Pedagogical Background

In the ILT project, the development and refinement of pedagogic strategies is considered to be essential in the creation of a sustainable and successful learning environment for our participants. Our educational philosophy is grounded on the belief that the student is at the center of the learning process. This view is in alignment with the Constructivist school of thought, outlined above, which considers that knowledge is not received from outside but rather constructed or interpreted by the learner through engagement with and reflection on his own experiences, perceptions and beliefs. In this view, it is the learner who interacts with objects and events and thereby develops understanding. Furthermore, we believe that learning is a socially-mediated process that leverages the collaborative effort of the group in knowledge construction.

Collaboration

Viewed from the theoretical background outlined above, learning can be defined as a social process that stresses the collaborative effort of a group of learners as a significant source of learning. In recent years the education community has been trying to find ways to encourage children to develop collaborative and creative approaches to learning. This is often seen as being driven by two considerations: first, that the nature of the workplace is radically changing and will require young people able to work in teams and to respond creatively to a rapidly changing world; and second, that learning is increasingly seen to be most effective when learners work creatively together to build shared understanding.

The ILT project fostered collaborative activities in a variety of ways within each class and between classes. This is exemplified in the following sections.

• What is Learning?

• Learning & Assessment

• Assessment For Learning

• Learning Theories

• Learning Preferences

• Reflective Learners