Teaching and Learning
Teaching is an interactive process of gaining and sharing knowledge, valuing the learnings of others and appreciating the differing contexts in which learning both occurs and is applied. Effective teaching is about developing learnings in an interactive construction of ideas rather than solely a sharing of learnings. Community engagement, where teachers actively and purposefully interact with others, is foundational to bringing a reality to their teaching which enables them to appreciate the varying ways in which theory informs reality and reality modifies theory.
There is this coming together, this nexus, between teaching and learning, research and scholarship through engagement with each critically linked to the other…not necessarily in a sequential way but in a continuing interactive process. An appreciation of the nexus of teaching and learning, research and scholarship is essential to inform teacher education students. Why? For when teachers graduate from ACU National they will engage with peoples and communities in the day to day events that influence and impact upon one another’s lives. It is imperative that they come to appreciate the critical interrelatedness of engaging with communities, asking the relevant questions, learning with others and then sharing their gained knowledge.
A major focus of the University is embedding community engagement into the teaching and learning process.
A model of this process has been developed that incorporates:
- Principles for Community Engagement in Learning (PDF, 59kb)
- Model of Community Engagement in Learning (PDF, 34kb)
- Learning Unit Extract (PDF, 66kb)
Source: Howard, P. & Butcher, J. (2007). Community engagement and student learning: making community a core element of teacher education. Paper presented at the 13th biennial conference of The International Study association on Teachers and Teaching, (ISATT), Brock University St Catharines, Ontario Canada
