Friday, November 25, 2016

Ako Aoteoroa Academy Symposium 2016, Day 2

Ako Symposium day 2

Day 2 begins with keynote with Dr. Alan Wright from Windsor University in Ontario, Canada.
He is assisted by his partner, Marie-Jeanne Monette.  They present on 'teaching excellence is ... engaging conversations'. The focus of the presentation is on how to develop rapport with students and collegiality among teaching colleagues. Modelled the teaching and learning conversation between two teachers, one who is going to assist the other improve 
their teaching and the teacher seeking improvement. Find a catalyst for conversations between students and students, teachers and students and teachers and teachers. How can we create an environment or atmosphere where students are motivated and self directed? Intrinsic motivation requires ignition. Developing student's sense of ownership of their learning is one solution. Teachers need to create conditions to allow students to take responsibility. Survey distributed on how to develop learner autonomy. Suggest using the same survey with teacher and students and having a conversation on results as often there will be a difference. Assumptions by teachers of students' self efficacy, motivations and goals require better synchrony. 

After morning tea, concurrent sessions begin and I attend the 2 ITP sessions. Firstly with Matt Thompson and Richard Nyhorf on 'redesigning every course! Why, how and why?' Presented the priorities for the Otago Polytechnic D4LS programme to redevelop programmes post MROQ. The curriculum and development cycle includes prep and orientation (includes evaluation of student learning profile, stakeholder consultation), programme course workshop, blueprinting (teaching and learning plan), integration workshop (for entire programme), online development, lesson planning, programme delivery with reflection and review through each step. Priorities included building staff capabilities, developing learning analytics, strengthening experiential learning, increase student managed learning, grow on line elements of blended learning and embed strategic frameworks into programmes as appropriate. 

Second presentation with Adrian Woodhouse and Stephen Elwood on 'considering the relationships between pedagogy and technology with culinary education '. I had seen an earlier version of this and good to now see the implemented version and changes made through previous feedback. TasteIT app presented as a way to collect feedback from tutors, peers and customers. Detailed project bringing together 3 papers - product development, taste and consumer  sensory process and financial management - for year 1 bachelor in culinary art programme. . Groups of 5 students work to set up a burger stand for a function. Each group allocated budget of $75. Sensory evaluation and feedback play an important role based on work of Synovate, 2007 concept of how to collect sensory feedback and triangulate the data. 
App easily generalisable as far as criteria inputted is concerned. Feedback on each control point collated into a spider chart, the objective is to bring the data points towards the middle of the web. 

Small group discussion follows on the topic 'what will teaching excellence in the future look like'
Angus McFarlane and Alan Wright provide some perspectives to start us going. Each group discusses and propose some possibilities. 

After lunch, an update from Dr. Graeme Benny, who is on the interim chair of the board for Ako Aoteoroa on 'tertiary education for employment in NZ today': whose purposes are being served?'  Summarised the things we do well and the things we need to work more on. We do many things now as we have done them for long time. There are perceptions and realities. Tertiary learning is costly. Harder for young people to get jobs. Fixation with university and non uni as second class. Young people start working life with more debt and lower income to debt ratio. Kids think education is for a career but most do not have idea of what to do.  Key issues. Are we really fitting our kids for employment. Are employers helping us to help them? Is the tertiary sector really efficient. Why is there o much fragmentation in NZ? Are there real measures used to evaluate effectiveness. Does system support good teaching? Is great teaching able to be taught? Do we have a vision of the future for tertiary sector? Shared educational value change to increase students to be self learners. Summarised some strategies of Ako board and academy. A partnership between both important to raise profile of good teaching, shared vision, and build profile as exemplars of great teaching. 

Academy hour follows to discuss and make decisions on various issues impacting academy members. These include upcoming elections for executive committee members, replacement of myself on to the tertiary excellence awards selection committee, membership of the recently formed international fellowship of excellent tertiary teachers and opening the symposium up to other teachers next year. etc.

Another busy and productive symposium with plans for next year's symposium to be held in Dunedin.

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