My mother was a talented seamstress. She held contracts with various institutions, had a long list of clients, and also bragged about being part of the costume design team for the movie Papillon, which featured Steve McQueen. While she was talented, she did not possess the capacity to teach others as she did not have the appropriate methodology or resources to do so. My mother's situation highlights the necessity of a systematic approach for engaging her interns. A balanced, systematic approach would require the use of technology and consideration of contextualized teaching and learning theories. While my mother was not an academic, her case highlights the importance of pedagogy within today's context.
Therefore, as institutions begin to plan to deliver their courses
online, it will be important that there is a balance between teaching and
technology. In many cases, academics are often well equipped for their research
role; however, many have had little to no formal preparation for online or
remote teaching. The lack of formal preparation to teach online or remotely
could lead instructors to adopt their own teaching style, which may include
practices that may not be effective for their students' learning.
As institutions move their classes online, the use of technology
should not be the only focus. Too often, the technology used to facilitate
teaching and learning becomes the central point for discussion with limited or
no consideration of teaching and learning theories or research-based practices.
Consequently, this could impact students' achievement and experiences, instructor's confidence, teaching quality,
and so on. The reality is that if pedagogy is thrown 'overboard,' then the
quality of teaching and learning also goes with it. Consequently, the application
of pedagogy provides theories and research-based practice that will give
instructors a treasured framework for teaching online or remotely. Instructors
with an understanding of teaching and learning pedagogies will:
1.
Understand the teaching and
learning process.
2.
Apply best practices for
engaging students online or remotely.
3.
Be aware of the need for planning,
development, delivery, and evaluation in the teaching and learning process.
4.
Deploy a variety of strategies
for the assessment of students' learning.
5.
Use practical strategies to
motivate, engage, and sustain students in the learning process.
6.
Critically evaluate the
deployment of new and emerging technology for the enhancement of students'
learning needs.
7.
Develop instructional materials
and interactions that allow for inclusive teaching.
8.
Enhance their students'
experience.
9.
Support students to achieve the
learning outcomes of the course.
10. Consistently reflect on
practices to improve the quality of their teaching.
As you consider the use of technology, I urge everyone to
deliberate on the points above. The reality is, we need to balance pedagogy
with technology if we intend to have a quality learning environment. Finally,
the acquisition of pedagogical knowledge will take time. Thus, it will be
important that a quick fix approach is not applied.
