

styles of

the

individual

s

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The following figure presents the designing process of the learning resource for a particular

learning material.

Figure 3: development of resource

Source: (self generated)

Employment of resourcesOne of the most effective learning resource that can help in enhancing the classroom learning

experience of the students is incorporating multimedia resources (Lacey, 2001). In the classroom

teaching employing a particular learning resource needs to be done carefully in accordance with

the identified learning needs of the students. Employing this particular resource in the classroom

learning activity suits with the learning needs of the maximum learners and it has following

advantages in the learning of the students:

● It is flexible and easily adaptable by the learners and most of the learners have gained

advantage of this learning resource.

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● It provides the students with multi-sensory experience

● It connects the learners and increases the possibility of the learners and the teachers.

Ways of adapting resources to enable inclusive approachInclusive teaching and learning indicate towards the modes of learning and teaching which are

designed in order to actively engage and include the students in the classroom activities. In order

to enable inclusive approach following learning resources can b adapted.

● Including diverse content, materials and ideas in the lectures and classroom discussions

especially incorporating various examples, socio-cultural contexts and images (Lacey,

2001).

● Selecting topics and materials that enhances the group work which helps in building

active cooperation and communication in the classroom (Brooks et al, 2010).

● Modelling openness in classroom discussion is also important. It is also helpful in

broadening the knowledge of the teacher.

● Encourage students to question and motivate them in order to broaden their domain of

knowledge.

● Establishing a learning environment that is inclusive and full of collaboration.

Reflection of my practiceAs far as my teaching practice is concerned, in my practice active use and employment of

multimedia resources in the classroom activity has increased my possibility to capture the

attention of the students. Along with that, I have also emphasized on the outdoor learning

process which has widened the scope for including natural environment as one of the best

learning resources.

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Based on the reaction of the students and their feedbacks i have identified my strengths and

weakness in developing and using learning resources which has been illustrated in the following

table.

strengths Weakness

● Identifying useful resources

● Evaluating the validity of information

based on the origin of the resource

● Understanding the application of a

particular resource design

● Identifying the learning needs of the

students and employing resources

accordingly

● Interacting effortlessly with the

students

● Using current technology in employing

multimedia resources in the classroom.

ConclusionIn the light of the above report various learning designs that have been used in the teaching

process have been evaluated which has helped in the understanding of my own strengths and

weakness as a teacher.

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