The Search for Authentic Practice Across the Disciplinary Divide

Knotts, Greg; Henderson, Lynette K.; Davidson, Ronald A.; Swain, J.

doi:10.1080/87567550903218562

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…Four years' worth of assessments of our programs have found that faculty members almost always say that they most appreciate the interdisciplinary conversations about teaching that occur only at the TLC. Our findings are consistent with those of other researchers such as Knotts, Henderson, Davidson, and Swain (2009) who found that being in dialogue with colleagues in other disciplines and seeing how they teach may promote self-reflection and reexamination of oneself as an educator. Thorburn (1985) found that faculty who had participated in interdisciplinary dialogue felt intellectually stimulated and reported that they had learned about new teaching strategies.…”

Section: Case One: Cost and Valuesupporting

confidence: 92%

Challenges to Change

Barnett

Gunersel

2012

Educational Policy

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In implementing a university-wide programmatic innovation to prepare graduate students to become more effective instructors in their future careers as university educators, a faculty development center encountered various types of resistance, ranging from the structural to the cognitive to the affective. Elaborating upon models of organizational change, we discuss principles and strategies that we applied to address concerns, enlist support, and catalyze a significant structural change. Although the strategies are specific to our program, the lessons learned can be used by anyone trying to bring institutional changes to postsecondary education.

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Section: Case One: Cost and Valuesupporting

confidence: 92%

Challenges to Change

Barnett

Gunersel

2012

Educational Policy

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“…Based on the research by Knotts, Henderson, Davidson, and Swain (2009), the faculty’s instructional styles of those who use situated learning most effectively are described as facilitators of knowledge rather than givers of information to students. Faculty must be willing to relinquish the more dominant role in the classroom for a more collaborative approach to teaching and learning.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Situated Learning Through a Community Partnership in a Teacher Preparation Program

Meyers

Lester

2013

Sage Open

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This article examines the value of using an alternative approach to college course instruction in an off-campus location, an agency for individuals with developmental disabilities. The situated learning model is an alternative to the traditional college course instructional approach for preservice teachers. This model immerses students in the actual setting where they can practice the skills and apply the concepts emphasized in the curriculum. Through a partnership between the college, the community agency, and a public school, graduate students in the special education program developed and implemented a life-skills curriculum for individuals with developmental disabilities, at the same time learning essential principles of delivering instruction. The school-aged students who participated in the study were from a racially mixed urban school district, while the adult clients from the community agency attended the program at the end of their community-based workday. Based on the results of surveys and focus group discussions, participants in the study indicated that the situated learning model of instruction in a community setting better prepared them in the acquisition and application of their teaching skills, and built their competence in developing educational programs for individuals with disabilities.

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“…Authentic learning has a number of key components: learning tasks mimic complex real-life situations; students are required to problem-solve by working both independently and in diverse teams, opening themselves to different ideas and perspectives; new understandings emerge from contact with the 'real world' of practice, and students build confidence as well as new knowledge through active participation (Knotts, Henderson, Davidson, & Swain, 2009;Lombardi, 2007;Maina, 2004;Rule, 2006). Authentic learning is a good fit for interdisciplinary learning as the assumption embedded in both is that learning must go beyond pure disciplinary knowledge in order to prepare students for the real-world they will encounter upon graduation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Designing a Women’s Refuge: An Interdisciplinary Health, Architecture and Landscape Collaboration

Dean

Williams²,

Donnelly³

et al. 2017

IJHE

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University programs are currently faced with a number of challenges: how to engage students as active learners, how to ensure graduates are 'work ready' with broad and relevant professional skills, and how to support students to see their potential as agents of social change and contributors to social good. This paper presents the findings from a study that explored the impact of an authentic, interdisciplinary project with health, architecture and landscape students. This project facilitated students' entrée into the lived experience of women and children requiring refuge services as a result of homelessness and/or domestic violence. Students collaborated with stakeholders from the refuge sector, visiting sites, undertaking individual research, exchanging ideas and problem-solving, to develop a design guide for a women's refuge. Focus groups were conducted at the conclusion of the activity to gauge students' perceptions of the value of the activity. Results indicated that the 'hands-on' and collaborative nature of the learning experience in a real-world context was valued, primarily due to its direct relevance to professional practice. Architecture and landscape participants reported an increase in their understanding and knowledge of refuge clients, and many expressed a commitment to further learning and contribution to the sector. Nursing students felt that the authentic learning experience helped prepare them for the 'real world' of practice and that it aided development of their professional identities and capacity to effect real-world change. The learning activity had a positive impact on knowledge acquisition and students' confidence to act as agents of social change.

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The Search for Authentic Practice Across the Disciplinary Divide

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Challenges to Change

Challenges to Change

The Effects of Situated Learning Through a Community Partnership in a Teacher Preparation Program

Designing a Women’s Refuge: An Interdisciplinary Health, Architecture and Landscape Collaboration

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