P R O J E C T W I T H F I R S T Y E A R S O C I O L O G Y S T U D E N T S A T U N I V E R S I T Y O F R O E H A M P T O N

ACTION LEARNING

WHAT IS ACTION LEARNING

• Technique employed to allow for reflection, and personal and professional development

• Workplace based

• Up to 6 people in a “set”, usually same responsibility levels and types of employment

• Democratic and flexible [few resources/facilities]

WHAT HAPPENS?

• Regular meetings, focus on ‘presenter’ who discusses a problem or challenge

• Open questions from standpoint of ignorance and confusion – no advice

• Presenter comes to own conclusions about action to address problem

• Reporting back

• Emphasis is on action, and the action to be taken to improve a situation or activity

• Learning comes through questioning and reflecting on the impact of actions

• Do not dwell on why there is a problem, but what the problem is and what would make it better

OUR EXPERIENCE

• Change in the University structure from Schools to Departments and move to shared office space

• Four of us across different programmes in the department formed a set

• Teaching Fellowship Award – paid for facilitator

• Created a cohesive team, we addressed working difficulties collectively

ETHICS

• Ground rules

• Confidentiality• Trust• Maintenance of boundaries outside the set• Focus on work based issues

PROJECT WITH FIRST YEAR SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS

• Self-selected students from one first year tutor group

• Diverse group who did not all know each other well

• Facilitated the student set together

• Met outside the classroom and provided refreshments

• Met 4 times in total

• Changed the format so that students each had a chance to speak each time

• Students immediately good at open questions

• Topics selected to support development as independent learners

ACTION POINTS

• Set early deadlines

• Break down work into manageable chunks

• Decide on the topics you are going to revise for the exam

• Manage your DVD watching so that you reward yourself for working.

 

• Aim higher – think about next year and increasing expectations in the standards of work you will be required to submit

• Check with friends who are doing the same work as you how far they have got so that you have a comparison with others to better judge where you are

• Reflect on mentality of first year and how this has affected your learning this year to try and motivate yourself.

• Find nutritious snacks to eat while working

• Research online what is good for you

• Manage how you are eating – prepare food, do some work, then eat

• Think about ways of feeling comfortable so that you can concentrate.

FEEDBACK AT END OF PILOT

• Realizing problems and addressing them in a safe environment

• Feeling of control, capability and independence in realizing solutions to own problems

• Important for students to learn they are capable of tackling their own obstacles

• Easier to follow own solutions than other’s advice

• Everyone deals with things differently, and Action Learning helped us discover what solutions worked for us, by finding them ourselves

• Has helped me in other areas of my life as well

ROLLING OUT ACTION LEARNING ACROSS ALL FIRST YEARS

• Involuntary

• In the class room after compulsory module

• Up to 25 students in a room broken up into smaller groups

• Issues of noise and confidentiality

• Topics chosen for students:

• I find it difficult to listen and take notes in class• I am struggling to do the reading• I cannot settle down to working• I’m not sure what I should be doing• I am worried about writing my essay/doing my

exams• I am too shy to speak in class• Being at university is too different to my sixth form

college

WHAT HAPPENED

• Well….

• Evaluation mixed and surprising

• Group that seemed least engaged reported being most interested in carrying on

• Group that seemed most receptive reported least interest• Needed more structure and support• Didn’t like involuntary nature of sets• Topics relevant and it was useful to listen to others