In the SILS field experience each student develops a learning contract, the Field Experience Agreement (FEA). This appendix is intended to clarify the development of the student’s FEA by relating it to learning contract principles.
Why use learning contracts?
One of the most significant findings from research about adult learning (e.g., Alien Tough’s The Adult’s Learning Projects, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, 1971) is that when adults learn something naturally (in contrast to being taught something), they are highly self-directing. Evidence is beginning to accumulate, too, that what adults learn on their own initiative they learn more deeply and permanently than what they learn in formal teaching situations.
The kinds of learning that are for personal development can be planned and carried out by an individual on his/her own terms and with a loose structure. The kinds of learning that have as their purpose improving one’s competence to perform in a job or i a profession must take into account the needs and expectations of organizations, professions and society. Learning contracts provide a means for reconciling the external needs and expectations with the learner’ internal needs and interests.
Furthermore, in traditional education the learning activity is structured by the teacher and the institution. The learner is told what objective he/she is to work toward, what resources he/she is to use and how (and when) he/she is to use them, and how his/her accomplishment of the objectives will be evaluated. This imposed structure conflicts with the adult’s deep psychological need t be self-directing and may induce resistance, apathy or withdrawal. Learning contracts provide a vehicle to make the planning of learning experiences a mutual undertaking between a learner and his/her helper, mentor, teacher and often, peers. By participating in the process of diagnosing the student’s needs, formulating his/her own objective, identifying resources, choosing strategies and evaluating accomplishments, the learner develops a sense of ownership of (and commitment to) the plan.
Finally, in field-based learning, there is a strong possibility that what is to be learned from the experience will be less clear to both the learner and the field supervisor than what work is to be done. The learning contract is a means for making the learning objectives of the field experience clear and explicit for both the learner and the field supervisor.
How do you develop a learning contract?
Step 1: Diagnose your learning needs
A learning need is the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in regard to a particular set of competencies. You may already be aware of certain learning needs as a result of a personnel appraisal process or the long accumulation of evidence for yourself of the gaps between where you are now and where you would like to be.
If not (or even so), it might be worth your while to go through this process: First, construct a model of the competencies required to perform excellently the role (e.g., parent, teacher, researcher, information manager, professional librarian, etc.) you are concerned about. There may be a competency model already in existence that you can use as a thought-starter and checklist. A competency can be thought of as the ability to do something at some level of proficiency and is usually composed of some combination of knowledge, understanding, skill, attitude and values. For example, "ability to ride a bicycle from my home to the store" is a competency that involves some knowledge of how a bicycle operates and the route to the store; an understanding of some of the dangers inherent in riding a bicycle; skill in mounting, pedaling, steering and stopping a bicycle; an attitude of desire to ride a bicycle; and a valuing of the exercise it will yield. "Ability to ride a bicycle in cross-country race" would be a higher-level competency that would require greater knowledge, understanding, skill, etc. It is useful to produce a competency model even if it is crude and subjective because of the clearer sense of direction it will give you.
Having constructed a competency model, your next task is to assess the gap between where you are now and where the model says you should be in regard to each competency. You can do this alone or with the help of people who have been observing your performance. The chances are that you will find that you have already developed some competencies to a level of excellence, so that you can concentrate on those you haven’t.
Step 2: Specify your learning objectives
You are now ready to start filling out the first column on the second page of the FEA: "Objectives of the FE." Each of the learning needs diagnosed in Step 1 should be translated into a learning objective. Be sure that your objectives describe what you will learn, not what you will do. State them in terms that are most meaningful to you — content acquisition, terminal behaviors or directions of growth.
Step 3: Specify learning resources and strategies
When you have finished listing your objectives, move over to the second column of the FEA: "How will you learn it?" and describe how you propose to go about accomplishing each objective. Identify the resources (material and human) you plan to use in your field experience and the strategies (techniques, tools) you will employ in making use of them. You may also want to mention the evidence that will demonstrate that you have accomplished the objective.
Examples:
| Ex. | Objectives of the FE | How will you learn it? |
| 1 | Learn the selection criteria and scope of materials in an elementary school media center's collection. | a. Use previous inventories to determine lost books and delete titles from automated catalog. |
| b. Use state curriculum guidelines to determine collection weaknesses; identify areas that need updating or enrichment. | ||
| c. Observe procedures for placing orders. | ||
| 2 | Gain familiarity with the nature and contents of the library's reference collection. | a. Perform inventory of the collection. |
| b. Examine and become acquainted with important unfamiliar sources. | ||
| 3 | Develop a tool to organize Internet resources for research purposes in a special library. | a. Learn the query and report features of the Access database software. |
| b. Work with staff to determine subject organization. | ||
| c. Prepare an Access database of Internet resources, accessible by subject keyword. |
Step 4: Review your contract (FEA)
After you have completed the first draft of your FEA, you may want to review it with friends, supervisors or other expert resource people to get their reactions and suggestions. The FEA must be reviewed with the Site Supervisor and Faculty Supervisor. Here are some questions you might ask them about the FEA:
Step 5: Carry out the contract (FEA)
Once you have specified your learning resources and strategies, you will carry out these tasks (listed in column 2 of page 2 of the FEA). But keep in mind that as you complete your field experience, you may find that your objectives and/or strategies may change. So don’t hesitate to revise your FEA as you go along. You will report on your progress and may modify your objectives and activities when you complete the 20- and 60-hour progress reports.
Step 6: Evaluation of your learning
Your Site Supervisor will evaluate how successfully you reached your original learning objectives, as part of the final Site Evaluation. You should make sure that the supervisor is aware of any evidence that supports the accomplishment of your goals.