A Pedagogic and Didactic use of Representations and Learning Styles for Learner Engagement: A Conceptual Framework for Teacher Mediation

Abstract

The issue of student engagement in learning has all the time been a concern in educational circles. Many studies have addressed it, yet these appear to be mostly concerned by aspects related to teaching. This paper which addresses this issue in a different way sets out to suggest an explanatory model showing how learners’ representations and their learning styles can be used as didactic and pedagogic tools to improve engagement in learning. To achieve this, concepts of learning styles and representations are first defined before explaining how they interrelate. The notion of engagement in learning is clarified, focusing on its behavioral, affective and cognitive components. Finally, a framework is proposed that describes how as a mediator, the teacher can engage students in learning by using on the one hand, didactics and pedagogy and on the other, their learning styles and representations. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.3.7