Your expectations of learners

In the Step 2.6 you’ve experimented with what initially seemed like a simple task which may have proved to be trickier than expected, and you heard from your fellow learners about what they experienced, as well as may be sharing your own thoughts.

Using what you’ve learnt from the hand writing tasks and transferring the thoughts to the classroom, have a think about the following question and what you expect:

What does a learner need to bring to the learning situation for the learning to be successful?

For example, you expect the learner to:

• have had enough sleep
• be healthy
• have their books
• have respect
• work well with others

It’s amazing to think how much you do need to bring to the learning situation, which you’re hopefully experiencing yourself as you work through this FutureLearn course. In addition to this, you also have to consider things such as personality, as everyone is different. You may find one approach might work for one child but it might not work for another. Children’s interests will vary from each other, their sensory and physical skills will be different, and of course, their home backgrounds and values will be unique to the individual, which will impact their physical and mental condition.

There’s also the added dimension of the anatomical and physiological differences between boys and girls. For example, the wrist bones of a boy are fully formed later than for a girl. This may account for some boys’ apparent lack of interest in writing. Their cognitive approaches may differ as might their approach to learning and life. All this you must appreciate, know and understand to be able to teach children as individuals and as a group.

Generate a short list of your own expectations of learners and post them in the comments below. If you see a list that you agree with, let the learner know by liking or replying to it.