Author: Celia Popovic
Many of the "fake news" items suggested by educational developers concerned beliefs around effective teaching.
- Teaching involves covering content
- Content is certainly part of the learning experience - a course, however theoretical, involves learning something. However, it is not just about content. Novice teachers, and some not so novice, focus on getting through the material. This misses the fundamental question of what is it that the student is doing? A teacher could read through an entire text book (as did my History teacher when I was at school!) but without any interaction with the student it would be rather pointless as a teaching method. Teaching involves far more than content, and much of the content in our programs and courses could be skipped if instead we taught students how to locate the information in the future.
- Being an expert is both necessary and sufficient to be a good teacher
- There is no evidence that top researchers make the best teachers. Most would agree that in order to teach one does need to have a mastery in the topic, indeed teaching something is a great way to demonstrate knowledge. However, having a mastery does not require expertise. We cannot assume that because a colleague is well regarded in his or her field that they will necessarily be a good teacher and should therefore be exempt from any teaching support.
- University is just about learning
- As the recent move to online and distance education (writing this in May 2020) has shown - University is more than just about learning. It is seen by many as a right of passage, a move towards adulthood and independence, an opportunity to explore new ideas and meet new people. Yes it is about learning, but it could and should be about so much more.
- There is only one correct way to teach
- There are multiple ways to teach. Some are more effective in certain contexts than others, but there is not just one way.
- Delivering learning
- Some respondents objected to this phrase as it implies that learning is a package, rather like a box of chocolates, that can be delivered by the teacher to the learner. We know that learning relies as much, if not more, on the learner's actions as those of the teacher, and so 'delivery' of learning is not appropriate.
- Traditional lectures are good and the default mode for teaching
- While lectures may be the default mode of teaching for some instructors, it should not be the default mode for all teaching. Traditional lecturing started in the medieval days before the accessibility of books brought about by the invention of the printing press. A 'lecturer' lectured to a group of learners as this was the most efficient way to share information. Clearly we are well beyond those days, and information is one thing that we have in abundance. Knowing what to do with that knowledge, how to evaluate and apply it is far more important than mere access.
- Donald Bligh asked the question What's the Use of Lectures in 1972, and his arguments are still worth consideration.
- My discipline is special
- This is a contentious statement. While some would argue for discipline specific approaches to education, many others would argue that there are pedagogical theories that are common to all.
- Schulman's Signature Pedagogies supports the idea that there are discipline specific approaches to teaching, particularly in the professions. He argues that the methods and attitudes demonstrated in the teaching of professions underpins the culture of the profession.
- It is worth remembering, that not all students end up in careers related to their area of study. Even for those who do, may need to acquire skills and knowledge beyond the traditional boundaries of the original discipline.
- A teacher can tell a good student from a bad one
- Some instructors, after several years of teaching may claim that they are able to tell a good student from a bad one. The problem with this assertion is that it is rarely tested. As with many prejudices claimants are selective in their experience. A student I expect to do well who fails will do so for reasons other than my initial judgment, ie something must have happened to prevent them achieving their potential. The reverse is also true. But a student who I thought was a good student who excels, or one I thought was a poor student who fails, proves I was right.
- The fallacy of prejudices in the classroom is discussed in Popovic and Green (2012) Understanding Undergraduates, Routledge, London.
- Writing Centres can fix students' bad writing
- Writing centres can help students to improve their writing. They can also help students to understand what it is that their instructor expects from an assignment, but there is no magic pill that will fix poor writing - only students can change the way they write.
- Androgogy is different from pedagogy
- Another contentious one - for some respondents the notion that there is a difference between the way children and adults learn is unfounded in evidence.
- Androgogy was a term coined by Malcolm Knowles to highlight the learning approaches and needs of adults. Many educational theories are expressed in the context of child learners, Knowles points out that there is a difference in teaching children and adults, not least since adult learners have different motivations and agency from children. Some critics of the use of "androgogy" object to the opposite idea that pedagogy has no relevance in higher education.
- For a summary of Androgogy see this article from eLearning.com
*************************************************************************************************
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
