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Cultural dimensions of authenticity: With an increasing international student body in universities all over the world, there is growing contact and appreciation between teachers and students from different cultures. We need to pay attention to such as how teachers and students relate to one another authentically.
The phenomenon of modern man has become wholly appearance; he is not visible in what he represents but rather concealed by it. -- Nietzsche (1873/1997), Untimely Meditations
From scholarship student to responsible scholar: A transformative process: The purpose of this paper is to explore the journey of the scholarship student as he or she becomes a responsible scholar. We present three narratives, each one providing a different lens through which we view the journey of the scholarship student. We use transformative learning (Mezirow, 2000) as a framework to discuss this transition, assuming that becoming a responsible scholar is the goal we have in mind in higher education. Hoggart’s (1957) and Rodriguez’s (1983) works contribute to our understanding and illumination of this transition. Foucault’s (1980) examination of self-disciplinary power and the Jungian (1971 [1921]) notions of the shadow and soul help us discuss different facets of the journey. Based on discussions of the framework and the individual stories, we suggest implications for teaching and learning.
I was a “scholarship boy,” a certain kind of scholarship boy. Always successful, I was always unconfident. Exhilarated by my progress. Sad. I became the prized student—anxious and eager to learn. Too eager, too anxious—an imitative and unoriginal pupil. (Richard Rodriguez, 1983, p. 62)
Transformation, power, and the shadow: It is a commonly held belief in adult education that teachers must “give up” their power or at least distribute it equally amongst learners. Foucault presents compelling arguments for the notion that power exists in all ordinary interactions and is exercised by people at all levels. Adult educators, we suggest, repress their power in the face of a community of practice that sanctions it. Knowledge of our power becomes a part of the shadow side of our psyche, existing among all of the other things we hide from others and ourselves. The Good Teacher does not exercise power says our persona. It is a process of individuation and transformation to come to see ourselves as separate from the collective psychology of our profession and learn how to exercise our own power and help our learners see themselves as agents of power.
References:
Lin, L. (in press, 2006). Cultural dimensions of authenticity. In P. Cranton & E. Carusetta (ed.): Authenticity in Teaching in Higher Education: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lin, L. & Cranton, P. (2005). From scholarship student to responsible scholar: A transformative process. Teaching in Higher Education, 10(4), 447-459.
Cranton, P., Roy, M., & Lin, L. (2003). Transformation, power, and the shadow. Paper presented at The Fifth International Conference on Transformative Learning, Columbia University, NY, Oct. 7-10, 2003.
Teacher learning from younger generations’ use of new media and technology: The study reveals that the younger generations are not interested in extensive, deep background knowledge before they acquire functional skills which allow them to move ahead with their activities and progressive expertise. This implies that the traditional scaffolding and extensive, deep background knowledge which are introduced and focused on in classroom teaching may not be appealing to the kids and thus may not motivate kids to learn. The rate of technological change is so fast and accelerating that the younger learners must adopt a different assimilation paradigm. The younger learners seem to intuitively know the need for such ability. The new generation's ways of learning are greatly influenced by the rapid change in the technologies as they experience the process of playing with games, cell phones and other handheld devices. That is, they are already conditioned by the codes, standards, and conventions designed into existing games, remotes and cell phones. They focus on acquired functionality and capability rather than understanding exactly what is happening. If teachers and adults try to enforce how they think they would learn (and thus how they think the kids should learn), they may project ways of "learning" that in fact slow down the learning. When teaching, esp. teaching new technologies to kids, it can be beneficial to allow the kids to experiment themselves and watch how they learn the new technologies before enforcing any curriculum for teaching. The kids may very well come up with their own ways and better ways of using the technologies. What's more important, the learning will become their own and be carried on to apply to other new knowledge.
Psychological type and asynchronous written dialogue in adult learning: This study explores how adults learn from asynchronous written dialogue through the lens of psychological type preferences. We asked participants to discover their dominant and auxiliary psychological preferences using the Personal Empowerment through Type inventory. Participants then completed an open-ended survey in which they described their experiences with learning through asynchronous written dialogue. The study shows that participants differed in their responses to online learning as reflected in their sense of enjoyment, their participation in the environment, and in the quality of their learning experience. We observed that these differences were associated with psychological type preferences, along with the perceived interactions with the instructors and peers in the learning community. The connections between psychological type and asynchronous written dialogue are discussed in this paper.
Transformative learning about teaching: The role of technology: It is our intent in this paper to explore how our habits of mind about teaching are challenged by technology and how these challenges lead us to transform our perspectives on teaching. With the ever-increasing sophistication of technology and its use in teaching and learning, educators must continually adapt their way of being with learners, question their perspectives on teaching, and determine how they can best work in this new environment. In just a few years, we have seen various new technologies such as video conferencing, course management systems, blogs, wikis, and live web conferencing integrated in face-to-face and online course settings. Sometimes we do not realize that we are creating communities in a society that is largely driven by technology.
Students’ perceptions before and after an online collaborative problem/project-based learning (PBL) experience: In this paper, we examine factors that make an online group project work. We asked the students in an online class to share their past group experiences at the beginning of the semester. We then used the categories derived from the students’ responses as baseline and asked the students to talk about their online group experiences at the end of the semester after they completed the online problem-based learning projects. We compare the responses, analyze similarities and differences, and provide suggestions on what makes an online group project work.
Dancing to different drummers: In this paper, we explore how students’ individual differences in learning style can be considered in the construction of meaningful online learning experiences. In a research project conducted with ninety-two students, we investigated how psychological type preferences explained people’s perspectives on their involvement in online dialogue. We used the PET Type Check and an online survey constructed for the study to collect qualitative data on participants’ psychological preferences and their reactions to participating in online dialogue. We found clear trends in the relationship between psychological type and online dialogue experiences. Even when participants enjoyed the dialogue and benefited from it, their reasons for this varied in relation to their learning style. Based on our research results, we provide practical recommendations for instructors in seven areas: 1) constructing dialogue in online learning, 2) encouraging meaningful student participation, 3) establishing the role of the facilitator, 4) making connections with students online, 5) creating a space in which learners are valued, 6) encouraging student decision-making, and 7) exercising power appropriately.
Integrating Principles of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) into the Online Course Design Process: This paper discusses how Problem-Based Learning (PBL) theories can be applied to the online course design process through reflections of our own experiences. Two doctoral students, one with scholarship in the PBL design approach and another being instructor of an online graduate course, worked together to incorporate the PBL approach as part of learning experiences for students in the focus course. During the process, both of them realized that their own collaborative working experiences resembled, to a great extent, the process that is advocated by the PBL approach. Their collaboration enriched not only the course design but also their own learning. This paper aims to capture those collaborative experiences and discuss how PBL can be used as an effective approach for designers and instructors who are interested in incorporating the PBL approach in the process of designing online courses.
References:
Lin, L. (2007). Conceptualizing online spaces for online teaching and learning: A theoretical framework. Proposal submitted to Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) 2007 Educational Technology Research Symposium. Austin, TX, Feb. 5-9.
Lin, L., van ‘t Hooft, M. and Swan, K. (2007). Teachers can learn from young generations of handheld users. Proposal submitted to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)’s 28th Annual National Education Computing Conference (NECC) 2007. Atlanta, Georgia, June 24-27.
Lin, L., van ‘t Hooft, M. and Swan, K. (2007). What can we learn from younger generations’ use of handheld technologies? Proposal accepted to The 2007 eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference. Columbus, OH, Feb. 12-14, 2007.
Lin, L. (2007). Learning from teenagers: generational differences in the use of new technologies. Proposal accepted to the American Educational Research Association conference: The World of Educational Quality. Chicago, April 9-13.
Lin, L. (2006). Creating online spaces to enhance teaching and learning. Paper presented at The 12th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Asynchronous Learning Network (The Power of Online Learning: Realizing the Vision). Orlando, FL, Nov. 8-10.
Lin, L., Cranton, P. & Bridglall, B. (2005). Psychological type and asynchronous written dialogue in adult learning. Teachers College Record, 107(8), 1788-1813. (http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=12096).
Cranton, P. & Lin, L. (2005). Transformative learning about teaching: The role of technology. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Transformative Learning: Appreciating the Best of What Is, Envisioning What Could Be. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, Oct. 6-9, 2005.
Lopez-Ortiz, B. and Lin, L. (2005). What makes an online group project work? Students’ perceptions before and after an online collaborative problem/project-based learning experience. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning (http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Feb_05/article04.htm).
Hutchison, J. & Lin, L. (2005). Teacher learning: Personalized and contextualized support in helping teachers use technology. Paper presented at The Technology and Learning Symposium, New York University, New York.
Lopez-Ortiz, B. and Lin, L. (2004). Integrating principles of problem-based learning (PBL) into the online course design process. Paper presented at Gigabytes, Ghouls, and Graduate Students: The first CCTE conference on research in technology and education, Columbia University, NY, Oct. 2004.
Lin, L. & Cranton, P. (2004). Dancing to different drummers: Individual differences in online learning. Creative College Teaching Journal, 1(1), 30-40.
Lin, L. (1999). A Deweyan approach to thinking of technology. Paper presented at the Rouge Forum conference, Rochester University, Rochester, NY.
Lin, L. (2002). The Teachers College New Teacher Institute: Supporting new teachers through hybrid new media technologies. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference, New Orleans, LA. |
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