Lyndon Thompson

2 Slack Cottages
Barkisland.
Halifax.
C&G 7307 Assignment Level 1 BARRIERS TO LEARNING
HX40DS. 01422 822237 mail@lyndonthompson.co.uk E105220

Question: Identify three barriers to learning in your specialized subject and explain how as a tutor, you could help
students overcome them.

Answer: The subject I have chosen here is computer programming. There is one obvious barrier, not having the
aptitude or ability. It is often said that a programmer needs to be a certain sort of person and I think this is
true in about 75% of cases. Some people certainly seem to take to it easier than others and are able to
progress far quicker but this can be said of a lot of professions, pilots for example have to have a high
threshold for excitement. To identify prospective programmers in the community, a test was designed called
7+-3. This concluded, after a lot of research, that the average amount of numbers someone could remember
was 7 and that the majority of people (98%) came within + or – 3 of 7. The 1% who could remember 10 or
more, the report decided, had the right mental attitude to be a programmer. The above statements all fail to
consider motivation and sheer effort to get where you want. The teacher however, can’t really do anything
about natural ability and it is unlikely they will get one of the 1% joining their class so I will examine issues a
teacher may be able to address.

The three barriers I have chosen are:

 Not being able to practice.

 Over confidence.
 Fear of Computers.

Not being able to practice.

College administrators and examiners may disagree but I do not think that computer programming can be
mastered to any degree in the classroom and I think to plan lessons or courses around the idea that it can is
foolish. I have two justifications for this outrageous statement.

1. There isn’t enough time. Practice is the key, discovering what happens when you change this or
that and writing small programs which mean something to you. All this takes time and there simply
isn’t enough of it to learn properly on a short course. The theory may be taught in a lesson but I for
one, cannot learn from theory.
2. It is almost impossible to concentrate in a class room environment. There are too many
distractions, discussions or tutorials and it is simply just not possible to focus. It is not just me that
thinks this but most people.

The first solution I have chosen is to ensure that class time is spent usefully. Instead of a “free for all” with
different people doing different things at different times, have defined lectures, question sessions and silent
practice periods.

The second solution is to ensure where possible that students have the opportunity to practice out of class
time whether on library facilities or at home. Some students may not have appropriate software but this
could be provided by the tutor legally, from the many slightly older versions freely available. The student
needs a compiler, not cutting edge technology. Programming does not need a fast computer and many
compilers will run on 486’s with Win9X O/S’s. They are not much use for anything else and there may be
computers students could loan from ex-college stock.

To summarize here then, the teacher can try to ensure students have the opportunity to practice out of class
time.

Fear of Computers

Learned helplessness can be a factor with some people. They can’t use computers and that’s it; believe me
I have seen it, especially with email. My son is three and he can turn on a computer and check email. Whilst
ideally students should be able to use the basic functions such as file saving and editing, this should not be
a disqualifying factor provided they are willing to learn.

A solution could to this problem would have to be tailored to suit the individual. Additional lessons could be
arranged on behalf of the student or an optional workshop could be arranged. Alternatively students may
prefer to use the “teach yourself” books or multimedia techniques available in the library.

Over confidence

1
I have chosen this barrier in direct contrast to the previous one and as strange as it may seem, it occurs
quite often. Computer users can often find a piece of software which enables them to do more or less what
they want. Today’s products are intuitive, have a common interface and are generally efficient in the steps
required to accomplish a task. The quality of software available belies the amount of work which is required
to produce it. Low level languages require around 10 lines of code to add two numbers and although this
can be accomplished with less than 3 lines in a high level language, the amount of work it takes to produce
even a small program is considerable. This often comes as quite a surprise to some people and to be
honest they are not prepared for the amount of work they have to put in.

I think the best way to solve this is be honest, to tell them that they will have to put in the effort if they are to
get anywhere. Also, by designing small programs which actually do something, it is likely that their interest
can be stimulated. Rather than lots of number crunching, teach them to write for example encryption or
password guessing programs. The newer IDE’s have much more visual appeal than the older DOS based
ones and Windows applications can be programmed easier. Whilst it takes additional effort to learn the IDE,
this may be worthwhile if it means the student will be happier and will stick with the course.