What was all the Fuss About?

Well it is the end of the first semester (almost) and my final assignments have gone in. In a post semester review, I must say that I am glad it is finished. Statistics and Data Analysis was not a subject that was warm to my heart. In fact, it was probably the worst in terms of my understanding and what I got out of it. Looking back, once I came to the acceptance to forget trying to learn the formulas and understand what they are really trying to achieve, it did get better. Besides, with computer and software programs like SPSS, we do not need to learn formulas anyway. The final assignment was a struggle but it is over now and if I can just get a pass in the subject, I will be satisfied.

The other subject was Knowledge Management in Organisations. This was a more interesting one and did not give me anywhere near the grief that the previous one did (fortunately). It is interesting to discover that despite the retoric, business is still a long way behind practicing what it preaches and/or desires to achieve. There are a number of reasons for this of course, but given that business know they cannot hire skilled personnel like they could as little as only a few years ago, the need to document and include knowledge and knowledge management as a key component of their core business, I think would have been essential. Unfortunately most still believe that concentrating on the immediate concerns of making money is the only thing they need to do is so short sighted and ultimately will be their downfall. The world is constantly changing and unless organsations plan and consolidate what they already have and hold in terms of knowledge and stategies for enhancing, growing and/or adapting existing knowledge, they will not be able to react and respond appropriately to new and emerging trends.

I am starting a new job in a few days time which will also keep me busy and motivated. It will make life difficult in the second semester with studies, particularly when the new workplace is over an hour and a half away from the university. Never mind, all part of the self improvement and expansion of knowledge and skills. At least with a months break I have time to develop a new routine and who knows, maybe even write some more important material in this blogg.

Statistics - Oh Dear!

When I started Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, I thought it would be like any other university subject so far. Complete some assignments, go to lectures and basically feed back what they want to hear. Boy! was I wrong about this one.

For a start, Introduction to Statistics is a smoke screen. From Day 1 it is as if I've walked into a language class like Japanese and am expected to speak it already. The lectures were okay but the learning materials used to support the subject are long winded and complicated to understand. They are written in "Academia" that really only professors and those above can understand.

We are just finishing the mid semester break and moving into the second half with deep reservations about what I will be able to achieve to pass the subject. My average so far in all my other subjects is "Distinction" but I fear this is about to take a significant hit. I will truly be satisfied if I just pass this one.

So why is this so difficult for me? I have tried to work it out with the only result being that the constant emphasis on formulas and trying to interpret what the end result is attempting to tell you without really spending enough time on examples and real world applications that make sense. The SPSS Survival Guide by Julie Pallant helps and Statistics without Tears by Derek Rowntree was a real blessing in simplifying the meaning of such things as standard error deviation and correlation co-efficient.

If I were to take on this subject again (hopefully not!) I would do this one on its own and not do it with another subject in the semester. This is part time study of course.

Time between Posts!

Where has all the time gone?

I just overheard a comment from the ABC's 7:30 Report where Kerry O'Brien was interviewing a federal Government Minister and mentioned one of the ways to communicate and get the message across was blogging. Suddenly my mind leapt to this blog site and I realised I had forgotten all about it.

Well, its another new year and work and university studies are again taking a heavy toll on my time. But I still believe this blogg has value so will be posting new insites over the coming weeks and months now that I have "rediscovered" it.

New Technology in the Classroom.

We are all aware of the changes taking place thanks to the rapid evolution of ICT. For some time now I have been advocating for the use of this technology as part of our training of apprentices and trainees, whether they are with us in the workshop or in their own workplaces. An report dated Wednesday October 5 2005 from the Advertiser newspaper, has highlighted an education report from the ACT Education Department titled the Emerging Technologies.

It is pleasing and gratifying to note that it supports much of what I have been suggesting. This is not to suggest in any way that colleagues or management have been opposed to the idea, just that we have not been investigating or planning how best to use new technologies as they become more readily available. For a number of years we have been critical of our students mobile phones constantly ringing during class times instead of turning this around and using the technology as part of our training. The fact that our students are more literate with the technology than most teachers what be part of it however as professionals, we cannot allow opportunities like this slip by and ignore the potential.

The key recommendations of the report as stated in the Advertiser were:

• Teachers must acknowledge the cultural change created by new technologies and realise students are "native speakers" of the latest advancements.
• New devices must be treated as educational opportunities, not "disruptive nuisances".
• Wireless technology should be adopted as the new platform for schools.
• Teachers must be encouraged and inspired to take risks and try out new methods of teaching, using the latest devices.
• Education departments must provide teachers with the technology, rather than expecting them to buy it themselves.
• Devices must be used to make education "more contemporary".

At TAFESA O'Halloran Hill, we have been lkeading and pushing the use of ICT in our training but more can and needs to be done to continue to remain at the forefront of Heavy Vehicle technician training.

Online Instruction Courses: Facilitator Still Needed!

Recent studies in a University course have highlighted insites that anyone working or studying online should take note of.

I have been involved in designing and developing online courses since the early WebCT days in the late 1990's. Since then I have gained some considerable experience in this area. In terms of facilitation, my experience is more limited because I work in an area where the students are not as familar with online instruction as other higher level study programs and therefore they require further preliminary work and exposure to it before I would attempt to try and operate exclusively using this tool. As it is, I use an online program (Janison) for the competencies I manage in the TAFESA Heavy Vehicles faculty but it is only one tool amongst other methodologies and strategies for training apprentices. The students are becoming more familar with it since its introduction in 2003 but students still perfer to use and train using the online materials in a training environment with lecturers and other students for support. They have access 24/7 from anywhere with an Internet connection but very few have done more than take a cursory look around the materials.

I would have assumed that the Universities would be familar by now with many of the problems associated with external delivery modes and in particular using online courses where the students have very limited real contact with either a lecturer or other students studying the same course. How wrong was this assumption!!!

The current online course is a disaster. After having a face-to-face meeting with the group as an introductory session to the course, little or no contact has followed. The lecturer was assigned to teach in China and has been out of contact for most of the time since. He only made contact the other day to suggest we will not finish if we do not get a move on. Lets look at this for a moment.

To my knowledge, while we are all familar with using computers and various programs for study, none of us are completely competent with using this wiki and its layout. In fact, there have been components of the study course materials that I have only just managed to find after five weeks. No contact has been made directly and only in the last few hours as anyone at all made a comment about the discussions or activity responses I have made. (No comments, advise or encouragement has been made by the lecturer to any of us.)

While I am being critical about this current course of study, I am saddened to discover that this is not an isolated incident. It appears that some teachers (and more than I would have cared for) obviously believe that once the course materials are up, their job is almost over. Link in on occasion as it suits you and add the odd comment to a students assignment if you feel inclined to do so. This is absolutely rediculous!

Successful online learning only occurs when there is constant feedback and support. In fact, my experience has been that if you (as the facilitator of the course) are not spending as much time interacting in all soughts of ways with the learning materials, discussion and in the support and encouragement of online learners, they will quickly lose confidence, interest and enthusiasm for the study and , for many, just give up.

Online facilitation means far more commitment, dedication and energy by the facilitator than managing a real live class has ever done yet so very few teachers, managers and administrators obviously appreciate this. Yet it still gets pushed as the answer to rising operating costs and and easier workloads. Perhaps it is; students get fed up and drop out!

Effective Learning

Bruner has been studying teaching and learning for many years and as a result it can be seen how his own learning has mirrored what he writes about on learning theory. The points he makes are little different to my own views. In The Process of Education (1960), he takes the view that:

1. The structure of learning is a practical task in preparation for what has been previously learnt and not mastery of facts.
2. Students, regardless of age, can be taught knowledge, skills and concepts considered difficult by many by building on and constantly revisiting basic ideas.
3. Intuition and analytical thinking are essential in any productive thinking process.
4. Learning should be designed to motivate learning rather than setting external goals and giving grades.

His ideas have obviously evolved and in later references he suggests that to teach someone is to participate in a learning process that encourages and creates the possibility of adding to knowledge. He states the “knowing is a process, not a product.”

It would be fair to say that prior to starting with TAFESA, I had given very little thought about the learning process and techniques I use to take in and develop knowledge. As a tradesperson though, it would also be fair to say that the learning process has been continuous, not just the informal learning that comes with living, but the more formal learning associated with maintaining and enhancing skills and concepts and in seeking and receiving promotions and incentives to progress.

Since beginning with TAFESA, the process of studying learning and teaching has been a major thrust of my continued personal and professional development. The philosophies suggested by Bruner clearly apply to skills based training of adults such as heavy vehicle mechanics. Unfortunately, even a superficial look at many of our teaching habits does not reflect this. In recent years I have had significant influence in changing many of the more traditional trade training practices by adopting more innovative and creative activities and processes more aligned to Bruner’s and other’s views given here. Bruner’s views are based on years of study and research; mine are based on experience in teaching adults and apprentices in a variety of situations.

His “Culture of Learning” (1996) adds to these with his ideas in agency, reflection, collaboration and culture. While I believe he is right in suggesting these points, they are more difficult to include because very few adult students, let alone the younger prevocational students would have any experience in being self directed to any real degree or taking an opportunity to reflect constructively about what they are doing or learning. Collaboration and culture are less of an issue for adult training because humans are by nature a “social” species and the training we offer has always encouraged cooperation and collaboration. Rarely would any tradesperson operate without collaboration with someone.

Culture too is not a big issue because each industry, community, cluster or association will have developed or will develop its own “culture” and will attract people of like-mind. Those that “do not fit in”, tend to move on at some point. Within that, there are sub-cultures such as the changing technologies and the influence on the younger adults, for example apprentices in the 17 to 24 year age group.

Mobile phone technology has a large impact on this age group and their constant need to “play with the phone” can be an immense frustration to lecturing staff. The real solution is not to fight it but to use it as a resource to reinforce student learning. In other words, change the situation to the advantage of all.

It is difficult for me to argue against the points Bruner makes on constructivism and discovery learning because I am a great advocate for both. Heavy Vehicle technician training is a very skills-based vocation with a strong emphasis on diagnosis and problem-solving. Constructing knowledge and skills that also provide scaffolding to develop beyond the known is essential and the one key requirement most sort after by employers. It is an essential component of our training.

Bransford et al (2000) does share a similar view with regard to knowledge having to be useful to support understanding and the transfer of knowledge to other contexts. His views on cognitive science recognises that prior learning can help shape the ability to remember, reason, solve problems and acquire new knowledge. He recognises that any understanding that isn’t quite complete should be clarified and dealt with rather than ignored to ensure future knowledge is built on a firm foundation and that constructivism is a collaboration process of building knowledge, skills and concepts using a variety of teaching and learning strategies.

Understanding is being able to operate effectively in changing situations and contexts by adapting existing skills and knowledge to formulate, modify and/or build on what is known and progressing confidently forward into new boundaries and frontiers.

Bransford et al (2000) states that active learning is people taking control of their own learning which in turn allows them to learn to recognise when they understand something and when more learning is needed.

Again, active learning is a process encouraged in the trade based training I am involved with. However the “café” style of training that has developed since the advent of training packages and grouping skills into competencies has tended to reduce the effectiveness of developing this skill into our apprentices. For example, I teach only second and third years students in engines and fuel systems. I may only see a student for a period of two weeks once or at best, twice in one year. The learning experience I provide for my students are quite different to those given by my colleagues. Any exposure to active learning techniques I provide may not necessarily be available in other training areas and the impact or practice of such a skill is reduced.

The sort of teaching practice that supports effective learning would be those that I have tried to employ and are continuing to introduce into my own teaching and learning programs. The effectiveness is measured by the positive feedback I have received from apprentices, employers and peers over the years. This is not to suggest that I have it all worked out, but the initiatives and learning environment I have adopted and provide has resulted in national and international recognition for innovative practice, learning materials design and development, and expertise in workplace training and assessment.

Have Times Changed?

I have had my first session for semester 2 at University and received a rude shock. I arrived about fifteen minutes early and was the first there. The room was a mess with the previous group just getting up and walking out including the lecturing staff.

About five minutes to start time, my fellow students arrived enmasse and we renewed old acquaintances and/or made new ones. On the dot, the lecturer walked in and began lecturing. True, there were some preliminaries such as sit in a huge circle (there are thirty six of us) and say our name and where we work, then it was straight into it.

The first part was familarising us with the topic and assessment requirements. Important but delivered in a cold and calculated manner. Next a photocopied book of readings that should be studied before next session so that we can answer appropriate questions. Finally a "talk at you" session with accompanied powerpoint presentation.

At a few minutes past the official end of the session (mainly due because some students like me had to impertenence to ask a question or two) and it was "See you next time and be ready to discuss aspects of the readings." Lecturer now exits.

I have seen things like this on television, usually Hollywood movies, but I would not have believed it could actually happen for real. Since I have paid good money to study the subject, I hope this was just an example of what not to do. Otherwise it is going to be a very long semester. I would change if there were other options but my other subject was cancelled due to lack of interest by other students and the university. I had a hard enough time getting into another as a result and still don't really know if I'm in.

Obviously arrogance and indifference still exist in our tertiary system.