UJ Teaching Students to “Learn to be…”?

1. UJ Teaching Studentsto “Learn to be…”? UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

2. Your role during this presentation? • Think & evaluate your experience UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

3. 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? UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

4. Will this book help? • Join the thousands of parents and kids (really!) riding together because of Riding Made Easy,the #1 best selling e-book for learning to ride a bike. UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

5. UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

6. UJ’s Teaching & Learning Policy • Excellence • Transformation • Flexible, focussed teaching and learning • Academic development • Quality assurance UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

7. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

8. ‘Excellent’ means… • extremely good • outstanding • exceptionally good at an activity or subject UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

9. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

10. How does UJ understand learning? • 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

11. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

12. 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. UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

13. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

14. 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? UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

15. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

16. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

17. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

18. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

19. “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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

20. “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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

21. Part & Parcel of T & L is Academic development • = interventions and strategies to develop & enrich un­prepared / 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

22. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

23. The Roles of Tutors? • tutors as partners & consultants • “eyes and ears” to report on students’ experience • provide opportunities for discussion & advice • limited marking UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

24. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

25. 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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

26. “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 UJ Teaching Students "Learning to Be"?

27. 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"?