Helping people learn

In this video James Lang introduces the E4J Teaching Guide.

Download this video clip.Video player: jim_lang_-_e4j_teaching_methods.mp4
Copy this transcript to the clipboard
Print this transcript
Show transcript|Hide transcript
 
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Learning principles

There are five core learning principles that can be used to guide the creation of any type of learning environment, from a full traditional university course to a single learning session within a larger context:

Subsequent units of the course will address each of these principles in more detail.

The Modules use innovative interactive teaching methods such as experiential learning and group-based work. These methods keep students engaged, help them develop critical thinking skills and ethical decision-making capabilities, and motivate them to become committed to ongoing ethical improvement. This course allows you to reflect on how you can use these innovative teaching methods in your own teaching.

The Modules are freely available on the E4J website [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . UNODC offers them as open educational resources (OER) to assist lecturers in preparing and delivering university classes on integrity and ethics. Users may visit the E4J website and download and copy the information, documents and materials for non-commercial use.

This ToT course uses material largely drawn from the E4J Teaching Guide and selected E4J modules to provide an accessible and engaging overview of the E4J materials that will increase your confidence and capacity to adapt the resources for the needs of your own students.

How we learn

Described image
Figure 1 Students studying

The past several decades have seen an explosion of new research on how human beings learn. That research has taught us that human beings are, as anthropologist Susan Blum has written, “born to learn” (Blum, 2016, p. 3).

We begin learning in our infancy and can continue to do so throughout our life span. However, while learning comes naturally to us, teaching does not. Indeed, helping another human being to learn turns out to be a very complex challenge, one that has given rise to a rich field of educational theory.

Most university lecturers spend their own student years mastering their disciplinary knowledge, and do not have the opportunity to study that body of educational research. They usually can draw upon their experience as learners, as well as their early experiences as teachers, to develop effective teaching strategies.

However, opportunities to reflect upon the educational process, even after one has gained experience as a teacher, can still prove helpful in developing new ideas or improving one’s existing practice.

Teaching methods

The Modules in this series, and especially the teaching materials and activities that can be found in each of them, align with some core learning principles from educational theory research. These principles help provide a theoretical grounding for the teaching methods recommended in the Modules.

Just as we want students not only to practice ethical behaviour but also to understand the principles that guide such ethical behaviour, we wanted to make explicit the educational principles that provide a foundation for the activities you plan for your students.

Even, if choosing not to use the recommended teaching activities, you can use the learning principles to create and structure learning activities that might be especially appropriate for a particular context.

The E4J Modules on Anti-Corruption, Integrity and Ethics

Reflection on approaches