THEME: The teaching culture - A discussion of John Biggs ' typology of conversations about teaching in the organisation
John Biggs ' typology of conversations about teaching in the organization based on the two dimensions: (i) the degree of systematicity/institutionalization and (ii) the degree of openness in the conversation.
Following are five levels of Education Work Maturity (nor to be confused with levels 1, 2 and 3 in this book, although there are parallels). At which level is your current department? Does this help you to see where the responsibility for good teaching lies: with you as an individual, or with your department collectively?
- Level 1. Little discussion of educational quality, little regard to any mechanisms that might assist it. Traditional teaching methods, no consideration of alternatives.
Comment. Level 1 indeed: transmission model. Our teaching is fine; if there is any problem it is the students w are forced to take on board these days.
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Level 2. Individual staff begin experimenting; students benefit from attention to curriculum reform, new teaching or assessment methods, but progress is ad hoc, firefighting problems when they occur, and reactive to institutional initiatives.
Comment. Reflection by som teachers, but focus is on what they might be doing, not specifically on student learning.
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Level 3. The department more reflective as a whole, dealing more systematically with teaching issues, in-built mechanisms to track and plan teaching initiatives, can justify what it does. Procedures accepted by all or most staff.
Comment. The department is beginning to build a sense of collegial responsibility for teaching and is becoming aware of how the quality model applies to the department.
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Level 4. Departments routinely discuss and modify teaching, curriculum and assessment as normal departmental procedure. More sophisticated methods of tracking teaching and learning quality than those of the institution itself; occasional in depth debates (e.g. in retreats) on educational quality. Changes based on principles all staff accept.
Comment. The department is orchestrated to deliver quality teaching, with quality enhancement (QE) mechanisms established.
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Level 5. The department is wholeheartedly focused on educational quality, Quality enhancement central to its culture. Members freely share information about the success and failure of their innovations, and across and outside the institution.
Comment. Such a department would be entirely dedicated to teaching quality; an example at the institutional level would be Averno College, Milwaukee.
Biggs model of department maturity illustrated:
