Post on 18-Jan-2017
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Developing a Research Methods Pedagogy for International Masters Students Phil Wood & Joan Smith pbw2@le.ac.uk jms32@le.ac.uk
School of Education
Exploring research methods pedagogy
Our context:
• Masters in International Education
• 20-25 students per year international cohort
• Diverse linguistic ability
• Diverse undergraduate experience (none to explicit coverage)
• Diverse professional experience
Some starting points
What are we trying to achieve?
Research methods or research literacy?
Conceptual Foundations
Kiley, M & Wisker, G (2010) 'Learning to be a researcher: the concepts and crossings.' in Jan H.F Meyer, Ray Land & Caroline Baillie (ed.), Threshold concepts and transformational learning, Sense Publishers, Netherlands, 399-414.
Exploring Application
Issues and Emerging Themeso Language
• Conceptual and linguistic richness – language is less of an issue than concepts
• Developing use of a conceptual language, an issue for ALL students
• But for some still a major issue at the end of the module (assignments)
• Pre-reading/online videos (and focused tasks)opportunity to bring ‘knowledge’ to the sessionopportunity to learn vocabulary – less WM used
• Use of ‘opening up’ papersframeworkedmodelling/exemplars of methodological approaches
• Discursive and varied approachesconversational/exploratory dialogue‘slow’ approach explicit discussion of the ‘scientific method’ and
alternatives
o Pedagogies
• Varied level of prior learning• Expectations concerning learning• Role of questioning and reflection
• Flexible/responsive approach. changed and amended approaches/content as the module unfolded, ‘emergent curriculum’
• Group work – focused and meaningful (non-assessed) students value opportunity to discuss and share
• Team teachingdeveloping ideas togetherdebate/model uncertainty and multiple approaches
• Concept mappingopportunity to synthesise and ‘understand’
o Writing and assignments
• Narrative and coherence• Conceptual understanding • Research ‘management’/independence
• Assignments formative assessment – ‘mini conference’ with
presentations and postersfinal assignment – piloting and initial thinking towards dissertation (diagnostic & formative)move towards independence
• Critical writingthree days over the course of the year
(one input, two voluntary)writing as social and peer supported practicemoving from reading to writing
Future Changes/Foci for Exploration
• The role of reading and writinghow does criticality emerge?social writing approachesscaffolding reading and writing for understandingcloser collaboration with English Language Teaching Unit
• Greater use of structured follow-up tasksfor deepening/extending understanding – possible starting point for personalisation
• Quantitative methodsdemystifyingunderstanding and using others’ datadeveloping application
• Extending the blended learning environment
• Wider, more inclusive dialogue and debate
• Data analysis and INTERPRETATION
• Development of ‘micro-lesson study’ for task design and understanding
• Podcasts for terminology and concepts
• Academic Paper ‘Anatomies’more in-depth consideration of language, writing approaches, structures and academic arguments
• Research methods modules are needed – but by themselves they are not enough. This is a whole course issue
Links
http://rmped.weebly.com
http://hereflections.wordpress.com