Knowing how to engage your students!
Date
2010
Authors
Naidoo, K.
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Advisors
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Conference item
Citation
The Education Research Group of Adelaide (ERGA) conference 2010: The Changing Face of Education, 24-25 September, 2010
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
ERGA Conference (5th : 2010 : Adelaide, Australia)
Abstract
This paper showcases an innovative approach to address this gap in current academic support programs. Participants are presented with an overview and also have the opportunity to experience aspects of the University of Adelaide workshop program, Tapping Teaching Talents aimed at transforming teaching practice, scholarly leadership and professional development. The two-day workshop program provides new opportunities for academic staff engagement, moving teachers beyond their current reflective/reflexive practices to empowered teaching leadership and scholarship, transformative self-knowledge, tapping their innate passions and potential, thereby positively impacting on student learning and engagement to produce consistent, successful results. The program is an easy, fun and practical system consolidating psychology and educational research with advanced neurological linguistic and re-patterning tools essential for accelerating profound change and leadership transformation (Chris Howard Technologies, 2009). The need for such support programs is expressed in several reports: we are made aware of what students’ levels of engagement and views are in the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) Report (2008), the Higher Education Outcome Indicators, and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) overall student satisfaction scores. From the Government response (2008) to the Bradley Report (2008) recommendations, there is now an indirect demand on universities for quality teaching to proactively address student engagement in course experience ratings. How can we achieve greater student engagement? From academic development support reviews, (Prebble et al, 2004: Evers et al, 2009) what appears to be missing, is a focus on teachers’ self-engagement, their ability to achieve consistent results (quality student learning) and professional success (rewarding careers). Two levels to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new program include, firstly, positive feedback from workshop participants, and secondly, the program’s proven results in business and leadership development programs, generally. In addition to a brief overview of the content of the workshop program, evaluation and feedback data received from two University workshops and two recent international conferences will be presented. From the survey feedback obtained, the program has potential for wider implementation and greater staff engagement; achieving consistently higher results, greater staff and student engagement, and overall success. There is potential for this program to be run with other targeted groups institution-wide, in faculties, schools or individually in one-on-one sessions and may be relevant to teachers, researchers, heads of Schools and academic developers, wanting to obtain consistently better results, improve their teaching, research and leadership performance contributing to quality student learning experience and assuring greater success. Critical factors that impact on the student experience and optimal learning include interest, relevance, engagement and motivation. Should teacher engagement be flawed or fail, all else will be less than satisfactory. It follows then that only if we have teacher engagement, will we have better student engagement, hence quality learning.
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Dissertation Note
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Description
PowerPoint presentation
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Copyright © 2010 The University of Adelaide