Introduction
For IFP students, the advantages of participating regularly in peer review are widely acknowledged. Developing learners’ ability to give and receive feedback has far-reaching benefits beyond their foundation year as it enables them to evaluate and improve their own work more effectively, develop their own internal perception of ‘quality’, and build confidence with the skill of reviewing, useful for their future academic and professional lives. However, encouraging students to engage actively in the process is not always straightforward, as there are a number of barriers which can inhibit participation. I decided to investigate these challenges through an action research project with my Academic Writing class this year to explore how to improve engagement. (more…)
Month: July 2022
Reflection “interludes” – Scaffolding reflective practice and creating mutually involved “trusted circle” events
Initial hurdles
Reflective practice seemed to be a new and difficult hurdle for some international Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway foundation year students. It seemed as if these students felt reflection was something they weren’t used to doing, something they had not encountered in their educational journey. Some openly questioned its quantifiable validity. This raised questions in my own mind.
Uncovering the classroom silence
by Cathy Faulkner and Fiona Hartley
A lack of student engagement as a result of less interaction in online lessons during the Covid pandemic is documented (Aljahromi, 2020). Less has been written about the continuing lack of oral participation upon return to the physical classroom, although anecdotally this legacy would seem to be very real. Perhaps enforced periods of isolation have affected young adults’ ability to collaborate in the co-construction of knowledge with their peers. (more…)