Hi, All
Having been away for six weeks in my motorhome around Hungary and Croatia, I'm just catching up on some of the emails that have piled up!
Like a number of people who responded to Rachael's question I would prefer not to have a set book but rather a series of activities that guide participants to a range of literatures.
In preparing my contribution to a forthcoming book I reflected on the PGCE (Further Education) that I took in 1984. My tutor suggested starting with Carl Rogers, Freedom to learn for the 80s and then move on to Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I also took in Malcolm Knowles at this point as I was interested in negotiated learning. I completed an assignment on experiential learning which took me into all sorts of other interesting places.
Writing for the chapter reinforced my views that we don't use the adult learning literature enough. I returned to three of Stephen Brookfield's books: Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995), Discussion as a way of Teaching (2nd edition, 2005) and The Skilfull Teacher (2nd edition, 2006). Brookfield’s 2006 book begins with a chapter on the experience of teaching that emphazises its chaotic unpredictability and the ways this is viscerally experienced. “I argue that skilful teaching resembles a kind of contextually informed “muddling through” classroom experience that involves us negotiating moments of surprise as we grow into our own truth about the realities we face.” (2006, p.xvii)
Brookfield also writes: “Teaching is in many ways the educational equivalent of white-water rafting. Periods of apparent calm are interspersed with sudden frenetic turbulence. Tranquillity co-exists with excitement, reflection with action. If we are fortunate enough to negotiate rapids successfully, we feel a sense of self-confident exhilaration. If we capsize we start downstream with our self-confidence shaken, awash in self-doubt. These are the days we vow to quit at the end of the semester.” (Brookfield 2006, p.8)
Another book I have been particularly taken by recently is Ken Bain's What the best college teachers do. In writing about lectures he says:
"But lectures from highly effective teachers nearly always have the same five features of natural critical learning ... They begin with a question (sometimes embedded in a story), continue with some attempt to help students understand the significance of the question (connecting it to larger questions, raising it in provocative ways, noting its implications), stimulate students to engage the question critically, making an argument about how to answer that question (complete with evidence, reasoning and conclusion) and end with conclusions. The only exception? Sometimes the best teachers leave out their own answers whereas less successful lecturers often only include that element, an answer to a question that no one has raised. (Bain, 2004, p.107)"
Too many of the 'recommended texts' seem to adopt 'how to' rather than 'why' approaches. By asking participants to focus on themes they can delve into Ron Barnett, Stephen Rowland, the action learning/research literatures, etc. and model the approach to inquiring about a subject that many people expect of their students.
I could go on (and on ...) but feel strongly that we ought to encourage more divergent approaches to learning - by our colleagues as well as our students - than a 'set book' might lead to.
Best wishes to all
Ranald
Ranald Macdonald SFSEDA, FHEA, NTF
Emeritus Professor of Academic Development, Sheffield Hallam University
Higher Education Consultant
Senior Associate: Professional Development, C-SAP Subject Network
+44 (0)1629 734307 or 07900 213800 (mobile)
[log in to unmask] and: www.ranald.pbworks.com
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From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rachael Carkett [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 19 August 2011 09:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Book recommendation
Thank you to everyone who responded to my recent request and sent through suggestions of various books and links to resources: it was much appreciated and gave me much to consider.
Regards
Rachael Carkett
Learning and Teaching Enhancement Office
University of Bath
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