The impact on content question

Hilary Burns & Nicola Stephens

Dyslexia Coordinator & Specialist Tutor

for University College Falmouth and

University of Exeter (Tremough Campus)

minimise impact, maximise intellect

H.Burns, 16.6.12

04/20/23 HJB

2

The challenge in HE

of maintaining academic standards

Our challenge is twofold:

to minimise impact on subjectand minimise impact of dyslexia

A Thought before going over the wall …

“No theory can develop without eventually encountering a wall, and practice is necessary for piercing this wall.”

(Deleuze, 1972)

I have a theory, can we practise?

hilary.burns@falmouth.ac.uk

Thank YOU for your time today….

‘Intellectuals and Power: a conversation between Michael Foucault and Gilles Deleuze’ (1972). Transcript [online] http://www.mendeley.com/research/intellectuals-power-conversation-between-michel-foucault-gilles-deleuze/#page-1 [accessed 17.6.2012].

Workshop Aim:

A look at the question of where the boundaries lie when we look at an essay question on 3 theoretical levels –

wordconceptcontextual

The workshop invites participants to come to some agreement about ‘our’ boundaries.

The Plan

The background

Recap on ADSHE guidance on 1:1 work

The challenges &

Testing the boundaries

The guiding precept for navigating boundaries in essays

A model essay upon which to experiment.

Using this guide, where shall we start? Over to you….

ADSHE

Essay

Word Works

Guide

Rationale

Challenges/ Testing boundaries

Last word

context

In theory

The context….

Historically – level playing fields; subject knowledge vs. general intelligent layperson knowledge.

“What guidance do I provide for students who require more support than is appropriate from a dyslexia support session?” [Specialist 1:1 Dyslexia Tutor Audit]

See ‘Questions Handout’: the guiding precept arose from negotiating Q. 2-4 particularly. We essentially reduced content worries to the smallest denominator in the first instance.

…a starting point and a compass

A Tutor-led sessionA coaching/personal tutorial session

from R. Lehany & S. FreemanADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011

A reminder from ADSHE

It is multi-sensory, metacognitive, uses modelling, and monitoring, provides over-learning, has relevance, is little and often.

from R. Lehany & S. FreemanADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011

relevancy and

modelling

Students can expect

Establish priorities Assistive

Tech. use

Effective study skills

Time man. & organisation

Addressing learner anxiety

Decoding briefs

Reading for research

Preparing for graduation or

work placement

Acknowledgements to UoW for centre pic.from R. Lehany & S. FreemanADSHE Presentation , BDA Conference, 3.6.2011

Is it ok to challenge a student’s thinking when addressing learner anxiety?

Is it ok to challenge a student’s thinking when decoding briefs/essay work?

Decoding briefs

Addressing learner anxiety

relevancy and showing

by doing?

Challenges – methodology, relevancy and text work

Testing boundaries

Teach how to think HE-style in the face ofthe challenges experienced in processing language. Modelling … so

that includes thinking

behaviour, e.g. critical analysis

??

relevancy and

modelling

A guiding precept for navigating boundaries in essays

4 notional levels

They are all words, with varying degrees of connection to subject….

In the beginning, there was the word…

Word what does it mean,

where did it come from,

how can we use it,

how can we remember it?

Concept

Context are you using this word/this concept correctly in this sentence?

Contextual are you using this word/concept correctly in this essay?

‘WordWorks’

04/20/23 HJB 15

"The productivity of Foucault's concept of power/ knowledge lies in its refusal of an epistemology which opposes essence/appearance, ideology/science." (Bhabha 1982, p.318). Evaluate.

1) BE ITSELF if it does not have a subject-specific context –

‘power’ is in common usage: political - personal (charisma), Foucault’s use of power is not (invisible and invidious in the spheres of consciousness and knowledge).

2) BE A CONCEPT, as long as it is not subject-specific –

Most of us have a concept of ‘power’ and often very good, but, again, will depend on the subject under consideration, e.g. so not Foucautian ‘power’ as it is specific.

3) BE A CLUSTER of words (not subject-specific).

“lies in a refusal of an epistemology which opposes essence/ appearance” can still be reduced to word level, and reconstructed at sentence level……...

A theory to build in redundancy

When the whole is greater than the sum of its parts …

Till the soil carefully with the student, watch what you plant and make sure there is a trellis ready and lots of …. good manure.

Start with ‘word works’ for clarification on student’s abilities and strategies.

Keep coming back to ‘word works’ to check….

Read the words on the

label every time you plant

Where shall we start in facilitating the student’s understanding of the brief …

Is it word?

Oooo I know

Where shall we start?

1. Tell the student what they need to do in order to answer the question?

2. Explain who Foucault was?

3. Model researching Foucault together?

4. Tell the student he was a post-structuralist?

5. Explain Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge?

6. Check understanding of forward slash/comma (e.g. symbols)?

7. Break up question into smaller segments?

8. Rephrase question for them?

9. Ask student what they understand by the sentence and see in what way(s) they are able to respond?

10. Check understanding at word level?

11. Just check understanding of action word – ‘evaluate’?

The productivity

of Foucault's

concept

of power/knowledge

lies in

its refusal of

an epistemology

which opposes

essence/appearance

ideology/science.

Evaluate.

the usefulness

of this theorist’s

model

of power and knowledge

lies in

its refusal of

a way of thinking

which opposes

essence – appearance

ideas – science.

Assess, weigh-up.

Facilitating rephrasing, think ‘wordworks’

Rationale

1. Signals to the student your focus and remit;

2. theoretically intuitive to attack at word level;

3. prepares the groundwork for the student in a way that suggests ‘careful tilling of the soil is required’;

4. offers opportunities to promote or increase automaticity in using key words (so processing delay is reduced and critical analysis enhanced).

5. It is true that the student may have discourse-level command of the essay (know in essence what it’s about) but starting with ‘word works’ will help to ensure that the student gives the appropriate priority to her/his ideas.

6. If you make this level your compass, you will protect yourself against over-stepping boundaries.

The word to learn The strategy (to remember word)

Write it (as you say strategy)

necessary 1 collar & 2 sleeves necessary

cirrhosis c i rr hosis cirrhosis

epistemology

(Jenny Lee, 2001)

Final Thoughts …

“It is in the nature of power to totalise…”

(Deleuze, 1972, op cit.)

This was not my intent.

Thank YOU for your participation.

Temporo-parietal junction; the home of words

Temporal lobe

Parietal lobe

junction