Innovative Teaching. Learning at Postgraduate Level

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTENTS

PREFACE

1 TOWARDS A PARADIGM SHIFT 1

2 FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS 2

3 THE TEACHING-LEARNING MILIEU 3

4 THE IMPACT OF CREATIVE PEDAGOGY 5

5 THE ADVOCACY: THE CREATIVE PEDAGOGY PACKAGE (CPP) 7

REFERENCES

APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
APPENDIX 2
APPENDIX 3
APPENDIX 4
APPENDIX 5
APPENDIX 6
APPENDIX 7
APPENDIX 8

ABOUT THE AUTHORS OF THIS BOOK

DEDICATION

Creating a meaningful teaching-learning environment in the academic arena still remains a challenge. Within this context, this book is meant for the use of academicians and postgraduate students. With high hopes, we believe the learners will find their learning environment pleasant and a fruitful experience with the creative pedagogy techniques.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Crafting and orchestrating this book were inspired by the good intentions of the authors and support, direct or indirect, of these people who touched the lives of the main authors and their colleagues in this book: Prof. Ofelia Sisno, Dean College of Nursing, Cebu Doctors’ University, Cebu City, Philippines; the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing, Cebu Chapter, Cebu City, Philippines for the innovative training on creative pedagogy; Prof. Gloria Dinglasa, Southwestern University; Mr. Hassan Bassajjabalaba, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Kampala International University (KIU), Uganda and Prof. P.K. Tibenderana, Vice Chancellor, KIU; the Institute for Social Research/ISR of KIU particularly Ms. Adela Tusiime (Asst. Research Officer,ISR) for the assistance on library search and Ms. Rashida Mugabe (Secretary, ISR) and Manuel Ray Sumil Jr., Deputy Director, Quality Assurance, KIU for the technical help in this book.

PREFACE

Missing a note may not start good music. Making a difference in the teaching-learning process is just like a musical note that when overseen produces a gap towards a meaningful and memorable journey of the learners in the academe. It cannot be denied then, that innovative teaching-learning opens the path to flexible teaching approaches.

In 1990, the lady main author of this book underwent a 5-day seminar-workshop/training in the Philippines that advocated creative pedagogy techniques in all its seminar- workshop activities. By then, creative pedagogy became the choice of the day in teaching nursing courses in 7 hours a day. In its implementation stage, creative pedagogy was well accepted and sought for by the nursing students. It drew out their potentials in art, creativity and the like. Imagine such approaches as quiz bowl, fashion show, poems, news casting, songs, dancing, panel discussions, stage shows, and role plays depicting diseases and completed in detail in such creative manners. From then on, creative pedagogy spread like a virus in nursing schools. It did not only develop the innovativeness of the students but more so that of the nursing educators.

From then on, the creative pedagogy techniques in the classroom underwent a paradigm shift from being done at bachelors level, it also dominated in the graduate schools. Although at this time, information technology (IT) has had its amazing breakthroughs in the academe and industry, not all educational institutions can afford such IT revolution. Creative pedagogy does not demand involvement of IT all the time but the use of available resources, one’s own human body parts starting from the brain down to the hands and feet.

In the years 2005-2015, the authors of this book had experienced their share of creative pedagogy when they were studying PhD. Now these authors are living witnesses and advocates in their own way of the miracles that creative pedagogy did to their taught course in Organizational Behavior/OB (MSF 9102). It was astonishing to note that an OB class, 6-9pm with 25-30 students remained intact for the whole semester. To date, the creative pedagogy techniques remain one of the best features in a typical classroom scenario for an academician who recognized the worth of this wondrous techniques. The more one employs creative pedagogy, the more the educator earns lasting impressions from the students for creating more space for them to express in class realistically.

With the aim to propagate creative pedagogy at postgraduate level, this book shall take you through a documentation of the actual experience and experimentation for reasons of imparting some techniques deem fit for postgraduate students. In this book then you will find these sections in logical order:

Chapter 1 will take you through this topic on TOWARDS A PARADIGM SHIFT;
Chapter 2 will orient you on the premise to which the creative pedagogy is anchored under the topic FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS;
Chapter 3, on the other hand, will cite the prevailing situations, THE TEACHING-LEARNING MILIEU, toward the need for implementation of creative pedagogy;
Chapter 4, will impress on you the productive IMPACT OF CREATIVE PEDAGOGY;
Chapter 5, then, will portray the actual ADVOCACY ON CREATIVE PEDAGOGY PACKAGE and its details.

As you go through reading this book, please be reminded, that the teaching-learning process depends on how well the educator can assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate the learning needs of the students.

1 TOWARDS A PARADIGM SHIFT

Each educator has his/her strengths and preferences when managing a classroom scenario. Ideally, an effective educator should possess a variety of teaching techniques to accommodate students’ learning needs. There may not be one single best approach to teaching as there is more need for flexible teaching approaches.

The prevailing scenario in the educational arena nowadays is where the teacher is no longer an authoritative figure in the students’ learning but rather an enabler. Organizing a course into meaningful bits of activities, situations and experiences will be better absorbed and lasts indefinitely in every learner’s academic life. Further, in this context, the course is taught better and the students learn more if the students themselves are involved in their learning.

Innovative teaching-learning addresses the challenge of a paradigm shift from the traditional and conservative ways towards creating an educational climate for the learners to take more responsibility of their own learning in an academic environment where they find more meaning. Creative pedagogy is innovative art of teaching categorized as theatre based that greatly involves the student in his learning to develop him into a self-reliant, responsible, critically minded and creative character or actor in the theatre of learning. At the forefront are approaches that provide learning materials, situations, activities and experiences to enable the learners to acquire knowledge, attitude, values, habits, skills in critical thinking, decision-making, self-direction, self-reliance, mechanical manipulation and bodily movement.

2 FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS

Most of those in the teaching profession have the common notion that teaching is their major function or role without realizing that some of their teaching can prevent learning and that teaching is about working with people. The fundamental assumptions of this CREATIVE PEDAGOGY PACKAGE then are premised as follows:

1. Students learn more by not being told but by doing things themselves.
2. The students are not receptacles of passed on knowledge but they are human beings with God given multiple intelligences.
3. As human beings, the students are not blank slates and do not only possess the mental processes of thinking, remembering, analyzing but they are total individuals who carry along with them their needs, wishes, experiences, worries, dreams, fears, sickness and emotions that can be prevented to come out of the fore while in the classroom if the teacher navigates them to be fully engaged in their learning through innovative approaches.
4. A sensitive teacher has a long way before him/her to enable learning to take place rather than concentrating on performing as a teacher.
5. It is the student that should be taught not the subject.
6. The teacher has taught if the student has learned.

3 THE TEACHING-LEARNING MILIEU

In this age of unceasing and progressively rapid change due to unprecedented volumes of new information which is almost instantaneously available to all people through increasing technology and communications, the role of the teachers remains the same: to prepare the succeeding generation to make a worthwhile contribution to society and mankind as a whole. However, the needed strategy for successfully accomplishing this role needs to be seriously addressed. Further, it is never too late to speculate on better approaches in the academe that can make the teaching-learning a lasting and momentous experience for the learners.

The observed prevailing situations that shed light to THE CREATIVE PEDAGOGY ADVOCACY within the context of teaching in higher education institutions are reflected below:

1. Some curriculum pushes the learner into some set patterns such as batteries of written examinations over oral examinations that actually account for rampant and chronic written examination malpractices. An innovative revalida or oral examinations would have made a difference where the learner could express himself freely setting aside the agony of writing.
2. A gap in perspective regarding the word lecturer as believed to be a prestigious term than the word teacher (for primary, elementary and secondary institutions only) thus the lecturer goes to class, delivers the lecture and no more no less.
3. Because of a hundred students to one lecturer, it is alarming to note on what type of learning the student gets and how competent, safe and secure will this student be when he goes to work in the future.
4. The traditional and conservative lecture method commonly utilized vs. an engaging, argumentative, critical thinking and challenging teaching-learning scenario;
5. The students are stuck to their seats for three hours listening to their lecturer.
6. Teaching the same old notes used long years ago is still rampant in the academic world.
7. Students are not getting consistent depth of learning in view of two sets of lecturers: one who knows teaching methodologies combined with content and one who knows content with no teaching methodologies.
8. There is a common belief among lecturers that they are the all knowing thus know far better than their students rather than being a lecturer that teaches and at the same time learning from their students.
9. There are more doing on the part of the lecturer and less space for the learners to do things, try things out, make mistakes and learn from it.
10. The students are listening to the lecturer, answering questions, making notes but not personally involved or challenged.

4 THE IMPACT OF CREATIVE PEDAGOGY

Employing creative pedagogy is not a waste of time but utilizing time productively. It is not an obligation but an educator’s wise choice and decision. Critical to the success of creative pedagogy is the interest of the educator to make things happen in the classroom, one that triggers the students to be fully alive not in a complex learning environment but thriving instead in a non pathologic atmosphere of teaching-learning where the educator’s personal and humanistic approach create the climate, his/her mood that makes the weather and his/her response that decides a student to be humanized. The intensity of creative pedagogy is lasting, a legacy imprinted in every student’s photogenic memory. Therefore, the utilization of creative pedagogy has these merits/advantages:

1. The educational climate can become more positive, forward- looking and supportive;
2. There will be less fear on the learners in taking risks and challenges related to their studies;
3. The learners can take more responsibility of their own learning rather than someone else’s job;
4. The learning of the students will be facilitated with a rich learning environment that offers a wide array of materials that can be touched, handled and provide contact with objects and events;
5. There is freedom of the learners to express themselves freely maximizing their talents and abilities;
6. The learning of the students can become self-initiated, lasting and pervasive that involves his whole self;
7. The teacher can become more effective, self –directed and has greater freedom to communicate his talents and abilities;
8. The learner’s curiosity is cultivated for his desire to learn, his ability to select and follow his own path of learning. This revolutionary method is relatively non threatening to teachers.
9. The teacher is not giving lip service. He is actually operationally giving his learner the opportunity to be responsibly free.
10. Both the teacher and the learners are far developed as innovative and critical thinkers and where the academic arena thus becomes a meaningful learning environment that produces future creative members of the work industry.

5 THE ADVOCACY: THE CREATIVE PEDAGOGY PACKAGE (CPP)

The main author of this book has been a creative pedagogy advocate for 36 years now. In view of her good intentions to intensify and continue her advocacy in creative pedagogy in African higher degrees, she and her colleagues developed the CPP to serve as guide and for ease of reference for postgraduate educators. The creative pedagogy techniques (CPTs) included in this package can also be applied as deem fit even at bachelor’s level depending on how creative the educator is in modifying the CPTs according to the nature of the students’ multiple intelligences.

Each CPT suggested in a week is discussed in detail including some standardized inventories/questionnaires synchronized according to the topic and CPT specified in a particular week. For the proper guidance of the educators who are keen at using this CPP, it is best to read through this book from the beginning to the end so as not to miss out anything relevant to the implementation of the CPTs.

The CPTs were initially experimented by the main author of this book in her course in Organizational Behavior (MSF 9102) at PhD level in 2009 an 2013. Precisely, you will find some examples that were used during the empirical investigation utilizing the quasi-experimental design.

MSF 9102 OVERALL ACTIVITY PLAN

Three Hours /Week

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Pre- assessment inventories: To evaluate the students’ types of multiple intelligences (MI), their levels of knowledge in OB (learning styles/LS), workplace organization exposure and emotional stability (emotional intelligence/EI). The results of the MI and LS will serve as bases to determine which techniques within the Creative Pedagogy Package that suit the set of students on hand. The students themselves should be engaged to determine the results of their own MI,LS and EI.

Introductions (Getting to know you): The course facilitator uses an innovative strategy in the form of games (find your specie) for the students to get to know each other.

Discussion of the course outline and learning activities (CPTs): The details of the course is discussed for the proper guidance of the students in terms of course description, objectives, assessment procedures, support mechanisms, requirements, content and reading list. A copy of the course outline is reflected in Appendix 1.

Groupings and assignments of CPTs: Based on the predetermined students’ MIs, the course facilitator may proceed with grouping the students and assign them the respective CP techniques as listed in the course outline under Learning Activities.

PRE-ASSESSMENT INVENTORY 1:

In a computer laboratory, navigate the students to access an on line link on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Test and Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. Collect the responses, generalize the results and base from here when assigning the students to specific CPTs.

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Direction: Read the items carefully and answer comprehensively where necessary. Please utilize the spaces provided for your answers.

1. What do you think organizational behavior is about?

2. Describe the organization where you are working in terms of the following:

2.1 nature of business/work

2.2 number of units/departments

2.3 comments on leadership and management of your workplace

2.4 the type of work you do in this organization

2.5 why were you chosen to do this work?

3. How do you see yourself in this organization?

3.1 intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? Support your answer.

3.2 productive, less productive or not productive at all? Support your answer.

4. How do you see your organization in these aspects?

4.1 conflict management

4.2 decision-making

4.3 power and authority

4.4 attitude of employees and managers

4.5 organizational culture

4.6 change management

4.7 knowledge resource management of diverse workforce

5. What are your expectations of this course with relevance to your present work status?

Group Assignments and Creative Pedagogy Techniques

Group 1: Level of Analysis 1 (Behavior at Individual Level)

CPT: Panel Discussion

Group 2: Level of Analysis 2 (Behavior at Group Level)

CPT: Seminar using LCD

Group 3: Level of Analysis 3 (Behavior at Organizational Level)

CPT: Case Report and Analysis

Group 4: Challenges in Managing OB; OB Theories

CPT: Journal Sharing

Group 5: Organizational Strategy; Tools for Organizational

Effectiveness

CPT: Socratic Circle

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Weeks 2-4)

Three Hours /Week

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Legend

1: Group dynamics

2: Panel discussion

3: Worksheet 1

4: Seminar-Workshop

5: Worksheet 2

6: Case report and analysis 10: Research Forum

7: Worksheet 3 11: Academic debate

8: Journal sharing 12: Socio-gram

9: Socratic circle

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Week 5)

Three Hours /Week

CPT 1:Group Dynamics

Course Facilitator (CF): Processing of outputs (POO) and delivery of inputs (DOI)

Evaluation of presentation and learning

Group Dynamics: A vehicle for interaction and expression of ideas and opinions. Each group is expected to collate and present their respective outputs.

Group assignments

Group 1: What is OB?

Group 2: Why Study OB?

Group 3: Relevance of OB in Education Sectors

Group 4: Relevance of OB in the Business Sectors

Group 5: Relevance of OB in the Public Sectors

Processing of outputs (POO): Students present their outputs in a creative manner such as role play, news casting, interviews, TV show, and radio broadcasting

Delivery of inputs (DOI): Done through power point presentations.

Evaluation of presentation and learning: Every end of the CPT, the participants and the course facilitator assesses the merits from the presentation and elicits the learning gained utilizing the form in Appendix 2.

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Weeks 6-7)

Three Hours /Week

CPT 2 (Group 1): Panel discussion (students as panelists)

CF: POO & DOI;

CPT 2A: Interactive Dynamics Tracer 1 (IDT #1); evaluation of presentation & learning

Panel discussion: Members of group 1 (assume they are experts from various organizations) are assigned individual subtopics related to behavior at individual level. There are various reactors from invited participants and classmates who will ask questions, make verifications or clarifications regarding the subject matter on hand. The moderator must see to it that the flow of discussion will be navigated to the assigned topic on hand.

Processing of outputs (POO): The course facilitator engages the students in an interaction to go deeper into the topic assigned; makes clarifications for better understanding.

Delivery of inputs (DOI): Done through power point presentations.

Interactive dynamics tracer 1 (Appendix 3): This is a leaflet that contains salient points where the students can make comments, voice out opinions and ideas and engage in arguments. For reasons of wide dissemination about these salient points where others can benefit from the information, the leaflet is distributed to all departments of the university (KIU) a week before it is being discussed in class.

Evaluation of presentation and learning: Every end of the CPT, the participants and the course facilitator assesses the merits from the presentation and elicits the learning gained utilizing the form in Appendix 2.

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Week 8)

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CPT 2B: Worksheet 1/Post test

DIRECTION: READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY AND ANSWER COMPREHENSIVELY. CREDIT OF YOUR ANSWERS IS 10 POINTS FOR EACH QUESTION.

Select any one factor from level of analysis 1 (Behavior at Individual Level) below for you to elaborate in detail and link its importance in organizations:

1. Personality
2. Ability
3. Values, attitudes and moods
4. Perception
5. Attribution
6. Motivation
7. Work and individual stress

CPT 2 C: Personality and Motivation Inventories f or the purpose of eliciting self-awareness/self-consciousness and for the students to recognize their own personality traits and motivation levels that are very instrumental in the way they may behave in their present or future organizational workplace. In a computer laboratory, engage the students to access the links with personality and motivation assessments as per guidance of the course facilitator. Process the responses in class.

N.B. In the event that the link cannot be accessed for some reasons from the end of the website; the facilitator may opt to distribute a print out of the questionnaires or some other relevant assessments ready on hand.

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Weeks 9-10)

Three Hours /Week

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Seminar using LCD with Ph.D. students as speakers. Invitations are distributed to the KIU students and staff community. This strategy aims to develop the confidence of the PhD students in asserting their points related to O.B.

Processing of outputs (POO): The course facilitator engages the students and participants in active interactions about the points presented in the seminar regarding behavior at group level. A debate activity is orchestrated by the course facilitator by dividing the group participants into two teams (A & B) with the argument tabled for discussion and copies distributed to all participants (Interactive Dynamics Tracer 2 in Appendix 4).

Delivery of inputs (DOI): Done through power point presentations.

Evaluation of presentation and learning: Every end of the CPT, the participants and the course facilitator assesses the merits from the presentation and elicits the learning gained utilizing the form in Appendix 2.

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Worksheet 1 (Critique papers such as reactions and reflections): Please refer for the details below.

Management and Leadership inventories : The students at this point have learned about behavior at individual and group level. In order to raise more consciousness about leadership and management, in a computer laboratory, assign the students to access on line, a questionnaire on management and leadership, fill out on line the assessment items then process in class the results. The items in the questionnaire are considered highly educative and informative.

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1. OBSERVATIONS IN REAL SITUATIONS RELATED TO THE CHALLENGES

2. SALIENT POINTS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES BASED ON READINGS

3. IMPACT OF THE CHALLENGES TO ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS (YOUR OWN VIEWS)

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Week 12-13)

Three Hours /Week

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Case Report and Analysis for purposes of exposing the students to logical reasoning and analytic work. Behavior in organizations is presented by utilizing real situations and experiences from the main reading list and other actual situations/experiences in Uganda.

Processing of outputs (POO): The course facilitator engages the students and participants in active interactions about the points presented in the case report and analysis regarding behavior at organizational level. Leaflets of Interactive Dynamics Tracers 3, 4 (Appendices 5 and 6) are distributed to stimulate responses and critical thinking from the students and other participants.

Delivery of inputs (DOI): Done through power point presentations.

Evaluation of presentation and learning: Every end of the CPT, the participants and the course facilitator assesses the merits from the presentation and elicits the learning gained utilizing the form in Appendix 2.

MSF 9102 ACTIVITY PLAN (Week 14)

Three Hours /Week

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Worksheet 2: Behavior at Organizational Level

1. Reflect in writing your arguments on any of these issues (pick only one):

A. The employing organization has the primary responsibility for managing work- related stress.
B. The individual worker has the primary responsibility of managing his/her own work related stress.

2. Point out extensively your views on four of the following contentions:

A. Transactional leadership is important for an organization’s success.
B. Transformational leadership is more important to an organization’s success.
C. The most effective way to change an organization is evolutionary change.
D. The most effective way to change an organization is revolutionary change.
E. An organization’s culture is shaped by its leaders.

Conflict management and decision making inventories: The items in conflict resolution and decision-making styles questionnaires are educative and informative and merit self- awareness for enhanced application of appropriate techniques in the aspects of conflict resolution and decision making of individuals and groups in an organization. Assign the students in a computer laboratory to access on line the questionnaires on conflict resolution and decision-making. Process the results in class.

Action research on managerial behavior and workplace culture: The students in group 4 are tasked to conduct this action research. On the premise that the highlight of OB is action research, the inputs below from the course facilitator within the context of action research are discussed in class. The action research format/steps are emphasized for the use of the group when presenting their findings in the Research Forum (Week 17). Please refer to the questionnaire in Appendix 7.

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