Approaches to teaching

Jerome Bruner&s;s position is that learning is about &s;internal model making&s; and that this has three modes, namely, the enactive mode, the iconic mode and the symbolic mode. One of various productive ways of promoting student learning beyond the confines of the school is through service learning. Research in the US has indicated that when service learning is explicitly connected to the curriculum by teachers who help students process and draw meaning from their experiences, the effects on cognitive, affective and behavioural development are positive. Silcox and Leek (1997) have identified a variety of service-learning initiatives in other parts of the world aimed at helping students to develop critical thinking skills and express themselves creatively. One of the steps taken to improve the curriculum so that students would be provided with skills to enable them to address real-life situations was the introduction of problem-based learning approaches.