Robyn
Spoonfeeding? I don’t think so. I think of spoonfeeding as offering up the answers to students in easily digestible bites/bytes. A class of spoonfed students would all think the same way and offer the same answers. What I am describing is a learning process – the students build their own understandings through engaging in various activities with each other and with a range of resources and in a variety of ways. This is independent learning.
If all you do as a university lecturer is ensure students are in touch with suitable resources then there is every chance many students will miss out on the worthwhile learning experiences they need and deserve.
Educators recognise – and have done for decades – that students learn best by being actively involved in their learning. And yet our typical structure at University is for a one hour lecture where we talk ‘at’ students, followed by a one or two hour seminar -of up to 30 students these days - where only some voices are ever heard. (You’ll see I am not a scientist – they presumably include practical sessions. I would be interested to hear if these are found to be pedagogically effective. Any comments?)
University lecturers are researchers but they are also teachers. And yes – I think our role is to guide students towards experimenting with different ways of thinking by guiding their learning experiences. And when technologies emerge that can be used to tap into ‘resources’ in new ways then I think it is our duty to explore how they can improve student learning. The result won’t be a bunch of spoonfed clones, I promise.
Posted by Donna Gibbs
