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4.7 Teaching and learning concepts: action-oriented

Like the instructionist concept described in → Text 4.6, the action-oriented teaching and learning concept assumes that knowledge transmission is the primary goal of the learning situation. Unlike the instructionist concept, the action-oriented concept recognizes that knowledge acquisition is more effective, more sustained and more multi-dimensional when pure instruction is complemented by forms of learning in which the learner becomes active within a framework defined by the person teaching rather than only listening (and perhaps taking notes). People familiar with modern schools will recognize the example of classroom “learning stations” that address a specific theme or themes: at learning stations, children can work individually or in groups to solve, experiment, research and relate in practice to a part of an assignment. If one were to apply action-oriented teaching and learning concepts in the fictional music mediation example described in → Text 4.6, the result might be workshops supplementing the concert/film events, in which participants created scores for video sequences using self-composed or sampled sounds and experimented with how different sound atmospheres affected the perception of video images. Or, a (digital or analogue) game might be set up in the foyer, encouraging people to engage in planning and decision-making processes independently, which would illustrate the risks and tactics of life as a independent composer in 20th century Western Europe. As these examples suggest, an action-oriented teaching and learning concept can involve methodological and social learning subject matters as well as knowledge transfer.