Higher Education Research

Good teaching can be understood in different dimensions. However, what matters is one’s conceptualization of what good teaching entails. The conceptualization further depends on the strategies used in teaching. Prosser and Trigwell have coined two strategies of teaching which include teacher-focused and student-focused teaching strategies. The three theories of teaching postulated by Biggs demonstrate the assumptions underlying the teaching process in terms of what learning is considered to be. Good teaching and the teaching theories relate in different ways as seen herein.

In Prosser and Trigwell’s teaching strategies, he explains that the teacher-focused strategy lays emphasis on the transmission of knowledge to the student through the teacher. The teacher is considered the vessel of transmission with the student only obligated to receive the knowledge passed. In this strategy, focus is on what the teacher does. On the other hand, the student-focused teaching strategy lays emphasis on the students’ efforts to learn/ obtain knowledge. The teacher is only considered an aid to students’ quest of acquiring knowledge. Focus is on bringing change on the student’s conception of the world.

The first assumption postulated by Biggs is that learning is primarily considered as a direct result of individual differences between students. This assumption is similar to Prosser and Trigwell’s teacher based teaching strategy. The similarity lies in the fact that both consider the teacher as a transmission channel in which case the student is only meant to listen to the teacher, take notes and adhere to any instructions provided for the purpose of teaching. However, there lies a difference between the two in the sense that Biggs has expounded and brought the aspect of student ability classifying them as good and poor students.

Biggs holds teaching constant with the students’ abilities acting as the variable factors; he explains that student’s inability to learn is attributed to the student’s ability, attitude, skill and motivation to learn. The second assumption of Biggs which focuses on what the teacher does is also similar to Prosser and Trigwell’s teacher-focused strategy since both lay emphases on the teacher. The difference however lies on the fact that Biggs explains that the learning process is defined by the manner in which the student conducts the learning process which could be in terms of curriculum and the method of teaching. It requires more than the chalk and board method of teaching. Teachers are further considered as administrators and the blame is usually put on them.

The third assumption of Biggs is similar to the Prosser and Trigwell’s student-focused teaching strategy in the sense that the learning process is conceived beyond what the teacher does. In fact, the emphasis lies on the student’s activity in response to learning. The questions considered are whether the concepts and principles transmitted by the teacher are grasped as expected. This student centered approach departs from the others in the sense that the most important aspect is on what the students do rather than on what the teachers do. Most importantly considered are the teaching and learning activities that the students require achieve their learning objectives.

It is paramount understand that for the teaching process to be a success, both the teacher and the students play a vital role. The teacher’s fundamental task is to engage students in learning activities whereas the student should engage in an active problem based learning as opposed to a passive and standard lecture mode of learning.