Making Room for Writing and Reflection

1. Making Room for Writing and Reflection Dr Pat Hill & Dr Cath Ellis

2. Overview • Learning Development Strategy • Module outline - what and why • Examples of reflection

3. ‘We take it as a given that high quality study support development maximizes student achievement and promotes independent learning’ (Blythman et al)

4. Strategies: • Generic stand-alone workshops • Targeted stand-alone workshops on particular topics for particular cohorts • Partially embedded input where help is given within the course at an appropriate time • Fully embedded where skills are developed as part of the curriculum and included in course design

5. ..........No Time!............

6. ‘ [...]over time, efforts will have to change from working with individual students to working with teachers, courses, degree programmes and the whole institution, and that these efforts will need to be well conceptualised and backed up with convincing empirical evidence of impact’ Gibbs (2009)

7. Why this module? • It is a ‘bottleneck module’ • It is a second year module • It is taught across all three main campuses • It is seen as containing ‘troublesome knowledge’

8. The student is perforce required to venture into new places, strange places, anxiety-provoking places. This is the point of higher education. If there was no anxiety, it is difficult to believe that we could be in the presence of higher education. (Bartlett, 2007, p147)

9. Threshold Concepts • 1. Transformative – ontological as well as conceptual shift • 2. Irreversible – understood – can be modified or rejected but not forgotten • 3. Integrative – exposes interrelatedness and allows connections to be made • 4. Bounded – has ‘terminal frontiers, bordering with thresholds into new conceptual areas’ (Meyer & Land, 2006) • 5. Troublesome Knowledge – counter-intuitive, alien or seemingly incoherent. (adapted from Cousin, 2006)

10. Troublesome knowledge – challenge, uncertainty and difficulty • one of the main problems was the worry of being wrong • found myself battling with ideas that were on the surface very convoluted • each theory seemed to go beyond me [...]reading extremely heavy and complicated • feel a bit overwhelmed as I believe this course sounds very complicated • had previously floundered around ideology, clutching at tiny straws of basic understanding • could not just grasp the concepts without much work • have found the subject matter challenging • was put off by what seemed to be difficult topics to grasp • this module has been a constant challenge • hesitancy at my own capability for grasping an understanding • was particularly annoyed by ideas that presented a conflict to my own understanding • absolute answers based on common sense to a question became a challenge • The course was at times difficult, but perhaps that is because we don’t like to face up to the truth

11. Teaching strategies – ‘Hybrid Learning Strategies’ • by watching online lectures, reading set texts and engaging in thought provoking seminar discussions I have moved on • never would have managed without the online lectures [they] were a life saver; the ability to pause and go back was great • prefer face to face but as it’s the online lectures and the workshops or just lectures I would definitely choose the workshops • had to watch the lecture twice to fully understand • Combination of personal online lecture and group discussion worked well • different learning and reflection techniques[...] have all made this module an interesting and engaging one • was sceptical about the blog [...]the week of the group’s presentation was a highlight in my journal • benefitted from the open discussions • taking on board different opinions of the topic allows you to engage • portfolio assignment [...]rather daunting[...]soon became a project that I found to be incredibly valuable • we were made to really think about things for ourselves rather than having the facts dictated to us

12. Transferring skills – developing tools • writing the first essay highlighted the importance of understanding theory to further one’s reading of, well, everything • in the future, when experiencing something which I cannot get to grips with I will use this visual learning style • given me strong tools that I can work with academically and others beyond the life of university • something I can see spilling over into other assignments [...]made me evaluate the work and consider my own learning • learnt a lot from myself about the way I learn and the skills I possess and lack • has developed my critical thinking skills [..]the ability to apply theory to literary text and everyday living • using this technique I was able to write better essays in other subjects • could apply this learning technique to other academic learning situations • time keeping and study discipline has improved this year because of the strictness of ICCT • more use of the library [...]has resulted in more productive work in some assignments this year

13. Transferring knowledge – making connections • began to see a pattern emerging between the theories • allowing the theories to question my pre-existing ideas, I have built up solid counter-arguments [...] as well as understood them better • became aware of how some of the theories interlinked with one another to give their meaning • as soon as I could see how it was comparable to another theory, this stumbling block eventually became easier to overcome • was a concept that I could see within the society in which we live • fascinating to see how the theories that I’d listened to during lectures do indeed have a real physical effect upon the world in which we live

14. Transformation- life changing • so with my new perspective on life and an eager eye for spotting discrimination and prejudices in the world around me I leave ICCT with new learning methods, a better personal outlook on life and people and an addiction to headache relief • have broadened my mind and shed many prejudices, some of which I didn’t realise I had • gained significantly in my understanding of why I felt how I did • despite the difficulty I unfortunately experienced I am much more aware of reasons behind the things I see around me • course has changed my point of view in my life • has made me investigate things I never would have bothered with before, read books I never would have chosen, write words I never knew existed, explore ideas and theories which stimulated new thoughts • opened my eyes to the world around me, making me question everything that I have always accepted as ‘truth’ • made me question, what if we hadn’t been taught that at all? • gained the tools to consider the world in a new and vastly different way • feel that I am more aware and awake to what is going on around me • the veil has been lifted and I am beginning to see the world in all its hideous glory

15. References • Allan, J., & Clarke, K. (2007) ‘Nurturing Supportive Learning Environments in higher Education Through the Teaching of Study Skills: To embed or Not to Embed’ International Journal of Teaching an Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 19, no.1, pp64-46 • Barnett, R. (2007) A Will to Learn: Being a Student in an Age of Uncertainty . Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/ Open University Press • Biggs, J. ‘Aligning teaching for constructing learning’ available from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id477_aligning_teaching_for_constructing_learning.pdf Last accessed June 2010 • Blythman, M., Mullin, J., Milton, J., & Orr, S. (2003) ‘Implementation Issues for Study Support.’ In: Bjork, L. A. ed. Teaching Academic Writing in European Higher Education. Secaucus, NJ: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 195-208. • Cotterell, S. (2001) Teaching Study skills and Supporting Learning Basingstoke: Palgrave • Cousin, G. (2006) ‘An introduction to threshold concepts’ Available from http://www.gees.ac.uk/planet/p17/gc.pdf Last accessed June 2010 • Ellis, Cath (2008) ‘You Can’t Do That in a Classroom!’: How Distributed Learning Can Assist in the Widespread Adoption of Hybrid Learning Strategies. In: International Conference on Hybrid Learning 2008 (ICHL 2008), 13th - 15th August 2008, Hong Kong. (Unpublished) • Gibbs, G. (2009) ‘Developing Students as learners – varied phenomena, varied contexts and a developmental trajectory for the whole endeavour’ Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education Issue 1: February. • Haggis, T. (2006). ‘Pedagogies for diversity: retaining critical challenge amidst fears of 'dumbing down'.’ Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 521-535. • Hill, P. (2008) ‘Making writing invisible: A Study into the Complexities of Standard Written English Acquisition in Higher Education’ (Unpublished thesis) • Meyer, J.H.F and Land, R. (2005) Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning’ Higher Education 49:373-388 • Wingate, U. (2006). ‘Doing away with 'study skills'’ Teaching in Higher Education, Vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 457-469.