Faculty of Education – Te Kura Toi Tangata

1. Rethinking the teacher’s role for building authentic learning partnerships: Learning from an experiment in student-driven large group teaching Faculty of Education – Te Kura ToiTangata DrGlenys Forsyth Lecturer Department of Sport and Leisure Studies Dorothy Spiller Teaching Development Unit Faculty of Education 2013

2. Background http://www.flickr.com/photos/27237408@N03/4530228887/ huangjiahui CC BY-SA 2.0

3. Inter-linked learning spaces Lecturers Tutors Small Groups Assessments Readings Online activities Peer Study Groups Small Groups Assessments Tutors Readings Assessments Readings Assessments Moodle Panopto Podcasts Assessments Readings Social Networks

4. Building a learning partnership

5. Constructivism █ Slices of Light █▀ ▀ ▀ (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

6. Method • Electronic submissions on ‘obesity as a public health issue’. • 250 word commentary on each submission. • Collated and themes identified. http://www.flickr.com/photos/87635098@N00/188297063/Joe_13 CC BY-ND 2.0

7. Evaluation and analysis • Observation • Teacher reflections • Student focus group • Student submission • Observation • Teacher reflections • Student focus group • Student submissions not quite clear on the concept / woodleywonderworks / CC BY 2.0

8. Summary of findings: Teacher reflection / observation Observation • Preparing for the discussion • “motivated and ready for discussion…indeed it was evident that a great deal of thought had taken place prior to coming to the class” • Student engagement • “there was a high level of engagement … overall there was a great range and depth of discussion and debate about the different findings and views presented.” • Teacher reflection • Degree of excitement & anticipation by students. • Teacher still shaped the proceedings. • Greater engagement by students however • Physical space • Students continue to seek authentication of their contribution to class

9. Summary of findings: Focus Group Sharing ideas • “the learning was different because it was interesting to hear other opinions”. Personal relevance to the content • “the submissions made prior to the lectures were things that struck something with you…they meant something to you”. The facilitator’s role • “…built the environment and encouraged the people”. Learning through active participation • “for those of us who learn visually or through discussion, this process was beneficial to learning”. The different faces of learning • “We’re learning about respect of each other…about individual growth and relationships in class and teaching”.

10. Summary of findings: Submissions Poor information-seeking skills Google & Wikipedia as authoritative sources of information Random selection Did not demonstrate systematic evaluation of the information <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49462908@N00/3951143570/">Stéfan</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com">Compfight</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

11. Conclusions • Value of engaging students as partners in their learning: need to coach and prepare students for this role (eg information-seeking skills) • Potential for genuine student-led learning in the lecture context. • Embedding the practice of learning partnerships throughout a course. • Teachers and students explicitly deal with shifts in their identity and their role in the learning experience. a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12146665@N00/2702151942/">UBC Library</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com">Compfight</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

12. References Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2004). Evolution of a constructivist conceptualisation of epistemological reflection. Educational Psychologist, 39, 31-42. Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (3rd ed.). Buckingham, UK: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press. Cooper, J.L., & Robinson, P. (2000). The argument for making large classes seem small. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 81, 5-16. Judd, T., & Kennedy, G. (2011). Expediency-based practice? Medical students’ reliance on Google and Wikipedia for biomedical inquiries. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(2), 351-360. doi:10.111/j.1467-8535.2009.01019.x McWilliam, E. (2008). Unlearning how to teach. Innovations in Education International, 45(3), 263-269. Phillips, D.C (1995). The good, the bad and the ugly: The many faces of constructivism. EducationalResearcher, 24(97). 5-12. Skelton, A. (2005). Understanding teaching excellence in higher education: Towards a criticalapproach. London: Routledge. Van Note Chism, N. (2006). Challenging traditional assumptions and rethinking learning spaces. In D.G. Oblinger (Ed.). Learning spaces (pp. 2.2-2.12). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. Yazedjian, A. & Kolkhorst, B.B. (2007). Implementing small group activities in large lecture classes. College Teaching, 55(4) 164-169.

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