Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have developed knowledge and understandings about themselves as learners and how this relates to their teaching; the factors that influence student learning; communication skills and how they relate to the classroom; classroom management models; curriculum development and evaluation; assessment and reporting models. Students should have developed skills in the ability to ask effective questions to probe students' understanding; communication and presentation skills; analysis of different teaching and learning strategies in relation to their effectiveness; design and evaluation of a range of assessment strategies; diagnosis of factors which hinder effective learning; interviewing and reporting techniques. Students should have developed values or attitudes in the importance of personal experience in learning; accepting that risk taking is essential in the development of teaching style; recognising that many different teaching styles and techniques exist; recognising that students learn in different ways and are affected by different factors; valuing personal difference in peers and students.
Synopsis This subject is concerned with principles of teaching derived from the educational research literature and from the experiences of skilled practitioners. Teaching is viewed as an intentional activity directed towards the attainment of particular goals; teachers are seen as responsible for planning and organising the learning environments of their students, and for monitoring their growth and development. POT aims to help provide teachers with skills necessary for effective curriculum development and implementation. It sets out to help teachers to learn to specify objectives accurately, to develop a wider repertoire of teaching strategies for achieving their intended objectives, to gather data on teaching and learning behaviour so that the processes of education can be better understood, and to devise methods of evaluating the outcomes of instructional events. There is a strong emphasis on tutorial discussions, workshop activities and oral presentations. This subject should be taken concurrently with methods and practice of teaching.
Assessment Regular attendance at classes + Major and minor assignment work: 100%