Mapas conceptuales y el problema fundamental de moverse entre las estructuras de conocimiento

A concept map provides a ʻsnap shotʼ of a studentʼs understanding that is frozen in time by drawing it out on paper or on a computer screen. However, to represent the dynamic state of student learning, concept maps either need to emphasise dynamism (through the phrases that are chosen to act as links within the propositions that form the map), or need to be viewed as a single perspective on a more complex situation that can only be fully appreciated by considering movement between knowledge structures (e.g. through sequential mapping over time, or by indicating relationships between map structures that represent complementary learning contexts). The recognition of the importance of movement between knowledge structures needs careful management, whether teaching is conducted as a face-to-face activity or (increasingly) as a digital/online activity. Existing models of e-learning development (such as the TPACK model) can be modified to accommodate a multiple perspectives view. When the purpose of teaching is the promotion of studentsʼ ability to move between knowledge structures (rather than acquiring a single structure), the purpose of producing a concept map changes and becomes part of a wider dynamic process of learning, rather than providing a static record of what has already been learnt.Un mapa conceptual ofrece una "instantánea" del entendimiento de un estudiante, la cual se congela en el tiempo al dibujarla sobre un papel o en una pantalla de ordenador. Sin embargo, para representar el estado dinámico del aprendizaje de los estudiantes, los mapas conceptuales necesitan enfatizar dinamismo (a través de las frases que son elegidas para actuar como enlaces dentro de las proposiciones que conforman el mapa), o necesitan ser vistos como una perspectiva única de una situación compleja que sólo puede ser apreciada en su totalidad al considerar el movimiento entre estructuras de conocimiento (por ejemplo, a través de la construcción de mapas secuenciales en el tiempo, o indicando las relaciones entre las estructuras del mapa que representan contextos de aprendizaje complementarias). El reconocimiento de la importancia del movimiento entre estructuras de conocimiento requiere un manejo cuidadoso, sea cual sea la enseñanza se lleve a cabo como una actividad cara-a-cara o (como ocurre cada vez más) como una actividad digital / en línea. Los modelos existentes de desarrollo de e-learning (tales como el modelo TPACK) pueden ser modificados para acomodar una vista de perspectivas múltiples. Cuando el propósito de la enseñanza es el fomento de la capacidad de los estudiantes para moverse entre las estructuras de conocimiento (en lugar de la adquisición de una sola estructura), el objetivo de producir un mapa conceptual cambia y se vuelve parte de un proceso dinámico de aprendizaje más amplio, en vez de proporcionar un registro estático de lo ya aprendido

Understanding (in)formal learning in an academic development programme: A social network perspective

Most professional development programmes provide teachers with formal and informal social networks, but limited empirical evidence is available to describe to what extent teachers build internal (within their programme) and external (with colleagues not involved in the programme) social learning relations. We triangulated Social Network Analysis with qualitative free exercise responses. Participants developed on average 4.00 internal and 3.63 external relations, and discussed teaching 128 times per year with externals. MRQAP modelling indicates group division, department, and friendships predicted learning ties. These findings indicate that research on impact of teacher education should widen its focus beyond the formal programme boundarie

Observación por Pares Basada en Mapas Conceptuales: Una Estrategia para Fomentar el “Scholarship of Teaching and Learning” en la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá

El movimiento denominado Scholarship of Teaching and Learning nace para superar el debate entre enseñanza e investigación, y avanzar hacia una concepción más amplia del trabajo académico. Esto supone hacer del quehacer docente una actividad más parecida a la investigación científica en aspectos como el escrutinio por pares y el reconocimiento institucional que recibe. En este contexto, la observación por pares – una práctica en la que un docente observa a un colega mientras enseña con el fin de ofrecerle retroalimentación útil – constituye una vía de desarrollo profesional y de mejoramiento de la efectividad docente cónsona con las premisas de dicho movimiento. El presente artículo informa sobre un proyecto de observación por pares realizado con docentes voluntarios de la Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá. El proceso de observación se apoyó en el uso de mapas conceptuales para aumentar la visibilidad y facilitar la discusión de ideas complejas, y para poner de manifiesto la divergencia que suele existir entre las estructuras de conocimiento en forma de red que poseen internamente los docentes y las estructuras lineales que usualmente exteriorizan durante sus clases. Los resultados revelan una mayor sensibilización de todos los participantes respecto a la naturaleza de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje, y una respuesta muy positiva hacia el proceso de observación mismo. De este modo, el proyecto ha contribuido a fomentar un clima de mayor reflexión y autocrítica por parte de los participantes, y a abrir espacios de discusión y debate productivo sobre el quehacer docente en la institución

Using concept maps to surf semantic waves in the pursuit of powerful knowledge structures

The evolution of concept mapping has benefitted from the robust theoretical basis provided by Ausubelian learning theory. However, for concept mapping to maintain its relevance and to keep pace with the evolutionary changes in the educational context, it is vital that educational researchers and classroom practitioners can augment this theoretical base with contemporary learning theories that will help to improve the application of concept mapping and increase the likelihood that the goal of meaningful learning will be achieved in practice. This involves shifting the focus of concept mapping from product to process and the role of the learner from ‘being’ to ‘becoming.’ The act of concept mapping needs to be viewed as a way of mastering learning rather than of mastering specific content. We propose the consideration of the explicit role of semantic waves as an improvement from simplistic knowledge representation towards the development of more complex knowledge modelling as a way of developing powerful knowledge structures

In vivo laboratory practicals in research-led teaching: An example using glucose tolerance tests in lean and obese mice

The use of animal models is an essential part of medical research and drug development. The essential skills required to be able to do such research includes experimental design, statistical analysis and the actual handling and treating of the animals (in vivo skills). The number of students in the U.K. receiving training in handling and experimenting on animals has declined rapidly in the last few decades which has led to initiatives to increase numbers of students with these skills to meet demand. Within the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at King's College London, we run a course for 2nd year undergraduates entitled “Animal models of disease and injury”. This course not only covers the theoretical and ethical aspects of using animals in research, but also contains practical laboratory classes in which students get hands-on experience using animals. One of the laboratory classes we run is a glucose tolerance test in obese and lean mice. This is an example of research-led teaching which aims to develop research skills through engaging students in research like activities. In this paper, we outline the methodology of the glucose tolerance practical and highlight some of the skills we and the students think they gain by research-led teaching such as this

The development of academics’ feedback literacy: experiences of learning from critical feedback via scholarly peer review

The emerging literature related to feedback literacy has hitherto focused primarily on students’ engagement with feedback, and yet an analysis of academics’ feedback literacy is also of interest to those seeking to understand effective strategies to engage with feedback. Data from concept map-mediated interviews and reflections, with a team of six colleagues, surface academics’ responses to receiving critical feedback via scholarly peer review. Our findings reveal that feedback can be visceral and affecting, but that academics employ a number of strategies to engage with this process. This process can lead to actions that are both instrumental, enabling academics to more effectively ‘play the game’ of publication, as well as to learning that is more positively and holistically developmental. This study thus aims to open up a dialogue with colleagues internationally about the role of feedback literacy, for both academics and students. By openly sharing our own experiences we seek to normalise the difficulties academics routinely experience whilst engaging with critical feedback, to share the learning and strategies which can result from peer review feedback, and to explore how academics may occupy a comparable role to students who also receive evaluation of their work

Concept mapping and pedagogic health in higher education (a rhizomatic exploration in eight plateaus)

This submission presents a portfolio of 50 outputs (3 books, 7 book chapters and 40 journal articles) that were published between 2000 - 2020. This accompanying narrative offers a frame for these outputs to place them in the context of the wider literature and to highlight connections and developments in the underpinning thought processes. Here I exploit the Deleuzian figuration of the rhizome to present the portfolio to emphasise the non linear nature of this body of work and provide a novel conceptual framework for analysis. This corpus emerged from my initial exploration of Novakian concept mapping as a tool to support and document learning. From my early studies that built on the dominant discourse of the field, I examined concept mapping as a study aid. From this my interests diverged into the visualisation of expertise and the implications of variation in the structure of knowledge as depicted by students and as promoted in the curriculum. I started to use concept mapping to explore educational theory and have combined the tool that is strongly linked to its origins in educational psychology (particularly the work of David Ausubel) with other theoretical positions that might inform teaching in higher education. These have included ideas from the sociology of education (particularly the work of Basil Bernstein and Karl Maton); ideas from evolutionary Biology (Stephen Jay Gould’s concept of exaptation); ideas from health sciences (particularly the work on Salutogenesis by Anton Antonovsky), and the post-structuralist ideas of Gilles Deleuze (especially the concept of the rhizome). These ideas offer an opportunity to revise and refresh the assumptions that underpinned Joe Novak’s work on concept mapping – that might increase the level of criticality in continuing research. This work raises questions about the methodological conservatism of the field of concept mapping (and perhaps of higher education research more broadly). The observed methodological and conceptual conservatism of the concept mapping literature is seen as a consequence of its linear (arborescent) development from science education. Through this work, the reader can trace the development of the researcher from his roots in Biological Sciences towards a greater appreciation of post-structuralist perspectives – challenging the conservatism mentioned above