Teach outside your comfort zone: A qualitative study of higher education students’ conceptions in Namibia [Cogent Education, 2022]

Title:

Teach outside your comfort zone: A qualitative study of higher education students’ conceptions in Namibia  

 

Authors: 

Elina M. Amadhila &James Guest |Lily Zeng (Reviewing editor)  

 

Published: 

Cogent Education, Volume 9, Issue 1, 20 January 2022 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2026189   

 

Abstract: 

Namibian Higher Education Institutions offer education at the levels of certificate, diploma, undergraduate degree and some other post graduate levels and each typically pursues different levels of capacity in skill and knowledge development for their graduates. However, systematic investigations of students’ conceptions of good teaching are hardly carried as the focus tend to be on teachers’ views. Qualitative data was collected through face-to-face focus group discussions and was analysed using the Noticing, Collecting and Thinking method of analysis. It was found that good teaching requires teachers who operate using the student-centred, learning oriented conception framework. Such are teachers who ensure students understand the content of the subjects, understand students’ problems, are punctual and provide opportunities for students to access learning resources. Although many of the findings from this paper may not be unique from the existing literature, the implication of the absence of unique insights is that methods of instruction and administration continue to be modified to reach students’ hearts. This study contributes to furthering knowledge about good teaching in higher education institutions and its attributes in Namibia and analyses how this is different from developed countries.

 

Religious education syllabus development and the need for education theory [Scholarly article - Journal of Religious Education, October 2021]

Title:

Religious education syllabus development and the need for education theory 

Author:

Patricia Hannam

Published:

Journal of Religious Education, 28 October 2021

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40839-021-00154-6

 

Abstract:

Religious education in England is experiencing change of ‘spring tide’ proportions during the third decade of the twenty-first century. This paper offers a flavour of aspects of education theory informing the development of a locally agreed syllabus in the English context. After offering some background contextual information, the paper proceeds to demonstrate some implications of the absence of education theory in religious education discourse in recent times. The body of the paper lays out ways in which a remedy for this has been sought through syllabus development, followed by a discussion identifying practical implications. These include (i) a focus on the importance of teaching and professional responsibilities of each teacher and (ii) attention to curriculum making. The paper concludes by reiterating a desire to bring the educational position of religious education into the open so as to articulate an educational orientation that can secure the value at this point in history of bringing anything concerning religion to children and young people at all. This paper is of course limited as to what can be achieved entirely in this respect; greater consideration of this belongs in a further paper. However, it is hoped the matter will be seen as a pressing one.

Short Article - How to help students with a hearing impairment as courses move online

Title:
How to help students with a hearing impairment as courses move online

Author:
Dr Diane Bell, Researcher, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Published:
The Conversation, 2 April 2020

From the article:
"Some students may have a hearing impairment and make use of technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Even under the best circumstances, their accessibility needs are frequently unmet. In this COVID-19 pandemic, with little time to prepare, the focus is understandably on accommodating the majority of students, but this leaves many students further marginalised."

To read this article:
https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-students-with-a-hearing-impairment-as-courses-move-online-134582

Scholarly Article: How distance education students perceive the impact of teaching videos on their learning

Title:
How distance education students perceive the impact of teaching videos on their learning

Author:
Tom Harrison, School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Published:
Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (published online: 15 December 2019)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2019.1702518

From the abstract:
"This article focuses on a study conducted with distance learning students and teachers from one university in England to discover their attitudes to teaching videos. The exploratory study found that although a majority of distance students like and watch the videos, a significant proportion give good reasons for not doing so."