Benefits And Challenges Of Independent Learning Report

Inroduction

In the following report the principles, benefits and challenges of independent learning will be discussed.

1.1 A classroom environment is very diverse. There are learners with different types of intelligences, cultural, social and personal backgrounds and learners with specific learning difficulties. It is important that a teacher recognize these needs and plan her teaching strategies in meeting with the learning objectives. This is where creativity and innovation enters; it is the ability to think beyond the obvious. Creativity is where deep learning is nurtured. It is an outcome or an idea that has to be practical, unique but most importantly enjoyable in the classroom.

Contrary to belief and according to Gestalt’s theory

It is not a personal choice made by teachers, but rather the inevitable truth. The scheme of work that is required to complete, marking of books, preparing students for unit tests along with term tests and allocating time for the extracurricular activities organised by the school – education itself has unfortunately turned into a rat race. Students too are often dependent on the teacher during the lesson. In those instances, a teacher must provide proper instructions and guidance for the students. This will enable them to do their work independently. The learning environment too needs to be accommodated. It should be learner friendly with plenty of light and ventilation throughout the classroom. An untidy, unclean classroom does not reflect a good learning environment just as a strict and an unfriendly approach by the teacher. In order to promote independent learning, the teachers must prepare a classroom environment that is conducive for the learners. The proper resources, clear instructions and guidance, sufficient feedback and appropriate assessment methods must be inculcated within the lesson. However, the learners lack confidence in their own abilities, afraid to make mistakes and learn from them, inability to prioritise the workload, focussing on the end-result and not on the journey takes a set back. When students rely on a more teacher centred approach they do not think learning can take place

It is important that a teacher gain her students ' attention and provide clear instructions at the beginning of the lesson. I found this quite helpful when allocating individual or group work. The students were able to make the lesson their own. I tried my best to encourage learning from peers and forwarded student questions back to the students. This enabled students to share their knowledge, agree and disagree with each other while learning to respect the ideas of their classmates. These are lifelong skills, which will be beneficial to