Although its been a very long time between posts, I hope Shirley will forgive me when she reads this blog. I consider myself a reflective educator/practitioner and always try to instill this approach to learning and practice in my students. However, due to an excessive workload this semester and an unexpected overseas trip, I haven't been able to document my reflections in a written form. This does not meant that I haven't been reflecting on instructional design principles on a day to day basis. One of the very highly esteemed Professors of our school has always said that some of the best scholarly and reflective practices can occur when you are on your own driving, gardening etc... , meaning that reflection is a very important part of learning and teaching. So my reflection for this course happens on a daily basis whilst I am learning and facilitating in a diverse range of learning environments that range from higher education f2f situations, to vocational flexible "on-line learning" learning environments, analysising instructional design practices and reflecting on what is student engaging and inspiring.
Having reviewed the captured text from the live classroom dialogue, I also enjoyed Janice's favourite article written by Stewart Hase and Chris Kenyon , From Andragogy to Heutagogy , found at http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/dec00/hase2.htm (retrieved 3rd June 2008)
The following quotations explain the educational revolution that we are entering and highlights the importance of adaptability, creativity and flexibility that must exist in any contemporary instructional design process.
"Heutagogical approaches to education and training emphasise: the humanness in human resources; the worth of self; capability; a systems approach that recognises the system-environment interface; and learning as opposed to teaching. Heutagogy addresses issues about human adaptation as we enter the new millennium."
I love the association that they make between "humanness" and the learning process and the fact that the feeling of self worth is a vital element in any learning process in order for knowledge to develop and flow freely. Learning is about "sharing" and not "hoarding" knowledge as they point out. Today I found out that a student finds my approach to learning and teaching "intimidating" .... this devastated me as I always attempt to keep the 'humanness and the concept of self worth" as a primary focus of my learning practice. However, it seems that in my attempt to keep all students engaged through active learning and participation, the more passive learners find this approach threatening. The challenge......... an instructional design process that engages all students within their comfort zones to develop their capabilities and confidence and build on their concept of self worth.
The following quotation from Hase and Kenyon sums it up beautifully:
"...having teachers think more about process than content; enabling learners to make sense of their world rather than make sense of the world of the teacher; forcing us to move into the world of the learner; and enabling teachers to look beyond their own discipline and favourite theories."
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5 comments:
your blog is really admirable,would you please allow me translate it into Arabic ,you have many wonderful ideas i found interesting to the Arab reader,thank you and good luck
the aim is not for financial benefit at all,but as your blog deserves more readers i thought i could help,the translated subtitle will appear on the comment frame of every post as long as my time helps me, i am a doctor ,and have some spare time,and your blog is one of the time worthy habits of me
I was surprised to find your comment as I usually only allow invited authors to comment on my blogs. However, it seems that I forgot to put the usual block on this post. I noticed that you are a writer and a doctor of philosophy? Is that correct?
I am an educator in oral health and am studying a masters in online education. As a part of the course requirements, I am developing this blog as a means of reflecting on my practices and the some of the old and new concepts that I am investigating. I have no problem with you translating my
posts if you feel that others will benefit from them. Thank you for finding them useful. Just ensure that you acknowledge any sources that I refer to please.
thank you for your generous acceptance ,i have a master degree in dermatology ,i read in philosophy,history,and politics
unfortunately the translation movement into Arabic is very slow,due to a lack of awareness of the importance of inter-cultural relations,and of course the high proportion of illiteracy
I am also committed to developing intercultural understandings. Most of the problems that exist in the world are due to cultural misunderstandings and a fear of the unknown. By opening channels of communication, such as this blog we can help to develop cultural competency, understanding and harmony. You mention a high proportion of illiteracy, is this in your country specifically?
Good luck with your translating.
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