Megan Brown Theory Review

Megan Brown

Theory Review

EDAC 635

10/1/2017

Table 1: Student name and comments

Student Name	Commented on
Megan Brown	Nic Spangle

                                                               Introduction 
     “Formal education tries to convince us to learn alone, when during the rest of our life we actually learn in relationship” (Mackeracher, 2004, p.152). Relationships in learning are an important theory to address as they can have a positive or negative impact on the ability to learn. According to the text, relationship has three distinct meanings in this context:

1.     How knowledge from past experiences connects to current learning

2.     The learner’s need to establish a sense of belonging within the environment by developing connections to other learners and the facilitator (Kidd, 1960).

3.     The learner-facilitator relationship being the primary context within which learning occurs (Mackeracher, 2004).

Conclusions drawn in several studies show that the relationship a learner has to their environment, themselves, their peer learners, and their facilitator can have an impact on the degree of learning that occurs. These relationships are important in learning during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; it is not imperative to just one age range. Positive relationships, whether they be to the self, the facilitators, or the peer learners, are all key to a successful learning experience.

Themes

Facilitator-Learner Relationships

            Facilitator-learner relationships are a major theory to address when examining relationship in learning. In a study conducted with physiotherapy students and their perceptions of their clinical educators (CE’s) having the dual role of assessor, the importance of the CE to student relationship was resoundingly important. CEs are there to mentor the student, and encourage them to dive deeper to feel personal meaning in their learning. “Students identify relationships with their CE as critical to the success of their learning experience” (Miller, 2012). When the CE switched roles to becoming an assessor of the student, the relationship dynamic changed. Some students expressed a feeling of distrust, as they felt their CE had a different take on the experience while being a CE versus being an assessor. They felt afraid to admit any weaknesses present or limitations due to the subjectivity that may arise. Other students expressed that they prefer the same assessor as CE, as it helped to reduce their anxiety and they felt more prepared for their assessments. They also felt it helped them to develop a more strategic approach to their learning, as they knew what their CE would expect, and they could expect the same expectations during their assessment. Across the board, whether the students preferred the same CE as assessor, or different, the results showed that CEs are put in place to help with the learning process. The relationship that is built between learner and clinical educator are pivotal to encouraging the learner to engage in activity throughout the learning process (Delaney, Bragge 2009).

         Examining the facilitator-learner relationships through an adult lens is important, but it is also imperative to view how these relationships might change a student’s first experience in an educational setting in their earlier years of life. “Learning and relationships are integrally intertwined and are pivotal to the success of schools, teachers, and students.” (Bernstein-Yamashiro, 2013). Students expressed that their instructors getting to know them and creating a classroom of personalization was important to their success in the classroom. They discussed that their teacher developing a relationship with them can help to increase their motivation and personal investment in the course, because they want to do well for their teacher. Even students who felt they had a positive self-concept expressed that if they feel a positive connection to their teacher, they will feel more comfortable which increases the likelihood that they take risks in the classroom. 

Learner-Learner Relationships

            Gergen said, “Learning is social and does not take place in isolation”  (as cited in Ticknor, Cavendish, 2015). Facilitator-learner relationships are important to the learning process, but the relationships a learner develops with other learners is important as well. A study conducted among four pre-service teachers discussed that collaboration both with mentors and classmates was key to the learning process. If students were able to discuss their experiences in a classroom discussion, they then would be able to understand effective literacy strategies. “Bonded relationships” or relationships that are solidified in nature, help to provide the support that is necessary for the learners to build their confidence.

            In a workplace environment, the learner-learner relationship can become important when a learner feels they have no mentor to assist him or her. When a pre-service vocational teacher had an absent mentor, they were able to collaborate with other new teachers in their building. This allowed them to learn from each other and develop both formal and informal learning experiences during their discussions. The learner in this study who was provided with no mentor at all and felt they had no one to collaborate with, had a strong feeling of wanting to leave the profession. The main reason for deciding to stick it out had to do with the students she was teaching, not because she felt she had the support system in place to be successful.

Learner-Self System Relationship

            Whether a learner is relational in their self-system or autonomous in their self-system can also have an impact on their relationship to the learning experience. A learner who is more autonomous in nature is going to naturally focus on independence and collaborate less with other learners. A learner who is relational in their learning style is going to want to discuss and build relationships with other learners throughout the learning process. The text identified a few key differences between learners who are autonomous in their self –system and learners who are relational in their self-system, and the differences they encompass may help to explain how each person varies in their relationship to the learning experience and content. Women tend to be relational learners, while men tend to be autonomous leaners. This may mean that the relationship women have with their facilitator and peers is slightly more important to their success in learning than it is for a man who may be an autonomous learner. Relational learners tend to see themselves “through interactive relationships with others” while autonomous learners tend to see themselves “through seeing self as if through the eyes of another” (Mackeracher, 2009). The relationship that the autonomous learner has between their self and others is based on “rapport-talk”, which is a “means for establishing connections and negotiating relationships.” (Mackeracher, 2004, p. 155). The relationship that autonomous learners may have between themselves and other is based more on report talk, which is “a means for preserving independence and for negotiating and maintaining status in a hierarchical social order” (Mackeracher, 2004, p. 155). Based on this information, the relational learner may ultimately depend more on their relationships in learning than the autonomous learner.

Application of Theoretical Points

            When analyzing the theories that apply to relationships in learning, it is important that a facilitator understands and is able to implement these theories in their teaching settings. The facilitator-learner relationship may be the most in their control, as they are a factor in that theory. The facilitator must be sure to remain consistent in their relationship with the learner. They need to be a support for the learner and encourage them to dive deeper in their learning experience. Understanding exactly what the learner hopes to achieve by the ending of the learning experience may help in the building of this relationship. Facilitators need to show that they care about each individual student and their success, as students will be more invested in the learning experience if they feel their facilitator genuinely cares about them. Assisting students in the reflection process may also help to build the facilitator-learner relationship as the facilitator assists the learner in breaking down what they have learned.

            Learner-learner relationships can be encouraged in the learning setting by making sure each learner has someone they can turn to for encouragement and support that is a peer. Pairing or grouping students up for activities often can help develop these relationships. It is important that the facilitators not force these relationships upon the students, but encourage them to develop as some students highly depend on their learner-learner relationships on the learning experience.

            A facilitator has no control over whether their learners have an autonomous self-system or relational self-system, however they can adapt the learning environment to cater to both of these styles. Providing a variety of activities that involve both independent and group work may address the needs of both of these learners. Giving options may also help, as then students can decide if they want to work with other’s to help them learn the material or if they prefer to just depend on themselves. Each of these self-systems view learning through a different lens, however neither one is correct or incorrect. Understanding that each learner is going to tackle their learning experience in a different way because of their self-system may greatly assist a facilitator in encouraging the appropriate types of relationships in their classroom.

Reflection

            Relationships in learning are an interesting topic to explore because they can really alter the learning experience in a significant manner. The more positive the relationship between the facilitator, other learners, and the self, it seems the more successful a learner will be. The common trend between articles I researched was that those students who had positive relationships with their facilitators, felt more invested in the content and therefore were more motivated to learn. I found it easier to find research on learner-facilitator relationships than any other type of relationship in the learning experience.

            I completed the process for this assignment by first brainstorming they key points I wanted to focus on with relationship in learning, because there are really a lot of different relationships to be explored. Once I determined that, I began completing my research and finding articles that were relevant to my topic. I pulled out key points from each article, and then began writing. I was slightly confused on the idea of completing a table for my paper, so that was actually the last part I completed, when in reality, it should have been the first. I should have paid closer attention to the instructions, and I may have not missed that part to begin with. 

Table 2: Summary of main ideas

Good ideas from the articles/book	My understanding of these ideas	Specific ideas from readings to back up my understanding of ideas	Implications/applications (What we can do to support adult learning based on my understanding)
1. The relationship between a learner and the facilitator are important to the learning process.	Learners who have positive relationship with their facilitator often have a more positive learning experience.	Pre-service teachers and medical personnel expressed having a more positive and successful learning experience when they had a positive, successful relationship with their facilitator. The same was found for adolescent to facilitator relationships.	Be sure to establish relationships with learners from the start. Determine their starting points and where they would like to end up. Make an effort to get to know them on a personal level and show that you care and want them to succeed.
2. The relationship between learners is important to the learning process.	Learners who have positive relationships amongst their peers typically have a more positive learning experience.	Newer teachers who developed positive relationships with other newer teachers expressed having an overall more successful learning experience while on the job.	Help learners to develop relationships with their peers by providing activities and learning experiences that allow them to cooperate and work together.
3. Each person has a different “self-system” that may impact that way they develop relationships and the importance of these relationships to their learning process.	Relational self-systems will depend more on their relationships with others during the learning process, while those who are autonomous will depend more on the self.	The text explains that autonomous learners depend more on the self in the learning process whereas relational learners depend more on their relationships.	Determine whether the learner is autonomous or relational in their self-system in order to better support them in their learning experiences.

                                                     

References

Bernstein, Y.B. 2013. Relationships, learning, and development: a student perspective.

           New Directions for Youth Development. 2013 (137) , 27-44.

Delaney, C., Bragge, P. 2009. A study of physiotherapy students’ and clinical
educators’ perceptions of learning and teaching. Medical Teacher. 31 (9), 402-

411.

Ernstzen, D., Louw, A., Meyer, S. I. 2017. Physiotherapy students’ perceptions of the

dual role of the clinical educator as mentor and assessor: Influence on the teaching-learning relationship. South African Journal of Physiotherapy. Retrieved from:   http://www.sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/349/459

Goh, A. Y. 2013. The significance of social relationships in learning to become a  

vocational and     technical education teacher: a case study of three individuals. Studies in Continuing Education. 35 (3), 366-379.

Mackeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning. University of Toronto Press.

Ticknor, A.S., Cavendish, L.M. (2015) Bonded relationships: supporting pre-service

teachers to develop confidence and competency as elementary literacy educators. Teacher Development. Retrieved from: file:///Users/Megan/Downloads/Bonded%20Relationships,%20PUBLISHED.pdf