STRUCTURED GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL LEARNING THROUGH STUDIO TIMEAn investigation into studio time design and student engagement in tasks

Researchers: Liz Melchior, Delia Baskerville, Liz Thevenard, Vicki ThorpeResearch Assistant: Tara Evans

Presentation Overview

BackgroundMethodologyThemesFindingsRecommendations

Background Defining studio time Historical perspectives

Aims Use of studio time Student perceptions vs

coordinator intentions Evidence to influence future

design

Literature Review

Teacher education University model

Methodology

Case study Research participants Data collection Data analysis

“Case study research in education is conducted so that specific issues and problems of practice can be identified and explained” (Merriam, 1998, p.34).

Findings

Task design importantCorrelation between student and

coordinator responses

Themes

1. Organisation and content◦ Belief ◦ Practice◦ Critique

2. Recommendations

Organisation and Content: BeliefPre-service

teachers“…contact time with our

lecturers has been cut, and so this is a way of our lecturers making sure that we get the work through to us that we need to learn and we need to know.”

Designed to save

money Structured independent

or group work Consolidation of

learning Practical experiences

Course coordinators“Studio time essentially was

meant to give us more time and keep the students from losing time. And it probably hasn't succeeded in either area.”

Designed to free

lecturers up for research Set tasks to apply theory

to practice Taking learning to a

deeper level Practical experiences

Organisation and Content: Practice

Pre-service teachers

“We don’t just want to be reading in studio time...we can do this at home!”

Practical, useable,

structured activities Group tasks Lecturers present for at

least part of the time

Course coordinators

“What I want them to do in studio time, and what makes it valuable, is to actually critique and interact with each other.”

Structured, practical

activities Group interaction Demonstrations/

practical workshops

Organisation and Content: Critique Pre-service

teachers “If studio-time is poorly

organised students don’t turn up.”

Studio time works when: Clear expectations Flow-on from lectures Well organised groups All contributeStudio time does not work

when: No accountability Timetabling problematic

Course coordinators

“The majority of students we get in primary have no expertise within particular curriculum areas...have little confidence...”

Student cohorts have different needs

Student accountability Lecturer feedback No time for research

Recommendations Pre-service

teachers“I want to learn from

teachers how to teach, and I want you to show me and, and then let’s practice it, and let’s do it.”

Studio time should focus on theory in practice:

Purposeful tasks Accountability Details in course

outlines

Course coordinators

“There must be adequate supervision to ensure best practice.”

Studio time design should be more flexible to meet student needs:

Lecturer collaboration and innovation

Accountability Details in course

outlines

Implications

“The idea, or habit, still held by the majority of teacher training institutions is that if they teach about learning and teaching in a clear and transmissive way, student teachers will make the effort to put this knowledge into their own practice” (Schelfhout, Dochy, Janssens, Struyven, Guelen & Sierens, 2006,

p. 877).

“It’s a bit like teaching someone to drive a car by reading a book.”

ReferencesKorthagen, F., Loughran, J. & Russell, T. (2006). Developing

fundamental principles for teacher education programs and practices. Teaching and Teacher Education 22(2006) 1020-1041.

Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education revised and expanded from case study research in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Phillips, R. (2005). Challenging the primacy of lecture: the dissonance between theory and practice in university teaching. JUTLP, 2:1, 1-13

Reid, D.J. & Johnston, M. (1991). Improving Teaching in higher education: student and teacher perspectives. Educational Studies, 25: 3 (1999), 269-281.

Schelfhout, W., Dochy, F., Janssens, S., Struyven, K., Guelen, S. & Sierens, E. (2006). Educating for learning-focused teaching in teacher training: The need to link learning context with practical experiences within an inductive approach. Teaching and Teacher Education 22(2006) 1020-1041.

Tillema H. (2000). Belief change towards self-directed learning in student teachers: immersion in practice or reflection on action. Teaching and Teacher Education 16 (2000) 575-591.

Tillema, H. & Kremer-Hayon, L (2002) “Practising what we preach” – teacher educators’ dilemma in promoting self-regulating learning: a cross case comparison. Teaching and Teacher Education 18 (2002) 593-607.