All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Terry , Barrett |
|---|---|
| Email: | t.barrett@wit.ie |
| Institution: | Waterford Institute of Technology |
Poetry and Fun: The Discourse of Learning in a PBL Staff Development Module A team of eight lecturers were completing a module on problem-based learning that was part of a staff development Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching. The lectures were problem-based learners for the module. The research question for this paper is `How are lecturers as problem -based learners talking about their learning? This research is part of a wider doctoral study. This paper will analyse the process the participants went through by analysing their perspectives from their language in use. This paper uses a thematic approach informed by Freirian philosophy (Freire 1972 , Barrett 2001 ) and critical discourse analysis. This thematic approach involves naming and analysing the themes in the dialogue, in relation to learning. It involves quoting extracts from the data under each theme in order to form the basis of arguments. (Holliday 2002). Critical discourse analysis makes use of systemic linguistics, continental pragmatics and cross-disciplinary trends `but attempts to go beyond them in providing a synthesis of necessary theoretical concepts and analytical frameworks for doing critical analysis.' ( Fairclough 2001:11). This paper analyses a poem that participants wrote and discusses the genre of the poem in terms of its expression of attitudinal change and the poetics of mind. The creativity and fun in the poem are placed in the context of the play ethic. The implications for students, tutors and educational developers are highlighted. References Barrett , T. (2001) Philosophical Principles for Problem-based Learning: Freire's concepts of Personal Development and Social Empowerment. In Little, P. and Kandlebinder, P. (Eds) The Power of Problem-based Learning. Refereed Proceedings of the 3rd Asia Pacific Conference on PBL, 9-12 December, 2001 Newcastle, Australia: Problarc. Fairclough , N. (20010 Language and Power. Essex: Person Education Limited Freire, P. Pedagogy of the Oppressed.. Harmondsworth: Penguin 1972. Holliday, A. ( 2002) Doing and writing qualitative research. London: Sage 2002
(Abstract ref: #37.)