Week 7 The Reflective Curriculum Practitioner
Week 7- The Reflective Curriculum Practitioner
Part A: Discuss your thoughts on the opportunities for peer-to-peer learning in your respective section and institution
Peer learning is a potentially powerful way of sharing knowledge about doing public sector reform. This learning involves individuals exchanging knowledge and experience with each other, and diffusing this learning back to their organizations to ensure an impact—at scale—on reform initiatives.
While peer learning entails complex organizational logistics, it avoids the risk of focusing on process rather than product. It recognizes that ultimately learning takes place between individuals and it facilitates interpersonal interchanges that are well-matched and that are based on trust and commitment. (Meyers and Jones, 1993)
Peer learning can be evaluated based on whether peer engagements and sustained individual contacts produced the right learning outcomes for the right individuals to achieve changes which matter.
The main benefits of peer-to-peer learning are:
· Students receiving more private time with their student peer, allowing for a more personalized learning experience.
· Active learning is encouraged through the interactions between students.
· Peer helpers gain a deeper understanding of what they teach to other peers, which benefits them as well as the peer they are helping.
· Peers feel more comfortable and would open up and interact more with other peers rather than teachers or staff.
· Both peers would have a greater connection because of their similar positions in school.
At the University of the South pacific, all faculties promote peer learning through their student learning support services (SLS). The Faculty of Science Technology and Environment (FSTE) offers peer-to-peer learning support. These are:
1. Peer Mentoring
Peer mentors are assigned to run discussion sessions with the students. The students usually bring up their own questions and engage in peer-to-peer learning with the mentor.
2. PASS session
Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) are group discussions led by PASS leaders. PASS leaders are high achieving students who are trained to conduct group sessions. They develop games, puzzles, activities to reinforce difficult concepts learnt in the week’s lecture. This helps the students to learn and perform better.
3. E-mentoring
eMentoring is real time online mentoring conducted by peer mentors. It is a free service provided by FSTE SLS to students. The session enables students/mentors to share:
- documents
- relevant websites
- chats
- videos
- audios
Part B: Share your own experiences if you have engaged in such peer-to-peer discussions and discussions with your students.
Peer learning is most effective when learning objectives are clear, and peer engagements are structured to maximize these objectives. When individual peers are matched appropriately and authorized and empowered to engage effectively, peer learning is also optimized.
Learning is best facilitated when peers do things together, and reflect regularly on what they are learning. Other driving factors for successful peer learning are that peers engage with each other in an honest and committed manner. They engage in multiple ways, including through shared work and site visits.
As an engineering academic, I encourage peer learning during my tutorial classes to yield out more innovative ideas. Students are divided into groups and discussion forums are conducted so students are able to engage with one another and come up with ideas and solutions. This also promotes brainstorming and helps create an actively-participating environment as learning from peers keeps the students motivated.
Students feel more comfortable saying things to each other when the teacher is not around. They add more to the conversation because they are not as intimidated as they are when they have to answer a teacher’s question or address the large group. Group work and discussion is more individualized and gives each group member the ability to speak and argue for a point. New ideas can be brought into play and the students have to work through the problems themselves.
Reference
Meyers, C. & Jones, T.B. (1993). Promoting Active Learning Strategies for the College Classroom. San Fracncisco: Jossey-Bass.
Week 8
Delivery Mode
Week 9 Assessing & Evaluating the Curriculum
Week 9 Assessing & Evaluating the Curriculum
Thanks fellow members for your views on this week’s discussion. I will firstly look into the first question of the discussion.
Part A: How might assessment and evaluation of the whole curriculum (from course and program level to graduate attributes) be improved?
There are various techniques to improve the assessment and evaluation of the whole curriculum. Course mapping and curriculum mapping are two most important techniques that can be used as tools to improve assessment and evaluation of entire course. The goal of course mapping is to match the activities and assignments in a single class to the learning outcomes.
The goal of curriculum mapping is to match the learning outcomes in all of the classes in a single curriculum (such as a degree program) to the overall learning outcomes for the entire program. This allows you to see the relationship between your learning outcomes and the work that the students do in the classes, and helps to you to identify strengths and gaps in your program.
Moving on, the following strategies will help improve the assessment and evaluation of the whole curriculum are as follows:
Self-evaluation
Self-evaluation which leads to effective action is a powerful way of improving children’s learning experiences and achievements. It involves carrying out a range of activities to identify your school’s strengths and next steps for improvement. It is not a series of one off events but a virtuous cycle of self-reflection and evaluation processes involving all members and partners of the school community.
Curriculum rationale
It is important to ensure that everyone within the school is clear about what they are aiming to achieve through the curriculum. When a school has a rationale for its curriculum, it means that everyone involved with the school can answer the question ‘What do we want for the learners and how will we work together to achieve this?’
Monitoring and tracking of attainment and achievement
Effective monitoring and tracking of attainment and achievement of all learners is crucial to the success of a school. Using a range of evidence from day to day learning and teaching, and summative assessments, an overview of learner’s progress is provided. The information gathered is used to inform planning so that children’s needs are met and they attain as highly as possible.
Part B: Discuss possible approaches and strategies that may be taken by the course coordinator, department/school and institution as a whole?
The possible approaches and strategies that may be taken by the course coordinator department/school and institution as a whole in our university are as follows:
Focus on the Students
When writing curriculum, it helps to remember that it's not about writing the best lesson plans or developing a perfect set of in-class projects and assignments. Instead, it's about meeting the needs of the students in a way that ensures the material is understood, maintained, and applied in and out of the classroom.
Below is eight stepping stones to building a solid curriculum focused on student needs at all learning levels.
· Describe your vision, focus, objectives, and student needs.
· Identify resources.
· Develop experiences that meet your objectives.
· Collect and devise materials.
· Lock down the specifics of your task.
· Develop plans, methods, and processes.
· Create your students' experience.
· Go!
Avoid Prepackaged Curriculum
Packaged curriculum can be a great learning tool especially if you're looking for a hands-on sample to go by. However, it's not suggested that you use the curriculum as your set course of action. Boxed curriculum tends to be scripted and fit one type of student or learning level. What works for one teacher's students may not work for another teacher's students. In the end, you may find yourself re-writing and restructuring the curriculum so it will fit the learning levels and needs of your students.
Schedule Planning Time
Creating multiple lesson plans in order to build curriculum takes time. It's important to schedule in planning sessions and blocks of time to work on curriculum. Learning how to manage that time is also important. Teachers shouldn't get bogged down on curriculum development. Work on it in sections or by units. Set goals for yourself that fit in the allotted time and when time is up, step back and step away for a break. It's not a race. It's your students' entire year of learning so make sure to handle it with care.
Remember U-Turns are Allowed
As a first year teacher developing curriculum for the first time, it's important to realize that it's not going to be perfect the initial time around. It may not even be where you want it to be the fourth or fifth time around and that's OK. Even when the finished product is ready for launch, there still may be a few bugs to work out. That's why it's critical to put the curriculum into motion. Start teaching from it and see if it works. You won't really know if the assignments, class projects, or even guest speakers are a good fit for your class until they are presented. Be prepared because some things will work out perfectly while others will need an immediate facelift. This is all part of the process of curriculum development.
Plan for Feedback and Assessments
Don't forget to build in assessments and time for feedback when developing your curriculum. You will need to be able to measure how well students are doing. Set aside time to engage students in conversations about the day's lesson and assignments. Find out what they liked or did not like and what they might want to do differently. Encourage students to speak up if they didn't understand some of the material presented as well.
At the end of the day, it's not about the curriculum or plan itself. It's about the students and how well they understood the lessons presented. It's about the presentation of the material and the student's ability to understand, retain, and apply it.