Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0
I’ve been pondering for a while on how to improve the effectiveness of learning in my classes. Lately, I’ve been reading quite a bit about strategies supported by cognitive psychology1 research, such as spaced learning2 or the benefits of formative assessment3. I think that if I want to get results, it’s not enough to keep these in mind for a single activity; they need to be integrated into the subject I teach. They must be reflected, from the outset, in the teaching program4.
Until now, I’ve structured each teaching unit5 with the aim of working on one or two learning outcomes within it. I think it’s the most comfortable approach for students, as they master the content units sequentially. I always end up integrating them into some practices or projects, and I usually find myself realizing that they don’t remember as well as I’d like everything they should about the previously mastered outcomes.
I teach classes most of the time in an Intermediate Vocational Training Program6, observing that the students’ strategy tends to be more focused on passing than on learning. This clashes head-on with reality, as passing serves no purpose when, at the end of the course, they should be able to successfully perform in a job position.
Therefore, I need a program that has the following characteristics:
- Each learning outcome is worked on for enough time to make a quality formative assessment.
- Content is revisited and expanded upon in successive evaluations enough to apply spaced review.
- Knowledge is tested in different areas to produce meaningful learning7 and increase the likelihood of transfer to a real environment.
I’m going to opt for starting to prepare a spiral teaching program. This means that, instead of working on learning outcomes in isolated blocks, I’m going to pursue them all from the beginning, starting from the basics of each one and climbing steps towards an increasingly complex and holistic understanding.
I believe the Network Services module of 2nd SMR8 is the one that can be most easily adapted to this type of programming, so it will be my starting point in this paradigm shift.
Will you join me?
Want to know more about spaced review? This website explains it spectacularly: How to Remember Anything Forever-ish
Don’t know about formative assessment? This video explains it without explaining it: Austin’s Butterfly
Do you have experience with these types of programs and approaches? Write to me.
PS: The nomenclature used in this entry corresponds to Vocational Training, but what I’m talking about can be applied to other educational stages.
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“Psicología cognitiva” is the Spanish term for cognitive psychology, which studies mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving. ↩︎
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“Aprendizaje espaciado” (spaced learning) is a cognitive learning technique where learning events are spaced out in time to improve retention and memory. ↩︎
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“Evaluación formativa” (formative assessment) is an ongoing process of monitoring student learning to provide continuous feedback and improve both teaching and learning. ↩︎
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“Programación didáctica” refers to a comprehensive educational planning process in Spanish-speaking countries, including curriculum design and instructional strategies. ↩︎
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“Unidad didáctica” (teaching unit) is a structured set of learning activities designed to achieve specific educational goals and objectives. ↩︎
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“Ciclo Formativo de Grado Medio” is a specific level of vocational education in Spain, equivalent to an intermediate-level vocational qualification. ↩︎
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“Aprendizaje significativo” (meaningful learning) is a process that involves connecting new knowledge with existing understanding, emphasizing the student’s active role in learning. ↩︎
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“Servicios en Red de 2ºSMR” refers to a specific networking services module in the second year of a Systems and Networks Maintenance vocational program in Spain. ↩︎
