-
Education, Lifelong Learning and the Transformation of Society
There is much anger in the world today. People rage against injustice and inequality. Tempers flair as we struggle to protect the planet. Societies change and evolve and our values are transformed over time. Many practices such as slavery, colonialism and capital punishment were deemed acceptable in the past and considered abhorrent by today’s standards. Our current laws on discrimination and tolerance were hard fought and did not come about without argument and persuasion. Even with these, we know there is still much to do. The progressive process of transforming values in society is essentially an educative endeavour. Consider how our collective values have changed, even in the course of,…
-
Learning, Participation and After Virtue
What makes a good person? This is an old and important question. Philosophers and theologians through the years have sought an answer including Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Kierkegaard, Newman, Nietzsche and others. Alasdair MacIntyre provides a useful analysis of the history of thinking on this question and the current state of moral philosophy in his books After Virtue (1984) and Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (1988). MacIntyre argues that a full understanding of moral philosophy today is constrained by failure to appreciate historical context. He proposes a disquieting scenario to illustrate what he deems the state of affairs today. Imagine, he suggests, through some terrible catastrophe all the scientists in the world…
-
Richard Hannaford An Extraordinary Teacher
Some people are natural teachers. I don’t mean ‘teachers’ in the everyday sense as in those who work in schools or colleges. I mean people who show us things and who we learn from in all manner of ways. Richard Hannaford was such a person. I noticed this many years ago when I first met him as my sister Norah’s partner and later husband. Over the years I became more convinced this was the case, never more so than in the weeks leading up to his untimely death one month ago. Richard probably did not realise that we were all learning from him and I know that he would be…
-
The Disengaged Student
In the further and higher education sectors we often come across the phenomenon of the disengaged student. Typically a small number of students who register for a course seem to drift away – they are characterised by poor levels of engagement in class, infrequent attendance and lack of compliance with assignment deadlines. This is very frustrating for all concerned and inevitably it leads to trouble – failed assessments, repeats, appeals, reviews, etc.. All this seems to happen like a car crash in slow motion; we can see the inevitable outcome from a long way out and there seems nothing we can do about it. By treating students are adults we…
You May Also Like
Getting to Grips with Academic Writing
-
Plato’s Meno
Plato’s Meno One of the first accounts of the troublesome nature of learning outcomes is given in Plato’s Meno. Plato used a series dramatically constructed dialogues as vignettes to illustrate philosophical points he wished to make. In the Meno Plato describes a conversation between Socrates, Meno (hence the title), a slave boy and Anytus. Meno puts the following problem to Socrates: “Can you tell me, Socrates, can virtue be taught? Or is it not teachable but the result of practice, or is it neither of these, but men possess it by nature or in some other way?” Socrates and Meno proceed by agreeing that whereas they would recognise instances of…
-
Learning Outcomes
Where we find learning outcomes All learning outcomes are descriptive, they are attempts to capture in a series of statements the results and consequences of instruction or experience.For anyone taking on a course of study, particularly a third level course, they are likely to want access to a description of that course and the modules associated with it. A key part of any such course or module description will be a series of statements that define the purpose and intent of the learning involved – these are known as the “Learning Outcomes”. Learning outcomes can be defined at all levels of course participation: Programme Level Learning Outcomes are statements that…
- Uncategorised
Earthquake!!
Maire and I have just experienced an earthquake! We are here in San Diego for the weekend after the SITE conference. We had just been on a boat tour of the harbour and at some time before I was due to pick up a rental car. We decided to go to Borders bookshop to have some coffee and relax. Unusually I ordered frozen coffee and a cake – as they often do the server took my name and said he’d call me when it was ready. I heard “Leon” and presumed it was for me and made my way to the counter.Woo! Woo! Woo! the earth began to shift. Maire…
- Uncategorised
Weekend in Paris to “Sea the Stars”
Ryanair have a lot to answer for.A few weeks ago Eamon, a good friend of mine, rang me to say that he had spotted cheap flights to Paris for the last weekend in September – the Arc weekend. Eamon and I both had busy Septembers so this was great timing for a short break. Our main interest was the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, perhaps the most prestigious race for top grade horses and this year something special was on the cards as Sea the Stairs an Irish (John Oxx) trained horse was on to complete a remarkable run of group one wins. What this horse achieved in winning this…
- Uncategorised
Learning Italian Together (translated by babelfish)
La mia moglie Maire ed io ha deciso di imparare insieme l’italiano questo termine. Poichè siamo entrambe l’implicato nella formazione abbiamo pensato che fosse una buona idea imparare insieme la lingua. Dopo che molto cercando abbiamo trovato che il nostro istituto universitario della comunità locale ha fatto funzionare un corso di sera su Wednesday’ s alla volta che ci ha stato adatti. Ho mancato i primi due codici categoria dovuto altri impegni ed in modo da ero molto di scuse quando ho unito per la prima volta ieri il codice categoria. L’insegnante era fantastico – una giovane donna italiana molto amichevole che ha un regalo naturale come insegnante. Era grande…
