This exploratory study by Shaofu Huang examines participatory learning and authentic pedagogy through a multi-site case study involving classroom observations and surveys in two secondary schools in England. Findings indicate that authentic pedagogy is characterized by learner agency, self-authorship, and the integration of external resources, highlighting differences in pedagogical approaches between the two schools. The research also identifies a newly developed Authentic Learning Scale that assesses student perceptions of authenticity in classroom settings.

1. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF !
PARTICIPATORY LEARNING AND !
AUTHENTIC PEDAGOGY
Shaofu Huang
PhD student
Centre for Systems Learning and Leadership
Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol
shaofutw@gmail.com
!1

2. Introduction
• The researcher
• The theoretical framework
• Research design and the data
• Preliminary findings
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3. Theoretical Framework
!3

4. Authenticity
• Authenticity is sometime linked with real life
context, like its meaning in "authentic
assessment"
• In describing learning and learner, however,
authenticity is more appropriately to be
understood as self authorship
!4

5. Authenticity
"I am my possibilities of being. To
exist authentically is in some sense
to choose these possibilities.……
My possibilities of being are
possibilities of my being but when I
am existing inauthentically they are
… determined not by me but by
the One"
"Authentic existence is not the
annihilation of the One-self but a
modification of the One-self."
!5

6. Authentic Pedagogy
Learning Futures !
(2008-2011)!
England
Ladwig &King (2003)
Fred Newmann (1996)! Quality Teaching!
Authentic Pedagogy! New South Wales
Wisconsin
Teaching for Effective Learning!
(2009~)!
South Australia
!6

7. Wisconsin
team Social support for Higher order thinking Connectedness beyond
student achievement the classroom
Depth of knowledge Substantive conversation
Engagement Inclusivity Deep understanding Meta language for Problematic
knowledge knowledge
teaching
Quality
Student’s self- Background knowledge Student direction
regulation Explicit quality High
Cultural knowledge Knowledge integration criteria expectations
Narrative
Develop democratic Connect learning to students'
Foster deep understanding
relationships Negotiate learning lives and aspirations
and skillful action
Build a community
TfEL
Explore the construction Apply and assess learning Communicate learning in
of learners in authentic contexts multiple modes
of knowledge
Teach
students how to Promote dialogue as a Build on learner's Challenge students to achieve high
means of learning understandings standards with appropriate support
Learning
Futures
School as Learning Enquiry-based School as Extended learning
commons learning 'base camp' relationship
!7

8. Authentic Authentic Authentic!
Learner Knowledge Learning Context
Social support for Higher order Substantive Connectedness beyond
Depth of
student achievement thinking conversation the classroom
knowledge
Deep
Engagement Student direction Problematic
Background understanding
knowledge
knowledge
Student’s self- Cultural Explicit quality
regulation knowledge criteria High
Narrative expectations
Knowledge
Inclusivity
Meta language for knowledge integration Connect learning to students'
lives and aspirations
Develop democratic Foster deep understanding
relationships and skillful action Negotiate Communicate learning in
learning multiple modes
Build a community Explore the construction
of learners of knowledge Apply and assess learning
Promote dialogue as a in authentic contexts
Teach means of learning
students how to Challenge students to achieve high
Build on learner's standards with appropriate support
understandings
School as Learning
School as Extended learning
commons Enquiry-based
'base camp' relationship
learning
!8

9. These three types of qualities of authentic
pedagogy are interdependent to each
others and are in inside-outside layers
Authentic!
Learning Context
Authentic
Knowledge
Authentic
Learner
!9 Shaofu Huang © 2012

10. FRAMEWORKS THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND
AND WORK ON LEARNER AGENCY
Identity
Self efficacy
to be
Deakin Crick, R., Broadfoot, P. & Claxton,
G., 2004. Developing an Effective continued......
Lifelong Learning Inventory: the ELLI
Project. Assessment in Education:
Principles, Policy & Practice, 11, pp.247–
272.!
!10

11. FRAMEWORKS THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND AND
WORK ON AUTHENTIC KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION
Applying
Practical Validating
Narrating
Mapping
Propositional Questioning
Choosing to be
Describing continued......
Presentational
Incorporating Connecting
Experiential
Deakin Crick, R., 2009. Inquiry-
based learning: Reconciling the
personal with the public in a
Four ways of knowing democratic and archaeological
pedagogy. The Curriculum Journal,
Heron, J. & Reason, P., 1997. A 20, pp.73–91. !
Participatory Inquiry Paradigm.
Qualitative Inquiry, 3, pp.274–294. !
Participatory Knowledge Construction
!11

12. ASPECTS TO BE CONSIDERED ABOUT
AUTHENTIC LEARNING CONTEXT
Purposes of
learning
Authentic
Pedagogical reaction from
relationships complex
systems
Authentic
to be
criteria of
continued......
success
Count in
experiential
knowing
!12

13. Research Design and the Data
!13

14. RESEARCH METHOD OVERVIEW
A multi-site mixed-method case study, involving four
classes in two secondary schools in north England!
!
Qualitative approach!
• Classroom observations!
• Teacher’s teaching plans!
• Teacher and student interviews!
!
Quantitative approach!
• Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (learning power,
n=400, pre & post)!
• Me and My School survey (school engagement, n=400,
pre & post)!
• Authentic Pedagogy Practices Survey (n=210, post only)!
!14

15. SAMPLE PAGE OF THE A.P.P.S. QUESTIONNAIRE
Designed for more timely feedbacks for teacher's practice
!15 Shaofu Huang © 2012

16. DATA STRUCTURE
School A School B
Year 7 Year 7
ELLI &Engagement n=286 ELLI &Engagement n=149
A science course
A subject independent course
APPS n=71
APPS n=139
An applied art course Teaching plan
Teaching plan Teaching interviews
Teaching interviews
Student interview n=3
Student interview n=3
Classroom observation
Classroom observation
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17. Preliminary Findings
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18. TWO EXAMPLES OF AUTHENTIC PEDAGOGY
IDENTIFIED FROM OBSERVATIONS
Scenario A Scenario B
• Learning was structured well and • Learning started with an situation
introducing up-to-date knowledge designed by teachers!
and technology!
• Each student enquired into a
• Students planned and learned about relevant topic chosen by him/
a given topic.! herself!
• Had regular reflection time using • Had lessons about learning power
meta-language for learning! and transactional analysis!
• Assessment criteria was made • Students designed and
explicit from the beginning and demonstrated their achievement to
throughout.! people outside of class/school!
• Students were invited to vote on • Learning processes flowed with
other’s work according to the given student-teacher interactions
criteria
!18

19. FEATURES SHARED BY BOTH SCHOOLS!
REVEALED FROM THE APPS
• Teacher-led and classroom-based learning aiming
at deep understanding.
• High expectation expressed and learner’s active
role recognised.
• Long-term and application-oriented purposes of
learning were less explored.
• External resources, e.g., experts and stakeholders
of the learning subjects, were limitedly exploited.
!19

20. VARIATIONS FOUND IN EACH SCHOOL
School A School B
teacher’s instruction and the prescribed criteria
prescribed assessment were considered less
criteria both played important while learners
important roles and there were encouraged to
was a strong problem- make decisions for their
solving orientation. learning and family and
community were more
recognisable as learning
resources.
!20

21. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOUND IN !
12 APPS ITEMS BETWEEN SCHOOLS
School A valued more on:
• I followed my teacher's instructions. (item 2)!
• I had a good understanding of what I was expected to do. (item 10)!
• I focused on the assessment criteria to get a good grade. (item 11)!
• Other students. (item 17)!
• My class teacher or tutor. (Item 18)
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22. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOUND IN !
12 APPS ITEMS BETWEEN SCHOOLS
School B valued more on:
• I helped my teacher to understand what I was learning. (item 8)!
• I chose the topic that I was going to learn about. (item 12)!
• People outside my school who were involved in things I was learning
about. (item 13)!
• Members of my family or other people in my community. (item 16)!
• To discover stories about what I was learning. (item 24)!
• To explain what I learned in my own words. (item 27)!
• Because it has prepared me for the next stage in my learning. (item 31)
!22

23. WHAT’S WORLD VIEWS OF A SCHOOL
REVEALED IN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE?
Expert-led model Participatory model
!23 Shaofu Huang © 2012

24. AN AUTHENTIC LEARNING SCALE WAS
FORMED WITH 25 APPS ITEMS
sample items sample reverse items
• I made use of my own experiences and • I concentrated on the learning task the teacher set
stories.! for us.!
• I helped my teacher to understand what I • I followed my teacher's instructions.!
was learning.!
• I had a good understanding of what I was
• I chose the topic that I was going to learn expected to do.!
about.!
• I focused on the assessment criteria to get a good
• Members of my family or other people in my grade.!
community are important in my learning.!
• Other students are important in my learning.!
• To find out why things I was learning matter
to me in my life.! • My class teacher or tutor is important in my
learning.!
• It has prepared me for the next stage in my
learning.! • To remember all the facts and information.!
• It helped me make changes in places that • To finish my end product to a high standard.
matter to me.
!24 Shaofu Huang © 2012

25. THE AUTHENTIC LEARNING SCALE (A.L.S.)
As an indicator of personal perception:
• about 9% of A.L.S. was explained by ethnicity that white
students perceived more authenticity
As an indicator of classroom pedagogy:
• about 20% was explained by percentage of white students in
the class (more white students, less authenticity) *Note that being
white was strongly linked with lower school engagement
• about 12% was explained by percentage of female students
(more girls, more authenticity)
These are rather observations than predictions, because of the small sample size
!25

26. A.L.S. AND SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT
Class mean of the perceived authenticity (A.L.S.) in a single
course (four periods per week) also had slight but positive
effect on the following scales regarding participant's overall
experience in the school:
• changing and learning
• meaning making
• school engagement (MMS)
• engagement with learning beyond the school (LF)
These are rather observations than predictions, because of the small sample size
!26

27. These are rather observations than predictions, because of the small sample size
!27

28. These are rather observations than predictions, because of the small sample size
!28

29. FURTHER ANALYSIS ON A.P.P.S. DATA
• To further examine the interwoven
relationships between ALS, engagement,
gender and ethnicity. (using structural
equation modelling
• To explore in more detail about the
constitution of ALS (and adjust the scale or
items if that is useful)
!29