scholarly journals "Society likes to put people into socially constructed boxes": Exploration of the liminal space through undergraduate students' reflections on disability

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Kofke
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Liminal Space ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Ideological Change ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

As undergraduate students engage with disability studies coursework, they learn about sociocultural concepts that address issues of ableism, normalcy, equity, and inclusion of disabled people in all facets of society. A transformational ideological change in how students view disability often occurs during these courses. To further explore this phenomenon, I completed a study on the capstone course for a DS minor program at a mid-sized public university. Two research questions asked: 1) How do undergraduate students make sense of and understand disability while completing a DS course? and 2) Which pedagogical decisions made by course instructors promote undergraduate students' development of new understandings of disability? A review of the scholarship on DS pedagogy in postsecondary contexts and the transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1990) concept of critical reflection situated how these students' perspectives shift over a semester. The weekly reflection assignment of 69 students over two semesters were coded with qualitative methods. Findings include themes related to the process of reflection unearthing realizations and identifying both problems and solutions, connecting to moral obligation. The findings explore connections to the process of reflection while the students were within the liminal space of understanding course content that contrasted their prior assumptions about disability. I discuss implications for postsecondary educational pedagogical methods to understand and utilize the liminal space while teaching DS courses.

scholarly journals Self-Regulation and “Time Off”: Evaluations and Reflections on the Development of a Blended Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Spadafora ◽  
Zopito Marini
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Academic Experiences ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
University Course ◽  
The Way

Changes in both the landscape of education and digital technology are giving rise to interesting, innovative, and potentially effective pedagogical possibilities. As educators of the 21st century, we are witnessing continuous changes in the way we teach as well as the way students learn. This study is a part of an ongoing research program aimed at evaluating the pedagogical effectiveness of blended teaching. More specifically, this paper aims to describe some of our reflections as we developed, delivered, and carried out an evaluation of a university course taught using a blended format. Undergraduate students (n=109) in a fourth-year capstone course participated in this study. We report on the students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the delivery method of the course, while focusing on the struggles they encountered, including difficulties keeping up with the course content, particularly on the weeks where the lecture was online, as well as a struggle to stay organized and connected with their peers and their assignments. Self-regulation turned out to be a major determinant of success in this type of course. We conclude with suggestions to improve students’ social and academic experiences as they navigate learning in a digital world. Les changements survenus à la fois dans le paysage de l’éducation et dans la technologie numérique donnent naissance à des possibilités pédagogiques intéressantes, innovatrices et potentiellement efficaces. En tant qu’éducateurs du XXIe siècle, nous assistons à des changements continus dans la manière dont nous enseignons ainsi que dans la manière dont les étudiants apprennent. Cette étude s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un programme de recherche en cours qui a pour objectif d’évaluer l’efficacité pédagogique de l’enseignement hybride. Plus spécifiquement, cet article vise à décrire certaines de nos réflexions au fur et à mesure que nous élaborons, livrons et exécutons l’évaluation d’un cours universitaire enseigné selon un format hybride. Des étudiants de premier cycle (n=109) inscrits dans un tout dernier cours de quatrième année ont participé à cette étude. Nous présentons un rapport sur la manière dont les étudiants ont perçu l’efficacité de la méthode employée pour enseigner ce cours, tout en mettant l’accent sur les problèmes qu’ils ont rencontrés, y compris les difficultés à faire face au contenu du cours, en particulier durant les semaines où les cours magistraux étaient présentés en ligne, ainsi que sur leurs difficultés à rester organisés et connectés avec leurs camarades de classe et avec leurs devoirs. Il s’avère que l’autorégulation est un élément important pour la réussite de ce type de cours. Pour conclure, nous présentons des suggestions pour améliorer l’expérience sociale et académique des étudiants dans leur parcours de l’apprentissage au sein d’un monde numérique.

Preservice Teachers’ Perspective Transformations as Social Change Agents

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelli Woodrow ◽  
Vicki Caruana
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
K 12

In this article, we investigate whether, and in what ways, the learning experiences in a capstone course in reflective teaching impact the perspective transformations (PT) of preservice teachers toward a diverse K-12 student population and the plans of preservice teachers to take future action as change agents. Using an adaptation of the Learning Activities Survey as a measure of PT and as a way to identify those learning experiences that may contribute to such transformations as well as textual analysis of participants’ reflective writing, we connect personal transformation and local and limited agency. Developing significant praxis may require additional learning experiences and time. Transformative learning theory is presented as a possible frame for developing meaningful learning experiences that impact a change in perspective of preservice teachers in their preparation programs.

Transformative Learning in an Online Environment

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Cranton
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Online Environment

The purpose of this article is to explore the potential for fostering transformative learning in an online environment. It provides an overview of transformative learning theory, including the variety of perspectives on the theory that have evolved as the theory matured. Strategies and practices for fostering transformative learning are presented, followed by a description of the online environment and how strategies for encouraging transformative learning might be carried into that environment. Students’ voices are brought in to corroborate and to question the importance of these strategies. The article concludes with a discussion of how an educator’s style and strengths can be brought into online teaching, especially with a view to helping learners examine their meaning perspectives.

The wheel of fortune as a novel support for constructive alignment and transformative sustainability learning in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Noy ◽  
Teresa Capetola ◽  
Rebecca Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Constructive Alignment ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
Changing Times

Purpose Education for Sustainability in Higher Education (ESHE) sits within and across disciplinary settings that share the need for a framework that provides a basis for pedagogy, assessment and learning outcomes (Kalsoom, 2019). ESHE strives to create transformative learning spaces that help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to understand and contribute to shaping a world based on communities living within the limits of earth’s resources. This paper aims to offer a novel solution to the challenge of teaching students from different disciplines struggling with the complexity of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the development of an interdisciplinary subject designed for undergraduate students from four faculties. It presents a case study of pedagogy that moves away from three pillars/concentric circles approaches towards practices based in systems thinking and interactive transformative learning. It describes the iterative process of developing and implementing an infographic: the “Sustainability Wheel of Fortune” (Wheel), to support constructive alignment of content, assessment tasks and learning outcomes. Findings The Wheel provides a holistic, interconnected and dynamic focus for framing content and teaching. The pedagogy aligns with sustainability competencies, builds in flexibility in response to changing times and student experiences and provides teachers and students with a common framework for interrogating the possibilities for sustainable futures. Originality/value The Wheel is a novel learning tool for contemporary sustainability education. It captures key elements of approaches to and concepts about sustainability, visually reinforces the idea of a holistic interconnected approach and provides a framework that supports the constructive pedagogy of an interdisciplinary sustainability subject.

scholarly journals Teaching Idea Generation to Undergraduate Students Within the Time Constraints of a Capstone Course

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shraddha Sangelkar ◽  
Charlotte de Vries ◽  
Omar Ashour ◽  
William Lasher
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Capstone Course

Exploring Transformative Learning at the Cultural Interface: Insights From Successful Aboriginal University Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-13
Author(s):  
Braden Hill ◽  
Grantley Winmar ◽  
Jenna Woods
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Adult And Continuing Education ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Cultural Interface ◽  
Transformative Impact ◽  
Adult And Continuing ◽  
Western Australian

Transformative learning theory articulates a process whereby students experience a change in perspectives that expands and transforms their worldview. Despite being well established and regarded within the literature relating to adult and continuing education, Mezirow's (1978) seminal education theory remains largely absent in the research relating to Indigenous higher education. This study explores the transformative impact of university learning on the student journeys of three Aboriginal graduates from a Western Australian university. Applying a collaborative auto-ethnographic approach, each author-participant's personal narrative of their student experience was exposed to comparative, thematic and critical analysis. It was found that each author had faced similar cognitive and emotional challenges at university. Significantly, it emerged that university had changed the author-participants’ identities in ways that aligned with Mezirow's transformative learning construct. The narrative data also revealed elements that appeared related to the students’ negotiation of Nakata's cultural interface. A dominant theme in the data referred to the relationships formed during university, as being integral to transformation. Furthermore, family was understood to have a paradoxical influence on their educational journey. The insights garnered from this study prompt further consideration as to how transformative learning theory might be mobilised at the cultural interface.

scholarly journals Higher Education Course Content: Paper-Based Online or Hybrid Course Delivery?

10.28945/2794 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Van Der Vyver ◽  
Michael Lane
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Hybrid Models ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Hybrid Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Electronic Delivery

The emergence of the Internet has made many institutions involved in the delivery of distance education programs re-evaluate the course delivery framework. A variety of models and techniques co-exist in an often uneasy alliance at many such institutions. These range from the traditional distance learning model, which remains paper-based, to the purely online model. Recently, hybrid models have emerged which apparently attempt to forge elements taken from several models into a unified whole. Many of these hybrid models seek to eliminate paper-based materials from the tuition process. While many arguments are put forward about the efficacy of purely electronic delivery mechanisms, cost containment is often the driving motivation. This study explores student perceptions of the various delivery mechanisms for distance learning materials. In particular, it seeks to determine what value students place on paper-based delivery mechanisms. The study surveys a group of undergraduate students and a group of graduate students enrolled in the Faculty of Business at a large regional Australian university.

Exploring My Images of Mathematics and Its Influence on Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 23-48
Author(s):  
Basanta Raj Lamichhane
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Negative Images ◽  
Teaching Learning

The major aim of this paper is to explore my images of mathematics and its influences on my teaching-learning strategies. I have employed an auto/ethnographic research design to excavate my lived experiences largely informed by interpretive and critical paradigms. To generate field texts dialectical and historical-hermeneutic approaches have been used. The Habermas’ knowledge constitutive interest and Mezorows’ transformative learning theory were used as theoretical referents. The writing as a process of inquiry has been used to create layered texts through thick descriptions of the contexts, critical self-reflexivity, transparent and believable writing aiming to ensure the quality standards of the research. The research illuminates that most of the negative images of mathematics have been emerged by the conventional transmissionist ‘one-size-fits-all’ pedagogical approach. Likewise, it has indicated that to transform mathematics education practices towards more empowering, authentic, and inclusive ones, it must be necessary to shift in paradigms of teaching and practitioners’ convictions, beliefs, values, and perspectives as well.

Risky Media

2013 ◽  
pp. 286-304
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Kruger-Ross ◽  
Tricia M. Farwell
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Transformative Learning Theory ◽  
Technology In Education ◽  
Technology In The Classroom ◽  
Assessment Technology

This chapter seeks to critically examine and question common assumptions underpinning educators’ use and incorporation of technology in the classroom. Drawing upon transformative learning theory, the authors argue that incorporating technology in education cannot and should not be done without first questioning assumptions regarding power, teaching, and assessment. Technology is transforming education in expected ways, but can also transform education in unexpected, unexplored ways. Educators need to move beyond the quick fix of bulleted lists to explore the implications of technology in the classroom more fully.

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