Gloria Dall’Alba
This paper, described my feelings when starting the Pgcert, I am thankful that I waited to read this, if I did so at the beginning, I don’t think I would’ve understood the concepts or vocabulary used in this paper at all.
Using Ontology as a learning tool to enhance the practice of epistemology, brings an experimental approach to challenging and transforming ways of being university teachers.
* Informal and formal learning opportunities.
* Knowledge and skills do not ensure skilful practice.
* Focusing on epistemology, we fail to facilitate and support transformation.
* Ontology focuses on the relationship between learners, teachers and what is learned.
* Responsibility for learning.
* Knowledge is argued to be pluralised within various contexts.
* ‘Knowing’ is created, enacted and embodied.
* ‘Knowing’ is not possession, but who we are.
* This reenactment of knowing extents through individual and shared learning opportunities.
* Reducing teaching to ‘skills’ or ‘competencies’ overlooks the engagement, commitment and risk entailed.
* By reducing teaching to ‘skills’ argues that ontology is not addressed.
* Ephasising ontology in HE enhances ways of being university teachers. 1
” Reflexively interrogating and enhancing teaching in collaboration with others transforms ways of being university teachers, as the previous quote from Martin Heidegger indicates. We develop our ways of being university teachers, then, within the social practice that is university teaching. Participation in this community continues after the course (see ‘The pedagogical relationship’, above), so that it contributes to building a critical mass of people committed to promoting student learning within the institution.”
I believe the first module in the PGcert, was maybe semi-built around this paper or these findings, especially in the last few seminars, of exposing our courses, design lessons and teaching opportunities, we played with, deconstruction and reconstruction of how we and our peers reflected on the findings and new concepts of how we would approach our work as teachers.
To reflect on the purpose of this paper, it’s liberating to know, that I have now achieved these skills, I am considering an ontology approach to my teaching and have been, maybe because I believe this is what technical staff do on a daily.
“As a further strategy for integrating knowing, acting and being, each participant
designs implements and evaluates an educational intervention to enhance some
aspect(s) of their educational practice. This process occurs in collaboration with other
course participants in the form of an action learning project (e.g. Zuber-Skerritt,
1996; Walker, 2001).”
The above extract just solidifies my queries on what we have been doing as a cohort and how this paper explains this pedagogical method. To the oncologist teachers of the future let’s make a collaborative learning experience and more open discussions between teachers and technical staff.
For this extract, I wanted to play with the ontology of being, more in the knowing of epistemology. You know it’s textile, but in its being it’s irregular to that of ‘standard’ textiles. It consists of seaweed and polymers and the idea behind this piece is transforming practice. (LINK)
