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Rosalina Chiovitti: Hi, I'm Rosalina Chiovitti, and I'm with the Centre for Teaching and Learning,
and really exciting things going on here, and here is Professor Dan Eng.
Dan Eng: Thank you. Teaching at School Media Studies and IT.
Rosalina Chiovitti: Yes, and we have been working together in terms of a teaching/learning
project, and Dan is really excited about looking into action learning approaches, and using
those with his students or learners. And, its so exciting Dan, around how you want to
accommodate different learning styles, and so on.
Dan Eng: Yes, I think you highlighted the key objectives here quite nicely. (Can you
see that from there?) Okay so, we're going to have to facilitate learning outcomes by
accommodating individual styles and competencies. We're going to explore the feasibility of
providing alternative and additional evaluation streams, for not just the teachers, but oneself.
And, this is to, of course, achieve course-learning outcomes. Third, we're going to look, or examine
the interplay between learning styles of inter-cultural tendencies. And, finally, we're going to develop
an action-based learning proto-type, which of course will occur over the next couple
months.
Rosalina Chiovitti: So exciting! And as you can see here, Dan has, you know, in the formative
process here, we've been creating, and re-creating this, isn't that right?
Dan Eng: That's right. That's why that board is such a hodge-podge there.
Rosalina Chiovitti: That's exactly right, and we've been writing in, and clarifying
different things, like, for example, around weather we're working to help students and
learners adapt, or be transformative, or a combination of the two.
Dan Eng: That's right. I like the way you've drawn that venn diagram and isolated on the
moments of transformation because that's very consistent with my own belief and understanding
of how that might happen.
Rosalina Chiovitti: And the really exciting thing, Dan, you were talking about is, in
going through this whole process, is that it's made you reflect upon the different components
of the course outline in terms of participation, and the importance of self-reflection, that
you were-
Dan Eng: Yeah, I think what was really good was that it examined the three key elements
of acting, thinking and reflection, and that circle, how it goes around. I think that was
a great framework that you got us on.
Rosalina Chiovitti: Well, and its wonderful how you were able to build on that in regard
to what's actually happening in the course based on what you've crafted in the course
outline around knowledge, skills and attitudes and locating that. But actually, in grounding
it, in what they're actually doing. And I love this here Dan, that you added around-
Dan Eng: Yes, this is what I call a learning curve, so at the beginning, say, some of my
students are programmers are at this part here, at this point, and then maybe 30 years
later, on this axis, they'll be at this point, and the trick is to, for them, on a self-
assessment basis, determine where they are on this curve. So at the beginning, at their
first job, maybe they're just programmers, and they have very limited ability to be technically
be leading teams. But ove r here, maybe perhaps later on, 5 years down the pipe or whatever,
their ability to program may still be there, but now they have this additional leadership
capability, a level 1 type leadership level. So, it's kind of looking at that from their
own perspective on where they are on that curve over the next 30 years.
Rosalina Chiovitti: So really, it's been really exciting Dan, how, you know, you're navigating
through the impact that you're looking at in terms of life-long learning processes.
Dan Eng: That's right, and I think the key point that you isolate quite nicely: it's
an ongoing process. So, just as this is an ongoing process, which has sort of no beginning
or end, life-long learning is like that. And, one of the things that we've talked about,
and I liked how you've tried to draw this back to the course outline is this participation
evaluation outcome, and that I'm going to capture through this piece here, this reflection
piece, and how it leads nicely to life-long learning. In other words, reflection allows
facilitation of life-long learning, and that is really the key part of what I believe is
my job is with my students.
Rosalina Chiovitti: So we're really, you're really working hard here in building this,
looking at how we can do things better, how, you know, you can change what you're already
doing in a way that meets the outcomes that you're looking for.
Dan Eng: Yeah. One thing that I wanted to share with you, and it was for me was a very
instructive process, is, you talked about the terms of reference, and you've talked
about change, evolve and on-going, and that's how I realized that I had been working on
the premise of adaptive (processes), which embraces these two pieces, versus transformative,
which talks about, really, an evolution part. Right, so that was a very interesting, you
know, kind of trigger for me to get those two terms in really a better place in my mind.
That was a very, I thought it was a very constructive device for that.
Rosaline Chiovitti: Great! Well, stay tuned for the next installment and how this exciting
project is going to evolve based on Dan's grassroots experiences with his students. Until next time!
Dan Eng: Alright, Thank you Rosalina!