Modelling learning, unlearning and relearning in large classes

Claire Blackman, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, UCT

Presentation at the SANRC First Year Experience (FYE) conference, Johannesburg 24- – 26 May 2017

Context: Claire teachers first year commerce students who do not necessarily want to do maths.

Alvin Toffler quote: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Change is a way of life but adapting to change is hard and people are not very good at it. We have to learn how to learn and relearn and unlearn.

How I teach is more important than the content.

The world needs people who own and learn from their mistakes and think before responding.

Two useful models:

1. Krathwohl’s taxonomy (published by Bloom) for thinking about the individual
2. Group therapy to get students in an emotional comfortable space

Krathwohl’s taxonomy of the affective domain can help to see if students are learning

https://za.pinterest.com/source/dynamicflight.com

5. Living (Integrating values into life)
6. Organising
7. Valuing
8. Responding
9. Receiving

A group analytic framework

• Environment (psychological structure, class boundaries)
  • Students and teachers need to feel safe
• Process (how is the class run)
• Content
  • Maths
  • Tools for dealing with fear and uncertainty e.g.