1. HEPP7001 Foundations of Academic Practice
Key ideas on teaching
to support learning in
Higher Education
Simon Allan MODULE LEADER
Dawn Johnson PROGRAMME LEADER
2. Underpinning ideas
• Taking a scholarly approach to drive and support
teaching for effective learning.
• Theoretical approaches that underpin programme
design and content.
• Frameworks to underpin your own practice.
• Critical reflection on how this programme models
these approaches to support your learning.
3. These ideas include…
• Phenomenography
• Social constructivism
• Constructive alignment
• Situated learning
• Deep and surface approaches to learning
• Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge
4. Phenomenography
• This term was coined by Marton following his
work with Saljo (1984) looking at student
approached to their learning.
• The learner’s perspective defines what is
learnt and the way [s]he sees the world and
the teacher’s role is to alter that perspective of
the way the learner sees the world.
5. Social Constructivism
• Originates with Piaget and Vygotsky.
• Emphasises the students’
construction of meaning and
knowledge through what they ‘do’.
• Focus is on student activity rather
than teacher activity.
• As we learn our conceptions of
phenomena change.
Biggs. J. and Tang, C. (2007)
• Acquisition of information in itself does Teaching for quality learning at
university. (3rd Ed.)
not bring about the change, but the Maidenhead, OU Press
way we structure that information and Entwistle, N. (2009) Teaching
for Understanding at
think with it does. University: deep approaches
and distinctive ways of
thinking. London, Palgrave
Macmillan
6. Activity 1
With a partner
Briefly discuss these two philosophies underpinning
learning, and how your approach to ‘teaching for
student learning’ may relate to the principles – jot
down a couple of examples from your experience as
a teacher or a learner…
7. Diagram of Constructive Alignment
Learning
Teaching/learn outcomes Assessment
ing activities Expressed as tasks
Teacher, self or verbs that the
Evaluate how well
peer controlled students have to
outcomes are
as best suits enact
demonstrated
context Verbs are chosen
to select level
Chapter 4 in Biggs. J. and Tang, C. (2007) Teaching for quality learning at university. (3rd Ed.)
Maidenhead, OU Press. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMZA80XpP6Y is also useful.
8. Deep and surface learning approaches
Constructive alignment is highly influential in helping
students to adopt a deep approach to their learning.
As a reminder the following slides summarise what
is meant by these terms ‘deep’ and ‘surface’
approaches to learning…
9. Surface learning
Students focus their attention on the details and
information in a lecture or text. They try to memorise
individual details in the form they appear in the
lecture of text or to list the features of the situation.
They do not focus on overall meaning or consider
challenging the concepts and discourse. It is of little
use to students once they have completed their
assessments as it is quickly forgotten and not
integrated with their other learning.
10. Deep learning
Students focus their attention on the overall meaning
or message in a lecture, text or situation. They
attempt to relate ideas together and construct their
own meaning, possibly in relation to their own
experience. ‘Facts’ are learnt but in the context of a
meaning and can therefore be challenged through
discussion and experience. It is more easily retained
as it encourages a broader understanding of the
context and means something to the student. Deep
learning involves integrating new ideas with existing
learning.
11. Activity 2
With a different partner
Discuss what may influence students’ approaches to
adopting a surface of deeper approach to learning
and how you in your teaching role can manage this.
12. You may have included…
Deep Surface
•Motivational context •Excessive content
•Student activities appropriate •Excessive workload
to level
•Lack of background student
•Student interaction knowledge
•A well-structured knowledge •Assessment that encourages
base to enable building up or tolerates memorisation
new knowledge
•Large classes
•Teaching to elicit responses
•Teacher-focus
•Emphasis on principles and
depth of understanding
13. Situated learning
• Influenced by Vygotsky and
Bruner.
• All learning is context specific.
• Communities of practice, sharing
common values, goals, practices,
standards.
• Professional knowing: fluid,
mobile, nuanced, tacit.
14. Threshold concepts
Areas of learning that involve conceptual
change rather than incremental adding of
knowledge – transformative in terms of
understanding of the subject.
The ‘aha’ moment – seeing the world
differently.
Irreversible – it cannot be ‘unlearned’.
Integrative – acquisition of threshold
concepts illuminate the underlying inter-
relatedness of other aspects of the subject.
Land, R., Meyer, J.H.F. & Smith, J. (eds) (2008) Threshold
Concepts within the disciplines. Rotterdam, Sense Publishers
15. Troublesome knowledge
Conceptually difficult – e.g. threshold concepts
Ritual – meaningless and routine
Inert – difficult to transfer into meaningful situations
Foreign – too far removed from what is known
Tacit – deeply embedded and difficult to articulate
16. Pulling these ideas together
At your tables
Recap on the principles and ideas we have
discussed this morning and then…
Individually, construct a concept map of how they
interact, and some of the teaching and learning
activities you have experienced that exemplify the
ideas.
17. Standing back and looking in
At your tables
How have the methods we have used so far in this
workshop been congruent with these various
theories and principles in…
•Building up the knowledge;
•Creating links, looking for relevance to contexts;
•Social interaction to explore and clarify concepts;
•Modeling practice?
Discuss together and jot down a couple of
comments on a postcard.
Editor's Notes
Boyer – scholarship of teaching Theories for curriculum, learning, teaching, assessment design Practice of teaching – pedagogy, We will have our own practice that does enact some of these values – you can use this to unpick and analyze, critique and evaluate what we are doing to help understand concepts and consider them in your own teaching.
Phenomenography and social constructivism are the two most influential theories of learning at present Constructive alignment is the basis for developing learning activities and assessment that is right for the learning you wish the students to achieve Situated learning is particularly pertinent for professional learning where ‘ functioning ’ knowledge within a community of practice is important D&S learning – and the activities that can promote these Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge at this higher level of knowing. – and what is knowledge anyway!
Phenomenography is the research lense for considering the philosophical phenomenology perspective.
In his studies, Piaget noticed there was a gradual progression from intuitive to scientific and socially acceptable responses to unexpected questions. Piaget theorized children did this because of the social interaction and the challenge to younger children’s ideas by the ideas of those children who were more advanced.
Constructive in that students construct their meaning and context of the ILOs Alignment is activation of learning through appropriates activities for learning and assessment Remember – what the student does is usually more important than what the teacher does (or says) So first of all decide what you want the students to learn, then decide how you will know that they have learnt it (or what they have learnt), and finally consider what activities will best help them to do that learning. This should enable maximum consistency through the curriculum – at both micro and macro levels.
Vygotsky – learning through interactions in social contexts Bruner – most important intellectual activity is meaning making which is inevitably socially and culturally acquired
