PGCE - Professional Practice Modules - Contextualising Theory in Practice.
Atila Mustafa
PGCE
Professional Practice Modules
Contextualising Theory in Practice (CED 305)
Monday 5th April 2004
Shirley Hughes
My teaching practice is taking place at Exeter College of Further Education and the Mansion House Adult Education Centre in Totnes. The first part of my Exeter College placement has me teaching in a workshop environment troubleshooting student's computers. This is done on an individual basis where I spend anything from a minute to an hour teaching students how to use software. For the second part of this placement I deliver Unit 10 - Understanding Video Technology to the second year BTEC group. These are mainly classroom sessions that consist of individual and group based research projects and presentations.
My Adult Education placement is very different in the sense that it requires a lot of preparation and delivery. Here I teach two nights a week: the Wednesday night course is Building Web Sites Using Dreamweaver; the Thursday night course is Digital Video Editing. Because this is the first term I have taught these subjects I allow myself a few days to prepare a lesson plan in advance and double check that I know how to achieve the outcomes that I am about to teach. This is rather different at Exeter College for I am very familiar with the software used and so rely on my existing knowledge base when put on the spot with a question.
Within all the courses that I teach I bring a lot of my previous knowledge and experience that I gained working as either a technician or video editor. It feels good being able to support learners with sound knowledge that I feel comfortable providing.
Groupwork
I tend to encourage group work within my teaching practice whenever I get the chance to do so. This is certainly the case at Exeter College where I advise students to work together in the hope that they will be able to inspire and guide each other through their work. For the BTEC group undertaking Unit 10 I insist that they work together to achieve the outcomes that I set them. I do this mainly because I am aware that the majority of the group is not up to scratch with video technology, so by placing them in groups - where at least one student is more knowledgeable - then they should stand a better chance of passing the assignments. Another valid reason for promoting groupwork in this setting is that I am not always at hand to provide help. So if a group of students work together then hopefully amongst themselves they could solve any potential problems that arise. This is not always the case though, especially with regards to the Dreamweaver course that I teach. The software itself is very solitary and in my opinion does not really allow for group work opportunities. My adult students do sometimes lean over to their colleagues for help but generally the design process is very individual. However, the Video Editing course is very different. In these sessions by using group work I feel that I have managed to encourage discussion, dialogue, learning and promote a certain positive dynamic within the class. Here my students have bonded and some do make contact out of class for the purpose of help with video editing.
As my development of group work methods continued I looked to various sources for theoretical models and practical considerations and ideas. One particular text, which I have found very useful and interpreted in order to inform and develop my practice further, is a chapter on learning within a group context in Transforming Learning: Individual and Global Change (Askew & Carnell, 1999). This piece highlights the interpersonal dimension of the group context and addresses questions such as:
How can a group context help individual learning?
How do relationships in the group affect learning?
How can we foster learning in the group?
(Askew & Carnell, 1999, p39)
Askew and Carnell stress the value of the collaborative group with the...
"potential for support, challenge and feedback;
for learners to co-operate and collaborate."
(Askew & Carnell, 1999, p40)
...preferable to competitive group work where individuals achieve 'success' at the expense of others. They also cite a number of authors who have challenged the...
"...premise that competition is the dominant explanation for
evolution and instead proposed co-operation as a better explanation."
(Askew & Carnell, 1999, p41)
This distinction between competitive and collaborative group work resonated with my own experiences as a student and reminded me of particular experiences in which competitive group work has created tensions within the larger group.
Other recollections of working as a group - for instance in the context of a theatre production - took on a more collaborative aspect. As I recall my experiences I begin to see this as being what lead to the groups positive attitude and successful outcome of the work we were undertaking. On reflection I find that some of the key points related to the importance of defining clear roles and responsibilities for individuals within the group. This in particular relates to work where a specific task is undertaken. A second point that came to mind was the idea of consensus and the way this could serve as a firm foundation for any group activities.
During my teaching practice at Exeter College a variety of group based work was used for research projects, presentations and task related exercises. Due to assessment requirements a student can only be assessed individually by the evidence they provide. So the end product that the group produces must be backed up with either a journal or production log to show individual progress within the set task. So I encourage autonomy within groups and spend time working with them using my own experience and experimenting with a variety of theoretical considerations to encourage participation and a group dynamic which could lead to an enriched learning experience. I found that encouraging groups to work toward consensus when focusing on various tasks stimulated involvement and helped to foster an atmosphere of joint responsibility within the groups.
I believe that developing ways of working in groups can be an aid to our learning and enable completion of various tasks more effectively. The skills involved in contributing toward and maintaining a working dynamic within a group situation has further implications, as Carnell and Askew discuss. Whilst learning to work effectively in collaborative groups is an aid to the learning process in specific circumstances, a further dimension suggests the value of co-operation in an 'evolutionary' aspect....
"Co-operation, in this analysis, is not only important
so that students achieve more highly, it is vital if ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
I believe that developing ways of working in groups can be an aid to our learning and enable completion of various tasks more effectively. The skills involved in contributing toward and maintaining a working dynamic within a group situation has further implications, as Carnell and Askew discuss. Whilst learning to work effectively in collaborative groups is an aid to the learning process in specific circumstances, a further dimension suggests the value of co-operation in an 'evolutionary' aspect....
"Co-operation, in this analysis, is not only important
so that students achieve more highly, it is vital if the
world is to evolve beyond self seeking, trouble and war."
(Askew & Carnell, 1999, p.42)
I believe that the emphasis on collaboration and co-operation are essential life skills that need to be developed in the interest of promoting and sustaining a humane society. You may of course disagree and suggest that it is a little far fetched, but I see human interaction just as important - if not more important - than the subject being taught. I can recall too many students who refuse point blank to work within a group. I feel this to be a form of anti-social behaviour where by the individual has normally already been alienated by the larger group because of their lack of interaction within the course. Individually the student produces good work but never wants to be part of a larger unit. I have two students who fit this profile and it is remarkable that when discussing their lack of interaction they seem to cite their peers as being immature and unworthy of sharing ideas with.
Carnell and Askew go on to argue for the positive effects that group work can have on academic achievement, friendships and intergroup relations, self confidence and self esteem, social skills and the ability to empathise or take the perspective of another.
I have discovered when using group work within my own practice the importance of establishing group rules and being specific about tasks set. A further useful point made by Carnell and Askew, which has influenced my methods of facilitating group work, is the importance of establishing some kind of individual responsibility within the group. When individuals were encouraged to take overall responsibility for a particular aspect of the work within the group I found that this promoted more even levels of participation. I have also actively encouraged students to swap around and assume different roles within the group, for instance when presenting the smaller groups research to the larger group.
Reflection and Self Evaluation
In this section I shall demonstrate the way in which I have used reflection in order to critically evaluate my teaching practice. For the lesson, which I have chosen to reflect upon, there is a brief introduction followed by the process of critical self-evaluation that has informed my practice and influenced professional identity and practice style.
There is also a second sample included in the appendix.
Mansion House Adult Education Centre - Totnes
Digital Video Editing - Lesson 5 of 8
This lesson was observed by Bill Heggs from the Plymouth based PCGE teaching staff. The lesson was planned down to the last detail. I was by now half way through the course so becoming more confident and bold. After I had summarised the previous session in depth due to the half term break I was ready to move on to what I had prepared for the session. But students wanted more of a recap and so I covered again quickly what we had done since the beginning of the course. My lesson plan flew out of the window. The session rapidly turned in to an informal group tutorial, which I was more than happy to host for I felt that the group really needed it.
Critical Reflection and Evaluation
The course was to be taught using PC's that were designed for word processing and accounting courses. I had very little faith in the computer systems and software that I would be teaching on and so set about to cover every eventuality should anything go wrong. To my utter surprise the PC's performed well. My next hurdle was addressing how to deliver this information to a room full of adults who I knew nothing about when it came to their levels of experience. I knew that I was in danger of alienating the group by letting myself get too enthusiastic about the technology that I was teaching. Another major concern was choosing which form of delivery to adopt. I felt that a didactic / role delivery method would stump the stimulation of the students and hardly stretch their ability.
"Learning tasks, which are often organised so that most
of the challenge has been removed, need to be enriched
and re-valued if learning potential is to be fully and
effectively realised"
(Davies, 1971, p.vi)
I felt that if I did not completely involve the students within the process, encouraging them to use a multitude of senses and possible previous experience, then they were probably likely to switch off. I would begin by demonstrating while the students watched on a large projection screen. We would then do it together. I would then give everyone a few minutes to continue exploring what they had just done before moving on to the next task. I felt that this method worked well for the students and me, however Gibbs writes that:
"Simply alternating theory and practice does not guarantee
that they will be linked in a way which will enhance learning."
(Gibbs, Habeshaw, 1989, p.38)
He goes on to offer the notion of students who aren't involved in the experimental design which linked the theory to the practical work may not notice any relation between content and experience. A possible solution being:
"Linking theory to practice in a way which leads to learning by
doing involves a cyclical sequence of four elements:
thinking; planning; experiencing; reflecting."
(Gibbs, Habeshaw, 1989, p.39)
I agree with the examples given of how to use the learning circle and on reflection have actually already incorporated parts of it into my practice style.
Outcomes and Future Action
My teaching experience to date has been invaluable for a number of reasons that I will outline. From a professional style and practice perspective I am discovering how to structure my lessons to suit students needs and varied stages of learning. While there exists a didactic style of delivery there are also elements of praxis due to the nature of digital video production. I quote:
"Praxis means that curricula are not studied in some kind of isolation,
but that ideas, skills, and insights learned in a classroom are tested
and experienced in real life."
(Brookfield, 1990, p.50)
I would like to parallel that statement with:
"Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through
transformation of experience."
(Kolb, 1994, p.38)
Personally I prefer Kolb's definition of praxis as opposed to Brookfield's, partly because it re-enforces what I believe as a potential teacher.
Looking back I can place my practice style through my past experiences as a technician working within further, higher and industrial education and acknowledge my ongoing experience as a video production teacher now. I became very interested in wanting to develop my skills and translate my experiences into a format that could be moulded into a conventional learning environment. By translate I mean the information I would impart could be related to a recognised curriculum whilst being assured that it also exists within a body of knowledge that I myself have acquired.
The feedback I received from Bill Heggs for this lesson was very positive and full of useful suggestions. One particular feedback point was to include more directed questions to check previous and current learning. In response to this point I looked into my questioning techniques in more detail. Using both course handouts and texts such as Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education (Minton, 1997), I discovered many valid reasons for using verbal questioning in my lessons. Firstly as an assessment device to gain continuous feedback from students relating to their level of understanding of a particular concept or topic and secondly as a way of maintaining a two-way communication flow between the students and myself.
I believe you must have some passion for the subject you are teaching, and I would like to think that I have found where I want to be as a person. The major task in hand now is developing myself through reflection, practice, observation, self-evaluation and dialogue. I would like to end with a quote that I believe really underlines why I am enjoying what I am doing.
"Despite having the same learning experience, each individual
will construct on individual meaning that only they hold."
(Reece, Walker, 1992, p.98)
Applying Models of Experiential Learning
In the introduction to Understanding Learning from Experience, David Boud et al (1993), present five propositions of experiential learning that they go on to discuss throughout the book. In this section of the portfolio I shall briefly outline these propositions and explain the ways in which they relate to and have informed my own practice. Firstly in the ways they relate to my own practice as a 'learner' teacher and secondly, in the way I integrate considerations relating to these propositions into my teaching practice and inform my development and standards of effective practice.
. Experience is the foundation of and the stimulus for learning.
"Learning always relates in one way or another, to what has
gone before. There is never a clean slate on which to begin;
unless new ideas and new experience link to previous experience,
they exist as abstractions, isolated and without meaning,"
(Boud et al, 1993, p8)
Building on previous learning and relating new learning concepts and topics to past experience has been essential in my teaching practice. I have also attempted to use interesting examples which students may have some knowledge of already, particularly when choosing teaching materials. One example of this not working out was when I set my BTEC group a compare and contrast assignment regarding new and old video editing technologies. Their task was to produce a piece of video that had been edited on analogue linear technology as opposed to digital non-linear technology. They were expected to produce an evaluation and a user manual. Unfortunately - and to my surprise - most of the students had never heard of and had little or no knowledge of analogue video editing systems. I had in essence set them a very large project that was going to take a lot of research to complete. I had also overlooked the fact that I was the only member of staff that knew how to operate the technology properly, so what was supposed to be a mini assignment lasting two weeks ended up as a major project making huge demands on my time and lasted over a month. Assuming that the students would know about, grasp and possibly enjoy editing on past technology was a grave mistake. Many of them were reluctant to step back into yesterday's technology whereas some really took on the task and saw what I was hoping they would all see; that in order to master video editing one must return to its primitive and sometimes crude roots. I began negotiating with students as to how the assignment could be improved for the following year. I sensed that this had many advantages and allowed the students to feel that they were helping to set the agenda and this appeared to lead to increased levels of motivation.
At all times I like to work on the principle of developing ideas a little further each session, employing constant revision and building on previous learning.
"While experience may be the foundation of learning,
it does not necessarily lead to it: Their needs to be active
engagement with it."
(Boud et al, 1993, p9)
As Boud et al point out we link new experiences to those of the past and create new meanings and insights. This highlights the use of keeping autobiographical records of lessons and reflecting upon them in order to evaluate, improve and build upon an effective teaching practice. Through the journal we enter into a dialogue with our experience enabling us to:
"Turn experiential knowledge... into propositional knowledge
which can be shared and interrogated"
(Boud et al, 1993, p10)
2. Learners actively construct their experience.
"We attach our own meanings to events. While others may
attempt to impose their meanings on us, we ultimately define
our own experience."
(Boud et al, 1993, p10)
This proposition highlights the importance of a learner's personal and cultural history. Being aware of this has encouraged me to recognise the various different ways in which students make meaning and to allow this process to flourish without attempting to impose my personal definitions and meanings on them.
3. Learning is a holistic process.
"Much writing about learning has treated it as if it existed
in separated domains which were separated from each other."
(Boud et al, 1993, p12)
Common divisions are between the cognitive, affective and psychomotor. As Boud et al point out, it can be useful to consider these different aspects of the learning process, however we must maintain awareness that often these different areas are interconnected and that:
" No one aspect should be generally privileged over the rest.
Within educational institutions the systematic bias towards
the intellect and to the analytical is most pronounced and the
influence of learning in these institutions has spread widely,
leading to a lack of emphasis on people as whole persons and
on problems that are taken out of context."
(Boud et al, 1993, p12)
4. Learning is socially and culturally constructed.
"While learners construct their own experience, they do so in
the context of a particular social setting and range of cultural
values; learners do not exist independently of their environment."
(Boud et al, 1993, p13)
I shall discuss this proposition with a particular emphasis on curriculum in my final Professional Practice Portfolio.
5. Learning is influenced by the socio emotional context in which it occurs.
"...there is almost a taboo about them [feelings and emotions]
entering into our educational institutions"
(Boud et al, 1993, p14)
Two key sources of influence suggested by Boud et al are:
"Past experience and the role of others in the present as supportive
or otherwise."
(Boud et al, 1993, p15)
Support, trust and confidence in the learner can help to overcome any negative experiences of past learning experiences. The past can create expectations, attitudes and dispositions that effect the present. Humanist theories of education take account of influences upon the learner such as self-image and intrinsic motivation.
Within Media Studies in particular, the syllabus enables an exploration of issues such as self-image and confidence, motivation and expectations. Whilst exploring theories relating to these issues in modules relating to interpersonal communication it was also possible to relate these theories to the groups own experiences and explore the ways in which this affected both learning and communication.
"The way in which we interpret experience is intimately
connected with how we view ourselves. Developing confidence
and building self-esteem both flow from, and are necessary for,
learning from experience."
(Boud et al, 1993, p16)
Word Count [2957]
Appendix
Examples of lesson plans
Reflection and Self Evaluation
Teaching Observation Feedback Form
Examples of Lesson Plans
Digital Video Editing with Adobe Premiere 6.5
Session 5
WELCOME: Take register
INTRODUCE TODAY'S SESSION
Web site of the day - http://www.simplydv.co.uk
Exporting
Revisit capturing
Edit movies
Q&A
SUMMARISE LAST SESSION
Audio, Titling
PART 1
Exporting to Tape
Explain Exporting to tape and Creating Movie functions.
Demonstrate
PART 2
Capturing Revisited
Revise how to capture from tape. Show the three methods. FLY > BATCH > LOGGING.
BREAK
PART 3
Edit your Movie
Students to start the editing process.
Summarise session
END
Unit 10
Understanding Video Technology
Video and television technology and video recording principles
Lesson Plan 2
Welcome: Take register
Timetable change
Summarise last session:
Assignment for unit - 4 weeks
Check groups against subjects to research
Any questions - Please interrupt
Racing ahead - Please interrupt
PART 1
How far have they got?
Where have they been researching?
State importance of presentations for note taking.
PART 2
How do we receive TV signals?
Ask group how they imagine TV is broadcast via Terrestrial, satellite and cable.
PART 3
How is image and audio data written to magnetic tapes?
Ask group how they imagine magnetic tape works.
PART 4
Discuss with individual groups their progress so far.
Get groups to go away and use the time to do research.
Q + A
End
Reflection and Self Evaluation
BTEC National Media - Moving Image
Unit 10: Understanding Video Technology
I devised this lesson in two parts. The first part was an introduction to the practical assessed task that was to follow in part 2. The lesson was two and a half hours long so time was against me from the start. I wanted to give the class the basic theory that all engineers and technicians rely on when troubleshooting faults with electrical equipment, so I drew some diagrams on the whiteboard and set examples of faultfinding practice and how one should proceed via process of elimination until the fault is isolated and possibly resolved. I addressed certain health and safety issues with regards to electronics and electrical equipment and explained in depth what was required of them in the practical task. I then put them into groups and gave them a fifteen-minute break. On returning to class I called the groups into the TV studio one at a time to complete their practical assessments. I thought this was the right way to precede so as the studio didn't get overcrowded and reduced the possibility of groups taking short cuts by borrowing answers from peers. Within the TV studio were a number of items that had been reported faulty. The group set about straight away attempting to diagnose the faults. Thirty minutes in to the exercise I noticed that the first group was only half way through the practical. At this rate I was going to need to set aside at least four lessons for all the groups to complete. I quickly decided that this was unacceptable and invited the other groups in to the TV studio to start their practical assessment. By 4:30 in the afternoon the group was tired and had pretty much lost the ability to focus on the task in hand. I dismissed the group and continued the following week.
Critical Reflection and Evaluation
The lesson worked very well as an introduction to troubleshooting and faultfinding theories as well as the practical applications of such theories. Nearly all students seemed to grasp the process of elimination concept and used it accordingly. The group dynamics were refreshingly good allowing them to accomplish their tasks with only a little input and guidance from me as I worked around the groups. The groups did however seem confused about what they were supposed to do once they had isolated a fault. Some attempted repairs whereupon I would step in and suggest that they write down how they would repair the fault as opposed to actually repairing the fault. The students seemed to find this approach difficult, which I established through questioning.
Outcomes and Future Action
This class responded well to group work and no doubt I will get them to work in groups more often. However, I am in two minds whether to allow them to work in the same groups constantly or to mix them up occasionally. Part of me thinks that allowing them to choose their groups has both positive and negative connotations. For if a group is made up of friends that work well together then will this disadvantage the rest of the class. Or maybe if a group is made up of friends that don't work well together and get no work done whatsoever. I guess I'm going to leave that outcome to time and experience to resolve. Because time was a big factor I think in future it best that I plan the lesson to cover two sessions and maybe even think about expanding the introduction part with detailed handouts that the students can refer to during the practical session. I think it is a good idea to also produce some health and safety handouts with regards to the practical tasks they will be undertaking. I will not attempt to process the groups one at a time as this does take up an awful amount of the lesson and will make the assessment run for weeks.
Bibliography
Armitage, A et al. (2001) Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Askew, S and Carnell, E. (1999) Transforming Learning: Individual and Global Change. London: Cassell Education
Brookfield, S. (1990) The Skillful Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davies, I.K. (1971) The Management of Learning. London: McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Ltd.
Gibbs, G and Habeshaw, T. (1989) Preparing to Teach. Bristol: Technical and Educational Services Ltd.
Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Minton, D. (2001) Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education. UK: City and Guilds, Thomson Learning.
Reece, I & Walker, S. (1992) A Practical Guide to Teaching, Training and Learning. Tyne and Wear: Business Education Publishers Ltd.
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