Colloquium - Towards common understandings of flexible learning May 2015. Another seminar was held on 28 July 2015 to officially handover the project to the leadership of UWC and SAQA
Presentations
1. Prof. Miriam Zukas Presentation at Teaching and Learning Directorate Seminar 5 May 2015
2. Prof. Shirley Walters
3. Dr. Heidi Bolton - SAQA Research Director
4. Prof. Miriam Zukas
- Links to academic work of Miriam Zukas
5. Interactive presentation and discussions of 3.5 Pilot Sites
- EMS Flexible B. Admin Degree Link
- Political Studies Link
- School of Public Health Link
- Library and Information Science Link
6. Part Time Students Video
SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF PROF. MIRIAM ZUKAS
Miriam
Zukas is Professor of Adult Education and Executive Dean of the School of
Social Science, History and Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.
Birkbeck is a specialist adult university which offers all its programmes in
the evening. Miriam was previously at the University of Leeds. Her research
interests include pedagogic identities in higher education (with Janice
Malcolm), professional learning in the workplace (including doctors and other
healthcare workers) and, most recently, the working lives of social scientists
in higher education (again with Janice Malcolm). This seminar comes from a
stream of work which interrogated the underpinning assumptions of research
about pedagogies in higher education.
PROF. MIRIAM ZUKAS READINGS
- M Zukas Making a mess of academic work
- M Zukaz Changing Forms of Responsibility Exploring Workplace Pedagogies in Transitions
I found that there were many resonances for our work both within the flexible learning and teaching provision project and the Division for Lifelong Learning as a whole. The action research is dependent on collaborative relationships, and we are, through the research, in the process of developing 'common knowledge'. Then possibilities for what Anne referred to as 'transfer' or 'translation' becomes that much easier. I relate very much to the three 'gardening tools' of 'relational expertise', common knowledge' and 'relational agency - working together in activities'. I found the presentation and the concepts presented very generative.
ReplyDeleteAnne's lecture on Tuesday focused on 'designing tasks which engage learners iwth knowledge' - given the centrality of 'engagement' of learners as key to their success, I found the quadrant which was presented, very practical. How did you find the talk?
ReplyDeleteAnne had an interesting seminar on Wednesday and raised some key issues with regards to ZPD and how the focus in on learning and not development. She also focused on the importance of environments using the reference of Guy Claxton and Margaret Carr and looking at how environments may be prohibiting, affording, inviting and potentiating (stretching and development). I look forward to the rest of the seminar series and the work developing from this at UWC.
ReplyDeleteI have been really enjoying the interesting and informative seminars by Anne thus far. Thank you to the organisers for arranging this visit.
ReplyDeleteBased on the two seminars I've attended (the one about understanding boundaries last Tuesday and today's seminar about developing a multi-layered system of expertise), I was wondering about the following:
My sense is that the work of the deanery is currently about, mainly, university-school partnerships that focus on broadening knowledge and expertise about classroom-based practices (which I understand to mean is about strengthening at a horizontal/ local network level). My question is if this is intended as a starting point that will eventually attempt to transcend boundaries of a hierarchical nature as the number of schools and districts increase, as mentioned today? Also, what could be considered a typical inter-professional or inter-agency partnership that could be established to develop a multi-layered system of expertise that goes beyond improving classroom practices (through ITE, CPD, etc.)?
I found the example of the 'deanery' just that - a rich example of inter-professional and inter-agency partnership in practice. The recognition of multi-layered distributed expertise throughout the system is an acknowledgement of the importance of different knowledges that are held by different people or communities. As I understood it, this is challenging notions that university (or any other) knowledge is necessarily superior. All parties who are involved in an open collective cycle of development have parts to play in the development of 'core knowledge' which enables inter-agency collaboration to operate more easily.The affirmation of different knowledges helps to build trust and a sense of reciprocity which is so central in a partnership. I appreciated Anne's emphasis on the important role universities have to challenge and stretch others to deepen theoretical understandings in the building of new knowledge together.
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