EDRHODG/201/3/2014

Tutorial letter 201/3/2014

The Educator as Researcher,

Scholar and Lifelong Learner

EDRHODG

Semester 1 and 2

OUTCOMES, ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND EXAMINATION GUIDELINES

Department of Educational Foundations

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

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CONTENTS

Page

1 OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR THE MODULE3

2 BASIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE MODULE.3

3 STUDY UNIT 1...4

4 STUDY UNIT 26

5 STUDY UNIT 36

6 ASSIGNMENT 02...6

7 EXAMINATION ADMISSION8

8 EXAMINATION GUIDELINES..8

9 CONCLUDING REMARKS...8

EDRHODG/201

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1 OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR THE MODULE:

From the outcomes given for the module you could deduce the assessment criteria. For your convenience they are restated below and should be helpful when you are preparing for the examination.

* Explain concepts and their meaning in the educational context.

* Explain the connection between concepts.

* Describe and apply the steps in problem-solving.

* Design a research proposal and formulate a problem statement.

* Argue a point.

* Explain the difference between value and factual statements.

* Explain and apply the research process.

2 BASIC PHILOSOPHY OF THE MODULE

CRITICAL RATIONALISM

The basic philosophy used in this module is critical rationalism. It could be called the theory of critical analysis, because it comprises constant questioning.

The educator as researcher, scholar and lifelong learner, should always ask critical questions, try to solve problems and be open to criticism from other scholars. Classroom practice should mostly consist of questioning, dialogue and debate. The educator should therefore be prepared to debate and argue points with the learners in the classroom without feeling threatened.

MAIN IDEAS

* Debate

* Criticism of existing social order

* Freedom of expression

* Falsification critical rationalists try to falsify existing knowledge through the trial and error method

* Knowledge as open to questioning

* Explanation of all points of contention is necessary

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ADVANTAGES

* the module encourages people to question.

* It reveals mistakes/assumptions.

* It promotes justice/fairness.

* It is the basis for democracy.

* It promotes clear thinking.

* It is anti-dogmatic and anti-authoritarian.

3 STUDY UNIT 1 (REASON AND ACTION)

Study unit 1 mostly consists of concepts, their clarification and the connection between concepts. It is important to know the concepts as used in the educational context and examples of their application.

CONCEPTS

Educator

* Somebody who imparts knowledge to learners

* Someone who gives instruction

* All human beings are educators as well as learners

Researcher

* The researcher is someone who conducts research that is more focused on learning.

* One does research to find answers about something very specific or very general.

Scholar

* The word implies being an academic/intellectual, but it is not necessarily so.

* It actually refers to a person who has learned a lot about a specific subject.

* Oxford Dictionary definition: scholar = a learned person.

Lifelong learner

* It is important to develop a questioning approach to life.

* There are not necessarily immediate, simple, straightforward answers to lifes questions; therefore one should remain a lifelong learner, that is, be in a constant quest to learn.

* All human beings should remain lifelong learners and lifelong educators.

EDRHODG/201

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CONNECTION BETWEEN CONCEPTS

Researcher and educator

* All research starts with a problem.

* There are many problems in education/teaching; therefore it is important for educators to be researchers.

Scholar and educator

* If one is interested in solving a problem, one needs to seek advice and knowledge of people who have done a great deal of study or work in the field.

* One would also have to do a great deal of study of and research on the results of other scholars work.

* By doing research one become a scholar.

Lifelong learner and educator

* When confronted with problems the educator should do research, not guess the result or make assumptions.

* Nobody has all the answers, no matter what practical experience one has been exposed to.

* Research should be done to find solutions which lead to lifelong learning.

The interactions between the concepts are very important, as they illustrate how interactions would occur in practice.

Part of study unit 1 is the problem-solving steps. It is important for educators to apply these steps to a given scenario or to problems they experience in practice. The goal of this module is to equip you, as educator, scholar and lifelong learner, with strategies to approach problems you may encounter in your classroom.

PROBLEM-SOLVING STEPS

1 Identify the problem.

2 Formulate the problem as precisely as possible (see unit 3).

3 Gather other peoples ideas about the problem.

4 Are other peoples ideas relevant to the problem in your context? (See unit 2).

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5 Apply a possible solution.

6 If the solution does not work, try something else (see unit 2).

7 Reformulate the problem.

8 Seek new solutions (lifelong learning).

9 Think critically about your analysis. Be open-minded.

4 STUDY UNIT 2 HOW TO ARGUE

Make sure of the following in argumentation:

* Untested assumptions

* Hidden assumptions

* Factual statements is statements

* Value statements ought to statements

* Statements with always, everybody, all

5 STUDY UNIT 3 RESEARCH, VALUES AND EDUCATION

This study unit prepares you to write a problem statement for a research proposal. In this module we concentrate on the problem statement and not on the research proposal as such.

Be on the lookout for the following:

* Value statements

* Factual statements

* Universal statements

* Untested assumptions

* Inconsistency

* Vagueness

6 ASSIGNMENT 02

You should choose TWO topics one local and one national. For instance, if you choose to research poor matriculation results you might want to start with how the problem plays itself out at provincial level, and then show how the provincial challenges eventually affect national statistics. You are encouraged to use the same structure for both problems to explain the process of problem-solving.

EDRHODG/201

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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PROBLEM STATEMENT

* The PROCESS is important, NOT the research as such.

* The assignment is about a research proposal, NOT the research per se.

* The research proposal in this assignment indicated a PROBLEM STATEMENT (study unit 3).

* The research problem should be concise and clear.

AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM

* You should explain WHY you are interested in the problem (study unit 2).

* Awareness should be linked to the problem statement.

* You should concentrate on WHY you are interested in the topic and HOW you became aware of it.

* You could include a journal article or even photos to show why this problem is important to you, but this is not essential.

PROCESS (PROBLEM-SOLVING STEPS) (study unit 1)

* The assignment is about the PROCESS OF SOLVING A PROBLEM, AS A TEACHER OR AN EDUCATOR, in the classroom.

* You DO NOT have to present the research, but you should indicate HOW you approached the problem.

* You should study research already done in the field. We want you to demonstrate awareness of the TRENDS that have been researched and where you looked for these.

* We do not want a full bibliography you should only indicate that you found the information on the internet (web sites); in the library, through experts, etcetera.

* Some of the research could be applicable to your field of study and you could try and use it to resolve your problem.

Some of the research might be irrelevant. In that case you should look for other focus points that would be pertinent to your chosen problem. This could help you to reformulate your problem (LIFELONG LEARNING).

* We want to know WHERE you looked for information to resolve the problem e.g. internet, library, questionnaires, interviews, experts.

* You should THINK CRITICALLY AND ANALYSE WHAT YOU READ, HEARD and SAW (study unit 2)

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7 EXAMINATION ADMISSION

Exam admission is based on the submission of Assignment 01 on or before 12 March (first semester) or 03 September (second semester). If you submit Assignment 01 on or before the due date you qualify to sit for the examination in this module. However, Assignment 02 is the one that will contribute to your year mark and the final examination mark.

Assignment 02 contributes 20% to your final mark. The examination paper will contribute 80% to the final mark.

8 EXAMINATION

The examination paper consists of the following:

* True or false questions. You will have to substantiate your choice of true or false statements (20 marks)

* Brief descriptions of concepts

* Descriptions of the relationship between concepts (25 marks)

* Application of a philosophical concept to a classroom setting (10 marks)

* The problem-solving steps and their application (25 marks)

* Distinguishing between facts and values (10 marks)

* A description of assumptions and facts (10 marks)

9 CONCLUDING REMARKS

Should you experience any difficulties with your studies, please contact me as soon as possible by e-mail or telephone. You are also welcome to pay me a visit. But please make an appointment beforehand as I might be outside the country.

I wish you every success in your studies.

Mr Moeketsi Letseka

Department of Educational Foundations

Tel: 012 429 8507

letsem@unisa.ac.za