Post on 31-Mar-2015
RMIT
Kill your PowerPoint and teach like a pirate
James Arvanitakisj.arvanitakis@uws.edu.au
Twitter: jarvanitakis0438454127
May 2013
Globalisation: A definition
“Globalisation may be thought of … as the widening, deepening and speeding up of the worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life, from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the spiritual.”
(Held et al 1999, p. 2).
– This definition recognises globalisation is multi-dimensional, having width, breadth and depth.
– Another important aspect of this definition is that it portrays globalisation as a process.
– As globalisation permeates different areas of society
Cont…
The term globalisation reflects a perception that the world is increasingly being moulded into a shared social space – The analogy: a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo effects
the weather patterns in Sydney.
– That is, developments in one region of the world can have profound consequences on individuals or communities on the other side of the globe
– Importantly, this is in ways that are difficult to know and understand (linked with Chaos Theory)
– These effects can be cultural, economic or political as well as environmental.
Chaos Theory
• We draw on chaos theory because it is the study of nonlinear dynamics.
• That is, where seemingly random events are actually related and a pattern emerges
• Think of the butterfly effect again…
Technology and Globalisation
• What is the link between globalisation and technology?
• Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah….
Let’s stop and think
• What did the students learn?• Did they ‘relate to‘ or ‘apply’ the concept?• Did they have a chance to let this ‘sink in’
before we moved on?
• Let’s try again?
Today: Teach like a pirate
1. A changing environment2. Teaching like a pirate (for example,
globalisation)3. Beyond degrees to citizenship
PART 1… A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
We are where newspapers were 10 years ago…
A quick scan…
• Changing nature of the student cohort– UWS student for example…
• Rise of ‘large classes’ - massification– Across (most) institutions– Students searching for relevance
• Rise of ‘choice’– Both across institutions and within courses
• Everything counts…
A quick scan…
• Budgetary challenges– What is being cut and by whom?
• Culture wars (mark II)– New government on the horizon – regardless,
shock jocks rule• Changing environment for academics
PART 2… TEACH LIKE A PIRATE- EG GLOBALISATION
“James you teach like a pirate… Pirates, like ninjas, change to suit their environments…”
GLOBALISATION: A LOVE STORY
Many ways to teach globalisation
The power of words:
Think of a word relevant to your teaching area?
Globalisation: A definition
“Globalisation may be thought of … as the widening, deepening and speeding up of the worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life, from the cultural to the criminal, the financial to the spiritual.”
(Held et al 1999, p. 2).
– This definition recognises globalisation is multi-dimensional, having width, breadth and depth.
– Another important aspect of this definition is that it portrays globalisation as a process.
– As globalisation permeates different areas of society
Globalisation
• We are connected in many ways • Sometimes these are straight forward…
– For example: a direct trade treaty• Sometimes more complex…
Lectures: Idea v. Reality
“lectures are always exciting and effective for both the lecturer and the students…”
What do you think?
• It’s deadly boring
• No connection with prior knowledge to facilitate understanding
• I could have just downloaded all these notes from the web - this is a waste of time
• Other students talk throughout the lecture - it’s so irritating
Some Challenges FacedBy Students
What can we do about it?
• It’s deadly boring: Make it interactive
• No connection with prior knowledge to facilitate understanding: Build on each step
• I could have just downloaded all these notes from the web - this is a waste of time: Add value
• Other students talk throughout the lecture - it’s so irritating: Encourage the right type of talking
Confronting challenges…
Eg: Globalisation…
How do you teach this vague concept?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_7Ki87-c0
Use what is out there:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SnR-e0S6Ic
Globalisation and us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0TQR1kVs0k
Globalisation at TEDhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nItwVO9stX8
What The Research Says ....
This is important for teaching not just engaging students…Simply reducing the number of students in a class will not alone improve the quality of teaching and learning.
Key factors:
– opportunities to be engaged in a range of ways– timely and frequent feedback to students– active problem-solving– feeling like part of the group
Attention Span in Large Classes
Attention levels decrease after 10 – 20 minutes, when activity levels are passive
Gibbs (1992); Bligh (2000)
Changing Demands on Students
Changing the demands on students can have an impact on concentration levels and performance - Gibbs (1992); Bligh (2000)
Forgetting During LecturesStudents forget information because of interference from subsequent material ....
..... and from preceding material
.... Implications for teaching?
Forgetting After Lectures
When students actively review what they’ve learned in a lecture, close to the time of the lecture, they can retain up to 40% of the information for up to 60 days.
Without prompt review of materials, retention is closer to 10%
Bligh (2000)
Promoting active learning
Active engagement, imaginative enquiry and the finding of a suitable level are all much more likely to occur if teaching methods that necessitate student
activity, student problem-solving and question-asking, and cooperative learning are employed
Ramsden (1992 p. 167).
How do I translate this into practice?
Aligned Teaching
• The idea that students construct their own learning through relevant learning activities.
• Our job is to create a learning environment that supports the learning activities appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes.
• Key: all components in the teaching system (curriculum, intended outcomes, teaching methods, assessment tasks) are aligned.
• These are tuned to learning activities addressed in the desired learning outcomes.
• The student “finds it difficult to escape without learning appropriately”.
Biggs, J.B. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: Open University Press/Society for Research into Higher Education. (Second edition)
Academic Reading
Globalisation
Non-Academic Reading
You tube
Lecture
Tutorial
Materials
In class exercises
Official website
Some thoughts on globalisation…
An cements inequitable relationship
Two worlds…
Increasing disparities
• A wide range of statistics confirms growing inequality between first and third world– In 1965, the average per capita income of G7 countries
was 20 times that of the world’s poorest seven; in 1995 it was 37 times as much.
• The income gap: – richest fifth to the poorest fifth increased from 30 to one
in 1960 to 74 to one in 1997– 2007 - richest 20% of the world population now receives
150 times the income of the poorest 20%. • There are also increasing disparities within
countries• http://www.undp.org/publications/annualre
port2007/IAR07-ENG.pdf
Environmental consequences
Words that come to mind?
A story of chocolate
What does this tell us?
Other times… Chaos?
• We draw on chaos theory because it is the study of nonlinear dynamics.
• That is, where seemingly random events are actually related and a pattern emerges
• Think of the butterfly effect again…
• How does this work?
Cluster Bombs…
… & food drops…
THIS IS OUR WORLD… LET’S RESHAPE IT
THANK YOU…
PART 3… MOVING BEYOND DEGREES
Crossing the threshold and seeing the world as if for the first time…
Citizenship
Skills and knowledge
Culture
51
Traditional Model of citizenship
Civic Institutions
Citizens Citizens Citizens Citizens Citizens
52
Changing Models of Citizenship: Relational
Civic InstitutionsCitizens
CitizensCitizens
Citizens
Citizens
53
NGOSCorps
Changing Models of Citizenship: Governance
Civic InstitutionsCitizens
CitizensCitizens
Citizens
Citizens
Media
54
Citizenship typology
Disempowered
Empowered
EngagedDisengaged
THANK YOU!
Useful references
Bligh, D. A. (2000). What’s the use of lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The skilful teacher (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Cowan, J. (1998). On Becoming an Innovative University Teacher. Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
Gibbs, G. (1992). Improving the quality of student learning. Bristol, U.K.: Technical and Educational Services.
Krause, K., Hartley, R., James, R., & McInnis, C. (2005). The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from a decade of national studies. Centre for Studies in Higher Education (CHSE), University of Melbourne.
Ramsden, P. (1992), Learning to Teach in Higher Education, Routledge, London.
• Scevack, J. J. (2010). Lectures (45 – 54). In In R. H. Cantwell, & J. J. Scevack, (eds.). An academic life. Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
Toohey, S. (1999). Designing courses for higher education. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University Press.