Learning literacies through collaborative enquiry: Learning literacies through collaborative enquiry: collaborative enquiry through learning literaciescollaborative enquiry through learning literacies

Jo AshleyJo AshleyFreya JarmanFreya JarmanTTüünde Vargande Varga--AtkinsAtkinsNedim HassanNedim Hassan

ContextContext

Higher education Technological advances

Portfolio of careersfannysplayhouseinc.com

Study skills ...Study skills ...

Academic writing

Referencing

Written communication

Exam preparation

ICT skills

Teamwork

Presentation skills

Info literacy

Time managementWriting for an audience

Self-presentation

Commercial awareness

Learning skills Employability skills

University of Liverpool: Learning and Study Skills Strategy 2008

See also Wingate 2006

Study skills : literaciesStudy skills : literacies

Study skills

Learning literacies

university

Lifelong career

Learning Literacies for the Digital Age Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (Beetham et al. 2009)(Beetham et al. 2009)

MetacognitionAcademic practice / Study skills

Info literacyComm./Coll skills

ICT/Digital literacyMedia literacy

Employability

Citizenship

reflection organisationself-analysis

Academic writing

argumentation

(This is a sample – full details in report)

reading

identification, accession, organisation, evaluationnetworking, speaking,

listening

creative productioncritical reading

participation

engagement

ethicality

user interface

agility navigation, presentation tools

innovation

enterprise

teamwork

Contemporary Teaching Approaches in Contemporary Teaching Approaches in Higher EducationHigher Education

Traditional approaches to university teaching Traditional approaches to university teaching (e.g. lectures) have relied on the notion of an (e.g. lectures) have relied on the notion of an ‘‘individual learnerindividual learner’’ who listens and receives who listens and receives knowledgeknowledge

In recent decades the importance of In recent decades the importance of developing developing skillsskills as well as knowledge has as well as knowledge has been recognised within HEbeen recognised within HE

Emphasis on transferable skillsEmphasis on transferable skills With more students from a range of different With more students from a range of different

backgrounds having access to higher backgrounds having access to higher education, thereeducation, there’’s also been a shift towards s also been a shift towards recognising the diversity of ways that students recognising the diversity of ways that students learn learn

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL)Enquiry Based Learning (EBL)

Commonly features an approach to Commonly features an approach to teaching that is driven by an aim to teaching that is driven by an aim to enable the learner to develop skills of enable the learner to develop skills of enquiry enquiry Teaching staff do not act as transmitters Teaching staff do not act as transmitters

of knowledge or information, but as of knowledge or information, but as facilitatorsfacilitators for learningfor learning

Characteristics of EBLCharacteristics of EBL

Engagement with a scenario or problem that is Engagement with a scenario or problem that is sufficiently opensufficiently open--ended to allow a variety of ended to allow a variety of student solutionsstudent solutions

Students making decisions about questions to Students making decisions about questions to be asked and methods to be employed on a be asked and methods to be employed on a particular projectparticular project

StudentsStudents’’ assessment of their existing assessment of their existing knowledge and skills required to complete a knowledge and skills required to complete a task task

Students taking responsibility for analysing and Students taking responsibility for analysing and presenting findings that address the scenario presenting findings that address the scenario or problemor problem

Resources availableResources available

Academic, Library and EAcademic, Library and E--learning stafflearning staff

VLEVLE

WellWell--resourced Libraryresourced Library

What we did:What we did:Rationale & Module DevelopmentRationale & Module Development

Creation of moduleCreation of module University information literacy strategyUniversity information literacy strategy Subject specific skills setsSubject specific skills sets

Creation of wiki taskCreation of wiki task ““Teaching is learning something twiceTeaching is learning something twice”” Benefits of group workBenefits of group work Working outside the departmentWorking outside the department

Teaching SessionsTeaching Sessions

Provided guidance on the wiki toolProvided guidance on the wiki tool Advised students on the range of resources Advised students on the range of resources

that they could use when gathering information that they could use when gathering information for their sites, identifying some of the potential for their sites, identifying some of the potential difficulties that they might have encountered difficulties that they might have encountered

The role of the teaching team was primarily an The role of the teaching team was primarily an advisory oneadvisory one

Teaching sessions were used to facilitate Teaching sessions were used to facilitate student meetingsstudent meetings

Using wikis Using wikis

An example wikiAn example wiki

Group 1Group 1

Academic, VITAL expert, LibrarianAcademic, VITAL expert, Librarian

Demonstrates that we are joinedDemonstrates that we are joined--upup

All able to help with general queries in sessionsAll able to help with general queries in sessions

Could refer to relevant expert when necessaryCould refer to relevant expert when necessary

All contributed to assessmentAll contributed to assessment

Working togetherWorking together

The best group wikiThe best group wiki

Group 4

Group wikis: creative Group wikis: creative ‘‘skillsskills’’ contentcontent

Group 4

Group wikis: use of multimediaGroup wikis: use of multimedia

Group 4

Practising the skillsPractising the skills

Group 3

Selected referencesSelected references

Beetham, H., McGill, L., & Littlejohn, A. (2009) Thriving in theBeetham, H., McGill, L., & Littlejohn, A. (2009) Thriving in the 2121stst

century: Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (LLiDA project)century: Learning Literacies for the Digital Age (LLiDA project). . http://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida/LLiDAReportJune2009.pdfhttp://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida/LLiDAReportJune2009.pdf(Retrieved 6 April 2011). (Retrieved 6 April 2011).

Tosey, P., Dickinson, M., McDonnell, J., Comrie, A. & Lockwood, Tosey, P., Dickinson, M., McDonnell, J., Comrie, A. & Lockwood, A. (2008) EnquiryA. (2008) Enquiry--based learning: A resource for Higher based learning: A resource for Higher Education. The Learning to Learn through supported enquiry Education. The Learning to Learn through supported enquiry project. Guildford: University of Surrey, May. project. Guildford: University of Surrey, May. http://escalate.ac.uk/downloads/4746.pdfhttp://escalate.ac.uk/downloads/4746.pdf (Retrieved 6 April 2011).(Retrieved 6 April 2011).

Wingate, U. (2006) Doing away with Wingate, U. (2006) Doing away with ‘‘study skillsstudy skills’’, , Teaching in Teaching in

Higher EducationHigher Education, 11(4), 457, 11(4), 457--469469..