UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?1 UJ Teaching Students to Learn to be…?

UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"? 1

UJ Teaching Students

to

“Learn to be…”?


Your role during this presentation?

• Think & evaluate your experience


Can you ride a bicycle?

How did you learn?

Did you study a rule book with tips?

Did someone teach you?

Were you taught the facts and the rules, or what?


Will this book help?Will this book help?

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UJ’s Teaching & Learning Policy

• Excellence

• Transformation

• Flexible, focussed teaching and learning

• Academic development

• Quality assurance


UJ Core Goals

• commitment to excellence in teaching and learning • guide and support students to acquire:

– a sound knowledge base – dispositions, competencies, skills, attitudes,

and values that will enable… • participation in society as

high-level human ‘resources’ • lifelong learning• to become good citizens

• constant revision»thus, a comprehensive transformation


‘Excellent’ means…

• extremely good• outstanding• exceptionally good at an activity or subject


• A search for excellence is embedded in… – a “departmental culture”– a lecturer’s heart and mind– a tutor’s commitment & enthusiasm– a faculty embodying shared experiences & ideas

in implementation strategies – a university’s dream to change the world

• ….and its commitment to find the resources to do so


How does UJ understand learning?

1. Learning about:• learn facts, concepts and procedures• NB part of university learning• transmission-of-knowledge / delivery view • assumes that knowledge comprises

discrete, pre-formed units– students ingest in smaller or greater amounts – until graduation or indigestion takes over

• on its own not sufficient


How do we understand learning

Learning about• “To become a physicist you need

to take in a lot of formulas and absorb a lot of experimental data” – true?– people do not become soccer players

by learning the rules of soccer– the same for physicists and everyone else

• an information-oriented view of teaching and learning: part of the story only


Learning to be

• learn practices of the knowledge domain – includes its principles, dispositions,

attributes, competencies, activities, skills, procedures and values

• utilise theories to identify and solve problems / interpret and address everyday issues.

• learn practices of inquiry

• think like, do as, and become a philosopher – learning to be one.


Learning to be

• The challenge: – to identify the ways of seeing – to develop challenging learning tasks..

• solicit response from students• engage students optimally • demonstrate the ongoing workings

of a ‘scholarly’ mind • to nurture problem-solving capacity• to foster “deep learning” – never-ending


Plan the curriculum as a whole

• Work out..– what are philosophers? – how do they think, or do? – what must you “put in place”

to enable a student to think like that?


Assessment: Determines learning?

• requirements of assessment tasks = "true curriculum"

• most important influence on student learning…– their perception of assessment – focus learning to comply with that

• NB! congruence between teaching approach, learning goals (outcomes) and assessment tasks – utilise a variety of assessment methods – spell out criteria for assessment– give feedback as detailed as possible


Learning

• challenged to– make connections between facts, ideas and skills – to identify and solve problems – to apply learning in integrated ways

in multiple contexts• learning content becomes meaningful and relevant • positive relationships, with respect and appreciation


Students must…

• be responsive / responsible • prepare for class• attend all lectures, etc.• obey course rules• purposefully engage• develop an integrated scientific thinking style

& working methods• ‘construct their own knowledge’• interpret, evaluate, and criticize any material


How we view teaching• create, guide, promote, enable and support

appropriate, deep and meaningful student learning – enable & foster independent and lifelong learning

• continual development of teaching competence – promote and share best practice

• use different modes of presentation appropriately as complementary to one another – variation to suit subjects / levels / purposes

• maintain and improve academic standards, plus improve student retention & throughput– enhance the likelihood that students will succeed


“The Lecture”

• unique and irreplaceable• only one of many effective methods• no universal recipe• atmosphere of trust and respect • conversation & dialogue• learning guides & prescribed material form the basis• what is important & why • build on existing knowledge• provide additional information • never simply repetition of learning material • encourage enthusiasm & promote self-confidence


“The Lecture”

• discipline? UJ Academic Regulations say…– “Registered students have a right to teaching and

learning …”– “UJ does not permit student behaviour that disrupts

formal teaching and learning activities”– Thus find the best ways and means

to maintain relaxed but strict discipline


Part & Parcel of T & L is Academic development

• = interventions and strategies to develop & enrich un prepared / under-prepared students – use tutors and mentors

• A high premium on throughput…– early identification of under-performing students – check and address poor attendance– early diagnosis of student learning difficulties – maintain and improve student motivation


Develop a workable tutor system

• “We now know what works and where to go, as well as what does not work and where not to go”

• These are our ideas: – Who as tutors?

•Well-trained senior students as tutors •Discipline-specific tutor training in

addition to central UJ and faculty training required

–especially to lead discussions & mark – to guide and support students


The Roles of Tutors?

– tutors as partners & consultants– “eyes and ears” to report on students’ experience – provide opportunities for discussion & advice – limited marking


• The tutorials?– precise planning and management– extend course topics – add value to work done in the lectures– assignments for tutorials – tutorial work as exam questions– a tutor plan [handbook, manual] for each module – work out in advance– pliable enough to incorporate changes

as the module unfolds • regularly revise tutor plan / strategy • evaluate the tutor system and the tutors – individually


Quality Assurance of Learning and Teaching

• responsibility of HoD’s and Deans• collective responsibility in departments• discuss everything with colleagues

– at meetings– also one-on-one discussions

• in the spirit of mentoring one another • weekly meetings between tutors and lecturer• meetings with all tutors and lecturers• tutor debriefing / supervision


“Use” “resources” – e.g. feedback

• consult our colleagues in academic support• a range of instruments to evaluate our teaching

– UJ student feedback questionnaire– module feedback questionnaire– peer review by colleagues who attend lectures– feedback from tutors– notes we make on our own experience


Search for excellence is never-ending • continuous…

– commitment– experimentation– innovation– dialogue– listening & observation

Why NB?• we are fallible• our knowledge is provisional; our skill improvable• Re- …. everything

UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?1 UJ Teaching Students to Learn to be…?

Documents

learning learning

uj teaching students

learning guide

meaningful student learning

challenging learning

focussed teaching

teaching approach

support students