Contract Learning

By:Edgar Rubio

Jon Pratt

Today’s Teacher

• Activity Contracts

Traditional Method

• Teacher determines all of the assignments and assessment tools without any input from the student.

• Teachers give students assignment, quizzes, tests, projects, midterms, and finals.

• We then reward the student for completing the work.

Consequences of Traditional Method

• Although students are rewarded with a grade for their work this method causes a great deal of anxiety, frustration, and drive students to cheat (Warmbrod, 1974).

• Once the student scores poorly on an assignment or assessment there is less motivation for the student to work towards a final grade (example Broward grading).

What is Contract Learning?

• A learning contract is a working agreement between students and teacher concerning how a student will meet specific learning objectives.

• Determine what the student will learn.• Time period for completion.• What he/she will do to meet these objectives. • How he/she will assess their own learning.• How the teacher will assess their learning.

What are Learning Contracts

• Useful tool for self-directed learning.• Should allow for a shared of responsibility of

planning and learning between the student and teacher.

• Allows students to actively participate between start and finish of project or semester.

• Helps students to become intrinsically motivated and responsible for their own learning.

Examples of Contracts

• Learning Contract• Personal Learning Contract• Summer Learning Contract• Elementary contracts• Middle School Learning Contract• High School Contract

Blue- Scope Orange Applications Red-MotivationGreen-Professional Self Purple-Development

Preparing the Social Learning Contract

What it Does for Teachers

• Provides flexibility for teachers to meet the needs of all students.

• Allows students to work at their own ability which will challenge all students.

• Students are not forced into completing tasks since tasks are negotiated between teacher and students

• Students are not doing ‘meaningless’ work.

How to Set Up a Learning Agreement.

• 1.) Write down student goals and some ideas on how to obtain them.

• 2.) Schedule a meeting time with students and parents/advisors at a convenient time.

• 3.) Get student to clearly state their short-term and long-term goals. MAKE THEM BE SPECIFIC AND ENCOURAGE THEM!

How to Set Up a Learning Agreement.

• 4.) Share your own goals for the student and work together to come up with a list of goals.

• 5.) Brainstorm/list ideas for the student to obtain their goals. ALAWAYS ASK THE STUDENT FOR IDEAS FIRST AND THEN SHARE YOUR IDEAS.

• 6.) Create a timeline of deadlines for completing goals. Decide how progress will be assessed.7.) Make two copies and have both you and the student sign each one.

Summary• In summary, learning contracts are useful tools that

encourage students to become active participants in their learning. Education has to be an active rather than passive process. To be active, students must participate in the process of education and become more independent and responsible for their own learning.

• There are many benefits to the use of learning contracts. They provide a way to deal with the wide differences among any group of learners, increase student motivation for learning, facilitate the development of mutual respect between the educator and participants, provide for more individualized mode of instruction, and foster the skills of self-directedness (Knowles, 1986).

Summary

• Our traditional methods of teaching allow students to be passive in their education. They attend classes and the knowledge is presented to them by the instructor. To be active, students must participate in the process of education and become more independent and responsible for their own learning. They must develop the skills of inquiry. The use of learning contracts allows the student to structure their own learning; to be an active participant in the process of education.