Spheres of Influence: Ventures and Visions in Educational Development*

3-6 July, 2002
The University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

Making conversation a more powerful sphere of influence for educational development

Neil Haigh, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Most educational developers and many tertiary teachers recognize that conversation can be a very productive sphere for professional development. Certainly many teachers who are unwilling or unenthusiastic participants in professional development workshops readily participate in everyday conversations with their colleagues (and educational developers) about their own teaching and their students' learning. These conversations are often serendipitous, improvised and informal - and are focussed on immediate personal circumstances and concerns.

While these characteristics can help account for the attraction and the benefits of such conversations, they may also explain why their full potential as a sphere for educational/professional development is often not realized. They are characteristics that can also mean that participants don't engage in, such conversations with due 'thoughtfulness' or use and value appropriately the thoughts they give rise to.

Drawing on my own reflected on experiences of conversation about learning and teaching and an emerging body as associated scholarship (eg Clark, 2001), I

review defining features of conversation and of different types of conversation
make a case for valuing conversation as a sphere for professional development
summarize factors that can hinder/enhance learning through conversation
suggest ways educational developers can increase the potential thoughtfulness, and in turn learning benefits, of conversations that they contribute to and facilitate
discuss changes that may need to be made to the agenda and processes of conversations to take into account the novice-expert status of participants?

Key words:
Conversation; Thoughtful; Development

Objectives, outcomes and activities:
Participants will

review the current place of conversation as a sphere for their own professional development and for facilitating the development of colleagues;
identify factors that can hinder/enhance learning through conversation;
identify actions they can take to increase the likelihood that conversation is thoughtful - and thus learningful; and
describe changes that may need to be made to the agenda and processes of conversation to take into account the novice to expert status of participants.

At the outset of the session, participants will be asked to recall a recent conversation that they had with a colleague and that they believe had a beneficial impact on their colleague's teaching (and possibly their own) - and then to identify factors that may have accounted for this impact. Factors identified will be shared and sampled.

This activity will set the scene for a presentation in which I

note some of the defining features of conversation and of different types of conversation
make a case for valuing conversation as a sphere for professional development
summarize factors that can hinder/enhance learning through conversation
suggest ways educational developers can increase the potential thoughtfulness, and in turn learning benefits, of conversations that they contribute to and facilitate.

Discussion will then be prompted by the question - How might the agenda of conversation need to be varied to take into account the novice - expert status of participants?

Neil Haigh been Director of the Teaching and Learning Development Unit at the University of Waikato for the past 13 years. I also work in other higher education institutions as well as organizations in the private sector. Most of my work is based on the assumption that we will perform more effectively, efficiently and happily if we are thoughtful. Therefore, I give emphasis to helping others learn what to think about - and how to think effectively in particular contexts.

Contact: Neil Haigh, email: nhaigh@waikato.ac.nz