TDU Talk
ISSUE 4 ▪ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
EXPLORING YOUR TEACHER IDENTITY
From the Appraisals Office
Charlotte Ferry-Parker, Appraisals Administrator, Teaching Development Unit
A Perspective from the PVC (Teaching & Learning)
Prof Richard Coll, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)
Getting to the Heart of my Teacher Identity
Dr Mary FitzPatrick, Department of Marketing, Waikato Management School
My Experience with the Postgraduate Certificate in
Tertiary Teaching
Dr Marcus Wilson, Department of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering
The Evolution of My Identity as a Teacher
Dr Michèle Schoenberger-Orgad, Department of Management Communication, Waikato
Management School
Tertiary Teachers and Theory Avoidance
Dr Linda Leach, Massey University
Kia ora koutou
“
ISSUE 4: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
Teaching Development Unit
Wāhanga Whakapakari Ako
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton 3240
New Zealand
Phone: +64 7 838 4839
Fax: +64 7 838 4573
[email protected]
www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
Kia ora koutou
In this edition we explore the theme of teacher identity from a
range of perspectives. In our work with academics we encounter
many different views on what it is to be an academic and where
teaching fits into this role, as well as a variety of beliefs about
the nature of teaching and learning and the respective roles
played by students and teachers in this process. Our own
experience and the higher education literature also tell us that our views about
teaching and learning and our own role in this process tend to evolve over time.
These changes may be prompted by critical incidents, growth in confidence in
the discipline, work with colleagues and interactions with students, and
deliberate reading, professional development or research around teaching.
Additionally, over the past 30 years, broader changes have compelled academics
to reappraise what they do, how they do it and why they do it. For some
academics, changes in the tertiary education sector and in public perceptions of
the role of the university have been the catalysts for rethinking their practices
and values in relation to university teaching. Changes such as the increasing
diversity of the student body, high student fees and rapid technological advances
have prompted a fundamental re-examination of the role of academics and the
way we go about our work. The challenge is also ideological. In New Zealand,
as in many other western countries, government and other stakeholders such as
employers are increasingly demanding that universities demonstrate their value
in measurable ways. While we may resist a narrow economic definition of our
contribution to our students and society, these pressures have compelled us to
look more closely at what we are and what we do. It could be argued that the
contested nature of the terrain may in the long term be valuable in that it forces
academics to articulate what they stand for and evaluate whether the sites of
teaching and learning that they manage genuinely reflect these values.
The contributors to this TDU Talk focus primarily on the interplay of students,
subject and teachers in the learning process and on their evolving understanding
of the dynamics of this interaction. At the same time, the contemporary context
demands that our classroom practices make sense in terms of the way in which
we are preparing our students to participate in further study, the workplace and
participation in society. We need to be asking whether our teaching and learning
spaces reflect and nurture the attributes that our students will need to engage in
a flexible, constructive and critical way with the demands of living and working
in contemporary society. How we are in our classrooms, how our students
•2•
interact with ourselves and the discipline does not only involve personal choice,
pedagogical soundness or institutional imperatives. It also needs to be about how
we are equipping our students for their role in the workplace and society.
Interestingly, our contributors talk about moving from a content-delivery mode to
teaching and learning spaces which involve the students as much more active
partners in the learning process. Giving students more agency in the learning
process is important not only for the immediate learning experience, but in terms
of preparing them for the long term. While many of us claim that our classrooms
are student-centred, it is always worth asking whether our actual practices reflect
this contention and if we genuinely see our students as partners in the learning
process. At the same time, we cannot expect our students to arrive at university
fully equipped with the attributes that enable them to be co-enquirers in the
learning process. This should not deter us from the notion of learning partnerships.
Rather it behoves us to look for teaching and learning approaches that gradually
nurture the students‟ capacity to be engaged, critical and questioning co-learners.
My own view is that the one way transmission of content will not facilitate the
development of these capacities or prepare students for active participation in
society. If we want people to think, surely part of our role is to initiate our
students into how to think and ask questions within the context of our discipline as
well as more widely nurture a critical disposition?
We appreciate the contributions to this edition of our magazine. Each article
locates their thinking in context of their experience as well as their academic
discipline. We have also included extracts from an article by Linda Leach which
discusses the role that theory can play in informing our teaching practices while
recognising that the notion can be problematic for many academics.
We hope that you enjoy this edition of TDU Talk and that it encourages you to
reflect on your own thinking about what it means to be a university teacher.
.”
The Teaching Development Unit extends warmest congratulations to Dr
Mary Fitzpatrick and Ms Sandy Morrison for their success in the
Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellent Awards.
For details, visit http://www.waikato.ac.nz/news-events/media/2011/08national-teaching-excellence
-awards-for-waikato-staff.shtml
•3•
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
Kia ora koutou
Hello everyone,
The end of the semester is approaching rapidly which means that some thought
needs to be given to the appraisal of your teaching and papers. There are a
number of ways that you can go about getting a questionnaire for your paper and
teaching appraisals. These are outlined below.
Please note due to the development of the Academic Staff Portfolio, all paper
based appraisals need to have an up-to-date barcode so that the data can go into
the ASP.
Please also note that due to resourcing issues developing questionnaires can take
some time, so please give the TDU at least 3 days‟ notice for your questionnaires
to be developed.
The Standard University Appraisal
If you want to use a standard appraisal, that is the eight paper questions and
eight teacher questions, then simply contact the TDU by email:
[email protected] by phone: ext 4341, or through the online order
form on the TDU website http://www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu/appraisal/
index.shtml
With the end of semester
approaching, students will be
completing appraisal questionnaires
for over 1000 papers across the
University. The appraisals process is
designed to gather student feedback
with the intention of continuously
improving the quality of our papers
and teaching and to identify areas for
development. In order to elicit
informed and reflective feedback, the
TDU has developed a 3 minute DVD
to inform students about the purpose
and process of appraisals. We
encourage you to play this DVD to
your classes before conducting
appraisals so that students can
approach appraisals in an informed
manner. The DVD is available online
at: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu/
appraisal/index.shtml.
Further information about the
appraisals process is outlined in the
Policy and Guidelines on the
Evaluation of Teaching and Papers,
located at: http://
www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu/pdf/
booklets/15_Appraisals.pdf.
A Customised University Appraisal
If you want to customise your questionnaire by adding questions, then you
can go to http://waikato.ac.nz/tdu/appraisal/customised.shtml. Here you will
find the TDU itembank, and also an online order form. You can enter your
selected items in the order form, or in an e-mail and send to me at
[email protected]
Online Appraisals
If you require an appraisal to be online then please contact me directly.
For any type of appraisal please consider whether teaching colleagues will be
included in the appraisal. Please consult with them before ordering.
Envelopes will be sent out to your administrators. Included with the envelopes are
Appraisal Coversheets. These are to be filled in by one of the teaching team on a
particular paper. This coversheet provides some basic information about the paper
and how it was taught to aid processing.
If you have any questions about this process please contact me.
Charlotte
Appraisals Administrator
Ext: 4341
E-mail: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
•4•
A Perspective from the PVC (Teaching & Learning)
Prof Richard Coll, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning)
The notion of teacher identity may be unfamiliar for many university staff.
We typically label ourselves differently, lecturer, associate professor and so
on, and someone of my vintage may not even have been asked about our
teaching contributions when we were appointed – but I might be showing
my age! In fact I was asked, but my appointment interview focussed on
what topics or content I thought I might be able to teach – with no mention
of teaching philosophy or pedagogies. In the comparatively short time I
have been at Waikato I think the goalposts (to use a Rugby World Cup
metaphor!) have shifted quite a lot. Increasingly, external bodies such as
the Tertiary Education Commission and central government are placing
more and more emphasis on our performance as an educational institution.
We may be somewhat caught up in TEC‟s attempts to improve
performance of other tertiary education providers, but given the
Government‟s substantial investment in education it is more than fair for
them to ask if they are getting „bang for their educational investment buck‟.
I‟m a tax payer too, and I sure as heck want my taxes to be spent well. So I
certainly have come more and more to think of myself as a „teacher‟. I just
want to explore some of my thoughts about myself as a teacher; these are
naturally derived from my own experiences, which may be different from
but probably have some parallels with others.
To be a professional
academic means
seeing ourselves as
teachers and striving
to be the best
teachers we can be...
•5•
I first became aware of the importance of my role as a teacher because of
failure – my chemistry undergraduate students in the Pacific (and
elsewhere) didn‟t perform up to my expectations. At the time I felt it was
pretty much their fault – there is quite a literature out there to show that in
that era such a view was common amongst lecturers. The students didn‟t
measure up! As I studied education theory and consider my teaching
practice more, I came to the conclusion that even if this was the case, then
pretty much the only person who could do anything to improve the
situation was me. I became much more conscious of a need to develop an
understanding of my own students, their backgrounds, interest, issues, and
how I might teach them better. In doing so I reflected on my own (rather
dodgy) educational experiences. Any of you who attended my Inaugural
Professorial Lecture earlier this year may recall some of the unusual
pedagogies we were exposed to in my youth (including being „inverted‟
and dropped on the floor, in an attempt to explain division by fractions!). I
was fortunate that all of my siblings were present at my lecture. In that
lecture I tried to explain how my thinking about teaching and learning had
changed over the years, as I became increasing conscious that I was a
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
teacher (not a lecturer) and that if things weren‟t going right in the classes
and labs, I needed to reflect upon what went right and what went wrong
and devise ways to improved educational outcomes for my students. This
doesn‟t mean „dumbing down‟ courses or assessment, or spoon-feeding
students. At the conclusion of my Professorial Lecture, my two sisters,
highly capable, highly intelligent, and successful women, made a comment
that I found profoundly sad, and yet moving. They said, “It never occurred
to us that the reason we didn‟t do so well at school, was for any reason
other than we were dumb”. Fortunately for them, the quality of education
didn‟t stop them succeeding, but it well might have, and it seemingly led
them to have a low opinion of their capability. To be a professional
academic means seeing ourselves as teachers and striving to be the best
teachers we can be in the context of our resourcing and other competing
commitments; but the core of being an academic is a belief that we are
teachers and wanting to be really good ones!
Teaching Development Events 2011
SEPTEMBER
Compiling a Teaching Portfolio workshop  Mon, 12 Sep (1.002.30)
Compiling a Teaching Portfolio workshop  Fri, 16 Sep (10.0011.30)
Teaching Network Tue, 20 Sep (12.00-2.00)
Postgraduate Supervisors’ Conversations  Tue, 27 Sep (12.002.00)
NOVEMBER
Postgraduate Supervisors’ Conversations Thu, 10 Nov
(12.00-2.00)
Teaching Network Wed, 23 Nov (12.00-2.00)
Visiting academic: Prof Jean McNiff 23, 24 Nov
DECEMBER
Celebrating Teaching Day Tue, 6 Dec (9.00-12.30)
 TDU staff are available on an ongoing basis for teaching
observations, individual consultations, focus groups and
support in preparing teaching portfolios.
Website: www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu
Email: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
•6•
Getting to the Heart of my Teacher Identity
Dr Mary FitzPatrick, Department of Marketing, Waikato Management School
Now, when I strip away all the layers, I recognise that my thinking about
and approach to teaching rest on making connections. At the deepest
human level, „making connections‟ means building relationships with my
students and colleagues. At a more pragmatic level, „making connections‟
can simply mean joining the dots – closing the gaps and helping students to
understand the connections between marketing theory and their lives. I
enjoy the complexity and richness that comes from making connections and
I relish the deconstruction of complexity to explore the connections upon
which it has been built. Recently, I chanced upon a quote by Parker J.
Palmer that resonates with my belief in the fundamental importance of
connections in my teaching practice:
“Good teachers have a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave
a complex world of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their
students so that students can learn to weave a world for
themselves” (Palmer, 1998, p. 11).
Today, my teaching is about making connections. And connectedness (with
grateful thanks to P. J. Palmer).
My approach to teaching and my identity as a teacher have not always been
solid and resonant. I began my career as a lecturer seven years ago, with
high ideals and limited experience, a combination that led quickly to a sad,
empty experience of tertiary teaching which left me feeling disillusioned
and embarrassed. I dealt to the fundamental tension between my teaching
ideals and the reality of teaching as I was experiencing it with a series of
stern talking to‟s: „Get real.‟ „Grow up.‟ And „Get on with the job!‟ Talks
with a couple of much more experienced teachers suggested that I was
being unrealistic and that The Best Way was to deliver lists of „facts‟ about
my subject in order to keep the students busy writing: „Give the punters
what they want!‟ So I became a technician.
I like lists – they give me a sense of order and guard against senior
moments. A middle-class pakeha female, well-brought up in a culture
rooted in positivism and the wonders of science, I found that I made a very
competent technician, thorough and efficient in my preparation and
presentation of lists. For a while there I thought 'I can do this – and do it
well'. And the students seemed very comfortable with this style of teaching
•7•
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
– they got through each lecture without any questions and left puffing with
satisfaction and pages of notes. In this way, teaching became a task;
eventually, a job to pay the bills. I was confident that I could adjust to this
new understanding of teaching by relinquishing those romantic notions I
had once held that teaching was going to be a stimulating and creative
vocation. Instead, I would find my professional fulfilment in research and
writing.
But teaching became an empty experience. And I grew very tired. I was
teaching to the model espoused by the voices of experience around me - but
evidently was unable to make a decent job of it. I felt inadequate, alone,
and embarrassed. My development as a teacher really started from that
bleak experience: I learned the value both of reflecting on my teaching
(which allows for some emotion in the privacy of self-reflection) and of
more formally evaluating the teaching and learning connections that I was
designing. This was the time when I also learned the value of community
– the importance of sharing experiences with other teachers, the worth of
a mentor dedicated to supporting my professional development, and the
vitality and synergy that can occur from honest dialogue with learners and
colleagues.
Good teachers have a
capacity for
connectedness. They are
able to weave a complex
world of connections
among themselves, their
subjects, and their
students so that students
can learn to weave a
world for themselves
Palmer, 1998, p. 11
Since then I have worked hard at designing alternative ways of being a
teacher (as opposed to just „doing‟ teaching) in this context. I am happy
now to work quietly at disrupting some of the dysfunctional patterns that
seem to develop with transmission teaching and to focus instead on
building skills that will enable students and me to relate in ways that will
make deep learning possible. Today I find that I am happiest and do my
best teaching when I feel part of a team, connected to my students, and to
my colleagues and peers who are also energized by the search for best
teaching practice.
So, my identity as a teacher has evolved over time in relation to three
conceptions: teaching as transmission, teaching as making learning
possible, and deep learning. Teaching as transmission and teaching as
enabling/facilitating learning are personally significant because they
represent distinctive teaching positions – one being where I was located in
those early rather nasty times and the other marking the position I aspire to
as a tertiary teacher. Thus, these two teaching conceptions theorise what are
for me at this point in my professional journey, the „worst‟ experience of
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
•8•
teaching and my „ideal‟ experience of teaching. Shifting the focus onto my
students, „deep learning‟ is the learning conception that seems to be the
natural complement to „teaching to make learning possible‟; this is the
learning I aspire to for my students.
My objective is to be the best teacher I can be, so I regard my professional
development as a means to that end - it is the means for me to become a
better teacher faster. I completed the PGCert(TertTchg) in 2007, have
attended numerous workshops and discussions organised by TDU here,
have individual consultations with TDU staff, and borrow teaching
resources from the unit‟s library. I also try to be encouraging and
supportive to other teachers in their professional development – I have
found that sharing ideas and teaching practices with colleagues is vital to
the sense of community that keeps my own teaching fresh and energized.
Yes, I know that I will continue to make mistakes but now I understand that
they are simply part of my learning - and I am no longer scared. Rather
than lurching from lecture to lecture on fear-induced adrenalin, I look
forward to the future as a teacher. Teaching fascinates me - it challenges
me and inspires me. My Dad taught me as a youngster that it was okay to
keep on asking questions and later on I watched my children learn the same
lesson with him crouched around the rock pools at Swann Beach. I‟m most
happy when the students I work with are asking questions, because the best
questions are evidence that the students are engaged, challenging the takenfor-granted, and feel safe in the space we are sharing. I teach best when I‟m
also asking questions – of myself, of colleagues, of the literature, and of my
students. When we‟re asking questions we‟re primed for learning. When
we‟re asking questions we‟re trying to make new connections. I believe
that it is in these connections that we find – and inspire - creativity,
personal development, and fulfilment.
Reference: Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach. California, USA:
Jossey-Bass Inc.
•9•
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
My Experience with the Postgraduate
Certificate in Tertiary Teaching
Dr Marcus Wilson, Department of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering
I started the Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching at the beginning
of 2010. It was daunting at first – I hadn‟t studied anything in a formal
context for many years – but the friendly TDU staff quickly put to rest any
fears. In putting together a couple of teaching initiatives I discovered the
range and depth of academic research that supports tertiary teaching, both
in general and with specific regard to my subject area (physics). I was
challenged by my previous lack of engagement with it. A willingness to
seek out proven strategies and to try them with my classes, and to try new
things of my own too, is one thing that the PGCert has given me confidence
to do. I was fortunate to be able to discuss one of my initiatives at the
Australian Institute of Physics congress in Melbourne at the end of 2010.
This year I have been compiling two portfolios. The personal portfolio, in
which I describe my teaching journey, has been difficult to compile; it is a
very different document than what a scientist typically produces during his
or her work. It has helped me to learn how to reflect, in other words to look
back at what I‟ve done in the past and identify what has worked, what
hasn‟t worked, and why; also writing the portfolio has helped me to
recognize my own skills and shortcomings as a teacher. I found that my
blog, PhysicsStop, was a natural place to record my thoughts as I went
through this process. I am certainly now a more confident teacher than I
was two years ago, and I‟d certainly recommend the PGCert to any teacher,
old or new.
I have progressed from
viewing myself as
someone who delivers
material to students to
viewing myself as
someone who is able to
help students to learn...
In summary, I have progressed from viewing myself as someone who
delivers material to students to viewing myself as someone who is able to
help students to learn – in whatever way works for them. My role has
become less of a lecturer (as in one who speaks about the subject) and more
about mentoring students in their journey through physics and engineering.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
• 10 •
The Evolution of My Identity as a Teacher
Dr Michèle Schoenberger-Orgad, Department of Management Communication,
Waikato Management School
Thinking about the evolution of my identity as a teacher made me realise
that I needed to reflect on myself as a learner first. The evolution of
teacher identity is intimately tied to learner identity for it is only natural to
aspire to the role models you have encountered.
Put simply, my own life experience is as a learner rather than as a teacher. I
came to university teaching quite late in my career. Although I had
originally intended to follow an academic pathway when I was young, life
happened and the twists and turns of my life journey have taken me to lots
of different destinations. Returning to academia as a (very) mature student,
and later as a teacher, it seemed natural to me that now was the time to
make a contribution to the learning of others.
Being a teaching academic in a New Zealand university has special
privileges. Section 162 of the NZ Education Act (1989) states that
universities have all the following characteristics:
(i) they are primarily concerned with more advanced learning, the
principal aim being to develop intellectual independence:
(ii) their research and teaching are closely interdependent and most of
their teaching is done by people who are active in advancing
knowledge:
(iii) they meet international standards of research and teaching:
(iv) they are a repository of knowledge and expertise:
(v) they accept a role as critic and conscience of society;
All of the above clauses are important for us to understand as teachers, but
it is our role as “critic and conscience of society” that urges us to contribute
to the development of society, have concern for social justice and to
safeguard our democracy. This is a substantial responsibility. The impact
we have on our students will impact on society and future generations.
Therefore, our teaching must be student-focused with a clear sense of
responsibility for the process of teaching and learning.
When I was confronted with eager, and not-so-eager students the identity
switch was thrown and I had to drill deep to begin to explore my own
identity as a teacher. Teachers are both born and made but the essential
difference is the training. Without some significant conversations about the
• 11 •
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
role of teachers, understanding the role of learning as a university student,
and going beyond the minimum requirements, it seems to me that teachers
switch on the “automatic” mode because of the huge number of demands
on their time.
My biggest breakthrough in teaching came with attendance at the TDU
refresher courses. I developed confidence in trying different ways of doing
things in class and understanding the need to “own” both the content being
presented and my own style of teaching. Taking the next big step was
enrolling in the PG Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and that set me on my
path of discovery as to who I am as a teacher.
My identity as a teacher is in terms of the relationships I build with my
students. I want them to succeed and I want to give them the skills and the
help to ensure their success. This requires lots of preparation, a strong
commitment of time, of energy, and a good dose of creativity.
Palmer (1998) suggests that issues of integrity and identity of the teacher
have a strong impact on teaching and that teaching occurs at the nexus of
public and private life. My own life experience has a clear and transparent
impact on the way I construct my own world view and, as I am now
moving into my 6th decade, I am very aware that hindsight and experience
play a huge role in this construction. As Palmer (1998) says: “As we learn
more about who we are, we can learn techniques that reveal rather than
conceal the personhood from which our best teaching comes” (p. 24). This
awareness of my own role as teacher (and as mentor) contributes to the
development of strong relationships between me and my students.
Furthermore, reflections on my own learning enabled me to identify with
students‟ early struggles to grasp the format and concepts embedded in the
university learning environment.
My identity as a
teacher is in terms of
the relationships I
build with my
students.
As both a learner and a teacher in critical theory, I have tried to connect my
tertiary teaching beliefs to this theoretical underpinning. Critical theory is a
form of self-reflective knowledge (Habermas, 1989) concerned with issues
of power and domination and how society responds to social issues. In
education, there has been a tradition of power residing with the teacher
with little autonomy for the student learner to question that domination
(Rowland, 2006). As a teacher, I believe that my role is to encourage
critical thinking from the perspective of questioning what academics write,
learning through practice, and using theory as a means of developing skills.
As Havel (cited in Rowland, 2006) points out:
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
• 12 •
The intellectual should constantly disturb, should bear witness to
the misery of the world, should be provocative by being
independent, should rebel against all hidden and open pressure and
manipulations, should be the chief doubter of systems, of power and
its incantations, should be witness to their mendacity (p. 14).
This quotation resonates strongly with the university‟s role as “critic and
conscience of society” and it is incumbent on me to draw out opinion, open
up new vistas for examination, and allow the students to reach new depths
in their thinking. Encouraging exploration of self, prior assumptions and
accessing new knowledge from a critical perspective, allows students to
identify where the power lies, whose voice dominates and whose voices are
marginalised. It also reveals the “personhood from which our best teaching
comes” (Palmer, 1998, p. 24).
Through reflecting on my teaching experience, I identified the strong need
to nurture the students‟ sense of responsibility for their own learning. Since
assessment is one of the main elements that drives student learning, it is
important that assessments provide students with skills that demonstrate
and communicate their learning and demonstrate their ability to put their
learning into practice. By aligning assessment with the learning outcomes,
students become involved in the process which encourages learning that is
both productive and sustainable.
Learning to teach and teaching for learning must be compatible. Imparting
content in today‟s digitally connected world no longer has the importance it
once did. Information is ubiquitous and the enterprising individual will find
it wherever they choose to look. What a teacher can give is the
encouragement and framework for students to develop critical thinking
skills and experiential opportunities. As teachers, we remain as learners,
and it is our job to constantly reflect on and improve what we do.
References:
Habermas, J. (1989). The structural transformation of the public sphere: An
inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
New Zealand Parliament (1989). New Zealand Education Act. http://
www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1989/0080/latest/DLM183668.html
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Rowland, S. (2006). The enquiring university. Maidenhead, UK: Open University
Press.
• 13 •
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
Tertiary Teachers and Theory Avoidance
Dr Linda Leach, Massey University
New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, Volume 8, Issue 1, 78-89, 2011
Two weeks ago I came across this article and found it very interesting in
terms of the kinds of work that I have engaged with since joining this
University in 2009. While I have an extensive background in education
(initially primary school teaching for four years, followed by over twentyfive years in tertiary education), I have found that some of the academics I
work with have quite diverse understandings of theory, and occasionally
find the terminology of educational theory somewhat disinviting. As we
work with staff to support their identities as teachers in this University
(alongside their research work), I thought it was worth bringing this article
to readers‟ attention. The full article is available from the journal above
(see http://www.teacherswork.ac.nz/journal/volume8_issue1/leach.pdf) I
am truncating it here to indicate its content. I hope readers will want to
access and reflect on the entire article in due course.
Pip Bruce Ferguson
Abstract
While many tertiary teachers engage willingly with theories to inform their
understanding and practice, some seem fearful of theory and avoid
engagement. This article analyses theory in tertiary teacher education
programmes in one university. It considers the place of theory in the
programmes and the selection of theories included; it explores students‟
avoidance of theory and outlines some practices used to invite engagement
with theory; and it suggests some possible future practices. It concludes
that theory has a continuing role in the programmes, albeit one that
warrants ongoing discussion and debate.
...there is nothing as
practical as a good
theory..
Pip: following an initial discussion about Linda‟s own background and
exposure to educational theory, she goes on to explore ways that people
consider theory. This picks up interesting issues such as discussions I have
had with staff here, around whether theories should be specific to
situations (e.g. grounded theories) or generalisable (e.g. scientific
theories). Obviously, our approaches to these issues are affected by our
own disciplinary training.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
• 14 •
Understandings of Theory
Modern conceptions of theory are traced to Western enlightenment of the
17th and 18th centuries (Edwards, 2005); educational theory to the end of
the 19th century (Carr, 2006). One of the difficulties is that the word is
used to mean different things: „There is no bond between „theory‟ and the
constellation of meanings it has acquired‟ (Thomas, 2007, p.21). Merriam,
Caffarella and Baumgartner (2007, p. 79) describe theory simply as „a set
of interrelated concepts that explain some aspect of the field in a
parsimonious manner‟.
O‟Connor (1954, cited in Carr, 2006, p. 140) outlined standards and criteria
for what can count as theory in science. He argued that the way theory is
used in education is generally a courtesy title and that it should be used
only „when we are applying well established experimental findings in
psychology and sociology to the practice of education‟. Thomas (2007)
discusses the complexity of the ways it is used, collapsing nine meanings
identified by Chambers into seven: theory contrasted with fact; theory as
the opposite of practice; practical theory or personal theory; theory as
presupposition from a set of orienting principles; normative theory – a
clearly developed argument; empiricist theory (or craft knowledge); and
scientific theory (p. 51). He reduces these to four broad uses of the term: 1)
theory as the obverse of practice is thinking and reflecting as opposed to
doing and includes personal theory; 2) theory as a generalising/explanatory
model concerns ideas „that may be followed up, embracing looser or tighter
hypothesizing, modelling, heuristics and thought experiments‟ (p. 27); 3)
theory as developing bodies of explanation concerns bodies of knowledge
in particular fields; and finally, scientific theory is about „ideas formally
expressed in a series of statements‟ (p. 27). Thomas argues that all these
forms are important but that „theory‟ should not apply to them all. He
proposed a „verbal hygiene‟ in thinking about theory: to call theory
contrasted with fact –„conjecture‟; theory as thinking – „thinking‟; personal
or practical theory – „reflection‟ or „reflective practice‟; theory as a body of
knowledge – „a body of knowledge‟; theory as a clearly developed
• 15 •
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
argument – „a clearly developed argument‟; and, theory as craft knowledge
– „craft knowledge‟ (p. 147).
Not only is there confusion in how „theory‟ is used, there is debate about its
role in education. For example: the Laboratory for Educational Research
was established as „a space for the exploration of the roles of theory in
educational research and educational practice‟ (The Stirling Institute of
Education, 2009); Thomas (2007, p. 30) argues that „theory is harmful
because it structures and thus constrains thought‟; and, Carr (2006, p. 136)
concludes that „educational theory has run its course and should now be
brought to a dignified end‟. It is not the purpose of this article to debate
these meanings and roles of theory. But it is important to acknowledge that
it is situated within these debates. In the article I use Thomas‟ (2007) four
broad uses of the term as a framework for analysing students‟ avoidance of
theory. At times, I collapse these into two notions – „formal‟ theory and
„informal‟ theory. „Formal‟ theory refers to three of Thomas‟ broad
meanings: scientific theory, bodies of explanation, and generalising/
explanatory models. „Informal‟ theory refers to thinking, reflecting and
personal theory. Some tertiary teachers try to avoid engagement with
formal theory and do not seem to be aware of their personal theories. In the
next sections of the article I explore this avoidance in tertiary teacher
education programmes in one university.
Pip: in the next section of her paper, Linda looks at the way that our choice
of theories should inform the design of programmes. She reflects on an
adult education degree that used the concept of the critically reflective
practitioner as its underpinning theoretical approach, encouraging
students to develop this skill as they progressed through the levels of the
degree. Interestingly, Linda emphasises that “Educators use power when
we choose to include or exclude specific theories in course content; we
impose on students our views of what is relevant and important” (page 80).
Theory, says Linda, is of course important in the course. “Embedded in it
is the lecturer‟s view that „there is nothing as practical as a good theory‟”.
The theories chosen should, of course, be pertinent to the programme and
discipline. She is upfront about the “centre-left political views” embedded
in the adult learning degree, where “ „New Right‟ or neo-liberal theories
are questioned, as are attacks on biculturalism and multiculturalism...While critique is encouraged, required even, it would take a
confident student to challenge the values embedded in the programme. We
are socialising students into our ways of thinking by selecting the theories
they are introduced to” (p. 81).
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
• 16 •
The paper continues by investigating how students can be encouraged to
engage with theory.
As the programmes emphasise the creation of strong links between theory
and practice, the learning outcomes, learning and teaching activities and the
assessment tasks are designed to draw on and reinforce connections
between theory and practice. A practice used at both undergraduate and
postgraduate level asks students to identify and/or construct personal
theories relevant to the topic, to link these to formal theories they have
learned about, to critically reflect on how well their practice matches their
developing personal theory, and to suggest and justify changes to future
practice.
In one postgraduate course formal theory is used as a lens through which
concepts are introduced and practical situations are analysed. Theory is
used to develop ideas about their personal practice as leaders. Questioning
is used to help students explore theories in depth, to find answers to the
question „what does this mean?‟ Challenging learning activities are used –
students are required to comment thoughtfully on others‟ ideas, and to
respond to students‟ critique of their own work – in their assessments as
well as in online activities.
In another postgraduate course students are required to read at least one
primary text written by a classical theorist rather than rely on secondary
sources. They may negotiate to study theorists whose work is not included
in the course materials – an invitation offered in all the courses. Such
invitations reduce theory avoidance. Another course begins with an
exploration of students‟ personal culture. This is based on the premises that
„we teach who we are‟ (Palmer, 1998) and that collisions with other
people‟s horizons make us aware of our own (Gadamer, 2008). In one
learning activity the lecturer hands out mirrors and invites students to look
at themselves, consider who they are and where they have come from, and
to theorise about their lives and themselves.
In an undergraduate course collaborative groups are used to discuss
theoretical approaches and to enable students to construct knowledge.
Formative assessment is used to enable students to try out new ideas
without risk of penalty in the assessment process. The assignments are
designed so each builds on the previous ones, enabling students to learn
from feedback and to engage more deeply with theory as the course
progresses. There are no due dates apart from the final one. This enables
students to work to their own thinking rhythm, in the belief that this will
foster deeper engagement with formal theory. In another undergraduate
• 17 •
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
course learning psychologies are introduced through an exploration of
scenarios using students‟ experience and current teaching practices. As
teachers‟ stories are told, key ideas are recorded on the whiteboard,
clustered under as yet unlabelled concepts from learning psychologies.
Once students are comfortable with the concepts, as they use and
understand them, they are introduced to the theories and language used by
the theorists. This approach reduces fear of theories.
In another course a group of Māori students were invited to replace selected
Western theorists with Māori learning theorists from their Iwi. When some
students took up the invitation a Māori assessor joined the course lecturer
to jointly assess the work presented. When Western theories were chosen
students were encouraged to critique their relevance to Māori. This strategy
encouraged students to engage with theories that were most relevant to
them. It gave them choice over which theories to learn about and reduced
avoidance. In another course students are required to develop a personal
„view‟ of adult learning. Course materials explore a variety of formal
theories before students articulate their own emerging, tentative views. It is
stressed that the view is a personal theory „for the moment‟ and that it will
continue to change over time.
This helps students overcome the fear of articulating personal views and
feeling they are committed to them for life.
Most students respond to these practices, engage willingly with formal
theories and produce insights into their experiences and practice. However,
some either explicitly state their resistance or demonstrate resistance by
avoiding engagement with formal theories in discussions and/or in the work
they present for assessment. Some also avoid articulating personal or
practical theories.
Pip: the paper continues by providing and analysing five “vignettes from
practice”, covering vocational education, computing, Māori students in a
tutorial, an undergraduate tertiary teacher, and a postgraduate student
working in vocational education. These brief case studies are analysed in
terms of the theoretical understandings of the practitioners concerned.
Three of the four uses of theory distilled by Thomas (2007) are evident in
the vignettes. Theory understood as the obverse of practice and/or as
personal theory underpins students‟ avoidance of theory in three vignettes:
Dale, Lindsay and Francis. Theory as presuppositions or as a generalising/
explanatory model is avoided by the group of Māori students while theory
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
• 18 •
as a developing body of explanation is avoided in two vignettes: the Māori
group and Chris. Missing, or avoided altogether, is theory understood as
scientific theory. However, in spite of this avoidance, each tertiary teacher
is, arguably, developing a personal theory of tertiary learning and teaching.
This personal theory, presuppositions or beliefs will inform, shape and
constrain their practice in ways they may not be aware of let alone be able
to articulate. Given that such avoidance does occur what can staff do to
identify and critically evaluate their own positions and invite tertiary
teachers to engage with theory?
Pip: Linda then offers a range of suggestions for future practice,
acknowledging the variety of understandings of theory that teachers bring
to their research endeavours. She suggests that it is important for staff to
discuss their different meanings of theory; to engage with Carr‟s (2006)
and Thomas‟ (2007) views on educational theory as a way forward; to
critique the idea that „a deficit thinking‟ (Thrupp, 2008) view is held about
students who avoid theory; and to ensure that Māori theories are valuable
and included in courses.
Four possible practices are then advocated – look at the full article to pick
these up. In her concluding comments, Linda gives some suggestions to
encourage tertiary teacher educators.
Conclusion
In this article I have explored some tertiary teachers‟ avoidance of theory.
To do this I have considered different ways theory is understood, drawing
on Thomas‟ (2007) four broad uses of the term as a framework through
which to understand theory. This framework was also used to analyse five
vignettes which illustrated students‟ avoidance of theory. Included in the
discussion are some examples of current practices used in Massey
University tertiary teaching programmes to invite students to engage with
theory. Arising from the discussion are some suggestions for future
practices designed to reduce avoidance of, and increase engagement with
theory. While these practices have been developed within a specific
context, it is hoped that the ideas may transfer to other similar contexts and
provide a stimulus for other tertiary teacher educators to help non-theorists
engage constructively with theory.
Tertiary teacher educators are encouraged to:


• 19 •
Accept that some tertiary teachers want to avoid theory.
Acknowledge this avoidance, empathise with teachers and help to
allay their fears.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK






Introduce them to different meanings of theory. This may be as
simple as formal and informal theory, personal or practical theory
or as complex as Thomas‟ four broad uses or Chambers‟ nine
meanings.
Use „verbal hygiene‟ to modify the language being used to reduce
fear of theory; for example, using „body of knowledge‟, „reflection‟
and „reflective practice‟.
Enable tertiary teachers to identify and express personal theories,
then critique them. One way to do this is to encourage them to
notice what they do in their practice and then ask why they do that.
Encourage them to read and engage with literature on teaching to
help them identify and name ideas that inform their practice.
Help tertiary teachers to reflect on their practice, bridge them into
seeing and understanding their personal assumptions, beliefs
theories, and then bridge them into formal theories – thereby
scaffolding their understanding of theory in manageable steps.
Help them to make strong links between theory and their practice,
emphasising the practical value of theory.
Nola Campbell Memorial eLearning Excellence Award
One Nola Campbell Memorial eLearning Excellence Award, with a monetary value of
$5,000 (for work related purposes), is made to staff engaged in teaching using
eLearning methodologies in recognition of excellence. eLearning at the University of
Waikato is defined as the systematic use of learning technologies to facilitate and
support learning.
Nominations may be made by individual staff or students, and must be supported by
three nominators and the relevant Dean (or equivalent senior manager).
Nominees must provide a portfolio of supporting evidence and reflection addressing
each area below in no more than 5000 words in total and attach it to the nomination
form. Criteria are:
• Application of technology
o the nominee is using learning technologies for exemplary teaching
o the nominee understands the affordances of learning technologies
o the use and choice of technology is being integrated within the overall course
design
o the use and choice of technology is being aligned with learning outcomes and
graduate attributes
o learning technologies are being used to enable and enhance learning
• Supporting learners
o the use of learning technology empowers learners to modify their learning
practices to effectively utilise technology
o there is an understanding of the varied needs of learners and attempt to meet
them when using learning technology
• Professional development
o engages in reflective practice in the use of eLearning
o promotes and develops eLearning within our University and the wider community
o demonstrates commitment to innovate and engage with emerging practice
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 • TDU TALK
2011 eLearning Workshops
Moodle workshops
These 'how to' workshops provide staff with the
technical skill and knowledge to use Moodle tools.

Moodle One: Getting started with resources:
(November 2nd)

Moodle Two: Paper Settings & Communication:
(November 9th)

Moodle Three: Assessment tools in Moodle:
(November 16th)

Moodle Four: Groups and Groupings:
(November 23rd)
eLearning workshops
These workshops offer practical strategies to assist
you with implementing eLearning in your teaching.

Turnitin & Plagiarism (Thursday September 1st)

Online Bookmarking (Wednesday October 5th)

Online collaboration (Tuesday November 1st)

New tools for a new year (Thursday Dec 1st)
For more information and to register please visit
the http://www.waikato.ac.nz/hrm/pd/ or contact
Teresa Gibbison (email: [email protected]).
• 20 •
September/October
Professional Development at a Glance
Thu, 1 September (1.00-3.00) eLearning workshop: Turnitin & Plagiarism
Fri, 2 September Faculty Teaching Excellence Award nominations close
Thu, 7 July (2.00-3.30) Issues around the use of incentives for participation in research
Thu, 8 September (2.00-3.30) Academic freedom, research methodology and ethics review
Mon, 12 September (1.00-2.30) Compiling a Teaching Portfolio workshop
Fri, 16 September (9.00-10.30) Compiling a Teaching Portfolio workshop
Tue, 20 September (12.00-2.00) Teaching Network: Supporting Teaching at the University
of Waikato towards a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning*
Tue, 27 September (12.00-2.00) PG Supervision Conversation: Mentoring the Next
Generation of Supervisors
Tue, 4 October (1.00-3.00) eLearning workshop: Social Bookmarking
Wed, 26 October (8.45-12.15) Introductory Session
Mon, 31 October University Teaching Excellence Award nominations close
For details or to register, visit www.waikato.ac.nz/hrm/pd
* Please note change in date from original programme. Also note that the Teaching Network previously scheduled
for 19 October has been cancelled.
Future Events
8 November (8.45-4.00) General Staff Day
Visit: http://
www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu
23, 24 November Visiting academic Prof Jean McNiff
Make a space at your place for teaching
Some of the best learning happens through conversation and most
of the working life of academics is focused around the department.
So why not make the occasional space for conversation about
teaching in your department?
Produced by:
TEACHING DEVELOPMENT UNIT | WĀHANGA WHAKAPAKARI AKO | UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO
Private Bag 3105 | Hamilton | New Zealand
Phone: +64 7 838 4839 | Fax: +64 7 838 4573 | [email protected] | www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu