Staff and students co-constructing knowledge

Goss, Joan and Grinstead, Jan (2013) Staff and students co-constructing knowledge. In: North East Universities (3 Rivers Consortium) Learning and Teaching Conference: Students as Partners in Higher Education, 19th March 2013, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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Abstract

Engaging and enabling under graduates to become active readers has led us to note their ability to source literature but limitations in making sense of such literature which prove to be a stumbling block to learning. There are individuals who demonstrate a reluctance to engage with directed reading and free reading materials that would help with their knowledge, assignments and seminar tasks. Stevenson and Okeefe (2011) recognise such students to be searchers rather than early researchers’ and there is a need for them to develop the attributes of questioning and enquiry for higher education. Student and staff discussions on reading for a purpose were held with the student body, the students indicated a narrow view believing there to be single answers to any questions posed. Explanation was given to the students that they needed to think more widely for themselves and with each other.
Peers in other institutions use shared reading strategies (Kingston and Forland 2004) to stimulate thinking, but this paper explains a socially constructed approach to reading that involves the whole class in ‘taking the hot seat”. This requires all students to cooperate in discussions which we call “caring and sharing knowledge”. When individual students sit on the hot seat identified by a red circle they begin to evaluate what they have read and reveal their own lens of understanding, knowledge and positionality. Students have indicated a dislike of the “hot seat” yet they benefit from the playfulness, and collegiate support from peers and tutors alike.

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