Changing Pedagogy: The Introduction of Experiential, Cooperative Learning and Interactive Multimedia into the Statics Learning Environment
Abstract
Teacher change is about moving from thought, feelings and an
understanding of teaching and learning into action and practice
(Fullan, 1982). This naturalistic case study describes the initial
phases of the teacher change process resulting from the implementation
of a restructured undergraduate statics engineering course. The
investigation focused on the broad research question of what happens
when an educator undertakes the teacher change process to allow
himself to move away from what is familiar and known (i.e., the
traditional pedagogy) into an unknown, new pedagogy.
More specifically, the three research questions investigated by this
study were : (a) what were the teacher's intentions for changing his
pedagogy? (b) what were the actual teaching events over the course of
the semester? (c) what were the participant's (i.e., the instructor,
students, undergraduate teaching assistant and researchers)
perceptions of the pedagogical change? The collection and analysis of
the data occurred simultaneously throughout the Fall semester of 1995,
and continued into April 1996. Data were collected from transcribed
audio recordings of interviews with the instructor, selected students
and the undergraduate teaching assistant,written field notes from
observations, questionnaires, electronic mail exchanges, student
minute papers, and other documents. The data were summarized and coded
according to recurring words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs about
the instructor's intent for his change in pedagogy, then
organized into categories of three change foci : (a) experiential
learning, (b) cooperative learning, and (c) interactive multimedia in
order to correspond with his intent for the new statics learning
environment. Data were displayed in charts and tables to determine
issues related to change. The results of this study are presented in
terms of a descriptive analysis of the initial teacher change process
portrayed through the "multiple realities" of the participants who
experienced the pedagogical change. Three issues were evident : (a)
the problem of the simultaneous introduction of three new innovations
(experiential, cooperative learning and the interactive multimedia),
(b) the frustrations of the teacher change process,
and (c) difficulties of a paradigm shift in pedagogy when the
instructor commences to relinquish control in the new learning
environment. Articulation of these issues helps to increase our
understanding of the teacher change process and the need to enact
change over time. Moreover, lessons learned from this study can serve
as guidelines for future researchers in their efforts to study the
change process. This study increases our understanding of the teacher
change process particularly when one undertakes a paradigm shift in
pedagogy.
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- Doctoral Dissertations [14971]