Hi. Since being very brave and setting up my blog I find I have been avoiding posting anything on it knowing that others are able to access to my writing. But I will venture onwards anyway...
I have been doing some reading this week around flexible learning and what it actually means. As my reading has progressed I have realised that while the BM programme I am involved in is delivered in a flexible manner to support the students learning, there is so much more to flexible learning/programme delivery in addition to what is being done already. The advantage of the flexibility of the current programme is that it offers an alternative to students having to relocate for three years to study as well as giving the students the ability to choose when they study in their own time, in conjunction with planned elluminate tutorials, intensive blocks and face to face sessions and practical experience opportunities, to support their successful completion of the degreee. There are constraints on the ability of the programme to be more flexible, for example course papers start and finish at a specified time and course assessments are required to be completed within this timeframe. However it would appear that this programme is certainly more innovative and in line with current models of education than other programmes of study in other disciplines.
The Acquisition and Participation (and contribution) educational models (Sfard, 1998) are ways of exploring an approach to the processes of teaching and learning. In relation to midwifery education and how the programme I am involved with is delivered I believe these models together contribute to an explaination of how these processes take place. I am a novice at all this however, so am interested in what I will discover in my ongoing reading surrounding the flexible learning topic. Maybe my not having had years of standing in front of a classful of students next to a blackboard teaching content has been an advantage in my adoption of this flexible approach to learning with which I am currently involved?
Christine I agree your lack of exposure to classroom lecturers is probably going to enable you to take a fresh approach in your teaching. As a midwife you will be used to quite a different model of teaching - probably as a mentor and guide to colleagues and others less experienced than yourself. It would be good to hear how you believe the Acquisition and Participation models you mention operate in midwifery. There is quite a contrast between the two models, and I believe they can operate very successfully alongside each other.
ReplyDeleteFor the benefit of the others I am adding a bit more explanation here. The Acquisition model is about transmitting information, and using activities which have been designed to pass on pre-determined knowledge. I believe this is the most common model in use. In contrast, the Participation model relies on the development of a community of practice (COP) for sharing knowledge, and the knowledge gained may surprise and challenge the members of the COP. From another perspective, the teacher then becomes the facilitator as opposed to solely the transmitter of "expert knowledge".
How do you facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and participation in a community of practice with your classes?
There is more detail about these models in:
Collis, B. & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning in a digital world. Open and Distance Series. London: Kogan page Ltd. See: Google book