Interactive Learning: HE in FE

Teamwork - the theme of the last two days

The last two days have been all about teamwork but in two different contexts - and ironically that has been the subject of one of my postings to the Module 2 wiki ... but more of that later perhaps. Yesterday I met with a group of curriculum staff to discuss a potential JISC bid. We all had different roles across the college and differing levels of expertise but were drawn together by an enthusiasm for the development of a VLE accessible easily through the use of mobile technology and with a strong pedagogical background. The majority of participants will go on to work with me on the project (bid or no bid), experts and novices, each with their own perspectives and community artefacts and this may have the tiniest germ of a Community of Practice ...who knows?

Today we had the First Year Boards of Examiners. Participants included the Academic Partnerships team from the University, the HE Operations and Academic Standards teams and a series of different curriculum teams from the College. The activity demonstrated from start to finish a collaborative effort with recognition of the range of skill sets (from teaching and assessment to grid production to organisation of the pre-boards and analysis of results). The activity demonstrated engagement and shared meaning .. the co-operative effort of all concerned being fundamental to the activity in hand. At the end of the day's meetings the Quality Manager expressed her thanks to the HE Ops and Academic Standards teams and as she said this found herself expanding the recognition to include all the contributors. A good bit of teamwork.

In the wiki I reflected on the team teaching activity of my colleagues in a previous role. Its easy to underestimate the impact of a team and the way in which such a team can develop into a community with each member providing food for thought, support and energy for the others - regardless of context - but the climate has to be right for such cultural development, the principles being established and the ethos felt by all.

An interesting day .........

posted by Jane @ 9:01 pm