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We are just barely into the first session of a new
semester, and I am already deluged with questions
like: "Is it easy to get an 'A' for this module?" "How
long is the exam?" "How many questions are there
in the exam?" "Would you be showing us how to
answer the exam questions?" "Can we get model
answers for past years' questions?"
These questions disturb me. As an educator, my
premise is that students come to the university to
learn. However, their questions about the mechanics
of exams and model answers before even formal
classes could begin seem to suggest that students
have lost the spirit of learning and they no longer
regard learning as a process of discovery and pursuit
of knowledge.
While we, as teachers, put in great effor t to
formulate learning and teaching objectives, how
often do we pause to consider whether students'
valued outcomes are aligned with ours? If the twain does not meet, would students regard our lessons
or teaching as ineffective?
As I endeavour to introduce pedagogy which requires
students' independent and active participation,
I notice the gap between my idealistic view of
learning and students' pragmatic approach to
learning in university. A good example would be
my experiences in encouraging active participation
and collaborative learning amongst students via the
discussion forum on the IVLE (see Table 1). I used
three approaches to elicit participation from all
students and each yielded a different outcome.
For the third scenario in Table 1, a perceptive
student, Daryl (HR 2002, Semester 1, Academic
Year 2007/2008), wrote in response to the few posts
in the forum:
"Relating this to the Singapore context, the
extrinsic reward system (i.e. grades, marks,
etc.) has already been so deeply rooted in eachof us that it has become our main motivation
to learn. If the reward system is removed,
we will be less motivated to accomplish the
task.”
Table 1. Rate of student participation under different scenarios
| No. |
Scenario |
Rate of Student Participation |
| 1. |
The online forum as a graded activity.
(Students were told of their participation in the
discussion forum will be graded based on the quality
of their posts.) |
>95% of students attempted to post at least once. |
| 2. |
The online forum as a class activity.
(Students were not told that their participation in the
discussion forum will be graded.) |
About 50%. |
| 3. |
The online forum as a non-graded class activity.
(Students were told that their participation in the
session will not be graded.) |
About 15%.
(Half of the participants contibuted only one post,
most of it were short and lacked critical insight.) |
Does this observation suggest that students are
motivated to learn only when there are tangible
rewards? If so, how much do students value
learning new information and from each other
without the promise of a tangible reward? Where is
the 'spirit of learning' that recognises the learning
process as the milieu to acquire skills in higher
level thinking and collaborative work?
In an era where continuous learning is an imperative,
what roles do teachers play in inculcating the spirit
of learning in students? Does it begin with us
thinking about a module's learning and teaching
objectives? While we develop pedagogically sound objectives, do we also consider 'soft' objectives
such as inculcating the spirit of learning and a
love for learning in students? If so, how do we
ar ticulate these objectives and what kinds of
teaching strategies do we adopt to achieve the
objectives?
I have yet to find all the answers to these questions.
Perhaps, if we could make space for 'the spirit of
learning' as we ref lect on our teaching and make
attempts to incorporate it into our pedagogy, we
may make a difference. Then, our students would
not need to worry about exams on the first day of
class nor lose the joy of learning.
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